TRBboy

[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!

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?

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.

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1356049076' post='1906347'] Yay! I, meanwhile, have the day off, so will be shooting a review of my VT5 for Youtube...... [/quote] Ooh, I'll look forward to that!

Fingers crossed, my new baby should be arriving tomorrow!

Don't know whether it qualifies, but we do Oliver's Army, and I was pleasantly surprised by the bassline! Well written IMHO and perfect for the song. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uVwrrkt22Ag

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1356024896' post='1905973'] That would be the releif your talking about surely? general rule of thumb appears to be from the top edge of the 12th fret to the underside of the strings I'd say. As for releif I go for press down on the first fret (or capo) then hold down at the 13th fret, I like to be able to just get a tuneful note by pressing down on the string between the two fretted areas, some folk can drive a bus under or often reffered technically as 'the bow and arrow' setup [/quote] Yeah sorry, I meant "....and then measure the height at the 12th fret." At the end of the day, as others have said, it's just whatever works for you innit I'm sure some people would hate my bass and the way it's setup, and some would love it!

[quote name='Jon B' timestamp='1356011884' post='1905674'] take the action down until you get buzz,... then up a bit,... done [/quote] +1 How are people measuring their action by the way? Aren't you supposed to measure it with 1st fret and (something like) 20th fret fretted?

Well, I basically like to have my bass as easy to play as possible these days, to save any unnecessary strain on my hands. I've switched to a lighter gauge string this year, and I set my action as low as possible without getting any significant fret buzz.

D'oh! Just realised it's not muting because it's in my effects loop, not at the front end!

+1 GREAT analogy! They are superb instruments! I always think that you need to think of the MM more like a j bridge pup on steroids; it sounds like a bridge pup but much fuller and without any of the weakness sometimes associated with a j pup. I used to find I could get a pretty close approximation of a ray with a little of the p blended in (although the real " sweet spot" for me was always just on the neck side of the centre indent). The passive tone control is a useful feature too IMHO. Not only does it give you even more flexibility, but if your battery dies, you've still got a perfectly usable bass! Anyway, congrats, she's a beaut! Cracking colour too! Pretty excited too because I had word from Sandberg yesterday that they shipped my new one on Friday, so it should be here by the end of the week!

[quote name='bartelby' timestamp='1355576576' post='1900091'] mine mutes fully [/quote] Oh..... Maybe I'll be sending this one back too then!

Well the big one came and seems to work just fine in polyphonic mode, especially just as a quick check between songs. I'm a little surprised that it doesn't mute when you click it on though!? It just reduces the volume slightly, is this normal?

Got to be one of the weirdest gigs ever last night...... It was a private party for a bunch of guys that have just finished a tour in Afghanistan. They basically completely ignored us! The guys were just hanging out chatting at the bar down the far end of the pub, whilst we were in effect playing to an empty room! There was no applause, no dancing, nothing. By the time we finished the first set, we were feeling pretty down, but the landlord said we were great, and the guy who booked us said we were awesome and that all the guys were really enjoying it, despite them not showing it! He said "we don't really do dancing or anything." Strange gig, completely emotionless, but a gig nevertheless. We've got a gig at a pub in Hereford tonight which should be a bit more lively, we took the roof off the place last time, glasses smashing, people leaping about, falling off barstools, etc, etc.

Thanks for all your opinions guys, but I've gone off-piste a little. Father Christmas will hopefully be leaving a Minotaur bass strap under the tree! (Thanks for the tip- off Discreet!) http://minotaur.gr/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=52

I bought a GTX bass limiter from Dangleberry music on amazon or eBay, after reading on here that the guts are identical to the Boss LMB-3. It only cost about £38 or something but it's great! Just take into account what Ovnilabs says about the LMB-3 and keep the enhance knob turned right down.

[quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1355273929' post='1896366'] I have been a forum member of www.learngospelmusic.com for years and there's a huge community of gospel bass players on there with loads of very useful advice and learning content. [/quote] Thanks man, I'll have a look!

Just wondered if anyone can recommend any good DVD'S, books or online resources for learning more about gospel bass playing? Thanks!

[quote name='Mudpup' timestamp='1355267271' post='1896265'] Lots of love for Mono GS1 straps here! Only strap i use. Someone had one up on the classifieds the other day - if you can find it that is [/quote] I'll have to have a look...... Is the metal hoop between the strap and the leather tab nice and strong? I'm sure I read something about them breaking, but it may have been the Comfort Strapp.

......again, I know, I know! I really want a new strap, but it has to be VERY comfortable and durable. I don't like anything that drags on your clothes (suede and so on), and having previously owned a Neotech strap I don't think I want anything too stretchy either. Mono GS1? Quality padded leather strap? Any other suggestions?! Thanks for your help!

Well hopefully Santa will be leaving one under the tree..... It remains to be seen whether I'll get on with it and use it regularly or not. Provided the compressors and drive sounds are good, it could feasibly replace everything else! Already planning what patches I'm gonna set up! I think the "z" expression pedal could be quite useful.

[quote name='RafBass' timestamp='1355125285' post='1894261'] I do wish folk would stop banging on about how great Sandbergs are....(the Fender Benders might find out and start buying them, pushing the price up beyond us poor mortals!!) [/quote] Nice pair! What is the bottom one? is it a Ken Taylor with different pickups and an extra switch? It's very pretty! Been told by Sandberg that my new one should be here before Christmas, WOO HOO!!!

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1355054752' post='1893331'] I had the big one and can't say I used the polyphonic-ness to any great effect, for whatever reason just was all over the place, so would end up tuning individually anyway. Plus my board is tiny so space is at a premium. [/quote] I don't when they enabled bass in polyphonic mode, but I know that the big one didn't support bass polyphonic tuning originally. If you have an older one though, you can apparently download a software upgrade from the website.

[quote name='barneyg42' timestamp='1354961050' post='1892330'] Looks like he's happy with his Wang too! [/quote] *want Damn predictive text!

[quote name='mart' timestamp='1354955704' post='1892276'] Huh? The manual online for the big Polytune sure mentions poly mode for bass - look on page 10 here: http://www.tcelectronic.com/media/Polytune_DD_US.pdf This seems to be for the most recent version, that does Drop D tunings. I've got the original, which doesn't do drop D, but it certainly does bass in poly mode. The mini manual doesn't say anything about poly for bass though. And, to be fair, I agree with those who find the poly mode less accurate. So all this is a bit moot! [/quote] I appreciate that polyphonic mode probably isn't as accurate, but surely it's useful as a quick tuning check between songs, etc?