Annoying Anticipation

Happy Face · May 18, 2014

I decided to buy and install this preamp system on my JS-II. (I'd originally thought I'd throw in an Alembic system, but they never seem to answer emails.)

http://www.bestbassgear.com/acg-eq-01-preamp.htm

Sadly for me, my tech is having problems getting them to work. Anticipation unrewarded !!!

mellowgerman · May 19, 2014

Muy interesante. I've always been intrigued by the low pass filter idea. I was eying up the Knoll preamps a few years back but never ended up getting one. In the end I think I'm a passive guy through and through... my current #1 bass has a Novak bisonic wired directly to the output jack with no controls and I absolutely love it. But it will be interesting to hear how you like it. Keep us posted, Happy!

Happy Face · Jun 2, 2014

God willing, I am picking it up tomorrow ....

fronobulax · Jun 3, 2014

Is that why you gigged with the M85 over the weekend?

Looking forward to a report.

Happy Face · Jun 3, 2014

I've been using the M-85 a lot. It kicks butt through the Oranges.

Meanwhile .... there is going to be a learning curve on the JS-II. Yep. Four double stacked control knobs plus an overall tone pot. I've played Alembics in the past so it's not virgin territory but it'll take some time to master the new array of controls. But after a first pretty quick trial run, the amount of control is pretty righteous in comparison to the stock tone controls.

For sure, I plan on throwing on some Jazz Rounds or Chromes on Saturday.

(With that done, I could ponder putting the Pyramid D & G strings on the M-85 as discussed elsewhere... )

Happy Face · Jun 4, 2014

fronobulax · Jun 5, 2014

Looks naked, or perhaps gutted.

What did Guild call your finish? In pictures it comes across as much redder than my Walnut but I have seen walnuts photograph red.

For the curious, my control plate cover never had a label and Hans Moust has confirmed that some of the earlier JS basses left the factory without a paper label.

Happy Face · Jun 5, 2014

fronobulax said:
Looks naked, or perhaps gutted.

What did Guild call your finish? In pictures it comes across as much redder than my Walnut but I have seen walnuts photograph red.

For the curious, my control plate cover never had a label and Hans Moust has confirmed that some of the earlier JS basses left the factory without a paper label.

I had this bass refinished right after I bought it. It's probably more of a Gibson SG sorta color. But I recall it was red when I got it. I'm 99% certain it was not from an early production year, thus the label.

mavuser · Jun 5, 2014

Happy Face said:
But I recall it was red when I got it. I'm 99% certain it was not from an early production year, thus the label.

looks like the label says "Cherry," no?

also the label appeared late 71, early 72 ish. the shape of the control cavity and associated cover changed in 73 or 74 (Frono has the early one and Happy Face has the later one), thats the bigger giveaway on which year/generation (as labels can be removed, fall off, or have the whole cover replaced...)

SFIV1967 · Jun 5, 2014

mavuser said:
looks like the label says "Cherry," no?

Correct! That's what the label shows for the original color it had. But it's refinished.
You can zoom in: http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f125/frankbird/Innards.jpg~original
Ralf

mavuser · Jun 5, 2014

SFIV1967 said:
Correct! That's what the label shows for the original color it had. But it's refinished.
You can zoom in: http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f125/frankbird/Innards.jpg~original
Ralf

right, gotchya! thanks

Happy Face · Jun 5, 2014

Yeah, sorry to not be more helpful about the history of the bass. It's not that interesting though it shows how I owe some gratitude to the gents on the Dudepit Guild group.

The history is ... I played a short scale EB-3 from 1970-1976. After a hiatus, I bought a Rickenbacker 4005 in 1977 and a Rick Blackstar in 1989. I only owned Ricks until I came out of another hiatus 10+ years ago. Thanks to the Guild group on the DudePit, I first bought one of the three D'A Starfires Fred Hammond put on sale one night. I liked the sound but found the body shape to be awkward.

So I snagged a beat-up JS-II on Ebay, figuring it would be comfortable like my old EB-3 but sound way better if I put Darkstars in. I was prolly too impatient since this bass was pretty badly beat up. But since I was changing the pickups, why not refin it as well? It came out fine enough.

And now that BTS bass is my own Casady/Lesh transition bass.

I'll debut it on Sunday afternoon. Out at a biker bar up here in Maine. The weather promises to be good so there should be a good crowd.

Ride on up and enjoy the lobster special ...... http://bentleyssaloon.com/

Happy Face · Jun 7, 2014

I put Chromes on. Neither fish nor fowl. (My normal issue with them.) Took them off and out the Pyramids back on. I'll try rounds after we play tomorrow.

So far I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping to be able to go from Guild flatwound sound to a Rick or Alembic roundwound sound with the turn of a couple of knobs. That's prolly too much to hope for.

On the bright side, the bridge pickup is much more in he mix and if I weren't hoping to get two vastly sounds, I'd be really happy about the sound I am now drawing out of the old workhorse. Filters are petty cool.

Happy Face · Jun 8, 2014

We had no sound man today, but our front man went out for a sound check. I had not called attention to the "newly improved" bass. He came back and commented that my bass sounded the best ever.

It sounded pretty good to me through my stage amp as well. I'm tempted just to keep it with flats and strap on the Rick for songs when I really want all that clang & sizzle, like "I Can See For Miles."

In summary, I'm probably asking too much to expect I can go from Rick with rounds to Starfire with flats on one bass. But I can hear why Jack and Phil were so excited when they started out putting those filters on a Guild with Bisonics.

With that, I 'll sign off .

fronobulax · Jun 9, 2014

Happy Face said:
We had no sound man today, but our front man went out for a sound check. I had not called attention to the "newly improved" bass. He came back and commented that my bass sounded the best ever.

It sounded pretty good to me through my stage amp as well. I'm tempted just to keep it with flats and strap on the Rick for songs when I really want all that clang & sizzle, like "I Can See For Miles."

In summary, I'm probably asking too much to expect I can go from Rick with rounds to Starfire with flats on one bass. But I can hear why Jack and Phil were so excited when they started out putting those filters on a Guild with Bisonics.

With that, I 'll sign off .

Where's the "Like" button?

Happy Face · Jun 13, 2014

Used it last Wednesday night in a battle of the bands through a house amp and it sounded fine enough to my ears.

BUT we only won thanks to stage presence and comportment. A vindication of my constant hectoring of bandmates since 1970 or so when guys stopped dressing up for gigs. Stupid. We are entertainers.

Happy Face · Jun 15, 2014

It sounded outrageously good in the onstage mix played through my Orange tube head into an SVT cab. 'Nuff said on this topic.

wisconsindead · Jun 16, 2014

Happy Face, what filters are your referring to with respect to Jack and Phil?

Happy Face · Jun 25, 2014

Sorry for the delay. I just put this rig in. http://www.bestbassgear.com/acg-eq-01-preamp.htm I tried to talk to Alembic about doing something right inline with what Jack and Phil did, but I never got any response and let it drop.

A long way of saying I'm not sure.

But it does sound good. I'm almost tempted to do the same to my M-85 but that would involve too much butchery.

Happy Face · Jul 21, 2014

It sounds mighty good.

Annoying Anticipation

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