Bigwan

[quote name='Guinness21' timestamp='1452011611' post='2945511'] Mark said there's a 4 week wait on the vmtd 2.0. I honestly think this pedal is going to become the benchmark for always-on/light drive sounds. [/quote] Maybe. Not everyone is a fan though...

Boiling strings, IMO, is a myth that just keeps propagating. I tried it in my younger days and it didn't work very well. Folks more experienced than I suggest that if anything it shortens the life of your strings. If you want to clean normal strings steep them in meths overnight (I coil them up as a set and put them in an old plastic haribo tub 3/4 filled with meths), dry and refit them. Not sure if this works for coated strings or not, but don't see why it wouldn't.

What a beautiful setup... Not a bit jealous!

... and now there are 2 of these in the for sale section the day after I find the clutch is slipping on the old conveyance... Bugger...

I'll not be rushing out to buy any of them I have to say. I suspect I'd feel the same as I have about all the Darkglass stuff I've owned... Meh...

[quote name='chickenjames' timestamp='1451739146' post='2942935'] How is the Sire likely to feel compared to my Ray? [/quote] Not much use to you here as mine's a 5 string and I've never played a 4 (often think of ordering one!), but the neck will be narrower at the nut and the fretboard radius will be tighter. I haven't seen depth measurements on the Sire 4 string and it's been quite a while since I (briefly!) owned a 'ray 4. Colour-wise I went with burst, mostly since it was all they had at the time, but think it might have been my choice if I had free rein as I'm not really a fan of black basses and already have a white bass in my USA P bass.

[quote name='chickenjames' timestamp='1451684014' post='2942522'] thanks guys. I'm very tempted by the Sire MM V7, seems almost too good to be true. Seems like the only way to get them in the UK is from Thomann, is that right? They all seem to be out of stock at the moment - should I be worried? Any comments on ash vs alder, maple vs RW? I'm thinking that I should go for alder & RW as I'm looking to be mellow. Any comments on how it's likely to be setup? I don't like buying without trying but I guess there's no choice here. Anyone tried putting flats on one? I have flats (d'Addario chromes) on my 'Ray and I guess I'd want the same on the Jazz. [/quote] "too good to be true" Exactly what I thought, but it's not! "Only available from ThomannThomann... - should I be worried?" They sell like hot cakes! Only reason to be worried is that you miss out on the next Thomann shipment. "Any comments on ash vs alder, maple vs RW? I'm thinking that I should go for alder & RW as I'm looking to be mellow" I went for rosewood/alder based on previous experience of the combination (and I'm not a fan of maple boards), but I would cautious using the term mellow - mine growls very nicely when I dig in a bit. "Any comments on how it's likely to be setup?" Very well in my opinion. I thought I'd have to RAISE the action or put a little more relief in the neck after my first 5 minutes with it, but it's been fine, although I'd be the first to admit that I'm not particularly sensitive to setup like some folk are. "I don't like buying without trying but I guess there's no choice here." Nobody does, but my thinking was that folks on here whose opinion I trust thought they were excellent, I'd heard one single setup complaint and one single complaint about the control layout and nothing else negative, it wasn't a particularly expensive bass and Thomann have an excellent returns policy so if I was the one unlucky person to get a Friday afternoon bass I could always send it back! "flats... " Not yet, but I have a set of Fender flats ready to put on it when the notion takes me! EDIT:sorry, quote doesn't work well on the mobile version of the site it would seem...

[quote name='Rumble' timestamp='1451595738' post='2941805'] I've been impressed by some of the reviews of the sire v7's on YouTube, but can anyone confirm if the B string is any good on the 5's? [/quote] I can, and it is...

Just the right level of relic! Very nice!

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' timestamp='1451592521' post='2941785'] Because of the reduced body it's easy for me to reach around to grab my flute (I have to do this mid song at times) nothing gets in the way. [/quote] Sorry, I nearly sprayed my whole kitchen with beer at that one...

I'd echo the Sire recommendation. It's the best money I've ever spent on a bass - and I've spent A LOT. Jazz-wise I've owned a Lakland Skyline Joe Osborne and a Fender Roadworn and, in my opinion, the Sire is more than a match for either of them, and neither of them were slouches! Mine is an Alder/Rosewood 5. I never use it active and when all the controls eventually start to bug me I'll find a passive control plate. I hadn't played one before ordering but have no regrets at all. I went with Alder from previous experience and because I'm not a huge fan of maple boards. I would say that the Alder/Rosewood combo can growl pretty nicely if required. Waiting patiently for a Sire P bass...

[quote name='Shockwave' timestamp='1451352965' post='2939846'] Digital Village in the UK sell them. [url="http://www.dv247.com/search/3039/0/ProductPrice/Ascending/-/1/"]http://www.dv247.com.../Ascending/-/1/[/url] J&D are the exact same basses as the Harley Benton ones, just without the Wilkinson hardware. [/quote] Different scale length (J&D 29", Harley Benton 30") would suggest different but then it wouldn't be the first time specs have been quoted ENTIRELY wrong...

[quote name='elephantgrey' timestamp='1451387703' post='2940008'] could you change the signal chain from 'right to left' to 'left to right' [/quote] That kind of bugged me too! It seems that left to right is probably historically correct (and logical!) for most things except effects pedals... And Arabic...

Great work!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1451159672' post='2938634'] The ABM is a great amp - warm, punchy and with the heft you'd expect from a power stage with a heavy iron thing in it. The Tone Hammer has a lot of low end available too and is also warm and punchy. I would say the ABM sounds just a little darker overall and the Tone Hammer's top end is possibly a little smoother, but there's not a lot in it. The ABM has a valve in the input stage, but the TH somehow has an old-school feel about it. Both amps are full, fat and loud. But the ABM weighs 12kg and the Tone Hammer is 1.36kg. For me that's a definite advantage. [/quote] Sounds like I'd like it a lot! Everything I've read says so. Only concern is the Aguilar vintage vibe mixing well with the coloured nature of my Barefaced Retro... Might have to (as my sister-in-law says quite a bit) "risk it for a biscuit"! One thing I found interesting while researching these is that the clip light doesn't indicate that the power section is clipping, it's a preamp clip indicator. A little out of the ordinary!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1451150572' post='2938582'] No apology necessary... but I'm not loyal to brands, I just like good amps. [/quote] As a man with recent ABM experience, how does the Tonehammer compare? My ABM is the standard by which all other amps are measured and it's yet to be bettered!

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1451066436' post='2938113'] Used to power my Berg CN212 with the Tecamp Puma 900 and it worked fine. However I now use the Kustom KXB 500 and it sounds so much better. Guess big power is not everythimg [/quote] Any idea where one might find a Kustom KXB500 in the UK? Sorry for the derail!

[quote name='redstriper' timestamp='1451002385' post='2937853'] That looks smart - how does it play and is it heavy? [/quote] Be interested to know about this one too. Have an awful case of GAS for a shorty, but don't want to spend an awful lot since I haven't had one in my hands for 20 years (and it was a beat up 70's fender mustang an acquaintance wanted a ton for... Being a poor student I declined like a moron...).

All gone by the time my alert popped up. Mine checks every minute on WiFi and 5 minutes on mobile data. I was on WiFi and was looking at my phone at the time so instantly went to the mobile site. Definitely something fishy with that...

Having owned a Wal I have to say, in MY opinion, I wouldn't be in a hurry to own another one, especially given their current premium price. Are they good? Sure. Are they £4k good? Not in my view. I've found basses that fit me better for a fraction of the price, and have a full-on ACG custom coming at half the price of the last USED Wal I saw on here. However... if you have an itch that needs scratched, it's unlikely that anything but a Wal will satisfy you. I'm just glad I scratched said itch when I could get a Wal for mid 3 figures, rather than the current mid 4 figures! If only the same could be said for my current pre-CBS precision Gas...