Al Krow

I guess the neck finish and whether satin or gloss must be very personal and affects us each differently, otherwise there would be just one neck finish that everyone would be demanding! In terms of the necks, the shape is identical for the 735A and the P35 and I do find the Yammy necks to be very comfortable to play. Having had both the 735A and the P35 at the same time for a couple of months, in deciding which one to keep the finish on the back of the neck was just not a deciding factor at all for me. But I know that the original owner of the BBNE2 in my possession did mention that he found the gloss neck finish too 'cool' on that to work well with, if I remember correctly, the moisture from his hands when playing. And I certainly have had a couple of basses which were just not particularly comfortable to play for me in terms of their body shape and weight distribution - a Warwick $$ and more recently a Squier Bass VI. So there are definitely factors at work at the minutiae level that are likely unique to us individually, like our own body shapes and whether the bass sits comfortable when standing vs when we are sitting - which is another point that Dave has raised but not mentioned by anyone else on this thread as far as I can remember in relation to Yammy basses. There's clearly no substitute for 'living with' any bass to see if it works for us!

Good review John, thanks! Staggering what value the Yammy BBs deliver when they are able to hold their own with basses such as your Berg which, new, are perhaps double the price or more.

Ah so that's why I've ended up with it! It's still super light - unlike me doesn't seem to put on any weight 😀😂

@Kev in which case, recommend you give the Boss SY-1 a quick spin at some point. You may be pleasantly surprised. Really loving mine and, as well as the quality of sounds, flawless tracking and fantastic arpeggiator, the ease of use is a massive boon.

@HazBeen Thanks for that mini review. Out of interest: - how does the tracking compare to the FI, is it broadly similar or tighter? - what is it that they both bring to the party that makes you feel you need both, rather than being able to manage with just one?

You're welcome. Haha, yup the KS won't be being made available for loan anytime soon!

I can see that you're going to need to spend some quality time in the company of a P35, 'cos from everything you've just said in terms of tone and wanting to get back into 5ers it could be just what you're looking for. I happen to know a narcissistic BCer who might just be prepared to let you borrow one for free for a couple of months...

Simples. Keep 'em both. Fender and Yammy. Yammy and Fender. Job done. And then play your 425 😉

Totally agree. What confuses me a bit is that Dave is still loving his 425, which isn't going to be a million miles from his P34 in body shape.

@GisserD are you after a 'pure P' bass or happy to consider PJs as well?

Did you just make that video private? Lol!

Are you completely sure about that? 😁

Are you talking basses or D class amps now then?! 😀

Why do I find myself invariably agreeing with everything you say Mr 196? Must be our age... 😉 We similarly never do more than an hour long single set, although we often do 2 x 1 hours during the course of a gig. Weirdly I actually notice the weight more at home when practising than during a gig. Guess I can put that down to the adrenaline kick + fun of playing live. I do enjoy the lightness of my Ibbys which are a delight to play over a long set. But equally would love not to be denied the opportunity to play some wonderful heavier basses. Currently trying to square the circle by exploring double shoulder straps to lighten the load on the put-upon ol' left shoulder.

I went for an used Gruvgear Duo Neo. Be interested in following this thread as the Slinger stuff does look good, but didn't seem to be readily available in the UK?

Ah shame. I've substituted with another by her (Anoushka Shankar). Ravi did have some very talented offspring didn't he?! E.g. the wistful Ms Norah Jones

Here's what it sounds like in the hands of the daughter of probably the most famous sitar player of all time, playing a piece that her father wrote to play as a duet with Yehudi Menuhin. [EDIT - blocked video] Let's see if this one works (it's a different shorter piece) ...

Excellent review, thanks Andy.

@Andyjr1515 - just quoting from part of your full post as there were a couple of "takeaways" that immediately jumped out at me, which I suspect may well be of interest to other folk, and which I've taken the liberty of highlighting. Have to say that in the over 2,500 posts we've had so far on this thread, I don't think anyone has made these points with such clarity - so thank you!

What you clearly need is one of these 😁

Fair, you either love it or you don't! John is totally mad to be moving his 735A on anyway (I've already told him), particularly as he still loves it as a bass! Funnily enough I used to be a massive fan of 'burst. But I've now become an 'anything but' 'burst, overly civilised pups, 4 strings... 😀

Out of interest would the Bass Buddy be worth getting if you already have something like a HX Stomp to cover off headphone amp duties? I see it has an EQ and comp, but then so does the Stomp. And I almost certainly wouldn't be making use of its 10W output. I could have been tempted by a Bighead just because of its compactness, but sadly none in this sale.

+1 ^^ but as modified, for me.

Love the approach and attitude you're taking - and you have all our respect and thanks for all the effort you are putting in, for free, which a lot of others are going to benefit from in terms of their enjoyment of this kit, and Panda Audio will benefit from financially. The flip side is that there are too many musicians who find it extremely hard to scrape a living with e.g. promoters getting paid but originals bands being made to play for free etc. So it's a balance. Panda Audio aren't a charity.

Gotcha - so an unpaid internship, right? 😉