Kiwi

On 05/05/2025 at 02:53, Sauron_ said:

Probably DTC Basses.

It's not DTC.  

4 hours ago, DaleASmith said:

I thought the HX allowed the same level of access? Ie, any parameter can be controlled by an expression pedal?

Maybe but the M9 has more knobs for on the fly tweaking.

13 hours ago, DaleASmith said:

Yeah got that. It’s a lot to spend on an only effects processor though. You’re well into brand new HX territory there. 

Yes but the HX doesn't provide the same accessibility to settings that the M9 does.  It's a nuanced difference that maybe only appeals to hardened professionals under time pressure.

On 04/05/2025 at 22:12, DaleASmith said:

Says he no longer does them as the platform is unreliable. 
I’m guessing it’s marginal gains, and sending players with have moved into the Helix if audio quality is that important. 

That was for the M5, I haven't seen the same comment for the M9

15 hours ago, DaleASmith said:

Do you know which mods are common for this unit? 

https://www.jhv3.com/
This is the guy who didn't reply.  There may be others offering something similar.

It's been a fairly popular unit (after mods) with Nashville session guitarists because you can basically grab a know to tweak on the fly if a producer requests it.  No scrolling through menus.

I have a couple of M5s on pedalboards. I did look into an M9 for my guitar pedalboard, tried it and discovered it smothered  the dynamics a little too much for my liking so sent it back.  There was a guy offering upgrades to the M9 but he hasn't responded to messages or emails for quite a few years.  But the mods basically made the M9 a studio quality effect.

16 hours ago, Grahambythesea said:

Thanks. There’s nothing showing in my passwords for Basschat. I’ve checked the remember me box but doesn’t make any difference. ☹️

Try pressing CTRL+F5 to clear your browser cache.

I suspect this is a browser issue, not a site issue.  Depending  on your browser settings, check to see if you still have stored a password for BC and whether you changed the setting that lets your browser remember it.

1 hour ago, Terry M. said:

 are you saying you feel the Thumb bass even FEELS differently acoustically to when it's plugged in? 

No, not at all. Just sounds different because of the filtering by the electronics.  EMGs are quite bold sounding and have their own flavour.  Acoustically I can both hear and feel the amount of upper mids that are dampened by the amount of wenge and bubinga in the neck. In particular the wenge fingerboard will absolutely dampen some treble content.  You could try your Thumb bass against a Status Series II at some point acoustically and see what differences you can hear.

We've occasionally had discussions in this forum about the sound of backline and I've played through some bass rigs where it sounds like there's not just pillow over the speaker but a complete four poster bed.  I've been at a loss to understand how the owner can actually hear themselves on stage amongst all the cymbals and guitars.  And the answer is they can't but they are so used to it that playing based on hand position and the movement of their trouser legs is their normal and a yardstick for what sounds good to them.  Perhaps "good" really means normal.

1 hour ago, BassBiscuit said:

Who is that then...? Sounds very interesting...

I'm tempted to be coy as I'm negotiating a guitar build with him at the moment and have another in the works which will be a 5 string version of my Alembic.  He exhibited at the Shanghai guitar show in October and came away overloaded with orders and I have already been waiting two years for the guitar build.  After he's priced my build, maybe I'll reveal who it is.  The craftsmanship is outstanding and he's entirely self taught.  His instruments are priced at the same level as a UK custom build as well.  I wonder how many of his customers are in the US though. 

5 hours ago, Terry M. said:

I'm still yet to understand why electric basses that need amplification are judged acoustically. I'm always willing to learn however so what exactly am I missing with this? If the amplified sound is good isn't that the point?

I think the point I was trying to make, perhaps poorly, is that there is a huge difference between how the Thumb sounds AND FEELS acoustically and what it sounds like amplified. Perhaps I"m still trying to get my head around the difference and I need more time with one to reach any kind of lasting insight.  I can't think of any other bass where I've felt like that.

To be fair, there is a certain amount of micturational extraction by Aliexpress sellers. 

I have found the sales people are often obsessed with commission at the expense of everything else, including their jobs.  In their minds, so long as they are selling something that looks like the photo, any deviation in materials from the agreed specification isn't important to them.  Their mindset is opportunistic, irresponsible and at times disingenuine...a bunch of cowboys.  I had dealings with a company called Shenzhen Grand which left me out of pocket and with a bitter taste in my mouth at the games they were playing.  They were good at making amps but their instruments were less playable than a wishbass.

The good luthiers in China (and I have found one that could rival Fodera) don't need to sell on Aliexpress.

I've played them in shops and they sounded and felt a little lifeless acoustically.  But the amplified sound is pretty good.  I've ummed and ahhed over getting one but really need more playing time to decide and it's not like I can walk into a shop where I am and find one so it might have to wait until I'm back in the UK.

In the meantime, the Moon MBC5TN I picked up a couple of years ago is virtually identical in construction apart from mahogany body wings so that itch has been scratched more or less.

I don't think Reverb can be judged on the people who use their platform, they can't really take action without just cause. 

Last experience I had on Reverb was trying to land a pair of Alembic pickups for an upcoming project and the guy was pretty unreasonable just because I was in China.  I could arrange and pay for my own door to door shipping and he still wanted 30 bucks.  He eventually sold them for $100 less than he wanted from me.  Similar situation with a rare Carvin FS77 footswitch for a guitar preamp I sold just recently, the seller kept flip flopping until he got a US based buyer.

I've had good experiences with UK and European sellers though and the one time I needed support in dealing with a transaction that went a little awry, they stepped in promptly and chucked some Reverb credits at me to compensate for inconvenience.

15 hours ago, neepheid said:

 

Did you miss the part where I said I was physically there?  My bad, I got my year wrong, it was 2008.

 

Times when a Smith BSR5 was 2500 quid.  Halcyon days.

I have had one sitting on my desk for two years and I have tried to start figuring out how to use it and then other things have taken priority (family usually).  I've had an open tab on YT showing the introduction video for probably about the same time.

3 hours ago, Sean said:

I think that's really good advice. I've had a few breaks from BC over the years.

Lucky lucky bastard.

 

22 hours ago, FugaziBomb said:

Anyway, rant over.  Here I am. 

Welcome aboard   I spent some months in NH many many years ago...during the Summer.

3 hours ago, martthebass said:

That’s interesting. When I worked in R&D, I did a lot of work on phenol formaldehyde resin systems (aka Bakerlite - I assume the main component of ritchlite) and the levels of the catalyst, resol and novalak made a big impact on the modulus of the cured resin. I guess Rob did a lot of work getting the mix right to achieve the properties he wanted for the overall sound.

Legend has it that when Geoff Gould was focussing on setting Modulus up around 1983, he left oversight of the neck production to someone else and they got the mixing of the phenolic resin (aka Bakerlite) wrong.  This affected his agreement with Alembic and impacted on the necks made for Musicman as well.  It's also affected all the 90's Quantum basses I've owned by Modulus but not the other models (Sonic Hammer, Flea).   And also every one of the four Cutlass basses I've had featured overly flexible necks (but I know earlier ones are OK).

Rob has done a huge amount of R&D on his necks, and his basses still sound like Status basses even when the electronics are completely replaced.   So the sound is very much in the necks.

15 hours ago, martthebass said:

Often wondered what factors are at play. I had an early Streamline, with its basic 2 band EQ I didn’t find it brittle sounding at all and could get some quite warm tones from it. My CW1 despite it having an alder body seems far more hifi to me.

When I had a conversation with Rob Green about this specific characteristic, after he had done some work on a Modulus bass for me,  he told me the fingerboard had quite a big impact on the rigidity and sound.  Ken Smith also mentioned the same thing to me in a separate conversation and explained this is why they use such thick slabs of ebony for the fingerboard.  He wants the necks to be just rigid enough for the mid range warmth which is so characteristic of his instruments.  It was an idea also inspired by the upright basses that he collects. 

On 22/03/2025 at 19:49, crazycloud said:

Experience.

Me too.  It's not theory.

On 18/03/2025 at 14:15, crazycloud said:

Don't buy this theory myself as neither my XL2 or my S2000 sound brittle.

What makes you think its a theory?

On 15/03/2025 at 17:57, Beedster said:

Interested in two points, firstly why do they have to be 'not too stiff', and in what way were the neck over-designed? 

I see where you're going with this - it seems potentially contradictory.  I should probably clarify that it depends on construction and fingerboard material.

Not too stiff because an overly stiff neck and phenolic fingerboard creates a very brittle sounding instrument.  I've played early to mid nineties Status Empathy and Modulus Quantum basses with this quality.  For extra context, other bass makers like Ken Smith aim for a neck that is just stiff enough because it introduces some warmth into the lower mid range and tames the highs a little.

Overdesigned means designed far beyond what is needed to resist string tension.  That could mean the number of layers of weave used (typically more than three layers), the orientation of the weave in selected locations and the choice of unecessariy thick fingerboard material.

Purely based on observation alone, in the late 70's necks seemed over designed.   Super rigid but also very easy to fret dress and achieve incredibly low action. The problems with aftermarket Modulus necks in the early to mid eighties were apparently due to Geoff Gould delegating the mixing of phenolic resin while he was off setting up Modulus operations and the person responsible not paying sufficient attention.  It was why Alembic ditched graphite necks as an option. 

However, I've played early 90's Modulus basses with floppy necks too - just had a 92 Quantum 5 pass through my hands for set up and restoration with a neck that wasn't stiff enough to resist string tension and there was no way to set the bass up with reasonable action.  I've also owned a 94 with a neck that was brittle and a 96 with a banana neck. And a 96 Sonic Hammer that was just fabulous in action and sound.  QC seems a little inconsistent to say the least.  Ironically the  Modulus basses with flexible necks sounded great - really growly and warm. 

On 15/03/2025 at 20:25, Grassie said:

The expense probably comes from the disposal of waste from the manufacturing processes.

I would suggest it's the amount of manual labour required.  The moulds are made by hand and the necks are fabricated by hand. 

6 hours ago, BassApprentice said:

Considering you can get cheap carbon bike products from China now, I'm surprised there isn't necks from them. Not that I would expect them to be the same as a Status.

I've found there are Steinberger replacements being made by a one man operation in Guangzhou but they are available domestically only in low numbers and for over 600 quid a pop.

But it has to be said there's a huge difference between a simple structure and something that has to be stiff but not too stiff.  Early necks from Modulus, Status and Vigier were over designed (which I like).  Later in the nineties there were issues with stiffness and many still didn't have truss rods.