molan

[quote name='Musky' timestamp='1414104382' post='2586048'] The threshold on import duty is £135, with no charges if the duty amounts to less than £9. This only works if the gift has a declared value of £36 or less. [/quote] I've definitely paid import duties on stuff from the USA with a value of under £135 Edit - Actually it was VAT plus handling charges rather than customs duties. I'm pretty sure I got hit for just under £30 in charges on a purchase of just £80. Something like £20 VAT plus £8 handling.

My current band is very social. We always go for a drink after rehearsal and natter about all sorts of different stuff. Different members see each other more regularly than others but we all see each other outside of the band environment from time to time. As a group of people it's probably the most social of all the bands I've been in and I really look forward to meeting everyone each week. I definitely feel it makes us play better as a band and we're all really supportive at both rehearsals and gigs.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1414071078' post='2585491'] I'm wondering how 2 x S212 would compare to my Berg NV610.... [/quote] They'd be a lot lighter

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1414071718' post='2585505'] Oh FFS... the last thing I need is cab GAS.. good thing they aren't green like these or I'd be in trouble. [/quote] They could be for just £50 extra per cab. . .

I also struggled with GK amps for ages but someone helped set one up for me and it was really nice. I always find Orange to be a very love or loathe sound. It you like the time it's nice but if you don't then it's all a bit one dimensional. Personally I don't get on with them at all but their fans really rate them.

I've tried a broadneck and found it almost unplayable Huge neck width was just way too much for me I'm afraid. Definitely a try before you buy option I think.

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1414091414' post='2585811'] So about £455 for an S112 with grille cloth, tweeter and any of the standard vinyl options. That's more than reasonable! [/quote] and you should see the snakeskin vinyl

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1414090366' post='2585797'] Same question on the S212 please. [/quote] Standard is a rather frightening £529! Tweeter £75, grille cloth £80, custom vinyl £80

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1414089075' post='2585776'] How much are the S112 cabs going for through your store Barrie? PM if needs be :-) [/quote] Standard S112 will be £329, tweeter adds £75, vertical configuration is £5, grille cloth £50, custom vinyl £50. Turnaround is expected to be around 3-4 weeks but will depend on how many orders are going through at any one time

Very, very early impressions. . . We set up an initial demo with: F Bass BN5 in active mode (the competition bass that's up for grabs via iBass) Fender Custom Shop '64 Jazz (a particularly nice one!) Demeter VTBP-M800-D Jule De-Monique Aguilar TH500 TKS S112 (a pair, one with & one without tweeter) TKS 1126 (also paired with & without) TKS S212 Aguilar SL112 (pair, both tweetered but one turned right off) Bergantino CN112 (same as the Aggies) Aguilar DB112 (only had one of these available I guess the first thing to say is that all of these sounded very good indeed - really nice kit & a joy to play around with! Build quality of the TKS cabs was definitely up there with the other brands based on external appearance. All round fit & finish was excellent and the snakeskin S112's are cooler than a very cool thing indeed. We really didn't have time to make proper notes of all the combinations but will replicate this setup properly next week (along with ATS cabs & the CN212's) and try to provide as unbiased a review as we can. We spent most time with just the 1x12's as these are pretty much our biggest sellers these days. Sitting all three of the 2x112 stacks next to each other it was immediately apparent how much smaller & lighter the TKS were than either of the others - respective weights are: S112 - 10KG / SL112 - 11.3KG / CN112 - 12.7KG Obviously they are all very light but the smaller dimensions of the TKS cabs makes them a fair bit easier to shift around. The demo ones we ordered are set up to stand vertically but for comparison purposes we had them all sitting horizontally with the tweetered cab on top & set a mid-point. TKS put feet on both sides of the vertical cabs so they stack nicely like this. I'm really not sure I could pick a 'winner' from the hour or so we had to try them all but the TKS cabs certainly gave the other brands a run for their money, and were probably the most focussed of the three and maybe sitting somewhere between the warmth of the Aguilars & the clarity of the Bergantinos. Given a hefty price differential between them it's amazing that TKS could hold their own in this company. The Aggies seemed to have a greater spread of sound but were breaking up earliest. The Bergantinos were definitely the most obviously 'loudest' but this could be the effect of front porting in a relatively small shop environment (the other two are rear-ported). None of the three had the boxiness that used to be associated with small 12" cabs and each would work singly for smaller gigs. Each of them seemed happy with each of the amps but we had to be a little careful with tweeter settings when paired with the Demeter which will run very clean if required. You could certainly pick out the tonal differences between each amp and bass very quickly. One interesting test was to drop the tuning on the F Bass and throw some really low notes at each cab. The tiny TKS cabs appeared really happy with low open string passages. We mostly ran the Fender with tone open & both pickups on but biasing towards the bridge and increasing amp volume got a cracking classic J bridge pickup tone from the S112's. Winding the tone back on the Fender and cutting the tweeter right down so it was only just on gave a lovely smooth classic tone. Didn't have much time with the S212 but it definitely had more low end and was a bit rounder than the pair of S112's and, given it's lower priced than the single cabs from Aguilar & Bergantino could appeal to a lot of people as a 'one-cab solution'. The 1126 was very seductive, especially with Monique which really seemed to work well together - definitely need to spend more time with these! Apologies for the very brief review but we really will try to have a better go when we have more time - if only those damned customers would leave us alone to play instead of calling to buy things. . .

Ooh - I forgot the inlays - how did I do that! Inlays on some US models are just stunning. There are some good Euro ones around as well but generally the US ones are much prettier. Obviously doesn't effect the sound though, lol.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1414056556' post='2585192'] Looking at the website bass product line, it is a NS/NS4,about 20 years old, I'd say, not really knowing the line in detail It has j type pickups and is a high gloss translucent blue finish. The owner mutters something about Ltd edition but the sn will confirm, I guess. It is still going to be hard to get a realistic value on it, but since they don't seem intent on selling it, I will just advise a ball park thinking price for them to keep in mind..until the time comes...?? [/quote] J pickups will hurt the value - Spectors are known for the power coming from the twin soapbars. I've tried some of the other pickup configurations but didn't like them as much. I've known some Spector fans wanting to 'complete the set' by adding PJ & JJ versions though

[quote name='r16ktx' timestamp='1414056097' post='2585183'] Thanks. So my mistake probably mostly lies in thinking that 'maple' is always 'just' maple. Also there's a few US Spector's currently on Bass Direct and the advertised price is considerably below the list price plus none are std Euro spec. Thanks again, but now I have to decide on a colour for my US NS2 when I order it :-) [/quote] There's a huge debate elsewhere here about whether "maple is always just maple", lol. There may well be more involved in the differences between the US & Euro models - I'm sure at gig volumes most people won't hear a huge difference but playing at lower levels or when recording through headphones the US ones always sounded sweeter to me. Could be that I'm just an aberration though!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1414055060' post='2585158'] They've landed, then? [/quote] Came in late yesterday - today is the big tryout day

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1414054389' post='2585138'] I am going to get all the paperwork and SN detail and run it by Spector... I'd have to set-up and check it over but I'd say it is 'worth' about £1500...1800 TOPS but then if that is the market, I'd advise them to go for what the market will bear. I am sure anything over £2k will delight them..?? [/quote] £1,500 - £1,800 feels right to me. Only ones hitting £2K from when I was buying & selling them were the limited edition old redwood models. These really were a thing of beauty and sounded amazing (yes, there really was a huge difference in tone from the different body wood, lol) but they weighed a good 11lbs or so & too heavy for me to gig with. One of my favourite ever 'home late at night' basses though

[quote name='r16ktx' timestamp='1414054761' post='2585149'] Like ubit, and as I've already posted, I too cannot understand what is better, let alone enough to justify the considerable uplift. I can understand that more exotic wood (tops?) can have a dramatic effect on price, but better coloured stains? Also with the Euro being IMO an excellent finish, is it possible to explain how the finish gets better? I hope any answer doesn't cause me to see the flaws in the Euro though! :-\ [/quote] Fit & finish on the Euros is good but not as good as the US. Mostly tiny details really. Quality of final finish on the 2-3 Euros I've owned hasn't been as nice as the US ones. US versions seem to have more lustre to them and the tops have all been a lot nicer. My Euros generally looked a bit 'generic' with the sort of flamed maple you see quite regularly these days. The flame on the US models looks really deep and, especially on darker colours, almost has a 3D effect. I've found Euros to sound a little antiseptic & bland compared tot he US models. I used to use an NS5 as my regular gigging bass and wanted a lower cost option as a backup and bought a Euro. It seemed to lack the bottom end oomph that my US had and the top end was harsher and not as sweet as the US. I certainly don't see the US being worth twice the price of the Euro (which it tends to be on the used market) but, for me, it was appreciably better and I could afford the extra so I ended up with a pair of NS5's instead. I only sold them when I went back to 4's and found some other brands that I preferred in a 4 string to Spector (I still love the 5's & wouldn't hesitate to get one if I ever needed a 5 again though!).

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1413998161' post='2584686'] I was planning on an Aguilar SL112 but the emergence of TKS has definitely thrown a spanner in the works. I'd very much like to hear anyone's view on the comparisons between the TKS S112 and an Aguilar SL112 if anyone has had the chance to try both. [/quote] I'll have a blast later today & see how I get on - I'm a big fan of the SL112 so should be interesting

The cabs are in the building. . .

Have you asked a UK dealer to quote on a price for them? Some people can import individual sets at surprisingly competitive prices. . .

I've owned both Euro and US Spectors and always thought the US ones were significantly better than the Euros. Better finished, nicer woods and colours and had more punch to the core sound. However I'd never pay £4K for one. Decent used Euros are about £850 and there are some very nice US ones for about £1,500 (bit more for really nice tops or rare woods). At £1,500 I'd say they are a top quality instrument but at £4K they're over-priced compared to a lot of other high end US made basses.

I'm not usually much of a distortion fan for bass but I have to admit that this really sounds rather good!

[quote name='Vinny' timestamp='1413830883' post='2582535'] There's an exception to every rule, and in this case it was the GPZ9 which looked very silly [s]in green.[/s] [/quote] Fixed it for ya

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1413805937' post='2582051'] Duplicate? Nah. Just a cheap clone. [/quote] Not any more - now edited for little '63J