BillyBass

34" It's my first fiver so I can't compare it to others but so far, the things I don't like are: There is some neck dive, I have a good strap so its not really problematic The B string lacks the definition of the other strings. I've replaced the stock 125 with a 135 and this has improved things but I can see why a longer scale would be of interest to people. Mine weighs about 4.5 kg. Not uncomfortable but lighter would be better. What I do like is: how it looks and plays; the neck with its rolled fretboard edge feels lovely in my hand, the black surrounded luminlay dots are perfect for roasted maple necks and I get some great tones out of it. Overall, I'm still very pleased with it; I believe I would have to spend considerably more to improve things. I live in Barnet; I'm not sure which side of Essex you live in but if you are nearer to Waltham Abbey than Southend, you can come over and try mine if you like.

No, it's not your standard P bass neck. More like a Jazz neck. The neck really is lovely to play, its slim, fast, has a lovely colour and the fretboard edges are rolled off so it really feels nice in your hand. The bass isn't a P bass with a J pup added, it is more of a hybrid: P body, J neck, Both P and J pups (though the P is reversed). With the active controls the J pup can do way more than just adding a bit of treble to the P pup. So far, for home practice, I like the P pup soloed in passive and the J pup soloed with a 50% boost to the mids. I don't think I'll use the pups blended. One of the bands I'm in does mainly punk stuff. I'm going to try the p pup soloed for pick stuff and the J pup soloed for fingers.

All you need is a Rickenbacker and you'll have the complete set. Nice looking basses those.

I think its worked out for me, I had about 30 minutes with it earlier today and so far all boxes seem ticked . I was after the 'perfect PJ'. My BB wasn't that and you and one or two others suggested getting an active PJ. You suggested this one in particular (in a thread in September 21). I couldn't stretch to Fender Ultra prices (and stay out of the dog house) so it was this or a Player Plus P bass. The Charvel has a few advantages, or things I preferred: It was £200 cheaper, it has luminlay side dots with a black surround, which is the most visible dot on a roasted maple neck, they are lighter, and the P pup is a reverse P, which I'm hoping means less woolly E string and less'pingy' G string. I love the look, and tomorrow, when I have a few hours to get to know it I'm hoping my first impressions will be confirmed.

they are DiMarzios, not sure of the vintage of the cream colour well here's a pic with the bass next to its big sister

That's not bad. The one I picked up must have weighed about 11lbs or something like that

I bought a 5 string version a few months ago and, impressed by the fiver, I Thought I would get the 4 string version. I've been after an active PJ, with a J pup at the bridge just as usable on its own as the P pup. @Old Horse Murphy suggested one of these Charvels and I've followed his advice

Lovely looking bass, congrats. How heavy is it?

I took a Ray34 off the wall at Guitarguitar Newcastle, it was bloody heavy!

That's the worst bit. I've only been to Andertons once, I timed my journey so I arrived at opening time to give me the best chance of getting a parking spot out front. I was successful but as soon as I had parked and got out, other cars started sniffing around. I try to only go to shops that I know parking won't be an issue, at a certain time. Nevertheless, I really enjoy being in guitar shops, looking at all the basses etc hanging from the wall. I feel like a kid going to a toy shop just before Christmas.

I agree. I always get emotional listening to bagpipes, especially when watching repeats of 'Carry On Up The Khyber'

I read through a thread from a certain other bass forum from overseas and someone mentioned the 12th fret harmonic. I tried that earlier today and it worked much better than just plucking the open B and E strings. My issue does seem to be bass specific, though I haven't got another fiver to compare. I have also just ordered a Landlord FX 'Lock in' tuner to see if it is a tuner or bass issue.

Not a dim question, but yes, my Polytune 3 is set to 'bass needle mode'. The Polytune mini doesn't appear to have a bass mode or a way of setting it up for bass...I await enlightenment here. Works fine for 4 strings , The capital E is always there...but switch to my fiver and the E and B just show up sporadically, but A, D and G are always there. It's as if it senses its a 5 string and stops functioning well. I keep my fingers muting the B string and still the E won't show up when tuning the fiver.

I acquired a 5 string bass a few months ago and its now my main bass. I'm having issues with tuning the B and E strings, my TC Polytune won't show the capital letter B or E to aid tuning, though A, D and G tune as normal. When I tune my 4 string basses with it, there is no problem, E, A, D and G show up as capital letters and I can adjust sharp or flat as needed. I swapped the TC Polytune to a Polytune Mini and the same thing happens. thankfully I have a cheap clip on tuner that functions and I also use apps on my iPhone, though tuning with an app can't be done silently. Am I doing something wrong here? Is this issue specific to TC Polytunes? Or do 5 strings confuse pedal tuners? Help!

Markbass have a new 1000 watt into 4 ohms power amp. It seems to only be available from European sellers: https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/bass-guitar-amp-head/markbass-little-mark-vintage-amp-1000-watt-bass-guitar-power-amplifier?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=surfaces&gclid=CjwKCAjwp7eUBhBeEiwAZbHwkYNvu5oYsStvG1A2EyxCrUS6sd01rLeGZrqHTSttyN55TWZ1HGQSYRoCmqQQAvD_BwE It's a match for their Markbass vintage pre amp.

@shoulderpet and @Dov65 How does one access the truss rod on the Vintera basses? Is it proper vintage unscrew the neck from the body or is there hex key access somewhere that doesn't require dismantling the bass?

Sorry, I've not been on basschat for a while and have only just seen your post. If you haven't already binned them I wouldn't mind trying them out, but you did post the above 8 days ago! Thanks for the offer.

I realise the current E string on the bass I will detune is likely to be a 100, it was a bit floppy but not too bad when dropped to D so 105 might be good enough. @Ricky Rioliis going to send me a set he doesn't like to try as he thinks they could work well in D standard. I'll experiment with a few different gauges but I doubt whether 120 would be needed, I am not likely to need to drop down to C.

This has been quite informative. First of all, solo practice with fingers in E standard: I usually have the G&L pup in series when playing in E standard; I like the bite and the extra bit of heft. Sounds fine in split too but lacks a bit of oomph that the series mode gives (I am adjusting the volume when swapping between the two. The parallel setting sounds good also but is a bit more mellow; if I wanted mellow I wouldn't be playing a Kiloton. Fingers in D standard: I have a slight preference for the split over series as it can get a little bit muddy in series on the D string. Definitely not in parallel as it gets too muddy for me With a pick in D standard, I wouldn't use the split mode as it loses quite a bit of body, series and parallel both work well with a pick, slight preference for series. The string set I got with the bass feels fine in D standard, though the D string is a bit floppy. It's nowhere near as floppy as a D'addario 135 B string on my Charvel 34" scale fiver, but floppy enough for a bit of buzz that doesn't happen in E standard (I haven't bothered adjusting the saddles as I'm swapping between E and D standard at the moment). You might well be right about the E string being a 100 gauge; the ADG (GCF) strings have good tension in D standard; I'm thinking now that I would probably prefer a 40 over a 45 in E standard. To conclude, I think 45-65-85-105 would be good in d standard though I would still like to try a 110

Never mind about the strings, by the sounds of it I'm not missing much. I normally leave the toggle switch to the right, which is series, I think. I'll have a play around tomorrow and let you know.

I posted a thread about strings for a D standard bass a couple of days ago, it's had a few views but no answers. This section of the forum should be known as the dusty end! I've been experimenting/struggling with different tunings on a 4 string and using a 5 string for our cover band's songs. I'm tempted to leave one of my basses in D standard rather than detuning all 4 strings during a set. Consequently, I am considering using a set of 50-70-90-110. Yesterday, in rehearsal, instead of using a fiver, I detuned a 4 string to DGCG for one song and the strings the Kiloton tribute came with (I believe they are D'Addario 45-105s) seemed fine, however, if you think your set of 50-65-85-110s might be an improvement I'll happily take them off your hands.

I will be changing one of my 4 string basses to D standard. I'm not sure which gauges would suit this best. I'm thinking it would be 50-110? or maybe 55-115? I normally use 45-65-85-105 nickel rounds and on my 34" scale 5 string I have swapped the 125 its came with for a 135, which is much better. Any assistance would be appreciated.

I suppose there will be a limited edition of 500 or a 1000 and they will cost north of £3k each for a relatively simple bass. I won't be buying one but I'm sure the basses will have their fans.

The reason why I haven't succumbed to GAS and bought one. My GED 2112 may not do the SVT thing quite as well as the Bassrig (according to a lengthy post on Talkbass) but it does it well enough for me and it does it through my amp, or a power amp should I buy a dedicated one.

How incredibly professional. They are perfectionists I'm guessing.