Matt P

This just popped up in one of my saved searches, Looks like a Line 6 Studio 110 combo, 99p but collection in person only from Axbridge. They say it's in working order, anyone locally want a combo? (i'd snap this up myself but it's a bit far away! Link to eBay Matt

my first thought was a Yamaha, the BB range are very nice but BBN5 might be a little out of budget if my recent experience is anything to go by, The RBX range is much more affordable and shouldn't be difficult to find. I had a RBX765a as my first 5 string and it was a great bass, the later 775 would be equally good and has a more modern look. another option is Ibanez, the SR range is fantastic for the money and you should find something in budget. if you want something more traditionally styled then the Squier VM range basses are pretty good , i had the P5 and it was a great bass, there is a Jazz 5 for sale in the classifieds at the moment Jazz V this J+D might be worth a look too HERE other options worth looking at are Aria (the IGB/integra range), Vintage, Cort, and OLP, all make great value intruments. Matt

apologies, i didn't check the dimensions, i just linked to the same model that downunderwonder did above. do you have other stuff that could go in the case (cables, strap etc?) i'd expect that some internal dividers could be fashioned to make it all fit snugly in the bigger case. or they should have the foam back in stock soon, an email should get you a timescale for it being in stock. Matt EDIT - the Max 380-S looks a good candidate, and they have the foam available for this one as well. It's not the cheapest option though. Max 380

the sapphire burst is a top choice, i think i'd go for the CHB-1 as I generally prefer short scale basses. there was a photo earlier of one of the tops without any finish and it looked ace, so if there was a natural option that might swing it! Matt

i've been quietly reading this thread as it has unfolded and my main reattion at the new prices was that they are a Bargain! for a uk made instrument (made by a very well respected workshop) i think they're actually pretty cheap, the quality will be top notch and the lead times won't be affected by the long waits for containers to be shipped half way round the world. all i need to do know is start saving my pennies and decide which one i want! Matt

the link i quoted above is a UK supplier of the Max cases, just under 26 quid for the empty case, or they can supply pick and pluck foam for a bit more. or custom cut foam if you want to pay extra, postage is free for orders over 15 quid as well so no extra fees on top. (they seem to have the black cases in stock but the foam is on back order and orange cases are opn backorder too (and a re a few quid more for some reason) Matt

i've used the B&q type cases before, they're not bad but not as robust as you would hope (i've broken a couple and one got wet and went mouldy!) recently i've been using a Thon accessory case from Thomman, really strong (plywood construction) but heavy (about 6kg empty) with a Markbass F1, a pedalboard and cables inside it's a bit of a pain to carry. the Max cases are available in the UK from the case farm, i have a couple of the smallest ones (one for for my wireless transmitter) they used to be called Dave cases, i'd definitely recommend both the cases and the seller. Max 235-S - Protective Case - The Case Farm Matt

LaBella also make 5 string short scale flats, one thing to check is what string length you actually want as the LaBella ones don't have much extra length ( i have them fitted to my short scale 5 string) Matt

normally an ABY box has 2 switches and gives 3 different options (A, b or both) the most common use is to split a signal to two different amps. An A/B box usually has a single switch and only the option of A or B. @fleabag I've had another look at bright onion and they offer an alternative pedal to the one i linked above that only has one switch and switches both the input and the output at the same time, if you won't ever need to send the acoustic signal to the bass amp (or vice versa) then it is a tenner cheapet and takes up a little less room on the pedalboard version 2 A/B might be exactly what you were looking for?

do you need both instruments or both amps to be live at the same time? for the input a simple a/b box should work fine (one instrument or the other) for the output then an A/B if you only need one output at a time, A/B/Y if you need to feed 2 amps at once as well as seperately. It's a small thing but the A/B pedals are slightly cheaper which is more important when you are buying two. i've made my own in the past but recently i bought a bright onion one and it's a great bit of kit and not that expensive, they offer lots of options as well so they might make something that would suit True Bypass Loopers made by Bright Onion Pedals Matt EDIT - just had a look and if you only ever need one instrument and one amp then this seems like it will do everything in one box (with a loop for the FX pedals) Dual AB Switch with Loop – True Bypass - Bright Onion Pedals

if you can make space for a blade style switch then the 4 way telecaster (guitar) wiring is rather good, gives neck or bridge solo'd and then both pickups either series or parallel, I made this mod to my guitar a few years ago and it's great. Matt

bought a pedal from Paul, it was delivered quickly and very well packaged. I'm very happy with the deal, Paul is the perfect seller. thanks Matt

this is a real shame, it looks like a great little bass, out of interest what is the more expensive version you are looking at, i've not seen any that were this super short scale (24.75"?) For a gig bag you might do well with one for a classical 1/2 size or 3/4 size, i've got a couple of small body 6 string acoustics and they both have 1/2 size classical gigbags that are a nice snug fit. it might be worth taking some measurements before you send this one back so you can find a better fitting gigbag if you buy another matt

ahh yes those are a problem, the very cheap power plant junior has a fixed mains lead with a moulded on euro plug (and isolated outputs!) but with the requirement of the Boss it wouldn't be enough current even with 2 outputs combined (this is what moved me to the fame unit as my Line 6 G50 needed more than 240mA)

i've just looked up the Boss WD50 and it has a 9v out for running other pedals, so if you power it with the recommended power supply (or an equivalent) you can connect a daisy chain to the output and power your other pedals directly from the wireless receiver, i they quote 120mA for the tiny tuner (which is a huge draw for a tuner!) the WD50 is 60mA in wireless mode and 320mA when charging. the PSA is 500mA so with the wireless charging and the tuner on there is 60mA left for the Sansamp and they quote a current draw of 6mA in the manual. this gives you a bit of extra current available which is always a good thing (never a great idea to go too close to the limit with power supplies) matt

I found the cheap Harley Benton Junior very reliable, i got round the (fixed) euro plug issue by cutting it off and fitting an IEC C14 plug to it instead to fit a standard "kettle" power cable, something i always have a spare or tow of in my gig bag, as a bonus it also extends the power cable making for easier pedalboard placement on stage. the only reason i stopped using mine is that i needed more current than it could provide. I've also used the Palmer version which is near identical but has a removeable power cable. I'm now using a Fame dc junior psu which has so far been excellent and offers 5x500mA isolated outputs. Matt

Cog effects are UK based, - https://www.cogeffects.co.uk/ I have a dual Knightfall on my pedalboard and it's a great pedal. I'll be following as i quite fancy a new fuzz pedal for my board, it would need to be pretty small though to squeeze it in Matt

i'd suggest a bit of a trawl through the classifieds on here, there are always pickups for sale (usually at great prices too) it would be worth double checking exactly which pickups you have (and which preamp) that will make it easier to get some comparisons with other options. swapping out the preamp (or converting to passive) might also be worth trying as it might not be the pickups you don't like. as it is a lefty which gives you a smaller range of available basses i'd suggest that different pickups might be the answer, and if you go for secondhand ones then you shouldn't lose much money if you don't get it right first time. Matt

I bought a Di box from Patrick, it was delivered very quickly and very safely packaged, great communication too. Deal with confidence. Thank you Matt

Well it seems that I didn't manage to get exactly the same pot, these have shorter legs than the ones fitted, nothing a pair of cutters, some flux and some solder can't fix though. I'm really liking the new knobs as well, different colours for input, tone and output.

I generally opt for Hiscox as a first choice, currently have 11 of them for various guitars and basses. Hiscox are having supply issues at the moment as there is a shortage of the raw materials they use to make the cases but they are fairly easy to find secondhand for about 50 to 60 quid (i have bought them for as little as 30 quid in the past) most bass cases are fairly generic inside so will fit a wide range of basses, some companies supply movable pads to adjust the fit, I believe that hiscox will if you ask. Matt

I'm not sure how much use this is going to be for people as these Di boxes are no longer listed on studiospares website (and no sign of an alternative either) I bought @jezzaboy's Di box (as seen above) for the cost of postage alone and i thought i'd show the internals in case anyone was interested. the internals are actually pretty good, it's all through hole components, the few chips used are all Texas instruments branded and it looks like replacing the broken pot should be a 10 minute job (a replacement pot is about £1.50) to me it looks like it was designed to be easy to repair. There might be space on the rear panel to add in another power jack with centre negative polarity, it would need to be isolated but that's easy enough to do. i'll probably swap out the knobs as well as the replacement pot is solid shaft so the current knobs won't fit. I would have been nice if this was a smaller unit but that would make it considerably harder to repair if anything went wrong. matt