Sean

11 minutes ago, HeadlessBassist said:

 

Hey Sean, yes - I was chatting to the new owner earlier - He was saying that most of the original SUBS have tatty necks where people have misguidedly tried to strip the gloss paint off. This particular example played like a demon. It was a very nice bass.

Yes, I've seen a few "shipwrecked" Subs out there. I've only ever owned 2 MM basses; a 5 string Ray for a few weeks and a Sterling (USA) that was lovely but got sold/traded for whatever reason. It could be a future endeavour, who knows what this crazy world of Bass GAS brings 😃

That's lovely, Richard. There were a few times back in the day where I nearly bought one...

They were an absolute gem for the money. The likes of these don't exist anymore. 

On 11/09/2025 at 09:27, Rosie C said:

 

Well, I pulled the trigger - ordered the Dimarzios from Thomann and my bass is with my local guitar technician. I've a couple of studio sessions coming up, so I'm looking forward to how they sound! 

Have you had a change to play them yet? 

I've not really played DiMarzio, it would be interesting to get your take. 

My 400+ is poorly and needs to visit the Amp Hospital, it's tripping out the socket circuit at home 🫣. So, it is highly unlikely it'll be ready to go to the SW Bass Bash by 12th October. 

I wonder if anyone else has a 400+ that they could take to Taunton.  Saying that, who's going to bring an 800D? 

It's good to know Fair Deal has responded accordingly. 

I've owned a 425x and a 2025x, and I've played a 1025x. the 1025x shares components including pickups with 2025x and has a similar/same sound because of that. 

I picked up a 425x as a gigging backup to the 2025x at a very good price, hardly ever played it but it was a worthy instrument and excellent quality. The 1025x is of similar quality to the 425x i.e. excellent as most Yamaha basses are but sounds different due to the pickups.

Yamaha is generally good at differentiation of different levels of instruments and nailed it with this series. Each step up in price delivers a step up in what you get. The 1025x is the bang for buck instrument in this case especially if you can find a good one used in a private sale. 

We talk a lot about Spector basses but don’t share the sounds very often, so hopefully this’ll make a change. I’ve been editing the recording of the cover band’s last gig and thought I’d just post these snippets of my gigging basses.

Depending on the song, it’s either the Bahama Blue (Jap Import) Euro 4 LX with the maple board and black blocks or the Amber Euro 4). Both have EMGs and an LHZ-03 dimed going through a GK Fusion 550 with an Origin Cali 76 comp. FoH is taking a DI from the 550 postEQ+FX. The 550 is going through an LFSys Monaco on stage. Recorded with a Zoom H2n mounted above the mixing booth at the back of the venue. 

These clips should give you an idea of what it sounds like both up and down in the mix. You can hear some of the top end sizzle and clank cutting through in places. 

Is a Spector a one trick pony? Maybe. But it’s the best trick in the World and it’s a golden winged pony. YFKI! 😀

Being a shameless Mesa fanboy (I've had a Mk IV guitar combo and a Stereo 2:50 power amp) gigged a Carbine M6 for years, currently have a WB Scout and a 400+, I'm interested in @agedhorse view or the industry take on new solid state analogue amps. The new Gallien RB Legacy heads were a huge surprise, they're big, heavy and really expensive and seem to be bucking the trend that we're seeing with the move to class D. 

I thought the Fusion 550 would be the last big analogue GK but was wrong. I look at the RB Legacy (I own 3 GKs) and wonder what customers, that don't have a road crew, touring budget and trucks, are going to buy them. 

Mesa must've gauged the market and conceptualised, however briefly, doing a modern take on a Carbine/BigBlock/Titan? Like a WD/TT/BD-800 front end with a big analogue power section? 

1 hour ago, chris_b said:

If this amp is that good it deserves a cab that doesn't get in the way or arbitrarily alter the sound.

 

2 makes immediately spring to mind that would fit that description perfectly.

I shall be taking both my 400+ and a Monaco (two actually) to the SW + SE Bashes if anyone is interested. 

Hearing the 400+ vs the 800D through the same cabs would be interesting. 

2 hours ago, Beedster said:

I must dig out my two 1516 stories, one in which it broke the singer’s car, the other in which it created its own horizon rendering it apparently invisible to the human eye 👍

Would you like a slot at the SE Bass Bash to regale us with your 1516 dits, Chris? 

I'd be front row, obviously 😀

9 hours ago, PaulTrevellyan said:

 

this is a little awkward…thank you for thinking about me, I lost all my login deets (hence the rebrand) but yeah Phil The Bassist here sayin’ hi! 👋 

Just to bring you up to speed with the last 15 years. It's the same people, chatting the same chat but the gear got lighter, GAS got more intense and basses became a lot harder to sell. 

Other than that, you've not missed anything. 😀

37 minutes ago, bassofdeath said:

I don't know so much about tapping sounds but I have tapped the pickups with various metal implements and the magnet stops short of the G. You can feel the pull drops off.

That's most likely a faulty pickup. There were a batch of them apparently. I can't find the source but I looked into it a while ago. 

Another fabulous BassChat deal with the mega-efficient Mark.  Packaging was very robust, it arrived overnight. Comms were quick and easy. All continuing to prove BassChat is the best place to buy and sell.

Thank you Mark. 

28 minutes ago, ossyrocks said:

I have an old GK amp which needs looking at. Surrey Amps have been recommended, but they are very far away from me. Who is Dennis the Legend?

dennismarshall.co.uk 

He was the official Mesa service technician in the UK for years and is renowned for his encyclopedic knowledge and ability to fix even the most desperate amps. He's in Dunfermline. 

3 hours ago, bassofdeath said:

Forgive me if it's obvious but when are said bashes?

 

I figured about the Pickups but even so it is very odd to get four misbuilt ones direct from EMG.

Bashes are gatherings of basschatters and guests where we take lots of gear along, chat and try stuff out, sometimes a speaker gives a chat. 

If you could get along to one, it would be a good opportunity for me/someone to have a good look at your bass. 

2 hours ago, bassofdeath said:

By all means ask questions, I don't mind.

This might seem crude but if you tap on the pickups with a hex key or similar just under the G string and then compare to the loudness of the taps under the other strings, does it sound quieter under the G.

Remember the shape of the reverse P in that soapbar cover. The pickup part will be forward under the G, at the back under the E. For the J, the coil is at the back and the front is empty. 

I've just tried it on mine and it's the same on all strings. 

29 minutes ago, chris_b said:

 

That was a new one on me, but they are also called Surrey Amps.

I think it must be a 'trading as' situation

https://amphospital.co.uk/

Anyway, they are authorised repairers of many leading brands, have an excellent reputation with lots of touring bands and since MJW Amplification ceased trading (retired), it's the only place I trust with my Mesa amps. Dennis the Legend is just too far away for me although his reputation is on a par with Stan. 

Well, I've learned a lot. I didn't know the WD-800 is based on the Walkabout.  I've got one (a WA) and it's one of my favourites. It's currently waiting to be picked up from The Amp Hospital after having some TLC. When I pick it up I'll be dropping off my 400+ for investigation. Now, the Amp Hospital is about a mile or so from Andertons and with a following wind they'll probably have an 800D there by the time I go. 

You can see where this is going...

A question (or 2) for @agedhorse if I may. BD-800 or 800D? What do the letters stand for? D, BD, TT, WD? 

2 hours ago, bassofdeath said:

I've been on a bit of a journey with my Euro. 

I have taken the tonepump out and added an LHZ3 in. I took the pair of EMG TWs out and added in a EMG 40p5 and a 40J, essentially trying to turn a 5 string euro into a classic split p + J 1980s NS.

Only issue has been...EMG.

The first attempt had a p5 where the width of the magnets didn't cover the G. As such the G is weak sounding and bad to play. I tried a second EMGP5...same problem.

Have any of you experienced this?

 

The other issue is that the 40J is....quiet. notably less output than the 40P5. I'm not running a blend pot. It's two seperate volumes. But I'm having to ballpark a blend by rolling off the p5 because it just bullies the J. And I hate doing that. Just feels like it's not working as it was meant to. 

Have any of you experienced a quiet J? I've had two of them. Both quiet.

 

Lastly, I'm abandoning the P5 and trying the six string 40p. This might cover the G. I am taking a risk that the A will get caught between two rails and be weak. But we will see - it can only be as bad as the 40p5 farce.

Have any of you ever tried this out?

 

Overall, I've tried to mod a Euro and I'm on the verge of cathartically defenestrating the entire thing. I didn't care for the sound of a satin finished Euro maple fretboard with the tonepump and TWs. I'm chasing the classic Spector tone. Trying to undercut the US model because I can't afford one brand new (£6500+). 

I'm running out of ideas. I've seen a bit of chat from some of you LHZ modders and I wonder if you have any tips because so far I'm feeling like I have botched this 'un.

 

Anyway. Tinketytonk.

Are you able to attend either the SW or SE Bass Bashes?

I'm holding back from asking questions or providing solutions without having seen/played the bass. 

I have a Euro LX 5 that has those pickups and an LHZ-03 and it's perfect. 

I understand that there were some faulty pickups out there at some point and that there's nothing wrong with the design of the pickups, just some mis-builds. 

I've got a Levy's 4" with rawhide on the inside on a Yam that I can transfer. I shall check out Harvest. 

I can report that if Neck Diving was an Olympic event, this Hamer would be the 12-string bass version of Tom Daley and bring home multiple Golds. It's a true champ 🥇

But we knew that anyway.

1 hour ago, Wolverinebass said:

Ironically, mine doesn't have a battery box and it's a 98. The battery is inside the cavity.

This is the third battery box replacement I've done in the last couple of years. One was an Ibanez, one my maple-board Spector and now this. I've never had an issue with the batteries in the cavity! 

6 hours ago, Wolverinebass said:

From experience, you would want to change one course of three at a time. I did make the mistake of taking them all off at once to restring and it took the neck almost a full day afterwards to equalise back. Which was a bit stupid.

Thanks. I need to remember this. I decided that the EXL170-12 strings it came with are good for a while, they've been on there a while but they’ve never been played. Interesting it was tuned to Eb Standard but I’ve now tuned to E standard and that has raised the action as you might expect. Truss-roddery will have to happen now.

There was corrosion in the bottom of the battery box causing a bit of crackly noise, so I’ve swapped it out this morning for a clean/new one I had here. It’s all untouched inside the cavity and there’s not a scratch on it. I think it’s just lived in its case under a bed since the 90s.

52 minutes ago, warwickhunt said:

Maybe best to just give engineers a premixed signal and a 2nd premixed signal could be sent full range to a bass rig for on stage monitoring.

 

My plans changed earlier and I replaced the battery box in the Hamer. It had green corrosion on the copper connectors and wasn’t right and I just happened to have an identical new one in my spares. It’s 100% now.

I’ve already had a mess around with the HX Stomp today. What you say above is what my first thoughts are after running a few different iterations of bi-amping patches. If you give the sound engineer a premixed signal then he should expect to treat you like he does the keys player or the backing track; just adjust for the ambient rather than trying to get the bass sound that is in his head. I think more sound engineers are getting used to modelling and going that way. It makes life easier for them. 

The patch I’ve done this morning uses that same split at 500hz. Mandarin 80 for the highs with 412 Mandarin Cab and Mandarin Bass 200 for the lows with the 6x10 Cali Power. 

Then I’ve saved another patch that is just into the G Cougar 800 with 6x10 Cali Power and as good as it is, it’s not bi-amped and doesn’t have anywhere near the same impact. 

I’m happy to share these patches as starting points if anyone wants them. 

One question on the HX Stomp. Do I need to carry one of those jack to XLR DI boxes to give the man my HX stomp out?  So, as in HX Stomp “Send” (front RHS) to Behringer DI100 type of box?