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I have one that I was going to sell but have just withdrawn the listing because I took it to a band audition the other day and it blew me away. I'd genuinely forgotten how clean, punchy and loud it is. It's a completely different animal to my ABM but I like that. I got the gig from the audition and it's a function band so I think I'm going to use the 12-Band 600 for that band. A couple of pedals for a bit of OD when needed, some chorus and maybe a synth, I have to say I'm pretty excited and looking forward to using the amp in a band again

Have to admit they don't really do much for me but i'm sure the build quality will be first class. Dave

I love this bass!!! I think that is a very interesting new model, but is very soon to say if I like it or not. In the video the sound seems very focused to a certaing music style but it could be more versatile than could think at first sight.

Really enjoy those Youtube vids. Seen some great gear reviews on it. Dave

Yep my reason to change the BBT style is the crap saddles / screws that seem to be used today The Gotoh and others are far superior build quality and it’s such a simple low cost upgrade why wouldn’t you ?

I thought I was not going to make a video demo. Because I wouldn't know where to begin. 😉 But I finally succumbed and made a (very short) video demo. Showing all options woulld take up a whole week. So this will have to do...

Yes - the Lekato popped up in my fb feed and I'm now seeing the M-Wave Black Box seems to be the same / v similar.

In August 2024 I handed over the bass to the guy who always did the electronics for my builds. He was going to build the tube pre-amp and modify the Aguilar TKC compressor to fit into the effects cavity. We had already discussed this back and forth with the customer and myself. The electronics guy had also built a Frog FX1 as a test case for this project. But all this took way too long. I started to fear this bass would never see the light of day. After more than 14 months I asked the bass back. The electronics were not completely ready yet. But my patience (and faith) had run out. I brought it to a friend of mine who has a degree in electronics. He checked the electronics and cleaned up the mess. Now it is finally ready. Everything works.

That is jaw-dropping and mind-boggling at the same time! Fabulous work!

Update: it gets bonkers. So we auditioned C (I will call Chris - incoming band member) - A (the instigator - I'll call Allen) - so Allen approves of Chris new band member to come into the band. OK so now we have to tell B ( I will call Bob - the person to be released). The BL (guy who set the band up and I've always been suspicious of) - is the guy who found Bob and brought him into the band to replace another band member who left, which is the primary role of a BL, find members. So far so good right? BL asks, so who is going to tell Bob we don't need him? .. oh I suppose it's me then" - I thought that was a weak. I replied with "usually he who hires fires" - resonable enough. He then replies to me, "that's not right I didn't hire him, I did the band a favour" I gave that a 😂 - as if to say, yeh and I did the band a favour by being in it... and so did the singer etc. Next the BL phones me, in a rage saying "it's disrespectfull of me to put a laughing face..." - I thought, this is nonsene the guy is in a rage over nothing, there's no point in talking so I pressed the "close call" button - He then calls again, seeing it was him, I press the dismiss button again, this happened three more times. Clearly this BL was in a rage, so avoid. This BL has been giving me negative vibes for some time, so I wonder if he was wanting a "reason" to leave his own band. Sure enough 5 mins later he announces he's leaving the band. I told the other band members his behaviour, they were astonished. Our band had a brass player who also I could see wasn't really up to the job. Upon hearing the BL had quit he said he will quit too. OK take stock. In my view we have now got rid of the two weakest players in the band. We the remaining band members have a chat and decide to continue this is the best decision. I've seen that kind of insane behaviour before, I'm no expert but traces of schizophrenia?? - delusion, grandure. Always, their high expectation of others and the situation (band progress, performamance) is well above their own abilites, but they don't see it. I recall someone in BassChat saying - the biggest commotion is caused by the least able.

Absolutely amazing.

Applied the lettering to the effects panel: Sprayed a couple of layers clear lacquer: Applied the logo decals: Put it all in place: Polished it: Mounted the hardware: Customer provided the Goto ST-31 Stealth tuners. Around that time these were already pretty hard to find since Gotoh had stopped making them. Not sure if the difference in buttons was an ergonomical choice? Or maybe he couldn't find two identical sets of four?

The Ubertar contraption was not height adjustable. So I had to come up with a solution. I made a pickup ring and a base plate. With a screw in each corner I could tilt the base plate to the desired height. The other pickup was my own design. So no surprises there: Then stained the top: Stained the back and sides too: And sprayed several layers of clear:

A friend of mine gave me some reduced to clear mince that was just on the sell by date the other day. I said, "thank you very much, I never look a gift house in the mouth". [Boom, tish and long tom full that doesn't come back on the beat...]

Drilled a big hole for the 5 -pin XLR: Made a thin metal plate for the effects panel: Put the Quilted Maple panel inside to check if it had the right height: Cut a little recess hole in the metal sheet, for the pickup wires: Drilled holes in the metal sheet. And glued the quilted maple cover on: Checked the bridge alignment: Drilled the holes in the Quilted Maple panel following the holes in the metal plate:

Glued the pearloid binding in the channel: Route the big cavity for the sliding pickup: And the other one for the Quad Bucker: Test fitted the Ubertar sliding pickup system. This pickup contraption was provided to me by my customer.

And shaped the volute: Next I shifted my attention to the body and its shape. Snd all the crazy wiring that it would require. Made some vector files for the laser cutter to make templates: I had already glued the body wings to the center piece and cut them in their rough outline shape: I also laser cut the effects panel in Quilted Maple top. But forgot to make pictures Glued the quilted maple top on: The steps are handy when you want to clamp to two bookmatched pieces sideways. You can't clamp a diagonal line 😉 Routed the body outline shape along one of the laser cut templates: Routed the controls cavity at the back of the body: Plus the profile for the cover (different template): Did the same for the effects cavity: And the profile for its cover: Turned over to the front side and routed the channel for the binding: Notice I couldn't routed too close to the fretboard of course. Had to chisel that last bit out by hand: