wateroftyne

But are the the likes of KV are using the same car radio modules you find in bass amps? I suspect not...

*cough*Maruszczyk*cough*

I really enjoyed the SC500 when I had it. It was no 'car radio' micro head - heft was noticeable by its presence.

I don't think it was ever an official Fender thing.

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1461252080' post='3032923'] That'll be the hybrid driver module I think. [/quote] That's my understanding, too.

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1461248499' post='3032876'] It's a bit of a pain you have to pay the transfer fee twice [/quote] Transferwise! I paid about £2.50 a pop for each of my transfers :-)

Me too. Use Transferwise. A doddle to set up, and far cheaper and less hassle than using your bank.

I might as well turn this into a general HandBox chat thread... They've just posted details of a prototype they're working on, on Facebook - here's an approximate translation (thanks, Google!). [color=#141823][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]"Two-Channel hybrid head, with five tubes in the pre. The first channel is modelled on the Ampeg tone stack which uses three of the tubes, and is '[/font][/color][color=#141823][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]thick, dirty and heavy'.[/font][/color] [color=#141823][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]The [/font][/color][color=#141823][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]other channel is inspired by Fender with more typical 3-band passive EQ, and using two tubes for a cleaner tone. The masterpiece is a hybrid driver module that gives it close to the unmistakeable full-tube tone. It will put out 600w @ 4Ohm and has friendly feature-weighs 4 times less than a tube equivalent."[/font][/color] It's overkill for my needs, but my gosh it looks fun...

They posted the English translations of the specs for two of the amps on Facebook earlier... Sorry for the HEEEOWGE images.

More info: Footswitchable - not possible. Rackmount - nope, but there is a flightcased version available.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1461074124' post='3031175'] I'm assuming it's European heft and not African heft..? [/quote] It's a simple question of weight ratios.

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1461071806' post='3031148'] Has anyone enquired about heft yet? [/quote] Oh, it's got that :-)

By the way, his webhost are having problems - he reckons his site will be down for 8-10 days. He's contactable by Facebook in the meantime.

[quote name='gazhowe' timestamp='1461043652' post='3030827'] I like the 2nd one too. I've never been a fan of top handle straps from an aesthetic and practical point of view so would prefer this with the side handle shown on the 1st amp if possible. If not I could certainly live with it, the amp sounds very good on the demos. [/quote] I'm the opposite - I wasn't keen on the side handle at first for purely visual reasons (yeah, I'm shallow), but I now see that it makes perfect sense. It's a solid, quality handle, and the way it's accessible through the fitted soft case makes it a doddle to carry. [quote name='Matt P' timestamp='1461057152' post='3030940'] The last one for me, but with the black faceplate surround, is it possible to have a footswitch for the drive? Matt [/quote] [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1461057244' post='3030941'] Is there a rack-mounting version? [/quote] Good questions.. dunno. I'll find out. [quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1461057857' post='3030955'] Surprised nobody has asked this yet. How is it compared to the Walkabout WoT? [/quote] The WA is known for being inherently thick and warm, which I've always liked. The R-400 is a different beast. With the EQ flat, it's absolutely clear as a bell. Like the WA it's very responsive, and laying back or digging in is very rewarding. Engage a bit of drive, and a little bit of contour, and you can get into WA territory, but to be honest, I just had loads of fun playing it clean - it's clean in a smooth tube way, not SS. The bark on string slides is lovely. The lows are tight and responsive, which isn't what the WA is famed for. Again, two different flavours of goodness. It's a great match for the TKS cabs. I can imagine needing to roll the treble or tweeters right back a bit on full-range cab for my needs. But then... others would love it. I'm using supplied backline this weekend, but over the next few weeks I've got gigs with a number of different bands, some with more 'challenging' volume needs than others. We'll see how it goes!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1461013875' post='3030732'] I like the second one, simple but businesslike. [/quote] I like it, too. It's very blackface Walkabout...

There's a Facebooky thing: https://www.facebook.com/HandBoxAudio/

It's http://handbox.pl/, but it seems to be down at the moment..?

Cheers, Merton. :-) Right - I've decided it's a keeper. Time to talk to him about price and put my order in. I need to decide what kind of style to go for, too - there's quite a few options of styles, cases, knobs, colours, switches and finishes...

Time to wheel out my usual 'Black Velvet' story. Back in the day, I was in a covers band with a lot of seasoned musos. Not having a 5-string, they insisted I tune down. 'OK' says I. At every gig and every rehearsal, I pretended to detune, and just played it at the octave. No-one ever noticed.

Here's why - imagine you work in Fender's marketing department, and you're presented with the following. Which do you choose? 'FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Fender, creators of classic instruments from the beginning of rock'n'roll, are delighted to announce the lauch of a white Precision bass, with a black pickguard and a maple neck.' 'FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: [color=#333333]Punk bass starts with Douglas “Dee Dee Ramone” Colvin. As the pounding heart of the Ramones, he pioneered a no-frills sound and style that left a permanent mark on rock music. On a white Fender Precision Bass slung impossibly low, he defined punk bass with simple but breakneck bass lines delivered with such pulverizing sound, speed and conviction that he singlehandedly set the template for generations of punk bassists to come..... etc.'[/color]

Incidentally, you know why the headstock is the shape it is? Ol' Leo wasn't daft when it came to saving a dollar or two....

I used it yesterday at a marathon 8-hour rehearsal, just through the little S112. Lovely & focussed. I didn't think I'd have a use for the contour knob, but I've noticed adding a little nudges it towards Walkabout territory. I used it on quite a few tunes, and the bright switch came in handy too. Any reservations I had about the seemingly limited EQ are forgotten - it's just so easy to use. Here's another vid, FWIW.. DI'd post-EQ with everything set flat, and the drive engaged. (Disclaimer - I'm not a sound engineer. I need to learn how to do this properly!). [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k824J7HTfTo[/media]