mcnach

After spending a lot more time with the JJ-550, I decided the pickups are just fine and I'm happy to keep it stock (I will probably turn it passive at some point, 'though). I put a bit of foam at the bridge and got a very nice sound... I have a recording session on Tuesday and I think I'm going to bring this bass along.

+100

No, the JJ is active, the JP is passive. On their website both say Volume, Balance and Tone, which is true if a bit misleading: on the JJ the 'tone' is a concentric dual pot for treble and bass cut/boost. If you look further on the specs you see the JJ having some kind of "active boost" although it's most definitely cut/boost.

I'm with you on that one, then Tort < pearloid types < anything else I'll probably wrap mine in some black matt vinyl I've got.

I was ready to remove the stock strings on my MB-5 as soon as it arrived, but I waited a little and by then the initial new 'zing' was gone and I actually really liked the strings. Still on, an the Newtone replacement set is still in its package. Pretty nice strings once they settle, which happens in a couple of weeks or so with everyday use.

Ha, yes... it's hard to remain objective when we're excited about a new toy. I sometimes go too far the other way: looking for things to criticise... and after a bit, it all settles and finally I accept I like it, or don't. I already have to backtrack a bit from what I said earlier... the 2-band is not THAT bad. I was using my little BAM200 amplifier and the controls were all over the place. I forgot I had taken it away on Wednesday and just dumped it back in place. Now I just plugged in... After I noticed it, I set the EQ flattish and repeated... and found to my joy that the EQ point for the treble is actually quite useable. It's still a bit harsh if I boost, but I generally just cut. Many 2-band preamps have a very high EQ point for the treble, in my opinion, and do not remove but the highest of the high: string noise and not a lot more. This seems far lower, into the high mids, and as a result it's a pretty nice cut that it does and I don't really need the LPF to tame the top end. :)

Not a nice white one, it's pearloid... yuk (nice bass 'though)

Very nice, despite the signs of cosmetic wear! I only found out about this one after you already had expressed an interest, otherwise I would have gone to check it out in person myself! But it's ok, I don't *need* another bass.

Yeah, the packaging was very good. Those plastic tube/bubble things are solid, inside a box, inside another box. Very simple yet effective. I much prefer this than a hardcase for shipping: hard cases protect against direct impact, but without material to absorb the energy of the impact a lot gets transmitted to the bass inside.

Aha! Mine too! First impressions are very good. You probably have seen my exact bass because... mine was the one the pictures on their website were taken of. It's the second time I had this happen. First time was a fiesta red Squier Precision CV60, and it came with a nice big photograph in an envelope. I guess times are hard so the photograph was smaller this time . It's not light, this one. But it's not terrible, and the balance/fit is very good. I'm using these "Lekato" brand padded wide straps since I hurt my shoulder a while ago and they make the weight of instruments pretty much a non issue as long as they balance right. I'll weigh it later. The strings were a bit loose out of the box, tightened them up to pitch... and that was it. Nothing needed. Nice lowish action, plays smoothly, and I love that neck. I like wide/shallow necks on 5 string basses (the best I've had to my liking was a Lakland 5502, this is not far from that) and this one fits my preferences well, so that's lucky. Build quality seems a nice step up from my black MB-5 (and I really like that one after I took care of the usual fret ends and nut), if let down a little by the electronics. It sounds ok, in the sense that it sounds like a bass, but nothing that will turn heads. It'll do the job. I got a pretty good reggae sound from it, and was playing around with something more funky too... but I relied on external FX for that (Broughton Resonant Filter EQ, in particular). The 2-band preamp is the usual uninspiring cheap preamp with harsh treble and huge lows, I'd rather it were passive. I have a few options in my drawer: I have plenty of components to rewire it fully passive, maybe add a Tonestyler control, I also have a couple of John East preamps I'm not using (U-Retro and a Uni-Pre with passive tone)... so we'll see what happens. I typically take a couple of weeks getting used to a bass before I decide whether I change anything and what. It's part of the 'fun' with low end instruments for me. The control cavity is huge so no problem accommodating whatever I decide to go for. On the whole... it's a very nicely built bass that could be improved easily on the electronics side of things, but not a requirement in order to enjoy it. The difference in quality with the cheaper MB-5 is quite apparent (cheap tuners but feel solid). Not sure if the fact that it felt right straight out of teh box has anything to do with the fact that this bass had been handled by Thomann to make their demos and pictures... My only question is: should I have gone for the version with a P style pickup? Probably. The neck pickup on a Jazz style gets me close but not quite, although the position of the P pickup on these basses doesn't look exactly to be on the Precision spot, dunno. @stewblack what do you think of your P style pickup? And the bass in general!

Ah, I didn't notice that bit. Earlier today I got an email from DHL saying it's in the country and expect delivery on Monday. Fingers crossed!

Did you get a working tracking number yet? I got the shipping email on Tuesday morning (6am) with a tracking number that has not worked yet. DHL and UKmail... :rolleyes:

Is the problem that they copy another design or that they copy another *cheap* design? I don't hear so many complaints about, say, Jazz style basses

Look at the Fusion range. Very decent rucksack design straps and ergonomics. I have an F1 which they don't make anymore, but the Urban seems to be the replacement. They're the most comfortable ones I've found, in my opinion much more than Mono in particular. Very good protection too. edit: and yes, at least my F1 has a nice and thick belt strap so that it's nicely fit on the waist as well as shoulders. The Urban seems to have a smaller waist strap but it looks like it'll work. It's a pity they don't make the F1 anymore.

I've been using it with several bands, but mostly with a 6-9 piece (it varied over time), with horns, keys, percussion... Ska/reggae mostly. The amplifier has plenty of power, how loud it gets it'll depend largely on what speakers you use. I find the 2x 210 cabs I use (stacked vertically) give me all the volume I want and some. If one day I felt it wasn't enough, I'd be looking at adding bigger cabinets rather than a different amplifier, to be honest. The D800+ power rating is not shy.

That's how I use mine with 2x Barefaced Two10 4ohm, total 2 ohm. I borrowed a D800 once and I tried it at a rehearsal session side by side with a Markbass LMIII and a Genz Benz Streamliner 900. I liked the D800 best, but I found its character a bit 'dark'. Still good, but the D800+ just sounded a bit more the way I wanted before I start playing with the EQ, and the adjustable HPF is a great thing to have. It's pretty versatile. Between the voicing control and the interplay between bass control and HPF you can get a very wide range of sounds... and then there's the EQ with dual semiparametric mids. Is it truly 800W? I expect so. Mesa tend to be pretty honest about their specs. But you know that 800W won't be twice as loud as 400W, right? It's definitely loud, or it can be, with the appropriate speakers. I'm very happy with mine, nearly 5 years on.

Tuners. I also thought that they're all much of muchness... but those in the PB-20 SBK felt soft even before it sheared. Hard to describe, they feel thin and light. I have not yet changed strings on the MB-5 SBK (also 'stealth black' series), but they feel the same and one of them is already feeling like it's getting stuck. I'm going to add a drop of oil and hopefully that will keep them going a while, but they aren't solid. I have never encountered this before. It's a really soft metal. It's not great, but again, how much was the bass? I really like everything about it, so getting new tuners doesn't seem like a terrible deal. Weight? Who knows. Ash tends to have a grain that looks nice... but it can be very light or a boat anchor. Not all 'swamp ash' is light either. I don't expect these basses will be the lightest but hopefully the smaller body (compared to a Jazz) will make it a bit less hefty. I'll be able to tell you by the weekend The MB-5 I've got is not heavy at all, but it's not ash either. I think it's basswood. Shape? Now that's very subjective, like colours. I don't care whether they're a copy or not. But I like it. I'm not in love or anything with it but I think it looks pretty good, especially in natural or sunburst, although if they had had a black satin finish I would have gone for that.

£181 for the JJ550P... all included. I just had to.

I'm so impressionable... I just went and ordered the JJ550P above. 😂

Sometimes people put screws on leftover holes and it can look quite alright.

Hmmm, the 5 string natural JJ looks very attractive, and it's got a nice and wide string spacing at the bridge it seems. If they weigh less than a small planet I can see one in my life in the near future.

I've had mixed results (although on the whole I'm a fan). Precision style one in stealth black... I went to replace teh strings and one of the tuners just sheared. It appears to be made of some very soft metal that reminded me of the horrible horrible pickup screws on a Maruszczyk Jake I used to have. But pretty happy with the stock electronics. MB5, again in stealth black. This one is still stock. The pickup sounds just like I hoped it would and I don't feel I need to replace anything. It's the same kind of metal as teh other one but at least this one is working ok, for now. I am still using the stock HB strings because to my surprise they feel and sound just right. I had to fiddle with the nut slots and a few sharp fret ends, which took all of just-a-few-minutes... that's all.

Unfortunately the HPF and LPF are not frequency-adjustable on the Q-strip.

Or longer cables, and keep the amplifier outside the room. It does seem like a faff, but a friend of mine did that for his recordings at home and it was quite good (the amplifier controls don't really get tweaked much during a session), and minimal £££ investment.

I wonder how many TM5s your video has sold I know that I would have gone TM rater than VM had I seen this before I got mine. Don't get me wrong, I love my VM... but I think the TM would have been more my thing (there were none to try in the shop 'though).