Ian McFly

The new rule in Scotland says no more than two households.... which means that our 4-piece band can’t even practice. We’re bummed.

Agreed. Yes, there’s the odd issue (and not always the best resolution too) with Maruszczyk basses, but it’s the same with Fender, Gibson or any other builder. The fact that Maruszczyk makes custom builds makes it less “forgiving”, as QC issues shouldn’t go unnoticed. But overall, they make great instruments, and I personally couldn’t be happier with mine as it ticks all the boxes. I just hope it’ll withstand the test of time!

Very happy with this bass!

😂

Aren’t the pickups the wrong way around?

Alright, back from practice. The BDDI V2 wins the battle against the VTDI. I switched between the two throughout the band practice, and whilst the VTDI didn’t sound bad at all, there’s something with the BDDI V2 that gives my sound more body, depth and presence. I realised I don’t need to keep both to be fair, I’d rather use the VTDI money into a different type of effect. Plus the VTDI’s switch kinda died of me after the first practice, only responding 1 time out of 5... not ideal. I’ll send it back and ask for a refund, I only received it a week ago. To each their own, and the VTDI is a pretty great preamp which can surely sound good with some tweaking. But I’ve found my sound with the Bass Driver V2!

Had one before. Wasn’t too bad, but it thickens the sound in a way that put in front of my SansAmp BDDI V2, it was too much (the SansAmp also compresses a tiny bit). It’s easy to use, and for the price, it does a good job. Wasn’t a fan of how it colours the sound, that’s all. Very happy with my Keeley Bassist, which is very transparent. Not the same budget though!

I’ve found that a preamp like the SansAmp BDDI V2 that I have enhances fuzzes and distortions put before it. It gives them more body and punch.

I think the V2 is a great all-round SansAmp. More versatile than the V1 by a mile. Still gives you that tubey feel, but the natural scoop isn’t as pronounced and can be fixed with the Mid knob.

I used to own the BDDI V1, was my main preamp for 10+ years but I don’t really like it anymore. Sold it last year. For a while I also played a VTDI which I was happy with, yet I decided to part ways with it and got myself a BDDI V2, which I really like. It is WAY more musical than the V1. Balanced, cleaner lows, no harsh trebles, and the mids are there! However, reading so many good reviews for the VTDI made me order one again. I now have both the VTDI and the BDDI V2. At home, on my practice amp I got to say I still prefer the BDDI V2 over the VTDI. The VTDI has less lows and more highs/high mids naturally. I got a band practice tomorrow where I’ll get to compare them and see which one I prefer in a band setting. Key question is: if I like both, is keeping both a silly thing to do? I guess they’re two different animals after all...

I get your point. Thing is, I’ve got Aguilar 5J-HC which have slightly raised poles for the A and E strings...

Don’t get me wrong; the bass got punch. More than enough in band practice yesterday. It just feels that the E string is more « even » with the other strings than it is on my 4 string Jazz. It’s probably a good thing actually. On that one, I feel like the E string overpowers the other ones, whereas on my Elwood, it feels more even across the strings. Just because it’s surprised me, I brought it up. But in a band setting, it actually was enjoyable to have an even response from the strings, and not have a crazy loud E string.

The standard ones. Not branded.

Yeah, that’s the word: gritty. But they seem to be doing the job. First practice tonight and it didn’t disappoint. Sat in the mix perfectly. One thing I noticed though, and it was the same on my Warmoth Jazz 5 I had back in 2012. The E string is not as « punchy » as the one on my 4 string basses. It is not dull or anything, it sounds good within the mix, it’s clear and precise, but I feel like that on my 4 stringers, it’s got more punch. Hard to describe, but I’ve read it’s quite common in 5 strings, due to construction and wood density. Thoughts?

After a slight delay (thanks FedEx), it has finally arrived today. Coincidentally we’re resuming band practices (safely) tonight, yay! After a few hours of playing it, here are my thoughts: -great finish, no issues whatsoever. -plays great, good balance, not too heavy but not feather light either. -sounds alright through my small amp at home, real drive test will be during practice I haven’t played a 5er in like 8 years so it feels kinda weird, but I’m already getting used to it. The only « bad » thing about it is the tuners: they feel cheap when being turned. I might replace them with Hipshots at some point. Everything else is fine. I didn’t like the stock strings so I put a set of my favourite strings: Dunlop Super Bright nickels. Excited for tonight’s practice! PS: it looks less grey in real life, the Charcoal Frost finish has that blue-ish hue to it that looks fantastic in the flesh.

Hate that fretboard division. Meh.

🤫

Just received this photo from Adrian... I’m excited!

My Elwood shouldn’t be too long now. A couple more weeks to wait.