The Ever-Expanding Gear Thread

[Sputnik]

That looks nice, Bill! I wasn't aware of Nash. I have been thinking about getting a Geddy Lee Jazz bass lately.

Thanks! Nash is not a builder, per se. Bill Nash assembles guitars from various parts (Warmoth, AllParts, other). But he is very selective of materials and is very careful with assembly, fit and finish. He also uses top quality electronics and hardware, and really puts time into making sure everything is perfect. There's just something special about his instruments, and this one is priced exactly the same as Fender's 60s reissue bass new, and has basically the same technical specs. But to me, there just wasn't any comparison.

I haven't tried a Geddy Lee. I'm intrigued by them because they have the 70s bridge pickup placement. Always thought that would be killer in a fretless model, but if you want a more aggressive tone I'm sure it's cool in a fretted model too. Have you tried one? If so, what did you think?

Bill

[kid_runningfox]

Thanks! Nash is not a builder, per se. Bill Nash assembles guitars from various parts (Warmoth, AllParts, other). But he is very selective of materials and is very careful with assembly, fit and finish. He also uses top quality electronics and hardware, and really puts time into making sure everything is perfect. There's just something special about his instruments, and this one is priced exactly the same as Fender's 60s reissue bass new, and has basically the same technical specs. But to me, there just wasn't any comparison.

Bill

That was precisely how the likes of Schecter and Charvel started out, IIRC. Lovely bass, Bill - hope it gives you many hours of happiness!!

[Plasmatopia]

Thanks! Nash is not a builder, per se. Bill Nash assembles guitars from various parts (Warmoth, AllParts, other). But he is very selective of materials and is very careful with assembly, fit and finish. He also uses top quality electronics and hardware, and really puts time into making sure everything is perfect. There's just something special about his instruments, and this one is priced exactly the same as Fender's 60s reissue bass new, and has basically the same technical specs. But to me, there just wasn't any comparison.

I haven't tried a Geddy Lee. I'm intrigued by them because they have the 70s bridge pickup placement. Always thought that would be killer in a fretless model, but if you want a more aggressive tone I'm sure it's cool in a fretted model too. Have you tried one? If so, what did you think?

Bill

I have not tried the Geddy Lee model, but recently borrowed a 2018 Fender Jazz Professional Series bass (which, coincidentally, looked fairly close to the Lee model - same colors and had a maple neck) and I loved it even though it had some setup issues (the worst one being the pickups which were way below the recommended height). I was mostly wondering how it would feel in my hands, since the neck shape is obviously quite different from my P basses.

The funny thing is, I just want a really nice Jazz bass and the Geddy Lee model happens to have the right aesthetics. Yeah, I am a Geddy Lee fan, but I don't need to have his sound necessarily. And that was the interesting thing about researching it. It seemed nearly every YouTube demo involved people trying to sound just like Geddy. I wanted to hear what else it could do and finally found a halfway decent video comparing many different Jazz basses from Squires and MIM models up to the Geddy Lee model.

[Sputnik]

That was precisely how the likes of Schecter and Charvel started out, IIRC. Lovely bass, Bill - hope it gives you many hours of happiness!!

Thanks! And quite right about Schecter and Charvel!

I have not tried the Geddy Lee model, but recently borrowed a 2018 Fender Jazz Professional Series bass (which, coincidentally, looked fairly close to the Lee model - same colors and had a maple neck) and I loved it even though it had some setup issues (the worst one being the pickups which were way below the recommended height). I was mostly wondering how it would feel in my hands, since the neck shape is obviously quite different from my P basses.

The funny thing is, I just want a really nice Jazz bass and the Geddy Lee model happens to have the right aesthetics. Yeah, I am a Geddy Lee fan, but I don't need to have his sound necessarily. And that was the interesting thing about researching it. It seemed nearly every YouTube demo involved people trying to sound just like Geddy. I wanted to hear what else it could do and finally found a halfway decent video comparing many different Jazz basses from Squires and MIM models up to the Geddy Lee model.

The Geddy Lee model should be just as versatile as any Jazz bass. It will be a bit brighter in the bridge pickup position because it uses the 70s bridge pickup placement which is a bit closer to the bridge. Otherwise, it's a Jazz bass. The body and neck may have slightly different feel from something modeled after a 60s J. You could probably find a Mexican 60s styled J in the same price range as the Geddy Lee and compare them to see which felt better to you. My guess is they will be quite similar, but I think the 60s J's had rosewood boards, so if you're after maple the Geddy may be a better fit for you.

I've never bonded with Jazz basses. I had a Jaco signature for a while, and it just never felt right to me. I also couldn't get the sound I wanted from it. That's why I have a Tony Franklin fretless now. It has the J bridge pickup, but it's MUCh hotter than a standard J, and the feel of the instrument is more to my liking. J's are great, but they really do have their own vibe quite distinct from the Precision. Here's a shot of my happy bass family, all P's of differing specifications:

20190311_194756.jpg

[Plasmatopia]

The Geddy Lee model should be just as versatile as any Jazz bass. It will be a bit brighter in the bridge pickup position because it uses the 70s bridge pickup placement which is a bit closer to the bridge. Otherwise, it's a Jazz bass. The body and neck may have slightly different feel from something modeled after a 60s J. You could probably find a Mexican 60s styled J in the same price range as the Geddy Lee and compare them to see which felt better to you. My guess is they will be quite similar, but I think the 60s J's had rosewood boards, so if you're after maple the Geddy may be a better fit for you.

I've never bonded with Jazz basses. I had a Jaco signature for a while, and it just never felt right to me. I also couldn't get the sound I wanted from it. That's why I have a Tony Franklin fretless now. It has the J bridge pickup, but it's MUCh hotter than a standard J, and the feel of the instrument is more to my liking. J's are great, but they really do have their own vibe quite distinct from the Precision. Here's a shot of my happy bass family, all P's of differing specifications:

20190311_194756.jpg

I've always had rosewood fretboards, but I'm really liking the feel of the maple fretboards I've tried out. And I think it's also about wanting something a little different. I had played some of the less expensive J basses a few years ago and didn't really connect with them, but the Professional Series one I tried seemed to work for me. I think my increasing age is a factor...fingers aren't quite as nimble as they used to be and the J bass just seems faster (at least it does when playing closer to the nut).

I like the sound of my P basses well enough when playing live, but when it comes to recording I find that I need a different sound. The P basses seem to me to have a lot more of the fundamental frequency, the J basses are more punchy low-mids or something. They just seem to have a more balanced sound. But I've seen some nice P basses with the P/J pickup configuration that offer a different tonal palette that might work just as well for me. I can't say I've played any higher end P basses, so I probably owe it to myself to give them a shot.

[No Pride]

My wife wanted to spend some money and get some equipment, so here's what we bought.

Fender Champion 40 amp

How do you like the Champion 40? I've been researching and looking for a small, inexpensive and light combo amp that's loud enough for at least a jazz combo. So far, that's the one that interested me the most.

[hippypants]

I've been wondering about the difference between a modeling amp and a regular amp. Is the modeling amp mostly used for home use, backstage, or midi, and that sort of thing? (Granted most are too small for any sort of live playing.) If one were to get a new amp and you didn't ever want to perform, is that a good way to go, as you have all sorts of sound pedals already built-in to it?

[Sputnik]

I've always had rosewood fretboards, but I'm really liking the feel of the maple fretboards I've tried out. And I think it's also about wanting something a little different. I had played some of the less expensive J basses a few years ago and didn't really connect with them, but the Professional Series one I tried seemed to work for me. I think my increasing age is a factor...fingers aren't quite as nimble as they used to be and the J bass just seems faster (at least it does when playing closer to the nut).

I like the sound of my P basses well enough when playing live, but when it comes to recording I find that I need a different sound. The P basses seem to me to have a lot more of the fundamental frequency, the J basses are more punchy low-mids or something. They just seem to have a more balanced sound. But I've seen some nice P basses with the P/J pickup configuration that offer a different tonal palette that might work just as well for me. I can't say I've played any higher end P basses, so I probably owe it to myself to give them a shot.

A maple neck is a really nice alternative if you're used to rosewood boards. Both my Strat and my '51 CIJ reissue P bass have solid maple necks... in other words no maple fingerboard on top of a maple neck. Something about this just feels really organic and wonderful to me. I think most maple neck basses have a maple board laminated on them, but it may depend on the model. I think it affects the feel, so that may be a factor to look at, but having a maple neck bass in your arsenal is totally logical.

As far as sound between a P and a J, I've always found the P to be more balanced. The J can do a pretty good emulation of a P if you solo the neck pickup, but the minute you mix in the bridge, things get more complicated. You gain crispness and snap, but to me is drifts away from that fundamental and starts to take on a sort of "scooped" sound. I absolutely hate the sound of the neck and bridge on a J at even strength. When I had the Jaco, I usually just dialed in a small amount of neck pickup and used mostly the bridge with the tone rolled way off (not totally, though). That sounded pretty good.

On the Tony Franklin fretless, I don't use the neck pickup at all, only bridge. That pickup is very hot, and you can get plenty of low end from it with some tweaks to the amp. I run the tone at about 45-50%, so a touch brighter than the Jaco, but I think I run the treble on the amp a bit lower, so it evens out. Historically, the knock on P/J configuration P basses was that the neck pickup overpowered the bridge. The TF solves this with its super hot bridge pickup, but I still hate the sound of the two pickups together. Worst of both worlds, imo. That's why I kept the switch instead of converting to a blend knob. If I ever want the sound of the neck pickup, it's there for me, but my fretless sound is largely the bridge pickup soloed.

It may be worth trying some P/J Precision basses, but it sounds to me like you want to try something different. A maple neck Geddy J would probably be a nice bass that could be had for a very reasonable price. Keep us posted!

Bill

[Plasmatopia]

A maple neck is a really nice alternative if you're used to rosewood boards. Both my Strat and my '51 CIJ reissue P bass have solid maple necks... in other words no maple fingerboard on top of a maple neck. Something about this just feels really organic and wonderful to me. I think most maple neck basses have a maple board laminated on them, but it may depend on the model. I think it affects the feel, so that may be a factor to look at, but having a maple neck bass in your arsenal is totally logical.

As far as sound between a P and a J, I've always found the P to be more balanced. The J can do a pretty good emulation of a P if you solo the neck pickup, but the minute you mix in the bridge, things get more complicated. You gain crispness and snap, but to me is drifts away from that fundamental and starts to take on a sort of "scooped" sound. I absolutely hate the sound of the neck and bridge on a J at even strength. When I had the Jaco, I usually just dialed in a small amount of neck pickup and used mostly the bridge with the tone rolled way off (not totally, though). That sounded pretty good.

On the Tony Franklin fretless, I don't use the neck pickup at all, only bridge. That pickup is very hot, and you can get plenty of low end from it with some tweaks to the amp. I run the tone at about 45-50%, so a touch brighter than the Jaco, but I think I run the treble on the amp a bit lower, so it evens out. Historically, the knock on P/J configuration P basses was that the neck pickup overpowered the bridge. The TF solves this with its super hot bridge pickup, but I still hate the sound of the two pickups together. Worst of both worlds, imo. That's why I kept the switch instead of converting to a blend knob. If I ever want the sound of the neck pickup, it's there for me, but my fretless sound is largely the bridge pickup soloed.

It may be worth trying some P/J Precision basses, but it sounds to me like you want to try something different. A maple neck Geddy J would probably be a nice bass that could be had for a very reasonable price. Keep us posted!

Bill

Very interesting thoughts there. I'd have to say I preferred the neck pickup to the bridge pickup sound on the J bass. Another factor here is that lately I'm playing through a 1x15 Ampeg cabinet. I'd probably be better off with a 2x10 or 4x10 in terms of getting a punchier sound and less flabbiness. I recently put some La Bella tapewounds on my Highway One series P bass and it added a sort of low frequency growl that my rig seems to have trouble with reproducing cleanly. When I get a moment I will try it again with my Boss LMB-3 limiter and see if that tames things.

[No Pride]

I've been wondering about the difference between a modeling amp and a regular amp. Is the modeling amp mostly used for home use, backstage, or midi, and that sort of thing? (Granted most are too small for any sort of live playing.) If one were to get a new amp and you didn't ever want to perform, is that a good way to go, as you have all sorts of sound pedals already built-in to it?

Modeling amps come in many varieties from little combo amps to stand alone "heads" and stomp boxes. The difference is that they don't use tubes and they can digitally mimic the sounds of a multiple amplifiers, cabinets (with various microphone simulations), stomp boxes and rack mount effects. My first modeling amp was a Line 6 Axsys; it was a 2x12 stereo combo amp. The next one I got was their Vetta amp, also a 2x12 stereo combo, but with 120 watts, it could get incredibly loud without breaking up. These days, I use a Line 6 Helix; a pedalboard-like modeler/multi effect unit that has a built in expression pedal that can be used as a volume pedal, wah wah and various other expression pedal functions. It can be used in many different formats from direct to a mixing board to being an amp head (for use with a standard amp cab or powered speaker) to a headphone amp. And it can integrate with tube amps and analog gear if so desired. I've used mine live at clubs and direct to board in recording studios with great results. Most modelers have MIDI implementation.

Modeling has been around for over 20 years now and the technology has come a long way! These days, the best of them can sound just about exactly like the real amps and effects modeled and they are just as responsive to picking dynamics as the real things. The big difference is that they're much more versatile than any tube amp could ever be; it's basically like having thousands of dollars worth of amplifiers and effects in one portable box. And you don't have the various problems that comes with tubes. Everybody who has used a tube amp live has had the experience of their amp sounding great in one venue and sounding like crap in the next one. That doesn't happen with digital modeling.

Guitar players are traditionalists in general and there's still plenty of them that believe that the only road to the Holy Grail of tone is tubes. But they're gradually coming around as modeling has made giant strides towards tonal realism.

[hippypants]

Okay, thanks for the input Ernie.

[Sputnik]

Very interesting thoughts there. I'd have to say I preferred the neck pickup to the bridge pickup sound on the J bass. Another factor here is that lately I'm playing through a 1x15 Ampeg cabinet. I'd probably be better off with a 2x10 or 4x10 in terms of getting a punchier sound and less flabbiness. I recently put some La Bella tapewounds on my Highway One series P bass and it added a sort of low frequency growl that my rig seems to have trouble with reproducing cleanly. When I get a moment I will try it again with my Boss LMB-3 limiter and see if that tames things.

Interesting. If you aren't really that interested in the bridge pickup on the J, maybe a maple neck P bass would suit you? People have been raving about these, and at $599 that's a great price:

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass...ision&index=22

As far as the cabinet, I love 15" speakers. In some situations I could see using only 15" speakers, but with my fretless I have a 15" cab, plus one with a 10", a horn, and a tweeter. that gives a good range. I've never personally found 15" speakers "flabby." 18" for sure, but not 15". I could definitely see adding a 2X10 to your rig, but personally, I'd keep that 15" there to cement to low end.

I have no idea what you're experiencing with the tapewounds, but I do know they don't ground the same as nickel or steel strings. So if it's a buzz, it might be noise from them not grounding. If the limiter fixes it, though, that's not the issue.

Cheers!

Bill

[Plasmatopia]

After finally getting a few moments to play last night (when I wasn't dealing with water leaks in the basement) I was able to get a sound I really like with the flatwounds on my Highway One Precision. The flatwounds are much louder than my normal roundwounds and using the limiter made all the difference. It's interesting to see how much faster I can play on the flatwounds and it's easier to bend strings. I feel like they are more dynamic too. I can go from a nice full clean sound by playing lightly and then I can dig in and get a sound I can only describe as a "bark". Really fun.

[Sputnik]

After finally getting a few moments to play last night (when I wasn't dealing with water leaks in the basement) I was able to get a sound I really like with the flatwounds on my Highway One Precision. The flatwounds are much louder than my normal roundwounds and using the limiter made all the difference. It's interesting to see how much faster I can play on the flatwounds and it's easier to bend strings. I feel like they are more dynamic too. I can go from a nice full clean sound by playing lightly and then I can dig in and get a sound I can only describe as a "bark". Really fun.

Didn't you say you got tapewound strings? Those are typically roundwound strings with the tape or nylon coating over them. Not that all the properties you describe aren't still true for you, but I don't think they're actually flatwound strings.

Bill

[Plasmatopia]

Didn't you say you got tapewound strings? Those are typically roundwound strings with the tape or nylon coating over them. Not that all the properties you describe aren't still true for you, but I don't think they're actually flatwound strings.

Bill

D'oh! Yes, they are tapewounds. I'm gonna blame that on daylight savings time.

[Sputnik]

D'oh! Yes, they are tapewounds. I'm gonna blame that on daylight savings time.

Yet another reason to get rid of daylight savings time!

Glad the tapewounds are working for you!

Bill

[progmatist]

The State of Arizona did away with daylight saving time decades ago. If we observed it, the sun wouldn't set until around 9:30 at night. The only exception is the Navajo Nation, which also encumpases New Mexico and Utah. They would rather it be the same time throughout the entire nation.

Just this morning though, I did use daylight saving time as a guide to change the batteries in my smoke detectors. That would be what the time shift was, before DST expanded under the W administration.

[Gizmotron]

More gear!

I recently purchased (for a great price) a used Mesa Boogie Subway D-800 amp and a Mesa Powerhouse 115 cabinet. I already had one of the 115's. What a gorgeous sound this amp/speaker produces!
My Fender Rubble 500 Combo will go up for sale.

I also purchased a Broughton High Pass Filter pedal to get rid of any unwanted, power-robbing low frequencies.

[Sputnik]

More gear!

I recently purchased (for a great price) a used Mesa Boogie Subway D-800 amp and a Mesa Powerhouse 115 cabinet. I already had one of the 115's. What a gorgeous sound this amp/speaker produces!
My Fender Rubble 500 Combo will go up for sale.

Nice! If/when my Carvins ever crap out, I'll definitely give the Mesa stuff a look. They're known more for guitar, but their bass amps are awesome! I checked out the Nash bass on a Mesa amp that was amazing.

Bill

[Dean Watson]

Nice! If/when my Carvins ever crap out, I'll definitely give the Mesa stuff a look. They're known more for guitar, but their bass amps are awesome! I checked out the Nash bass on a Mesa amp that was amazing.

Bill

From a guitar amp perspective I’ve had Fenders, traynors, Roland and for 20 or so years I used a Music Man amp. NONE of them really satisfied me, I always felt my sound sounded unprofessional. Kind of amateur. Then I bought a Mesa Rectoverb 25 and whoa, there it was! That Sound! I can pretty much say that having owned the Musicman for 20 years, this Mesa will likely go to the grave with me. So, yea, Mesa gear is expensive. It you truly get what you pay for.

[Plasmatopia]

From a guitar amp perspective I’ve had Fenders, traynors, Roland and for 20 or so years I used a Music Man amp. NONE of them really satisfied me, I always felt my sound sounded unprofessional. Kind of amateur. Then I bought a Mesa Rectoverb 25 and whoa, there it was! That Sound! I can pretty much say that having owned the Musicman for 20 years, this Mesa will likely go to the grave with me. So, yea, Mesa gear is expensive. It you truly get what you pay for.

That's approximately the same amp that I have. Except I just have the Mini Rectifier head which has no reverb. I remedied that recently with a Strymon Big Sky reverb and it sounds glorious.

[Gizmotron]

Yes, Mesa gear is never inexpensive but i think the quality of the design and the made in America element make me feel very comfortable.

(I recently bought new tubes from Mesa for my Hughes & Kettner guitar amp. I like their approach to retailing tubes.)

[Plasmatopia]

My most recent purchase is a Geddy Lee signature jazz bass. It's a beautiful thing, but it was not set up correctly at all. I guess I assumed that a "55-point inspection" would assure something reasonable, but no. There was way too much relief and the action was super high, virtually unplayable for more than a few minutes (well, I haven't been playing as much so my fingers are a bit out of shape lately). And yet, even with high strings and massive amounts of relief the open A string was buzzing if I played any more than very lightly.

I have been watching YouTube videos, reading the Fender setup guide, etc. and have managed to tweak the truss rod, set the string height, etc. Last night I got around to putting a feeler gauge under the strings at the first fret. According to a video put out by Elixir Strings at 0.022" feeler gauge should fit between the G string and the first fret. Nope. And of course the A (and E) are buzzing worse than ever. So I guess I need a new nut and or a shim under the nut.

I've contacted a luthier but I really don't think I should have to be putting in quite this much effort. And it seems suspicious to me that there was that much curve on the neck. Maybe they were trying to cover up the buzzing?

[fictionmusic]

From a guitar amp perspective I’ve had Fenders, traynors, Roland and for 20 or so years I used a Music Man amp. NONE of them really satisfied me, I always felt my sound sounded unprofessional. Kind of amateur. Then I bought a Mesa Rectoverb 25 and whoa, there it was! That Sound! I can pretty much say that having owned the Musicman for 20 years, this Mesa will likely go to the grave with me. So, yea, Mesa gear is expensive. It you truly get what you pay for.

I never thought the others sounded unprofessional as such, but I totally agree about Meas Boogies. I have a Maverick Dual Rectifier I bought used in 1997 and I have been using it pretty well daily since. I absolutely love it.


It is has a nice clean sound, but I dial it up so that even the clean channel is gritty and the dirty channel is maxed out. This actually leads me to a point about effects etc.
I see so many guys with nice tube amps set to clean so that they can use their pedal boards. If they want distortion then they use a combination of boost, overdrive, distortion and fuzz pedals (and very often ALL of the above) to give it to them. They prefer not to use their amps distortion because that messes up their chorus, reverb and delay pedals (which are used WAY too much for my taste). I know most could use their amp's effects loops for the time and modulation based effects but nevertheless they seem to prefer to put pedals into the amp's front end.

I have delay pedals and reverb pedals (especially since, for some peculiar reason all of my amp's reverb tanks end up not working), but I always prefer the sound of amp distortion over a series of pedals (and some of them like the Analog Man and Klon are ridiculously expensive). I am not interested in an amp that "takes pedals well" so much as I am one that sounds great by itself.

To that end I am now using a wet-dry set-up where I have a wah and a rat distortion in a switchable effects loop pedal (made by Road Rage) going into a Radial ABY amp switcher. The "dry" side goes to my Mesa and the other side, (the wet side side which has modulation, delay and reverb stuff), goes to a clean Fender Princeton amp. That way both sides get the wah and the rat (which is mostly used for boost) and only the clean amp side gets the time based effects.

[fictionmusic]

My most recent purchase is a Geddy Lee signature jazz bass. It's a beautiful thing, but it was not set up correctly at all. I guess I assumed that a "55-point inspection" would assure something reasonable, but no. There was way too much relief and the action was super high, virtually unplayable for more than a few minutes (well, I haven't been playing as much so my fingers are a bit out of shape lately). And yet, even with high strings and massive amounts of relief the open A string was buzzing if I played any more than very lightly.

I have been watching YouTube videos, reading the Fender setup guide, etc. and have managed to tweak the truss rod, set the string height, etc. Last night I got around to putting a feeler gauge under the strings at the first fret. According to a video put out by Elixir Strings at 0.022" feeler gauge should fit between the G string and the first fret. Nope. And of course the A (and E) are buzzing worse than ever. So I guess I need a new nut and or a shim under the nut.

I've contacted a luthier but I really don't think I should have to be putting in quite this much effort. And it seems suspicious to me that there was that much curve on the neck. Maybe they were trying to cover up the buzzing?

A friend of mine had his jazz bass stolen so he bought a music man. It was nothing but trouble. A luthier told him the neck had been cut in such a way that the natural grain of the wood made it almost impossible to get the neck from either buzzing or bowing. He ended up getting the store he bought the bass from to send it to Music Man for a new neck, and, as he was a working musician and needed a bass, they gave him a loaner (also a Music Man). In the end he didn't wait to find out if the factory fixed the neck, he just kept the loaner.