All Activity

Recently used it in the studio...it recorded really well, sounds quite a bit like an upright...

The front end design of the Superfly (and Superduperfly) was great with the graphic MIDI-controlled EQ section, which could also work as a parametric EQ with a software editor. The power amp section not so good, with twin power amps that couldn't be bridged and some examples with twittery noise - not loud but annoying.

£279 here: https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/251215451631027--ashdown-pbm-200-200-watt-portable-bass-head Yeah the Speakon thing is a bit of an issue for me too. I have an RM 500 so have a Speakon cable (and another one as backup). If I were to get the Ant (or Elf or Gnome or BAM 200) I'd need to have an additional cable as backup to work with it. Not a big deal, but it is another cost and another thing to carry as backup.

Ant - £329. After considering the Elf, Warwick Gnome, and TC BAM-200, I went with the BAM-200. If one of the others had had a speakon combo output, I'd have gone with that in preference.

Crikey, also 500% the cost, in fact Badass territory. Not sure I can see any basis for it being much of an improvement on the BBOT either. I'm sure it's beautifully engineered, but at that price I'd want some of the functionality/versatility of a Badass or Fender Elite version (the latter also surprisingly expensive to my mind)

Ha! That will never happen. I just want hit a switch and hear the magic happen. I should probably have metioned that in the brief.

They've missed a trick. Speaker output is still jack only, like all the micro amp heads, rather than a speakon/jack combo socket.

I think you might be confusing Lakland with Sadowsky. Lakland Shoreline Series ( for the Japanese market) were made by ESP.

Let's hope it's better designed and built than the Superfly.

No the OP has more in common with those posts complaining that a second-hand bass on eBay is overpriced. I just don't get why people get worked up enough about them to post them on here.

I know exactly what you mean. When I first heard about the Warwick/Sadowsky collaboration I was more than sceptical. However, the quality of the basses coming out of the German factory has completely changed my views. I bought a Metroline Will Lee 4 string and it was so impressive I ordered a 5 string version, turned out to be another good one. Paradoxically, it's that terrific build quality that puts me off buying a Masterbuilt German-made Sadowsky. The Masterbuilt basses are more fancy, but the Metrolines I have couldn't really be made any better. I've had a lot of high-quality basses over the years, I know what I'm talking about, and these German Metrolines are on par with the very best in terms of how well they are made. For a Fender-style bass, you couldn't show me a more meticulously crafted instrument. Fancy wood tops and brushed chrome pickup covers ect on the Masterbuilt are very nice, but they don't make a better instrument in terms of actual use. In terms of the practical things that make a bass play well and sound good, I don't see how Masterbuilt could be that much better than the Metroline.

How is this different from the standard Fender BBOT?

Does that mean that we're forbidden from commenting on basses if we have no intention of buying them?

On the hardware front, Barefaced has now been overtaken by LFSys as BC's favourite speaker maker following collaboration between @stevie, @Phil Starr, and @Chienmortbb on a DIY 112 which evolved into the LYSys series of cabs. Ninety zillion multieffects pedals varying between a single pedal size (even mini-pedal size) and aircraft carrier deck size have been released. Everybody loves at least one of them, and everybody has found something to moan about with at least one of them. Basses are still being made with scratchplates, unfortunately. Some things never change. The big tonewood debate still erupts occasionally. It's not entirely certain whether the fence that some are sitting on is made of tonewood.

No channels to prevent side movements? That’s partly why I use Gotoh

Another vote for the Eich T-900, I've only had a couple of hours of practice with mine but it's impressive and will be seeing my Markbass out of the door. Matt

That's great 👍 Thank you for that

The German Masterbuilt Sadowsky basses are lush, I'm tempted, but it's just too much money to make good sense. As you rightly point out, you can get a nice Fodera for that. I would also point out that a Fodera will have a better resale value than a German-made Sadowsky, generally speaking. The thing about a Masterbuilt, though, is that you can cash and carry it rather than have to wait a year (Spector)or two (Fodera) to have a custom order built. Sei, Overwater, Shuker make very good quality instruments, for sure, but none of them have anything like the cache or romantic appeal of a Sadowsky, whether it's made in Germany or NYC. Most people who buy high-end basses are not looking to make a practical purchase. They are looking to fulfil their longing for something they've always wanted. And a lot of bassists want Sadowsky's, even if they've never actually played one. So many builders try to make what is obviously a Sadowsky-inspired design. The people that buy them would have probably rather had a Sadowsky, given the choice. Roger has created an aspirational brand, and for the kind of basses he offers, no one can get close to him. That's just how it is.