Al Krow

Thanks Luke - I love the preamps on both my Elrick and Spectors, but they're quite different so it's not a specific sound I'm looking for. But actually you've got me thinking that the BB 2005 does actually benefit from, and pair really well, with my Tech21 VTDI which makes the bass feel more alive and able to cut through the mix better on a couple of different settings. Whereas the Elrick and Spector I play don't particularly benefit from the VTDI in anything like the same way. I know there's a line of thought that you can get "your sound" consistently by using a pre-amp pedal but my, albeit limited, experience suggests that's not always going to be case especially when you have an active bass. Tired = worn out (it's a nearly 20 y/o bass). But I'm really keen to hear if anyone else has done an upgrade and it worked well with their BBs?

Guys - just giving my earlier post a little bump - have any of you fellow BB owners ever replaced / upgraded the preamp on an active BB? Appreciate that a lot of the range is purely passive!

My tuppence worth as an owner of a bunch of high end cabs and amps as well as MB combos:- if you want something super crisp for playing solo, then MB may well not be for you. If, on the other hand, you're after something that works brilliantly in a band mix, then you could do far worse than MB.

@Sparky Mark - thanks that's v helpful. However are those the EQ graphs at max and min settings for each of the EQ knobs? In which case at a moderate boost or cut you're not going to hear much difference at all at say 3kHz, given that a 3dB boost is just about noticeable.

The EQ points on my LM3 and AC 121 amps have been the one thing I would have liked more flexibility on, particularly the massive gap between the 800Hz hi mids and 10k Hz treble. This amp has totally nailed that!

@Lozz196 hey Lozz - here's our band set up outdoors at the weekend with everything going through a pair of RCF 912As, other than guitar. So no bass backline at all - I've got the bass going through just a Zoom B1-4 into the desk - super easy set up. @Pirellithecat - thought you might be interested in this clip, too, as you decide on which RCF 12"s to go for, if you've not settled on a pair already?

I think the interference issue was due to the lack of adequate shielding on my former Zoom L8 desk, which is a budget and plastic housed desk. Not had any interference issues with the Xvive U4 with several other desks including Mackie, Allen & Heath or our own replacement Soundcraft desk. FWIW the lack of shielding, on the otherwise really good value Zoom L8, only seemed to be an issue with wireless i.e. nothing equivalent with the usual wired set up which most BC owners of the L8 / L12 range seem to be using.

Thought I'd give this thread a little bump! Had a lot of fun playing at the Hackney half marathon on Sunday with over 20,000 runners streaming past!

We were invited back to play for the Hackney half marathon runners for a second year, which also included an afternoon slot on the mainstage this time around. A huge amount of fun: 20k+ runners this year, made doubly special for me as my daughter was one of them 😊

Am thinking about upgrading the preamp on my BB2005, which is feeling a little tired on what is, otherwise, a great bass. Any of you swapped out the preamp on your active Yamahas and could recommend me something that worked well?

Interesting / helpful feedback - which Shure model did you have?

Already been said by Dan! ^^ Plus I had the pleasure of collecting the unit in person this morning and enjoying the company and hospitality of a true gent.

Nice review, thanks Greg! @Reggaebass - check out the ultra low at 4.10 - ooof!! Methinks that could be just up your street!

That does look lovely! Does it sound as good as it looks?!

To deal with low lighting, get a decent chip size if you can 1" , 4/3, or APS-C - that will help get much better low light pictures and videos, and reduce "noise". Get a model with a separate input for an external microphone - camera in-built microphones don't tend to be that good. Mirrorless should be just fine, you don't necessarily need to step up to the bulkier DSLR.

Exactly this!

Little confession time: I've been wanting to love my Spector Euro 5LX bass for a long while, because it's such a good bass - it's got such a meaty Spector EMG growl and punchy low end which immediately announces you're there to an audience and cuts through the mix effortlessly, but it's played second fiddle to my lighter Elrick for some while (also a great bass) and I've had it up for sale on and off for 6 months as it wasn't getting used. My particular issue has I've just not been able to find a way wear it comfortably - it's felt a bit too heavy and the fretboard extension was at a tiring angle for my left arm. Fortunately I managed to resist near offers and gave it another go with a wide padded Minotaur strap tonight combined with slightly shortening the strap length. Bingo!! 2 hour gig tonight it felt just fine, well actually more than fine. Singer commented on what a great looking bass it was (it is!) and drummer loved the tone. I'm not disagreeing with either of them 😊

Aha sorry - you're quoting Jon Willis, which actually makes it doubly poignant for me, given that his Stomp patches have a big fan-base amongst Stomp users.

@Bigwan this comment of yours really caught my eye: "As much fun as I’ve had with the Stomp over the years, it’s been lacklustre for me in a LIVE setting. The Ampeg SGTDI gave me everything I required with minimal tweaking." Could you elaborate for us a bit please on what the difference you're hearing between the two that makes the Stomp "lacklustre" whereas the SGTDI really hits the mark?

I seem to be collecting these, just now! Getting noise issues on my main gigging bass (Elrick) with both the Lekato and Nux, but not with the Boss WL-20s, but not on my Spector Euro 5LX. So am wondering whether this might be down to a shielding / earthing issue on the Elrick preamp - will investigate. Update June 2023: the issue with the Elrick was the barrel jack connection which has been replaced. All fine now

This is the other thread running in parallel 😊 Boss wireless alternative? - Accessories and Misc - Basschat

@Woodinblackwould it be worth merging this and the Alternatives to Boss wireless threads, as they are covering pretty identical ground simultaneously?

[Previous problem identified could be a shielding issue on the bass preamp - comment deleted].

I've had: (Crowded) 2.4 GHz space Smooth-hound - great piece of kit and Chris, the UK manufacturer, provided fantastic customer service e.g. replacing the plastic battery cover which has a tendency to easily break, without charge. Shure GLXD16 - didn't really find much, if any, benefit over the Smooth-hound and it's significantly bulkier / more expensive, so moved it on; Boss WL-20, super compact; frees up space on the pedal board and has generally been really good, but I've been experiencing drop outs (like the OP) recently since we've started using wireless IEMs in the same 2.4 GHz space; 5.8 GHz Tempted to go for the Shure GLXD16+, but £549 price tag - ouch! That's one expensive "cable" 😅 Lekato WS-50 (around £60)

These look good, but I guess I was hoping they might deliver a significant improvement in latency for the 2.5x price premium, but apparently not? Nux C-5RC 5.8GHz, Latency 5ms, Range 30M Lekato WS-50 5.8GHz, Latency 6ms, Range 100M (I'm guessing pinch of salt time for that) Correction - manual says 30M+ (unlike the larger figure on the website)