Lfalex v1.1

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.

Nice colour choice and finish. Just about the only time gold hardware looks good is on a green instrument

That'd be cool. And maybe worth $3k.

Yes it does! As per usual, I don't like the pickup selector system. This one would would work better with 3V,1T and individual on/off switches per pickup.

They're harder to tune in mirrored 4ths...

Duh. I forgot the Cs!!

Warwick Fortress Flashback (discontinued)

12 String Grand Chapman Stick, tuned in mirrored 4ths BEADG / BEADG..

If you look closely, you can just see the Colorado River running out of it....

TONY LEVIN!! Don't fob him off with some OLP. Give him a proper signature model. Like that 3 string one-off Stingray he had. No weak G string on that!

Fender have done better in the past; The Stu Hamm Urge and Roscoe Beck Signature were both different and excellent basses. I take your point, however. Particularly in the case of Geddy Lee and Steve Harris signature models.

That's a contentious statement. I think if you took a bass whose EQ could run 18v or 9v and tried it both ways, you'd notice. Edit- Bear in mind that if the pickups are active, they'd benefit from the extra headroom as well as any onboard EQ.

My Vigier Passion s3 didn't apparently move at all when I changed from 35,55,75,95,120 to 45,65,85,105,135. Patrice reckons the necks don't move. I'm inclined to believe him. I suppose if you engineer a neck to remain stiff under the heaviest set of strings + a further 25%, it'll stay put. That's what I'd do.

Now I think of it, The US NS EUBs (acronym hell!) Have concentric alternating laminates of carbon & wood. They have Ebony fingerboards.

So not completely dissimilar to Vigier's 10/90 neck system, then? Truss rods (or lack of) are an interesting concept in graphite- necked instruments. On the one hand, they offer relief adjustment. I suppose that they require a little attention, but mainly due to changing player preferences rather than climatic concerns. Does the presence/ absence of a truss rod affect the sound, and if so, how?

I think it is a function of my playing through headphones and generally not using any fx or amp/cab sims.. it is a very revealing but unrelenting set-up.

Still having lots of fun. Played for about 3 hours this afternoon. By virtue of a 2mono/1mono adapter, I can now use my Pandora PX4d with the stick. Tuner works really well with it, but the stars of the show are the amp sims and, better still, modulation, delay and reverb. These really can flesh out the sound of the melody strings, and the tap delay in particular helps keep my right hand timing up to scratch. Ideally, I'll get round to using the Melody side into the PX4d, and the Bass side through a Zoom B3 into a mixer. That'll be good, as I can use a drier sound on the bass side and save the heavy modulation for the melody alone.

I've seen ads for them. They look good, but there's stiff competition from the likes of Ibanez Talmans (cheaper, I know) and Sereks, to name just two. I don't really like V/T/3 way selectors. I'd prefer 2V/2T on a bass like the Wilcock (stacked knobs would be fine) Nice to see something British made at a sensible price point.