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NBD! My new baby has arrived at last!


TRBboy
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Well, after a six month wait for it to be built, my new Basic Ken Taylor 5 has arrived!

Haven't spent much time with it yet, and just got back from work Christmas doo, but first impressions very very good. The ebony board is exactly as I hoped it would be. I know it won't be to everyone's taste, but it's perfect for me!

Having trouble uploading the photos, but I've put them on the Facebook page:

http://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151195889861045&id=594761044&set=o.278029458876065&refid=17&ref=stream

I'll try to go into more detail tomorrow.

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Thanks for putting that pic up for me walbassist, and thanks for all the comments guys, I'm really really pleased with it! Just wish I could get a decent go with it, bloody Christmas stuff getting in the way!

I always wondered if it was just luck of the draw that my black one is so light, but this one feels just as light if not lighter! I thought it was worth paying a little extra for the ebony board, to keep the two-tone colour scheme tidy. It's perfectly finished and looks and feels great. Not 100% sure about the Sandberg strings at the moment, but we'll see.

We now have a zoom Q3HD in the house, so I may try to do a video review if I ever get time!

Did you manage to do yours today walbassist?

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[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1356212844' post='1908135']
Not 100% sure about the Sandberg strings at the moment, but we'll see.

We now have a zoom Q3HD in the house, so I may try to do a video review if I ever get time!

Did you manage to do yours today walbassist?
[/quote]

I have mixed feelings about the Sandberg strings too. At first I thought they were really nice, but then I started to think they were too loose. No matter either way now as I've put flats on mine.

I didn't get a chance to shoot the video in the end, but will do so over Christmas. I have a Q3HD too and will use mine as well, they are very good little units!

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[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1356217811' post='1908184']


I have mixed feelings about the Sandberg strings too. At first I thought they were really nice, but then I started to think they were too loose. No matter either way now as I've put flats on mine.

I didn't get a chance to shoot the video in the end, but will do so over Christmas. I have a Q3HD too and will use mine as well, they are very good little units!
[/quote]

Yeah that's kind of how I feel about them too. I usually use stainless steel roundwounds anyway, but these just feel a bit soft and floppy.

Still not quite sure what I'm doing with the Q3HD! I haven't got the handy share software to work yet, and when I tried to record something in decent quality, it was too much for my laptop to handle!

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Well, definitely don't seem to be getting on with the Sandberg strings, they seem to feel incredibly elastic, and sound pretty dull for stainless roundwounds (particularly noticeable on the E and B strings. Think I'll stick a set of Rotos on tonight.


Not terribly impressed that the battery in it was dead too, but I guess these are pretty minor things in the grand scheme of things: a small hassle for such a supremely awesome bass!

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[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1356470133' post='1910446']
It's lovely!

What's the neck profile like?
[/quote]

It's mainly the necks that originally sold the Basic series to me. Hard to explain in words, but they're fairly slender front-to-back but very comfortable. The profile is kind of a shallow "D" at the nut end, and then flattens out down the centre line as you get further up. The fretboard is fairly flat (feels like quite a large radius), but not too much IMHO.

The other thing I like about them is the weight and balance. I haven't weighed this one, but my other KT5 weighs in at just over 7.5lb on my (crap) bathroom scales, which I think is pretty light for a 5er, and a good pound or so lighter than an equivalent California model.

I know they're not everyone's cup of tea, but they just feel perfect in my hands, and sound great too! Easy and comfortable to play with a massive range of tones. Not that I want anything crazy looking, but the fact they don't look like a fender is a plus point in my book.

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[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1356469227' post='1910431']
Well, definitely don't seem to be getting on with the Sandberg strings, they seem to feel incredibly elastic, and sound pretty dull for stainless roundwounds (particularly noticeable on the E and B strings. Think I'll stick a set of Rotos on tonight.


Not terribly impressed that the battery in it was dead too, but I guess these are pretty minor things in the grand scheme of things: a small hassle for such a supremely awesome bass!
[/quote]


I'm guessing that bass was a fair sized wedge and they can't be arsed to fit a decent battery in it, I'd be erm, displeased, its the small things that matter!

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[quote name='iconic' timestamp='1356645455' post='1912074']



I'm guessing that bass was a fair sized wedge and they can't be arsed to fit a decent battery in it, I'd be erm, displeased, its the small things that matter!
[/quote]

It was a cheapo Chinese battery, maybe a duff box. It is a bit frustrating because Duracell Procells don't cost much to buy in bulk, so it wouldn't exactly eat into their profits much to buy some decent batteries! I'm more bothered about the strings, but being as I use stainless roundwounds anyway I thought they'd be fine. That's the cost of a set of strings gone to replace a brand new set! I guess it's all down to personal preference, but it does seem that most people decide that they don't like the Sandberg strings pretty quickly!

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[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1356651141' post='1912158']
It was a cheapo Chinese battery, maybe a duff box. It is a bit frustrating because Duracell Procells don't cost much to buy in bulk, so it wouldn't exactly eat into their profits much to buy some decent batteries! I'm more bothered about the strings, but being as I use stainless roundwounds anyway I thought they'd be fine. That's the cost of a set of strings gone to replace a brand new set! I guess it's all down to personal preference, but it does seem that most people decide that they don't like the Sandberg strings pretty quickly!
[/quote]

Same for Marleaux strings. They suck copious amounts of arse. I never realised that there could be so much difference. When I got my Consat it came with a couple of sets of their strings. I used them to save money and could never get the bass to sound how I wanted to.

I almost sold the bass until I put my usual D'Addario nickels on it! It was like night & day!

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Well, first gig tonight and what can I say......... AWESOME! :D

Soooo effortless to play, and sounded killer! Glad I didn't tweak the setup because its absolutely perfect. Don't know if it's brand new strings or partly the ebony board or what, but it sounded really clear, punchy, authoritative and growly, deep lows and crisp highs. In fact, I thought it sounded quite MTD-esque in a way, I felt like Andrew Gouche for a minute! Don't think he plays rock covers in pubs though...... Can't wait for my next gig with Hereford Soul Choir! :D

The only weird thing tonight though was that the output from the bass seemed really low, I had to crank the input gain on my amp right up. It sounded great then though, and there was no noise or other signs of a weak signal that you'd expect if there was a problem. Maybe my amp's playing up, but it seems unlikely. Guess I'll have to email Sandberg and see if they can shed any light on it.....

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