TRBboy

I've made the move to exclusively playing 5ers this year. As others have said, nothing you can play on a 4 that you can't play on a 5, greater positioning flexibility, the low notes, etc. I feel like I'm missing something on a 4 now. I love the fact that I don't have to refine/change bass for songs in drop D now too. I also feel like it allows me to be a bit more creative with fills, runs,etc, and being able to hit 3 octaves in the space of 5 frets is great. Not tempted by a 6 as those higher notes just wouldn't be much use to me. EDIT: I should add that I think it's very important to find the right 5er for you. Try a load and get whatever feels right in your hands. My first 5 was a Warwick Thumb; sounded great but felt like too much hard work to play. Thought I hated 5ers until I realised years later that it was just that bass, the geometry of it just didn't work for me. Now I've found the perfect bass for me, it feels easier and more comfortable to play than most of the 4 strings I've had over the years.

PM is better IMHO. It behaves like a PJ, but the bridge pickup just has a bit more muscle, and doesn't suffer the weaknesses thaa J bridge pup can. What's not to like? Nicer neck, better playability, better build quality, better sound, etc, etc. And they're about the same price aren't they? (or is the 'berg a bit cheaper?). Really can't complain for a hand built bass of this quality.

I owned a California PM4 for a while, and (as with any Sandberg IME) one thing you don't need to worry about I'd it not being gutsy enough! Yes, they can be tamed for jazzy noodling if you so wish, but they do a monster rock sound just great! Snarl, grit, bite, punch whatever you want to call it, it's there. They need to be considered as a PJ on steroids really - you can get a great Duff kinda sound with a pick! The P on its own is perfectly authentic, and when you bypass the pre and use the passive tone control, there's plenty of traditional sounds on offer too. Beats the pants off a USA precision IMO!

Dimarzio Model P would be my choice.

Even so called "un-finished" necks will have had some sort of treatment, even if it's just a sanding sealer or a bit of oil. Oil will protect the neck pretty well and will keep virtually all moisture out, but will allow the wood to breathe more than laquer which I think is probably a good thing. You get woodwork on houses (or other outdoor applications) which is treated with things like Danish Oil to withstand the elements but let the timber breathe, and it works a treat. The only thing with oil is that it will need reapplying periodically. I'm confident your basses will be fine. I wouldn't touch the '63, but if you want to do something to the Squier I would either oil it or buy a spray can of polyurethane laquer. Would I strip the laquer off a neck? Never if I could help it! I don't like a glossy, sticky neck, so my trick is to give it a light but even rub down with 1200 grit paper. I'm not aiming to remove laquer, just lightly abrade the surface, and it gives a lovely silky smooth feel. I used to be a carpenter.

[quote name='iconic' timestamp='1351894796' post='1856800'] Spoke to yamaha UK, really helpful scots ady on service/spares. BB424x chrome control panel ex-stock, pickguard on 4 week delivery....parts inc vat n pnp, 39 quid......, not bad I paid 40 for a pattern pickguard for my fender! Bugger forgot to ask about screws! [/quote] Glad the Scots lady is still there! When I worked in a music shop quite a few years ago she was always in spares! Are you gonna have to wire in some longer shaft pots (and toggle switch) to make it through the plate as well then? It's gonna look great!

[quote name='Sean' timestamp='1351188119' post='1848496'] Now here's a thing... What is a BB? To me a BB is a BB200, BB300, BB400, BB1000, BB1200, BB2000, BB3000 and any Yamaha bass that has the classic BB body shape and headstock and usually a P or reverse P pickup - that's what I like and that's what I expect. IMO even my BB1300 pushes the limits of what a BB is. How is this ever a BB except in name? or this Body shape completely different, headstock totally different! Nathan East's signature model is a BB but it isn't what I think of as a BB. Why don't these completely different basses have a different nomenclature? Anyone know? [/quote] I suspect that around the late nineties, when "modern" basses were (arguably) most popular, Yamaha thought they would breathe some new life into the BB range by modernising them. Combined with the development of the Nathan East model it probably seemed like a great idea (and I personally love 'em!). The BB605 pictured above was produced as a budget version of the NE, and has a NE-1 preamp (i have one in black), and there was later the BB2004/5 which weren't far away from the NE in terms of spec/build quality (i think they were around the £1000 mark). I guess these "modern" BBs didn't work out that well for them because they weren't around for all that long, and as more traditional style basses came back into favour Yamaha returned to the traditional BB design we all know and love.

Lovely mate, congrats! I think a Lakland would definitely be my second choice after a Sandberg. Even the 55-01s are great, I A/B'd one against a 'Ray 5 earlier this year in GG, and for me the 55-01 won hands down. Weirdly though I really didn't like the Darryl Jones or 55-64(?) I tried..... Anyways, good score man, I hope you enjoy it!

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1351252648' post='1849263'] Just heard the completion date for my VT5 has been put back two weeks [/quote]oh god, that doesn't bode well for me then! I'm hoping to hear back from Alan at Synergy on Monday with an update on mine. Last time I chased I was told late December, and I was really hoping to use it for the New Years gig.

Well, having owned a California, a couple of Basics, and a Basic Ken Taylor, I think I would probably always plump for the 3-band. That said, I never felt like I was missing anything on the Cali, and the passive tone control was a useful feature. It seems that most people like the Glocks but some don't, I think probably because they are very transparent and natural sounding, so it depends what basses you had experienced previously, but I think some people just feel like the pre isn't "doing" enough or isn't colouring the sound enough. I found the same when I got my first Basic (now residing with Primebass!). I thought that it sounded great, but wasn't "bassy" enough, or full enough sounding, so I cranked the bass up a fair bit. At the first gig with it I had several friends tell me to back the bass off a bit because it was booming through the place and overpowering everything! I adjusted accordingly, and at the end of the night had various people tell me that it sounded incredible, and was the best bass sound I'd ever had! The controls on the Glock preamps interact to a great extent, so you need to use all three in conjunction with each other. It's a very intuitive control system and seems to accomodate a greater and more subtle variation of tones, rather than feeling like you're just boosting or cutting specific frequency bands. In my experience, subtlety is the key with a Sandberg bass, and you just need to let the natural tone and response of the bass and quality of the build and components shine through. I tend to run mine with the blend biased slightly toward the neck pup, treble flat, Mid boosted a little, and bass boosted a little more. One thing I've found with all of these basses is that they sit in a band mix really well, are nice and clear, defined and punchy without being too imposing.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1351017265' post='1846310'] Alan will get very close to Thomann. Ring Alan direct [/quote] Worth doing, innit!

[quote name='4StringFortress' timestamp='1350976201' post='1845647'] Oh that's cool how does it sound now with the preamp and bridge? Speaking of bridges I'm thinking of upgrading my BB 415 with a new one to help with sustain on the B string (every other string is perfectly fine). Anyone got any suggestions? [/quote] TBH the Gotoh bridge was a waste of time. Because of the thicker baseplate and larger saddle diameter, you couldn't adjust the action low enough. I had to put the original saddles on the Gotoh bridge to make it work! I much prefer the Wilkinson BBOT with brass saddles I've got on my RBX270 (and it was only £15!). The Aguilar pre made a massive difference, but for me there was always something lacking with the core sound of that bass, so I sold it. It was either just lacking some sustain and natural response, or I just couldn't get the sound I wanted out of those pickups. They are great basses, but I was just never 100% happy with it.

[quote name='Captain Rumble' timestamp='1351009918' post='1846188'] The pots were not identified as CTS and one was noisey so decided to change the lot, the cap was definately not an orange drop or P.I.O and was actualy .1 uf as opposed to .047uf [/quote] As I suspected then, glad I'm not cracking up!

[quote name='Captain Rumble' timestamp='1351008145' post='1846150'] Thanks guys lots of usefull advice and yes I have already changed the pots and cap the originals were actualy incorrectly wired up as a result had very little Tone control changing pots and cap (yes its an orange drop) improved things a lot , am I correct in thinking that the cap will have most effect on high frequencies and would a paper in oil cap help smooth out (less harsh?) the top end ? [/quote] I've never used a paper in oil cap, but I think that's kind of the idea. A lot of people who are looking for "that vintage vibe" seem to go for the P.I.O caps, but then I guess that's would would have been in the originals. What were the original pots/cap, CTS and orange drop or not? (gotta know whether I'm imagining things or not!)

[quote name='mckendrick' timestamp='1351001570' post='1846056'] I don't mean to be pedantic, but methinks the subject of the OP already has CTS and Orange Drop fitted OEM.... hence my suggestion of a paper-in-oil type - Orange Drops being a polypropylene/film type. Cheers. [/quote] I recommended it because AFAIK, a late 90's mex wouldn't have had CTS pots and an Orange Drop cap, they were just installed in USA instruments until recent years I thought. A mex bass from that era would have had cheapo Chinese circuitry if my memory serves me correctly.

[quote name='Prunesquallor' timestamp='1350984234' post='1845749'] Thanks, guys. Looks like I'll have to try a few - although it seems Guitar Guitar and Bass Direct only stock a limited range in the UK. Looking foward to hearing more about your experiences Ghost Bass! [/quote] You need to speak to Alan at Synergy Distribution, the UK distributor. Whilst they don't sell direct to the public (apart from Endorsees), he will certainly help you find the best deal possible in the UK and answer any questions regarding options etc. I can't say that he will always find you a bass through a UK seller cheaper than in Europe, but he would certainly rather someone buys through a UK agent if you get what I mean! The difference in price for me was negligable, when you consider the pre and post-sales support, and the fact that if anything does go wrong, you can talk to/go and see someone about it in this country.

[quote name='longtimefred' timestamp='1350923728' post='1845116'] lovely looking thing this one! Not seen that finish before apart from on their site. Looks great. Your review was spot on to what i think of mine. RE the MM pup question that seems to get asked a lot. Yes these are far too back to replicate the Stingray tone when solo'd but if you use the pup blend from the bridge and just add a little of the P pup then you really start hitting MM territory. I run my pre amp flat with a little bottom end taken off but if you added a little top end you would instantly get that MM zing as well as the punch. I used to have a old Ray5 and its very close indeed if you get the nobs right! close enough for all the people who dont care in the audience to not notice a difference and probably the rest of the band as well! glad you are enjoying it! [/quote] +1, what he said! It's been said before, but the VMs need to be thought of more like a PJ config on steroids. The 'bucker is too far back to sound like a Ray on it's own, but with some of the P blended in you can get as close an approximation of a 'Ray as anyone needs IMHO. The 'bucker sounds like a bridge pickup (obviously), but fuller and more gutsy, and without the weakness and thinness that J bridge pups can suffer.