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[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1423329531' post='2683643'] ...... I learnt from The Recording Revolution about recording at low levels and leaving loads of headroom. Thankfully the preamps on my Focusrite are deemed to be very noise-free by many so I should have no problems here. Thanks again all [/quote] This is a really useful tip and as I reflect and think, I agree it is logical in this digital age since the lack of 'noise' means much more gain can be added at mix down later. One thing we (me and singer) have learned so far is not to worry about getting balance / levels perfect in the initial recording. They can be fixed later (without noise in the digital realm). The other area to watch is setting levels close to 'hot' / 'orange/red' / -3dB before recording. Somehow it gets much louder in performance which results in distortion / poorer recording. The -11/12db suggested by Monats is a good fix for this. Dad3353 is on the money with the 3dB increments being significant. It is all a big learning curve. My best direct recording bass is still Gibson, big, woody and full, string balance is an issue, compression helps. I would still like to get most of it down from the bass, is this wishful thinking?

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1424643328' post='2698758'] Yeah, but they're all pensioners, aren't they..? What would [i]they [/i]know..? [/quote] Me too, I got my pension last year. I was 55 ! result. Next I will realise my youth ambition to be a RnR star lol. The Mywatt 200 for sale on here looks mighty tempting. But what would a pensioner know

At the very start of my bass playing - Vox AC50. More than adequate against the Marshall 100W and 4 x 12 guitarists in the early 70s. The days of the 100W pa in pub, club bands. In my later youth my Hiwatt Dr103 seemed pretty damned good. Then I got the Hiwatt 200W model, more goodness. In a more recent (older, not wiser) incarnation I dabbled with the Marshall VBA 400 into a Barefaced Dubster. I used this in my workplace (school hall) for rehearsals. It was possible to get the walls and concrete floor to move, feeling the concrete slab move with bass was an odd sensation.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1424636878' post='2698648'] Short answer, yes. Downside is carrying it. Make sure your cabs are connected before you switch it on. [/quote] Listen to live recordings of Free, The Who, Deep Purple, Cream, Mountain but to name a few. Seem to have a reasonable bass tone

EMG very easy to fit, even older type which require soldering. Check if you have sufficient room for 9V battery. They are a non-destructive exercise so when you come to sell just refit the previous pickup etc. Whether it is worthwhile is a personal judgement call,

Cost effective EB 3 point bridge. I am thinking of BBOT that engages with the existing 3 posts. Thickness of metal would ensure snug fit in current posts. After that I would go for regular barrel type saddles. (Think Fender bridge on stilts). There would be sufficient length aft of the bridge to eradicate the winding on saddle issue. Material - stainless steel?

Deja Vu

On a closer look at neck picture - it appears to have a separate fretboard rather than the usual one piece maple neck / board. http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/ Total import duty & taxes due: £59.88 according to above, gives Total landed cost: £304.88

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1424002363' post='2691329'] Go for it SaxyBassist but I would listen very carefully to the combo speaker as the volume increases. [/quote] Good advice about listening carefully, hopefully it will be loud enough and make warning (bad) noises before it gets into the damaged speaker situation.

The usual wide grippy strap sorts the neck dive on mine. My forearm also seems to locate the bass against my body which also minimises any neck dive. The lightness and short scale make them a great thing to play imo.

The 'sound of truth' is what does it sound like live, then how does it record? You say "[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]If I play it through my Hughes & Kettner combo or through my bass teachers mixer in his studio it sounds just wonderful to me" which gives you the answer [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Caneronj279 states it well, "[/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]why fix what isn't broken? " [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Enjoy your Fender, otherwise it is a long expensive trail that can be never ending to find the tone.[/font][/color]

If you want more SPL (volume) then another way forward would be a more efficient extension cab - e.g. Barefaced compact or similar. Not all cabs (speaker + box) are created equal, some deliver greater SPL per input Watt than others. Treat most manufacturer figures with caution.

When you go for the super low action listen to the bass as you make changes. Some basses will happily accept a super low action, some will just 'lose' the tone.

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1423850853' post='2689767'] Yes, definitely getting the vernier out for this. I've borrowed a brutal grinder from work, so I'll probably go through the guitar and my table! [/quote] The 'brutal grinder' makes for an eye watering vision - pics in action?

Unlucky as this mod will work straight into USA telecaster - having done it. My gotcha was the need to run separate earth to pickup cover in addition to two signal wires. Would be very wary that 4mm route would emerge from back of guitar, a definite measure before attacking with power tool scenario.

Giveaway at that price with a case - paid that for a well used example and no case.... pre recession times.

I want one, but not when it costs 37% of what I paid for the bass (s/h) I am feeling the need to produce a cost effective EB replacement bridge for the EU / UK.

Just a little too far from Mid Wales Good luck finding the one

MXR Di 80+ Appear on here at £70 - £80 recently. I bought one, clean sound very impressive, tone controls excellent.

Had a cab with G18C in my youth (1970s). I remember it being pretty good with the AC50 and subsequent Hiwatt 100 I had at the time. Happy days... I wonder if my judgement of sound quality is through rose coloured spectacles.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1423268741' post='2683104'] It is an incredibly saturated market. One upside of that, though, is that it has pushed quality of cheaper brands up, while pushing the price down. You should see some of the £109 electric guitars we have. They aren't some Stagg crap, they're actually really good, and a £109 price tag doesn't do them justice. [/quote] This is one of the issues I believe Fender (and many others) have to face up to. How hard is it to source reasonable timber, CNC machines and then apply excellent QC. Fender (and others) should be able build at lower prices, build to order and thus give the customer what they want and deliver quality. With CNC machines, custom pickguards, pickups, even body shapes etc are not a serious issue. I have several (recent model) cheapy basses, the quality certainly gives my USA / German / Luthier basses a good run for their money - 90% of the performance at 20% of the price?

Going through this same game over last few weeks. Direct into Focusrite produced so so results with a fair range of basses. Gibson SG sounded best. Bought MXR DI+ from this very forum this week and it has made a significant difference. Compression helps - I just use Audacity default value. Simplistic approach however I am at the start of the learning curve. Recording seems to show all the defects in my playing technique, stuff that sound ok (or even good) live is rather less so in recordings.

Just enjoy the SG bass.