surprisetech Posted November 29, 2023 Posted November 29, 2023 Got a nice Jazz Bass for peanuts. I've wanted to try a Jazz Bass for a while, but already have 3 basses (A semi-acoustic, acoustic & a solid body), so was not in any hurry and just kept a look out for something to come up locally at the right price. A month ago, a 1991 Korean-made Squier Jazz came up for less than half what I was prepared to pay. Advertised in good condition, BUT partly disassembled because the owner had got tired of trying to work out why there was hum. After checking that all parts were present and there was no damage, I took it off his hands. A few hours work over the Melbourne Cup long weekend and it's now singing very nicely. Issues were: - Open circuit neck pickup. Coil wire broken near the eyelet solder terminal. Fixed by unwrapping the last winding and re-terminating in the eyelet as per original termination. - Bridge pickup couldn't be adjusted to correct height because there were 2 pieces of foam underneath. One in the cavity and one on the bottom of the pickup. Later research revealed that this was because the previous owner had replaced the original pickups with pickups from a made-in-Mexico Fender Jazz Bass. Removed both pieces of old foam and replaced with fresh material. - Tone control was intermittent due to a loose terminal on the pot. Repaired & refitted the pot. Cleaned & lubricated all pots & O/P jack. - The quality of the wiring & soldering was terrible thanks to the owners tinkering, so I removed all the wiring and a lot of excess solder & flux and completely redid it. - The star eyelet terminal & wire for connecting the conductive paint in the cavities to the output jack ground was not fitted. I strongly suspect that all of these issues came up simply as a result of the pickup replacement attempt being performed by someone with a lack of knowledge, care and skill! Put it all back together, set the pickup heights and gave it a run. No hum or noise, and playing very nicely overall, but still a mechanical buzz whenever the A or E string was plucked. The buzz went away whenever I was tuning the A string and turned out the button was loose on that tuner. The quality of the "Licensed by Schaller" tuners looks quite good, and no issues with any of the others, so that button had obviously been whacked against a solid object at some time. Fixed that with a tiny quantity of RapidFix. So, for $200, a bit of research, some YouTube videos and a few hours of my time, I now have a what appears to be a very decent Jazz Bass and a solid knowledge of its electronics! It's early days, but I love the feel and the versatility already. I regularly backup a few of the solo and duo performers at our local RSL 'Sunday Sessions', and with the variety of genres, I think this will now be the bass I take to those gigs. 6
LogicprObe Posted December 2, 2023 Posted December 2, 2023 On 29/11/2023 at 4:40 PM, oztheatre said: Rare image The roadies are more animated than the audience! 1
LogicprObe Posted December 2, 2023 Posted December 2, 2023 On 29/11/2023 at 7:36 PM, surprisetech said: Got a nice Jazz Bass for peanuts. I've wanted to try a Jazz Bass for a while, but already have 3 basses (A semi-acoustic, acoustic & a solid body), so was not in any hurry and just kept a look out for something to come up locally at the right price. A month ago, a 1991 Korean-made Squier Jazz came up for less than half what I was prepared to pay. Advertised in good condition, BUT partly disassembled because the owner had got tired of trying to work out why there was hum. After checking that all parts were present and there was no damage, I took it off his hands. A few hours work over the Melbourne Cup long weekend and it's now singing very nicely. Issues were: - Open circuit neck pickup. Coil wire broken near the eyelet solder terminal. Fixed by unwrapping the last winding and re-terminating in the eyelet as per original termination. - Bridge pickup couldn't be adjusted to correct height because there were 2 pieces of foam underneath. One in the cavity and one on the bottom of the pickup. Later research revealed that this was because the previous owner had replaced the original pickups with pickups from a made-in-Mexico Fender Jazz Bass. Removed both pieces of old foam and replaced with fresh material. - Tone control was intermittent due to a loose terminal on the pot. Repaired & refitted the pot. Cleaned & lubricated all pots & O/P jack. - The quality of the wiring & soldering was terrible thanks to the owners tinkering, so I removed all the wiring and a lot of excess solder & flux and completely redid it. - The star eyelet terminal & wire for connecting the conductive paint in the cavities to the output jack ground was not fitted. I strongly suspect that all of these issues came up simply as a result of the pickup replacement attempt being performed by someone with a lack of knowledge, care and skill! Put it all back together, set the pickup heights and gave it a run. No hum or noise, and playing very nicely overall, but still a mechanical buzz whenever the A or E string was plucked. The buzz went away whenever I was tuning the A string and turned out the button was loose on that tuner. The quality of the "Licensed by Schaller" tuners looks quite good, and no issues with any of the others, so that button had obviously been whacked against a solid object at some time. Fixed that with a tiny quantity of RapidFix. So, for $200, a bit of research, some YouTube videos and a few hours of my time, I now have a what appears to be a very decent Jazz Bass and a solid knowledge of its electronics! It's early days, but I love the feel and the versatility already. I regularly backup a few of the solo and duo performers at our local RSL 'Sunday Sessions', and with the variety of genres, I think this will now be the bass I take to those gigs. Score!
oztheatre Posted December 7, 2023 Posted December 7, 2023 On 02/12/2023 at 8:40 PM, LogicprObe said: The roadies are more animated than the audience! It almost looks fake.. not sure why Jimi would be pushing up against his cabinets like that? strange photo really.. But he was Jimi Hendrix so I guess he could do whatever he wanted.
Tweaky Posted December 12, 2023 Posted December 12, 2023 On 07/12/2023 at 11:31 PM, oztheatre said: It almost looks fake.. not sure why Jimi would be pushing up against his cabinets like that? strange photo really.. But he was Jimi Hendrix so I guess he could do whatever he wanted. That's when Jimi started copying Pete Townsend's antics of destroying his equipment back in 1967. Legend has it that one of the roadies in the photo holding the amps from falling is a young Lemmy, before he joined Hawkwind and later to front Motorhead. On a different note. As usual, Arturia has a Black Friday sale and then less than a week later has a major update on their Premier Product, that being the V collection. If buying without being a previous ARTURIA customer it's US$599. Best if bought with a Arturia Keyboard IMHO for a lot less, start a account, register the keyboard first with Arturia, log out then log in again to see a much lower price offered to you. If you want it as a upgrade, it is US$199 until Jan 7th 2024............they usually have it on sale again around June/July. Yep, the V collection has now reach X......what's new you may ask ? https://www.arturia.com/products/software-instruments/v-collection/overview They have added the three other Augmented Instrument Packs - Piano/Bass/Woodwind [ V9 already added Augmented Strings ], usually US$99 each [they never been discounted] New instruments are the MINI FREAK synth - which is a Hybrid Digital/Analog synth The ACID V as they call it, which is a copy of a Roland TR303 Bass/Drum machine released circa 1980, which I remember were never popular in the first place [like a TOY], well not until Kraftwerk released Pocket Calculator. And a modeled version of a Yamaha CP-70V stage piano, which seems strange to me, as that originally used samples of Yamaha's acoustic pianos. Also included is reworked versions of the Wuri V3 [Wurlitzer organ] and MINI V 3 [mono synth] There are 3 new Analog Lab preset packs included, Inward Universe - Ambient stuff, Inner City Soul - self explanatory, Hyper Rave - What you'd expect from the title. Not a brilliant update IMHO, the 3 additional AUGMENTED Instruments packs, and the updates to the MINI V3 and WURI V3 probably make it worth it at the US$199 upgrade price. [It would cost you US$299 just for the 3 packs after the 7th Jan.] 1
Gregg Froman Posted December 12, 2023 Posted December 12, 2023 A few of my guitars - Rickenbacker 381V69 Gretsch George Harrison DuoJet Jim Olson SJ (James Taylor) Cedar Gretsch Penguin Burl Redwood Fender David Gilmore Stratocastor 6
Tweaky Posted December 16, 2023 Posted December 16, 2023 10 hours ago, oztheatre said: This guy is pretty amazing Frank's family had/has a music shop in Canberra, I'm pretty sure it was his bass playing brother that was running it in the 80's
Darryl Posted December 16, 2023 Posted December 16, 2023 Pro Audio/Better Music I think. They've been the Mesa Boogie distributor for ages.
Tweaky Posted December 16, 2023 Posted December 16, 2023 (edited) 7 minutes ago, Darryl said: Pro Audio/Better Music I think. They've been the Mesa Boogie distributor for ages. Yeah that's the place I remember Franks brother was bringing in the mega expensive Alembic Basses in the 80's I don't know if he sold many, as I've never seen anybody in Sydney playing one, I suppose they are like PRS top models and end up staying in their cases under peoples beds http://www.alembic.com/prod/sc.html Edited December 16, 2023 by Tweaky 1
betocool Posted December 17, 2023 Posted December 17, 2023 I'll post this here because: - The "build your own guitar" fred is quite dead - This is a guitar - I can! This one I finished a few weeks ago, acoustic body with a Gold Foil PUP from... from... GFS, that's right, Kluson tuners, inspired by SG. I find the SG is a very comfortable guitar to play, but very quiet unplugged, so, adding the acoustic body makes it sound nice and sweet! Everything is wood, except nut and metal bits. I'm not sure what wood the body is made out of, but it came from an old (30 odd years) centre table from friend's parents. Solid stuff. Not jarrah, it's slightly lighter (in colour) and not as hard. Binding is plain old pine, fretboard is jarrah and inlays are pine. Finish is Scandinavian Oil. Looks a bit rough from close, but plays real nice. Enough for me at least! Currently sitting at work, where me and a mate (he plays bass) play some tunes after work, just plain old fun. Cheers, Alberto 4
Tweaky Posted December 17, 2023 Posted December 17, 2023 6 hours ago, betocool said: I'll post this here because: - The "build your own guitar" fred is quite dead - This is a guitar - I can! This one I finished a few weeks ago, acoustic body with a Gold Foil PUP from... from... GFS, that's right, Kluson tuners, inspired by SG. I find the SG is a very comfortable guitar to play, but very quiet unplugged, so, adding the acoustic body makes it sound nice and sweet! Everything is wood, except nut and metal bits. I'm not sure what wood the body is made out of, but it came from an old (30 odd years) centre table from friend's parents. Solid stuff. Not jarrah, it's slightly lighter (in colour) and not as hard. Binding is plain old pine, fretboard is jarrah and inlays are pine. Finish is Scandinavian Oil. Looks a bit rough from close, but plays real nice. Enough for me at least! Currently sitting at work, where me and a mate (he plays bass) play some tunes after work, just plain old fun. Cheers, Alberto Interesting, and I must say unique design choices, seems like a mixture of Electric, Archtop and Dreadnaught Zero Fret Nut, Dreadnaught acoustic type wooden tail block, and a solid Archtop style bridge, rather than Tune O Matic adjustable type. It looks like those are Phosphor bronze Acoustic guitar strings fitted, although that could be the reflected light from the guitar body making them look a golden colour ? How are the internals? Is there a wooden block running from the neck down through the body to the end pin, like on a ES-335, or does it have a wooden block just under the bridge. I'm trying to imagine how it would sound, and I'm stumped, closest thing I can think of is a sort of a more acoustic version of Malcolm Young's old hacked up Gretsch Jet Firebird.
betocool Posted December 19, 2023 Posted December 19, 2023 Thanks man, the strings are Ernie Ball Cobalt, the colour is indeed an effect of the picture: I was looking for a set of strings that would work both on electrics and acoustics, archtops basically, and after reading a few reviews these came out ok, a good balance. The inside of the guitar is completely acoustic, there is no block, and the PUP and bridge are mounted directly on top of the... top!, which is rather thick at over 4mm I think. Since I carved it myself, I didn't really measure the thickness much, I was happy to take as much as I could without overdoing it. Ahh, yes, of course, bracing! The bridge is mounted on an additional wood support on top, what with the neck angle and the PUP I needed to get the strings about 19mm higher than the top. About the sound? I really enjoy how the mix of the acoustics plus a bit of distortion works together, but I can't compare with anything super known. Jack of all trades master of none comes to mind Cheers, Alberto 2
oztheatre Posted January 21, 2024 Posted January 21, 2024 @Tweaky This chap is a good teacher.. good ear! 1
Tweaky Posted January 23, 2024 Posted January 23, 2024 We have the NAMM show starting soon, so expect news of a lot of new gear to be released over the coming days. For those using ARTURIA software, particularly their PIGMENTS soft synth [I know there are a few of us now ], they have just released a FREE update to version 5. This has some great features/improvements added to it, with the main one being that the core engine now comes with Multi-Core support, which will cut down CPU usage. By default this function is not active. It's located in the settings menu, in Global Settings. List of the other updated features in the link below. https://synthanatomy.com/2024/01/arturia-pigments-5-review-free-update-brings-multi-core-support-algorithmic-sequencing-and-more.html I'm wondering if we shall see a update to their flagship KEYLAB Keyboards to version 3, like what has already been done with the lower rung Keylab Essential keyboards, it seems long overdue IMHO. I bought Native Instruments KOMPLETE 14 Ultimate 2 weeks ago, while the 50% off sale was still running, I still haven't installed it yet. I had intended to beef up my music PC with some more RAM and a additional 2TB internal M.2 SSD, but after reading up about the possible gains it now seems like it wouldn't really be worth it, as TBH really need a much faster CPU and motherboard with better data transfer rates to take advantage of the additional RAM . Seems like it's taking a even shorter amount of time before your PC becomes outdated, and I only built this last one mid 2019, mind you it was only with a 9th Gen Intel i5 9600K 3.7GHz CPU [ 6 cores + 6 threads] and 16GB DDR4 RAM, the latest 14th Gen i5 is 4X as powerful, the i9 8X Guess I'll wait until the new 15th GEN Intel CPU's, they are slated for release later this year, as it seems stupid to build a new PC using the 14th Gen LGA 1700 socket, as the 15th Gen will use the newer LGA1851 socket [Same size socket apparently, so at least you won't have to buy a new CPU cooler.] and be 20-25% faster than the 14th Gen CPU's, so it's a big hike in CPU power. Support for Win 10 stops in OCT 2025, and a lot of PC's and especially Laptops's that have CPU's that don't have Trusted Platform Module (TPM), won't be able to run Win 11 or 12 without the newer CPU's that will run TPM.2. [ Well not Officially, apparently there is a hack you can do so you can install Win 11 on PC's with older CPU's ] So much for progress, it's a infernal loop 1
oztheatre Posted January 24, 2024 Posted January 24, 2024 Check out this prodigy from Italy.. wow.. might as well just torch my guitars now.. I give up haha 1
Gregg Froman Posted January 31, 2024 Posted January 31, 2024 A couple of gigs both acoustic and electric, Nanc & I did last week. 4
Tweaky Posted February 2, 2024 Posted February 2, 2024 I just saw this video about a guitar maker called Rick Toone who has come up with a amazing new Tremolo bridge design. Looking at his website I saw that ATM this bridge is only available on his own guitar builds, BUT he is looking for interested parties to manufacture it under license so it is readily available at a cheaper price [His 07 guitar shown in the video is apparently US$5700 ] https://www.ricktoone.com/ He has a Patent for it [ Positional Constant String Pitch Control System (US 8,294,011) as well as a patent on a few other unique guitar related designs, one being the Trapezoid Neck profile, which I remember seeing a review of a guitar fitted with one about a year ago. and the other, the Intersecting Neck profile. You'd think that was a crazy idea but apparently it is very comfortable to play......Anything would have to be more comfortable than a lot of original vintage 57-59 Strats that have neck with a extremely deep V, I find those so uncomfortable they are unplayable.
Gregg Froman Posted February 13, 2024 Posted February 13, 2024 (edited) Incoming Taylor 954ce 12-string! My 1st acoustic 12 string since 1978, when I played an Ovation Glen Campbell 12 string Nanc & I play gigs weekly, now that we are both retired Lots of Beatles, Byrds, Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac, etc. Such a thrill to share a hobby you are passionate about with your wife! Nanc, Dace, & me playing "Landslide" (Click on the music file attachment) https://drive.google.com/.../1-QQmgOamAazCP9Kn84O.../view Edited February 13, 2024 by Gregg Froman 1 1
Tweaky Posted February 13, 2024 Posted February 13, 2024 15 hours ago, Gregg Froman said: Incoming Taylor 954ce 12-string! My 1st acoustic 12 string since 1978, when I played an Ovation Glen Campbell 12 string Nanc & I play gigs weekly, now that we are both retired Lots of Beatles, Byrds, Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac, etc. Such a thrill to share a hobby you are passionate about with your wife! Nanc, Dace, & me playing "Landslide" (Click on the music file attachment) https://drive.google.com/.../1-QQmgOamAazCP9Kn84O.../view VERY Tasty guitar. Where did you find that, On REVERB ? I see TAYLOR no longer have that model listed on their website even under Custom, or any of the one off specialty options. I've only ever seen one other 900 series in Australia and that was a 6 string in the early 2000's
Gregg Froman Posted February 13, 2024 Posted February 13, 2024 (edited) Saw on Reverb, but contacted the music dealer directly to make a deal. I refuse to pay fees and sales tax on a used guitar, which is Reverb's policy. Thanks! Edited February 16, 2024 by Gregg Froman 1
Hilltop Hippy Posted February 19, 2024 Posted February 19, 2024 Hey guys, So the guitar has been a huge hit! Back at lessons yesterday. Her teacher said to get a drum beat app (anything free he said). It got me thinking, there's probably some good play along type apps out there (she plays guitar, app does the other instruments?). Any suggestions? I don't mind paying. Also, what's the best way to plug a phone into an amp for such things? She's got the Katana Mkii 50 Her teacher said "I'll put away this Ford Laser, and you get out your Rolls Royce", referring to his student guitar v her new one. Made her day (she loves cars) This was 2 seconds after she plugged it in on Christmas Day 2 1
surprisetech Posted February 20, 2024 Posted February 20, 2024 39 minutes ago, Hilltop Hippy said: Hey guys, So the guitar has been a huge hit! Back at lessons yesterday. Her teacher said to get a drum beat app (anything free he said). It got me thinking, there's probably some good play along type apps out there (she plays guitar, app does the other instruments?). Any suggestions? I don't mind paying. Also, what's the best way to plug a phone into an amp for such things? She's got the Katana Mkii 50 Her teacher said "I'll put away this Ford Laser, and you get out your Rolls Royce", referring to his student guitar v her new one. Made her day (she loves cars) This was 2 seconds after she plugged it in on Christmas Day Just get a free drum beat app and use the money for an Ultimate Guitar Pro subscription. It's only $30 a year. Chords, tabs, lyrics and backing tracks for hundreds of thousands of songs and there are controls at the bottom of the page that let you adjust tempo while you're learning a new song and transpose to your preferred key. You can trial for free. 2
Darryl Posted February 20, 2024 Posted February 20, 2024 Assuming the phone has a headphone out socket I think you could connect it to the aux in socket on the back of the Katana with the appropriate lead.
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