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Kev

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Everything posted by Kev

  1. Kev
    Well that's what I mean. It has a Dingwall length 37" B, yet the Dingwall body is designed in such a way that the reach isn't too bad. The NS reach is already more than most for the scale length, and it looks like it's just a longer neck, with some gain from a bridge reposition?
  2. Kev
    I don't think the multiscale ergonomic suit the NS at all. The headstock on the 4 is DREADFUL, the 5 suits it better, but it still doesn't look right. Needs a redesign to look in line with the slanted nut. The string tree is terrible, and again just looks "out" because of the angle its at. I'm not entirely sure why it needs one, but a decent headstock redesign would have made that redundant I'm sure. Is that a tree that you need to actually pull the string through to restring as well?? Its a lot of money for a bass built in the Far East. It's good to see Korg pushing Spector into new areas, but It just feels like they haven't fully committed. A tweaked NS just doesn't cut it for me, just looks wrong. Should rival the Dingwall Combustion series though, certainly looks like better value when you consider the cost of those is a bit more with less fancy woods. I like that Ethos in that coloured finish though. US finish normally, right?
  3. Kev
    Yup, 2nd hand market will move with it for sure. If people keep buying them, which they will, they'll keep going up.... It really doesn't seem that long ago you could pick up an old US 2 band Stingray new for £900. I'm only 32 so its not like I'm thinking of the good old days exactly...
  4. Kev
    I think they just trade under WTO rules, so effectively the same as us, so it shouldn't be the reason. Unless, by chance, the UK uses an EU based distributor??
  5. Kev
    There is an active US-EU trade deal??
  6. Kev
    Jumping Off Topic briefly, I absolutely adore how the forum has interpreted the male shrugging emoji on my phone's keyboard! 😂
  7. Kev
    I don’t know what to say, that just isn’t my experience of the change in prices since I’ve been looking at/buying them 🤷🏻‍♂️ But yes, back on topic, £3k for a Stingray is crazy talk, as is the price rise since 2020.
  8. Kev
    The upcharges are significant. That Candy Red one has a £300 finish upgrade, £260 pickup upgrade and £365 preamp upgrade. Adding that to the £2650 white one takes you to £3,575, so just a fraction different than what Bass Direct are asking. They turn around basses quickly so they'll both be current crop. Expensive, but they always have been and pricing over the last 7 years or so has been consistent. The Far East basses, however, have exploded.
  9. Kev
    That isn't quite right, Bass Direct don't currently have stock of any ABZs, but AB1's start at £2650 odd actually now I've just checked Bass Direct (less actually, as the one linked has upgrades from the base spec), so actually the prices of the Canadian models haven't really changed, during the time the chinese models have almost doubled!! That's the point here, its why suddenly all these builders feel they are able to charge very premium prices for their Far Eastern basses built at mass in factories at a much lower cost. https://bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/ABI_5_Vintage_White.html
  10. Kev
    ^^^ That looks much better with those knobs, seem to match the tuners quite nicely too!
  11. Kev
    Yeah Strandberg was a bad example, I guess I meant from a price perspective. But yes, I totally agree that there is no chance in hell you can justify buying a Strandberg over the Nordstrand loaded Ibby's at least.
  12. Kev
    The Strandberg basses I referenced start at £2,750 I believe, fully built and assembled in the Far East. Spector have just released a new multiscale bass as well, and I believe they are also £2k and built in...the Far East. I don't get it either. I bought a Dingwall NG-2 when they were first released and it cost me £1,150 from Bass Direct. At the time, it felt like it was good for the money, but it still had a feeling of a cheaper bass, which was off putting when I put out 4 figures for it. The fact they are double that now, when the Canadian built models have had nowhere near the same level of increase, is staggering. For example, I think a fairly base level Afterburner was around £2650 when I bought my NG-2. and they're around £3250 now. We're talking 6 or 7 years, so that seems fair. The Strandberg, well its just daft. I've played a couple, and they were both rubbish. Sharp metal edges, poor routing quality, only good thing about them was the neck, and that's basically what you're paying for.
  13. Kev
    That is a ridiculous price increase. However, I think brands like Ernie Ball, Rickenbacker etc are looking at brands like Dingwall and Strandberg and seeing them selling basses between £2k and £3k for instruments built in the Far East, and thinking that their US instrument could and should sell for a lot more...
  14. Kev
    Yeah was about to say he does say the neck isn't original. I mean, £260 is crazy, but I can't imagine anyone looking for a "Lawsuit" bass will go for this. And it weighs 15.5lb, which may make it the heaviest bass I've ever heard of! Although the 14.5lb Warwick bass made of solid ebony held that record, so I seriously doubt this bass weighs heavier than that, given its construction. Cant be over 5KG or so.
  15. Kev
    I didn't actually mind her playing, I was more irked that it didn't seem to really correlate with the drum beat in any way other than tempo. I like how Ibanez are mixing things up, but I really wish they'd develop their made in Japan premium range more, get a real top end bass out to compete with the likes of Strandberg/Dingwall etc.
  16. Kev
    For sales under £135, the shop can charge the UK VAT. If they choose to do that, there will be 0 costs/no handling fee when importing. Thomann are collecting VAT for orders under £135, so there should never be any charge at all if you order from them. So it hasn't slipped through the net, its just worked, albeit quicker than mine!
  17. Kev
    Interesting, my order on 11th is still in Germany, and has not cleared the border yet if the tracking is accurate. Another order with Musik-Productiv was dispatched on 8th, and cleared customs in Germany on Monday, but is yet to arrive. Based on advice from both companies, I'm not expecting any import charges; Thomann order was under £135, and Musik-Productive are using UPS as a customs broker on a DDP service, so all their prices include all tax and customs fees. We shall see, but certainly curious as to the speed of your Thomann delivery compared to mine??
  18. Kev
    No product? All 2,000 preorders and initial dealer orders are fully built, they have dozens out for final software testing before shipping end of next month. I think it’s actually a pretty good idea to release this in advance, given how complex and new it is.
  19. Kev
    Pretty well balanced! Most of the neck dive issues you hear about with Thumb basses relate to the BO models in my experience. This is my 4th NT and they’ve all balanced nicely 🙂. Definitely try before you buy though, Thumbs tend to me marmite basses to some. I love them 😍
  20. Kev
    Amazing pedal, I likened the original to a boost pedal that sounds like a B3K without any actual distortion with the character cranked. The new version does this too, plus a whole lot more with the extensive mid controls and treble/bass. I used the Character set to about 11 o clock, It just makes everything sound better with it on, be it clean, distortion etc. Wonderful little unit and a perfectly capable stripped down master preamp. Features Clean Harmonic-Excitation Preamp Boost control - +/- 20 dB cut/boost 3 band Active EQ with Parametric Mid Character control - allows blending in the perfect amount of the tone-shaping circuitry Made in Finland Powered by regular 9V PSU (9V DC, centre -, 2,1 mm, ~30 mA current draw) It's only three months old and (as you can imagine!) it hasn't been gigged, or even stepped on with a shoe. Bar a bit of dual lock on the bottom, in As New condition with box etc. Price includes UK shipped. Sorry, Brexit means no EU shipping right now! More photos on request (yes, that actually is a photo of it, I spend more time editing images for instagram than I do playing it seems.....)
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  21. Kev
    Best to double check the bass and mids too... Lovely bass!
  22. Kev
    The Darkglass Ultra pedals have incredible clean sections, and a lot of people use them as a master preamp for just that. It does entirely depend on what music you’re making really. If I used clean bass in my particular metal band, I would be completely lost in the mix behind two 7 string guitars and a heavy synth track. The drive gives the bass the oomf to cut through the mix in a way that it needs to, whilst continuing to provide the low end anchor for the tracks. The Darkglass X Ultra excels at this task, I’ve never heard a low end like it!
  23. Kev
    Have to say, I don't remember seeing a neck fitting so bad that there is a gap at the bottom, as well as the side. Wow.
  24. Kev
    Don't get Prize Draw confused with a Raffle; Raffles are lawful when the beneficiary of the lottery is a charity, which in this case it is 100%. I don't think you need a license either, unless it reaches a Threshold, which is definitely some way above what Chris will get here. Have full faith that Alpher will know exactly what they are doing
  25. Kev
    Amazing thing for Chris and Alex to do, and the mini-Makos are lovely little basses as well!
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