TRBboy

Well hopefully Santa will be leaving one under the tree..... It remains to be seen whether I'll get on with it and use it regularly or not. Provided the compressors and drive sounds are good, it could feasibly replace everything else! Already planning what patches I'm gonna set up! I think the "z" expression pedal could be quite useful.

[quote name='RafBass' timestamp='1355125285' post='1894261'] I do wish folk would stop banging on about how great Sandbergs are....(the Fender Benders might find out and start buying them, pushing the price up beyond us poor mortals!!) [/quote] Nice pair! What is the bottom one? is it a Ken Taylor with different pickups and an extra switch? It's very pretty! Been told by Sandberg that my new one should be here before Christmas, WOO HOO!!!

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1355054752' post='1893331'] I had the big one and can't say I used the polyphonic-ness to any great effect, for whatever reason just was all over the place, so would end up tuning individually anyway. Plus my board is tiny so space is at a premium. [/quote] I don't when they enabled bass in polyphonic mode, but I know that the big one didn't support bass polyphonic tuning originally. If you have an older one though, you can apparently download a software upgrade from the website.

[quote name='barneyg42' timestamp='1354961050' post='1892330'] Looks like he's happy with his Wang too! [/quote] *want Damn predictive text!

[quote name='mart' timestamp='1354955704' post='1892276'] Huh? The manual online for the big Polytune sure mentions poly mode for bass - look on page 10 here: http://www.tcelectronic.com/media/Polytune_DD_US.pdf This seems to be for the most recent version, that does Drop D tunings. I've got the original, which doesn't do drop D, but it certainly does bass in poly mode. The mini manual doesn't say anything about poly for bass though. And, to be fair, I agree with those who find the poly mode less accurate. So all this is a bit moot! [/quote] I appreciate that polyphonic mode probably isn't as accurate, but surely it's useful as a quick tuning check between songs, etc?

Thanks from all the replies folks. Had confirmation from TC this morning that the mini does not do polyphonic tuning for the bass, but the original one does. Apparently the original one will tune as low as a low A comfortably, before it starts struggling a bit. Just Wang to also say how amazing Dolphin Music's customer service has been through this! Great communication, quick responses, and very helpful. They should receive the mini back on Monday and despatch the original one for delivery on Tuesday. Can't say fairer than that!

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1354837568' post='1891221'] Mine does. Of course,it's not as accurate as playing the strings individually but it still works with all my basses. [/quote] Thanks Doddy, just noticed on the TC website that a similar comment has been left and TC responded saying that the big one does. I wish they would state this on all the info about the mini! Looks like I'll be sending it back tomorrow then....... quite annoyed because I'd had it sent ASAP for an important gig tomorrow night. Polyphonic mode aside, it's by far the most accurate tuner i've ever used!

Just received a TC Electronic Polytune Mini, but polyphonic mode doesn't seem to work! On the face of it, it seems to be the same as the normal version just smaller, and there's no mention anywhere that polyphonic mode doesn't work for bass, but it just doesn't seem to work! Can anyone shed any light on this? Am I just being thick!?

FWIW, I don't see that an oil finish would be particularly cheaper. It'll still take multiple coats and have to be knocked back between each coat, and then buffed. I would of thought that the oil finish reflects the preferences of a lot of players these days, and is to bring EBMM basses more into line with what modern players expect from a high-end or boutique bass manufacturer?

IMHO, being worried about the tonal qualities of the fretboard is waaay too anal. You may as well get the density of the body and thickness of the paint analysed too, it'll probably affect the tone just as much. 2 Fender P's, one rosewood one maple, will still both sound like a Fender P. In fact I would say they'd sound exactly the same in a band mix, as far as anyone would ever notice. Choose your fretboard for aesthetics and feel. I'm having ebony on my new bass because I love the feel of it, and I wanted something as dark as possible to go with the rest of the bass.

I think that you can broadly categorise different varieties of wood by weight, tone, etc, but at the end of the day it is an organic material that is subject to significant variation even if it is top quality and has been seasoned and processed in exactly the same way. As risingson says above, let your ears guide you (and your fingers!). As long as the bass feels and sounds great to you as an individual, it doesn't matter what it's made of.

[quote name='Sumbabba' timestamp='1354211355' post='1883720'] Here she is, just arrived today. The gap in my life has been filled again! [/quote] Very nice dude! You must be pleased! What's the top wood? So jealous, everyone's Sandbergs are arriving and there's still no sign of mine......

[quote name='redstriper' timestamp='1354214759' post='1883778'] How do you know it was the body wood type causing the tonal differences? Were all the basses otherwise identical - ie. you swapped pick ups, necks, strings etc. so the only difference was the body wood? Please don't take this the wrong way, I'm genuinely interested. [/quote] Well, yes and no. I've had two ash-bodied Basics with a rosewood fretboard, MM humbucker and 3-band eq, an ash-bodied California PM with a rosewood fretboard and P/MM pickups with 2-band eq, and now an alder-bodied Basic Ken Taylor with a rosewood fretboard, 2x MM humbuckers and a 3-band eq. I was using the same brand/gauge of strings on all, and even though the Cali and Basics had different body size and weight and different pup config and eq, there definitely seems to be a difference in the fundamental tonal character of the Ken Taylor (the body shape and size etc is exactly the same as the Basics). Don't get me wrong, it's not massively different, but enough for me to notice. I know there are loads of other factors affecting the tone of a bass, but I just really feel that (knowing Sandbergs intimately by now) there is a difference in the core tone and response of the bass between these two woods, and certainly when I was specing my new Ken Taylor (yet to arrive) earlier this year, the way Sandberg described the tonal differences lined up exactly with my own experiences. Hope this helps!

I've only had experience of this with Sandbergs, but I found that the European Ash was a little more focused with a more accentuated top and bottom end and a bit less presence in the lower mid ranges, whereas the Alder had a less extreme top and bottom end response, but had much more low-mid growl. Both had bags of punch and cut through a mix beautifully, but in the end my preference was for the Alder (it was quite a bit lighter too).

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1354207410' post='1883654'] Wood choice is down to personal preference. Nearly all the basses I've liked have had swamp ash bodies, and the one I've kept is swamp ash too. A lot of what I've got rid of was alder. I have had a jazz setup on an alder and Ash, and definably preferred the Ash. [/quote] Sorry to butt in , but your Basic is European Ash. They do offer Swamp Ash for an upcharge though, it's apparently lighter (about the same weight as their Alder equivalent) and sounds somewhere in between Ash and Alder.

[quote name='Elvis Valentine' timestamp='1354136079' post='1882667'] I think its really handsome man . What do they run? about 800 bucks ish right give or take. [/quote] Second hand maybe!

SWEEEET! Aaarrrgghhh so jealous! Mine should be here in the next few weeks (ordered in June!). Can understand why you haven't owned any other brands; I haven't looked back since I bought my first one a couple of years ago (now living with PrimeBass!) and I can't see that I'll bother straying from Sandberg for the foreseeable future, they're just perfect for me! Hope you have many happy years together! +1 to contacting Alan at Synergy.

I think my favourites are probably the D'addario Prosteels, but they don't do them in the gauge I like now!

I'm using Rotos at the moment, but I don't really find the feel much different to any other S/S Roundwound string. In the late 90's when I used Elites, I thought that they felt pretty rough though!

Hoping my custom spec Sandberg Ken Taylor 5 turns up by then!

Ben just bought my nodded Yamaha RBX270. Great communication, paid very swiftly, and seems a thoroughly nice bloke! Buy/sell from/to this man with confidence! Thanks again Ben for a smooth, easy transaction! Oli

+1, never played a bad yamaha! If you can stretch to it (or pick a used one up for about £100 - £120), the RBX270 is quite a bit better for not much more dosh: Solid Alder body, better pickups, better tuners.

If you love it and don't desperately need the cash, hang on to it. At least you know it's always going to be worth something to sell if you need to. A lot of people seem to waste a lot more money than that on much more frivolous things!

Mmmmm..... It's difficult because I generally prefer a nice, un-effected bass sound, but I think "ooh, maybe that song would sound good with a little chorus/octave/envelope filter/wah, etc, etc. For some reason I've convinced myself that I should have some synth effects to hand too (although at present I've no idea what for!). I currently run a Boss LMB-3 clone into my MXR M-80 into a Boss ODB-3 (for the rare occasion I need some overdrive), and I get a great sound. Just a bit concerned I'll buy the Zoom, have fun for a week or so and then never use it again......

Aaaarrrrgggghhh! I've been talking myself in and out of buying one all week! Decisions, decisions....... Are they pretty easy to use then?