dannybuoy

[quote name='uk_lefty' timestamp='1496779147' post='3313839'] The pedal casing feels sturdy, dials turn nicely and don't feel too cheap, and the switch clicks a little but not through the signal chain. It's a solid build. [/quote] I had the Nux version for a while. It sounded great but the knobs definitely felt cheap and wobbly so perhaps they aren't built to the same standards!

[quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1498905291' post='3327875'] T'bird GAS going on quite badly at the moment, thankfully, I can't afford one. The through neck Epiphones & the Gibson models all have the Jazz like 38mm wide nut, which is too small for my hands, so that means looking at the bolt neck Epiphones or a set neck Tokai which both seem to have 42mm wide nuts. Unfortunately, the Tokai's seem pretty thin on the ground just now (possibly a very good thing though! ). [/quote] The Epi Classic Pro is pretty deep front to back though, I have small hands and find it difficult to play compared to my USA Fender P for example which has a 42mm nut!

Valve sticking out of the top is not a problem as long as it's well protected (check out the EBS Valvedrive).

It's easy to work out which wire is which with a multimeter. The pickup is two coils joined together, so there will be one pair (probably red and black) that show a high resistance of for example 10K. Then there will be two more pairs (black and either white or green, plus red and either white or green) that measure half that, e.g. 5K. The measurement between white and green should then be zero since they are where the two coils join and there's no resistance between the two. One you've verified which wire is which, you can hook each up to an individual switch to give series/parallel/single coil per pickup. Or, you can semi-permanently join the wires from each pickup in serial or parallel combination and use a switch to determine if the overall pairing is wired serial or parallel. Here's a wiring diagram with some options: http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=202360 (Note that colours might not match your wiring there) Btw I would be interested to hear what resistance you measure from those pickups. I have the Rockbass version and the MEC humbuckers have a very low output and need a preamp to boost them up!

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1498826770' post='3327381'] First dibs if it doesn't settle in? [/quote] Not sure if I'm going to keep it yet but I will hang onto it for a few weeks to give it a chance! Immediate first impressions playing my Yamaha BB 1025X into Orange Terror Bass + Ampeg SVT210AV, were pretty disappointing. Warwick Streamer with humbuckers into a headphone amp however was a different story, sounded very nice indeed, I guess this is more like how the pedal was intended to be used, with Jon playing similar basses and going into a PA. I found the exact same thing with the B3K/B7K too. Hopefully will have some time for a bit of A/B testing over the weekend!

Mine should be arriving today. It has some serious competition to contend with as I'm very happy with my current arsenal of drives, so looking forward to seeing how it stacks up!

Was just about to buy one, then a used one popped up so I got in quick!

Never actually played one, but I think it is the first bass overdrive I remember seeing being played on a stage and it sounded great. That was probably the start of the slippery slope of pedal buying for me!

I think the fact that Gibson stopped producing Thunderbirds shortly after releasing the Classic Pro says a lot! After not playing mine for a while I've kind of fell for it again - played with a pick through a drive pedal (Pike Vulcan or Aguilar Agro are a great pairing), it sounds incredible. I can see myself moving over to the vintage version in black though when they come out!

Don't sell your gear if you still enjoy playing. I haven't been in a band for a few years now but still buy gear! Playing bass doesn't have to be a join-a-band-or-quit deal, you can have hours of fun simply learning songs, jamming to backing tracks, and learning more theory. The better the player you become (and the more Jamerson grooves you master), the more confident you will become also!

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1498615296' post='3325905'] My Epi bird was not even close to my 1991 Gibson Thunderbird. Blue [/quote] You are probably talking about the old bolt-on Epis rather than the newer Classic Pro which has the same woods, same neck-through construction and the same pickups as the Gibson?

Amp sim / overdrive will piddle all over the Zoom, assuming you like the VT sound of course. The Ampeg sims in the Zooms don't really come close. All the other FX are probably on par with each other.

[quote name='Ruck' timestamp='1497228760' post='3316697'] oops sorry i wasnt clear I meant I leave it on all the time because for some reason the speaker sim button doesnt disengage it for the DI out just the 1/4" out [/quote] This would make sense to me design wise. Send a speaker sim signal to the desk, and a brighter full range signal to the cab. However since disabling the speaker sim makes it darker due to the additional filter, it doesn't work that way in practice. The VT DI fixes this though I think by having this extra treble filter separated out to a 'bite' switch. But then it throws a spanner in the works by not being able to have the speaker sim on the XLR only!

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1497226584' post='3316691'] Through a speaker cab I also prefer to deactivate the speaker sim, it's when it goes through the DI that it becomes very useful as it tames the harshness you'd otherwise get. If I had the DeLuxe then I'd probably deactivate it all the time, like you do. [/quote] Normally a speaker sim would tame the harshness yes, but the VT is a little weird. Turning the speaker sim off also adds in a filter that rolls off loads of treble. So in effect, it sounds brighter and harsher with the speaker sim on!

I'm not too familiar with their output outside of the In Rainbows album, for some reason I really connected with that one (hence the two tracks I posted earlier in the thread being from there). I'm just listening to their latest 'Moon Shaped Pool' album from 2016 on Spotify, on track 7 of 11 it's a total borefest. Looking forward to finding some hidden gems amongst the back catalog though!

Ok, not basses but guitars. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (!) had 3 guitarists playing odd shaped guitars (Danelectro, Vox, etc) that had extra frets between certain notes so they could play some quarter-steps. For some songs they all switched to regular guitars with the front man on 12-string. Very odd, never seen this before, as the guitars appeared to be different makes I can only assume these were custom mods? Edit: Yup, this sheds some light on the subject: http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/wp/index.php/king-gizzards-lo-fi-gut-feeling/

[quote name='Adrenochrome' timestamp='1497605781' post='3319409'] Compared to the OTB do the other class D hybrid amps have similar high levels of overdrive/distortion available? I am planning to down-size my rig very soon. I play with an overdriven sound all the time, varied by how hard I play, pick/fingers etc. My preference is a hybrid amp with the input level high to get the distortion, I DI from the amp 99% of gigs. I’ve heard a couple of OTB heads in action and was impressed. I currently use a Hartke 3500 with the input at 7/10 to get the drive (yes I know it’s not as sweet as an all-tube head). [/quote] I have the OTB, and have used it in a stoner rock band. Great amp, but I always used a pedal with it for overdrive and tone shaping. The drive by itself is thick, dark and mushy, more Motown than metal, but it actually works really well to soften the harsh sounds that some drive pedals produce. If you want to skip pedals and want an amp with a great overdrive tone, the Tech21 VT500 is definitely worth an audition. They are great value for money too. I might even be listing mine for sale soon as I just stick to my Orange plus pedals these days... Other amps I know with decent built in overdrive are the GK MB Fusion, Aguilar Tonehammer, TC RH750, and the Ashdown stuff.

Looking at the manual, this has way more models of bass overdrive/distortion, and also lots of bass amp models - as far as I can tell, the MS-3 has no amp modelling whatsoever. Shame, as a combo of the FX from the GT-1B but with the patching/routing options of the MS-3 sounds like the perfect combo.

Most overdrives designed for bass don't drop any low end. But to answer your question, your amp can boost bass that has been lowered in volume as a result of going through the pedal, but if your pedal totally chops off anything under 100Hz for example, then there will be nothing down there to boost back up!

Not cheap at just over £1k, but still highly recommended: http://youtube.com/watch?v=3zYPr3vMpNc

Thought the Glastonbury set was great, will catch up on the first half that I missed on iPlayer tomorrow. I agree with Mark Radcliffe about Nude being the standout track for him, that's one of my favourites too. So atmospheric - if you feel nothing listening to this then there's something wrong with you! http://youtube.com/watch?v=BbWBRnDK_AE

I was never a fan of Radiohead either until I heard this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoLJJRIWCLU