Witch Hazel

i happened to be reading a review of the RME Babyface Pro the other day, and noticed it includes an equaliser. however it sounds like the EQ is quite awkward to use in standalone mode, so it probably wouldn't work for what you want (also, it's pretty expensive). https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/rme-babyface-pro

the Focusrite interfaces i've used (2i4 v2, Solo v3, 18i20 v3) don't have any general-purpose eq. i did just check in Focusrite Control to make sure it wasn't there and i just missed it... the only eq option is the 'air' preamp emulation (which i think is a mild treble boost or something like that).

yeah, i wouldn't expect the piezo to work in passive mode. John East has a "piezo mag buffer" listed on the website which looks like it's meant to be used with this sort of setup, so i'll see what he says, but from the description it looks like it'd only work in active mode. i do have an external piezo preamp (which runs off 9V or phantom power), but i'm not sure how you'd be able to wire it up to use that without having two output jacks or something. i'm not too bothered about losing the piezo in passive though. i'd just like the option to get some sound from it without a battery, especially since the piezo seems to devour batteries. i also saw someone say that, but it's not that way on mine: with all three pickups on, the bass and treble controls still work fine. i saw a lot of complaints about early examples of these coming with bad wiring from the factory that caused strange problems, perhaps the eq not working properly was a result of that. or maybe they fixed it in a later revision (mine is 1P-05).

i saw that earlier! looks like a really cool project. probably a bit more than i want to do with my precious new bass though 😄 the active/passive switch was one thing i liked about the East preamp though. i'd actually like an option for a passive piezo output too, since i have a piezo preamp i use with my fiddle and the piezo on this absolutely devours batteries. but i'm not sure how feasible that is...

yes, i didn't even realise that (about the pickups) when i bought it - i thought they were just a soapbar, since they look like soapbars. i only realised it's a reverse P underneath when i was reading a thread on talkbass. there's a video on YouTube of LowEndLobster replacing them with some Aguilar pickups, but i honestly think it sounds better with the MK1s. the neck pickup especially has a really nice not-quite-P-bass-but-sort-of tone. i do miss the PowerSpan pickups on the SR300 a bit (switchable humbucker / single coil) and i wonder how this would sound with those on, but i'm not feeling any particular need to change the stock pickups for now. edit: i did drop John East an email about options for replacing the preamp though. i'm not sure i want to spend ~£300 on new electrics for a bass i just bought, but i would like a mid control - it only has bass and treble with the stock preamp...

okay, this is technically not NBD because i've had it for a couple of weeks now, but i didn't want to post too early and jinx it. so, after not really having the chance to do any music due to moving around a few times over the last few years, i've finally settled down and found a local project i might want to get involved with. but i realised that i don't really love either of my current basses, and i've had my eye on one of these for a while, so... i bought one. and i'm glad i did, because i love it. as well as the two magnetic pickups (Bartolini MK1 - i know not everyone loves these, but they work well here), it has a piezo in the bridge and blending the three pickups gives a pretty good range of tones for a fretless bass. it's got the lovely thin SR neck, the hardware seems pretty good, and it's on the light side for a 5er (around 8lb). they're making the fingerboards for these from panga panga now, which i've never heard of before, but it feels good to play and has a pretty pattern to it: it came with Chrome flats on, but i put some TI Jazz flats on after reading a few positive reviews, and those sound pretty nice. they are fairly low tension though, especially the B which is a bit floppy (it's 34" scale) so i don't know if i'll stick with those. any complaints? i don't love the vol-vol-vol control setup, it's a bit awkward to change the tone and keep the same output level, so i'm wondering about putting a new preamp in with a more sensible control layout and an active-passive switch. and i wish there were more colours available than brown burst, which is nice enough, but i'd rather have a natural finish. but overall, very pleased with it and i expect this will be my main/only bass now. i might even sell my SR300E...

i recently bought an Ltd B-205SM FL (5-string fretless), which, aside from the bridge, seems to be nearly identical in construction to yours, and i've been quite happy with it. i'm not sure why they don't get talked about as much as other "budget" makes. i ended up shimming the neck slightly to lower the action, and there are some minor things i think could be improved - the battery compartment could be easier to access, the pickup output really is very low, and the bass is on the heavier side - but overall it seems like a good instrument for the price.

they're so cheap it hardly seems worth the effort of buying them used - my Behringer BEQ700 (a copy of the Boss GEB-7) cost £17 new.

i found the Roto 77s work well for tuning down to D. they're quite stiff for a given tension so losing a bit of tension doesn't make them go floppy. i'd go for the heavy tension, but if you usually use rounds, the medium might be a good option too.

i didn't mean to have a go at you! nothing wrong with not liking them, but some people seem to go out of their way to hate them - they always crop up on those "top 10 most hated bands" lists.

it's weird how some bands seem to attract such a lot of hate. there's plenty of bands i don't like, but i don't waste time hating them - i just don't listen to them. maybe people are angry that some famous band is famous and their personal favourite band isn't as famous?

oh, i'd love a harp. fortunately my taste leans more towards lever harps than pedal harps, but they're still rather pricey. an Irish session i used to play at (back in the old times when we were allowed to leave the house) sometimes had a harp player turn up to play accompaniment and i loved the sound of it. a couple of years back i almost bought one; i managed to resist the urge at the last minute, but it's still near the top of my things-i'd-buy-if-i-was-rich list. aside from a harp, i'd also like to buy everything. i've wanted a Koch flute replica by Martin Wenner ever since i first saw it. a Noy flute with the engraved keywork wouldn't go amiss either. and i'd like a Hammond organ of some sort. and a decent set of Uilleann pipes. a five-string fiddle would be handy (either electric or acoustic, i'm not sure - so maybe both). and i've had my eye on a Gibson SG Tribute...