PaulKing

Today I am mostly mortified. I have sworn by Line6 G30 for many years. Indeed I have NEVER had any drop out. It sigids rigid behind tailpiece and withstands all manner of athletic upright bass antics. And it is so damned convenient: pick up bass, switch on, play ... I even use it at rehearsals. Its a long time since I had an opportunity to do a really serious AB test with it, but prompted by a recent and very rare gig where I played witha cable and thought my bass sounded particulalry lush ... I spent half an hour at home switching between wireless and cable. The verdict pains me terribly. Over the G30, there is a distinct loss of warmth and softness, loss of the lush airy tone that makes upright bounce. And there is a distinct boost to the hated upright honk, which is most noticeable when you play anything approaching percussive slap, like what I do. It is minimal, but apparent. There's still a bloody good tone, it just isn't 100% as good as through cable. For years I've claimed the diference was imperceptible. But I was wrong. Now what do I do??? I want to run around on stage. I also want two transmitters so I can swap between upright and electric in a flash.

I remember now ... forgot you had that. Mmmm.

Dribble. Still regret selling my S9, it was immaculate. Later than yours though ... 65 maybe. I held onto a '38 M2 instead because it has more stories to tell. But S9s do have a certain bling to them. And I couldnt justify having 2 Kays AND a Mortone ;o))) (not to my bank anyway...) More pics please!

Adam Ben Ezra. Don't bother trying to match him.

That. Good match. I got one of those set up too.

I made my own, years ago. Take care and they look just as good as those Ffits. Or save yourself the bother and shell out £65. I think thats a pretty decent price actually. Fist to do them was Doug'sPlugs in USA. They work. No doubt about it.

Yeah its a classic thing, bass bar isnt supporting the top plate quite enough. Its an annoyance more than anything. It probably wont get any worse for the next 50 years .... Ignore it.

I have a large scratch down the front of my Mortone from a similarly adventurous kitten.

Hi Mike - I got one .. great fun. E string is a bit quiet .... I switched the black scratchplate for white. I made one like Mo Fosters too, funky 60s feel, but went back to orig design in th eend.

Tried the KNA at rehearsal last night. Yeah, it's pretty good. Took some time dialling in EQ, as it had different character to Underwood. Mid is much more honky. I was losing the punch in the lower mid a bit ... but it fared pretty well. WIth bass boom dialled down and volume cranked, it cit through very well. Given I got it for £35 off Amazon I cant complain. I'll use Underwood as long as it lasts, bt KNA is good back up. Meanwhile Shadow - equally did me OK at a gig. I think a slightly harder sound than Undewood.. It cut through OK, but I was missing that pillowy boom that's so hard to dial in. As ever ... all of these comments are relevant only to the bass in use at the time (Shadow - 1937 King Mortone, KNA 1938 Kay) and the strings (Shadow Evah P Slap/Lenzner Gut, KNA Lamberts GT47/Lenzner Gut) .. and the venue (SHadow Ain't Nothing But the Blues, KNA Airplay STudios....) ;o)

Thomann 33 is the best spec ... someone else will have to chime in on quality. Looks very pretty. But EUR1200 new sounds very cheap for a brand new carved bass!!

The Strunal is without doubt a solid, reliable, well made bass, that would see you good for many years. PLy basses are easier to look after and more resilient than carved ones. Thomann bases are variable quality, but the 33 carved sounds like a top end for them. Don't know much about them. My vote would be for the Strunal. I had one of those once. Great tone, solid as a rock.

I just stuck a Fire & Stone / KNA piezo on my bass to A/B it with Underwood (which is sadly on its way out). Great price, and first indications are pretty impressive. Higher output. More top end - so finger noise. I think slap is going to be quite honky. HAvent tried through preamp at any volume yet ... will report back. Also just took delivery of Shadow 951 to make same comparison. Underwood has always been my fave over Bassmax, Rev Solo, couple of others I tried.

I wanna know how loud you guys play, flippin eck! F-hole plugs, phase switch and a bit of EQ (Low cut esp). No feedback, standing right in front of amp. Or front of house.

I did a load of research and identified and fitted an external tweeter to the combo. Cost like £15 or something. Immense improvement. I tried to buy another recently but you can't get the original make any more, just copies. They might be just as good I dunno. PM if anyone wants details. The HF tweeter in the extension cab is so much better than the one in the combo though. I'm always tempted by the 121HF combo (which has same tweeter) but the size puts me off

Ha hey Jack thanks for the plug in the official video, nice work!

Ah - nice to catch up on the whole lovely story after our brief chats on Sunday, so rudely interrupted in th emiddle by my live set. Thanks for coming by the way - look forward to seeing a few pics/clips!? So long as it isnt of the first 3 seconds when Rhod played the wrong tune ;o) What a beautiful bass - I'll take you up on that offer of a session in Harrow some time.

Score

What's one of them?

Ha! The sofa used to be long enough. Not any more! Ah Tweedledum, either that's a clever comment, or you need info...? Which Kay...? In order: 59 Kay 5965, 59 Dallas Tuxedo, '63 Jolana Basora, '65 Kay 5920 'Speed Demon', '65 Hofner President, '65 Kay 5961 'Value Leader', '65 Harmony H-22

The sideline electric bass hobby has now exceeded the upright bass hobby. Easier to hang on the wall at least. Recently added an old Dallas Tuxedo to the gang. Sweet eh?

Thankyou so much

I've still got my B&H Artia Excelsior. Lovely bass. I did a bit of research a few years ago to find out more about these, as there are quite a few around still. On this thread https://www.talkbass.com/threads/boosey-hawkes-excelsior-or-golden-strad.440374/ That said, I'm not sure yours is one anyway. But there were quality student instruments coming out of Czechoslovakia in the 60s and 70s. Yours looks nice,..