crazycloud

6 hours ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said:

Time was when you had to use a fifteen to get enough cone displacement for the lows along with a midrange for dispersion in the mids. That hasn't been the case since the turn of the century.

That's a rather blanket statement, that I don't entirely agree with. I like the BW and wide dispersion, and the clean SPL from reduced cone movement from the 15 operating at lower excursion. My rig is used for 5/6 string bass (B-C, E-E) as well as guitar at the same time (same gig, not simultaneously). I've yet to find any smaller drivers that I like that work as well for what my system needs are. Overall, I find what I use to be a pretty good compromise in terms of LF, SPL, physical size, weight and form factor, and these are far from the first systems I've engineered.

On 04/05/2025 at 21:07, Beedster said:

I’m an advocate of the use it lose approach to back strength however, so I’m quite happy that way

Ditto. One of my fave basses, the ATK is 5.22kg and one of my SR 6 strings, just on 5kg. I haven't played a 4 hour set in ages, but I have stood practicing and writing with both on a strap for that long.

On 04/05/2025 at 20:49, chris_b said:

Seems like people pine for the 15's of old.

No, as I still have a 1x15 and a 2x15 from the 80s and 70s respectively, but I like the ease of air movement that larger drivers have. I agree with the earlier comments about dispersion, but for 40y I've gotten around that with multi way cabs as I've preferred a clean wideband speaker that I can EQ to my tastes, not just having it baked in and smothering like an old Ampeg. These days with multiFX and modellers, I can make my cabs sound like just about anything, good enough for me and anyone else except for maybe the one old tone cork sniffer I might run into every few years.

The cab currently under construction is a 15 + 8 coax, in 2 boxes so it will fit into the back of my sedan. This adds a little weight to the total, but it's 2 smaller boxes so each are easier to manhandle and the coax can be raised on a stick to ear height. I designed it for what I wanted as there aren't any commercial boxes available, new or S/H that do what I want.

I thought it was incredibly boring. Pity as it could have been really interesting. The interviewer was a tw*t.

A friend of mine told me today he'd just ordered one of these, and was going to pick it up in the next few days; black P, maple board version. I think I might give it a try when he gets it as he offered and wants to hear it through my old Peavey rig. He's a young guy but has old man tastes, just not this old man's taste.

56 minutes ago, Delberthot said:

Having never owned a headless bass before, if I do the mod with the thrust bearings, is it simply a matter of fitting or do I need to grease them as well?

I've never bothered greasing them.

15 minutes ago, HeadlessBassist said:

They sit on the strap at a similar angle to a Status S2 design. Very central and perfect balance.

So similar to my S2000. Interesting...

14 hours ago, HeadlessBassist said:

and all I've lost is a 5th string.

Now it just looks odd to me...

9 hours ago, HeadlessBassist said:

I'll have a look at that. I've been using headless tuning systems for over 35 years now, and I've never had one fail. But the smooth motion is very appealing, as they do stick a bit from time to time. 

I've done it on all my Steinbergers and clones for many years, especially as it's so simple and cheap to do.

There was a guy on one of the luthier's fora (maybe TB?) some time back that had a top made of driftwood that looked similar and I quite liked it. There are plenty of barncasters and FSO style clones that are made of all sorts of old timbers; I have some in the shed that will eventually be made into bodies*.

However 7300 squids with a load of bollocks in the marketing type mean I wouldn't go near it, unless it was in a store nearby and I could try it for interest's sake. Might even be good.

* Because I like the aesthetic. Oh, and I don't buy into the tonewood thing at all.

On 26/04/2025 at 21:41, obbm said:

and the new logo is .... Hmmm.

I prefer the old one too. But I bet it's an excellent cab, so my best wishes for you enjoying it.

Anyone tried them? Opinions? I'm tempted to try some in spite of the name on them.

Something sort of bridging the SS rounds and flats would be nice, especially on the practice 5 string. 

I now have a lot of respect for Schecter gear based on a used guitar (not sure of the model) I purchased a few days ago on a whim. If the basses are as good, I'd have one. Maybe I'll actually see a bass in the flesh to try.

On 17/04/2025 at 11:44, ebozzz said:

Texans tend to have a sort of arrogance that can be a little overbearing to some people and I just don't get that same vibe from the Montanans that I've associated with.

I lived and worked in Texas for years, and arrogant is not something I'd call them.

18 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

you know how it is with ibanez, wait to get one second hand and it will be less than half the price

Trouble is, they bring few in and the people who tend to buy them aren't flippers, so the second hand market is sparse to say the least. I have searches for many of these sort of models, eg GVB36, BTB1826 (prefer early ones) on the major sites and check general searches in case one finds it's way into a store I'm not familiar with, but nada.

13 hours ago, Paulhauser said:

I don't think this was covered here, but according to Ibanez
"2025 brings with it the long-awaited revamp of the SR prestige line. With nine new models in total, there’s an ideal instrument for every bassist out there seeking the comfort, tone, and playability of a Japanese-made SR."

More infor on the Ibby site

 

Quite fancy this SR3506 from the new model lineup...

Sweet looking bass, but my wallet whimpered at the pre-order price here.

5 hours ago, jd56hawk said:

I don't expect anything innovative from Fender, why should I, but this sounds like it may just be something that gets the job done, and that's really what it's all about.

And there are dozens of other brands that will do the same, usually for less money, and better consistency and QC.

For practice, why go to the expense and latency issues of wireless? I'd rather have a cheap pair of Supralux HD681 and an extension lead do I can move around, or run the lead behind me. Maybe 30 quid all in.

More meh from Fender.

Based on my recent purchases from Cort, and having owned and played many Fenders of various vintages and construction location, I'd have the Cort GB series (FSO-ish) any day for lots less pesos. Haven't tried a Sire, but likely the same would apply; I'd buy the SIre blind, and returns are harder for change of mind here, over the Fender every time, MIA, MIJ, MIM, MII or MIC.

1 hour ago, ebozzz said:

Montana is nothing like Texas but he got the snow part right.

Culturally, Montana and Texas are a darn sight closer than Montana and Canadastan. Except maybe Austin.

11 hours ago, ebozzz said:

 

That's basically Canada......🤣

I dare you to say that to a Montanan.

I was once told that it's hilly Texas with snow.

14 hours ago, 80Hz said:

 

 

 

 

That's a really good finish, especially as basswood can be a little plain - it almost looks like maple. The burst is nice and subtle too like my 375.

14 hours ago, tempo said:

I've had this SR1306 since 2010ish. It's no lightweight at 10lbs but the body is solid Padouk, so that's expected. It's from 1993 and they only made it for that one year before changing it to a sandwich body (mahogany with Padouk veneers), and changing the pickups. 

The catalogue & promotional material of the time had GV playing one.

I have recently fitted a Lusithand BMF800 preamp,which works well. Neck is a dream like all Soundgears.

That's pretty and would look great on the stand next to my SR655E and those J6 pickups are very good from what I've heard.

Is the string spacing the typical 16.5mm of modern SR 6 strings?

11 hours ago, 80Hz said:

 

I know some peoples eyes swim with the 5 + 5 pole piece arrangement on the P-46 pickup and the 9 pieces on the J-45, but I actually like it, it's a bit unconventional and makes them distinctive. It has no adverse effect on the ability of the pickup to sense individual strings - I'm sure BL had a clear rationale for this design choice. I wonder if Bill, Becky or Shannon discussed this anywhere.

The magnetic field above a round magnet is quite wide, so having the extra ones evens it out a little across the width of the PU. It's why Fender did this on the original P and J. From a manufacturing perspective, it might be easier as they already have a supplier and stock of the rod magnets and bar magnets in wider bass sizes may not be as cost effective for a small operation as they're unusual and far less common than bar mags in guitar sizes.

Carvin did similar way back with guitar pickups having IIRC, 11 across the width of the PU. These may have been slugs not magnets, but the concept is the same.

It also could simply be a combination of the above and marketing to make them a little distinctive from the million other P and J shaped PUs out there.

Or Bill just liked to annoy OCD people.

9 hours ago, TheGhostofJaco said:

I think the guy is great and him and Ian would be very fun to hang out with.

They would have to be very different in person for me to enjoy that. I don't find either of them particularly entertaining or funny, but ever so often there is a nugget in there that makes watching that channel worthwhile.

What I would like to know is how tall Sharon is. Someone local recently told me they could never play a 6 because his hands are too small (he's taller than me) and she looks petite from the size of her hands. I was going to point out that if a girl smaller than him can master a Warwick 6, then so can he.

4 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

@80Hz Loves an SR, got several, well 7, 4 of em modded

Got 7 myself, 4 of which are on the list to get mods. Excuse me getting boring here, but I'm recovering from a very hard workout this morning.

SR706: EMG45DCXs, maybe with a BQC later. I need to rout to fit, but that's fine. Ordered and waiting on local stock as it's cheaper than importing direct.

SR256B (GSR206 with an EQBIII pre): Lace Alumis. I have the PUs already. Body will probably get sanded back to bare, stained black and clear coated too - waiting for a mate to finish his house renos to help with this.

SRC6: EMG DCs. Same friend as above has extensive luthiery experience and will bring his nut files to take the stock strings to .100 from .84.

SR375E: I want an SR2605, but they're $A2800 / 1350UKP and the 375 plays so nice and is really good looking in blue, I think a set of Nordy Big Blades ($A500 - bit more modern sounding than the BS apparently) would get me close enough, except for the aesthetics. I don't buy into the tone wood or hardware making any significant difference. The 375 neck doesn't move even with the big temp and RH swings here, and the body is most likely more than one piece of maple, but even in sunlight, I struggle to see the joins - note that this is Aussie sunlight, not the tepid stuff you have in Blighty. I purchased this new a couple of years back on a whim.

There's no point in selling the 375 to put it towards the 2605 as the market here sucks at the moment. I bought a used guitar recently for an absolute bargain, getting it basically for the cost of the EMGs in it, and my high bid, which I thought was modest, was significantly higher than what it sold for.

With the BTB and the Cort A5 UA and A6, I really think I have everything. Except for the GVB36 I mentioned earlier.

4 hours ago, 80Hz said:

but I thought I'd give a bit of commentary on my '94 SR890.

I like the colour. Not much of a 4 player any more, but if I'd seen that locally for a good price, the temptation would have been great to snatch it up too. 

4 hours ago, 80Hz said:

 

I settled on a Wilde (Bill Lawrence) PJ set (P-46 and J-45 pickups). I'd been previously impressed with Wilde guitar pickups so this was a good opportunity to try the bass offerings. Bill Lawrence's designs seem to share a "hi-fi" family sound which I felt would suit a contemporary bass

I've liked the guitar PUs I've heard, and have wanted to try the bass PUs, but don't have a donor to try them out in. The bass PUs have a good reputation, and I wish they'd do a 5 string set.

Wilde are lovely to deal with; though I've bought nothing (yet), they've answered my numerous enquiries promptly and pleasantly.

2 hours ago, HeadlessBassist said:

If only we knew what that bridge pickup was...

It's a Jazzmaster guitar pickup. Actual brand, I don't know though.

I'm definitely not a vintage guy, but if it were mine and I was going to do routing, I'd pick up an aftermarket body from somewhere like Guitar Fetish and mod that so it can be restored to stock.