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martthebass

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Everything posted by martthebass

  1. martthebass
    I had the money for one of these set aside for a long period of time and searched without any success. I eventually gave up and bought a DarkRay in the same starry night finish so sadly my cash is tied up in that one.....
  2. martthebass
    Lovely, my dream bass right there. Predictably come up at a time when the gig bank is at a low ebb and giggage level doesn’t justify going into savings. GLWTS
  3. martthebass
    Only just getting around to posting the XMas gigs........bit of a washout to be honest. First time in 10 years that I haven't had the Flu jab and, yup, came down with a dose on XMas eve eve. Scuppered the XMas eve gig (and XMas dinner that I'd pre-paid....) and the betweeny Saturday. Was just about compos mentis for NYE and managed to get through it. To be honest, the gigs I did make weren't the best, not as well populated as usual, not sure if this is a trend but I've noticed the last couple of silly seasons have been hit or miss for gigs. Still we take the rough with the smooth. On the positive side our IPO registration for the new band name came through so an ex-band member who had caused 'difficulties' after leaving the band can no longer cause grief on that front. A bit of a break now as I go in for more surgery but will hopefully be back at it beginning of Feb.
  4. martthebass
    For years I used 15" and convinced myself that I needed drivers that size for 'my sound'. Well age creeps up on us all and downsizing to 12" was required. Can't say I've had an issue filling the low end, even in fairly big rooms with 2 x 12".
  5. martthebass
    It’s either that or give it to the taxman 😂😂😂
  6. martthebass
    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.
  7. martthebass
    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!
  8. martthebass
    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.
  9. martthebass
    Mine’s one of the light ones - 7.5lb. 4str Fretless.
  10. martthebass
    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.
  11. martthebass
    Looks awesome, I have a Lionel in the same colour, looks great on stage. GLWTS
  12. martthebass
    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.
  13. martthebass
    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….
  14. martthebass
    Well someone got a bit of a bargain on this one - £1700…
  15. martthebass
    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.
  16. martthebass
    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.
  17. martthebass
    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
  18. martthebass
    They are awesome. I’ll be gigging my gold one tomorrow.
  19. martthebass
    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.
  20. martthebass
    Take a look at the Sandberg Lionel, decent string spacing and 40mm nut width. If you get an alder one, about 7.5lbs, the ash ones are about a pound heavier.
  21. martthebass
    Maybe it's an 'enjoyment' thing Dave, if the Glam band is having more engagement/fun then I guess there's more enthusiasm to learn new numbers and keep it on the boil. As we've gone through 2 drummers in 3 months (though the current one is now a keeper), we've had to go back to a core 'set', fortunately the new guy is so much better that the numbers almost feel like new.
  22. martthebass
    Back out last night with the glam band after a 4 week hiatus. Relaunched with a new name after a previous band member registered the old name and did a ‘cease and desist’ on us. Less said about that the better….even at my age I occasionally get surprised by the actions of others. A big lively and local WMC, pretty full too so it was nice to be back on the pony. A pretty full diary now until January so onwards and upwards.
  23. martthebass
    Unless you must have the roasted neck and new decal try out a fettled first generation. I’ve got one of the later first gen and it’s a pretty good bass for less than half the price of the new version.
  24. martthebass
    I’ve got the shorty Sterling and even though it’s passive it’s fairly hot and got a distinctly Stingray sound. If anything it’s got a bit more top end bite than my Darkray.
  25. martthebass
    Plus one on the material precious-ness. I’d always been post-punk/rock oriented and found myself in a 70s Glam Band.
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