Lfalex v1.1

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.

An idea I'd like to pursue is a good quality wooden fretboard (Ebony? Pau Ferro?) On a graphite neck. I guess no one's done it because the expansion rates and moisture absorption of carbon fibre/ graphite and wood are probably vastly different, and the board would either warp or lift off in places (?) I think it might imbue an all carbon instrument with just that smidgen of warmth..

That's very specific! I think Warwicks should just be "Woody"!

Thanks for posting that. I like the Bongo, and for the most part, I like this. The weird fretboard would have to be demonstrably better before I'd believe it was necessary. I'm even less convinced by the controls. I had a quick scan of the page, and all it says is that it's a 5 way selector, and they're "programmed" Does that imply Coil switching (bridge, outer, inner, both, neck?) AND eq presets to match? Could be good. Could be not-so-good, especially if they're baked-in and can't be changed. Think I'd prefer a regular Bongo 6. I guess it'd be difficult to A/B test them, as they're hardly common! Edit- found/read the control pdf. That's a weird thing to do. I'd prefer more "control" from more controls!

So far... I hadn't heard any of the others interpretations, had a quick go myself.. and ended up with an amalgam of the precision player (doubling the main riff) and the Spector for the melodic part. So much for originality. The tune is ok, but ultimately there's not a lot of space or scope between the guitars for much harmony without turning it into a 2-way noodling match betwixt the bass and lead guitar.

Are there any pickups with "blade" polepieces? They would allow whatever spacing you like v without worrying about polepiece alignment, if that's your concern..

Cool, thanks. Uh.. not metallers; imagine the guitar has no distortion and pretend it's neo- classical?😉

That IS interesting. Some of us should have a go at it. Not that I have the faintest clue how to record myself via a phone, nor do I have the facilities to make an audio mix of the resultant chaos! If have to not watch other people's versions, or I'd end up inadvertently plagirising bits. Edit- Where's the original bassless audio hosted? I haven't had chance to watch all of it, but didn't see a URL..

Socially distanced audiences, eh? Sounds like a cue for a couple of Anthrax numbers; "Antisocial" (I know, its a Trust cover) "Caught in a Mosh -NOT!"

Is that one of them there Boggarts?

The Attitude. Generally polarises opinion..

Brilliantly well made (My MIJ 10th Anniversary BS Sig was) The scalloped frets don't affect playability, and that neck pickup is quite something. The "P" pickup is quite bright to offset the depth of the neck humbucker, but I never got on with the overall package tonally. Suits Mr Sheehan's playing style and equipment set-up, but not necessarily everyone else's.

You remember correctly! It is 37 laminates, so the neck is a very high resin/glue content. That, coupled to the orientation of said laminates yields a very stiff neck. Which sounds reminiscent of.. you guessed it, carbon fibre.

Not at all, I'm afraid. Even if all else were equal, bass cabinets' output are subject to all sorts of environmental (as in room-related) artefacts to which headphones are virtually immune; Room modes, reverb, reflective/ absorptive surfaces, whether the floor is solid or hollow, boundary reinforcement... Some of these can be harnessed to improve your cabs, or EQ'd out as much as possible, but the net result is that headphones can inform your tastes in amplifiers, but only if you play through the said headphones. I'd expect different preferences if you then switched to using cabs instead.

For me, it's the white block inlays on a bass that's otherwise light woods and black hardware. Black blocks or just side dots for me, thanks!

At a slight tangent, I had a MIJ Yamaha. It was excellent. Well designed, well made. Excellent fit and finish. Japanese craftsmanship / manufacturing is at least as good as the best that any other country produces.

I'll add a "+1" to this. My '96 Vigier Passion S3 may be a different beast to Ped's S2, but it's still rock solid. It's one of the other phenolic fretboards that hasn't had any issues. And further to three's post; the S2 is the bass I should have bought.

I'll try to remember.. It was TOO light and small for me and bounced around when I played it. It seemed to exaggerate every bodily movement I made and not stop! Spent more effort trying to hold it than play it. Strings. If you don't want Status' own strings, you'll have to source other Double ball-end ones or use the clamp above the nut on regular strings. That's fine, but it'll leave sharp protruding ends. I stabbed myself in the hands a couple of times. That's a pain when you're just about to play. Why was I using regular strings? I use coated strings as my sweat attacks strings. No one makes coated DBE strings. Setting the intonation was a royal faff. Fretboard (phenolic) started staining and de-laminating from the playing surface downwards. Neither of my other phenolic-boarded basses have exhibited this behaviour. Lacquer started to crack around the base of the bridge/tuner assembly. I am religiously careful with my instruments and am fairly sure it wasn't caused by impact damage. They don't fit in regular hardcases. Maybe a guitar case would work, or a generic square one and cut your own foam and liner- To Hobbycraft with you! They don't sit comfortably in stands. Yes, they'll lean against walls, amps etc. while resting on their lower strap buttons, but it'll get damaged eventually. Electrics. I specced series/ parallel switching on mine. Seemed like a good idea after my experience with the Stingray 5. The Ray has the outputs from its series and parallel taps buffered down to the level of the single coil setting. No volume jumps when you switch settings. The Streamline didn't have this (IMO essential) feature. This led to me not using it. Didn't like the EQ much, and struggled to get a useable sound I liked from it. Might've been the pickups, but I couldn't get it to sit in a mix. It seemed to lack fundamental output, and the whole sound seemed "thin" I only bought a 4. Should've been a 5. That was my fault, but it probably spared me an even bigger hit when I sold it on! They are compact and well-made. They suit some playing styles. Mine felt like a product from a well-meaning cottage industry. Initially impressive, but longer term ownership (about 18 months) revealed the issues, and it reached a point where I couldn't bear to look at it. It remains both the most expensive bass I've ever purchased, and arguably the worst. Buy one second-hand. Edit- reminded about the gig bags! It is putting the bass in/ taking it out that leads to the impaled hands when using single ball-end strings. Mine was also the only bass I've owned in 30 years which the 9v batteries leaked. (And no, the rest weren't all passive!)

I expected great things from my Status Streamline. Ultimately, it was just too small, light and dinky for me (and I'm by no means big) Mine also suffered from a collection of issues which began to do more than just niggle, and I couldn't get a sound out of it that I liked (which is something I've never encountered before or since) I'd quite like another headless, but string choice is a real pain for me, as I really do need coated strings as my sweat destroys regular ones.

I tried that. It just buzzes really badly ! 🤣

Excellent work! I love some of the things that people on here make/mod/re-purpose.

I'm genuinely surprised that paint stays put!(Rushes off to get silver paint to make a Hartke transporter suddenly much better)