CameronJ

Just coming back from BD again after a great example of customer service from Mark. He replied to my email first thing this morning offering to exchange the Double Four with a new one in store. I arrived, he gave me a new undamaged one and then offered me a lift to the station which I gratefully accepted! We had a little chat in the car on the way, he's a great guy. Will definitely be aiming my money in his direction in future!

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1508849988' post='3394838'] BTW as a heads up there is the latest 'studio' version of the EBS Octabass up for sale on here for £75, just after I bought a new one too! http://basschat.co.uk/topic/313978-pedal-peddler [/quote] I'm tempted to go for it, I must say...

[quote name='Quatschmacher' timestamp='1508847537' post='3394808'] Woohoo! Bass direct have finally got the Octabvre MKII back in stock. Should have it with me tomorrow! [/quote] Yep, I've just returned from Bass Direct for the fourth time in a week (long story in another thread...) and can confirm that I saw the octabvre mini with my own two eyes

Oh bloody hell, this is all I need

Amazing - basschat can truly be a marvellous place!

Dare I ask what offer has been proposed?

Disaster! After getting home and excitedly unboxing the Double Four it’s pretty badly damaged...one of the corners is bashed in and at the other end of the cab there’s a big crack. It seemed factory sealed - packed in a plastic wrap and sitting snugly between two massive (and undamaged) blocks of polystyrene foam in the box so it looks to me that someone at the factory got drunk on their lunch break, dropped the amp on the floor and decided to package it up anyway! Looks like tomorrow will be my fourth trip to Bass Direct in the space of a week

[quote name='Al Krow' timestamp='1508777918' post='3394367'] Excellent. Yes. And with your best interests (and preservation of any remnants of bank balance after your recent BD trip) at heart, can I just say "no you [i]really[/i] don't need all the stuff on Blablas' board!" Just occasionally less is more and more is less! [/quote] No, I meant the stomp switch cover things! [quote name='Quatschmacher' timestamp='1508787862' post='3394463'] Haha! How many is that now? (I’m on 6.) It’s pretty cool, isn’t it? [/quote] 5 currently for me. Not that it’s a competition or anything...

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1508774604' post='3394323'] Good move. [/quote] I think so! [quote name='Al Krow' timestamp='1508776433' post='3394342'] Congratulations buddy! So you planning on moving on your beloved Yammy BB1025x then?! I didn't think I'd see the day... [/quote] Yeah the BB1025x is now on the chopping block. I never thought I’d see the day either to be honest...played it last night and am still in love with the tone but the Super 5 is just a monster. Expect to see both my Yammys for sale very soon!

[quote name='blablas' timestamp='1508584260' post='3393080'] [b]Switch caps[/b] No new pedals or changes in the chain order. These caps make switching a lot easier without unwillingly changing the settings knobs of the effect. [/quote] I need to get me some of those.

I've just bought an Emma Discombobulator V2... I have a problem.

Update: It became rather quickly apparent that I feel most at home on 5 stringers now as a result of playing 5s exclusively for about the past 2 years. The upshot is the Saratoga Deluxe went back today and has been replaced by a Phil Jones Double 4 and an Emma Discombobulator V2. Definitely the right move methinks, and now I can sell all my other basses leaving just the Super 5 and my trusty Ibanez BTB33! I should probably edit the thread title now...

[quote name='Dr.Dave' timestamp='1508697724' post='3393889'] Mine's 20 years old , no idea what make. My mc stand tip would be buy a straight stand and fit a gooseneck. Most boom stands I'm forced to use from time to time spin round taking the mic away from you. My gooseneck stays put. [/quote] I’ve always wondered why goosenecks aren’t more popular? They really do solve a multitude of problems.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1508668914' post='3393607'] Do you want it for octave up or down? For a simple Digitech octave up with both a volume and tone control for the wet signal, they do the Mosaic pedal. Most likely the same algorithm as the Whammy/Drop/Ricochet. See if you can try one out on your travels, and if you like it, you can buy mine! [/quote] Hmmm, I’m intrigued. Is that a constant upper and lower octave at all times?

Well the Whammy Ricochet is going back to Wunjo today. The reason? No volume/balance control for the octave signal. So it’s either fully on or nothing. Bit of a dealbreaker for me I’m afraid.

Got the chance to play about half a dozen different Maruszczyks this week. Every single one was gorgeous. The fit & finish is exceptional on these things. You won’t be disappointed!

[quote name='Daz39' timestamp='1508620252' post='3393425'] The Super 5s look awesome; esp the satin? finish. [/quote] Satin indeed. The finish is called “Dr. Brown’s Burst”. I Compared the Super 5 against the AG5 Andrew Gouché Signature which cost about £500 more. The result? I preferred everything about the Super. To be fair, they felt identical in the hands but sound-wise the Super just crushed the AG IMO. Just a powerhouse. I actually think the Super in this finish looks prettier than the AG too. Nicer contrast of colours vs the all round mellow purple of the AG. And I say this as a man for whom purple is a favourite colour!

So today I did a terrible thing: Paid a visit to BassDirect and came home with 2 gorgeous MTD Kingstons - A Super 5 and a Saratoga Deluxe 4. I’d been after the Super 5 for a while and I wasn’t disappointed. Great tone, very useable EQ, coil switching for both of the MM pickups, very comfortable thanks to the lovely asymmetric neck. Also, just [i]look[/i] at that finish - what more could a man wish for?! Then, out of curiosity, I asked to have a go on a couple of the other MTDs they had hanging up. Picked up the Saratoga and MY GOD. I haven’t played a 4 stringer in about 2 years but wow. As soon as I got this thing in my hands it was just effortless. This is probably due to having one less string than I’m now accustomed to and therefore being able to really fly around the fingerboard. It’s just seriously [i]fun[/i] to play. This threw me somewhat as I came in looking specifically at 5’s and I definitely didn’t expect to fall in love with a 4! I had the opportunity to try out a few lovely Maruszczyks which were superb, particularly a handsome short scale passive Elwood (Jazz) 4 which I liked the feel of, but the single coil hum drove me nuts when soloing either pickup. What sold me on the Saratoga is that its pickups are hum-cancelling, along with the active/passive electronics with dedicated tone knob for passive mode. So I can go from a zingy and articulate active tone to rolled-off fat passive tone instantly at the flick of a switch! I absolutely love this feature. I Bought a couple of the MTD cases too - a single and a double - put both my new babies in the double case and slung it over my shoulders for the journey home by train. Carried the empty single case by hand. I guess these cases are comparable in protection to a Mono Sleeve or similar kind of slim case/bag hybrid. Leather handles which feel great. Lightweight design with enough padding for day to day lugging but probably not enough for the back of a truck or van amongst other heavy gear. They’re really well designed though in that the shoulder strap positioning means you can sling them really low without the case feeling odd on the shoulders. I’m 6’7” and was able to get it so the top of the case was just below my head height whilst remaining very comfortable the whole time. I only had to duck for the tube (which I do anyway) but, provided they were high enough for me anyway, normal doorways required no ducking or change of posture at all! This is a bit of a revelation for me. Can you tell I’m excited? The double case loaded with two basses is actually lighter than my trusty Protection Racket Deluxe with just one bass and a few cables in the pocket. Crazily it’s not much deeper either but, again, we’re not talking about the same level of paddding here. I’d happily sling my bass in the Protection Racket case on the back of a tour truck. I wouldn’t do that with the MTD cases. Some photos below for comparison. Single MTD vs Protection Racket Deluxe: Protection Racket Deluxe vs Double MTD: So, all in all a fantastic day and a happy Cameron! My bank balance is quite a lot lighter now - definitely worth it though. If you’d like to help fund my GAS, please feel free to purchase some of my gear in the for sale section . Luckily (or unluckily) I don’t have another half pressuring me to get rid of any basses to make room for the new ones but my own conscience is telling me I should!

I only use Hercules stands. They aren’t cheap but they are utterly excellent and will last a very long time.