Davy Jones, 1945 to 2012

I loved watching the Monkees when I was a kid, and their songs always make me smile.

Rest in peace, Davy.

Ernie Ball 2733 Cobalt Hybrid Slinky Bass Strings

Como estas?

Ernie Ball has to be one of the biggest guitar and bass string manufacturers in the world, but despite their hefty market share they are not resting on their laurels. They keep coming out with new products, and I am a big fan of their coated strings they recently introduced, as well as their adoption of sealed string packaging.

At NAMM this year they introduced a new line of Cobalt-series strings that were supposed to do miraculous things, and I must confess it made my BS meter twitch a little. But I read through their info and was intrigued by the logic behind going to a cobalt alloy string wrapping.

The idea is that the cobalt alloy is more strongly attracted to magnets (as found in pickups) than any other material previously used. Also, this alloy is more resistant to corrosion caused by moisture and sweat. The results are improved output, sustain and clarity. As a bonus, the strings also last longer and are less susceptible to breakage, being stronger than nickel or steel.

These strings are available in the usual popular guitar and bass string set sizes, so I went down to my local Guitar Center and bought a set of the 2733 Cobalt Hybrid Slink Bass Strings for 30 bucks (MSRP of $59.99. This is about 10 buck more than I usually spend, but you have to take chances in life. I brought them home and stripped the standard Hybrid Slinky bass strings from my trusty MusicMan Classic Stingray bass and did not have to change a thing with the action.

These strings really do sound awesome, and certainly do have a bit more output than the regular Hybrid Slinky bass strings I have been using for years on my Stingrays. I didn’t notice much of a change in sustain, but maybe there is something to this cobalt thing.

I have been using these strings for a little over a month (this being my main player), and I have noticed no degradation in tone. I usually change roundwound strings every month or two, but these look like they are going to hold up for a bit longer. I will be sure to provide an update if anything changes.

I think you should try out a set of these for your guitar or bass. They are more expensive than ordinary Ernie Ball strings, but the increased life and performance is worth it.

Mahalo!

Ibanez TS808 Vintage Tube Screamer Reissue Guitar Pedal Review

Hiya!

In the world of guitar effect pedals, there are true legends, and one of them would have to be the Ibanez Tube Screamer overdrive pedals that were introduced back in the early 1980s. These are blues and rock guitar staples, with players like Stevie Ray Vaughan and George Lynch having a fondness for them.

There were a few different models, but my favorite of these would be the TS808, which has spawned many imitators. These have become very collectible (i.e. expensive), but fortunately Ibanez has re-issued them so anybody with a small stack of cash can pick one up. Supposedly this unit uses the same circuitry and electronics as the original version.

The basic purpose of is to simulate the tone of a tube amplifier that is being overdriven, but at more reasonable volume levels.

This Tube Screamer reissue has a sturdy case with the distinctive green finish and square switch of the original. The controls are simple, with three knobs: overdrive, tone and level. Drive is for the level of distortion, tone is a treble cut and level controls the output.

And this Ibanez pedal works very well, providing super strong sustain and mids that really help a guitarist stand out in the mix, but without being a full-blown gnarly distortion pedal. I have found that it really is not going to take the place of a tube amp, but certainly does augment a tube amp’s natural tone.

The price of the Ibanez TS808 Vintage Tube Screamer Reissue is a bit steep, with an MSRP of $257.13 and a street price of $179.99, but it is worth every penny. If you are only going to have one guitar effect pedal, this is the one to get!

Mahalo!

Ernie Ball MusicMan Classic Stingray 4 Bass Guitar Review

Greetings!

Since the 1970s, the Stingray bass has evolved to become one of the best bolt-on neck production basses you can buy. This meant that some of the original features were left behind, and of course some players were unhappy about the changes. In 2009, the Ernie Ball Company gave players the opportunity to put their money where their mouth is and offered up the Classic Stingray 4, which has some really neat retro features.

The major differences between the Classic Stingray and the Stingray (which is still available) are: • String-through bridge and body (yay) • Mute kit added to a larger base plate bridge (meh) • Uncompensated nut (boo) • Poly-finish birdseye or flame maple neck(yay) • 7.5-inch neck radius (yay) • 2-band equalizer only (no 3-band available) • Pretty chrome battery compartment cover instead of a more functional plastic battery box • Classic color selections (yay)

Other than these items, these basses are standard MusicMan fare. They have ash bodies with a thick poly finish, and fortunately they stayed with a 6-bolt neck joint instead of going back to a 4-bolt or (gasp) 3-bolt microtilt design.

The necks are beefy with 1 5/8-inch wide nuts and are 34-inch scale with 21 frets. Again, I am glad they use the modern truss rod wheel (now chrome!) instead of the crummy old bullet truss rod ends.

The hardware is first rate, too. The bridge has stainless steel saddles, and standard Schaller BM tuners with tapered posts are installed in the 3+1 headstock configuration. An alnico humbucker rounds out the 2-band electronics package.

And I have been sucked in with the rest of the crowd and love these basses. The 2010 Coral Red one that you see here is a monster of a bass. I swapped out the 0.045 to 0.100 standard strings for some Hybrid Slinkies (0.045 to 0.105) and it is one of the best Stingrays I have ever owned.

Of course it sounds like a Stingray, and can be very edgy or smooth, depending on how it is eq’d and how much the strings are dug into. But the real magic is the neck on this thing.

The 7.5-inch radius fretboard suits my playing style much better, and I prefer the poly finish to the gunstock oil that is found on the standard Stingrays. It feels better to the touch and it cleans up much easier. Win-win.

It is not horribly heavy either, coming in at around 9 ¾ pounds on my digital scale. It is a real peach, and I hope that I can keep this one around for a while.

The price of nostalgia will cost you a bit for this one. A new Classic Stingray 4 has a list price of $2570 and a street price o f $1799, so you had better start saving now.

By the way, there are also Classic Stingray 5 and Classic Sterling models available too, in case the Stingray 4 is not your bag. As long as you do not want a lefty, as they are not selling any of these for southpaws.

Mahalo!

Ampeg SVT-810E Classic Series Bass Enclosure Review

Howdy!

Today we are looking at the mate to my Ampeg SVT-CL: a Classic Series SVT-810E bass enclosure. By the way, “bass enclosure” is a euphemism for “speaker cabinet.”

After finally adding an SVT to my collection, I tried a few different speaker combinations before I ended up with the dreaded 810. I tried an Ampeg 410E, but at 8 ohms it was horrible inefficient. I tried the 610HLF, but it was boomy and not as well-focused as the SVT-810E. So I finally bit the bullet and dragged one of these home. My wife had to help me unload it.

I was reluctant to go with the 810 as it is just a monster of a cabinet. It is not just a clever name, it is loaded up with eight 10-inch speakers and comes in at a whopping 140 pounds, which is more than I weighed when I graduated from high school.

The weight is worth it, as there is plenty of quality built into this enclosure. It Is constructed of Baltic birch plywood, which is some of the finest laminate wood I have ever worked with. The whole thing measures 48“ tall by 26” wide by 16” deep. The speakers are paired into four sealed enclosures (infinite baffle design) for a tighter response. Cups fit the feet of your SVT are embedded in the top of the cabinet to prevent the head from vibrating itself onto the floor.

To make it a bit more portable, Ampeg installed two recessed wheels on the back and a tilt-back grab handle, along with a couple of skid rails on the back. It still is not very pleasant to move, though.

The eight speakers each have 2-inch voice coils and 30 ounce magnets. The 810E can handle 800 watts at 4 ohms, with a frequency response of 58Hz to 5kHz. This is more than enough for my SVT-CL, and the color matches too. There are both ¼ inch and Neutrik Speakon jacks on the back, and you can run the cabinet in stereo if you want to, maybe you could stack two SVTs on top….

But, putting all of this aside, the main reason to pick up a SVT-810E is the tone. I bought this one new, and after the speakers broke in I have fallen in love the sound that thing puts out. There is a ton of volume, of course, but it also has very tight lows and mids. It has a very balanced sound and a super smooth response.

It is buttery smooth with enough power to knock down my garage. This is a tough combination to beat, and virtually unchanged since 1969.

For the past few years, these cabinets have been built overseas, but I have not noticed any difference in sound quality or build construction. In fact, I am pretty sure that the older ones did not use the Baltic plywood, as it has not been a popular building material until recently.

The Ampeg SVT-810E bass enclosure is a bit spendy, with a MSRP of $1399.99, and a street price of $999.99, but if you want the full SVT experience, you are going to have to pony up for one.

Mahalo!

1980s ESP 400 Series Bass Review

Aloha!

ESP is a Japanese guitar maker that has been around since the 1970s, but first started mass-producing guitars and basses in the 1980s. Today we are looking at one of their biggest early success stories, a 400 Series bass.

Looking at this instrument, you can see clearly that it is a Fender Jazz Bass copy, but it is a very good one. It has the traditional Jazz bass body offset waist profile, a 1.5-inch nut and two single-coil Jazz pickups. Not to mention the same pickguard and control cover shapes. The headstock shape is a bit different, probably to avoid lawsuits from Fender.

There are a few divergences from tradition, though. The end of the bolt-on neck is probably the most notable. Though this is a normal 34-inch scale 21 fret neck, the fingerboard extends beyond the end of the neck so it lies on top of the pickguard. This makes the truss rod super-hard to adjust, and I cannot figure out why they did this. If anything, it seems like it limits access to the higher frets.

This one has lost its two ESP LH1300 single-coil pickups over the years, and ended up with a set of EMG active pickups and a pre-amplifier. The preamp and battery are hidden under the control cover, and no extra routing was done to accommodate them. The controls are now volume, pan and stacked treble/bass (I think).

The rest of this 400 Series bass appears to be original. It has a vintage Fender style serrated saddle bridge, and ESP vintage deluxe tuners which still hold well (and are adjustable for tension).

From my previous experience with ESP instruments, I am sure that this bass was originally very well built. But, 20-something year later it is a little hard to tell, as time has taken its toll on this one. The finish shows plenty of gig wear, and the nickel silver frets are also a bit worn. It still plays beautifully, though, with a slim and fast neck, as well as the EMG tone that is always a favorite of mine.

The original ESP 400 Series basses are very hard to find these days, and the condition of this one makes it a bit more affordable. I will be moving it along to a new owner, as I have found a beautiful ESP J-Four, and I have no good reason to keep more than one Jazz Bass around.

If you ever have the chance to pick one of these up, I say go for it. It would be great if ESP re-issued a made in Japan 400 series for the US, but it is not going to happen any time soon. The Yen to dollar situation is grim, making many Japanese built products uncompetitive here.

Mahalo!

Ed Friedland’s Bass Method Book 1 Review

Sugoi!

I have bought at least 6 copies of Ed Friedland’s Bass Method Book 1 over the years. You see, every time somebody tells me that they want to be a bass player, I give them my copy and I never see it again.

When my boy told me he wanted to learn how to play bass I went to my local Sam Ash music store and bought yet another copy. This is money well spent, in my opinion, and it could not go to a nicer guy.

You see, Ed Friedland’s bass method books are logically organized, and can help a raw beginner learn everything they need to know to get started on the instrument.

Bass Method Book 1 starts at the very beginning, teaching the newbie the names of the bass guitar parts and how to properly hold the instrument. It proceeds through tuning the bass and musical symbols and notation.

From there it teaches the notes within the first five positions, as well as common bass lines, patterns and rhythms. These lessons are interspersed with playing tips and techniques that Ed has learned over the years. You even get a play-along CD -- this stuff is pure gold!

You can find Bass Method Book 1 on Amazon for $5.99, or you can get all 3 volumes in a plastic comb bound version for $15.63. This is a real bargain for the best bass method books you can buy. Of course, if you are in a hurry you can buy Volume 1 with the CD for $9.95 at most any music store in the country.

I only wish I could find a method for guitar that works as well as Ed Friedland’s bass books.

Mahalo!