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[quote name='Strife34' post='1143589' date='Feb 27 2011, 05:39 PM']I'm looking at advancing from 4 string to 5 string and wondering what was a good bass to get around £300 - £450[/quote] I was really impressed by a used Cort A5 when I tried it. Nearly bought it. It's at Electro Music Doncaster. They have fairly close string spacing but I found it good for fingerstyle.

Yes, I'm on the same trip... very hard to let each one go but once gone you realise you won't really miss that one. And you worry one bass less about setups and strings etc, which is good. I've recently switched to 5vers and now I just can't see my four stringers the same as I used to which makes things a little easier. I want to get down to two basses - I know I will always gas for a P-type (so I have a Lakland Glaub 5) and the other will be pokier with plenty of warm articulate mids, maybe a Dingwall as they really intrigue me at the moment. But er... yes, I'm selling as well, honest. Think I have about eight still.

I think I'm heading that way soon... just gotta decide which Dingwall. Considering letting go of a few basses and possibly going for a Z3 but even the more affordable ones look like exceptional basses.

I would leave the preset off as that will always have the Trace signature tone all over it. The 12 band eq is very versatile. For Motown try a [b]fine[/b] cut curve cutting the top end from 2.6k onwards. Cut out some mids around 340hz and adjacent sliders to taste and give a slight bass boost around 60/100. If you need more 'body' put some 180hz back. 660hz is good for definition too.

As a recent convert to 5 strings I now find 4 string basses somewhat incomplete - almost like being used to 4 but then having 3. There are other advantages to having a wider neck - it is more natural to me to adapt to better fingering technique. Of course you don't [i]need[/i] the 5th string, but I really like all the options that open up when it's there, not to mention the extra low notes.

It looks all wrong to me, like it's back to front or something :-) Just looking at the logo - is that right about leftys not having the words 'Precision Bass' on there? I never knew that. I like SB maple P basses. Does look very clean/pale for it's age.

I would avoid the big weighty SVT-type 2/300 watters. I think that area is well covered by Ampeg and Ashdown at the moment. Lots of players are also avoiding weighty amps these days as well. My recommendation would be look towards a studio/practice boutique rig with sound quaility the #1 criteria. It needn't be more than 30watts. My old Trace V4 200w combo had about 10 preamp tubes and it sounded great (warm and valvey) at really low volume. I would like to see a valve compressor on board as well. I would prefer to see a great sounding amp that's controllable than one you need to turn stupidly loud to find it's tone. Even some people with SVTs take their Markbass to the gig. Aim for the studio connoisseur!

Yeah it's not note for note but I like it none the less. Great tone too. Nice to hear a bass sound like a bass. Cool.

+1 on his work with Kate Bush. Really inventive stuff that works. Marvelous player. If I ever took up fretless I'd have a good listen to John Giblin.

There was a lot of paperwork when I sent a bass from the UK to NYC and then back again for repairs. Things went ok in the end but I got the impression that if customs even *think* there is something amiss they won't hesitate to charge you. What annoys me is when buying from the US you have to pay charges on the shipping costs in addition to the expected tax and customs charges. That doesn't seem fair and it's that kind of behaviour that would make me want to ahem, look at other options. I wouldn't want to risk the bass being confiscated though. I'd probably look to decrease it's value somehow and pay something on it but not get ripped. I've never imported a bass whilst returning myself so wouldn't know the score there. A Rickenbacker 4003? I would find a UK model as I don't think the prices are that outrageous here.

I've given this a spin today. I would say that it is a nice looking piece of kit, looks great in black. I always liked the 12 band EQ from my Trace days. Sound-wise it does put your bass into that tone area associated with JJ Burnel - in fact I found it hard to get out - the graphic didn't seem to be as effective as my Trace preamp on the low end. It doesn't do distortion but I like the way it handles once you get a bit of fret grind going. Whilst some amps start to protest and sound flappy and loose this one seems to sound better the more you hit it, almost compressed but in a good way. The Harmonic Emphasis isn't my thing but if you like to add top-end sizzle and go for an earlier Burnel-style tone it's there.

I owned a TC450 for a short time. Personally I didn't find the sound that I was looking for - and I don't go for sizzle I go for vintage. It was in good company as there are loads of other things I've tried that I decided weren't quite 'the one' either. Markbass F500 for instance. Both good amps. Must confess though that I'm sure there is a bit of snake oil in evaluating amps for me. If it looks like it's gonna get warm then it's probably gonna get me the sound I want. The Class D stuff (especially something without a single tube) has to try a bit harder if you know what I mean. Lovely set of features in one package all the same. I ended up looking at higher-end channel strips instead but if I was on a strict budget I could make a TC450 work for sure (although I'd probably choose an Ashdown or something). However there are video clips of the TC450 where it sounds excellent.

[quote name='Deep Thought' post='1026194' date='Nov 16 2010, 06:35 PM']I love the idea of these, but I think owning his signature bass [i]and[/i] his signature amp would be taking things a bit too far-unless I played in a Stranglers tribute band-which I don't![/quote] True... though these early ones are minus any actual signature on the front unlike the production run.

Just had confirmation that in order to keep the price down at JJ's request (a very reasonable £569 RRP) the on switch has been simplified to a less extravagant switch at the back. And for those that note the similarity between this and the red MK model the preamp on the JJ-500 is voiced to JJ Burnel's preference. Can't wait to try it out.

[quote name='AndyTravis' post='1024173' date='Nov 15 2010, 12:20 AM']The blue Stack Knob is ace.[/quote] The one with black nylons? Mine The 'Herbie'.

I think JJ's original amp was a AL600 or something.... before the MK series came out. I quite like it as I do like a Trace-style 12 band graphic for tone tweaking AND I like the Ashdown VU meter aesthetically. I own a ABM300 head at the moment for backup and giggles but I'm not a huge fan of the sound. This could be more like the old Trace's perhaps. If it had a compressor I'd have been sold even though I'm not particularly on the lookout for a new amp. I would also replace the slider caps with white ones. Still, it's a decent price point I think. Not sure how you switch it on though. There's no big button on the photo.

[quote name='crez5150' post='1020953' date='Nov 12 2010, 07:55 AM']Isn't that just the Mark King head but in Black???[/quote] That's very a very astute deduction! That's pretty much correct apart from a special transformer by the sounds of it.

Just got notice of a new Ashdown bass amp based on JJ Burnel's own amp which I seem to recall is a black AL 600 (I think). There are only 10 available right now from Ashdown's Custom Shop with the production model arriving sometime next year. RRP is £569. Here's the blurb and pic. As a bass legend for the past 30 years JJ Burnel is no ordinary bass player and his bass amp of choice is just as special as the man himself. The AL-JJ500 was developed in conjunction with The Stranglers bass icon with the objective of creating a versatile, rack-mounting bass amp head with a thrilling dynamic range and an ultra-clean fast-response 575 Watts RMS output section. The resulting JJ-500 head has been JJs’ weapon of choice for the past decade. Suitably equipped instruments can be plugged in via a balanced, low impedance XLR input for the ultimate low-noise connection, with a conventional jack provided to accommodate standard instruments. The optimum input level is set by an input gain control, operated in conjunction with a classic, illuminated Ashdown VU meter. Precision tone shaping comes courtesy of a 12-band graphic equalizer, which can be switched in and out from the front panel. Unique to Ashdown Labs is a revolutionary Harmonic Emphasis circuit that actually synthesizes new harmonics which combine with the originals under variable level control to create a stunning extra top-end ‘zing’ – like permanently playing with new strings. The balanced DI output on the front panel can be switched pre and post EQ, and a tuner output with mute switch is provided for silent tuning. The massive, shielded toroidal transformer is custom designed for the Ashdown JJ-500 and ensures a continuous, regulated supply to power huge transients across a wide frequency response. Preamplifier features include low impedance and conventional instrument inputs, illuminated VU meter, Harmonic Emphasis, 12-band graphic EQ, switchable pre and post EQ balanced DI output, tuner output with mute switch, line output, effects loop and speaker outputs on jack and Speakon connectors

I normally prefer La Bellas but I just put a fresh set on a P yesterday and they sound a bit pants! They need to be worn in to take the edge off. Have you tried black nylon? Status, Rotosound and La Bella make a good set of those too if you are into flat territory. I have a worn-in set on a Status S2 and I think they are my favourite strings on it.

Speak to Dave at Electro Music. It will likely need to be ordered but if he can beat a price he will.

I have recently come to the same conclusion. I was pretty much obsessed with obtaining the lowest action possible. I was getting quite a bit of clack which needed precise playing to manage properly. However, I then spent a small fortune trying to buy the warm round sound that I could never get! Years ago (ahem) I would have liked liked the aggressive, fretty sound but tastes change and I now want round, full and warm. I want just one note to sound good and be able to hold it's own. I went too far with the action and after reading about Jamerson and Flowers I decided to bite the bullet and raise it on one of my basses. Suddenly the notes were cleaner, richer and fuller and yes, easier to play. I'd just play without having to worry about digging in too hard. I remembered again how enjoyable it was just to play freely. I would still class my action as low (and I always alter the truss with the action set super low so I can hear the relief of the neck better) but it's not crazy anymore. So I can see where you're coming from, definitely. I'd lost sight of it too.