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[quote name='yorick' post='988804' date='Oct 15 2010, 08:58 AM']Bartolini?[/quote]

Aye, Bartolini definitely do for the 4 string, and they make [url="http://www.bartolini.net/information/bass/new_bass_pu_s5.htm"]this[/url] one for the 5, although I couldn't see if the pole-pieces were exposed or not. Given the other one isn't, however, it's unlikely...

[quote name='TRadford' post='992541' date='Oct 18 2010, 07:04 PM']There is much Warwick love here![/quote]

Oh, I wasn't commenting on the state of Love here, more out there... beyond the pines... in the...


[b][color="#FF0000"][size=3][i]REAL WORLD[/i][/size]
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[size=1]/shudder[/size]

[quote name='paul h' post='985057' date='Oct 12 2010, 12:51 AM']The next one.[/quote]

Genius.

May I also say how nice it is to see a bit of Warwick love, for a change!

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='979872' date='Oct 6 2010, 09:40 PM']Anyone else still love Warwicks? They seem to be out of fashion right now don't they.[/quote]

I love my Corvette, and after an extended period of trying and buying other stuff, it's definitely the bass for me. I agree emphatically that they sound superb in the mix, and it was ultimately that that made me get rid of my Stingray and buy another Warwick. Sounds full and deep by comparison, and just sits better. And the neck is lovely, even though sadly its not all the way through...



And yes, they're deeply unfashionable, but that means you can pick up superb basses for f*ck all. Which is how I got a '96 Vette for 400 quid, and by Norwegian standards that's an absolute steal.

Had a T-45 a while (after asking BC's collective opinion - thanks guys! ) but didn't get on with it. Clanky tone, heavy to point of unplayable, I had to replace the tuners a few days after getting it and it was badly out-of-tune at the 7th fret. No amount of intonation tweakage made a difference, so I assume it was in dire need of a pro set-up. Beyond my [size=1](feeble) [/size]skills, regardless, and I sold it after a few months.

Lovely looking bass, but not for me. Neither was its replacement, a 2008 Ray in a distinctly similar paint-job and, after playing a load of Fender Jazz, I ended up back where I started with a Warwick Corvette STD. Nicer to play and sounds far better in a mix, imho. You live and learn.

Had a Corvette 5 for many years. I always thought it quite heavy, but after replacing it with a 'Ray... Tone-wise it was very versatile, far more so than its replacement, thanks to the choices 2 pick-ups afford. Live the thing was a monster - huge sound, endless sustain.

Never played a Streamer, so can't comment, but I played a Thumb before buying the Corvette and I have to say I preferred the 'vette.

No matter what you get, you're likely to be happy with it. They're very well made instruments and feel it. Given they're so cheap these days, it has the potential to be a relatively cheap experiment.

[quote name='artisan' post='808582' date='Apr 16 2010, 05:26 PM']i almost sold my 'Ray before getting the Nordy fitted, am just glad i didn't.[/quote]

Aye, same here. Sounds ace now - big, fat sound. Lovely as pie.

Glorious!

A thoroughly pleasant chap to deal with, bought a clear 'Ray scratch-plate which was both made and dispatched within a few days of the original contact (despite being a special order, material-wise). Very impressed.

A proper gent - many thanks, Howard.

[quote name='dub_junkie' post='787505' date='Mar 26 2010, 11:27 PM']I've not seen more than a couple of JB-2s on basschat. I cant recall any Tributes on here of late but there was a silver flake USA one on sale a couple of months back. belonged to Mansfield,maybe best giving him a PM? Theres a number of JB2 players on talkbass. do a search there and you'll probably get the info you need
fwiw I have a L-2000 (and recently sold a SB-2) with the same neck as the JB-2. I find them really playable,very much like a jazz bass or MusicMan Sterling. The Tribute JB-2 has the same neck profile as far as I know.
I'm not familiar with the JB-2 though I wanted one for a long time - I think the alnico pickups would make a nice change from the MFDs on all their other basses.
Looking at the website it says that both Tribute finish options use swamp ash for the body. any USA G&Ls I've owned and were ash tended to be quite heavy but I'm not sure if thats the same with the offshore ones. I used to own a Korean made ash body L-2000 which was nice and light and after a set up,played every bit as good as a USA one
imo a real nice alternative to a Fender Jazz[/quote]

Brilliant, you're a star - thanks.

Not getting on with my (undeniably lovely) Stingray, so I've been looking into alternatives, namely something a little closer to the jazz bass set-up - 2 pups, slimmer neck. A G&L JB2 (Tribute) has turned up and I've heard good things about them. I won't have a chance to demo one here, so wondered if there are any players around these parts? Sound-wise I think I have a pretty good idea what they're like, but how do they play (if that's not a startlingly obtuse question)?

[quote name='Spoombung' post='786945' date='Mar 26 2010, 03:13 PM']The Basschat 'for sale' section is choka -block with 5-string and 6-string basses. It's a shame for us traditional 4-string players: not much variety or choice there.

Do people get fed up with 5 and 6 strings really quickly and go back to their 4-strings? Why are there so many 5 and 6 string basses for sale there? I thought most bassists played 4?[/quote]

Can't speak for anyone else of course, but after playing a 5 for many years I found myself inexplicably yearning for 4 strings. Can't imagine owning a 5 string again*, but finding the 'right' 4 is another matter entirely...

[size=1]*Subject to whimsy.[/size]

[quote name='squiddon' post='786022' date='Mar 25 2010, 05:45 PM']I was told to chat to you guys about where to start with the bass.[/quote]

I personally would never buy new again, the price difference makes it pointless. It seems the 2nd-hand value of an instrument is the 'real value' - if you come to sell it, its likely you'll get similar to what you paid. A new instrument is worth considerably less as soon as you hand over your cash. That's always been the case with me, at least.

I would definitely consider a used Warwick/rock bass. You can pick them up for very little, they're very well built, sound great and are pretty versatile. Also add a +1 to the Epiphone Thunderbird pile - they feel a little cheap, but are good basses for the money, imo.

[quote name='Linus27' post='781937' date='Mar 21 2010, 07:55 PM']The bass was plugged direct into my Shuttle 6 amp which had the entire EQ set flat. Out of the back of the amp I had my minidisc recorder recording live my playing. The minidisc was then plugged into my soundcard on my PC and run through Creative Media player and converted into the MP3 format.[/quote]

Thanks.

Warwick's a good option too. Given their slump in popularity you can pick them up for much less than their real value. Had a Corvette for years, and it was a far more versatile beast than my Stingray. Stuck through a decent amp it was nothing short of awesome - huge growling sound, endless sustain even from a passive. Could do everything from rock chunk to jaco funk.

Hmmmm, just realised I miss it quite alot, actually... :,-(

Hello,
I'd be interested in knowing you signal chain for this - was the bass put through an amp/DI, or straight into the mixer/soundcard? I've just realised my 'Ray doesn't sound like a 'Ray at all... :-/

[quote name='hubrad' post='767585' date='Mar 8 2010, 09:59 AM']maybe give it another try later; sometimes you have to pick just the right time in your life.[/quote]

Damn you, sir! I'd put that idea to sleep, but you've just woken it up again now.

It was only a cheapy but undeniably lovely all the same. I'm just an absolute tart for that glorious woody sound, possibly due to an inexorable shift towards more acoustic music.

*sigh*

Basschat is just one long shopping list.

[quote name='paul h' post='766283' date='Mar 6 2010, 07:00 PM']As per title. Can't really be bothered anymore.

Message ends.[/quote]

Variety is the spice of etc., there's always something else to play. Spend most of the time with the main 3 - drums, bass, guitar, but stints on the accordion or banjo are always good. Currently playing alot of guitar as I've just been given a lovely old Hofner archtop. Glorious old gent, he is. Failed experiments include violin and trumpet... Neither were pleasant for anyone within earshot.

I would add another 'don't sell your gear' though. I've done that a few times and [i]always[/i] regretted it.

[quote name='derrenleepoole' post='767565' date='Mar 8 2010, 09:41 AM']Yep, different animal altogether! Many people don't realise just how physical the DB really is... and your naivety about just how different a DB is to a fretless reflects just how ill informed many players are when it comes to 'jumping in' and buying an EUB for example! At least you didn't do yourself an injury [/quote]

Definitely a humbling experience. I'm not a bad bassist, but have a peculiar technique which really didn't translate. I've been close to buying an upright before, but this has definitely put a stop to that. Alot of money for something that would stand in the corner of a room looking pretty.

[quote name='JMT3781' post='766995' date='Mar 7 2010, 05:01 PM']Just wondering how many other people out there who are paid to talk bass rubbish all day

wheres your shop, what lines do you specialise in? and which piece of stock are you in love with at the moment?[/quote]

I did. I had the misfortune to work in Duck, Son & Pinker in Bath, generally known as Dusties as the stock never moves. It's also freemason-owned and everyone is paid in cash, so rumours that it functions as a money laundering front are rife. That would certainly explain why they can afford to employ as many salesmen as they do without seemingly turning a profit.

I was far too honest to be a successful salesmen, though, so left after several months. We were 'encouraged' to sell awful unbranded crap to people who didn't know better and that's no good for your conscience. But it served a purpose in allowing me to play some fantastic guitars (Parker fly, vintage SGs, ESP metal monsters) basses (Stingrays, Thumbs, US Jazzes and Precisions) and high-end 6 piece kits. It was worth it as a foundation in finding out the fundamental differences between models, and is the reason I still don't regard MIM and MIA as being any different from each other, play-wise... And would buy a peavey milestone in a heartbeat if one turned up here. Built like sh*t, but the best neck I've ever played.

Never played on a proper upright until the weekend, and while a fretless electric has its own difficulties for me, the upright was a total head-f**k. I'd kind of assumed that things would be roughly in the same place, but not even remotely... So gentlemen, if you're one of those bassists who hop happily from electric to double you can start the week with a spoonful of awe from me. Be proud!

Sounded wonderful though... Beautiful creature.

That is all.

Very handy thread indeed! Considering this is a significant problem with 'Rays, might I suggest someone sticky's it?

I can also add a little something of worth. As well as the pup issue, there seems to be many who hanker after the classic MM sound and John East's pre-amps come up alot in that regard. I've spoken at length with him (and a very helpful chap he is too) and in the end he recommended shifting out the existing pre with his MMSR 4 Knob 3 Band over the 2 EQ. This is for two reasons:
1) To quote him, [i]When the mid boost/cut knob is in its centre click, then you just have the pre EB style 2 band alone, but the sweepable mid can be very useful for tuning some definition and punch.[/i]
2) You don't end up with two jack inputs... :-/

I also asked him about how close the sound was to his '76:
[i]I found it difficult to distinguish between the original 76 pre and mine on my tests, but it's not just the EQ that sets the sound, it's the bass and the pickup too. Mine is designed to mimic the pre EB EQ curves but gives a little more boost at the extreme of the bass control.[/i]

He also mentioned he'd heard good things from many of his users about the Nordstrand, so it's possible a combination of the two = bass-nirvana. Bassvana?

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='757278' date='Feb 25 2010, 05:49 PM']The first thing you want to try is some good fresh strings, a setup to your preference & then move the pickup so that the D & A strings are about 3-4mm off the pickup poles. This gives the 3eq much more bang for your buck without swapping pickups, etc.

Of the replacement pickups I've tried, I loved the sound of the Nordstrand unit, but mine sounds just great as it is on the original now I've changed the pickup height. And there's no loss of volume on the G, either.[/quote]

Excellent, I'll give that a shot.

Thanks very much.

[quote name='TGEvans' post='755302' date='Feb 23 2010, 07:40 PM']I have been using a multi pedal power supply from maplins for the last 6 years or so. Cost me about 20 quid. Is there any difference between one of these and say the mxr or voodoo labs units? apart from about 100 quid difference?tim[/quote]

I used a Godlyke Power-All daisychain until recently which is a budget jobby probably on par with the Maplin one. I've never had much faith in the daisy chain system because they seem to add noise/a tone to the signal chain, so I got rid and bought a T-Rex fuel tank instead. Never looked back - much more robust, no noise, superb quality. I cannot recommend T-rex gear highly enough, built like brick sh*thouses and the best repair service I've ever gotten.