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It’s the stock pickup , but with a chrome cover and surround. I like the pickup a lot , it’s placed in the classic sweet spot , so despite being a short scale set neck , it works like a Pbass.

I saw a photo of a Jr with the chrome cover and surround and loved the look. I’m not normally one to mod instruments , but I’ve gone to tea on the Jr. 
They really are wonderful little basses.

When I first received my Gibson DC Jr I considered replacing the stock 3 point bridge. Now to be fair , I have several basses with 3 point bridges and I’ve always been able to place things exactly where I want without any drama. They are a bit of a misery to adjust. And the Hipshot is a sexy looking thing. 
And I finally managed to snag one for a good price. I love that little Jr bass , it’s probably my favourite thing to play. The transplant was easy, and it was dead simple to adjust and intonate. To be perfectly honest , I can’t see any huge tonal change. It is much easier to adjust, and I like the look a lot better. 
And if I see another for the right price I might put one on the SG. 

I went looking for a bag to put my little Darkglass head in , and discovered it sits perfectly in a little Billingham bag that hasn’t seen much recent use.

Perfect!

Twenty something. 

I’m not using any of the factory presets , although they give you a fair sampling of what’s in the Suite. I just dove in and eventually became familiar with where the buttons are, and can make a preset fairly quickly. And it’s fun to spend some time with individual pedals to get a feel for what they do. Spin every knob. Bounce between the reverb units to get a feel for them. 
I miss having a tremolo, I wish they’d include that in the next update. Whenever that might be.

It’s faster to switch between effects on an actual pedalboard. But it’s nice being able to load five presets and have any number stored for easy access. And being able to change the knob functions to suit a preset is genius.

Darkglass have promised a controller that will use that 7 pin connector. No idea when that might be. 
 

Some say that Class D amps can’t be repaired , but as long as you can find a good qualified tech you’re fine.

Good to hear it’s running normally and wasn’t an expensive fix.

I found the heavier FenderVI string set made a big difference. 

I remove my glasses to read. They spend much of their time perched on top of my head.

I’m a Bergantino guy , but have some old friends that are long time Aguilar users and can share their experiences. These are guys that are busy , and play a variety of venues so they’re constantly lugging it around and dragging it home. I’ve never heard of one reliability issue. It’s designed to be used. It’s well made. 
These are guys that look after their gear, not abuse it. 
No complaints that I’ve ever heard.

I had my MB200 develop the pink ring of doom, I looked around at other similar amps and decided there was a reason I loved that little MB200. I got the MB to a qualified repair guy , and it runs like a charm again.

My problem turned out to be the fan , and when it didn’t work the power module burned out. Still , the repair was much cheaper than buying a new amp.

And once again it’s a reliable little workhorse. 

Cab design has undergone such incredible advances in the last dozen years.

One reason I signed up here was to learn a little more about amp and cab options that are not common here in Eastern Canada. And from what I’ve read , If I was in the UK , I’d try and visit Barefaced. And I’d buy a cab or two.

Ouch. I hope the fix won’t take too long. 

That’s a lot of Alembic stock for one shop to carry.

Nice rig!

I’ve read quite a few reports from those that bought the XC. For the most part they were diehard Ric aficianados , and well versed with Ric basses. And they were delighted that the company made something different. And completely over the moon with their new bass. Expensive , yes , but also something unique. 
I expect them to only appreciate. I wish I had the disposable income to have snagged one.
I happily would have.

Some dealers have stock , but Rickenbacker are no longer taking orders to make new ones , so once the available stock is gone , they’re done.

(and at that point they’ll probably increase in selling price , as so many limited runs have done)

I think they’re gorgeous , I’d love to have bought one , but … 

I haven’t brought a new bass home in just over a year! I did pick up a baritone guitar simply because my Bass VI was a whole lot of fun. Also picked up two more amps in the last year.  
And not seeing any immediate need in the near future.

This pandemic is not over , and there are a lot of people with a reluctance to be in a crowded environment.

So we see the numbers have been down , but things seem to be gaining some momentum. We’ve lost some venues. 
But the last years have been brutal.  

I’m hopeful.

It’s one of my favourite times. 

Best to simply play as many as you can get your mitts on. What’s perfection for one player will be misery for another , we all have unique preferences. A simple setup will completely alter the character of any instrument. 
I’d suggest learning how to set one up. It’s simply part of learning about your instrument.

That said , I prefer passive to active basses. I like the extra knobs on my amp rather than on the bass. I’m an amp nerd. I like four stringed instruments more than five stringed ones. I’ve come to prefer short scale instruments. I’m fussy about weight , so I’ll pass if it’s heavy. I like some basses because of how the single coil pickups sound , and others because they have humbuckers. I have neck through , set neck and bolt on instruments. Solid , chambered and hollow basses, so I pick up an instrument and check the weight , put it on my lap and noodle for a minute and get a sense of how it’s set up. I’ll try and be aware of balance. I’ll check the neck relief if the strings are high to see if a simple truss rod adjustment might be in order. I’ll plug it in and make sure everything works, and listen . Simple string choice has a huge impact on how things sound. 
I’ve picked up too many over the years , and have some problems selling them. And I have learned that I love different ones for different reasons. 
Simply play as many different ones as you can , and buy the ones you like.
You will also need an understanding partner.

I usually have some memory work to do , and like to warm up with scales , but I have to give myself a good chunk of time to simply goof around and explore. That time has certainly been a gift when I get a solo. 

At the jam there are some that are just ear players without a lot of theory, and others that have completed music degrees. 
Some that can lead a band with gestures , and some that are terrible communicators.

We get the dog’s dinner …

With E, G , B , C and D sounding so similar in a noisy room with musicians that I suspect suffer some hearing issues … we have a recipe for disaster at the best of times.

I’m in a long running house band for a blues jam every Sunday , I always write down several songs to listen to. Sometimes I’m surprised at how close I imagined the bass part might go. 
And sometimes not.

As long as one person in the house band knew what was going on we’re usually fine. It’s a fascinating dynamic when most of the band has no clue as to what’s about to happen.

You could buy the Exponent and have both pedals in the software Suite.