BigRedX

I wasn't able to vote. My main rig has a lightweight amp - Tech Soundsystems Black Cat which is a P2P wired valve pre-amp coupled with a dual class D power amp, but it sits in a 6U rack case with a load of other gear so the final package isn't particularly lightweight at all. My backup amp is a Tecamp Puma, but again it is rack mounted in a case with a load of other gear so that isn't really light or compact either. The speakers are EBS Pro-Line and I can only lift the smaller of the two cabs on my own. However the backup cabs are relatively light weight (although nowhere near the lack of weight of something like a Barefaced). Both sets of cabs were purchased on the basis of good reviews from users here and because the price was right. They have been kept because I like the sound. TBH weight isn't too much of an issue. All the gear goes in the band transport, we all do the load in/out, and some of the drum cases weigh considerably more...

Looks like mine has arrived in the UK and will probably be delivered on Monday.

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1463146105' post='3049021'] To be fair, you ordered after working hours on the 9th in that case, so would have been looked at for the first time on Tuesday. It in Germany, I know they said 2-3 days but I wouldn't get too upset about it not being here by the end of the week, I wouldn't necessarily have expected it to be. Reckon you'll have it Monday, and under a week's turnaround for an international delivery is decent in my book [/quote] I expect it will end up being like ordering from Thomann. No matter when you place your order the item(s) will arrive on Wednesday of the following week. Hopefully I'll actually be working from home that day.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1463141455' post='3048948'] I planned white until I was in GAK and bought black. Good luck with setting it up. [/quote] Thanks! I'll probably start with a new set of strings - what are the recommended round-wounds? I'll add the other stuff as and when I decide they are necessary.

[quote name='Wooks79' timestamp='1463140052' post='3048924'] Pretty much the same here, except the DHL tracking ref I have doesn't work for me :/ Luckily I'm in no rush. Only thing I'm wondering, since they put the price back up, is anything gonna get sent out even though the email already says it has? I'll wait and see... [/quote] Well according to the tracking information that I have the bass has left MP and travelled to Köln from where it is supposed to be exported to the UK. So hopefully it is actually on its way. I don't really mind the wait, but if they say 2-3 days, then I expect it to arrive in 2-3 days. And although I normally work from home, it looks as though I'm going to be out for much of next week, so it would have been good if the bass could have been delivered today when I am definitely in. I might not be in a position to have it redelivered until the following week.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1463140248' post='3048928'] Which colour? [/quote] White - looked the best to me and the sunburst was already more money when I went to place my order.

Not very impressed with the shipping times... I ordered one pretty much as soon as the OP went up, and got a confirmation first thing the following morning (Tuesday) with a message saying that it would be delivered in the next 2-3 days. Well today's Parcel Force delivery has been and gone with nothing for me, and the tracking information has the bass still stuck in Köln...

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1463125131' post='3048746'] You cannot spell Bass with a B! My problem with non 35" basses for a very long time was that the B did not sound like an organic part of the instrument. It was almost like an aftermarket body kit on a car. You knew it was super cool (!) but it did not seem to sit well with the rest of the car. Both my 33" are strung with a B. They do not sound like a 35" but then the rest of the instrument does not either. For me, with these basses, I can play below E and not get cross inside because the tone changes. [/quote] Very much this! There are too many manufacturers who don't seem to realise that there is a lot more to making a 5-string bass than taking one of their 4-string models, widening the neck and pickups and adding an extra saddle to the bridge and machine head to accommodate the 5th string. So long as this continues to happen we'll still be seeing 5-string basses (of all scale lengths) that don't deliver a decent sounding and feeling low B and people who try a 5-string and say it not for them because they couldn't get on with the sound and feel of the strings.

The questionnaire was about reading? IIRC all the questions said "playing". My reading is about a bar every 5 minutes for something reasonably simple, but I can play in any key (although I probably won't know what the key actually is). Also the bass guitar (and guitar) is a very versatile instrument when it comes to deciding where to play the actual notes because most of them occur in at least different locations. Also you can simply retune and make something that was previously very difficult a lot more straight forward to play. As an example: back when I was a teenager learning the guitar my playing took a major step forward when I realised that instead of struggling with all those complicated Eb, Ab and C# chords I could simply put my capo on the first fret and play the much easier D, G and C instead!

[quote name='rmorris' timestamp='1463053806' post='3048102'] What is the Behringer DI model ? And the EMO ? [/quote] It's a [url=http://www.music-group.com/Categories/Behringer/Signal-Processors/DI-Boxes/DI100/p/P0062]Behringer Ultra-DI 100[/url] and the EMO is the [url=http://www.emosystems.co.uk/Products/Passive_Direct_Injection_Boxes.html]E520[/url].

For some reason the Behringer DI box won't work with our Moog Etherwave Theremin. And it's not just an isolated instance. Every time the PA engineer can't get a signal from the Theremin it turns out he's using a Behringer DI. As soon as it's swapped out for the EMO one that we carry as a spare it's fine. Any ideas why this might be?

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1462774767' post='3045498'] Does a different scale length make a fundamental difference to the quality of the B? If it doesn't then why bother making long scale basses? [/quote] As I said in my first post, IME you need to significantly increase the scale length from 34" in order to make a noticeable difference without addressing the more expensive aspects of the bass such as how the neck is constructed and how it is joined to the body. So there are the Overwaters from the 80s with a 36" scale which works well although the D and G strings tend to be a little on the stiff side. Therefore the Dingwall fanned fret approach of 37" B and 34"? (I looked on the Dingwall site and couldn't find any mention of the actual lengths of the strings) for the G. Or if you want some seriously low notes you could just get a 39" scale Knuckle Quake. The problem I have with 35" scale is that a lot of the time it's a cheap cop-out by the manufacturers. After all a neck for a 35" scale instrument only needs about 3/4" of extra wood over one for a 34" scale. AFAICS it's an approach favoured by makers of instruments with bolt-on necks. However IME through neck construction or a good set-neck joint combined with an overall stiffer construction for the neck itself will give far better results.

Looks like a different scale length too? Check the bridge positions of the two basses.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1462735440' post='3045351'] Not ideal to play sitting down.... [/quote] No-one is going to buy that in order to play it sitting down.

Just customise a keytar steam-punk style: [IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/13055149_10153922231088387_8843124477969231286_o_zpswnl7druw.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/13055882_10153922231078387_3703998150687279634_o_zpshmahvh7n.jpg[/IMG]

IMO it's all about the construction of the neck and how it is attached to the body rather than a 1" difference in scale length. The other important factor is finding the right B string for a particular bass. What works on one won't necessarily work on another. Bear in mind that going from 34" to 35" is not even a 3% increase in length so by all means go for 35" scale if you like the longer spacing between the frets, but don't expect a single inch to make any real difference in how the B string feels and sounds. Also IME 35" scale is used by a lot of cheaper basses to try and compensate for the fact that the construction of the bass isn't really up to the standard required for a 5-string. It doesn't work. Any manufacturer capable of making a 35" scale bass with a good sounding a feeling B string will be able to make one with a 34" scale length just as well. Scale length only makes a significant difference once you go to 36" scale or longer. Of all the 5-string basses I have owned, the best B-strings were on the 34" scale basses (Gus, Sei and Warwick). The next best were my 2 Overwater 36" scale basses. The two 35" scale basses I owned (Reverend and Traben) were, apart from a very cheap 34" scale bass, by far the worst when it came to the B string.

[quote name='Chownybass' timestamp='1462531328' post='3043790'] You know what mate? Let 'em try! It's SUCH a ballache that I think anybody who approaches it casually will drop out anyway. You also need deep pockets to get started (unless you are VERY lucky) My current model prototypes are doing my head in. I have the rage today. [/quote] In that case I can't wait for the blog. Bring it on! Any while we are here, a quick question regarding the long-scale model. I see from the current photos that it uses the same body as the short scale which means that the pickup positions are more biased towards the neck, how does that change the sound compared to the CH1?

[quote name='Chownybass' timestamp='1462092984' post='3040130'] I've often considered blogging about what it takes and took to get Chowny off the ground. But then I think I'd be the only one interested in reading it. [/quote] I think you are very much mistaken. Even if the audience was mostly limited to people on here and "the other place" I'm sure we would all find what you have to tell us fascinating. On the other hand you might not want to make it too easy for just anyone to start marketing their own bass deigns ;-)

[quote name='project_c' timestamp='1462454596' post='3043137'] Are you sure? Have you seen Brooklyn prices recently?? The days of that area - or almost any other in and around nyc - being grimey and affordable are long gone. Brooklyn is probably the most gentrified neighborhood on earth. You need about 40k a year just to rent a reasonable sized office in the Dumbo area. [/quote] But Foders aren't in DUMBO. In fact they are about as far as you can get from DUMBO and still be in Brooklyn.

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1462396317' post='3042791'] Seriously tho what can you actually do with that? Two strings is pushing it but what can you do on one string? [/quote] The vast majority of songs I was playing during my time with a classic rock covers band could have been done on a 2-string bass (E and A). I even used the Altansia Solitaire for a couple of songs with them once. Stig Pedersen of DAD manages pretty well with just a 2-string:

[quote name='Kex' timestamp='1462384025' post='3042604'] Finally a bass that does not intimidate me ! [url="http://news.baileyguitars.co.uk/index.php/2011/04/bailey-custom-one-string-bass-77-assembly-and-set-up/"]http://news.baileygu...bly-and-set-up/[/url] [/quote] There's quite a lot of single string basses about. I used to own this Atlansia Solitaire: [IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/DSC02853.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/DSC02870.jpg[/IMG] And there's at least one other Basschat member with a one string bass.

Never measure the scale length from the bridge. The best thing to do is to measure from the fingerboard side of the nut to the 12th fret and double it. [b]This is the scale length[/b]. Then place the bridge in position with one of the saddles wound as far forward as it will go and another wound fully back and measure from the nut to the front of each of these saddles. The shorter measurement should be slightly less than than the scale length calculated earlier. The longer should be at least 1/2 an inch more than the scale length. If the measurements are within the range then all is good with the existing bridge mounting holes. If not then you'll have to reposition.

[quote name='project_c' timestamp='1462366878' post='3042414'] Plus shipping & tax. But in the context of living and working in NYC (or London for that matter), I understand the price. [/quote] Fodera are down by the docks in Brooklyn. It's not exactly downtown Manhattan.

Spear Of Destiny and Howlin' Bones at The Rescue Rooms in Nottingham. I wasn't a fan back in the day, and although I saw Theatre Of Hate live in 1981 I don't remember anything about their set, so I probably didn't like it much. However my girlfriend likes them a lot, and we caught the latest line-up of SoD at the WGW last year. I have to say I was mightily impressed, so when I saw that they were playing Nottingham and one of my favourite local bands Howling' Bones were supporting them I jumped at the chance. Yet another great gig. Howlin' Bones made a very impressive transition from their intimate pub gigs to the big(ish) stage and SoD turned in yet another brilliant performance with a lot more recent material than their WGW set. Pity there was no "Rainmaker" but I suppose they wanted to give a bit more prominence to the recent album rather than just play a set of songs from 30 years ago. Bass-related trivia: Their current bassist is Craig Adams from The Mission who was playing a Schecter 5-string.

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1462353943' post='3042254'] Price aside, I can't help thinking it looks like an unfinished prototype. The headstock is a huge let down. I mean for that budget, why not look to having a system like Steinberger's excellent Drop Tune bridge system for headless instruments? That looks great and will shave more off the length of the bass if that's their main driver for this travel bass. Something you can get on a 300 quid Steinberger instrument. I'm sure it plays nicely but for innovation, I'm gonna have to go with Kiwi's Shuker, MacDaddy's Shuker.. Oh and my headless Shuker too! [/quote] Just what I was going to say regarding the Steinberger system. That headstock looks like a complete kludge. It reminds me of all those headless basses of the early to mid 80s that avoided having to have an expensive bridge/tuning system by fitting normal machine heads at the body end behind a standard BBT style bridge. They work, but it's not the most elegant solution, especially when a really good one already exists. I hardly think that on a $12,000 bass licensing the Steinberger system is going to make a massive difference to the final price. When you are paying serious money for a musical instrument it's the fine detail that makes the difference, something that seems to be lacking in more than one aspect of Fodera's designs. Everything about the playability and tone of this bass is going to be exceptional, so why compromise on a couple of the details? IMO Fodera should hire in someone who knows about product design, who could help them make that final step towards bass perfection.