bnt

Chapman made this 4-string multiscale model, which you might be able to find second-hand. I believe it's 32.75” to 35".

The Ibanez EHB range are also very light - one owner on this thread weighed his as under 7lbs.

I thought I mentioned that I was going ahead with the EMG swap, but it looks like I didn't. I ordered EMG P and MMTW pickups a couple of months ago, they finally arrived earlier this week, and I started the installation process today. I'm currently off work recovering from heart surgery which was a long time coming (see the "falling apart" thread), and thought this would make a nice project to keep me occupied, but to no-one's surprise, it's not that simple. First of all, I can't install the MMTW yet, since the channel between pickup cavity and control cavity is too small to accommodate the cables; so further woodwork is required. That's a job for another day, maybe tomorrow. Getting the old pickups out was a nightmare, since I'm short on "core" strength at the moment. The standard pickup mounting screws are crap and some already had stripped heads when I got the bass. They must have been installed using a power tool, and it took me hours of work with knives, pliers etc. to finally get them out. I had to wire up the EMG power connectors to the existing battery compartment, and the ground wire was too short, so I had to extend that, which meant soldering. I also soldered up a 3-way Les Paul type switch and hooked it to the EMG switching block, though I'm not using it yet. The plan is to have the individual pickup volume controls, then switch, then master tone. The standard jack plate on the bass is threaded in metric. I have to use the EMG 3-pole jack socket, which is American. So I had to replace the jack plate entirely. Thankfully, I was prepared for this, having bought two new jack plates, since I still have ideas for dual outputs in the future. Actually doing dual outputs will require more woodwork, a job for the future. Once all the above prep work was done, it was no trouble to install the P pickup, volume and tone, with solderless connections, and it worked first time. The supplied mounting screws are much better quality, though it is catching on the pickguard a little - nothing a few minutes with needle files won't sort out. That will also help with height adjustment, which isn't quite right yet. The sound? I hear a solid P tone so far. A bit more "polite" than the fire-breathing standard Roswell, and the supplied passive tone control isn't as aggressive with cutoff as the old one. It's a lot quieter, of course. I'm disappointed I couldn't get the MMTW installed today, since that has the potential to make this bass even more versatile. It can operate in two modes: MM-style humbucker, or (via pull pot) as a J-style stacked humbucker. (Yes, it actually has three coils internally.) As for the old pickups, I have a vague idea of making a "balls to the wall" P bass with the Roswell P and the above-mentioned Artec Mudbucker. The Roswell MM pickup might be OK in a Stingray-type slap bass, but I don't know.

The Electra was remarkable for having modular effects in cartridge form that could be swapped in or out. Chris played it on Tempus Fugit (Drama), some nice Phaser there.

I got out of hospital on Monday and the EMGs were only shipped on Monday too, six weeks after I ordered them. The rest of the order arrived weeks ago, and the fret rocker has already flagged several high frets on the HB, so I can address those if I have the energy. (I’m still pretty much in hit-by-a-truck mode most of the day.)

I don't know if you would gain that much by ordering in from Germany, and would also consider ordering from the UK e.g. Andertons have instruments such as the Ibanez Talman for a decent price on their beginners page. In your shoes, for travel, I would have a look at the Talman short scale TMB-30 in particular.

VAT only applies to first sale, so that would not be relevant for used instruments. I'll check before I travel, but I'm fairly sure that a single instrument for personal use, not being imported, doesn't attract customs charges. There is such a thing as a musical instrument certificate, but that has to do with CITEs and there are exemptions for musical instruments, so you won't get fined over e.g. a Bubinga top. PS: no carnet needed for portable instruments, says the MU.

I have the 4-string version of this, which is well-constructed, though I wasn't happy with the passive volume & blend -> active EQ wiring. I call mine the Shamberg, and it's currently wired passive 2V2T with some EMGs on the way in a few weeks.

@Richard R - Brawley Artemis 4, Brawley Artemis 5, EBS Session60 amp, something to weigh basses with. @Frank Blank - Rob Allen Mouse Fretless, Rob Allen Mouse Fretted, Ibanez SRC6, QSC K12.2, HX Stomp. @Stub Mandrel - Fender Performer, Hohner Jack Custom V, Deathburger (HB kit build), TE 1110 combo? @petecarlton - Mayones Cali4 "Puzzle" Bass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYAvWZGwc4s&t=13s&ab_channel=BassTheWorld.com @Teebs - Erm...dunno What! Isn't my mere presence enough for you peoples!? Pea Green Bass and something else. @SpondonBassed - Jack. (That's not short for Jack all, it's just that I can't decide until nearer the time.) @Machines - Sire M5 / Yamaha RBXJM2 / GenzBenz Neo Pak / EICH112XS @bassmansam - Rickenbacker 4003s, Eppy Thunderbird Vintage Pro and Ashdown ABM 500 2x10 combo @jebroad - Not-fender jazz (maybe), squire silver series jazz, old Kay SC, Dingwall combustion, Ashdown 8x10 (Maybe) @Jabba_the_gut - 27" mini basses, Short scale telebass, whatever else I build by then, TC RS210 combo. Cakes @Oldman - @NickA Since the last one.. got a second Wal with an extra string and those weird metal things in the fingerboard ( supposed to help you play in tune I think, but cause all kinds of problems ). So, yes, please. I'll be there; Couple of Wals and some pjb amps. @Geek99 - POSSIBLE ... Ampeg AMP, bass-doc built relic P, homemade jazz with geddy lee pups, zoom b2.1 @bnt - TENTATIVE - Harley Benton MP-4EB Enhanced "Shamberg" w/ EMGs and its own Ryanair seat, tc SpectraDrive.

I have the MP-4 and have already expressed my dissatisfaction with the supplied wiring and active circuit, and that the P pickup dominated the tone. I have EMG active pickups arriving in a few weeks, which will be an interesting experiment at least. A couple of frets are slightly high, six months in, which I plan to tackle soon-ish.

At this point, just pondering the possibility of getting Ryanair in to East Midlands and maybe staying in Derby or Nottingham for a few days. A Ryanair seat for a gig bag can be literally cheaper than the baggage charges on other airlines, assuming it's off-season. I would bring my modded HB MP-4 Enhanced (ClonedBerg) and a cable, that would be about it.

For the location, are you talking about Doveridge (DE6 5JQ) again? It's a bit out of the way if you'd go by train, I suppose.

I’ve seen this, and was somewhat disappointed, because it’s very much about Frank Zappa the person, with his music a distant second. I might watch it again later, but t.b.h. I didn’t feel I needed to know that much about him .

New one on the market: the Retrovibe Telenbacker. The "Hot Yellow" would make a statement, for sure:

I’m heading for a few weeks off work, recovering from surgery, so one thing I want to do is get better at bass repairs. I have two instruments with high frets, so I have a Thomann order in for miscellaneous tools & bits: fret rocker, string height gauge, fret file etc. A couple of EMG pickups for my HB Clonedberg, and an adjustable nut for my fret less.

And note that a R/L filter is also a thing, & it definitely takes the edge off the low frequencies. Put that together with the R/C filter, and you can see why I think passive mixing of pickups could affect the tone a tad.

Yep - one example would be the Fender Jazz with its VVT wiring. With both volume knobs on full, the two pickups are shorted together with no resistance between them.

I'd say it depends e.g. in my HB, before I rewired it, the pickups came together at a balance pot before feeding the active circuit, so it was still passive mixing, though the pot arrangement meant that there was always some resistance between them. Better preamp circuits such as the John East models buffer the signals before mixing them. EMG will sell you their Active Balance Control which does a similar thing for passive pickups. (I have some active EMG pickups on the way for my HB, as it happens.)

I don't know the answer to the specific question about a mid scoop, but an active pickup signal is "buffered" and doesn't interact with other signals when mixed. Two passive pickup signals will interact when mixed together, on the other hand. From the point of view of one pickup, bringing in the other pickup is introducing another coil in to the circuit. That changes the overall impedance of the circuit, which can change the frequency response. Is it heresy to link to a post on Talkbass? If not, this is a decent explanation.

If it helps, here are measurements from my HB MP-4 Enhanced, which I suspect they cribbed from a Sandberg VM. 34” scale, from the 12th fret to the centre of the pole piece: EA coil: 314 mm DG coil: 286 mm

My HB MP-4 Enhanced has a reverse P: I like the look, not expecting it to be a major factor in sonic terms. Since the bass side is closer to the bridge, I expect it to be slightly less bassy, and the converse for the treble side. So perhaps a little less tonal range. I've posted about the stock Roswell PM-4 before, how it's a steamroller that flattens everything else, so such subtleties are likely lost on it. I have some EMGs on the way in a couple of weeks, though, so maybe I'll hear something once they're on.

Kiesel was split off from Carvin in 2009 and still makes some of their classic designs, such as the Brian Bromberg signature model. They make a few instruments that I would really like to try if I could afford them, such as the ZBM5 multiscale headless.

Can we appreciate Sandbergs even if we don't own one? The Configurator on the website lets you spec one out and see what it would look like. You can copy or paste the code to or from the box, so if you put the following code in, you can get an idea of what I'm imagining today: CANV2-VM:S-N-4S-34-MF-GB-ASH-NOT-MPF-F-NOI-NOM-BKH-CLT-2EQ-MP-MCP-RH

I was going to mention the Behringer BDI, but can see you've been there and done that. I just took a look at Thomann, out of interest, and can see that they have the Eden Module TerraNova at a very interesting price. I don't know much about it, though, except to note that Eden is now owned by Marshall. PS: found this thread with some not-so-good reviews

With multiscales, one factor I always check is the position of the “vertical” fret, which determines how steep the angle is low down. On the Dingwalls it’s around the 7th fret, and it’s the same on Strandberg and the new Ibanez range. On the Dimension it’s around the 12th fret, so it does mean more of an angle for the hand at the lower frets. The ESP Ltd and the Schecter Stiletto Studio-5FF are the same. I like the look of these basses, but I think I’d be happier with the Dingwall-type layout.