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Always the way isn’t it, finding that what you had and moved on worked better than its replacement. To quote Neil from The Young Ones, if I had a penny for every time I’ve done that I’d have £5.63!

Half of one of these?!

I fitted the AG 4M/J-HC set and retained the Sandberg pre-amp. The change has added warmth giving a more classic vibe. The only downside is that the humbucker can't be split so the two-way toggle switch doesn't do anything. I didn't use that anyway. Fyi here's an e-mail exchange I had last March with their UK Distributor Barnes & Mullins. At that time they didn't have the pickup set in stock or any shipment date from Aguilar so I ended up doing a personal import. QUESTION I have a Vox Starstream bass fitted with AG 4J-70 pickups and OBP-2 pre-amp as OE. I love the sound and am considering modifying my Sandberg M/J to get the same Aguilar tonal vibe. The mod will be done by Taunton Audio Visual, who have an account with you. They have suggested I contact you direct as they were unable to answer the following questions: It appears the AG 4J-70 can only be bought as a pair and the only M/J 4 set listed by Aguilar is the AG 4M/J-HC (i.e. not specified as the '70s design). How close are the tonal characteristics of the J-HC to the '70s pickup I know and love? Also, if I retain the original Sandberg 2-band boost/cut pre as a cost-saving measure, is that likely to have a significant effect on the sound of the Aguilar pickups? I don’t want to spend money on this until I have a better understanding of what I’ll be getting. Thanks, Mike ANSWER Hi Mike, Thank you for your interest in Aguilar pickups. Regarding the tonal comparison of the J-HC and the J70 pickups, the HC series is very closely voiced to the J60’s pickups. The J70’s are a bit brighter than the HC. It is hard for me to say how the tone of Aguilar pickups will be influenced by the Sandberg preamp, as I have no experience with that preamp, but If the Sandberg preamp is transparent it should have minimal effect on the Aguilar pickups' inherent tone. I hope this helps a little in making your decision. Many thanks and best regards. Pete Peter Hoggett Barnes and Mullins Ltd.

I thought the logo had changed, do you have to ask for the old logo?

Wind of Change - Scorpions

Perhaps, but you'd think they would ask wouldn't you? Isaac knows I already have one and has seen the pictures of it. Here's a pic of a pair I had a couple of years ago, which I never should have sold! I "upgraded" to Super Compacts and didn't like them as much as the 10's. These are just like my existing cab too. I'm a bit annoyed, none of this hassle was necessary.

I like EHX's recent approach of producing a limited-edition vintage style big box version of a new pedal, for collectors - and then releasing a normal-sized version at a normal price for normal people shortly afterwards.

It is - I couldn't find a Reverb listing for it but there are numerous different dealers advertising the same bass, as is often their wont. This Korean listing has loads of pics. I like this a lot, tbf. https://geekinbox.kr/product/중고creation-jaguar-type-bass-415kggib효고/8252/category/1/display/3/?icid=MAIN.product_listmain_2 It occurs to me you could make a nice cheapo facsimilie of this from one of those old 'Stagguars', which had 2x MM pickups as standard. A bit of routing, new pickguard & a hardware upgrade...

My kind of music but WTF is Ridco?

Or continual product improvement… Probably makes making the One10 Actifier can (or whatever it’s called) easier with the positions switched, hence changing all. Annoying but not the first company to do such a thing and won’t be the last

Thanks Andy, I'm pretty sure you're right I had wondered if the Ultralite maybe had a smaller "footprint" that would allow room for clearance, but looking at it it's probably about the same, plus being an expensive gamble!

Looks like Andertons do the flat bottom one. No need to snap off the tags. https://www.andertons.co.uk/rockboard-pedalsafe-pick-box/

https://www.thomann.de/gb/rockboard_quick_mount_pick_box.htm I snapped the end tags off as I'm no longer using a Rockboard pedal board. Just add Velcro to the bottom and fix to your board.

Both guides look pretty comprehensive to me with only a few nit-picks for either. But it's worth having a reminder about the sequence - because EVERTHING on a bass affects EVERYTHING. The WHAT The recommended sequence is: 1. Check and, if necessary, adjust your trussrod then 2. Check and, if necessary, adjust the string heights then 3. Check and, if necessary, adjust the intonation (For those who are interested) The WHAT and WHY The recommended sequence is: 1. Check and, if necessary, adjust your trussrod The trussrod tension affects the action height. So there is no point in checking your string heights unless and until you are happy with the trussrod setting 2. Check and, if necessary, adjust the string heights Now the truss rod is set, the string heights can be checked and, if necessary, adjusted. Remember that pressing a string down to the fret is exactly the same as sideways bending a string that is already fretted - it will tighten the string and raise the pitch. The amount that the pitch raises is similar in either plane. So a 3mm string height above the fret pressed down to the fret will raise the pitch pretty well as much as a 3mm side bend of the fretted string. 3. Check and, if necessary, adjust the intonation Now that your string heights are set, then you can adjust your intonation. Remember that what is happening when you are fretting at the 12th fret - because of the slight curve in the neck being deepest at the mid point - you are vertically bending that string the maximum amount it will suffer in normal playing. If your string height is, say, 2mm at the 12th, you are bending the string the same as a 2mm sideways string bend. And it will sharpen! And so, to make sure that the bass is still in tune at the 12th fret when the strings are pressed down at the 12th, the saddles need to be moved back a little. And the thicker the string, the more pitch is affected by the bend, the more the saddle tends to be moved back So now we have a bass that is spot on tune with strings open and at the 12th fret. What about the other frets?? Well - remember that the 12th fret is the worst cases in terms of the amount the string is being vertically bent. There are tuning discrepancies up and down the fretboard but, most, are inaudible to, most, listeners. And if that bothers you, just remember my adage that 'the definition of a bass (and guitar) is "a series of compromises held together by hope!" '

I can't see why it's not something to investigate! I am sure some will suggest altering your technique, but I like problem solving. I like thinking about how things, designs can be improved. (Don't get me started on the amount of guitar brands that keep churning out the same designs in the name of progress ha ha!) Innovation never came from following the crowd, ey! Sat pondering with a cuppa, I was thinking something like the shape of these hair ties, but obviously smaller to fit round the thumb. Or a piece of foam pipe insulation. Invent away and let us know what you come up with!

Oh sorry - couldn't read that that said SR500. That makes no sense, SR500s are brown with pretend barts, a blue one should be a different model.

That's half a dozen pre-payments received so far. Keep 'em comin'!!

Interesting - next time I happen to be in the merchants I'll take a pic of the redwood/red deal, which AFAIK is Scots pine same as it always was. Though I suppose Russian supplies have disappeared now so that might have impacted things. The pale white stuff or anything sold for studwork I'd agree is usually awful splintery rubbish, though I did get a batch of treated 3x2 from Selco that was incredibly heavy and dense-grained. Tbh it was a pain for studding out as you couldn't drive screws in without them snapping off, and even piloting them needed a really good sharp bit! Think they might have been pitch pine like many old floorboards, certainly a nice fragrance when cutting. Total waste as studwork.

Payment sent, how many more do you need?

How and why?! Gotta love Barefaced, swear they do stuff like this just for the ragebait 😅

Exactly my thoughts. The Sadowsky and Tech 21 pre amps have been used for decades. They aren't cheap. They are extremely well made and well renowned. This IMA chap is a great player, he seems extremely enthusiastic. But, he just seems like yet another online personality pushing product. Do we have any links to his bands or recordings?

I just don't think Walrus have a big enough name and/or specialism in bass gear to go in at this price. I wouldn't listen to anyone saying that profits in the pedal industry aren't high. Why do you think there are now SO MANY manufacturers, with many being high end. Big money, small footprint, easy to ship and thus less concerns over returns like a bass/guitar as you can really pack a pedal easily so it is nigh on impossible to damage. Walrus churn out pedals and updated pedals all the time, for big money.

That’s not good especially after waiting so long, hope you get it sorted soon

I watched one of the videos and due to the lack of a side by side comparison (with and without the Walrus), it's hard to say if it's really enhancing the sound that much (away from the extreme settings) than my current, much more affordable pre amps do already (Tech21 & Sadowsky). I know it's very easy and typical for us to diss a new product, but I really wanted to be blown away