glassmoon

Right... Quick (late night) post-rehearsal check-in. Positives: This unit is the real deal. It delivers better than expected. The EQ is solid, the compressor is better in the band mix, and the drive, coupled with an octave, delivers a usable amount of sizzle without too much "noise". It took me a while to dial in the kind of drive tone for the job (both with octave a la synth vibe and on it's own for the whole driven tube effect), but it does deliver more than less I believe. Not perfect, but usable. Negatives: I miss the musicality of my Carl Martin compressor and the MXR pre. Buuuuut, that is just because I was spoiled with those two units. Drive would be better served with a blend rather than a level control. I would like to have the ability to push the drive, with a fairly dark (less treble) tone. The drive I have is more than I'd like in order to actually hear the effect...and more can equal a less than "clean" sound. But that's a long way away from a real downside I'd like to believe. All in all, size, weight, ease of use and "the ear factors", make it a definite winner. I'd like to A/B this against the TC Electronic SpectraDrive. The TCE does have a 4-band eq, but no mute. And no tuner out to take advantage of the mute. I use a clip on which negates the mute, but as I use an active bass,the ability to save battery life by unplugging....well, you can see where I'm going. Happy boy here....

So, a new pedal - one to replace a couple - to lighten the load (my 50+ year old shoulders will thank me later) - and in general, as I strip away all the "need for more gear" part of my personality... Firstly, a huge thanks to @MattW for coming through on this deal - you are the man!! So I haven't played this in a band context (that's tomorrow evening), but these are my first impressions A. Build quality there is literally nothing I can say that is a negative on the build. Besides the fact that it is not lightweight as in, it's not a BOSS pedal if that's what you're wondering the brushed aluminum shell is stellar - and looks really classy B. Sounds The EQ is very usable. I particularly like how the mids sit with the SD MM pre in my bass - almost like they are doubling up on the frequency response... Bass: +/- 17 dB @ 35 Hz (This is a shelving EQ , not a peaking equalizer, so 35 Hz indicates where the boost is highest) Mids: +/- 19 dB @ 500 Hz (This is an RLC resonant equalizer, so there is a peak at that frequency. The inductor in the circuit creates some pleasing artifacts, particularly in the “cut” or CCW settings) Treble: +/- 14 dB @ 4.5 kHz (This is also a shelving EQ) I have used an MXR M81 for a long time now, and those are just gold IMHO, so doing a before/after comparison is perhaps not fair at all - the MXR is just lovely.... .... but I think if you want a nice EQ to add some smoothness and perhaps to boost the lows a little, this does the business rather well. The compression is very usable, but sensitive (I need to get used to the RMS thing) Having used a Carl Martin comp/limiter for the last 15 or so years, I have been unbelievably spoiled, but it's all about swings and roundabouts, and I can't say this is a massive step backwards. It is just not as musical ... I think that's it. But as I am playing with less and less (obvious) compression these days, I think this is a win. The overdrive is something that for me was just a "nice to have, maybe I'll use it, maybe I won't"... but it works really well with my octave to create a pseudo-synth vibe, which for things like Stevie Wonder and Bruno Mars, is actually now a big plus. On it's own, there isn't that much of a blend, so your own sound is not really "there"... but with the octave, it's a thumbs up. So yeah - not the most "bass the world" kind of review... more my first impression and opinion. I think this is definitely worth every penny of it's price tag, especially if you, like me, are looking to consolidate into a smaller, easily transportable footprint. if you want the best EQ, the best compression and the best OD, then sure, individual pedals are your thing - but that requires (more than likely) a pedal board, and that means weight... a compromise, absolutely... a worthwhile one, absolutely Julian

What an absolute beauty of a bass - I have seen many Sadowskys and this one is simply breathtaking!!!

Woah! What is that 5 string jazz???

Hey @M@23... Many thanks for the kind words. Yep, the stock pickup was replaced with the Delano and the 2-band EQ with a Seymour Duncan STC-3M3 3-band EQ. It is absolutely impossible to describe the richness of the tone! The 2nd cab is indeed a twin of this one. I've not yet played them in anger, but hopefully I will be able to soon. I am certain that you will be more than happy with yours, and yeah, you'll probably want the second one hahaha

First gig ever in the UK. A very big day for me. After years of playing in South Africa, I finally join the UK gigging scene, in Sarf Essiixxxx no less. Anyway, my rig. Ashdown Retroglide 800 head (what an amazing piece of gear). RM-210T-EVO cab (Ashdown upgraded the drivers to bring this up to 500W @ 8ohms). I could've brought both cabs, but there was plenty of gas left in the tank (volume at 9 o'clock). Excuse the lo-fi mobile phone picture.

OK - just released... I may never want to play bass again after this!!!

I did consider that, and in all honesty, i think i will take that to a professional to install... Not that my mate couldn't do it himself, but because I don't want to mess it up when I drill LOL HUGE thanks for the help @BassBunny - rockstar status!!!

Thanks mate - y'know, I saw those, but to me, they don't make much sense in terms of correlating them to the Duncan. I am NO electronics boffin, not by a country mile, but my mate, who is doing the soldering, is... and he was confused I get the Delano side - yes, exactly as you have suggested (page 9 on the PDF I downloaded), but where I (we?) are going squint, is - and I am hoping your explanation will make sense of what I am about to say... Delano Duncan Brown - ground Green & bare Green - Hot to pre-amp Black Yellow/White - connect together Red & White As in.... I pair a. brown with green b. green with black and c. yellow & white with red & white? Does that make sense????

Hello everyone I recently took receipt of a Delano MC 5 Al bass pickup, which I will connect to a 3 knob Seymour Duncan STC-3M3 preamp. It should be a straightforward job, as I want to wire it in series to get a little more power (is that a correct assumption BTW?), but the S.D. wiring diagram asks for red, black, green and white. The pickup has yellow, brown, green and white. I do not wish to assume anything, so I ask please, what do the Delano wires translate to in terms of the Duncan's ask - or for that matter, almost every other 4-strand pickup wiring I've found? I don't want to blow the preamp or damage the pickup. Please can you help????? My gratitude in advance Julian (UK)

On the playing front... Eva Cassidy as I prepare for a tribute show... and new songs for my function band's reintroduction to live music... On a just listening for listening's sake... Altered with the incomparable Jon Flitcraft on bass

Free postage? I'll take that off your hands with pleasure - might be a quick trip to someone who knows circuit boards!

That is just brilliant - time to head off to Thomanne/UK

Million dollar question... What "extras" did you have to pay for the board now that Brexit has norsed up the EU taxes for us?

Just took receipt of a Seymour Duncan STC-3M3 preamp to kit out my Sterling Ray5. Not only was Mark aka @ebenezer a breeze to work with, but he was happy to wait for me to get my ducks in a row...aaaaaaand, after reading my posted question on recommended upgrade paths for the Ray5, he reached out to me. Splendid chap

Looks very much like a BTB405QM in transparent black

Yeah, the more I think about it, I'm just going to have to get a custom pick guard made to accommodate the larger (non-lugged) pickup.

Well, the only other option would be a new plate - which isn't the end of the world

Great video. Problem is the shape of the SD 5. That it is a rectangul and doesn't have the 2 bass lugs and 1 treble lug is just beyond my understanding. Were its a 5 string version of the 4, it wouldn't even be a competition I suspect... Someone must've thought it a good idea though