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Lakland Owners Group #54

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#223
Mrfstop said:
hmmmm? yes... I could huh?
Not as much fun however :D
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LOL, guess I'll sit back and watch the revolving door some more.:D
Mrfstop said:
Yea I was considering the M-Pulse 600 which is more or less a big brother to the Walkabout.
Similar control layout, Just more watts and more knobs to fiddle with.
I am trying to find out the main differences between the M-Pulse 600 and the Carbine 6/9 heads.
And then hope to decide which to pull the trigger on? :help:

Have read they are a beast to try and dial in.
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Welp, as a Walkabout lover who wishes it had more wattage, I have sought out reviews of the MPulse 600. Seems that every person who bought it thinking it was a more powerful Walkabout came away disappointed. That doesn't mean it's a bad amp, it just seems to lack the rich, tasty mids of the WA. But it might be suited to your taste, hard to say.:) The Carbine heads seem to be more "hifi" in nature, big low end, aggressive up top and a very solid-state type feel. Not my thing, but again, they apparently do what they do quite well. Mesa makes good stuff, no doubt.

Oh, my Glaub sounds especially fantastic through my Walkabout! *back on topic*
 
#226
RumbleBeeAL said:
How's your Phase II (journey) coming along Johnny? I know we went back and forth a bit on the "How to's"...

We need progression pics or else it never happened... Ha!
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I think I am going to bag the tuner upgrade. I really want to do it but the fear of messing up the neck is setting in. I am actually not at all worried about jacking up a tuner or two by accident. Those are easily replaceable. But these early Skyline necks are fantastic and this one is jazz width. I just am not sure I want to take that risk.

The oil finish has been applied though and it is a killer upgrade. It feels a ton better and it is not identifiable even thought the finish has aged a bit. I only took a photo or two BUT I do want to post an after photo to show how invisible the mod is.
 
#228
JEDI BASS said:
Hey Johnny... would the tuner upgrade require enlarging the holes?
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Yes. The existing holes are 9/16 and the US Hipshot vintage style tuners are 11/16. So the holes need to be slightly enlarged. The second part is that the tuner spacing is tighter on the Skyline so you actually need to slightly mod the tuner basses by removing/sanding away a bit of the width.

That second part I am not worried about. If I mess one up it is easy to buy a single tuner to replace it. But if I mess up the first part I ruined a neck. And I just don't have the proper tools to make me feel secure with that mod.
 
#229
After playing thru many high-end amps and cabs, I realized I was a 3-way cab kinda guy.... I like large subs (12-18")and mid drivers (5 or 6") and horns... preferably in the same enclosures :). I also really got into doing a 2 rig setup w/ one rig having MANY (and I mean MANY!!!) effects pedals and one rig all clean w/ a signal splitter pedal used right after my Keeley compressor. I've been playing for over half my life (I'm 40 now----been 20 for 20 yrs LOL). I still haven't figured out what the whole SS vs tube thing is about, I like them both ... I've owned several highly sought after hybrid amps: Thunderfunk, Ampeg etc... but NO truly ALL TUBE amps. Anyways I currently have settled on 2 old Eden WT800a amps (800 watts bridged at 8 ohms) and 2 CHEAP Carvin PA cabs (8 ohm)that are "the secret" weapon of us 3-way fans. These 2 Carvin PA enclosures cost me less than half of what ONE of my cabs cost in my previous Berg/Dr Bass setup ;), and my bandmates can't find any reason to complain! In fact, they always say (after enduring MANY MANY Lakland bass trials and even more rig trials) "Whatever rig or bass you settle on, you'll sound awesome! (thanks to my TB research and bass choice) Do whatever you want." LOL!! Heard that again yesterday when I was voicing my thoughts on a cab sale that I was considering.

So, my input is decide on your cab preferences FIRST, then get a hybrid amp... worked for me.
 
#230
Johnny Alien said:
Yes. The existing holes are 9/16 and the US Hipshot vintage style tuners are 11/16. So the holes need to be slightly enlarged. The second part is that the tuner spacing is tighter on the Skyline so you actually need to slightly mod the tuner basses by removing/sanding away a bit of the width.

That second part I am not worried about. If I mess one up it is easy to buy a single tuner to replace it. But if I mess up the first part I ruined a neck. And I just don't have the proper tools to make me feel secure with that mod.
Click to expand...

OOOOOOOO, yeah! The different size holes complicates things greatly because (and I know this from experience) you can't just go into the existing holes w/ a bigger drillbit because IN REALITY the "US" hole would not be centered the same as the Skyline hole... so your strings would come off the nut at the wrong angle. I learned this while modding a "lawsuit" era asian F3nd3r jazz copy w/ the same problem :hmm:.

The only safe alternative IMO would be to plug the existing holes and totally redrill to US specs... A LOT OF WORK!
 
#232
Maybe not super visible, but I'm actually playing my 55-60 here. Not that you guys care... ;)
ZM-2.jpg

ZM-5.jpg

ZM-7.jpg

ZM-11.jpg
 
#233
JEDI BASS said:
OOOOOOOO, yeah! The different size holes complicates things greatly because (and I know this from experience) you can't just go into the existing holes w/ a bigger drillbit because IN REALITY the "US" hole would not be centered the same as the Skyline hole... so your strings would come off the nut at the wrong angle. I learned this while modding a "lawsuit" era asian F3nd3r jazz copy w/ the same problem :hmm:.

The only safe alternative IMO would be to plug the existing holes and totally redrill to US specs... A LOT OF WORK!
Click to expand...

Enlarging the existing Skyline Tuner holes for the US Style HB1 and optional BT1 Drop-D Tuning Machines can be done with method and patience. This project is not for everyone however.

Note - All 4 holes must be enlarged. Only the G, D, and A String Tuning Machines require the bottom edge of their flanges to be trimmed/milled. This approach is what allows the optional BT1 Drop Tuner to be installed. Take your time, "measure twice, cut once" - The Juice Is Worth The Squeeze! Ha.

If you are asking why I took on this project, I'd likely first respond with "Because I was told it could not be done!" the folks at Lakland said the same thing. I purchased the MLF neck and since they do not come with tuning machines installed as an assembly, I took the project to a whole new level.

Below are the photos of my completed Maple Lined Fretless (MLF) neck project. No regrets!
 
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