thodrik

Interesting launch video. Price of the Metro Express is to around 775 Euros. Though it won't feature the Sadowsky bridge, nor from what I gather the full fat Sadowsky preamp. I suppose for that price point it isn't really possible. It looks the Sterling by Musicman equivalent to the Sadowsky line. In terms of fit and finish I am actually really curious to see how this line turns out, perhaps more than the more expensive lines. It seems that the Metros will be priced at above 2000 Euros, so quite a bit more than the Warwick Teambuilt basses but pretty much in line with current Metro prices. The Masterbuilt series with 'upgraded' Nordstrand pickups is curious. Previously, the benefit of the Metro series was that you were getting the same bridge, pickups and pre amp as the NYC basses. As far as I'm aware the previous standard Sadowsky branded J-bass pickups were generally Seymour Duncan humcancelling pickups. I'm guessing that the 'new' Metros will get these pickups and the Masterbuilt will get the new Nordstrand pickups. From my view, it seemed like a good presentation video. Interesting that Roger Sadowsky stated that all the CNC work is done to his specifications, so the basses really shouldn't feel too different in hand compared to the current Metro line. Also, I like the fact that Roger Sadowsky pointed out the flaws with the prototype Metro Express basses in terms of the logo and string retainer. A small indication of his general quality control and wanting things to be 'right'. I am still cautiously optimistic.

Another recommendation for the Alpha Omega here. Though actually, I prefer using a B3K as my always on 'thick, nearly clean' basic sound with the AO set as a more high frequency 'grind' tone. I run the drive fairly low on the AO but the resulting stacked tone is fairly savage. Less is more when it comes to the gain. However, for an unsubtle, 'screw you guys, I'm turning the fuzz on' excess the Darkglass Duality is tough to beat. However, with the Duality there is no way of really tweaking it to being a moderate overdrive the sits well in a mix. I prefer using the AO for dirt rather than clean. Don't get me wrong, the clean sounds are great, however the drive is so flexible that I feel it is far more suitable as an extra drive source. I like the B3K on lower settings, but the higher gain settings are not to my tastes. I think that I would have the same views on the B7K. The AO has great flexibility allowing you to really tailor the drive to suit the characteristics of your bass. I also enjoyed using the Aguilar Agro as an extra drive on top of the B3K, but it lacks the girth of the AO with the 'grunt' switch or any EQ capabilities. The Aguilar and AO though are great.

It looks very much like a 'hmm, lets try this idea out to see if it works' type of release. Hopefully it catches on. I would like to try one. In terms of prices, I think that the German 'Team Built' series are pretty well priced. A Team Built Thumb 5 is currently about £1500. If they simply added £300 or so for a fanned fret upcharge then I think the price would be pretty competitive. In terms of a full custom shop job with fanned frets, I dread to even guess what the price would be. I wonder if other builders will now follow suit? A Spector Euro with fanned frets perhaps? I could see Gibson doing it as well, though it wouldn't surprise me if they fanned the frets the wrong way round, so you have a 32 inch B string and 37 inch G string. The Monorail bridge is interesting. I'm guessing it is cheaper to just place individual bridges are the chosen locations than for Warwick to design/purchase a bespoke five string bridge for a multiscale bridge. I have a Vigier Arpege which has a similar type of bridge (not fan fretted). It definitely works in functional terms but I don't see it is an upgrade on a traditional bridge. In any case, it is a bit of bother trying to clean in between the individual bridges. So much dust gets stuck in there!

Interesting! It is a very subtle fanned fret system compared to a Dingwall (35.5 inches to 34 inches compared to 37 inches on the low B of a Dingwall). Frankly I prefer that, as the angle of the upper frets on a Dingwall would make chords tricky on a Dingwall (I do a lot of high up chord work as part of my rehearsal and writing work so that would annoy me). The Warwick angles look less extreme, but probably at the loss of the famed Dingwall 'piano clarity' of a low B on a 37 inch scale. If Warwick offered a five (or six) string Thumb with the same fanned fret system I would be very tempted. I have just never really liked the Corvette body shape in comparison to the Thumb and the Streamer.

I used to have an EBS Valve Drive to add 'genuine valve warmth' solid state amps. After I while I just decided that the 'warmth' was barely audible in a mix, either live or recorded and the hassle of taking a pedal with a massive footprint for minimal tonal benefits was just not worth it. After a couple of years I just stopped using it. I have ended up using either an Aguilar Agro or lately, a Darkglass B3K with the gain turned very very low. Both are pretty pricey options, but I ended up preferring them to my old Tech 21 Bass Driver, as I felt that the Bass Driver kind of made all my basses sound the same. If the Aguilar Agro just had the 'grunt' switch and blend option of the Darkglass it would be my ideal pedal. I actually really like Joyo stuff as well. The Sparrow Bass DI will do essentially what a Tech 21 Bass Driver does but for about £65.

Nice!

The Series III are lovely looking, though I don't like the big 'Vigier' logo on the bodies of some of them. I actually have a Series IV Arpege with that Glockenklang pre amp. After 7 years I am finally getting a hang of the EQ system! Lovely bass but I do think that the bolt on nature of it makes it less 'special' than the neck through models. In terms of general fit and finish though it is pretty flawless.

Hmm, the thing is that a lot of late 70s Fenders could be made parts from various years, so body and neck dates didn't always match even on the 'original' models. Late seventies Fenders were (or are?) notorious for this practice.

Apologies if I am missing something, but surely the relative trade value of the Vigier Passion II in a 'Warwick for a Vigier' trade is going to be same as the relative trade value of a Vigier Passion II in a 'Vigier for a Warwick' trade? I would presume that the relative trade values of the basses subject to the px deal have been discussed already since the deal appears to be imminent. If the Vigier doesn't work out then I would just try to trade it again on similar terms. Ultimately the value of the instrument in a future trade will depend on the basses subject to the trade at the time of the trade. However, you should be able to sell the Vigier for a decent price providing you with enough cash to buy another Warwick $$. The custom Warwicks come in different specifications and levels of 'bling' so there will be some Warwicks that are worth more than the Vigier in any trade deal (for example a highly blinged up Warwick Thumb or Streamer with diamond encrusted inlays, but those are fairly rare). Best of luck.

Or the cabs will be distributed/gifted to the legions of YouTube/Social Media Bass Player Influencers who wax lyrical about every Darkglass release.

Seems identical in features to previous lines. I wonder if the pre-amp has been revoiced or something to make them different to previous line? Quality amps no question, but it is a bit strange to increase the footprint of the amp without adding extra power or features from the previous line. I always thought that the VU was a bit of a gimmick (an LED clip light will suffice for me) so having an output VU doesn't really interest me.

Yes, I would think so. Very expensive, however much less expensive than the Mesa equivalent. I wonder who was actually making the cabs for Darkglass? Just thinking if it would be possible to get an equivalent cabinet made straight from the source for less...

No matter how expensive a bass is, the first thing I will do post purchase is change the strings and set the instrument to my own specifications. 'This sounds great but the action is a bit high and the intonation is a bit off' is not a deal breaker, provided that the string saddles are not already at their lowest possible position and there is sufficient space to actually intonate the instrument properly. Floorshop 'dings' and cosmetic wear and tear on a new bass doesn't turn me off either provided it doesn't affect playability, though I will seek a discount if I buy it. However, outside of bass my guitar of choice is a Gibson Les Paul, so I am used to trying out expensive instruments with completely uneven set ups... If the set up of an in-stock bass is really bad, then I have to pretty much rule it out if I am unsure as to whether the bass is even capable of being set up the way I would like it. If I am paying £2000 plus on an instrument I would actually ask the shop if they could reduce the action a bit if the set up is just incredibly bad or spongy (it takes about one minute to this). If doing that reveals massive amounts of fret buzz then it is perhaps a sign of more issues. Being in Scotland my only 'big' chain store in reach is Guitar Guitar. I can't say I have encountered too many absolute dogs as in my opinion most of the 'premium' basses have at worst a 'decent' set up in the Glasgow store.

Okay, I quite like the look of the Little Bass Thing. Great name. The Orange's EQ settings are somewhat more 'agricultural' compared to the Darkglass, EBS, Aguilar and Mesa competition. However, as a 'plug in and play something loud' with a decent tone this could be a good product. Not a bad price in my view.

Step 1. Check that my rig is still working and nothing is missing. Step 2. Check that my main bass and back up bass are in fully working order. Change strings if necessary. Step 3. Load gear into car/van. Step 4. Check where the gig is. Step 5. Unload gear again as gig is on another day.

You can try. However the carbon/graphite component of the instrument will give the instrument a certain character that is really hard to EQ out. I mean, as hard as I have tried with a variety of EQ settings and systems, I cannot make either of my Vigiers have the woody characteristic of a passive Fender Precision or Jazz. However you can get a tone in the general ballpark. There should be enough demo videos online for Vigiers to give you an idea of whether that type of sound is something you would enjoy. The actual fit and finish of the instrument should be excellent.

Many thanks. I will try and get my head around the maths and electronics (not my strong suit) but I’m definitely going to do it! Cheers!

Hi, just checked the bulb, which is a 42v 2w 45MA bulb. It is about the fifth bulb I have gone through in ten years. Feel free to give me a PM or so with what bits I need. A blue LED would look far better. Many thanks again!

I will do! Much appreciated.

What kind of LED and what kind of resistor? I think I need to do this mod. Bulb had gone for the umpteenth time at a gig...

Depends on what Trace Head it is. I wouldn’t my trade my Trace V6 for a Mesa M6. However, I did sell a Trace SMX 300 to buy a Mesa M6, which I then sold to buy a Mesa Big Block 750

Pretty much this. I love my two Vigiers and think that the fit and finish is up there with any high end/boutique company. However if the ideal tone in your head is a Fender Precision then the Vigier isn’t going to cut it. However, even after owning a Vigier for five years as my main bass (2004-2009) I always thought that something was missing from my sound. I found that a Sadowsky Metro bass was the perfect bridge between my old barely working Fender Precision and my truss rod-less insanely high output Vigier Excess. if I buy another bass it will either be a Warwick Thumb 6 or a Spector 6.

From the few Fender CS shop basses I have tried (about 5), all but one of them had a good amount of single coil hum. Cracking basses though.

The 4x10 and 2x12 cabs are really tempting. I just can’t justify it at the moment particularly as I now own a Mesa 6x10. That Strategy head though...

Very different basses. It really depends on what you are looking for in a bass. Do you need to sell the Warwick to buy the Vigier? Is there something about the Warwick you don't like? The Vigier quality is top notch in general (I have two Vigiers). Though with a 31 year old bass I would want to try the bass first before committing to a purchase. If you have a chance to try it then I would highly recommend it. The only thing I would say against Vigier basses is that they don't (at least to my ears) deliver a very vintage tone as a result of the carbon fibre neck (or even a 10/90 carbon/wood neck on the new ones). The tone is phenomenal for sure. However, if the ideal bass sound in your head is boutique version of a Fender Jazz bass design, then you might not like the Vigier.