dannybuoy

Is that Mutron based, with it's hi/lo switch and switchable LPF/BPF? I'd consider getting a custom one, getting rid of the LFO, and adding a blend and expression control.

Indeed, mine should be arriving soon! I really should try more Mutron clones though, I love the Zoom Z-Tron model of the Q-Tron, sounds awesome and has a blend too. The 3Leaf Proton was ok but not quite there.

You might be better off just using the VLE knob!

I've read the 800 sounds pretty different to the 500 actually! http://www.talkbass.com/threads/markbass-little-mark-tube-800.641467/ http://www.talkbass.com/threads/markbass-little-mark-tube-800.563202/ I'm interested in trying the Big Bang myself. If it sounds good enough I might just be able to put up with the way it looks!

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1357314660' post='1920880'] Whereas I think the low-pass on a Q-Tron is the funkiest sound you can get from just a filter on bass. [/quote] I really like the Q-Tron model from the Zoom B1Xon (also B3, MS60-B, etc). Anyone directly compared the digital model to the real thing?

Yes. If it can be done by yanking wires out, it can be done with a switch! You'd need to choose carefully though as it would have a lot of current going through it, and also find a sensible place to mount it without damaging the cab.

If you like the neck on this you'd probably like the Steve Harris signature, I think the neck is very similar, perhaps even chunkier!

I've never heard of a JV trading hands for over £1500. More like £650 - £800, and around £1k for the rarer early Fender logoed examples.

Not quite - this is how I see it, although electronics gurus please correct me if I'm wrong! Think of impedance as resistance. Pickups have a lot of resistance due to all that thin tightly wound wire, whereas the output of a transistor amplifier has much less. When you combine resistance with capacitance, you make a low pass filter. This is how the basic passive tone control works to roll off top end. Your guitar cable is like one big capacitor. So when driven by a high impedance source like pickups, there is a loss of high frequencies. When driven by a low impedance source such as a preamp in an active bass, the capacitance stays constant, but as the resistance is less, the frequency cutoff of the filter is moved higher, letting more treble through.

[quote name='barkin' timestamp='1414152844' post='2586466'] I *think* the 41x's have a different (slightly slimmer) neck to the other current models - 42x/102x/202x I've recently picked up a 1024, and I love it - a rock monster! [/quote] Yup, the neck on my BB1025X is a bit thicker front to back than my old BB415!

Just put some masking tape over it and concentrate on the sound it makes!

The best sounding and most resonant P I ever played was also a Classic 50s in sunburst. I'd heard so many good things about the Roadworn, and was lucky enough to find one of each for sale locally at good prices so got them in to try. The Roadworn was much lighter but just felt lifeless compared to the Classic 50s, just seemed to sing when played unplugged. The only reason I sold it was because it was too wide at the nut and the edges of the fretboard were rather sharp which dug in uncomfortably on fingers when fretting low notes on the E. That and the slightly sticky feeling of the glossy neck.

I've noticed the Classic Vibe fiesta red P's and white J's are starting to dwindle in stock in more than one place too, I think a boatload of their models are probably being discontinued.

Nobody's mentioned Digitech's The Drop. Or just get a Hipshot Xtender and drop the low E to Eb when it suits.

Only prob with the SFT circuit is that the EQ is before the clipping stage, so you can't boost bass too much as it just ends up adding flabby overdrive. Something like the BB preamp which has the EQ on the end would be preferable!

The Squier Classic Vibes use small frets too, and I prefer them. I think they might be the only 'Fender' necks available with a 9.25" radius and vintage frets - their real vintage reissues have the curvier 7.25" radius which I don't get on with.

Passive pickups don't drive a signal too well down long cables, resulting in a loss of the high frequencies. Once the signal passes through a transistor gain stage, it is 'buffered' and can be driven down a long cable without much degradation. This is the basic premise. So, active basses have a built in buffer. Some effect pedals are true bypass, meaning they are effectively out of the chain when bypassed, but some pedals (most older pedals, plus all current Boss and Tech21 pedals for example) are buffered bypass. So if you have an active bass, or a pedal with buffered bypass early on in the chain (e.g. a Boss tuner) then you can add loads more pedals without hearing much of an effect. However, not all buffers are well designed, and some can noticeably colour the signal. So a good rule of thumb is to have one good quality buffer as close to the pickups as possible, then use true bypass pedals for the rest of the signal chain!

Baxandall treble/bass EQ then would probably be the best bet!

A few arguments have been expressed in this thread that I'd like to counter! Jake said way back that out of his students, the worst musicians have been the ones that only knew tab, so therefore he blames the tab. This does not make any sense. It is a valid observation, but there is no direct cause and effect link here - it's like saying there are lots of inconsiderate drivers who drive BMWs, therefore there must be something wrong with BMW. Tab, and dots are just methods of representing music and have nothing to do with the skill or theory knowledge of the musician. There are people who only read tab yet have a lot of theory knowledge, and people who can read notation but that's all they can do. Another point that is repeated is that with tab, you don't know what notes you are playing, and notation offers a much richer experience with being able to visualise harmonies and intervals etc. It's true that many players don't know what notes they are playing, but that has to do with them, not tab in itself. Both systems can easily be 'read' if the reader is used to them. Because I am used to tab, I instantly know that number 7 on the A string is an E. Whenever I see a number 2 frets higher on the next string up I immediately see that as a 5th. Looking at a solo I can visualise a box shape from the numbers and see what scale is being used. It's just a different way of writing down the music and whenever you get used to either system it is easy to extract musical information from it. Another point is that some don't like being told how to play, and prefer to choose which string/fret to use themselves. Tab users have just as much freedom to re-interpret the notes. Whereas a notation reader would look at the position of the dot in the stave, work out it's an A, then choose where to play it; I see a 2 on the top line, work out that's an A, and instead play it as if it were a 7 on the next line down if I want to. Except I find the tab way far quicker since I don't need to convert the number to a note unless I really want to, I can just add on 5. I have a lot of respect for people that can read proper notation (when they aren't slagging off tab that is!). But in my opinion, as a musical notation format, the only advantages it offers are: - Rhythmic notation: Essential in a situation where you are expected to sight read having never heard the piece - which takes serious skill, so kudos to Bilbo. However the lack of rhythmic information in tab is not a problem for most, as when you are simply trying to learn a piece of music, your ears are far better at learning rhythms than your eyes. - Easier sharing between other musicians. Although in this day an age, any musical notation software can easily convert to or from tab. Also, in a lot of the situations I've played in, if I had to share music I had written to a guitarist in the band, I would need to use tab, so it also depends on the situation.

For those styles, the Orange Terror Bass sounds great. Now, just sell all those funky active basses and get a P Bass with flats and you'll be there!

http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/

They will be charge free for certain as they're in the EU. It will still work out cheaper from the US at £140 - also have another look as some eBay auctions now include pre-paid customs fees in the price.

Expect to pay 20% plus £8 fee on top, unless you order from a shop that marks the package value down below the threshold so that it escapes all charges. Unfortunately these shops don't shout about this as it's illegal, so good luck finding one that has those pickups in stock!

If the tweeter was not in it's own sealed section and this new gaping hole peers right into the main body of the cab, then yes, it has made a difference. Cab design is a bit of a science, the size of the enclosure and the ports are tuned to the specific speakers used. But if you've thrown two random speakers into it, all bets are off and adding the new port there might have made it better rather than worse!

Don't let one bad one put you off trying it, it's a great little amp! You probably won't melt your Berg.