In kind of a kidding around way, yeah. No biggie at all! The whole vol-pan vs vol-vol thing is something a few of us like to poke fun at each other about. That's all.
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HI
If everyone just played Sadowsky basses, like I do, you woundnt have to worry about if it was right or wrong. Its wrong if you dont play one! LOL
Rob
Hell yeah "...play one"..or 2 or 3!!!
Easy mark here for funnin'. Do it regularly to myself on the gig.In kind of a kidding around way, yeah. No biggie at all! The whole vol-pan vs vol-vol thing is something a few of us like to poke fun at each other about. That's all.
That was what I was actually referring to with the VB vs VV comment. I get somewhat personal hilarious consequences when confusing those two control schemes on the gig. Particularly with the Sadowsky onboard preamp, where inadvertently bumping the output vol from 8 to 10 does NOT equate to leveling the standard J neck pup in a rather startling manner. Oops.
Vic said:In kind of a kidding around way, yeah. No biggie at all! The whole vol-pan vs vol-vol thing is something a few of us like to poke fun at each other about. That's all.
Vol-vol, vol-pan; humbug. I want one that's vol-sex appeal.
Chef
In Memoriam
Chef
In Memoriam
For some reason I was thinking you didn't end up keeping the PJ.
Edit: Either I'm hallucinating or the image was a PJ...
Edit: Either I'm hallucinating or the image was a PJ...
Chef
In Memoriam
Whups, I missed this.
It's not the being outside the US that's really the problem. CITES isn't just in the US, so if you managed to get a bass with a braz RW board to Belgium, you'd never be able to gig it outside Belgium, either. (Assuming that Benelux are signatories to the agreement). A brazilian RW board or something like abalone inlays put you in danger of getting your bass seized when crossing most international boundaries--unless I misread the CITES site (say that five times fast). Similarly, you you *were* in the US, and in a border town like Detroit or something, you'd never be able to cross the border to play in Windsor or Toronto.
I'm just pulling geographical locations out of the aether as examples, BTW...
And really, the difference in tone will only be obvious to someone on TalkBass.
But come on; it'd work out well. Especially for bands where the lead guitarist is always stealing the whole show.
roadkill2309 said:
I'm just really curious...do they have experts at these border checkpoints that can tell Brazilian rosewood from the others?
Looks like mine, Chef. Nice bass. Do you have the stock pickups in that?
Here's a front picture of mine, taken at the same time as I took that photo of its back that I like to use for my desktop. Stock tortoise pick guard, although your bass looks great with the black.
Link Removed
Here's a front picture of mine, taken at the same time as I took that photo of its back that I like to use for my desktop. Stock tortoise pick guard, although your bass looks great with the black.
Link Removed
For what these things cost, I wouldn't take the chance.
I also that think the biggest danger, especially on the US side right now, is that a border guard will be overzealous about rosewood in general. I plan to have documentation in the case for mine whenever I cross the border, just in case I have to prove that I'm not carting about contraband.
You're right. CITES is international and not US only.
Some border guards - especially in larger airports - seem to have a fluid that they put on your fretboard / guitar. If it's Brazilian, there will be a certain chemical reaction that makes the color of the fluid change. Only with Brazilian. So yes, they CAN tell the difference. At some borders, they also have a book with pictures of how Brazilian looks like and how it differs from the rest.
At least that's what I heard.
Some border guards - especially in larger airports - seem to have a fluid that they put on your fretboard / guitar. If it's Brazilian, there will be a certain chemical reaction that makes the color of the fluid change. Only with Brazilian. So yes, they CAN tell the difference. At some borders, they also have a book with pictures of how Brazilian looks like and how it differs from the rest.
At least that's what I heard.
Chef
In Memoriam
Dan: I had mine switched to single coil at the shop before it shipped.
It had a tort guard too, but that changed before it shipped as well.
It had a tort guard too, but that changed before it shipped as well.
Having practiced my entire career in Materials Science and Chemistry, I find that claim extremely hard to believe. Can you back that up with a link?
This is true absurdity in the face of everything else going on today. Where are purported agencies getting the funding to even think about something like this? Ridiculous and sounds like fear mongering. There are way too many environmental catastrophes going on to start confiscating musical instruments. What are they going to do? Plant the fretboard and hope a new tree will grow? Burn it while smelling it and go into a trance to reduce global warming? Give me a break. I would have to see it to believe it.
BTYRSS
+1 You can almost use it like an IQ test. If it takes you more than 5 minutes to figure out the different direction and incorporate that information into your brain, then my guess would be you would also be having a lot of trouble with other things (like finding your car in the grocery parking lot, or remembering where the bathroom is in your house every morning).
Well, bad news. I got a neuropsych exam and it turns out I have early onset dementia at age 32, which is why I still think it feels weird to turn the pan knob the other way and occasionally do it backwards, even after having played the bass for seven years.
More disconcerting, it turns out what I thought was a Sadowksy bass was actually a vacuum cleaner. Oddly enough, I'm still gigging a few times a week on it, though I wonder if I should return my club number.
+1 - I recall Roger mentioning that the customs agents have no authority to confiscate instruments with any rosewood but there are "rogue" individuals that seem to take themselves a tad too seriously & do so. Not too clear about that.
Even instruments with Braz. RW, SHOULD, IMO, be exempt from any penalty if a receipt pre-dating the new law date, w/ serial #, accompanies the instrument. There's a LOAD of Martin guitars out there made with Braz. I recall 1969 was the last time Martins were made with solid Braz sides & back, before laminates. If one of these guys cops one of those babies goin' cross border, it won't be replaced.
I wonder how long I'll be free of concern about cross border with my Madagascar board? Someday I'd like to see my bass go back to a U.S. player who would appreciate it. I ain't gonna hold my breath on that one.
B.
What I'm taking to work tonight:
You guys are making me miss mine. Waaaaahhhhhh...
I learned something tonight. After playing for many years with a certain action setup I lowered the action a few days ago to where it was very effortless with a lighter attack. I did a number of recordings & listened carefully to the change in the sound of the bass. I came to an unmistakeable conclusion. The bass SPEAKS much better with the higher action. I think it is partly due to the strings springing away from the fret quicker, resulting in a note that is more musically consistant, if that makes sense. It's not easy to articulate in words. I can thank the Sad' for that lesson, as it's never become apparent before on other basses. 
B.
B.
