Muzz

I've just fitted a set of Seymour Duncan's to my Fenderbird, and they're a significant upgrade. Having said that, it's had one or two upgrades: P-neck, Hipshot Ultralights, new nut, rewire (inc. series switch) and pots, Hipshot Supertone, even Gibson knobs. That leaves the body, the scratch plate and the back cover plate which are Epi. Trigger's Hammer...

Fantastic basses - you have to play one to comprehend how well they're built. Shame they don't do a maple board. Actually, it's just as well, my finances really wouldn't stand it.

Had some time to kill in PMT yesterday, so tried to play one of these. It was broken. Tried a PF500 instead, meh, but good value for just over £300.

Original for me, all the way.

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1332839722' post='1593670'] There are some guys using them on the forum that we shall not speak of ;-) [url="http://forums.ernieball.com/music-man-basses/52750-cobalts-real.html"]http://forums.ernieb...balts-real.html[/url] [/quote] Hey, everyone one there likes them - they must be great!

[quote name='Johngh' timestamp='1332638675' post='1591129'] Just got back from our first working mens club gig for years. We normally do pubs. Had Bingo Then us for 45mins Then more Bingo Then us again We went down really well, us that is, not the Bingo, all the grannies went home after the Bingo finished. And we had a great second set with a packed dance floor. [/quote] Played very much the same gig Saturday night, except I didn't win the bingo, the grannies didn't go home and there was no dance floor. Big stage, good to have plenty of room, the downside was the tone-sapping nature of the stage and the space. Struggled with EQ all night, although on reflection I probably shouldn't have used the new Dingwall without at least trying it out at a rehearsal first: it was very different (but in a good way) and nice to play, but I need to work on my rig at rehearsals this week.

[quote name='Sheldon Dingwall' timestamp='1332576185' post='1590155'] Does anyone have any input on their experience between playing alone in a music store and in a group setting? I'm not looking for hype or praise just honest feedback. [/quote] Played my first gig (for the non-rehearsing function band) with the ABZ4 last night - wow. I'd bimbled along with the Fenderbird and ABZ4 in the double gig bag, expecting to just plug in and get on with it, but the ABZ was just so much clearer, more defined (and louder) than the Fenderbird (I normally use my Wizard-equipped P/J with the Fenderbird, or the Wizard-equipped Fortress) that I had to re-evaluate my EQ from the ground up. The best analogy I can think of is pushing at an open door, it sounded very odd at first. I'm now even more glad I've got the presets on the RH450, because I need very different settings from my other basses. On the other hand, the ABZ is so light and comfortable I left it on all night, and my back thanked me for it (right up until I had to help carry the PA to the van at the end of night). I'm still inclined, incorrigible Luddite that I am, to put a P-Tone (or even two) in there (anyone do a part-ex?) for a more traditional tone, but there's tons in there if/when you need it. I'm looking forward to taking it to a practice when I can take some time and get properly to grips with it and the amp in a band setting. Oh, and the opposite happens to what you might think - everyone wants a go, even the drummer...

Bertbass, you sense more than a little doubt, especially about 100/2000 watt amp equivalence. I've had a fair few solid state heads (that's owned and used in anger onstage and in the studio, rather than tried out in shops) and I've never had an issue with volume or bass - my current setup has a particular voice which is more low mids (the TC Classic and RH450 don't have masses of bottom end, which is fine for me), but I've had previous SS setups with a ton of bass. None of them were 2KW, and with all of them I was using my ears. - I find them invaluable for listening to things. I've also owned an all-valve SVT, and it was no louder in the bottom end than much of the solid state stuff. By your reckoning, I'd need 6000W of solid state to compete. You can see where the doubt emanates. Maybe it's a time issue - as you say in your first post, when 'tranny amps' first came out, there possibly was a large discrepancy, but things (especially in the SS world) have moved on a good deal since then.

[quote name='bassman2790' timestamp='1332514230' post='1589463'] Are valve amps really that much more powerful than solid state? [/quote] No.

2000w solid state to equal 100w valve? Really? Wow, just wow.

Here's the "Where's the rest of it?" rig at a recent gig - the cab's sitting on one of those adjustable stands (about £15 or so from EBay IIRC) which helps with the 'cab pointing at your feet' syndrome common with small cabs. Must do a review of the stand - it's a godsend. [attachment=103196:DSC_0281.jpg]

Wow, my YOB bass. If I had the cash, I'd have it in a heartbeat. I'd gig it, too...

Another +1 for Schroeders for gig-friendly sensitivity and presence. My 1515L is as loud as I'll ever need, and I play with a big rock drummer, and I have a mate who swapped a Trace 410 for a 1212L and is very happy with the volume and depth now. He plays in a traditional two-guitar rock covers band doing Maiden, Priest, Deep Purple, etc, and they're very loud. If you need to go louder than that onstage, you're gonna go deaf very quickly.

[quote name='Paul_C' timestamp='1332423044' post='1588082'] [media]http://youtu.be/kUH2jxpVXqg[/media] [/quote] This. Oh, and me, of course. I'm fecking great...

I've just got one after a long search (4s are hen's teeth secondhand ) and while I'm selling a few of my other basses (mostly to pay for it - skint at the mo) I wouldn't necessarily move to an all-Dingwall collection. I guess it helps that I love the look of them, but mine is just so damn practical (first gig with it this weekend, and I'm looking forward to a 7lb 9oz bass round my neck for a couple of hours instead of 9-10lbers) and nice to play that it's a keeper. I've still got other 'keepers' - but now I think about it, they're mostly low-value, high-sentimentality basses: the Fenderbird, the FrankenP/J, the modded Fortress.

+1

Played a couple of the RW Precisions, and they feel and play very, very well, but the looks? Nah, I'd never pay for that.

Grand, I shall be following this one with interest. Fingers crossed.

Yup, an essential piece of kit for me, because I just don't like 5s. Got them on at least six basses at the mo. Graphite (aka pencil lead) in the nut, a very very small amount of lube in the tuner itself, and a minimal wrap on the post, good to go. I have used one in the studio, no issues at all.

There's at least one isolated bass clip on YouTube of this - I was staggered by the (relative) amount going on in a song I'd heard but not really listened to, basswise, for four decades.

Y'see the 'wonky fret' thing is so natural, I'd completely forgotten to comment on it in the mini-review above! The only thing I would say about it is if you do a lot of chordal stuff above the 14th fret, there's some adjustment to be made. Yeah, like I do a lot of that...

Went through a rash of stuff over a couple of years a while back (after a very long time with an Ampeg SVT/810 rig), but settled on the RH450 and Schroeder 1515L - it does the job, is incredibly loud, very very light and easy to shift, and gives me the tones I'm after. I'd consider another Schroeder cab if I was completely confident about it running under 4 ohms. Will admit to Barefaced GAS, but unless I actually had a chance to try them, it's manageable...so I'm not trying too hard.

Just picked this up from Bobpalt of this parish in one of those one-in-a-hundred long shot situations, and it's very, very nice indeed. It may only be the 4, but the long scale E (and A and D) really really works well - gives an evenness and clarity across the strings I've never encountered before on anything, and I've had a few basses in my time. Dropping the E with the Hipshot Xtender (to D and even C) does not, for once, adversely affect string tension and feel. The banjo frets and compound radius board work massively well, too - this thing plays better than almost everything I've played before. The pickup selector is, erm, idiosyncratic (four-way switch: Neck, both in series, both in parallel, bridge) but gives a huge range of sounds, most of which, uncultured heathen that I am, I'll never use. The tone control also has a more profound effect than any I've used before on a passive bass: it sounds like much more than the usual treble cut, and alters the character of the pickup considerably. Wasn't keen on the standard issue strings (thanks anyway Bob) with them being light gauge Stainless, but a set of medium gauge Nickels worked much better for me. It sits very nicely on the strap, and is clearly made from clouds and helium, because it weighs (by my digital scales) 7lb 9oz. Very very refreshing. Build quality is faultless, it's a solid top quality bass. I may still end up with a Dingwall P-tone in the neck position (see Uncultured Heathen above) but otherwise, it's an absolutely ideal bass. Thanks Bob. Oh, and because I'm well aware it doesn't exist without pics:

I tend to Bob's view, too - the RH450 has all the bells and whistles, but I've long ago settled on three settings (two of which I rarely use), and the only control I touch is the master volume, perhaps a bit of EQ if the room is particularly iffy, in fact the best day-to-day extra on the amp is the tuner, which is very handy. I hate the mither of pedals, and don't use them with the originals band, although one (a cheapo Zoom multi-FX) is a necessary evil for the function band (Octaver for Sledgehammer, etc). Same thing with the cab - it's light, compact and very loud, and it does the job well. All my basses are 4s with Hipshot Xtenders, and that's enough range for me. I take a couple of basses out with the covers/function band, because I'd presumed different genre songs would be better played on a different bass, but the last time out the singer/band leader called the set list changes very quickly without time for changes, and I ended up playing Superstition/Long Train Running/Play That Funky Music/Sledgehammer on the Fenderbird and d'you know what? It worked just fine.

Amsterdam = Disneyland for the adults...