thodrik

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.

Contact EBS and they can ship you a replacement bulb directly. Any lamp of the same type will work though, it just won’t have that red/orange glow. In terms of the amp cutting out, the valve and the lamp should not be causing this. The lamp is purely cosmetic, the valve is only inserted into the drive system so if it blows the rest of the amp should still work. I kept my Fafner stored in an unheated rehearsal space for nearly three years. It is still working. So I don’t think that the environment you are storing the amp in is hurting it. It might be worth taking the amp to a tech to have a look. The Fafner I amps are great but they have been discontinued for years. Some parts to the existing amps will eventually start to wear out. I would agree though that the gain control is finicky. Changing the EQ setting or adding or cutting drive generally has a big impact on the signal so you have to add to reduce the gain to suit. Of course once you change the gain level this again changes the character of the drive signal... Great amp though!

I have never bought a Warwick, but have tried a few of the pro series. Always thought that they were well made basses and the fit and finish was on point. In fact, recently I was thinking of getting a team built Thumb 5 (or 6) as a back up/alternative to my Sadowsky. With the truss rod wheel and ease of adjustment of the bridge, Sadowsky basses are the easiest to set up instruments I have ever owned. Provided Warwick can get the shape of the neck, fretwork and fit and finish on point, they really should be able to deliver a really well set up bass. If not, then I think that the concerns of the move will be warranted. Otherwise, I am willing to give the partnership a chance. I suspect that Roger Sadowsky has gone to great pains to satisfy himself on how the instruments are going to be made. My one query/concern is how Warwick would approach dealers. Would dealers have to agree to stock both Sadowsky and Warwick basses or will the product lines essentially be treated as separate entities? I was just thinking of dealers like Guitar Guitar, who have stocked Sadowsky stuff for years, but to my mind have not recently been dealers for German/Pro Series Warwick basses.

I have heard that there is an issue with the five strings in that the string spacing on the bridge is wider than that of the fingerboard, meaning that the g string is in danger of falling off the board. Basically the bridge was built for 19mm spacing and the neck is designed for 18.5 mm spacing. I was wondering if anybody with experience of trying one out could confirm this? It seems like a ridiculous idea, as surely Fender would have thought of this when doing the R&D on their most expensive non custom shop five string bass. I can’t really tell from the demo but it seems to sound nice anyway.

To me it sounds like a 70 year old man who wants to slow down and just get back to building instruments rather than continue to manage an ever growing business. Kinda like Stuart Spector selling on to Korg. These guys have put a lot of time in and as far as I’m concerned they are entitled to choose their own succession/retirement plan. The demand for the Metro Express (and to a lesser extent the Metro and NYC models) far outstripped the actual supply of instruments. Rather than having to manage every aspect of the business, this deal potentially allows the supply of basses to grow but also allows Roger Sadowsky to keep building instruments without the extra pressure of managing foreign production and distribution. It does sound though that ‘something’ happened with Japanese production that Roger Sadowsky didn’t like that resulted in him stopping Japanese production altogether. If Warwick deliver duds though then I suspect Roger Sadowsky will look for a different licensee.