Hellzero

Urm, Bartolini tone is just the exact opposite of cold, dull and sterile. I don't know which bass you tried with these pickups nor preamp, but it must have had some serious problems. You are right, it's not about string length, but construction and mastering it.

The 36 inches scale basses are not really standard... I'll maybe be selling my rare Japanese Tune BEB-6 (but it's a 6 strings bass). If you can find a Tune BEB-5, go on, they are terrific basses. Overwater is making some 36 inches scale basses too. Just as Celinder or Fodera do, but in this case, be prepared to sell a kidney. 😉

You're not British, that must be the reason, or you are the only one with good taste. 😁

I love everything about this bass, except the look that makes me want to 🤢 puke 🤮 oops, did it. Terrific players too, but, man, how is it possible to have such bad taste ?

In fact, there are lots of conditional sentences in this "authentication"...

The cheaper is here :

The Seymour Duncan Hot Stack Jazz Bass will make a terrific association.

By the way @Marcoelwray can offer you great prices on Delano and Nordstrand. Ask him for a quote.

Glockenklang (even if I love their preamps) don't work well with Yamaha pickups, strangely. Bartolini is working great with Yamaha pickups, Aguilar too, but it has too much of everything in the end, and the Nordstrand preamps are to me a bit too expensive, but their pickups are terrific and expensive too. Is your TRB-4 the one with the Jazz Bass like pickups (if it's a first generation) ? Maybe you've got a picture.

Yes, of course, almost any courier can do it, but it's an extra, so you'll have to pay for this. You can also take the parcel to depot or shop taking them for UPS, Fedex, GLS, DPD, and the likes. If you have to ship abroad, EuroSender (https://www.eurosender.com/) can offer you a pickup wherever you want with a real insurance up to €2000 Euros (they are now based in Luxembourg). It's a logistics company, so they work with almost any courier and the weight limit can go up as high as 40 kilos for a parcel or even more an a pallet shipping. And you don't need to be a pro.

NEVER take the neck off, it will put more tension than desired to it. Always send your bass tuned as the tension will make the whole stable. If you decide to slack the strings (if you are afraid of the broken head syndrome), then you'll have to release all the tension of the truss rod otherwise it will be worse than shipping it tuned.. Use a soft case or a hard case with bubble plastic wrapping the bass and the case. Protect the fingerboard. A soft case is better than a hard case as it will absorb the shocks instead of amplifying them. Make sure the instrument can't move in the case. Put the case in a box and use tape to cover the whole : this will protect it from humidity, rain or even staying in water. Try to ship on Monday to avoid too long storage. Always insure your parcel and read carefully the T&C as some couriers won't refund more than £100 GBP. I've sent hundreds of basses and some guitars all over the world with only one (1) issue. Don't forget to put a label with your full address and the one of the recipient with his phone number. You can add a "Fragile" label, like the one I use. Take a look at the pictures I always do when shipping an instrument, so the buyer will not sweat during days.

And these should work : https://www.thomann.de/gb/hoefner_flatwound_strings_for_bass.html

These were the original strings : http://www.danarmstrong.org/strings.html

20K for a Yamaha hard case is a bit expensive, isn't it ? I know those period correct hard cases are hard 🤣 to find, but you'll get a free real guitar made with drawers discoveries and impossibile to identify, furthermore stolen by a former Gibson non employee... Nice story there. 😁

Try the Noll preamps, they are quite cheap and very good value for money. https://www.bassparts.de/epages/61038859.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61038859/Products/"B 2012"

Sold my GSS 06B400 with its battery pack and carrying bag to Dan. What can I say, except that it was a smooth and easy transaction with a very nice and communicative chap. Another credit to BassChat.

@51m0n : As it's obvious, you want to have the last word, then I'll let it to you. You are totally right, I know nothing at all.

I hate compressors for what they do and you love them for what they do, so it's going to be a sterile debate. And if I'm ill informed, which is not the case as I studied their purpose and use (and especially abuse), I can tell you you're mixing an expander and a compressor in the way you explain how they act... That said you wrote that you would be "considering not using a compressor," meaning that for once in your life you've heard your bass through a non compressing/expanding system and realised what dynamics really means, intrinsically linked to headroom (and power). Ask Anthony JACKSON why he's using tons of power. Go to a classical concert, or listen to a church organ live, and you'll understand what dynamics is and the unnecessary sound quality destroying power of an expander/compressor even tube multiband type (which are the "best" ones, because of the natural compression of tubes, that I studied too). If you know your history, you are aware that the expanders/compressors were created to compensate the poor dynamics of broadcasting and then vinyl recording, which by the way, is the worst analogical (organic or natural) reproduction as the bass must be compressed and the highs expanded to be engraved into the groove : that's what for RIAA and other standards were developed. Funny that you always read the exact opposite... Says the old 53 years old bean, still not deaf at all today thanks to the straight to the amp plugging. And if you want to know, my hearing is also still very very good as my yearly tests proove it (I take great care of my ears). Have fun with your new amp, which is the most important.

Music is all about dynamic, no ? So no need for a compressor as it's a dynamic killer. But I think we'll start an endless game here... And BC is not an audiophile forum, fortunately.

Apologies accepted. 😉

My rig is this : Warwick JH PR40 preamp + GSS Sumo 1000 power amp + Audiokinesis Hathor 18134 cabinet : Nothing else. Tell me, where is the compressor ? 🤔 Ask Robben FORD about the fingers not being compressors... 😉

So, you are the one. 🤣