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Telecaster Bass: curing "Mudbucker Syndrome"
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
normally i don't like the look of darkstars, but i gotta say that looks pretty nice. as far as the tonal difference, i've never had the pleasure of playing a tele bass, so i'll take your word for it 
that's a wonderful looking bass.
since i am in the process of making something similar, how woulkd the output of the darkstar compare to the tele mudbucker?
since i am in the process of making something similar, how woulkd the output of the darkstar compare to the tele mudbucker?
No sir, I didn't, and I don't think I will...I had Fred install extra long leads on the DS2 so I could install it either way. I went this way first thinking "well, if it's too dark and thuddy, I'll reverse it."
I pleased to report that it has *MORE* than enough high end, and if you were a slapper (I'm strait fingerstyle pretty much) you can still great great slap and pop tones, even here...
I'm finding myself running the tone at about 60%...ernie ball rounds on right now.
I may try flats:>0!
alan
I pleased to report that it has *MORE* than enough high end, and if you were a slapper (I'm strait fingerstyle pretty much) you can still great great slap and pop tones, even here...
I'm finding myself running the tone at about 60%...ernie ball rounds on right now.
I may try flats:>0!
alan
Electric Blue said:
Anytime, either way. Never noticed we were in the same town, pm fer you soon...
grygrx said:I really need an excuse to check out your gear. I mean, hell.. wanna give me lessons or something
It is still songle coil, and I've done nothing to shield it. StewMac has great paint that I used wne assembling the OLP I added a DS2 too, and it works great.
Having said all that, it's quiet in my living room, and nothing you'd notice live.
Going direct to a console would warrant getting out the shielding paint to keep picky engineers happy, but I still think it'd be fine "in a room with friendly electricity" if you follow that...
alan
Having said all that, it's quiet in my living room, and nothing you'd notice live.
Going direct to a console would warrant getting out the shielding paint to keep picky engineers happy, but I still think it'd be fine "in a room with friendly electricity" if you follow that...
alan
Interceptor said:
If it were a reissue, or a warmoth or something, maybe...but there is plenty of high end for me as I noted before-and I ain't gonna be the one to hack this bass!
I had Beav2K do a photochop of a 2 Darks Star '51 Precision some months ago, and "it looked to cluttered to me." I like the dead simple-ness of these old one pup single coils. Heck, I thought of not installing the pots, who need e'm
However, these pups are totally the shizzle, and I'd encourage you to go that route if it floats your boat!
alan
I had Beav2K do a photochop of a 2 Darks Star '51 Precision some months ago, and "it looked to cluttered to me." I like the dead simple-ness of these old one pup single coils. Heck, I thought of not installing the pots, who need e'm
However, these pups are totally the shizzle, and I'd encourage you to go that route if it floats your boat!
alan
Mark Wilson said:
They don't call them "mudbuckers" for nothing. Pretty well useless live, very limited in studio...
RockFace said:normally i don't like the look of darkstars, but i gotta say that looks pretty nice. as far as the tonal difference, i've never had the pleasure of playing a tele bass, so i'll take your word for it
Both pretty high powered pups, I'd say quite similar...except that the DarkStar is really, really great and the mudbucker just sucks
barroso said:
Wow man that is beautiful. Well done! I'd love to hear that bass. Love the checking on the body by the way.
Got shows tonight, friday and saturday. Three different bands, three different clubs.
I'll report back soon
I'll report back soon
That is one sweet pickup mod. I love them old Tele basses
but to add a Darkstar is WOW! Maybe Fender should consider
doing something along this theme. You got a great bass.
but to add a Darkstar is WOW! Maybe Fender should consider
doing something along this theme. You got a great bass.
Hosted a blues jam at a local club last night; guit, piano, bass, drums, various horns, harmonicas, fiddlers etc showed up.
200 seat club, prolly drew 100, long bar, really deep.
I played the Tele thru a TFB420, Schroeder 410, no pa support.
No problem
While it seemed surprisingly bright at home to where I was rolling tone back, on the job and in the mix, tone wide open was required. The TFB420 was set dead flat, enhance off, timbre straight up...
The baseline tone is huuuuge, with nice clear highs all the way up the neck-even past twelth position-and clean slammin' and surprisingly woody flavored lows...
By rolling timbre two clicks right, and rolling in two clicks of 4khz treble, and two clicks of highs over the para eq section, I got a really decent slap tone.
By no means a Marcus Miller Jazz bass bridge pickup thing, but bright and snappy enough for the coupla funky tunes I needed it for.
Rolling timbre one to two clicks left rpovides more low end heft than you'd ever, ever need, even if you were a strictly dub kinda guy.
The DS is very, very sensitive to right hand style-in other words, you get big rewards for playing dynamically, up or down...very, very nice...
Cuts thru the mix quite nicely, and everyone commented on a) how great it sounded overall, and
b) what an extremely outstanding improvement it was both sonically and visually.
more later;
chef
200 seat club, prolly drew 100, long bar, really deep.
I played the Tele thru a TFB420, Schroeder 410, no pa support.
No problem
While it seemed surprisingly bright at home to where I was rolling tone back, on the job and in the mix, tone wide open was required. The TFB420 was set dead flat, enhance off, timbre straight up...
The baseline tone is huuuuge, with nice clear highs all the way up the neck-even past twelth position-and clean slammin' and surprisingly woody flavored lows...
By rolling timbre two clicks right, and rolling in two clicks of 4khz treble, and two clicks of highs over the para eq section, I got a really decent slap tone.
By no means a Marcus Miller Jazz bass bridge pickup thing, but bright and snappy enough for the coupla funky tunes I needed it for.
Rolling timbre one to two clicks left rpovides more low end heft than you'd ever, ever need, even if you were a strictly dub kinda guy.
The DS is very, very sensitive to right hand style-in other words, you get big rewards for playing dynamically, up or down...very, very nice...
Cuts thru the mix quite nicely, and everyone commented on a) how great it sounded overall, and
b) what an extremely outstanding improvement it was both sonically and visually.
more later;
chef
