stevie

That first track is knockout! However..... it's all guitar. The bass is much too far back in the mix and the drums sounds really toytown, especially the bass drum. Did the guitarist mix this?

[quote name='bumnote' post='361290' date='Dec 22 2008, 06:52 PM']another one bites the dust[/quote] They bit the dust quite a long time ago and were bought by a company from Hong Kong. Most, if not all, of their production is in China nowadays, although the product is British designed. You'll look long and hard to find a company making drivers in the UK that is British owned. I can name four, and they are all small.

[quote name='jimmybass04' post='360507' date='Dec 21 2008, 09:41 PM']all i done was try to raise the pickup cause the e string was too quiet compared to the other strings and the top of the pickup came away,[/quote] At the risk of stating the obvious, you should not be able to damage your pickup simply by adjusting its height. I'm at a bit of a loss to understand exactly what happened, but there's something wrong somewhere. It might be an idea to show your bass to someone who knows what he's doing, or maybe post a close up photo or two on here. How do you know the same thing is not going to happen with the new pickup?

[quote name='octavedoctor' post='360340' date='Dec 21 2008, 05:24 PM']As long as the coil wires themselves are not damaged this should be a very routine op, but I'm not sure what you mean wne you say "the top of the pickup came away". If you mean the coil bobbin base then that's a bit of a problem... I'm not sure I agree with Stevie that vintage style pickups are "unfit for purpose" although he's right that there is a lot of nonsense talked about "vintage" stuff. In my experience older is not necessarily better but a pickup coil is inherently fragile whichever way you make it. As long as people don't go poking them with screwdrivers they have a high survival rate and are easy to fix when they die...[/quote] Do you know a way to get to the inside wire of the coil if it has snapped off and disappeared under the bobbin? I'd be interested to know if you do. My problem with vintage style pickups is that they are, as you say, inherently fragile. So there should be some means of protecting the wire, even if it's only tape - or the cover should be fixed. Strict vintage specifications preclude this, however. I have more of an issue with the way the leadout wires on vintage-style pickups are basically connected to a blob of solder on an eyelet. Move the leadout wire slightly and the bobbin wire snaps. More modern pickups have improved on this, of course, but the vintage-style ones have to be true to the original design, which is not brilliant.

[quote name='voxpop' post='360266' date='Dec 21 2008, 03:18 PM']Hi Guys, Has anyone come across this Bose speaker systems.[/quote] hhhrrghgh sshhshppppt!! I don't know it but it's probably based on somebody else's design that they've nicked and patented.

[quote name='bumnote' post='359849' date='Dec 20 2008, 08:20 PM']Few people seem to reccomend celestion, i dont know why. I dont know if emminence with their bigger market produce better quality or its us brits thinking if it comes from the us its got to be good.[/quote] Eminence actively markets directly to the consumer and they are very well priced. They don't produce better quality, but their reliability record has always been impressive. Some of the newer Celestion stuff looks a lot better than the Eminence offerings and, thanks to Chinese production, the prices are good. I'm not sure if you can really call Celestion British any more though.

[quote name='jimmybass04' post='360155' date='Dec 21 2008, 12:14 PM']both the wires are off, so it looks as if its a new one. i,v put it into a shop in glasgow. cheers stevie.[/quote] That's a shame. It is sometimes possible to repair the internal wire, but it's not a job for the unpracticed, as wire that thin will 'melt' and disappear under the bobbin. Vintage-style pickups are basically unfit for purpose because they are so easily damaged, but everybody wants vintage, so that's how they make them. It's another of the downsides of this vintage nonsense.

[quote name='jimmybass04' post='360110' date='Dec 21 2008, 11:22 AM']hi there,i have a reissue precision(tele bass butterscotch) i went to alter the pickup height on the tiny single coil,and the wires came off the solder joint and the top of the pickup came away, iv tried to repair it but cant get it working, and the pickup wire is so thin and fragile.any one know how to fix it(can it be fixed) cheers in advance, jimmy.[/quote] There are two wires coming out of your pickup. One is from the end of the coil (part of the very outside winding) and the other is from the start of the coil (you will see it disappearing under the coil and going inside). If it's the latter, you're screwed. If it's the former, I can explain how to do it this afternoon, if someone doesn't get there first. (I'm at work).

[quote name='umph' post='359720' date='Dec 20 2008, 04:56 PM']yeah would it 100% be the cones though? the old speaker was nackered but this one seems to only crackle if you play around A, could it be anything to do with the head, the tone still sounds crystal clear just theres a crackle.[/quote] Substituting another head (or speaker) is the easiest way of finding out. A crackling noise is certainly more likely to be caused by the amp, or even a lead.

The Classic Vibes guitars seem to be getting the same kind of positive press. It's 1982 all over again.

[quote name='Beedster' post='359521' date='Dec 20 2008, 12:52 PM']And, yes, this was categorically NOT the best ever comparison, it's about as scientific as the opinion of one person can be (significantlym, the player knows which bass he's playing, meaning any peresonal bias could be consciously or unconscioulsy carried into his playing)?[/quote] I don't know about that, Beedster. It may be flawed but I haven't seen anything better on the web. It opened my eyes to how good the '51 Precision sounds. I much prefered it to the P and Jazz here.

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='359468' date='Dec 20 2008, 11:38 AM']the strings did sound different. I think that the fender P's just edged out the Squiers. I wonder what model Jap ones they were though as this would affect what pups they had in them. The fender just seemed to have more in the low end, which is what i would want on a P bass.[/quote] The Squires all had a more prominent treble peak that gave them an overall more jangly sound - and that could well be down to newer strings. The more expensive basses had more 'oomph' at the bottom end - they were fatter with more thud. I wonder how much of that difference you could compensate for with a different pickup and some eq.

[quote name='mistahbenn' post='359167' date='Dec 19 2008, 09:07 PM']Harsh, but fair [/quote] I do have Steve's best interests at heart, believe me. Somebody has to tell it like it is.

[quote name='steve-soar' post='358236' date='Dec 18 2008, 08:20 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.com/1974-Vintage-Fender-Jazz-Bass-Left-Handed-Olympic-White_W0QQitemZ110327758992QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item110327758992&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A10|39%3A1|240%3A1318"]http://cgi.ebay.com/1974-Vintage-Fender-Ja...%3A1|240%3A1318[/url] Oh me oh my.[/quote] It arrives and it's a dog. What you gonna do? Ask for your money back? If you are seriously considering parting with $3,500 on a bass you've never seen, from someone you don't know, in a country where you have no legal recourse if you're ripped off - you're a f** idiot. Still, it's your money.

[quote name='ron s' post='357587' date='Dec 18 2008, 09:46 AM']I'm recently getting back into playing bass after a break. I've had the same set-up since I started years ago, a Fender BXR Dual Bass 400 and a 15" Petersen Cab with an EV15L. Plugging in today I notice that the EV is making nasty distortion noises, (tried the BXR into another cab and no problems).[/quote] If you store a speaker in the same position in damp and cold conditions the cone can 'sag' and cause the coil to rub. How long was your break? It might be worthwhile rotating the cab 90 degrees to see if it helps. Play music through it for a few hours softly. No promises, mind you, but it might work. The EV15L was a very good speaker.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='358823' date='Dec 19 2008, 02:14 PM']But more importantly, if you don't play through the preamp yourself how do you know what it's doing? There's a complex feedback loop between plucking the string, hearing the sound from your amp and adjusting how you play, and listening to a recording can't tell you about that.[/quote] So, choosing a preamp is a bit like choosing a condom, Alex?

[quote name='mcgraham' post='358831' date='Dec 19 2008, 02:24 PM']Hmmm... whilst I don't think it's a small amount of money, and I'd certainly think twice about ever dropping down that much money on just one element in my soundchain, for some tone-freaks that is a small price to pay if it gets you a subjectively better tone.[/quote] Of course. And many people will assume it's better just because it's more expensive. I'll eat my hat if there's a circuit diagram freely available. Once you get past a certain price point, selling prices bear no relationship to the cost of manufacture. This is applicable to all consumer goods.

There's no justification for that price tag. It's just a simple preamp after all. He's targeting bass players who wear Rolexes. Of course, if you've forked out $1500 for one of these things, you are going to tell your friends how wonderful it is, aren't you?

Second in line for the pickup.

I've got five DDS-3 tapes, slightly used, and three brand new ones still in their wrappers. Does anyone still use these? If you do, you are welcome to them if you send me a stamped, addressed Jiffy bag.

You need more mid on the bass guitar - it's getting swamped. Otherwise it's good stuff.