Recent content by Music Power

It's definitely the tension. Strings are constantly stretching while on the bass, and eventually they stop, and that's when we think they sound dead. Some people like that sound, though, but most of us probably prefer newer sounding strings for the harmonic content it brings. Either way, I would...

Head for sure. The cab is HUGE, and sounds great, but not terribly practical. They're also very expensive to ship, should you sell it. I think most of the tone comes from the head, and there are a ton of other cabs that can really make this amp sound awesome. Even if you want that 8x10 sound...

Compression is my friend for the bass. I usually run a compressor with 3:1 or 4:1 ratio with a short decay and attack. In terms of EQ, I usually boost the 80-100hz and a narrow cut at 140hz, then boost a fair amount at 1k, and then take a hair off everything above 10k(about a half a db or so...

I'm thinking that maybe upon installation of his new pickup, the grounding job might be better now than it was before. He may have had some cold or bad solder joints, and that would certainly contribute to noise. In my experience More Output always equals more noise in Single Coil designs.

Have you thought about using In Ear Monitors? They're a bit pricey, but they can make a huge difference in being able to hear what's going on while cancelling out the noise. This also can let you control your stage volume more live, if the whole band starts using the system. I wouldn't trade it...

I would try wood filler. Elmer makes some really good stuff that is sandable and they have it in a number of shades to match the wood it's being used with, if you have a trans finish. http://www.amazon.com/Elmers-E842L-Carpenters-Filler-1-Quart/dp/B001E5L19O

That Ray looks killer. I've been really impressed by the stuff those guys are putting out. Great tone and feel for such a low price. Beautiful Family.

Tapered Reamer is definitely the way to go, I'd say. In regards to the pots, they do make mini-pots in the normal resistances. Ibanez has a tendency to use them on certain instruments, and especially their guitars with pickguards. If you're having trouble fitting the controls in, you may check...