Wilco

So, I went to Bass Direct earlier in the week with every intention of buying a different brand. Walked out with this Vanderkley 212MNT instead. Built like a tank but still very portable & looks the nuts. Only home use so far, but feck me the combination with my Magellan is stunning. The clarity, punch, volume & dare I say it, heft, is definitely noticeably better than anything I’ve had before. Can’t wait to hear it in a band context. Extremely chuffed 🙂.

Damn - those corners need a redesign & reinforcement 😕

I actually think this is the main construction issue. Most of the ‘damage’ complaints seem to stem from either the corner protectors or the feet. Don’t think I’ve read about any issues with the carbon panels. Are the screws effectively being screwed into the foam in the panel ‘sandwich’. If so, can’t see that working too well, plus the screws are pretty small. As I previously mentioned, there was an issue with a corner of one of the display cabs I saw, which wasn’t great to see. Thinking about potential damage in that area, I thought it was going to be a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’ & I’m someone who is really, really careful with their gear.

I had the same thought Bas. Would be a great home/studio cabinet (the new full carbon version did look very sexy & would almost be a ‘cool’ talking point/feature to have at home), but keeping it just at home negates the light weight benefit. 🤷🏼‍♂️

So I went to Bass Direct as planned this morning & purchased a…….. Vanderkley 212MNT 😬. So the GR cab sounded great & was loud - no arguments there. Also very light as expected. However I felt very, very uncomfortable about its durability (didn’t help that one of the other GR cabs on display had a partly broken corner protector). Yes, the Vanderkley is heavier & more bulky - but not by much. It was slightly cheaper to. I kinda felt that 1) I would be able to gig the Vanderkley for the rest of my bass playing days which wouldn’t be the case with the GR, & 2) despite carbon fibre being an expensive material, I felt I was getting more for my money with the Vanderkley. Obvs sound wise it’s mega too.

Nope - four 4 stringers that can be used either depending on the er, ‘quality’ of the venue, or to ensure I have a back up, & because they each are tonally different. It’s nice to have a choice. One 5 string in case needed. I used to think I looked clever having all 5 strings once, then I realised how much extra I was spending on strings….. 😆 One (absolutely glorious) Westone fretless. Just love owning this one. Sometimes I play it, & then I realise my limitations & end up just looking at it. 🤷🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️😆 I’ve called it quits at 6 though.

I’ve got a Magellan 800 and it’s a stunning piece of gear all round. Totally agree on the ‘heft’ - night and day vs my TC head.

I’m hopefully off to Bass Direct on Tuesday morning to try a carbon 212. Any current GR users with carbon cabs got any longer term real world feedback on sound & durability?

For me;- 1) Artificially reliced finishes - no, just bloody no….. 2) Solid colour bodies 3) Non matching headstock 4) The 3TSB / Rosewood fingerboard / torte pickguard combination 5) Spring spacing less than 18mm 6) Pointy designs 7) More than 5 strings Think that’s about it. 🤔

Generally look a huge amount of bass for the money. Would’ve left the pick guard off though, instead as an option for the buyer to put on or not depending on personal taste. Not a fan of Luminlay’s either. You would have to buy with the full intention of it being a ‘keeper’ too - depreciation on these will be steep, probably unfairly so.

My non-Westone’s were bought in the same price bracket circa £1000 -£1300. Two new, two used. The Westone’s we’re much cheaper, but are equally as good as the others without a doubt. That was a sobering realisation…. 😆 Extremely happy with them all mind.

So I’ve recently bought some PA gear, & had to free up some space at home to store it in. One of the ‘casualties’ of making that space was my Thunder 1A. It was a very nice example & it had a proper but worn Westone case. I only listed it a couple of weeks ago & I first put it on the usual FB Groups with every intention of putting on here too. However I was gobsmacked by the amount of likes & positive comments received on those FB group posts. There was loads in a short space of time & they kept on coming. The bass was ‘on hold’ within a day & I had 7 other solid “can I buy it” messages come in. They only stopped when I edited the ad to ‘on hold’. The price I put it up for & got was £295, but I think if I’d gone £350 - £400 it would’ve easily sold judging by the demand. Hindsight is a wonderful thing 😆. Anyways long story short, the Westone name is a bit ‘cult’ obviously, but great to see that the brand still appears to have such a strong following - and by players younger than the brands 80’s heyday too!! (I still have two Thunder III’s & they are going no-where!!)

Awesome - good to know. Many thanks 🙂

I’m looking to invest in a PA & was looking at these. Do you DI into it using no other backline, or do you have to support it with your normal amps / cabs etc? Appreciate that might depend on the type of venue, but in general terms. I wouldn’t be able to get that & my backline at the same time in my motor!! 😆

Due to relative lack of use thanks to the sodding pandemic, I’m rotating my basses for rehearsals at the moment. The Thunder 1A was the choice tonight;- Obviously not as tonally wide as the Thunder 3 above, but it still got great comments. Both those have DR Sunbeams on & through that rig, they genuinely sound well beyond their respective price points. Bargains!

Fair to say solid colour basses don’t really do it for me anymore… Current roster;-

PM’d!