TRBboy

[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.

[quote name='Prunesquallor' timestamp='1350921807' post='1845088'] Thanks for this. The Basic is something I've looked at, but to be honest I could get a Ray34 for less and get a more geniune MM vibe. I'm thinking about a VM to cover both MM and P-bass sounds, and from what you're saying, it could be a good option. [/quote] I've had a couple of Basics now, and you can pick a decent used one up for £450 - £600. I'm pretty confident that if you A/B'd a Basic and a Ray34, you would end up walking away with the Sandberg. In fact, in a proper "blind" test, I think a lot of people would pick the Sandberg over a proper 'Ray......... Controversial I know! (ducks behind sofa......)

You can go ahead and get some Dimarzios then! As an aside, there's been some talk of changing pickup covers, but as far as I can remember all of the Dimarzio pickups are resin bonded into the casings, so the covers can't be swapped.

[quote name='mckendrick' timestamp='1350916729' post='1845015'] Have you considered just a change of capacitor...? So often I've found people praising this little mod. Much easier to test drive on your own instrument than change the pickups only to find they don't sound as good in your own bass as you thought they sounded in someone elses. Try a paper-in-oil .047uf. You'll be amazed at the difference such a simple mod can make. If you want to go down the pick-up route maybe consider a not-oft-considered winder like Jason Loller or Curtis Novak - both easily googled. Both do some gorgeous ultra vintage sounding types. Hope this helps. Good luck. . [/quote] +1 for the cap. In fact for the sake of £20 or whatever you may as well get a wiring kit with CTS pots and an Orange Drop cap (or similar), whether you change the pickups or not. Can make a noticeable difference for not much money!

[quote name='yepmop' timestamp='1350855790' post='1844429'] I've been looking up the forums all over the net on these bad boys ([color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color][font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"][color="#282828"]Ultra Jazz) and I'm sold on them seems everyone loves them and the price seems quite reasonable as well.[/color][/font] [font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"][color="#282828"]I assume these come in 2 sizes? as the MIM pickups are slightly different sizes for the neck & bridge? or is it a case of just swapping the covers over? [/color][/font] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I'm off to write my letter to Santa [/font][/color] [/quote] Yeah the bridge pickup is usually longer than the neck. A set of pickups will have both, or you can just buy the neck or bridge separately.

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1350849269' post='1844297'] Do you need a battery with those? [/quote] Nope, they're just passive pickups, but instead of being a single coil each pickup has two coils side by side (one picks up the E and A, one picks up the D and G). They still sound very much like a jazz pup, but with a bit more guts and no nasty hum. I liked them because they sounded like all my favourite characteristics of passive basses and active basses rolled into one. They're bloody good value for money too IMO. Edit: you can wire them up to a mini toggle switch for series/parallel switching too!

Dimarzios all the way for me! I put an Ultra Jazz set in my old USA Standard Jazz and they were just incredible. Massive output, but with a very well balanced response and frequency range. Model Js are also good, but maybe a little darker sounding. I had Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders in there before, but I didn't find them that much of an improvement over the stock pups. The other benefit with either of the dimarzios is that they are individually hum-cancelling, so no nasty 60 cycle hum with either pup soloed.

[quote name='Prunesquallor' timestamp='1350816349' post='1843684'] Beautiful! What do Sandberg call that particular sunburst finish? [/quote] Tobacco burst I believe.

[quote name='4StringFortress' timestamp='1350683511' post='1842398'] Loving the white BB! It really brings the colour of your jacket out I didnt even realize they did a white BB414 this is shocking... I feel like I've let myself down [/quote] Yeah the vintage white was my favourite, but the orange metallic was quite cool too. I later upgraded it with a Gotoh bridge and an Aguilar OBP2-SK preamp with stacked treble/bass. Aguilar fitted with virtually no modification!

Agree with everyone else, as with any style the best bass is the one that feels comfortable, gives you the sound you want and inspires you to play. When I was in a metal band for years, I had warwicks, Yamaha TRBs and Ibanez, but my mainstay, my go-to bass over all the years was a USA Standard Jazz! That's until I got my first Sandberg.......... If you come across one, I'd recommend trying a Sandberg Basic Ken Taylor 5, but if not Yamaha TRB or Ibanez Soundgear (depending on how you feel about string spacing and scale length), or a Lakland Skyline 55-01 would all be worth a try.

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1350667380' post='1842113'] Me and my BB614 from 2007. [/quote] If we're posting playing pics with our BB's, this was me playing my BB414 at our Stag and Hen party (Pimps and Ho's theme!) back in 2008: [attachment=121568:stag and hen.jpg]

Luuuurrrvvvly! Looks classic but modern. Report back after your first outing, I guarrantee it'll blow yer socks off!

Nice bass man! Welcome to the family!

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1350662250' post='1842014'] Here's my new toy: [/quote] Awesome man! Good choice going for the highgloss on alder too IMO, saved about a pound in weight over a matt/ash version, and a bit more low-mid growl to boot. Pleased with it?

[quote name='4StringFortress' timestamp='1350651362' post='1841778'] Received the BB 415 for Ben this morning, I got to say I love the wine burst look and the grain poking through the red subtly. As for playing this was going to be a back up fr my TRB5-II and you know what I would go as far as say I prefer the way this feels and plays, I really like the chunky p style neck to it, nice and fast too. As for pictures here are: And this is my current family! [/quote] Nice! Should be a good backup for your TRB, which looks very nice by the way! I always wanted one like that......

[quote name='Mudpup' timestamp='1350596840' post='1841192'] Dropped in to PMT in Romford last weekend intending to buy some sort of Fender/Squier Jazz bass. Tried about 10 between £200 and £800 quid. Bob suggested i try this. I bought it. Head and shoulder better than anything else i tried and its ousted my Spector Euro as my gigging bass. Cant believe how good it is for such a (relatively) cheap price. [/quote] Very nice! Probably the colour I would go for if I was buying one of the newer BBs. Have you owned or played a 414? I'd be interested to know how they compare.....