martthebass
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It’s either that or give it to the taxman 😂😂😂
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I don't generally judge on the basis of what gear people are playing, but I guess like most of us I do like to see what guys are using in a band setting. I don't own high end stuff, my compact collection of 5 basses runs from second hand £400 (Metro Express Sadowsky) to about £3.8K (Status CW - 1st gen). In the main I think I'd be lying if I said I couldn't tell the difference between £400 and c. £4K from a feel and playability point of view. From a sound and utility viewpoint though it's far more subjective and less cut and dried. For gigs I use a second hand Sterling shortscale Ray and a Sandberg Lionel, the latter was 3 times the cost of the former but I suspect most punters wouldn't spot that and certainly wouldn't hear the difference. But, the Sandberg is nicer to play and easier to bond with, so to me it's worth the difference and while not cheap (mid range?) I don't feel too uptight playing it in some of the more shonky venues.
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Not posted for a few weeks but our new named ‘Glam Viva!’ Band has been fairly busy as is typical for this festive time. Last Friday was at a nice private social club in Dronfield. Takes a bit of sorting as the sec likes the volume on the low side for a band but we’re happy to cater and just adjust fold back to give us a decent feel on stage. Vox was happy with sound out front though when he ventured out for his normal audience participation. We were pretty tight, my Sandy Lionel has a few gigs under its belt now and we’re bonding nicely. Ended up doing an extended encore set and promise of gigs for next year. Felt odd when we were asked for NYE 2025 but had to decline as we’re booked…..so we’re in the diary for NYE 2026!
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The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!
martthebass replied to Baloney Balderdash's topic in Bass Guitars
I can get this sort of effect when I overload the input stage of my headphone set up with my Sterling shortie. The pup is on the hot side so I've never paid it much mind, I just knock the gain back a bit compared to my other basses. However mine's always been this way, it's not just suddenly happened as you describe. -
Mine’s one of the light ones - 7.5lb. 4str Fretless.
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The pickups on mine are fine but the EQ was swapped out for a J Retro. Sounds lovely on the fretless - the pups are pretty good.
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Looks awesome, I have a Lionel in the same colour, looks great on stage. GLWTS -
once you've played a 5 string what's the point of 4?
martthebass replied to DDR's topic in General Discussion
There are times when I would appreciate a move to a 5er. In my current band a few songs are keyed down which makes playing the 'correct' line tough on a 4 so I have to improvise. I have tried to make the move a few times and found in each case that it had to be an 'all or nothing' for me as swapping between 4 and 5 ensured I'd make plenty of mistakes on gigs so I stuck with my comfort preference of a 4. -
The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!
martthebass replied to Baloney Balderdash's topic in Bass Guitars
I think changing the pups is a relatively cheap way of changing the fundamental sound of a bass. If people are happy to put decent pups in a bass it may equally indicate they consider it a well built platform? For myself I own one Sandberg and no Fenders…. -
Well someone got a bit of a bargain on this one - £1700…
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The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!
martthebass replied to Baloney Balderdash's topic in Bass Guitars
I think a number of people buy the Lionel VS4 expecting a sort of vintage precision like tone. It's actually quite a punchy modern tone, not hard and brittle though - but the pickup is quite hot (It's louder than my EBMM Darkray) even though it's passive. I actually like the tone of the stock pickup and won't be looking to change it. So I personally don't consider it a weakness but I guess some people expect a different sound based on the looks. -
Shortscale Stingrays — Sterling vs US EBMM
martthebass replied to Jean-Luc Pickguard's topic in Bass Guitars
I concur on the control plate - think it looks hemmed in. After many months of searching for a EBMM Shortie I finally gave up and bought a used Sterling (and a new EBMM Darkray...) and to be honest it doesn't look that 'unbalanced' in the flesh. As you'd expect quality isn't exactly EBMM though.......functional I'd call it. Having said that, the sound is pretty much like the EBMM (watch the Andertons YT Vid) and it's a great little player. It just does without the comp nut, shaped neck pocket and hand oiled/waxed neck but it is a quarter of the price. -
Not sure if anyone else has spotted this. I was after one of these for months but had no luck tracking one down and in the end depleted my funds buying the Sterling version and a Darkray. Looks in great condition, so my loss could be someone else’s gain. Looks like it could get towards £2k though. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/126777405462?_skw=stingray+bass&itmmeta=01JCX4NTNEC1RYCC3ANDT575ZX&hash=item1d8485b016:g:8qIAAOSwjgBnNgSu&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKk8eZSsvn0Zn36KV6EK4qweTFcUTsAENT0vzT3Z0L%2B5OklMCqd0bCTk15tLhMKBxQvKwj%2FWOGXnaz4QkKr%2BtyVxqNq91eYG9wVEVC7SwuXfiBxYlSM2oYASZCqQ7DWjquofCMaQiotzVmG7e7x04%2BCyR71AinT39ZCk4y5I8wi20OQny0kQKsWPgwJbSMB3Wy34FsJ6Qo6zgsLB2q55NBRKGa4yNsnV1DpEnrrblDb%2B%2B4T8X%2BLuXdT5ZKcurHX%2FVMfFcj1EpXx6XBMqvCk5jvkxrz63RYmyMpxz6xBTFfFc2g%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR-aq16TnZA
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The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!
martthebass replied to Baloney Balderdash's topic in Bass Guitars
They are awesome. I’ll be gigging my gold one tomorrow. -
The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!
martthebass replied to Baloney Balderdash's topic in Bass Guitars
True. Even new there's not many about. I think Bass Direct have 2 or 3 but no other stock in UK that I could see when I was looking a few weeks back. Worth the search though.
