CameronJ

My advice is to just get a Big Head. It’s more compact than the Bass Buddy - appreciably more compact than the Stomp, thus making it worthwhile having as an alternative standalone headphone amp. My Big Head lives in the tiny pocket at the top of my gig bag, always charged, for those occasions when a plug socket isn’t nearby for my Stomp.

Really really nice. Long may you enjoy it!

That BG150 would match my Double Four...

Very tempted by the Flightcase but I have no need so I’ll refrain! Great price though

To be fair, it’s the roundedness of the frets that matter, re: strings slipping off the fretboard during playing, and the frets don’t seem massively rounded off at the edges on the Sire so this may not be such a worry.

Yeah I should have mentioned that you’ll likely have to widen your nut slots a bit! I just took my bass to a tech when I got my tapes fitted so all that hard work was done for me. Worth it though. I’ve now got flats on the bass (a lower gauge) and the wider nut slots haven’t negatively affected the bass at all. But I do have a Zero Fret so maybe that’s compensating a little? Who knows.

I’ll add the SIMS Super Quad to the mix - switchable from Humbucker to Single Coil to Split Coil Precision config, all passively. The system is typically installed with indicator LEDs but they’re not necessary for the system to work. Just install the switch and remember which position means what. They’ve recently released the Super Quads in different housings to allow them to be installed in basses with MM pickups (like your Sandberg) without modification! I’ve been tempted myself...

I’ve got a set and which I had on my Sandberg P bass for a while. I would advise going for the higher gauge as tapewounds are generally very very low tension compared to most other strings, so you’ll appreciate any stiffness you can claw back via the gauge of the set. It won’t take long to get used to the feel as long as you’re willing to slightly adjust your playing style and action. They sound amazing!

The Musicmans, Sadowskys and Sires have different preamps to your Yamaha, so will have different power requirements. Comparing them isn’t all that useful. What batteries you using?

The annoyance and disappointment is certainly justified, but if no money (or bass) has changed hands then there’s really nothing wrong or immoral with the situation. Missing out on the other bass sucks big time - I’m sure a few of us have been there! But we’re all human and we change our minds sometimes.

I love natural wood grain, and love it even more when finished with a translucent stain.

What a tune! I was listening to some Anita this morning whilst scrambling some eggs. She is masterful - definitely need to learn some of her vocal lines as both a bassist and as a vocalist myself.

Just came across this video and thought I’d add it to the thread!

That is excellent. May have to nab me a 5 string set of Cobalts!

Does anyone have any idea why Rickenbacker’s rear pickup housing is so absurdly large?

To be fair, at that time I’d never played a Fender bass. I think I’ve been subconsciously avoiding the big F for years. It’s only in the past 6 months or so that I’ve developed any kind of appreciation or even first hand experience of Fender basses. But yeah, my tastes have slowly veered toward the more traditional over the past couple of years so before long I’m sure my only bass will be a 200 year old upright

It’s a strange one. The neck on my Dingwall Super P is very much in the flat ballpark, even more so than my Yammy, yet I find it incredibly comfortable. But the Ding has 19mm bridge spacing and a slightly wider nut than my Yamaha BB. The nut width and string spacing on the Fender I played felt pretty similar to my Dingwall, which is probably why it felt so comfortable to me. The Fender’s neck was definitely a bit thicker/chunkier though. The Yammy BBs seem to have a narrower nut width and 18mm bridge spacing if I’m not mistaken, before we even get into the thickness of the neck itself. Lots of variables.

Well there we go. I’d consider “warm” and “dark” to be in a similar ballpark as far as my descriptors of tone. Which just highlights how subjective this all is. Perhaps your “warm” = my “woody”?

Re: the Fender v Yamaha “P tone” topic, I compared a BBP35 to a Fender Am Pro Precision 5er a couple of weeks at Wunjo and there was a definite tonal difference between the two. The Yammy was darker and rounder, whilst the Fender was brighter and more woody sounding which (and I realise this is heresy on this thread) I preferred. The Fender was also a bit wider at the nut with a slightly chunkier neck overall which, unexpectedly, I also preferred. As a disclaimer, I should say that I’m 6’8” with absolutely massive hands so your mileage definitely may vary!

In my experience, yes. My 735 is definitely a bit lighter than my old 1025x. And that’s with the addition of the preamp and battery in the 735 which the passive 1025 didn’t have. But with wood being an organic substance and natural variety at play I’d suggest trying out a few 434s in person if possible to make sure you get one that feels comfortable to you.

I certainly feel like my 735a has a more traditional P tone than my old 1025x did, although I sold the 1025x a few years ago so perhaps failing memory is a factor!

I can’t make any promises re: the transition from 4 to 5 strings - I willingly made the switch because a lot of the music I listen to requires more range than a 4 string offers. It also just so happens that my hands “fit” a 5 string neck better than a 4 string neck anyway. Most books are indeed geared toward a 4 string neck but they can still be applied to a 5 string fingerboard - as with anything, practice makes perfect!