Lfalex v1.1

My experience is a bit limited, but it seems to me that (irrespective of class) there's no replacement for displacement... or Power. I started out with a no-name 80w 1x12. It got utterly drowned out in my first band practice. I replaced it with a Trace 1110, but I think I was only getting half the power without an extension cab. Next up, a Trace SMX combo and a choice of extension cabs to to liberate the full 300w. That still wasn't enough. I ended up with an Ampeg SVP pro into a QSC PLX 1202. 1200Wrms into 4 ohm, about 600Wrms into 8. That did the trick. Still class A/B, though. I'd not baulk at a class D amp, as long as it had plenty of power to spare, and I got a chance to test it at real-world (on stage/rehearsal with a drummer) SPL.

I tried playing mine with it horizontally across my lap whilst seated. Why? , you ask. I spend 40+hours a week on my feet, and I might like to sit down! I hate, hate, hate wearing a belt and dressing like I'm Simon Cowell just to put a stick on. It's not bad at all. Granted, my hands are both approaching the instrument from what would be the top edge, but at least it's helping my right hand dexterity with regard to fretting. It's got 28 years' worth of catching up to do!

If it's an Allen key, you could always rout the body as per Fenders. (It'd be nice if someone made retro-fittable capstan wheels that fitted into the socket so it worked like a Musicman truss rod adjuster.)

Or seek out that Ibanez thing that had a fretted E, A, D, & G, then a fretless duplicate D and G string. All on the same neck, of course...

Didn't ZZ Top have something like that?

I think I'd go for (given unlimited time & resources) A matching headstock, black (better quality) hardware, better pickups, then a new loom and pots. I'd keep the scratchplate white. Especially if it's 3ply W/B/W.

Mid frequency sweep controls. Excellent for dialling in a good variety of tones. Humbuckers with coil taps. Other than the cost of the wires and switches, why would you not do it. Kudos to Musicman for the Ray 5. That's how it's done. Strap buttons that stay tight. It can be done! I have a bass that hasn't had them tightened since '96 (and it's not a Warwick with the recessed fittings!) Single coils that don't hum. Good fit and finish. I like anything that's been manufactured, finished and assembled with care and attention. Then subjected to good QC. Just to make sure.

At £315 (ish) it's up against some serious competition. It sounded good in the video, but there were (as ever) other variables at work. Someone needs to do a level-matched A/B demo with loads of different products.

Jeez. They must have MILES of string wrapped around the posts to make them look that offset. It looks so far out that I thought they were meant to be the other way around! Probably the last Luthite Ibanez I'd buy. I like my EDB (605?) and aim to find an EDC 705 and 715 at some point, though.

Yes, but they've string E and A backwards. Ought they not to be strung such that they pass under the machine heads, thus maintaining the straight string pull?

That's not the best piece of stringing I ever saw..

The seven Vigiers I've played were superb. One Passion S2 IV. Three passion S3 V One passion S3 IV fretless One Excess IV One Passion S4 They were all good in their own way. All superbly made. The three five strings had very little to choose between them in terms of sound and feel. They're very consistent.

Yes. I want an L-bow. That is all, I'm afraid!

No to a Fender Roscoe Beck signature then? Or a Stu Hamm Urge? Yes please to either or both for me.

Or you can treat it with kid gloves so it acquires no further dings. You must, of course, make contact with the owner of the original to ensure that they do likewise. Not pointless at all! 😉

I owned a '97 Warwick Streamer LX6. I had to sell it due to a divorce / house purchase / needing funds. I liked it. Played well, sounded nice (if a little polite) Upsides? Great for chordal stuff. You can play further across the neck before you have to go up it! Or down for that matter. They can be weighty. A thick, wide non-slip strap can help, though. There's plenty to choose from these days at all price points. Downsides? Re- stringing costs an arm and a leg. Some less enlightened musicians may mock you. I got a bit of stick from some other bands' members for using it with acoustic guitars and light percussion. It was actually well- suited to it (as I felt compelled to prove) I arguably played my best gig with it. And was sacked from the band immediately thereafter for bruising the guitarists' egos. Drummer wanted me to stay, but was out-voted. Lovely instruments, but can polarise opinion a bit...

Or my EDB 605. I think they might actually share neck dimensions with the SR series (?)

Yes, just once. I put Elixir Steels on my Yamaha Attitude. They were far better in terms of mid-output, which I felt the instrument lacked when it had DR Sunbeams on it. Back to other variables again, though. Billy Sheehan uses Roto steels. As everything on that bass is biased towards his taste, it's not inconceivable that there's some synergy at work when it comes to Steels being better than Nickels. Furthermore, the two strings differ in that one has a round core and one is a hex, so once again there's more at work than just the choice of string winding. And then there's the fact that Elixirs are coated and Sunbeams aren't. Edit- I usually use Elixir Nickels these days. But selectively use Steels on instruments which I think will benefit from the better upper-mid definition they seem to offer. For example, I put Steels on my Warwick and Nickels on my Ibanez Ergodyne.

In general terms, most manufacturers seem to suggest that Steels have more mid output than Nickels, but that Nickels are generally marginally higher in ouput as Nickel has a degree of magnetic sensitivity whereas Stainless steel doesn't. This means that (if I understood it correctly) the Nickel windings contribute to the overall output but not Stainless Steel. Personally, I can barely tell, as there are too many other variables in play!

I had an SMX, and always wondered if a different valve would make a difference. It uses an AX7. The "OD" valve in my Ampeg SVP-Pro is an AU7 and can be properly driven, as can the AX7 in the input stage. I know next to nothing about valves, but I wonder if a different valve could be substituted which could be driven more easily?

I don't own a helix, though. And whilst I can and do use a mixer, sometimes the adaptor is more convenient. I've suffered no ill-effects at all from re-combining the two halves of the output. Mine's running the all-passive stick-up. Is the Railboard active?

Ah, but if you did have one (they're £2), you could run each half of your railboard to different FX/compression/EQ, then reunite the two signals before using a single amp etc.

I took a wild punt on mine in exchange for a nice bass in good condition (so is The Stick, people don't trash them) They are very different. And, as a bassist, you'll struggle to reproduce any up-tempo, blazing basslines that you might squeeze from a bass guitar. The tone of the bass strings is simply amazing. Clarity and sustain of a piano, attack of a harpsichord and warmth of a bass from the wood (or aluminium if it's a railboard) The melody strings can be a bit twangy and brittle sounding, but take well to modulation effects and delay. At least they're laid out as you might expect, even if you play them from above with the "wrong" hand! Anyone thinking of buying one; Do lots of research! I didn't (typically), and it's been a bit of a mission to pick up bits of info people might otherwise take for granted- For example, mine is a 36 inch scale. Apparently, there are 34s out there. You can play above what appears to be a zero fret. To stop a note, you just release the string against the integral damper. Problem is, there's now no facility to use an open string to pedal against or whatever you might want to use it for. On the plus side, any theory knowledge you have is immediately transferable, and learning to control the dynamics of the strings will come quickly to players of string instruments. Similarly, hammering on and off, trills bends and slides won't be too alien either. There are workarounds for some of the issues that prevent a Stick from functioning in a bass-like role; Playing uncrossed (left hand for melody, right for bass) stops your hands colliding. Simply turning down the melody strings and using both hands on the bass side can give a serious turn of pace if needed. I tried tuning the bass side in 4ths rather than 5ths, expecting a revelation. It didn't happen, so I went back to 5ths again! And an 2 female mono to 1male mono adaptor (as pictured) could become your new best friend. It means you can plug into one amp/DI/fx unit/desk channel/headphone amp if you need to.

Uh.. both at once. It has two outputs, you see..

As with all such things, YMMZ.