SumOne

I only use online reviews/demos as a rough guide, there are too many variables to really know how it'll sound with your setup so I make full use of online shop return policies, and buying/selling from here doesn't usually end up in much of a loss. I found it useful to find out about the general sounds of the main 'parent' groups of the gain family tree (e.g. Rat, Tube Screamer, Tube drive, Muff, Super Fuzz, Octavia, Gated Fuzz) because most pedals are a variation on them. Personally though, my favorites (so far!) are: Tube drive - DHA VT1 EQ Tube Screamer - Way Huge Green Rhino Smalls Rat - Idiotbox Landphil Muff - MXR Brown Acid

And it's worth knowing what power outlets it trips.....e.g. kitchen plugs will stay on. I did a DJ gig once where the noise enforcement people came along and said to turn it down, I asked the soundsystem operator/promoter if we should (they had control of the amps and it was their equipment just there for that night) and the reply was 'no we're turning it up!' ....police turned up and night came to an abrupt end and the venue was closed down and has never re-opened. I'm not entirely sure that the promoter had the same priorities as the venue owner!

More 4 string Xotic temptation here: ......I think I'm fairly set on sticking with 5 strings nowadays though. Not that I play much below the low E but I think I'd miss the B string.

Yeah, the 4.8kgs seems a too much like unnecessary effort for my generally lazy attitude though! My currenty 5 string is about 4kg and previous one was 3.3kg though so I've probably been a bit spoilt.

Yeah they both look good, I'll probably stick with 5 strings but the 10lb 12oz/ 4.8kg of that one puts me off a bit. It's a shame Bass Bros don't seem to have a physical shop to try them out but perhaps something can be organised.

I only play 5 string nowadays but this could turn me! https://bassbros.co.uk/product/xotic-xj-1t-4/

The main thing I found myself needing to learn on a 5 was the extra muting, and I still find it slightly more tricky to slap the E string on a 5 (having to mute the B and avoid hitting it). Neither are a deal breaker though. I don't actually play much below the low E on the B string but it is useful to not need to play E as an open string and for the added variety of fretting positions. The other disadvantages people tend to mention are the added weight, and extra thickness of the neck (or tighter string spacing if getting a thinner neck). I haven't found either of those to be an issue (I don't like tight string spacing but that's alright as I don't mind wider necks, and had a Sandberg TM5 SL that was only 3.3kg) but I guess they are fairly important things to consider when getting one.

I never spend anything on Bass gear, it's all just diversifying my investment portfolio.

I'd go to Bass Direct and trade your 4 for a MTD. They have always given me good part exchange deals and I found the best way to get used to a 5 is to fully commit to it and ditch the 4, and it gives a good excuse for the new Bass - it's just a trade.

I had one for a while and thought it was decent: good EQ, drive, DI, fx loop, Aux in and headphone out, and very good value. If I was being picky then ideally I'd like the headphone output to have an individual volume control, and the dials look cool but are a bit hard to read, and I never found much use for the tilt eq (it'd be great if that was a HPF instead). Can't have everything though! Overall I thought it was good.

I'm learning 'can't stand losing you' by The Police right now and the speed it rushes through and out of the reggae type bassline bits is annoying me.... No funk or building a groove or giving it any breathing space.

That is annoying. I think they're trying to do the J Dilla 'drunk' drums thing but with the bassline - which doesn't really work.

That's about it, he also calls you a groove hacker and asks you to subscribe though.

I've had a motorbike accident and fallen down a cliff (not at the same time!) so have some back and shoulder issues. As already said - core strengthening and stretching/ mobility exercises help, and a light /ergonomic Bass. Also good technique:

I think the recordings are exactly the same, I guess there wasn't a contract and over time the Mixer, Engineer, and Producer have each claimed credit (it just leaves the Roots Radics to stake their claim!).

Scientist 'Vampires' arrived today. I've got a bit of a collection going on and all these are decent, 'pac-man' is next on the list. Licensing issues mean some are sold as 'Scientist' (mixed) while others are 'Junjo' (engineer Henry 'Junjo' Lawes) and some are 'Linval' (Producer Linval Thompson).

Something along the lines of these outfits, but a bit extra:

Nice. Am I right in saying the one without the toggle switches is a slightly older model of the made in Japan XJ-1T? I see there are also some 'XJ-Pro' versions which look the same without the toggle switches but I think they were a bit cheaper and made in Taiwan instead of Japan - I can't see how to tell between them and the XJ-1T version without toggle switches but I guess there's a 'made in Japan or Taiwan' on the headstock or something.

I think it depends on what you want from a preamp as it seems quite an interchangeable catch-all term: Some are like the one control crimson red which are simple and just add specific amp tones, or there are more fancy ones in that category like the Broughton ones. And some are basically an overdrive pedal. Or there are the combined DI/EQ/Preamp things like the Sansamp, or some that throw everything in like the Microbass 3. Or ones that don't really add any colour - just EQ/DI like the Q-Strip or MXR M81.

It does look interesting, I'm tempted regardless of what pedal catagory it gets put into! I suppose it fits more in the realms of high-end EQ pedals like the Empress Para EQ, WMD Para EQ, Sine Effects Mega Para, Source Audio EQ2, Boss EQ 200, none of which have DI features or would generally be called Preamps. It seems to me that adding the LFP and HPF makes it something I'd want to use at the end of my signal chain though (whereas I might want an EQ without those features to go in in other signal chain places - to do things like adding mids feeding an overdrive) so I'd like it to also have DI features and not just by adding an adapter as I'd want it to have a separate XRL out with ground lift and a pre/post switch (e.g. to select what's sent depending if it's going to FOH or FRFR speakers) as well as a separate output to the Amp. That must be what a lot of customers want as lots of combined EQ/Preamp pedals incorporate it, the trouble is that none of them seem quite as good on the EQ and HPF/LPF front as the Genzler though so it is currently sitting in my Thomann shopping basket - it's payday after all! ....I haven't clicked 'buy' yet though, the main competition for me is coming from the Fishman Platinum Pro. Edit: I've gone for the Fishman. It looks like it's got a decent EQ, and HPF, and LPF of sorts with the 'brilliance' control which is +/- 7db at 5kHz and it has the notch filter. If it was all about the EQ and HPF/LPF I might have gone for the Genzler, but the Fishman has loads of useful additional features too: DI (XLR with pre/post, ground lift), phase, FX loop, Tuner/mute footswitch, Compressor, Boost (with footswitch), takes batteries (that last 30hrs). I'm hoping it'll be a decent EQ pedal up there with the best of them but also a decent DI, and a useful tuner and compressor for times when I can just throw it in a bag to take to band practice to cover all the main things without even needing a power supply.

I've been trying to get a Diamond Bass Compressor Jr for quite a while now.....guess I might have to wait a lot longer.

Nice one, yeah the Bass Direct XJ 4.6kg weight puts me off a bit (and the £1,799 asking price). GuitarGuitar have second hand XJ and XP (each £1,699) so I think I'll ask if they can get both into one shop for me to try at some point....I do need to sell a Bass first to afford it though so probably shouldn't get ahead of myself. Their XJ is the lightweight version (well - relatively I assume! they don't say the actual weight) so is probably the front runner for me: https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/px211130377695006--xotic-xj-1t-5-lite-pre-owned

Xotic Basses - what are y'all saying?! I played an Xotic XP 5 a while ago (the one pictured below, at the Bass Gallery) and it's given me a dangerous case of GAS. Really nice tones that are consistent across all strings, comfortable to play, very low action with no fret buzz. I expect the XJ is just as good so will make an effort to try one of them too. Anyone here own/owned one and have anything positive/negative to say about them? Anything in particular to look out for with them second hand? As far as I can tell the disadvantages seem to be the price (not quite up there with very high-end Basses, but they are about £2,500 new and usually about £1,700 second hand) and they are quite heavy: this one looks a good deal at £1,449 but is 10lb 12oz / 4.8kg and even the 'lightweight' versions are a not particularaly lightweight 9lb 7oz/4.2kg (considering I had a Sandberg TM5 SL that was 3.3kg).

Yeah, I'd probably be better off selling the Bass and using that plus upgrade money on a new Bass. I do quite like the idea of slightly modifying it to have a small degree of customisation and to slightly better fit what I want from it though (even if it is just the equivilant of adding a bodywork kit and lowering a car - not really making it any better for anyone else and actually limitiing it's resale, interesting to do though and makes it feel more personal). Actually, thinking about it a bit more I reckon the ultralight tuners would be a waste of money as the Bass is well balanced and reasonably light and has the smaller Fender tuners anyway so the weight saving would small, the active preamp might be good but it's probably not doing much that a Preamp/EQ pedal wouldn't do without any fitting hassle. I think new pickups could potentially make a worthwhile difference - but how much difference (and if it's a difference I actually like) I'm not so sure.

I'm eying up a few upgrades for my US Standard Jazz Bass V: Pickups - DiMarzio ultra Jazz. Preamp - A John East J retro. Tuners - Hipshot ultralight. But it's about £400 of upgrades on £900 worth of Bass and probably doesn't increase its value by much so I'm not sure it's worthwhile in resale terms. Perhaps worth it for me keeping the Bass long term though. Or Preamp/EQ Pedals are an easy alternative.