Muzz

I can see why people would spend that sort of money on a Ritter, they really do transcend the bass guitar into a piece of art, then suddenly all bets are off as to what it costs or what it's worth, but Foderas? They don't even look like all the money, at heart they're such a tedious design, and yeah, the butterfly does look like something a Chinese factory would add these days...

Not a problem - I'd ordered one from GAK as they came out last year around my 50th birthday, so for once I had the indulgence fund to be able to buy one. I've loved the look of them forever, and my first 'proper' bass was a 1980 4001 Jetglow (Geddy!) I got for my 16th birthday, so it all seemed set in the stars... Anyway, the one I got wasn't £1600-worth of bass - it just wasn't good enough. Granted, the ergonomics are always a challenge compared to a lot of other basses, but I'm a pick-player rock-klutz who owned one for nearly a decade: the one I got didn't play particularly well, wasn't set up well (the nut was cut wayyy high) and was just a lifeless thing. Well, not lifeless, but I've played £300 Indonesian basses with more zing. I sent it back the next day, very disappointed. Then I went into PMT in Manchester and played one in there, and to be honest that wasn't any more inspiring. All IMHO, YMMV, and all that, and I probably copped for a duffer (or two), and I'll bet a good one is great. I just didn't want to have to keep trying them at that price range. Cost me £30 shipping to try the first one... I still think the 4003W is the best-looking thing they've ever produced...

I thought the LM Tube was the most pointless of the tubed mini heads - you'd hear much more valve with something like a Streamliner or even a GK Fusion. The 'big transformers' thing appears to produce this mystical thing called 'heft', which is much toted on here - some folk swear by it. some folk don't....YMMV, etc...

They look fantastic, glad you like it. I bought one a year ago brand new and it went back the next day...

One of the best live bands I've ever seen...just sublime.

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1426698197' post='2720984'] I describe myself as a semi-pro bass player and guitarist. That has more to do with how I approach the engagements I do, and the bands who I work with, than with my level of technical ability. I see plenty people more capable than me, and a fair few less capable, so I am somewhere in the middle ability-wise. However, I am more useful to a band than a sh!t-hot player who doesn't prepare for the gig, turn up on time, help with the load-in/out, dress appropriately, etc... [/quote] Yeah, that's about me. Except the guitar bit.

Aaand the reverse amp swap with Mark, and once again, as painless and simple a transaction as could be wished for. Gentleman, scholar, pillar, etc

If I ever change mine I'd put an East U-Retro in there. Cracking preamp. I've got a P-Tone pickup in my ABZ4, and it's a major tone upgrade IMHO, but I've left it passive, just as a change from my other main basses, which all have U-Retros in.

Yep, just goes to show something or other - as an example, WoT and I have played a range of similar amps, and we have completely opposing views on them. I even bought his Walkabout and sold it back to him shortly afterwards. Not that we get into scuffling in the taxi queue about it - we're far too gentlemanly for such indignities - but it's interesting anyway.

Loved my Streamliner, with Barefaced and Schroeder cabs. So much so I'm getting it back. My Markbass F1 is OK, but lacks the character of the Streamliner. I also A-B'd it against an M-Pulse and a Walkabout I owned. They were nice, but the Streamliner was better. The EQ is different to most, something you have to get the hang of.

For function or wedding gigs, I use mine as a preamp with Jamup - bass into iPad (in a holder on a mic stand) via a Sonicport, then into my F1 set flat. A dozen or so presets cover every sound I need. Excellent. For acoustic or dep/jam gigs, I use it with charts.

I had a Compact and a BB2 for a short while and ran them both at a rehearsal, which was immense with my F1 and Fusion. Two BB2s will be huge sounding, and you'll be able to walk in carrying both of them. Even my drummer volunteered to carry mine. You'll need to re-EQ, mind - they're very clear, and will start off sounding very different to your current cabs.

Yeah, my MM is a Delano, and I've done the coil tapping thing, It's just the sound doesn't really get close to the P-pup for me...tho YMMV, so it might be worth trying the rewire route, shouldn't cost more than £25-30 to have someone do it for you... The pickup position does mean it won't ever get exactly to the P-pup sound, but you can definitely get away from the MM sound...

Been all over this question for some time - and the answer is, like so many things - how much do you want to spend? You'd effectively need a quad-coil pickup winding, and take the top-left/bottom-right (or vice versa, depending on how you're looking at it) coils and make them live. You could get a full set of taps done from this configuration, to get series/parallel, front pair, back pair or the diagonals as above, depending on switching. I was in contact with Armstrongs and they can do this. I've got a Shuker with a single MM pickup, and I'm the same as you: don't like the Ray sound much. I've got mine switched for series, parallel, and just the front pair. Series or parallel don't sound anything like a P to me, but the front coil on its own sounds a bit Jazz single coil-ish, which I'm living with. I haven't jumped at the custom job yet, because I'm pondering one of these instead: [url="http://nordstrandpickups.com/products/the-bigman/"]http://nordstrandpic...cts/the-bigman/[/url]