TJ Spicer

Around 8 mins has some basic demo of the preamp, and variation between the pickups, which will hopefully be useful for @crabman and others! I will do a full-fat talk-free tone demo once I’m back in the UK!

8 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Right I've been ridiculously slow on this point, but one benefit from the "3 series" EQ is that you have complete flexibility to blend in as much or as little P or J into the mix as you want. 

With the older "2 series" and earlier models which have the selector switches it was a choice of P, J or exactly 50:50 P/J. But given how good pure P or P/J sounded, I guess no one (me included) really gave a rat's tail about it! 

This is one of the things that made me move on my BB5000. I’m a blend man 100%. Set it to the centre detent and nudge it slightly forward to get 5% more P than J. Ah, I’m a fussy chap. 😅

5 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Sounds like a very good choice! I'd actually expect the 734 passive tone to be a little different (preferable?) to the 434 given the step up in pups from the YGD V5 to the YGD V7.

@bassfan and I A/B'd a BB425 and BB1025 today. The 425, as previously mentioned, has some of the punchiest pups I've experienced. However we both agreed that higher end pups in the 1025 gave it a tone we both preferred - a more complex sonic flavour and richness if I can put it in those terms; and this, together with the other refinements in the 1025, explained the price differential between these two very good value "2 series" basses. 

Looking forward to the YT demo! I clearly let that one go too quickly, or more likely simply that a better bass player can always make exactly the same bass sound better in his or her hands! 😀

You’re far too kind! It had its first flight, trouble free with me to the Mediterranean this week...!

T

3 hours ago, crabman said:

I might keep an eye out for a 734 to go with the P35. I like the dark coffee sunburst. If I don’t like the active circuit then I’m guessing that a 734 in passive mode is damn close to the 434 in sound. 

The active circuit is REALLY well voiced. In fact I’ve never heard an active EQ that so accurately boosts the frequencies that are giving that bass it’s sonic characteristics. With the exception of the mid cut, it pretty much just gives you the same sound but mightier, depending on how much you want to crank the knobs. I have a YT demo of my 735a coming soon so I’ll pop it up here to show you what I mean - I just need an hour more of editing and it’ll be good to go!

I would suggest the TH700 to truly qualify as having plenty of power for festival cabs etc. Currently using the Eich T900 for the same reason, but I wouldn't suggest it as it's not your tonal goal by the sounds of it - Aguilar is. It is tiny and most likely uses the same power amp as the TH700 (one of a whole load of class Ds that came out as a new power amp module was launched).

I had an LMT500 and found it incredibly boring, but wholly reliable. The kind of amp that I wouldn't be upset to be made to use, but wouldn't be my choice for my own on-stage sonic preference. Some argue the 800 is lacking some grunt as they used a class A/B power amp in the 500.

Aguilar by the sounds of things - and 700w! 

22 hours ago, Al Krow said:

I've just met up with a very talented pro bass player and he's indirectly traded me my black Yammy BB735A for his white Yammy BBNE2!! 

The folly of youth.

...ok so there may be have been a bit of a time gap (a couple of years) between the two events and effectively some (ok quite a lot!) net cash flowing from me to him (so it wasn't actually a trade) but even so! 

Looks like I am going to have to change my avatar now though, and also rue the fact that he's living my dream... 😂

HAHA! What a great post! 😂

I'm rather taken with this bass! If you took the 'Made in Indonesia' sticker off (and painted the inside of the truss rod adjuster!) would struggle to tell you if it was MIJ or not...

I still might have to get it painted white - though matte black is far more fetching than I'd anticipated - I'd never liked a black bass until today. I ended up doing a whole photoshoot with it - I really have a thing for BBs and photos. All my major photos have been with your gorgeous BBNE2, a legendary BB5000 and now this 735. I guess I have a thing for BB 5 strings - but I hope this one stays!

Ready for a weekend of 3 shows in Devon and Manchester respectively (nice to be so conveniently located! 🤦‍♂️) and this chap will probably be with me on all of them! Gig shots and reports incoming for sure. Until then here are some snaps verifying the BB as 'The Photographers' Choice'... T







 

I was lucky enough to play on one of the stages in the middle of town. I love Cheltenham jazz so it was a real treat for me! 

Sadly had another gig that night so didn’t have time to hang. I guess British acts with big names that would please the non-jazz orientated locals was the notion behind the KM JM inclusion... 

I wish ever Stingray was 2 band. Yet to find a 3 band Ray I get on with...

1 hour ago, PJ-Bassist said:

Mark bass Travellers at the moment. 2x10 which I will add either another 2x10 or a 1x15.

For rehearsal with over 35” of speaker you’ll be happy! T

19 minutes ago, PJ-Bassist said:

Have any BC'ers picked up a Little Stubby?..  keen to hear thoughts, I briefly got to try one at the bass guitar show last year but didn't get a feel for volume - I'd like something I could use at Rehearsals.  Doesn't have to necessarily keep up with an acoustic drum kit as drummer uses an electric kit so can turn the volume down but I want to be able to get a reasonable amount out of it .

It will be fine for this. I have the prototype from the show. There’s a tonne more volume if you run the EQ full open. It’s a passive cutting EQ, so as you turn them down the volume comes down - all down = no volume. 

Also depends on cabs of course. What cabs would you be using? I use BF so very efficient use of the 30w. 

15 hours ago, Twanger said:

Both my basses are passive - a P and a homemade Jazz style. I've been using a Sadowsky outboard for - must be nearly 20 years. It's the original belt clip model, which is still going strong. I don't use it to sculpt my tone, but simply because when using it I can hear my bass in the mix without turning up the volume. It just sounds better. A much tighter, more defined sound. It brings out the detail. I occasionally add a fraction of bass, but never touch the treble knob. No other preamp, or active bass, has ever given me that tightness (though there are many I haven't tried), and I would dearly love to know what it is about that preamp which does this. I know it boosts at 40 and 4k, but I have never been able to find out why it works this way. Whether I run into an amp, or a SABDDI or a straight EQ pedal, or simply into my computer to record, the belt clip makes it sound better. Maybe there's some kind of built in mush cutter. Or maybe it's highly trained pixies.

This is entirely my experience too. Even boost off it’s got something about it! 

2 hours ago, Al Krow said:

I'm guessing TJ that you would totally love the preamp on this? And if you didn't have one already, you would jump at this bass?!

Aside: new ones are going for around £2.5k and this is a decade old so it would seem that Sadowsky hold their value a lot better than many other basses? (Other than Wals  )

I’ve looked so many times haha! But I’m not an Ash Maple chap and my next Sadowsky will be a PJ5 (what almost every Nashville session player is using - I play on the modern U.K. country scene a lot). Always tempted though. Any 5 string Sadowsky coming up for sale always gets many visits from me on BC. 

3 hours ago, Paul S said:

On hold  

Nooooo! Too late. Waiting for years 😂 If it doesn’t go, I’m here!

1. Fingers

2. Strings

3. Pickups

4. Wood choice

5. EQ

However, EQ could overpower all of the others depending on how it were set. For me it’s about getting the natural tone you want and then slightly adjusting that with EQ pickups etc. That natural tone comes from the wood (and for me is generally alder, maple neck, maybe a cheeky maple top, and then fingerboard wood of choice).

1 minute ago, Al Krow said:

I was going to pick your brains on that very subject!

So the Yammy BBNE2 has got the most versatile active preamp for tone shaping of any of the basses I've had so far, and I've played a dozen or so now pretty decent basses, but it lacks the passive by-pass available on my the rest of my current active / passive herd. 

Do you prefer the Sadowsky pre to the Nathan East? Please feel free to be honest and brutal!

Absolutely. It was between the BBNE or finding a Sadowsky 5. I was big on Nathan East (still am, I’m a studio player fan all day long) so was collecting the lot (had a bb5000, TRB) etc. However, that wasn’t right for me.

I really should have gone for a Sadowsky 5. I have a UV70 and that’s coming up to 10 years with me, no other bass has managed that!

But, that doesn’t answer the question. Why is is better for me?

TONE CONTROL

I need the tone control to get the treble where I want it. I didint like the cut on the high end from the BBNE2, whereas with a tone control I could have moved where that treble control was affecting. I also felt without the para engaged the bass was overly middy and edgy for my liking. It was most highly emphasised to me in recording. I brought the BBNE, used it on 3 tracks of a 5 track EP. It never sounded right in that setting and tbh, I don’t like having to EQ massively before I’ve started. I used the Sadowsky for one of the tracks and it was the best sounding track on the EP by a mile - as noted by everyone including the mastering engineer.

For me the Sadowsky was a little more organic sounding and requires much less work. All I want to do is plug in, find the right amount of treble and cut for the gig and probably add some bottom end. The rest is about my hands and where I’m positioning them, as well as which pickup I’m favouring (always a little to the front, how much depends). The simplicity of the Sadowsky allows me to do that with tones of warm bottom end in a way the BBNE never could. 

I think it’s honestly the case that the BBNE2 could do too much for me. If I want a drastically different sound, I pick another bass. I didn’t get on with the TRB EQ either to be fair, so maybe Yamaha’s idea of EQ just isn’t for me... Give me a passive yammy any day and it’ll be a good gig  😉

34 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

So are you now going just passive bass to amp & cab "simples" with nothing between, Paul?

Tell me more TJ, in particular what else have you tried to arrive at your "three" 😁 recommendations?

Haha! 😂 Well, that’s actually one of the reasons you’re now in possession of a rather lovely BBNE2 😉 

The Sadowsky pre is my fave for the following reasons:

1.  I love boost only pres. Cant remember ever cutting bass on a preamp.

2. Pull to passive. Amazing option and sometimes it sounds right for a recording.

3. Battery. I’ve had my Sadowsky pre for 7 years, I think I’ve changed the battery once. It’s crazy!

4. TONE CONTROL. Please - all circuit builders - just give me a tone control with your active circuit any day. Literally the important thing to me. 

5. That ‘Sadowsky magic’. Probably gonnna get hate for this one. The FET nature and perfect choice of EQ points kill for me. There’s something about the fets in the circuit that seem to do things I’ve not heard from any other active circuit. 

Any other tone shaping I do is simply between pickup selection and my hands. That makes the biggest difference to me and is the biggest ‘eq’ I find. 

Sadowsky, Sadowsky, Sadowsky. Wish I could have it in all my active basses! Really should buy the outboard...

There’s never a gig that I wish I wasn’t playing a 5, but there are plenty of gigs with a 4 that I wish I was... 

1 hour ago, bassfan said:

@Al Krow is looking for one of these I believe. 

Only if it’s in white 😉😂

1 minute ago, Jono Bolton said:

I was sceptical at first, and I still am, but that particular CC has some really weird old basses in at the minutes, including Mosrite, Jaydee, and Hayman:

https://www.cashconverters.co.uk/shop/bass-guitars/6438?orderby=date&max=48&order=desc&page=2

They had a Les Paul Signature in there too... I think someone just came in with their whole bass collection, or sadly passed away.

A bargain - and in my hometown! 

2 hours ago, bigsmokebass said:

You certainly know a Yamaha player when you hear them talk about models going back to 1984 and refusing space age models 😂

Give me all of their 80s catalogues with modern pickups and hardware, I'd probably buy all of them... 😂

32 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

You and me, both! 

There - two sales already! And 100s to follow, I suspect! 

 All they need is some white paint for at least two sales... 🤔

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

They need to stop fann*y-ing around with esoteric £4k designs and make stuff that we would all buy e.g. how about offering their BB735A:

- in white and / or 

- as a neck through?

That would sell, believe me! 

Yamaha are you listening?!  

Those BBs in white would being gigged with me in an instant....

Good news for everyone (be it monetarily or hating the aesthetic) is it probably won’t ever be produced... It can be added to my long list of basses from the Yamaha LA custom shop I wish I could own, along with Pattituci’s 2 semi-hollow basses... 😩😢