Machines

RBX765A (1997) from Facebook for a stupid offer price. Had definitely been in storage for a few years and the strings beyond redemption - pretty good condition otherwise with only a a couple of dents. Full clean and some new Dunlops and it's on the money. The EQ is much subtler than I'm used to, but it really seems to work. This is a keeper, unless a RBX6JM comes up for a reasonable price. I now have 3 RBX's, somehow.

I've had a total of four five 6 strings over the years (my usual default is a 5), not until the last one did I really gel with any of them. Whilst I still play 4/5s and definitely feel more comfortable with those, the 6 feels like i'm wielding more 'potential' with what I play. None of that applies for the usual covers, but even when it's Dream Theater I play at home to give myself Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - 90% of it can be done on a 5. However, my GAS has swung very much to 6 strings recently, they just look better in my eyes.

This makes sense. Most modern metal bands have bass players with Dingwalls, it's very much the P bass of djent - you also have to have a Darkglass distortion pedal ! I doubt the other band members will know what makes them so popular, nor any alternatives (e.g. Ibanez, RedSub, Cort etc). The RedSub Coliseum 5/6 will I guarantee give the sound that was expected and also not cost a fortune, worth getting one and returning if it doesn't work out.

This is the exact post I was going to make.

I see basses like cars. A Dacia is likely to be perfectly serviceable to get you from A to B and not break down, but a BMW will be more comfortable and make you feel more 'special' doing so. As someone else posted, it's all about your means. Can afford a BMW but drive the Dacia ? If you can be happy with it and just see it as a tool and not bring psychology into it, you'll save a fortune. My bass journey so far has landed me at mid range stuff, my main bass is a Yamaha RBXJM2, followed by a Sire M5 and MIM P. Nothing there worth more than £400, but i've had Musicman(s), Overwater, Warwick, Dingwall etc. All of them were far superior to what I have now in craftsmanship, but if I just get on with playing music rather than twiddling knobs there's not enough 'extra value' to justify the money.

My personal belief that with the rise of 'Buy Now Pay Later' finance options on almost every website, it allows people immediate access to expensive instruments without having to save up. As such, you can up the prices without it seeming as bad. Here's an example on a Stingray 5 Special. The monthly cost of £98 seems moderately bearable, except when you look at total amount payable and APR. But I think instant gratification will win out a lot of the time.

Yeah, not sure why they're SO low though, it's below cost price. Even still, they took a few days to shift about 7 (one left currently !) I've only had low volume try outs with it so far, but it's definitely a big improvement on my Genz Benz tonally. I'm considering replacing my EICH XS112 also, as whilst it's a cracking cab, it's so tiny I have to crouch down to adjust amp settings everytime 🤣.

Bundle all gone, 3 heads left

Spotted this morning a few left of the bundle at £499 but 7 heads left for £349. I went for the head alone as that cab has too much heft for me. https://www.andertons.co.uk/tc-electronic-bass-rig-bundle-rh750-amp-head-k410-cab

Aria Pro ZZ

No need anymore, they just needed the screws tightening 🙄

I'm quite confident that most marketing descriptions on the benefits of any 'fad' are similarly full of stinky poo. I get the feeling that G4M specced it with roasted maple, the manufacturer entered a contract to supply to them at cost of X, but didn't bother with meeting the exact spec, and even tried to lie about it. They're made in Vietnam, which is a fairly new market for guitar manufacturing, especially compared to China/Indonesia/Korea etc.

It is maple with a stain, it's more of a description issue but it's still a normal maple neck. Considering sanding it but may get tricky around the binding.

From website: Neck Shape: Slim D Profile Fingerboard Radius: 14-18" Compound Radius Nut Width: 42mm

It's not too bad as it is compared to the 6, but probably Wilkinson's to keep the price down. No issues in 3 orders for me, but I am in the UK where they are based. It's a mix of damage and bad production. There's a common theme for finishing issues, mostly sanding marks, poor binding, scratches. But the fractured headstock ones were definitely impact/crush in shipping.

Some of you may recall I purchased the 6 string fanned fret Coliseum last year . I sold it a few months ago as I had since bought another 6 string which was more comfortable and the headstock dive was a pain when playing in studio. Well, the prices have since gone up from £299 to £349 for the 6 string, and there's a fair few videos of them now on YouTube. What I haven't seen at all in the wild however, is the 4 string model. It's not fanned fret, it doesn't have a low B and is standard scale so quite unremarkable right ? Gear4Music have had A LOT of issues with QC on these Coliseums, and they added some to eBay in a very sorry state (cracked headstocks and binding falling off worst culprits). I spotted a 4 string model however with what looked like just cosmetic issues (neck bolt routing messy, light scratches on neck)). The price was utterly ridiculous at £125 (Under half of RRP !). So I hit BIN. It arrived today, and whilst it is definitely B-stock, £125 for this is bonkers. It must be well below cost price. I had the 6 before so it wasn't a surprise how it sounded, but still feel like I stole it. Would have paid £269 and still be happy. Will t-cut the scratches, new tuners and this thing is perfect.

I recently bought an M5 4 string. It's really quite the thing, it's really light, has a a great core tone and the EQ just makes more of it. I couldn't see anything else getting near it for less than a grand (this was under £500).

I went for the trans blue, it's almost green in bits looks great.

Up = parallel Middle = single coil Down = series Series is pretty much a louder parallel with more bottom end.

7, and not bothered with guitars yet.

Depending on if I got my lad (odd weekends) i'll come along with: Sire M5 / Yamaha RBXJM2 / GenzBenz Neo Pak / EICH112XS

I can assure you, they do exist.

I really like the 6 string M7, but they're more than double the price. Same pickups, EQ and a maple top ?! I really struggle to see the value there, as the M7 5 string is £655 which seems fair, but the 6 is £949. 300 quid for one more string ? Err no.