Musicman20

There is a Youtube video from Sound Affects Premier....it starts to sound good once it is Eq'd and turned up a little....about a minute in. It DOES sound like a Ric...!

Yeah Sterling Ball hinted and mentioned it shortly after the guitar dropped onto the market. I bet it'll be a while, but I think it is going to be a shorter scale. Big Al style 3 x single coils would be awesome!

St Vincent bass is coming apparently!

God I wish I worked in a world in which deadlines could be so loose!

Well the prices are all over the place. £440 is a good price. £540 isn't. I'll have one at £440 as I didn't need all the Helix amp models and I actually didn't want to go FRFR powered cab with modelling (I like my physical amps).

I agree. Whilst they make bold moves, I do think they get it right, if you give it a chance. Depending on the prices, I might have to look into a 4HH.

I’m thinking 4HH in a ridiculous colour....

Nah. Just get an Ibanez.

Basically it will have the classic Ray snarl but with the quickness and attack/precision of the neo magnets....they are VERY powerful.

Looks like the Stingay 2018 might be the only options for normal Rays....but I must admit those neodymium magnets sound ACE!

I wonder who will stock these? At around £1400-1500 I could be tempted.

Oh dear. I don't think they look too bad, and at least now they are proper 5 string basses. I played a 5 string Ric YEARS ago in the mid 90s (no doubt second hand) and it was so odd and just didn't work. I thought most 5 string basses were like that, which put me off them for a long time. The Walnut one is nice. The current orange burst they do really isn't my thing...despite loving burst colours.

D-Bird looks great. Not keen on the DG bass but then again DG pedals etc aren't my thing.

Interesting. I'll watch the video in a little while. I never expected them to completely overhaul the normal Stingray. Is this an additional model?

He's all about metal though. Nah.

I'd like a 5 string version. Lineup on poles looks pretty normal to me.

Oh heck...sorry to hear this. I don't tend to buy used unless I know the player or I have played the instrument. I would lodge a complaint with them immediately and ask for a partial refund. Whilst MIJ/CIJ Basses and guitars are great, the colour, finish, weight, neck, control and the amazing pickups would steer me towards the Flea Jazz.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1509703244' post='3400949'] But what does an amp sound like? For me it's just some EQ attached to a device that makes my bass loud. [/quote] Hmm..I know what you mean. I think it is just character. Despite being mainly a bassist, I think the guitar side is much harder to get right as I am SO used to pretty clean and powerful bass amps that I use a pedal or three with for say an Ampeg tube sound, or just use the amp as it is for the sound of my bass. Guitar is a different world. Getting that low level of hair on the notes is very hard to get right. Nothing sparkles like a Fender Deluxe/Twin when just plugged in with single coils. Etc.

I think Dood is a good example of someone it would really benefit as he's a musician a lot more than me! If you are a busy musician or basically spend all your time in music/lucky enough to earn a living from it, then it's worth putting the effort in.

The other thing to note is that the bass side wasn't really anything I'd be that bothered about using. I like my Genz/TC amps, and I like my Tech 21 pedals for getting a more gritty tube tone, and then a few good fuzz and octave pedals. I'm not a fan of the Darkglass tone, so that didn't really lure me in. I kept thinking 'does this really sound like this amp?' when I was trying the amp models....I wasn't really sure.

[quote name='CameronJ' timestamp='1509665446' post='3400785'] Been toying with the idea of Helix lately but I fear I’m of a similar disposition to yourself re: preferring the physical pedals...I guess I need to borrow a helix for a while and give it a little trial in my own time. [/quote] I would either try borrow one, or have one on a very good returns policy when you know it can be sent back no issues. I'm not sure whether you can send it back once the seal is broken to be honest. I got mine from Richtone, and as soon as it arrived I thought it was WAY too big and heavy, but exceptionally well built. I asked them about returns and as it wasn't faulty I would have to pay and arrange my own return, which I guess is fair, and I would then get a full refund. As the postage would have been £20-30 at least, I thought I'd try it out properly (as well as I could) and yes, it does sound good. Our Fretmeister kindly helped out and sent over some sample patches and IRs. Whilst the technology is fabulous, and the way Line 6 has designed it is fantastic, I don't think I'm ready for it. One, I don't gig enough and if I did it wouldn't be through amazing PA's that I could use this with. Two, I don't record very often at home at all. Three, I actually prefer the simplicity of an amp and the fun of having physical pedals (with a switching system). Four, I wasn't absolutely bowled over by it. It sounds good, and I didn't really concentrate on the bass side, but the guitar side seemed more suited for 80s high gain stuff....that's not me. I wasn't convinced by the delay, reverb or the pitchshifting. Five, it seemed like a lot of hassle to get that sound you wanted. With my Boss Katana for guitar which I use for low volume stuff at home, I just plug in and it's fun, and it cost £230 for the whole amp, speaker, effects, etc. Unless you have a lot of time to really get into it then it could be a bit 'oh for god sake, what now'. Six, the tuner is appalling. Absolutely shocking for such a high end bit of kit. I do think despite my criticisms that eventually, this tech will move so far on that I will be able to embrace it, but for now, it was surplus to requirements and was just sat there whilst I was eyeing up fuzz pedals. I was using the Helix into the effects loop of an amp (so just using the power section) and through a set of headphones and I just thought 'why am I doing this....I could just use the amp without this huge bit of kit and throw in my favourite pedals which do sound better'. I bought it just before the price surge and managed to do a deal, so I knew I wouldn't lose too much. Otherwise, I don't think I would have tried it.

I enjoyed my time with modelling but I’ve moved my Helix Floor on. If I’m being honest I still just prefer to plug into an amp I like and using physical pedals. I still don’t find the use of multi effects as fun as individual pedals. With bass in particular, if I really want a light rig Ill just DI with a good quality pre-amp pedal or mini board with pre-amp.

It'll be something in the higher-mid range that needs cutting IMO.

That’s nice!!!

The closest I have got is the Genz Benz Shuttlemax tone....I have the 9.2 and it is a very similar quick clear and bright tone. I LOVE it. Plus it is less than half the size and about 1/10 of the weight.