ASW

I've had quite a successful year in that I like everything I've bought so far. Ibanez Ehb1506ms: Lightweight, sounds good, very easy to play and I find the higher strings much easier to play when reading music as I don't have to jump about so much. Durham Electronics Sex Drive: A very light boost pedal which seems to make everything sound better. It has some subtle compression settings on it too. They are designed for guitar, but a couple of friends have used them for bass for years, so I had to try one! I use it for guitar and bass gigs. Shure Glxd16+: I wanted a wireless to make sound checks easier, especially when the bass is not going through the front of house PA. It's difficult to know how it sounds in the room if you're tied to the amp with a cable. It works flawlessly, is rugged and sounds indistinguishable from a cable. Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 v2: I'm still getting used to this as I changed the cab I'm using at the same time as the amp. It has just the right number of controls. It's simple, but with enough variation available to find the sound I'm after. I prefer a more vintage sound, so this suits me well. Barefaced One10: I had the Big Baby but there was something about the sound of it I didn't like. It was almost too good! I'm quite lazy too, so the idea of having a cab (or two) that I can carry with extreme ease appealed to me. They sound great and round off the edges of the sound rather than being too transparent (which hides more poor technique perfectly)! I would like the option of more highs though, so am on the lookout for one with a tweeter... and then I'll use all three together! Fender Tony Franklin fretless Precision: I bought this on a whim from a local auction. I've never played fretless before, but thought if I'm going to get one, may as well be a half decent one. I was surprised by how much easier it is to play than I expected (much like the Ibanez 6 string). It also sounds amazing too, so I'm cconsidering switching to this from a fretted Jazz Bass for one band I'm in. It's quite light too which is a bonus! Phil Jones Bass X4: I wanted something small for home practice and this seemed to fit the bill. It's a bit too clean sounding for my liking and even rolling the treble off completely, it's still too bright. It's the worst purchase this year, but still ok. However, the next item fixes the issue... Origin Effects DCX Bass: A nice tone shaper and overdrive if required. I use it straight into studio monitors or into the Phil Jones Bass X4 and like the interaction between the controls and the subtle compression that adding a bit of drive gives. I've decided not to buy anything in 2025 though except the aforementioned Barefaced One10T if one comes up for sale.

This isn't too far from where I live. I'm surprised it was a BMW driver. They're usually very careful and extremely courteous to other road users and pedestrians. I suppose it added to what I assume was already a memorable night.

A Barefaced One10 cab arrived from Bill yesterday. As well as the Cab being in perfect condition, it was packaged extremely well to avoid any damage. It was a pleasant and easy transaction overall and I'm very happy with my new cab. Thanks Bill!

I had this Bass VI for a couple of years. I probably played it half a dozen times. I had good intentions to do something interesting with it in a band, but it never came to fruition. I have recorded with it though doing a baritone riff and it sounded great. I echo other's feelings that the string spacing is too tight to be used easily as a main instrument fingerstyle if you are used to more typical spacing. I have since purchased a 'proper' 6 string bass that is more like a standard bass guitar string spacing, but with an added lower and higher string. Much easier to play despite the wide neck (especially if you are used to 5 strings). So much so that it's my main player now. It really depends what you want out of the instrument and your expectations as to whether a Bass VI will be any good.

I also find it helps to make sure the drummer is doing their bit to fill out the sound during more intense sections of songs like the solo to the Darkness song. A few extra hits on cymbals or opening up the hi hats can make all the difference.

I was speaking to the bass player from the band The Answer once after a show they played. They had 1 guitar, bass, drums and vocals and had quite a big sound. The bass player used a delay pedal to thicken up his sound. I think it was always on and if I remember correctly, it was a very short delay (perhaps. 20-50ms) with the feedback level down to its lowest setting (i.e. giving only one repeat). It's probably worth a try along with the other suggestions.

Thanks, that's good to know. I'll have to try one out at some point.

Absolutely. If it was a 1505f, it would have Nordstrand pickups too. I've yet to try the Bartolinis but it appears more people than not dislike them or prefer the Nordstrands. On another note, I had a look at the 1005f at Peach and the weight is stated as 7lb 14oz, compared to my 6 string with frets which is 7lb 11.5oz. Still light, but interesting to me that less strings, smaller pickups and removal of frets makes a heavier bass. I wonder if it's the different woods and richlite board used or just the variations in each bit of timber.

Thanks! I do like the look of it, but also acknowledge it is certainly not a traditional looking bass! It buzzed on the higher frets of the the top two strings and the Low B did too all over the fretboard. I measured the action and it was far lower than Ibanez recommend in their manual. I raised the action and straightened the neck by tightening the truss rod and it's buzz free and very easy to play now. I'll definitely consider other Ibanez instruments in future. Perhaps a fretless EHB!

I believe this purchase which arrived today grants me admission to the club. It's the EHB1506MS. It's my first 6 string, first Ibanez, first multiscale, first headless and my first experience with Nordstrand pickups! I had tried one of these out by accident in PMT about a year ago. My friend was trying out a guitar and one of these was set up plugged into an amp. I thought it was the oddest looking bass, but was surprised how comfortable and easy it was to play. Now that I have one, my opinion hasn't changed. Well made, lightweight, easy to play and sounds great. I've read that some others have found quality issues, but no problems so far. The Neutrik locking jack is pointless in my opinion, but not a problem for me as I have a Gibson Les Paul that I bought new in 2008 which has one and has never caused me any issues. The look of the bass doesn't fit the usual aesthetic of the music I'm playing in the one band I'm in at the moment playing bass (Allman Bros, Dire Straits, Clapton, Christopher Cross, Steely Dan, Hall & Oates etc). However, I don't much care and I don't think my band mates or the audience will either. I'm looking forward to experimenting with it!

I had one of these in the early 90s as my first bass. I seem to remember struggling to get suitable strings for it in my local guitar shop. I also seem to remember it wasn't very good, but it may have just been my inexperience.

The aesthetic doesn't really fit the type of music I play in bands (bluesy rock and a punk band) and I don't need 6 strings for the other music I'm writing and recording. However, I accompanied a friend to PMT when he was trying and buying a guitar and this was sitting on a stand, so I picked it up, plugged it in a tried it out for a few minutes. It was lightweight, very comfortable and surprisingly easy to play given the number of strings and the multiscale frets. That was over a year ago and I still think about it! I should probably just buy one as they're not prohibitively expensive, but was hoping to get one used. They don't seem to come up for sale used very often at all. It is my birthday next week, so perhaps I should treat myself!

Ideal candidate for a shim the if everything else is in order. You'll be able to get the action much lower.

Assuming the relief is OK, the as others have said it is clearly a candidate for a simple shim. A bit of old train ticket or two may be enough. Fender have used shims since they started making bolt on neck guitars so there's nothing wrong with them. My 1962 Jazzmaster has one to get a suitable neck angle. Even the modern American Professional II Stratocasters have a micro tilt neck adjustment feature which is in effect a mechanical shim. Whether an instrument made in this day and age should need them with the accuracies of CNC machines is a different question! I suspect that someone has taken the neck off before and lost the shim that was put in the neck pocket at the factory (or didn't know what it was and discarded it). I doubt it left the factory with that action. Why would it when they probably have a stack of shims ready for this very issue?

Best is a MusicMan Stingray 5. I haven't had a 5 string for years (and the last one was a relatively cheap Washburn 2502) and joined a couple of bands this year that were playing songs that benefited from the lower notes. Worst was a Sandberg California TM5 purchased from a bass retailer online and within minutes of it being delivered, I initiated a return. I was after something a bit lighter than the Stingray and saw the Sandberg advertised online with a weight of 7lb 10oz. When it arrived though, I unpacked it and was shocked at how heavy it was. It was heavier than the Stingray! It transpires that there had been an error and it should have been advertised at 10lb 7oz.