Machines

This is subjective.

For bassists, yes. But it wasn't advertised as a bass show either.

I was there today from about 1-3. I went with my band's guitarist knowing full well there wouldn't be much bass stuff, but it was not as bad as expected. Checked out a few new luthiers with some interesting ideas, caught up with the MarkBass guys too as we'd chatted a lot at Liverpool Show. Ashdown was a bit underwhelming as a fan, as they had a lot of space but not much in it. I did get to check out the John Myung signature drive, but without having it at home i'd never really know if I liked it. 30 min per hour being half quiet was appreciated, as the god awful sound of dozens of shredding guitarists when I walked in made me question my choice of going. The highlight was undoubtedly the lamb curry & rice from the catering stand.

I've seen a few basses recently that have headless hardware, but still have al almost full sized headstock. I don't get it.

I've had 2 Dingwalls and 2 RedSub Coliseums (cheapest proper sized multiscale going). I think the benefits it gives are really only obvious if you play in the low register a lot. When I go back to the 34" basses they feel tiny (like going from a bass to a guitar), but it passes quickly. I currently have a Dingwall D-Roc and a Spector Euro 5LX as main instruments. The D-Roc sounds as above but is warmer and has less top end (as is passive). The Spector sounds similar to mine, i'm not sure the Andertons video really capitalised on the extended scale and did a lot of high end widdling. As they are more expensive to produce than parallel fret instruments and are generally associated with metal, I think they will become more popular, but in no way will they replace anything.

And this is why Amazon will take over most things.

I've just ordered some D'Addarios for my Spector from Amazon for £27, they will arrive tonight ! Strings Direct ? £40 and would be Tuesday at best.

I've unfortunately abandoned private strings companies - Amazon has some great prices on Ernie Balls. StringsDirect £24.99 +£2.99 shipping or Amazon £16.99 delivered ? Such a tough choice.

I wonder if in the future that these basses will be sought after as 'pre Lobster' versions.

Update - took it to my bands recording session today - it recorded very well. Flat EQ, straight into the board - I think it may be a go to recording instrument. Even managed to get a bass solo in there up to 22nd fret on the C

I'm recording via mics with my RM500 & RM112 tomorrow, hoping the fan noise won't get picked up 😕.

I'd dispute that they're popular, I haven't ever had one nor seen one in use.

This will just move the deadspot. Ok if its currently on a note you need to use a lot - but it may make things worse if it isn't. I haven't had an instrument so far that hasn't had a deadspot, they're just usually not in a well use place (e.g. 6th fret G string on my P bass)

I think that video is spot on, they are selling fine now - but their future buyers in 10 years are headed elsewhere.

I didn't know they were touring currently, saw them a few years ago at Birmingham Symphony hall, they were musically perfect but they didn't look very enthusiastic. I suppose that's how it gets eventually...

Any part that increases the surface area of contact, depends on your headstock shape really. Should work with the body too if that's easier. The point is to increase the mass of the instrument by making something else 'part of it' to prove the point. Also - try downtuning a semitone, I bet the deadspot moves too.

Fixed it for you. In my experience it's to do with a specific resonant frequency related to the mass of the instrument. To check this - hold your headstock against a doorframe as tight as you can without damaging anything, play the same note and I bet it sounds better.

Dingwall D-Roc 5 / Yamaha RBX6JM

I have 4 basses that could 'do it all', but I like that there are differences between them that allow me to choose a different tone/feel/appearance depending on my mood.

Sorry who are you again?

2021 D-Roc 5 purchased at Bass & Guitar Show in Liverpool

In the time since this was originally posted, I have moved house 7 times, got married, had a child, divorced and remarried again.

Reported as hate speech.

So after a few months with the Euro 4, I decided I would actually be happier with a Euro 5 that looks the same. My (new) band requires a 5 but really liked the feel and sound of the Euro 4. In the meantime, I actually bought a Dingwall D-Roc 5 and was going to just trade in the Euro to balance the books. This was an eBay purchase, but it was very very close to BassDirect and the journey killed 2 birds with one stone. This is a 2007 model and the TonePump (pre trim pot) was a bit of a surprise compared to the newer model I had before. It's manageable with delicate volume control use however, and does what I wanted for that sound. I managed to break a pot expanding the shaft, but a new one is on the way. It has a couple of minor dings but all very good for 15 years old. Truss rod was slack and action high, but all sorted easily. So that's 2 unplanned basses in the last 2 weeks 😳.