ardi100

Well, first outing for the SX. I really can't believe how good it sounded in the band mix. This is a definite keeper!

Yep, I only got 2 sets and postage for around £13! Pretty happy with them after 24 hours. They're on a new (to me) bass, so I can't evaluate completely.

I just got some 45-135 Warwick red labels very cheap on Bax: Here they are

Everything seems fine so far. It has really come alive with some new strings. There's a bit of fret buzz so the next step is investigating the truss rod. I have very little idea in this department, so I'm treading carefully!

Cheers, I'm very happy with it so far. I'm just about to fit a new set of strings.

Sorry for the multiple photos, I can't work out how to remove them.

I've been gassing for a 5 string for ages and finally decided to bite the bullet. My only other bass is a 97 Jazz Bass Deluxe that I ordered and paid off and cost more thany first car! I love this bass and for 28 years have only bought one other, when I arrived in London and bought a super cheap squire jazz (which was ace, but got stolen!). I was looking for anything with a humbucker and maple fretboard, only as something different to what I already have. I looked at things like scale length and string spacing but thought 'i don't really have any reference points', so I wasn't picky. I was looking for Yamaha or Ibanez 5ers, but my budget was so limited. Anyway, I bought this: SX SW1B. It's a copy of a Warwick, or a Spector, or both (or neither!) and it's pretty decent.

I can get a few usable synth patches from my Boss GT1-B, but it's hampered by the number of effects you can use in any one patch. I imagine it's much easier to build your own synth patches with fewer restrictions on the number of blocks of effects you can use?

I think I had the 3.2 Warwick and I now have an RM 800. I used to really like the tone I got from the Warwick. A sound engineer once told me my lovely recorded tone was due to the boutique kit I had (Korean Squire Jazz, said Warwick through an EBS cab!). That all said, the Ashdown tone is wonderful, the amp is much lighter and you never now when you'll need the watts. Ashdown for me.

I got this just over a day too late, having just splurged £129 (inclluding delivery) on an SX 5 string from Cash Converters (!). I have no idea what mine will be like!

This could very well be a very dumb question, but how do you know if a defiency in the sound of a bass is due to the pickups or the preamp? I've read many discussions of cheap basses where people state with certainty that either the pickups or the preamp (or both) need replacing. What are the tell tale signs of either?

We've had a 2nd guitarist express interest in joining our band. He doesn't drive. He lives 10 - 15 minutes away from me, but in the other direction from rehearsals. It's not far, but I'd be committing to getting and dropping him home for every rehearsal and probable gigs, too. It felt like far too big a commitment to mke before I'd even met him.

I did this and it went down really well, they were apologetic that I'd been committed for so long (same length as you). Do it sooner rather than later and keep searching.

This won't really be news to anyone, but . . . I rehearsed with my RM 800 into my Eden D210MBX in my newish rock band last night. The owner of the basement studio we rehearse in is a bass player and last night he had his Ampeg combos out trying to sort out some gremlins. He asked if I wanted to use one and see if there were any problems, so I plugged into a B600 115. I tried the tube and solid state section, but I didn't have my glasses so didn't spend too much time dialling in a sound. It was nice and warm, but not remarkably interesting at all. After a couple of run througs of our first song, the volume dipped so I plugged back into my rig. Instantly the sound was on a different level. I had to ask the others for confirmation and they agreed without hesitation, the Ashdown sound was just hands down better. I think I need to stop looking for a lightweight replacement for the Eden. It sounded so good.

If you are intimidated by looking at the audience (if you can see them with the lighting), look out over the back row's heads. No one will know you're not looking at them and it looks like you're really confident. That's when your eyes aren't glued to the neck trying to work out where you are!

Does the external switch to change presets only go one way? I know it's only 8, but up and down would be much easier live.

I think the MXR Bass Synth could be the answer!

This would cure my GAS for all other synths pedals and the limitations of Boss Gt1 B. The eight presets would be a limitation that I reckon could be worked around. The biggest problem is that I'm not in the Madonna band that necessitated synth sounds!

Will watch this tonight. I've loved this band since hearing Cult of Personality on a pullout plastic record form a guitar magazine my mate had. Blew us both away. I saw them in Melbourne in 92 and the were incredible. The whole band were amazing but Doug Wimbish was just spellbinding. My mates and I went out to the only club open on a Sunday night in Melbourne in the early 90s and my mate rushed up to me screaming "Living Colour are here!" We didn't really believe him, but they were easy to spot! Full of Dutch courage, I went up to Doug and told him I'd loved the show. He literally turned his back on the beautiful woman who was chatting him up and talked bass with me for what seemed like an hour (it was probably 10 minutes!). He was such a generous and friendly guy. He introduced me to Vernon Reid, who was more interested in the beauty he was chatting up (I don't blame him either!). I tried to persuade him to try surfing, but I don't think I was very convincing! What a fantastic band!

Thanks, they look perfect, but how do you scroll through patches?

Thanks. I've never used amp or can sims, I'm pretty happy with the tone of my amp and cab. Anything helix is going to be outside my budget, but the zoom pedals are on my radar.

Hi everyone, It seems my Boss Gt1B has died (I haven't ruled out it being fixed, it could be simple, but - GAS . . .) and I'm considering what to replace it with. When I was in a Madonna cover band I needed lots of synth-type sounds that I could (almost) replicate on the Boss multi, but it did have limitations of effects blocks. I'm now playing in a rock-ish band that doesn't need much more than a bit of valve-like grit. I would like (but don't really need right now, but who knows into the future) octave, filter, some modulation, fuzz, and delays/reverbs - basically all multi effects' lists. I feel like I could get away right now with a valve pre/DI that wouldn't have to be actually valve based. Oh, and my budget is tiny to not really existent! My one big question is how do people manage single pedals when you need different sounds out of the pedal within or between songs? I built patches for each song on the Boss and then just flicked through them at will. How do players manage a complicated pedalboard with multiple sound changes live?

The guitarist/songwriter/bandleader/brother in law never had a spare. So it was really, really funny when he broke a string at a 'festival' (shoddy gig in an old.man's pub) and borrowed on from another band. We were in the indie scene and his tele had to be replaced by a headless 80s cricket bat style guitar. Hilarious.

I've got reaper running and can record OK, my main problem is midi. I can import a midi file, but I can't get it to make any noise. I also can't install any more apps on laptop as its for work and I'm not an admin (reaper is running off my hard drive). I had all christmas holidays to sort it and hit the 'non admin wall and gave up. It is indeed frustrating.

A USB-C to 3.5mm adapter so I can play my phone through the aux in of my multi effects. All phones should have 3.5mm outputs.