krispn

What did you agree to buy? I only ask as it even has midi which you mentioned fitting to a cheapie 5er. It literally ticks all boxes. It’s uncanny!

I was impressed with doods review of the berg stuff. Sounded good! I’ve always fancied their NV215 and I’d love to hear it via that BiAmp

They are pretty nifty🙂

The orange isn’t a bad amp -a venue we play well before Covid-19 (actually two venues) use the OTB as the house bass rig with an orange cab (one venue is head/cab the other I think is the combo and it’s not terrible but you’d be getting a more defined sound with your DG and more flexibility on managing the lows with a very clear knowledge of your eq points etc. I tended to bring my own gear but did a few shows with the house rig as we were using the in house pa for the room and the amps were really only for stage monitoring. I wonder if the cab just isn’t a good match and an alternative cab would be an option? Or does running a drive in front warm things up? Not sure which drive pedals you’re using buy you were singing the praises of the VT Bass. Wouldn’t that add the warmth you fee is lacking? If the Mesa is coming in at what 12kg that’s surely not too much of a schlep considering how good they sound? My TB600 is about the same weight and it’s a pretty easy two handed lift in a soft case or gator moulded plastic case and that’s including up and down stairs on some gigs. Clearly though you have your mind set on the Orange (this week) so good luck and I hope it’s gonna tick whatever boxes the others don’t quite reach.

If it’s a fender style design it likely similar to BMT 2-10-2 with some boost on the BT and cut only on the mids. Also a fender style is in and around 40-400-4k but with a broader band boost then in other amps. If it’s a bax type there sslightly more interactivity but as ever using eyes over ears isn’t the best way to set eq. I’d have thought the DG AO would have been an already light weight head with a more flexible EQ and switchable drive. The newer OBT1000 are a tad more versatile than the 500w but it’s still a ‘one sound’ head and any tonal changes would require tweaking between songs. A decent pedal would give an options drive but if your covers band is anything like mine one sound with a touch of drive when needed should cover most gigs?

Have you considered the Tone Capsule? Lows at 70 if I recall, 500 for the mids and hi mid (rather than treble) at 2.7 I’ve used these settings on my amp eq and it’s not bad. I still prefer the mids a bit lower for my jazz but depending on a few variables it’s a good even range. The issue as raised before is that with sweepable mids like someone mentioned on the Bongo (I’ve experience with that preamp and it’s very powerful) we’re more likely to mess up the tone rather than find a sweet spot especially as a gig progress and we get ear fatigue. The other issue of using ear plugs we tend to push a certain frequency until we hear it but the overall sound can be terrible.

I only asked abt the Sandberg as they usually keep their value on the used market quite well but buying new and selling on will always see a more significant loss over flipping on a used bass. It initially read like you lost more on it for a reason other than depreciation.

I guess your keeping tight lipped on the loss on the Sandberg? Was it bought from new and a priced to sell sold below market value? I’m just curious? From memory they do three or four wood options and can chamber a body too. I think the point of going the guitarbuild route would be a keeper bass to your exact spec right down to the weight. I’ve not been on the site in a while as I had thought about a reverse p build before modding my p. If your thinking in and around the £650 mark with your exact spec it’s nearly a better option. Especially if your gonna swap tuners etc anyway. The problem is you can’t nitpick the small stuff which many folk use as an excuse not to actually buy in the end i.e. the preamp is only two band, it’s only got 21 frets etc. wrong colour etc etc. If you’re minds set on getting a P/MM to a very tight spec guitarbuild is probably an even better option especially if buying the hardware used... if you’re serious of course and not just thinking out loud on the internet. Plus you may recoup more on a custom build over selling a HB branded bass

Be interested to know how much you lost on the Sandberg and if that was a brand new purchase and you just lost the normal new to used depreciation or if it was some other reason? My HB was £90 and I already had the pick up. If I route it for a reverse p I’ll still hang on to it and it currently sounds better than the cheap bass we have at work for our music/choir group. Worst case the HB will be left at the music room and I’ll use it there. Might fit the tone styler too and hear what that brings - the joy of doing the work oneself so no additional labour costs. Add a soldering iron to you upgrade costs and learn a new skill too while saving money! If you’re after a near mint used Sandberg then naturally you’re into four figure territory but then you could wait for the spec you’re after and I suspect there’s no rush your end. There are some bargains out there though. As you know I’ve pimped a Squier bass and very happy with the results so I’d still say just buy the HB, do the upgrades and if you sell it down the line you can shift the parts and not lose too much on it.

A simple break down of the potential cost. Used Sandberg approx £850 HB £350 approx -preamp and MM pick up upgrade -£250 approx for -tuners £120 fitting and set up £150 approx or more at London prices. Buy a used sandberg and change out the pre or pick ups if it’s not 100%. Retain the originals and if you decide to sell it return to stock and sell or keep the upgrades. Upgrading the hb with your track record on moving basses will only result in a loss or you’ll decide to upgrade to a Sandberg in about three months after buying the HB 😀

For the money the go for it’s worth a punt. The Bass the World guys would be as solid an opinion as anyone on bc and they seem to suggest it’s a solid ‘platform’. It’s simply a matter of changing the preamp and a pick up you can always nab one on here at a good price and there’s loads of solderless stuff out there too. I’m going to route and fit a P pick up in a 51 style HB I nabbed here a while back for a reverse P - Mike Dirnt style. Quick respray and it’s all coming in under £200.

what about nabbing another 414 and having it done?

Isn’t the 614 active? I’m not a Yamaha historian 🙂

There was a pewter one on sale here a while back from a Scottish guy too. Not sure where it went. Interestingly that’s a few pro guys who’ve moved their NEBB’s on so I wonder what it was that wasn’t hitting the spot of them? I think @TJ Spicer mentioned his pro’s and cons in a review.

Festivals always do well in terms of ticket sales so seeing various festivals ’selling out’ isn’t really a surprise or at least it isn’t to me. Most of the big ones sell out in a matter of hours as it’s become a summer institution to ‘do’ a festival. It’s a positive sign as it means folks aren’t afraid to get back out and socialise. Whether that means another wave by August or September let’s hope not!

VT VT set up?

Yeah I'd ask any player to play a 4 in drop d and try and recreate that wreckless abandon on a 5er. It's just not quite the same

I thought we were already playing an octave down? It can make playing riffs in a lower position on songs where the key has changed sound more ‘bass like’ rather than further up the neck - swapping to a different key isn’t necessarily easier but it’ll depend on the song and how the riff is played etc. I.e. a I IV V should be straight forward to transpose. it does offer an abundance of notes all in and around one position if starting off the b string so it can reduce the need to scoot about the fretboard but a lot of guys I know who have gone back to 4 string say they found it a bit boring remaining in the one position and liked the movement and ‘industry’ going back to a 4 plus it made slapping easier again. playing in drop d is sometimes ‘easier’ than playing the same drop d song on a b string. many folk use an ‘octave down’ effect to mimic electro tunes so a B string doesn’t necessarily negate the need for a octave pedal if that classic OC sound is what folk are trying to emulate especially when playing up the neck. If you’re a player who uses your pick up case as a thumb rest... I’ve said before I played a 5er exclusively for years as I felt it worked well for the gig but in my current band playing pub covers it’s not necessary and it’s nice to go back to four string. If a new opportunity required a 5 I’d happily play one.

Is this the config you were after over the two soapbars? Be worth a punt as it is stunning!

I’ve listened to many demos and I might have tried one at the Sandberg factory? The DG on board preamp is just eq -no drive but I like the concept of a bass and two mid controls over a BMT with a very high treble. The DG TC is similar to how I’ve one of my amps set up on its semi para eq so I’ve applied the same concept only at the amp. I should add the settings on the amp as pictured aren’t mimicking the Tone Capsule EQ points. The bass semi para eq is basically working as a HPF pulling lots of information at 25Hz, the mids bumping a bit in about 300-400Hz and the treble in hi mids territory at 1.4kHz there’s enough zing in the bass/pick ups that it’s not needing more for at home use. If this was with the band I’d tune it to taste but couldn’t see it straying too far. It’s quite marked the difference between eq disengaged (which keeps the bass and treble controls on play) as it really cleans the whole sound up set as pictured. Having the EQ on a footswitch and with its own gain is a great feature on this amp. *The bass is set at 50Hz and the treble at 10kHz

Some folk can find Delano a bit sterile/modern but they have such a vast range of pick ups it’s really worth looking at the sound you’re after and dialing down from there... but looks like you’ve a clear idea of what you want from this bass and an eq/pick up refit. I like what Darkglass have done with their Tone Capsule preamp (bass and two mid controls) could be worth a look plus there is one in the for sale’s - not mine I should add.

Not your first rodeo 😀

Change the strings first then take it from there!

Our local (albeit part of the Edinburgh Fringe) festival have announced they’re going ahead with their disrupted plans from last August. Basement Jaxx DJ Set, Huey Morgan NYC style street party, Candi Staton gig and a host of other shows but all socially distanced which should make a NYC style block party a little different! No one is more hopeful than me to have a chance to see Candi Staton basically in my back yard but that cautious optimism is still there.