dannybuoy

[quote name='thebassist' timestamp='1483633904' post='3208895'] Not bad - although Thomann have them for a bit less. [url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/sterling_by_music_man_sub_ray_4_ws_honey_burst_satin.htm?glp=1&gclid=CJyiuem2q9ECFUEUGwodT3oD9Q"]https://www.thomann....CFUEUGwodT3oD9Q[/url] [/quote] Not the same bass, that's a Ray4 rather than a Ray34.

That's a bargain! I think they mispriced it thinking it was the cheaper Ray4, that's an £800 bass up there.

Can we see a pic of the bass? Interested to see the artwork!

You can pick up a used B3K pretty cheap. If it's going to be always on and you have decent EQ on your amp, you don't really need to step up to the B7K. There is also the Source Audio Aftershock which has Darkglass models in it and extensive EQ, but I found it frustrating to program and could not get it to sound as good as the real deal. Likewise something like the POD X3 Live would come up with the goods but only if you put the time in to set it up - there is a good Youtube demo around somewhere showing it set up with clean compressed lows mixed with a heavily distorted and EQ'd guitar rig and it sounded fat as hell! For hands on tweaking and baked in metal tonez, it's hard to beat the B7K. If you want something dirt cheap (like under £24 new!) to tide you over, then the Behringer BDI-21 is a steal. It's a clone of the Sansamp BDDI, which is what a lot of metal guys use (and was everybody's go-to before the B7K came about). Also, hang onto that ODB-3 until you've tried it going into a Darkglass or Sansamp - they both have the ability to take the fizz off the top end and make that pedal sound great! Tons of good cheap compressors out there - read up on ovnilab.com if you haven't already. But if it's clean clinical compression you are after then the MXR Bass comp or Keeley Bassist would be a good place to start.

Next mod - triple pickups!

If you are looking to spend up to a ton, I would just buy a new Harley Benton and sell the old one !

I would add a MM pickup as close to the Stingray sweet spot as possible, i.e. right up close to the P pickup. That's the only way you'll get anywhere close.

Trutone CS-7 or CS-12 should fit the bill. It might not look like it from reading the mA levels, but they say themselves that you can ignore those labels as long as you don't exceed the total rated for the whole supply.

This thread has some options: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/191799-precision-in-natural/ The amber Squier VM is actually pretty close to natural!

This thing is coming out in January and looks like the perfect solution: http://www.thegigrig.co.uk/three2one-c2x21928200

Aguilar Tone Hammer. No actual tube, but is fat and warm and sounds better than some that do have a tube. It's even been compared to the REDDI when set with the AGS on and gain set low. I've seen DB folks using them too. I wasn't a fan of the EBS Valvedrive, far preferred the DHA units (if you don't mind their amateurish look). I have a Le Bass too, but really only because the distortion sounds great. The clean channel has very limited eq (bass and treble boost only, no cut, no mids) so I wouldn't recommend it as a clean/warm preamp.

Last one sounds weird so bet that's the Squier since it has 2 pickups? First one sounds fatter than the second, and the best of the bunch. Is that the bitsa?

Btw I hear the RH450 sounds way darker than the RH750 and therefore don't have exactly the same preamp. Slightly overdriven sound clips would be a welcome addition too!

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1479485363' post='3176948'] [/quote] Just got this again in the midst of typing a reply to a post!

Some active preamps, although Audere is the only one I'm aware of, buffer each pickup individually and then blend them like an active mixer. This reduces the interaction effects between the pickups giving you a nice gradual blend between the two rather than what you usually get which is a sharp drop off as soon as you nudge the blend either way off centre.

Each pickup has a 3-way switch - it's just as easy to remember what up/down/middle is rather than red/green/blue! Unless you're going for the full on futuristic look like Chris from Muse with his Status basses, then lights on a bass look a bit silly.

One thing that puts me off those pickups is the lights. I know Sims like their LEDs but I would want the option to disable them on the pickups personally, I don't know if that is doable without hacking about though! I assume the pickups are totally passive apart from the LEDs, if so you could just disconnect the power.

Not sure if your pedal is a Boss ODB-3 clone but that pedal feeds back like a mutha too! The Ultimate Drive was an instant disappointment personally, as was the EHX Bass Soul Food. I've heard good things about the EHX OD Glove too when it comes to cheap ODs though! You won't get heavy fuzz out of these though - perhaps look into an EHX Bass Big Muff or Source Audio Aftershock (if you don't mind messing around with apps and presets to fine tune it).

Like Yamaha, they have a bit of a brand problem due to the fact there is a common perception that they are primarily for beginners; they are some of the lowest price and best value options going for beginners, except they don't have the heritage / cool factor of Squier or Epiphone. When people progress they tend to steer away from the brands they or their friends started out on and aspire to owning more prestige brands. Whilst there are some more fancy / expensive models available, they are mostly rather dull, or there isn't much obvious difference between the cheap and expensive models. e.g. the Yamaha BB424 for £250 or the BB2024 which looks the same for £2500!

The Planet Waves Classic Series ones get good reviews and are serving me very well for around a tenner, they have proved more reliable than the custom Van Damme / Neutrik ones I got made up (not by OBBM I might add) with no detectable difference in tone. They have a lifetime warranty too.

Glockenklang. Sandberg use them, however my particular Sandberg Basic does not have a passive tone control in bypass!

I think the prices are fair for a boutique maker... If you're producing limited volumes of something that takes a lot of R&D and build effort, you can't make a comfortable living out of it if you price match the mass-produced stuff. I don't think too many will be building these due to their complexity though, so it shouldn't make too big a dent in Doug's pocket!

Low action, low tension strings (Dunlop Super Brights are perfect), play close to the neck, and strike hard towards the bass so that the strings hit the frets. Then learn to do it with your thumb and throw the occasional pop in!

This is what you need: https://www.andertons.co.uk/p/FWONKBETA/filter-pedals/mr-black-fwonkbeta-envelope-filter-pedal Mr Black had a 2-for-1 deal the other day too but I think that has now passed unforunately!

Anyone built one of these? [url="http://schalltechnik04.de/en/kits"]http://schalltechnik04.de/en/kits[/url] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=270QcjGTHrI