uk_lefty

What else sounds like Ashdown heads? Hashbrown threads.

Meters headphones

I've bored everyone enough about my Helix Stomp not being a one box solution... So my pedal board, a good quality Donner thing (now for sale) became too small. I needed to add synth, expression pedal for the synth and space for a Smoothound. I bought the Harley Benton because I like Thomann and Harley Benton gear. The Spaceship comes pre-carpeted which is nice, it's solid aluminium, the bag is well padded, and it has plenty of space. Hence the name. The only odd thing is it has slots underneath for a power supply which my cheap Caline box is too big for, sadly, as I do like powering from below, and the adjustable feet don't fix to the board, you stick em in each time you need them, which I find a bit unnecessary. Anyways, for the cash I don't think you can beat it. There's nothing cheap or flimsy about it so it seems great value in comparison to most. Obligatory pics ..

As things evolve... I joined a new band at the end of last year and that needs me to use more effects, plus the guitarists give me more space... So, my board has evolved. I went from separates to a big multi to a Helix... Now to a Helix plus other pedals. So here it is before linking everything up...

I wasn't actually involved but my previous band hadn't rehearsed much or done much at all over the lockdowns. WhatsApp conversation with drummer but with whole bad watching Drummer: "Can you do X date, calendar says you're away?" Me: "No, I'm away on a mates stag, can't do that weekend" Drummer: "Will you be back for the night?" Me: "No, I'll still be away" Drummer: "Ok, the next month says you're out for three days for a wedding, is that right?" Me: "Yes" Drummer: "Pretty long f*cking wedding" Me: "Well it's in York and I'm going up the night before, then there's the night of the wedding, then driving back on the Sunday and there's no way I'm doing a gig that night" Drummer books a gig for date x without me and announces on Facebook which is my first notice of it, AND the same for the rest of the band too. No rehearsal beforehand, and the last one was months earlier and dreadful. Five days before the gig and nobody, not a single member of the band knows what time they're playing etc. Two days before I privately message the drummer and tell him he needs to sort it out because NOBODY knows what's going on, he blames the singer, who blames the drummer. Turns out the drummer must have just been drinking in the pub one Sunday said "we'll do a gig on Saturday!" Slaps it on Facebook then washed his hands of it. Guitarist described this gig as a "car crash". I'm not in that band anymore.

It's begging for an upside down headstock though, isn't it?!

I don't want to get into the inevitable debate on "at least it's not another P!" "But everything else they do never sells". I think it looks great, a bit Thunderbird, a bit of the ESP type thing going on. They won't make one upside down for us lefties, but if they did and it came from MIM at £700 or less I'd be very tempted.

You make a good point, everything affects the effect: playing dynamics, pick or fingers, which part of the finger, strings, pickups, active EQ or passive, what's in the chain before the pedal, then what's in the chain after the pedal, and the amp... The only way to really know is to try yourself with your own gear. Then even if it sounds good does it sound good with your other pedals and with each different bass you may use??? I hated this pedal lottery so got a "one box" solution in a Helix Stomp. Problem is there's things that just doesn't do. So you end up buying complementary bits... I've just had to buy a bigger pedal board (yes a board, to host my "one box solution" multi effects pedal) a year after trading in three multi FX units to replace with "just one". In all seriousness it's good to have a number of different drive/ distortion types at the push of a button. I was never an effects guy, always preferring a clean tone, until I joined a band that played a wider variety of music and crucially had two guitarists that actually give me some room to be heard, it made varying my bass sound a lot more important. A good multi effects, or a very flexible single pedal, or a string of pedals to give you fuzz, drive, distortion, would be good to keep mixing up your sound.

Logic I can't comment on but my tactic would be to read reviews, watch the YouTube's with the caveat you've already mentioned, then buy at a price I know I can recover if I need to sell it on. Or go for the ones with the coolest names.

This is what I need.... I go through cycles of wanting the bare minimum amount of kit then a new shiny thing catches my eye and I end up with seven basses, two Amps, loads of cabs.... Just to go through it all over again.

It's one of the great things about being in a covers band and why I love playing songs off films. You're just triggering memories, so you don't need the horn section or the keyboard parts, or the intricate solo, as long as you're 80% there and having a good time.

Yes I'm ok ta mate. Covid before Xmas, kids sick since start of January. Home-schooling while working at the moment... Sign of the times, isn't it?

What I'd say about the Rootmaster range is it's a very easy plug n play with any type of bass, intuitive controls that don't have cryptic names... It's just easy to get a good sound with any bass. Compare that to a lot of other amps, for example I can't get a good sound out of Orange amps with my Stingray, but plug in a P bass and it sounds phenomenal. But the EQ is the wrong way round and there's daft pictures above the knobs instead of words wot tell u wot it does. I can't deal with that, I need something that sounds great for any bass with just a quick knob tweak and off you go. That's the Rootmaster, plug n play, maybe tweak a knob.

I looked up the website it's being sold through. Everything looks too good to be true. I don't trust it. Also, alongside guitars they're selling random men's clothes which looks like John Lewis stock photos to me. I hope I'm wrong but they're discounting Fender stuff heavier than the big boys like Thomann so I think it's fishy.

Fretless? Acoustic or semi acoustic (Hofner?) Short scale (Mustang?)

The pickup option is good and doesn't cost too much extra. I've used UPS for this. I've also sent a cab via Hermes dropping it off at the local pickup point. In terms of packing I've usually had the original box and packing, or the packing from its replacement to send it in. I do recommend using gorilla tape or something to seal it all up though, standard parcel tape doesn't fill me with confidence.

Good point. G is shortest.

Out of interest I just went and looked at two basses that I've not touched (in terms of adjustment) since they had a Luthier setup and they both have the G saddle as the furthest forward. So that's how he does my left handed basses. Maybe it is as you say, more than one correct point?

I used crimson guitars cherry red and their guitar seal to get a matt finish on an ash bass body. It's so easy even I could do a reasonably good job of it. Just follow their YouTube videos.

The Hartke VXL is a great preamp pedal, it is really intuitive to use once you find that "harmonics" means "drive". However, the secret is out and they don't appear regularly at £30-£50 like they used to. Have seen more around the £80 and upwards mark on eBay in the last few years.

To be honest I've never looked at the advice, I've just got out a screwdriver and a tuner and set to. I check with the open string, fret at the seventh, harmonic and fret at the twelfth and fretting around the fifteenth before settling. If it looks odd, it looks odd, doesn't bother me though.

Guess I'm too late then 😟

Yep.

Mate, not the first person who's said that... Someone on eBay asked the same question to me. I've checked and adjusted the intonation and it's as close as it can get to perfect. Not sure how anyone can tell just by looking. And, like the guy in eBay, if he were to buy it he can adjust it however he wants, takes a few minutes with a screwdriver. Not sure why it matters to anyone else....?