CameronJ

Typically people fall into two main groups - those who are more “right hand sensitive” to string spacing at the bridge, and those who are more “left hand sensitive” to the wider nut and overall dimensions of a 5 string neck. Obviously we’re all a mix of the two to some extent but chances are you’ll lean one way or the other. Personally I’ve always been able to adapt to most 5 string necks (lucky me) but I “feel” string spacing at the bridge more than at the nut/neck.

Oh I couldn’t care less for the tone that sonic realm would be gathering dust on my hypothetical Quad Cortex. I just like how they’ve progressed with the UI snappiness.

Just bought a Tonestyler pot from Pete. Great communication and swift postage - can’t ask for better than that. Cheers Pete!

Touch screen looking nice and responsive. My wallet is still trembling.

I have blue balls just thinking about it.

Yeah, the colour is described as “faded” Pelham blue, so I’d say you’re correct. The first (Thomann) photo is likely what we’ll be getting. The later, more vibrant photo does look amazing though!

For your budget I’d be after a used Yamaha BB1025 or, if you can find one, a used BB735a for the active option. Both really really nicely made basses with good tonal versatility - to be honest you won’t feel any need to “upgrade” from either of them for quite some time, if ever.

Out of interest - and maybe I’m being dense here - how does wrapping a package in black plastic affect it’s ability to go through automated conveyors?

@PunkPonyPrincess you build these crates yourself? They look phenomenal! Puts my bubble wrap and cardboard jobs to shame

Ah, fair! The Harley Benton looked decent on paper but I suppose for the price I’m not surprised it was noisy . I shall retract my recommendation!

The audio quality on the Vox Amplug is...a little questionable in my opinion. Lots of noise/hiss which just isn’t pleasant! It’s cheap and cheerful but I’d say there are far better options out there at all price points. A little over budget but check this out: https://m.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_custom_line_bass_di_expander.htm?o=15&search=1606672049 Looks to be a versatile bit of kit which would potentially serve you well even if you wanted to expand to a more complex setup.

Phil Jones BigHead is loved by many around these parts, myself included. It’s not cheap but it may be the best pure headphone amp out there. Depending on your needs you may find a preamp pedal with headphone output may work well for you - there are several on the market from a number of brands. Personally I’ve taken to using the headphone out on my Line 6 HX Stomp. It’s a phenomenal bit of kit but if you don’t need a multiFX and amp modeller then it’ll be overkill!

I’ve got the WL-20 “L” version, which doesn’t have any “cable tone”. It is definitely a bit brighter than a normal cable, which I find useful in some situations but you may not. If you want it to sound the same as a cable (which you most likely do) then just go for the standard WL-20.

Gah! No idea how I didn’t notice that on first glance. It would be perfect otherwise.

I use the Boss WL-20. Does what it says on the tin and perfect for casual/home use. I’d prefer something more robust and feature rich for proper live playing but at home and for little casual jams these little things are perfect.

Exactly this. Personally I wouldn’t mind paying a bit extra for an import Sadowsky that I knew had been set up & checked by Roger & his techs in NYC.

That’s the thing - most of this stuff costs little to no money to fix. It just smacks of complete negligence.

Reading my posts back it potentially looks like I have an axe to grind with Sadowsky - I really don’t. I haven’t ever owned one of their basses but definitely would in future, most likely a Japanese MetroExpress! It just seems like they’ve seriously missed the ball here. Granted, COVID hasn’t made things easy for anyone but one would think that would be all the more reason to be meticulous before releasing a new product to market. In Roger Sadowsky’s partial defence, he’s been active on Talkbass and seems to be taking measures to adjust and improve these basses. For example, below is a photo of the control cavity, taken by LowEndLobster: Bit of a bird’s nest. One of the components appears to not even be fastened down (3M adhesive on the back) and look at that battery. but Roger has implemented some changes already so the cavities will now look more like this going forward: Much neater. And the battery doesn’t look quite as crusty as before. Also, the Vintage Tone Control unit will soon be available separately as an upgrade part, along with a humcancelling J pickup. Nice that these will become available but the VTC should have been a standard feature in my opinion, especially on a bass with a boost only preamp! Seem a bit mental not to have any means of rolling off treble whatsoever as standard - a tone control costs bloody pennies! This way, people will have to spend additional money on upgrade parts, plus they’ll have to find their own luthier to do the installation. A sub-£1k bass can tip over the £1k Mark at the end of all this. Can anyone tell I won’t be buying one of these??

Agree 100%. There’s no excuse these days with the likes of Sandberg Electra, MTD Kingston, Xotic ProVintage, Dingwall Combustion/NG all coming out of Far Eastern factories without any of these issues. Not to mention more affordable brands such as the likes of Ibanez and Cort, who consistently churn out astonishingly good instruments for the money. Granted, Sandbergs and Dingwall Combustions/NGs are sent back to their German/Canadian shops for final setup and inspection. One would think Roger Sadowsky might go down the same route considering how synonymous his brand is with quality. This becomes especially true if he’s unable to visit the factory in person at present! Instead we have a product which might do more harm to the brand than good if there are indeed several early run instruments with QC issues. If one YouTube reviewer has managed to get a dodgy one you can bet there are others out there, ready to be snapped up by other unsuspecting players of the Lemon Lottery.

Almost half price? Yeah probably, if I were actually in the market for a Fallout that is. Given that Fender are churning out great (albeit Mexican manufactured) short scale basses for under £1k, similar money for a USA G&L feels like a nice deal. The usual price of £1750 is just too steep in my opinion.

The Tributes are well-made enough that the law of diminishing returns comes into play swiftly and steeply!