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AlBass · Aug 8, 2026

Thank you so much for the info!

AlBass · Aug 8, 2026

I recently purchased one of these 2 years old. It's a good feeling guitar, though a little on the heavy side, with very comfortable neck. On plugging it in however, I immediately discovered the pots were scratchy and noisy - to the extent that an active tone control would cause scratchy nose even when the bass was in passive mode. More problematic than this though, is that the pickups are so hummy, that him is even produced by touching the plastic sides, and touching pieces causes MASSIVE hum. I expect a little bit not too this extent.
Opening the bass I discovered clear signs that the pickups had been changed, but I do not know how to tell whether they have been changed back to original, or whether they are inferior pickups contributing to the problem. The J pickup has the "Noiseless" logo on the cover, but that is just the cover. Is there a way of identifying whether that really is the original Fender noiseless pickup?

JBarz · Aug 8, 2026

In a similar vein, I still hold that an Acme B1 on the floor coupled with a BF One10T on a stand is near sonic perfection. Decoupling the one10 like that gets it totally out of the inefficient B1’s massive low-end turf while the 10CR fills the space with those warm tube-like mids. I know Alex used to play/study Acme cabs, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re “accidentally/not-accidentally” designed to play so nicely together.

Joshua · Aug 8, 2026

Outstanding!

Fondsdale · Aug 8, 2026

When looking at the history of bass bridges, you basically had Fender bent steel and nothing else commercially... until the Badass came along.

While a Badass (or similar hi mass) may do nothing for tone, the reason lots of pros had them in the 70s-80s was the fender bent steel bridge has a tendency for the saddles to move laterally and the screws to back out. So, to fix this problem, you bought a Badass (or, DIY I guess).

So, no, they don't really 'do nothing' when you look at the context of a studio or touring pro needing a bridge that was reliable over many sessions and string changes. Sure, there are less bulbous models that fix those issues now, but not at the time (70s-80s).

jimok · Aug 8, 2026

Pickup replacement is an option. The Bridge Pickup doesn't really add anything for me. It's so close to the Bridge that it sounds too honky to my ears by itself and blending both pickups just right takes a little finesse. Thanks for the reply!

pepj · Aug 8, 2026

I think its more important how you run the bass rather than which model.
Its true the 750 eq has less range..if that's fair to describe it that way... but the point of those Aguilars are the reproduction of the bass rather than drastically colouring it.
If you need that EQ, look elsewhere. Imo.

catalin gramada · Aug 8, 2026

The13thFret said:
Thank you for the advice.
I'm pretty sure I understand the theory, and after getting a USB inspection camera in there, nothing appears to have come unglued, the bridge seems solidly affixed. I think its a combination of some of the things mentioned above, (top isn't stiff enough, braces are not stiff enough & too heavy a gauge of string). The truss rod was maxed out and there was an obvious belly behind the bridge, it was low at the front (rotating forward under string tension)
While it sounds quite pleasant, it's not an expensive or rare instrument, and I can't get a bridge doctor locally (will have to get one shipped from the US). Also the bass is not mine, I'm just trying to help out as a favour.

Since the bridge doctor will need a 9/64" hole anyway, I got approval, drilled, and made something up out of what I had laying around, it seems to be a marked improvement. I'll order a bridge doctor, and maybe creep another 1/8th of a turn in 24 hours and see what happens.

View attachment 3361194

Hello. I know is old, but despite the structural corection how the mod it sound please ?...it gains/loose sustain ? , is louder/quiet ? It loose or gain bass, mids ? Any appreciations about how it modified the tone in respect with original please ? Thank You.

2saddleslab · Aug 8, 2026

Jeff Scott said:
View attachment 7552559

Bass Viking · Aug 8, 2026

Bright Midnight said:
HI all, can anyone tell me if the necks on the CST's are a bit thinner than on the Euro Classics for example? I play a lot of chord stuff and when testing out the Euro Classic a couple of times, the neck felt chunkier than the neck on my old SK Squier Precision. The neck on my Precision sits somewhere between a regular US Precision and a Jazz neck, and it's too thin for my long fingers and hands, yet the Euro Classic felt a bit too much. It could be just that I need to adjust to a different neck and that after a while my hands will adapt, but 'if' the CST has a faster neck, I'm all for the CST.

Ask on the Spector thread, they can probably help you. I can tell you that the neck on my CST feels slimmer than my RST neck.

macburner · Aug 8, 2026

sorry it's been so long I don't remember!

basss · Aug 8, 2026

Braunzo said:
Well, it's in motion. I've bought a used Genzler Nu Classic 112. I think next I'll order a head when I move some things/save up some more money. Then I'll add another 112. Thanks for the suggestions, y'all.

Good start! I recently bought a Genzler ULV210 which I love. I tried a few heads with it but it pairs best with a Shuttle 6.2 (duh!), not that the others don't sound great but there is a responsiveness that I'm getting with them sharing the same dna. I'm sure a Quilter would rock with that cab.

bass player 53 · Aug 8, 2026

Ricky Rioli said:
When I was a little boy, my mummy taught me that anything pre Reform Act of 1832 was an antique. Anything after that was merely Victorian. (Bet you wish you'd had my childhood, huh?)

As for "vintage", the current usage misunderstands its actual meaning. Vintage wine is vintage from the moment of its creation — wine is either vintage, ie all the grapes picked in the same harvest, or non-vintage, ie a blend of different years. From the point of view of constructed objects, the word vintage is useful for indicating that the example is expressive of a period that is now past. So for basses, something like an Ibanez Musician is easily called vintage because they simply don't make them like that any more. For something that's still being made exactly the same way as it always was .... tricky to decide.

When I met my future wife, we were both in our late 20’s, and she had an authentic Eastlake parlor set, like the one in this photo. Well, I thought it was the epitome of hideous design, and sitting on it felt like a crime against humanity. My parents had authentic French 18th century antique furniture and looked down their noses at the Eastlake stuff. Yeah, what a mess…

xav_paris · Aug 8, 2026

Bonjour

Does any one have a feedback / opinion of this product from Jam pedals ?

https://jampedals.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/BoomsterV2-WhiteBG_Full_Size-1-PhotoRoom-Photoroom.jpg

The difference between the two old version is the toggle and the headroom if I read correctly

I play a pb’62 with TI flats jf 344 on mesa d800+barefaced

Thanks in advance

shai-ga · Aug 8, 2026

CobraBassGeezer · Aug 8, 2026

Something I often do: I stick on Rockabilly Radio on the computer - linked to my sound system - and grab my double bass. I then do my level best to find the key and play along with every track in real time. It's fantastic ear training, great at keeping you in tune and great for being able to come up with stuff 'on the fly'. Oh it's huge fun too.

MrDinsdale · Aug 8, 2026

I’d recommend the NDSP Discord if you don’t get answers here - Discord - Group Chat That’s All Fun & Games

@xush is the fountain of knowledge for all things NDSP though.

Jeff Scott · Aug 8, 2026

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PitBossMan · Aug 7, 2026

Just wanted to clarify--I am not looking to buy this at all, I just thought it looked funky when I was scoping through stuff.

I will say that in my existential Bass crisis, I did return to a ultra five today for a little while and loved the way it felt and sounded. It is a Bass that I don't have in my personal arsenal anymore, and it is one that I think I may have to re-buy unfortunately. I also had a Yamaha BBP 35 in my cart as well--hard to pick between the two, especially since I don't have money for either....

KidAmnesia · Aug 7, 2026

I realized in the OP I had posted the worst photo of my pedalboard and said nothing about it.

It's a B15ish preamp, set as a squishy, dynamic overdrive; tuner and an always on hpf/lpf. I ad a passive DI if necesary, but most of the time I just plug into the loop of an amp.

shrinklizard · Aug 7, 2026

I love this old thread. It seems many many bassists here think that D type amplification is as good or better than A, A/B and they seem to take it personal if someone disagrees. I completely disagree. Side by side my cheap TC 500 mosfet and my expensive MB 500 pale driving the same cabinet when I use my A.M.P. CX260 at half the watts. I'm perfectly willing to say that I've been blown away with MB driving 2-12s outdoors. It's potent, earthy and loud but...the quality of sound is so pure coming out of this A.M.P. the notes feel like 5 lb ball bearings. The sound isn't just deep, it's round. I don't just hear the difference, I feel the difference. So is it the preamp? Probably not. It's 46 year old technology. I'll gladly hump this bad boy just because I enjoy playing thru it so much. I recently picked up it's older brother, the BH 420 and it's the same thing but with the built in limiter it's the cat's meow. They run hot, they are 30% efficient compared to 90 % for type D and literally at least 10 times heavier but...oh well. Convenience isn't in the formula. You want distortion....pedal up. That being said, these things are going to be hard to find in the future as micro heads seem to be on everybody's playlist and I love the lite D's.

. They make for convenient backups, lol.

Bassic_desires · Aug 7, 2026

@gln1955 Jack Gibson re NRL - “This is not life and death – it’s far more important!”

fhm555 · Aug 7, 2026

I've borrowed one a few times when hunting old water pipes and gas lines, but never had the bug to go dig stuff up.

DionClassic · Aug 7, 2026

Glad all was sorted. You should be satisfied with your purchase and Fender should hopefully still understand that.

My 1952 Precision has a dead spot in the same area and Tadeo Gomez made the neck. And I won’t tell you how much I paid lol.

ImmortalSoul · Aug 7, 2026

Hello Friends! I just started a Facebook group for May Custom Basses owners, players, fans, and friends. I'd really like to get some of the original May community together in one place. If you're still playing/collecting one of Shawn’s amazing basses, or a fan of his work, I'd love to have you join!

Facebook

Thanks,

JT

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