thodrik

With active basses my settings change greatly depending on the bass and type of preamp and the amp or external preamp (if any) I am using. With my Sadowsky basses generally a tiny bit of bass and treble boost, probably less than a quarter turn. I never touch the VTC so it is on full. If I wanted a more vintage tone then I would use a passive bass. Vigier Excess, treble cut by a lot maybe only a quarter turn from zero, bass cut by a little bit too, otherwise the signal into the amp is too hot and treble is incredibly piercing and metallic. Vigier Arpege, each pick up has its own three band preamp. Generally I boost the bass and treble in the bridge pick up and set the pickup pan slightly towards the bridge pickup. Front pick up set flat as things can get confusing very quickly on a gig if I mess around with controls on the fly. 1979ish Fender Precision, plug it in and hope it works. Maybe pull the tone back a touch if I am looking for that soupy devoid of treble 1960s tone. 1974 Gibson EB3. Plug it in, realise that it still sounds the same no matter what tone settings or pick up combinations are used, unplug and fetch the Fender…

According to https://stringtensioncalculator.com/, a 130 string tuned to C# on a 34 inch scale would yield a tension of about 45lb. This isn't much different a tension to tuning a 105 or 110 string to a standard low E and much less tension than tuning a 50 gauge and 65 gauge string up to G and D in a standard tuning 50-,65-85-105 set. A 130 gauge probably wouldn't fit in the nut without some work though, so if you are going for that gauge of string it requires a bit of commitment knowing you are not going to simply go back to a standard gauge set anytime soon.

Its pretty clever in terms of what it can do, at least in theory. It is clearly designed for those how are familiar and comfortable with working with technology and digital processing. However, 'in the studio' I can achieve the results I want with with BIAS FX/Amplitube without the need for a physical amp and live I prefer having my pedals at my feet and physically in place. So this amp is clearly not for me, even it was I would probably wait six months for the inevitable E800 version which will have more features (a pre/post FX 'master' five band graphic EQ or something) and the ability to footswitch the various 'pedals' on and off. Darkglass have a defined audience and every one of their releases caters to that audience and they have a constant stream of products released every year to cater to/milk that audience. The gear however is generally really good (I have three pedals) and to a certain extent I do applaud them for not sitting still and continually to evolve their product line.

Trial and error played a big role in my quest for the optimum strings for downtuned four string basses. Generally I like sets of 100-40 in standard tuning and I generally try to get a set that gets somewhere close to the tension of a 100-40 set in standard whatever the tuning. Since D'addario's String Tension Pro has gone dead, I have been using https://stringtensioncalculator.com/. It isn't exact science but yellow = loose, white = standard, red = high tension. Start with something close to the gauge you prefer in standard and try to approximately match the tension in your chosen tuning. Tension isn't the be all and end all but it at least gives a starting point. Personal preferences and issues like action, fit of the bridge, compliance all play a role. It is essentially a bit of trial and error and lots of guesstimates as to what will work. For C sharp standard, D'addario Balanced Tension 120-50 are my go to 'set' or a set of Elixir singles of 120-50 but they are in short supply at the moment. Personally I didn't like the DR DDTs as I felt they were too unbalanced in that the low strings were too loose and the high strings were really high tension.

Totally agree.

I feel that EBS heads like the v.1 Fafner share some similarities to the ABM heads in terms the basic features (comp, valve drive, mid scoop pre shape) but with a lot more treble and a little bit less sub bass on tap. Maybe the Ampeg SVT Pro series in terms of that slightly woolly but warm valve sound too. I don’t have any experience with the class D Ashdown heads.

Must be special a 6 string Warwick constructed out of bubinga infused with concrete.

I have two Vigiers (no truss rod) and two Sadowskys (truss rod wheel), so set ups on those are really easy. Work requiring actual tools like slotting a nut, soldering, electrical work is all via a tech. Also I will use a tech to set up the truss rods on my 70s P bass and Gibson EB3. Even after a 'pro' set up though, I will generally adjust the action to my personal taste (not super low but usually lower than what I get).

The same guy who recommended Future Islands to me as part of a massive weekend drinking session 6-7 years ago also recommended Eli Paperboy Reed, who at the time was on a mission to bring the Motown sound back into the 21st century popular music. As of 2022 I believe he is still trying and success has been mixed at best. Still this song made me smile at the time.

I thought that they were going to be absolutely massive when I first heard them 6-7 years ago. They just didn't really kick on to megastardom and I haven't heard anything from them that is as good as Seasons. To me they looked and sounded like a US high school band who reformed especially for their 20th anniversary school reunion but then decided to keep going afterwards.

Generally good to great service over the years. Generally I find their correspondence direct and to the point, sometimes blunt, but never in a 'sales speak' where I feel pressured to proceed in a particular direction. I would certainly use them again.

Definitely an innovation and I can definitely see the potential benefits. However, just by looking at them I don't think I would enjoy them. I quite like doing higher register chords and the pronounced angle of the frets in the upper registers of the fretboard make me think that this would actually be more difficult on a multiscale bass than a 'normal' bass. Though I have yet to try one in person and would be keen to hear that B string sound that is talked about so much. I might/probably would change my opinion if I actually try one though I generally use balanced(ish) tension strings which I find counteracts that the unbalanced string tension on standard sets of strings on a standard bass. I don't generally feel that my B string is lacking. However the thought of using a multiscale bass to tune even further down to an F# is appealing, though not something I think I really need!

Great demo. I have had the V1 for about ten years and haven't used it in about eight! I recorded an album with it to help give my EBS Fafner a more valve-like tone (so basically two pre-amp tubes rather than one). Sounded great but it was far too big, fragile and inconvenient (12v ac supply requiring a separate adapter) to stay on my board for longer than a couple of years. It is a good studio toy now. Personally, I would prefer a cut/boost EQ section than the passive tone EQ it has on the pedal.

The way it fell apart so publicly complete with 'he said, they said' Twitter bitchiness is pretty sad. I kinda expect to turn on AEW on ITV4 one night and see the Andy Williams' alter-ego The Butcher destroy a local wrestler identified as Beef Kuckley

Damn right, straight from the 1988 Trace Elliot sales brochures. Go for the 'full professional' set up of two 4x10s and and two 2x15s, or the 'portable semi-professional' set up of two 2x10s and two 1x15s. Size, weight, practicality and back aches be damned.

Just want to put a comment in here because I am intrigued to hear more about these amps. They are certainly on my Class D amp wishlist along with the Mesa TT/WD800 heads and a few others.

Until recently I was using D'addario Balanced Tension 120-50 Nicklewound set on my Sadowsky Metro tuned to drop C. I have now strung it with 100-40 Rotosound stainless steels for some standard tuned funk action while my downtuned/stoner band are on hiatus. For funk based playing, it has to be stainless steel for me. For an all round tone that lasts I will probably get a set of Elixirs. I prefer the tone of fresh D'addarios but a set of Elixirs last me over a year!

Very long!

I used to have one of those combos. It sounds like a Kamen era SM300 Combo. It might be an SMC if there is a compressor. It was the loudest amp I could comfortably fit in the back of a black cab in Glasgow to do gigs. I had just enough strength to carry it down a flight of stairs and into the taxi and then carry it out of the taxi and walk 50 yards or so into the venue. I was around 20 then. I replaced it with a Mesa Walkabout 1x15 which was slightly lighter, had less clean headroom but sounded miles better. I think I sold the Trace Elliot for about £150 but it was a deal for a local teenager who needed an amp. Great amp but there are lighter and louder options out there. If I did want a Trace Elliot combo I would keep an eye out for an 12 band SMX combo as the amps are more flexible than the 7 band SM series.

My friend from school has his own signature model Extreme 5 and absolutely swears by it. Apparently the neck profile is nice and thin which helps him as he converted from guitar and likes a thinner neck. Apparently it is a 'fast' neck. He plays metal of the metalliest metal. Fit and finish on Schecters is generally pretty impressive for the price point. Pretty much the looks and use of EMG pickups (which I don't generally like) on a lot of the models which put me off. The retro J and P basses look lovely though.

Jimmy Egypt for sure. The folk at Strung Out, CC Music Guitar Guitar can do a good set up too. For anything intricate or extensive though it would be Jimmy Egypt every time for me.

https://thebassgallery.com/collections/bass/products/ernie-ball-music-man-bongo-5 The Bass Gallery have one in stock apparently. I would suggest giving them a call.

That’s the full size model. Must be an older model as the newer ones come with a tweeter. Good cabinets but not lightweight, probably about 55lbs or so.

Is that the smaller 300 watt version? The Proline series is/was their standard series of made in Sweden cabs. It would have been cheaper than the larger cabs more out of size than out of being a budget cab. The Classic line is the EBS budget line but even that line is pretty well built and could be considered pro level gear. If the cab is in good condition then it sounds like a good deal.

Me!