Fionn

[quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1360526335' post='1971850'] ... Or just wire wool. [/quote] I've seen this done to good effect

Nice one man

On the circuit board in the electronics compartment on the back of your thumb bass you'll see a little trim pot with a slot in it. You can reduce the output of your bass by turning this. I'm thinking this will solve your problem.

There are many things that I love about Weather Report from the Jaco era ... but Zawinuls [b][color=#FFA500]cheesy[/color][/b] synths are not one of them. Don't get me wrong. As a composer and player, I think the man was truly brilliant, but lets face it ... he had a penchant for the smelly stuff. Aye, a prolific purveyor of the stilton-esque, was Joseph. The times and technology cant be blamed for this. Herbie, for example, was sounding infinately classier in those days. Oh, if the music could be reborn I'd love to hear that Weather Report/ Jaco combo, those pieces, those arrangements with the synth parts reconsidered. Less over-bearing, more sympathetic. Rinse out the gross pads, the invasive and torturous plastic lead sounds. So much of Jacos precious playing is lost in this mess of fromage.

I'm strictly an electric player, but for what it's worth ... Gallien Krueger MB150E / MB150S Beefed up with the MBX112 ext extension cab the 150w is surprisingly loud, clear, and present. You can read something of how this is acheived in the review below. These are great for recording too, the signal path is uber clean. I use it for everything .. practices, gigs, recording. Don't be put off by thinking that because it's small that it miht be gutless. It's not. I've used it with a fairly loud drummer and no pa very successfully in small to medium sized rooms. Any gig that will require anything bigger is bound to have pa support anyway. Many double bassists swear by these. there's a few big name endorsers too (I think). Manual ... [url="http://www.gallien-krueger.com/manuals/MB150-III-Manual.pdf"]http://www.gallien-k...-III-Manual.pdf[/url] Review ... [url="http://www.performing-musician.com/pm/jun08/articles/gallienkruger.htm"]http://www.performin...llienkruger.htm[/url] Such high quality gear. So light, versatile, and clean sounding.

A 2nd-hand Gallien Krueger MB150E / MB150S will cost around £300/ £350. These are superlative combos, in every respect. Their popularity amongst double-bass players speaks kudos for the thing. I'm an electric bassist. I use one of these for everything. When teamed up with the MBX112 extension cab it is loud and present enough to gig a good sized room without PA support. I cant recommend it enough really.

[b]Early Warwicks[/b] from the 80's when they were handmade ... particularly those basses which were still under transition of design. I'm talking of Streamers with the "spade" head shape, non-inclined tuners, one-piece bridges, and all the variations therein ... and the short horned Thumb Basses, JD's most definately. These are already very collectable, but will be all the moreso in the future.

Is there a wee internal trim pot on the circuit-board of the pedal (or your Sterling, for that matter). If so, try adjusting that first.

Not sure what paint to use, but I'd certainly fine sand and prime the surface that you're painting first.

[quote name='DaveFry' timestamp='1359585992' post='1957277'] Colin Hodgkinson on bass . Back Door , a band from Yorkshire . Sax , bass and drums . [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE1GnnjS4Ms[/media] [/quote] That's fantastic!

You've listed Herbie there, but you missed what is possibly his funkiest album ... Man-Child Get your ears around this ... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgBrPQCSdW4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgBrPQCSdW4[/url]

Top-drawer Scottish FUNK. Soooooooooo good! Check them out ... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI2AQk-OcX8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI2AQk-OcX8[/url]

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' timestamp='1359405251' post='1954344'] Hey Kev This may sound strange but i have worked on a few warwicks in the past that had their truss rods installed upside down / the wrong way around so they reacted the oposite to what you expect them to! You expect clockwise turns to straighten the neck and anti clockwise to add more bow / relief. Have you checked that it is operating the right way around? [/quote] ^ What he said ^ ... although I've never heard of that on a newer Warwick. It's definately worth investigating though

If needed in east central Scotland, may I recommend my good friend Rory Dowling (Taran Guitars). He is a luthier of the highest quality. Best know for building top-end acoustic guitars, he is also capable of any repair/ resoration work that your bass could possibly demand. His website address is ... [url="http://www.taranguitars.co.uk/"]http://www.taranguitars.co.uk/[/url]

I read folk suggesting that to remove the truss rod, you should hold the bass upside down and hit the headstock on the floor whilst hitting the back of the neck with your hand. Don't do this, it's completely unnecessary. What's worse is that I also heard examples of fretboards being removed from 1982 - 1996 Warwicks for the same purpose ... crazy.

It seems to me, from what I have gathered looking on various forums, that truss rod issues are not uncommon with older Warwicks. I'll add my experience to the body of internet woes incase it reduces the stress of some future bassist who may encounter a similar problem. I recently bought a 1987 Streamer Stage1. When playing I noticed a faint buzzing/ odd vibration on some notes above the 12th fret. This, and an unwanted subsiduary harmonic tone when playing standard harmonics. The action and set-up seemed good, but I immediately checked for the usual suspects ... fret buzz, bridge saddles, springs, screws, other hardware which might have have been loose. Then, when knocking on the back of the neck I heard that something was loose in there. The truss rod, obviously. I was a bit confused. I didn't think the truss rod needed tightening as the neck was [i]almost [/i]ideally set ... 0.7mm at the 7th fret when holding the string down upon the first and last frets (testament to the stiffness of wenge-necked Warwicks). The truss rod was completely loose though. It turned freely to slacken, yet wouldn't tighten a notch, it was seized in that direction. So I removed the truss rod. This is very easy for basses made between 1982 - 1996. There's a Warwick video that will show you how ... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT_iDrcLtKY[/media] To my relief the truss rod was fine (it's the one way alloy truss rod). No cracks or breaks, and the thread on both the nut and the truss rod its self were in perfect order. Great! I ordered a 50g tube of silicone grease for £4.50 here ... [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Servisol-Silicone-Grease-50G/dp/B000L97ZPI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359291821&sr=8-1"]http://www.amazon.co...59291821&sr=8-1[/url] So, when this arrived I spread it liberally on the truss, all the way to the ends, and between the bars. Inserted the rod (thead side down), wiped away the excess grease, tightened the truss rod, and gave her a proper set-up. Perfect ... no vibration, perfectly adjustable and responsive truss rod. Great action, sweet bass. Hope this helps somebody.

Aye, you're right enough. Stick with the Dolphin, it will definately do what you need it to. It's a great bass, totally different to other wrwicks of the time, and quite under-rated. Also, in terms of build quality it's a cut above your average Fender. I know that suggestions like this are taboo on this forum, but why not give it a bit of a mod to spice up your relationship with the beastie? I had a transparent glossy red Dolphin, but the ash beneath looked amazing, really nice grain. I toyed with the idea of sanding it down and giving it a natural oil finish. It would have looked so much better.

I absolutely agree with you. I owned a Dolphin pro 2 for a time. Loved it. It is capable of much of what a jazz can do, but also much of what a jazz [i]can't[/i] do (being active, and all that). I love Dolphin pro 2 (I'll admit that I gassed a wee bit for yours) ... but when it comes to jazz gas it's not just about the sound, is it? It's about that big unweidly slab of history, the weight, the feel, and the classic aesthetic too. In an ideal world I'd have both.

[quote name='marcus bell' timestamp='1358773392' post='1944672'] Managed to secure a German corvette passive, needs a bit of work cosmetically, but I'm going to sort that and fit a 2 band eq too Excited! [/quote] Cool. Welcome to the wonderful world of Warwick .... (and keep you eye out for one of [i]those[/i] pedals! )

Aye, I've heard the new Rockbasses are good, but if you spend a wee bit more you'll pick up a Stage 1 or 2. They go for about a grand second hand. There's a guy selling a beautiful Stage 1 on here for £750, but there's a potential problem with the neck.