Al Krow

I like that it has a smaller footprint than the G6 with no wah pedal attached. Shame that they didn't include parallel routing for fx: that would have been a welcome addition and something that Helix has been offering for 5+ years now - and @eude's point on pricing on. The other competition we've not mentioned so far would be something like the Boss GT 1000 Core.

I've come across far worse reasons for wanting a piece of kit than it's something that is associated with one of your heroes! No ridicule from me, mate.

The Zoom B1-4 actually has a really good tuner and drum machine for practice & doubles up as a decent headphone amp for when the family is tucked in - that more than pays the entry ticket. I find myself using several of the B1-4 fx in our covers sets e.g. - analogue chorus - B7k drive - Z synth - slap back delay Maybe only for a handful of songs, but it's a nice to have and fx definitely gets heard in the mix - most amusingly when I've accidentally trod on my B1-4 and triggered an fx that neither me or the band were expecting. Lol! If you're a fan you can also stick a compressor and Zoom's noise reduction sim on each patch. It slips very comfortably into a gig bag pouch. For around £50 used it's amazing value.

Hi John - my guess is that B6 will mirror the capabilities of the G6 which "has six different amp models to choose from, with each amp being custom designed and tweaked for inclusion. There’s also an impressive 22 cabinet emulations, with 70 pre-loaded full impulse responses providing various options for microphone positions and rooms. If this wasn’t enough, you can also upload your own favourite impulse responses (IRs) via the SD Card slot." That's taken from this review

Personally I'd get one of these over a PH... Just lovely! And that reverse P pup is likely to be awesome - would love to hear one being played live.

First reaction. Ouch!!! Delayed reaction...ok that new processor seems to be quite a step up from the B3N and B1-4 and Zoom are clearly intent on going toe to toe with Helix and Headrush. Good for them - the more choice the merrier!

Congrats and my bad - I thought you had got the 4 string version of the Marquess, but I can see now you've got the MM.

The B1-4 screen should power up with just an external power supply (i.e. computer usb or 9v adapter) connected. With internal batteries, the screen only powers up with an the input jack from a guitar lead, to save on battery life. But that lead doesn't actually need to be connected to anything.

Was interesting - thanks for sharing. A very big Zoom fan here, but I'm not feeling any particular GAS to rush out and get the B6 - I'll happily stick with my B1-4 for now, based on the B6 blurb. If they get around to upgrading the B1-4 or B3N with the new chip in a more pedalboard friendly format, that would definitely be another matter! Definitely coming around to the idea of this pedal a lot - having now heard some more clips of what it's capable of!

"B1/4" = Zoom B1-4 multifx. The cheap-as-chips alternative to a HX Stomp.

Apologies for hijack, but I'm about to upgrade my Carvin with a 3 band Glockenklang (the current preamp was long past its sell-by when I got the bass). What was the issue with your 2 band Luke?

We always had to pay VAT on purchases of new goods UK <-->EU, it’s just that it's been extended to used goods too, now, which is a shame, but puts us in a similar position as VAT on imports of used goods from the US or Japan etc. There is an additional point to do with import duties which is usually a much smaller number than the VAT. No import duties on new goods that have a UK or EU source of origin, but if it is considered eg Chinese source of origin then import duties can apply. What the amount of actual local content to make something "locally UK or EU" varies, depending on the product, and is certainly beyond my expertise though!

My takeaway from some really excellent posts on this thread is that: - the woods used in a bass can certainly impact the tone and feel of a bass; - perhaps the most important aspect for tone is the woods used for the neck and fretboard but also whether it is a neck-through (for greater sustain) or bolt-on and also if it's laminated/single piece. That completely makes sense as the neck and fretboard have the most intimate connection to the strings; - the overall impact is, however, going to be relatively small and will be easily swamped by other features, namely: pups (make, P, J, MM etc), choice and age of strings (rounds vs flats etc.), whether it's active or passive and choice of preamp - and that's before you get to the rest of your signal chain (pedals, amp and cab) which can substantially change things up again. So I'm inclined to agree with those who have concluded that we shouldn't get too hung up on the woods in the bass in terms of tonal impact, but instead go for something that looks and feels great.

Great write up! Totally sympathise about the mute button - I've gotta five(!) similar push switches on my DG amp, one which is hidden from view by the bass lead (usually the one I forget about) and an ohm switch on the back, so it can feel a bit like a pre-flight check list sometimes making sure they're all in the right setting, lol! On your fBook page it says you're a one gig a month band. Is that something you strictly keep to?

That bit is definitely correct! 👍

Ah fair enough - totally agree that if you're primarily playing 4s, then there's no particularly point getting a premium 5er. Btw - do you agree with my dating of the eBay TRB 5Pii? Be good to get a second opinion!

Absolutely brilliant bit of kit and very wet! I do believe you've got my old one (which I sold on to the BC'er you got it from and before that belonged to @dodge_bass of this parish). Glad it's found an appreciative new home I've ended up with its more compact / less featured successor the 3Leaf Proton Mk4 (2020), which is the first filter I've had that's comparably good to the GR2 - and the only reason I moved my GR2 on. Like the GR2, it offers both upsweep and downsweep. The other filters I've had, in order of preference, after the GR2 and Proton Mk4 would be the: - Fwonkbeta (very good), - Aguilar Filter Twin (a little too polite for me - but had both upsweep and downsweep); - MXR M82 (two attempts at this one, I just found this a bit too harsh / brittle - but others on here clearly rate it highly); - Walrus Kangra (filter fuzz - I found the filter a bit meh).

He's actually said no reserve, but collection only from Brum. The seller has estimated the date of manufacture as being 2007 but from the serial number 0FK1096 I think it's a fair bit older at April 2000. The one in the FS has a QNM serial no. = (June) 2007 as stated by the seller. The eBay one is ash and ovangkol so may well be lighter than the, lovely but heavy, bubinga one in the FS here. @AndyTravis - you tempted by the one on eBay - could be a real bargain with limited buyers as he's not willing to courier and no reserve?

I'm now kinda intrigued as to why you have to palm mute on your 424? It's not something I came across with my 425 and not something other folk have mentioned about their 424s previously. What are you finding happens if you don't palm mute? Just wondering if there is something about the set-up that could fix this easily for you?

Not sure I got your Q, Dean - could you elaborate for me please? I'm certainly not using any external dampener or needing to palm-mute unless I deliberate choose to for effect.

I've been looking forward to trying the Marquess out with a full band but that's been delayed due to the fact that the B-stock Marquess that Thomann previously sent me unfortunately had a bashed top of the headstock (my pic was carefully angled to avoid displaying that!), which was a lot more than would be expected from mild wear & tear on a B-stock bass and given that the packaging was undamaged, it was clearly either something done in-store or by the previous owner and Thomann didn't spot. Thomann kindly agreed to provide a replacement including paying for the return postage, which is what they always previously did. It took a little while for the replacement to come through - delays with Customs on the way back and a bit of chasing my end, but arrived safely yesterday and they were very responsive throughout. Another thumbs-up for Thomann. Thought it might be useful to re-confirm the weight: the previous one came in at 4.2kg, this one is a shade heavier at 4.3kg (9.5 lbs) but still a very comfortable sub-10lbs for me, particularly when combined with a decent strap. Had a nice exchange with another BC'er, who is a pro-bassist, about me "downgrading" my kit to really good quality but cheaper gear (basses and amps in particular). He made the following comment, which I hope he doesn't mind me sharing, but hit the nail on the head for me: "I’m really appreciating the charm of cheaper stuff too. Not sure if it gets to a point where you’ve had the high end stuff and realise that the difference isn’t that wild, or when you’re gigging and realise that, for all the niceties of handmade stuff, cheaper gear can still do a top job." Combine that with not having to worry about getting a high-end piece of kit damaged in a pub gig so you can just focus on playing the thing, and I'm loving returning to high quality but more budget gear.

There's a stunning TRB5 Pii currently in the FS. But the weight at 5.04kg / 11.1 lbs was the deal breaker for me - too much for me to comfortably wear over a 2 hour set. I'm not sure they ever come much lighter, but you might be comfortable with the weight. I've also just discovered how outrageously good the Yamaha BB 2005s are, particularly for the money - they've been the best kept Yamaha secret from me till now! 85% of what my BB NE2 provided at 30% of the cost - very, very happy with it. If you get a chance to try one of these, definitely worth giving it a spin.

@Hellzero - thanks very much for sharing that Sadowsky post. When someone of Roger's calibre is prepared to go into print on a topic involving bass construction it's gotta be worth giving him our ear, right? I've dug out the pdf if anyone wants to download it. Wood & Sound - Sadowsky.pdf

Cheers @Hacksawbob! I know exactly what you mean about the cravings the BB 2005 model seems to induce in some of us - it's done that to me on several occasions! It is a beautifully designed bass and although I do particularly love a white finish on a Yamaha, the natural wood finish also allows the mahogany stripes in the neck-through to be seen and not masked as is the case with the white and black. Have you previously owned one of these? @martfitz - I think I came across a post recently which mentioned you had a BB 1500A, a BB 2005 and previously had a BB 2004? You're clearly way ahead of me in discovering the delights of the BB JJ series!