Lfalex v1.1

Funny that. My best ever tone was at a gig in Leicester Square. The venue had a Hartke HA3500 and a 4.5XL cab (4x10+T) My Warwick Infinity SN4 sounded ace through it. I had a Trace SMX, 4x10, 2x10 and 1x15 for various applications, but moved those on quite a while ago. They did the job. Didn't sound as sweet as the Hartke. Next for me, a lighter, mid-sized, power tolerant cab. Then I'll try to find a suitable head.

Yes it is! And all 3 pickup options sound good in the correct setting, even though 2 are actually single-coil (w/ the middle hum- cancelling) Better still, there's no volume jump between positions, like a Stingray 5. Some other basses I've had exhibit a sizeable volume differential between Single Coil / Parallel / Series operation.

There is a reason that I neither named the bands nor made them identifiable by virtue of genre; Other bassists on here may wish to audition/ play in said outfits. It's not my place to discourage them, so it's my attempt at being fair to those who have no "right to reply".

Just for context, I wandered seamlessly from band to band for the first 6 or 7 bands. After a decade out due to work/ family commitments and issues, I have no connections, and the old ones are incommunicado.

Or am I just being fussy? I've been looking for quite a while. I'll concede that there are work- related availability issues on my side, but that's about all. Band 1- Initially interested, material was OK. Then saw their promo vid and was a little unnerved. Found some YT live footage, then decided to give it a miss. Clearly a vanity project, with two of the four members acting as a revolving door for the other half of their unstable line-up. The bassist that took the role left again PDQ. Band 2- Actually auditioned this time. The bassist who auditioned before me looked visibly shaken as he left. Wasn't the best, but the drummer dropped it mid- song, and I caught it. Hit it off with the drummer. He was complimentary about my playing (which was nice) Bags of attitude in a small, hot room from the singer. Guitarist was head down. No eye-contact . Only the drummer and I were actually working together. You could cut the tension in the room. It came to nothing. Last I saw they were still looking for a bassist. Band 3- acoustic duo. Got sent 16 tunes. Learned 12. Some I really liked. Some I already knew. Got there. Lovely chap. Didn't know or couldn't remember ¾ of the songs he'd sent me... The search continues. Rant over. Any similar experiences?

Whereas this lot cost less than £600 between them..

For all that Affirmas are lovely, they're kind of hard to get hold of, not to mention expensive!

No problem. Any other questions, ask away! They are a bit unconventional, but the Ergonomics and playability are great.

Lovely. Now you need an EDB600, EDC700 and an EDC 710 to complete the (4 string) set! (Edit) Be sure to Google the manual. Care should be taken with string changes to avoid damage to the piezo elements. And have a look at the trim pots on the back- I think there's 6; 4x1 per string output balance. 1 piezo bass. 1x piezo max volume (which I matched with the magnetic pickup on max volume)

I've heard that at a gig. Do relatives count, though?

I did a mutually beneficial trade once. But it was so secret I can't talk about it. Definitely a good result for me, though. Welcome (back?) to the Bongo VI club, Russ. Mine's terrific.

Not really. They're just called "The...[insert manufacturer or model name]" Except for the Ibanezezes. They're called A,B and C. As they are an EDA900, EDB605 and EDC715 respectively. Only exception? My Fiancée calls my G&L "Bluey" because its sort of Greenish.

Sorry. Neglected to mention that the bass in question is 34" scale (G&L SB-2 Tribute) It had much heavier and stiifer strings than I'd have liked when I got it, and they still had plenty of life. I tuned it to D Standard to lower the tension and it also decreased the neck relief to a point that suited me better. The capo was really a convenient later addition to save the need for retuning to a point that the string tension became an issue again. Luckily, it also sounds great as a really punchy short-scale!

Although for different reasons, I use a capo on the 2nd fret on a bass tuned to D standard. I find it works a treat. Scale length is about 30½ inches that way.

Random (related) question; On the Original Mighty Plug, is it possible to defeat or bypass the amp and/or IR selection? They seem to be permanently enabled according to the app. I find the IRs in particular to be an annoyance that I could happily do without in some circumstances.

From what I can recall (and it was a while ago), the chassis, which is common to all iterations, is mated to 3 different faceplates, depending upon the application; The combos (with the ventilated sections either side) The AH versions which have their own sleeve The RAH versions which have top- plates and rack mounting ears.

Bongos are Basswood-bodied, and they sound fine. It's actually quite a light, resonant wood, but (like Poplar) it's not very attractive. That's why it gets used for solid finishes.

Have you got the original bolts? I re-used those, and they were fine.

Might it have been an "RAH"? That was a rack- mountable version of some of the AH models.

I did it. Removed the head from my H122smx and built an Mdf sleeve. I also cut the amp cavity off of the resulting cab and because I'd peeled the carpet covering off carefully, it folded straight back over and recovered it. I put a terminal in the back of the cabinet and used it as a shallow 2x10 for many years without trouble. Back to the amp... I used 18mm MDF if memory serves. I cut full-width top and bottom panels, such that the end pieces would be sandwiched between them. I drilled and recessed the holes in the top panel that take the head retaining bolts before I built the enclosure. Lining them up is the most difficult part of the whole job. IIRC, I screwed and glued the head sleeve. I'd already sourced a matching (Penn fabrications) pop-out handle, rubber feet, corner protectors and carpet covering from a Maplin store... shows how long ago it was! I drilled pilot holes for everything, and amazingly it never fell apart. Good bits? It worked. I sold it. It carried on working.. It was easier to transport. The head and cab were a nice match as they were the same width. Cons? If you stood a 2x10 vertically, the head was WAY wider than the cab! And would only stand on top with the addition of extra feet (be mindful of where you position them!) No photos exist, I'm afraid. Any that might have been taken are now lost. I found 2. Both from poor quality live photos. They only show the end result, though.

(As an aside more than anything) Aren't some Musicman pickguards completely foil-lined?

Once you're in there, check the connections between the various sections inside (they're modular for ease of replacement/ manufacturing various models) They're wired together with push-fit spade connectors, so over time and being bounced around, these work loose The culprit in my SMX was the signal lead from preamp to power stage.

Isn't that some sort of heresy you've just uttered? 😉