hiram.k.hackenbacker

I was thinking about pressing the button on one of these. Checkout now shows the total as £2715.19! I'm not quite sure what has changed in a week, but that's me out 😬.

One of the first to put an order in has received his Dark Ray already. He has posted his thought on Talkbass which I'll paste here: "Ok. Initial thoughts... Fit and finish is superb. Balance is a treat. I don't have scales, so you will have to take my word for this. It's light. Clean sound: I don't hear any compromises here. I compared it with my 2004, 3 band Ray. Sounds more like the Classic Ray I used to own. The two band EQ is subtle. Some great tones. Definitely a 'Ray. But that's not why you buy this sucker... The Fuzz tone (Red): Sounds much better finger style. Harsh with a pick. That could be the pick, or more likely, my style (I'm heavy handed). Finger style for me, brings out the natural undertones. The flesh on my fingers brought out those undertones, with the effect being more of a pleasant embellishment. The Overdrive (Blue). Takes it up a notch. Again, sounds better finger style. IMO. See above. I would use this to a lesser extent. Early days. The blend is very sensitive, but in a good way. I will be more conclusive once I've reflected a little more, listened more to the nuances of blending and once I'm in the mix. For me, first impression? Happy with it. Very much so. No buyer's remorse. However, I'm pretty sure it will not be for everyone. I would wholeheartedly recommend trying it out before purchasing. It's a quality bass and comparable (or less) than the price of the latest specials. And I feel, the clean tone is certainly there." Further on in the thread he goes on to say that he almost exclusively a pick player, so I imagine he'll be selling it some time soon? He's also put up some nice photos of his bass. The weight is unconfirmed, but allegedly light as per the current Special models. I really like the individual neck plates. I think that's a very nice touch.

If I was in your position and didn’t already have one, I’d buy this. Leaves you quite a few £’s to find a nice cab to go with it. I run my Handbox though a Barefaced Big Twin and it sounds lush.

The Ltd Ed version has made it through the weekend. 21 left. Disappointingly, no one on Talkbass appears to have received theirs yet. There was talk of only a few being ready for shipping, so feedback may be slow coming through.

Patch 11 - Tom Sawyer intro sorted 👍

All done. Just going to go and have a play with it. Thanks 👍

One of my jobs for this afternoon. I’ll shout if I get stuck 👍

@Quatschmacher - I’ve found my Roland lead! I know it’s a pain, but could you give me an idiots step by step how to update to the latest version. I seem to remember it’s a slightly different procedure depending on what version you are on? I have performed one update since purchase, so I assume I’m on v2.0, but I really don’t want to f**k this up and that’s highly likely without your help.

Apart from a recent quick assembly to make sure it all still works, I can’t remember the last time I played amplified bass in the house. Do everyone a favour and get a decent set of headphones and a rig you practice with silently.

Yes, just checked. One should have arrived yesterday and the other guy said Monday. The way they have been going, you could be right. Maybe one or two left by Monday. 30 left now. SIMS would add another battery compartment, possibly a double for 2 x PP9’s, not to mention the extra weight that goes with them. I do have a Status with after market SIMS LED’s and it’s a fine bass, but I don’t think I would do it again. For me, the LED’s that Status put in their graphite necks during manufacture are gold standard. The tri-colours in my S2 are just amazing. It will be interesting to see what these Dark Rays weigh. I’m hoping to find out via our friends in the USA.

Ah, I didn’t check yesterday. I thought the first guy would have had his delivered by now. I’ll have a read later. No, I haven’t pressed the button yet. Like you, after my initial comments regarding the Granite Stone, that’s the one I would go for - if I did, that is 😬. I still think they could have opted for a better finish for such a small Limited Edition, but that’s probably just me. I think it would probably sit quite well next to my Fender Flea Active in Inca Silver. If you’re going to do it, you may have to make your mind up soon as there are only 31 left!