molan

I have one of each and I’d say I like them more or less the same amount. There is something special about the best Sadowsky NYC basses with an attention to detail and a sound that just works so well in a live environment. They definitely sound quite different but I couldn’t say either one was ‘better’ than the other. My Sei is pretty special and I’d hazard a guess it would start getting close to NYC money given the spec. NYC basses have risen in price a lot over the last few years but some of this is because of the weakened £ and the cost of shipping has definitely risen if you use a high quality courier with full insurance (and then stick VAT on top). I’ll try and take a pic of them side by side

I think I currently 9 or 10 of these, lol

A Barefaced with peeling Tolex, surely not, next you’ll be telling us that the edges chip really easily, the handles are coming loose and there’s a strange rattling noise inside the cab. . .

Sorry but, as mentioned, I’ve used many wireless systems and have never had to ‘glue’ it to my bass in order for it to work at its best. It still sounds very amateurish to me. As a user you will obviously have a lot more product knowledge than me - do you know the answers to my other questions?

Is this for real? Just seen some of the posts that say you have to stick a pad on to your bass for this product. Then, apparently, the pad sometimes fails and you have to resort to Velcro! If it fails mid gig does the kit stop working and/or are you left with something flapping around that requires gaffa tape? What if the bass you’re using is a pre-CBS Fender with an ultra-thin nitro finish - would the sticky pad damage the finish and leave an unsightly mark? What happens if you have more than one bass? Do you have to buy sticky pads and Velcro for each one? Ive used loads of different wireless systems over the years and never had to resort to sticking something on my bass to use any of them. All sounds very ‘amateur-hour’ to me

Line 6 all the way. It’s nice to support ‘local’ businesses but when their product is quite obviously inferior then you really have to go with the better performer - especially when it comes down to exactly how you’re hearing yourself. Any delay in signal will directly affect your timing. As a bassist that’s not something you can afford if you want to be remotely professional

Ouch - how bad was the dent? Did you get compensation before selling it privately?

I must say that I totally understood the one word response. Question was about differences between older and newer cabs and they've gone up in price so 'cost' was both an accurate and appropriate response

Agree

I’m sure this sounds a bit silly but I love the fact that I’ve been down to one trip to and from the car for each gig for some time now. Simplest route is my MarkBass Alain Caron combo in one hand and bass over my shoulder - even leaves me with one free hand! My ‘big’ rig has a Berg 210 in one hand, amp in the other and the ubiquitous bass over the shoulder. If the car park is bit of distance from the stage area I’ll shift the amp to the other shoulder and use both hands on the cab. Still one journey though. Always make me smile watching guitarists and drummer going back & forth humping stuff. I even get to arrive half an hour after everyone else now because I can set up so quickly

Somewhat bizarrely, the loudest two gigs I’ve ever been to were soul / funk. Bobby Womack once played a ‘radio special’ in a tiny club and, for some inexplicable reason, his sound crew decided to use the same rig he’d had the night before at the Forum in Kentish Town. I was deafened and my ears rang for weeks - in fact I think it was the start of my long term tinnitus issue. The absolute loudest ever was Incognito at the small O2 venue in Greenwich. I literally had to put my hands over my ears because the higher frequencies hurt so much. All around me people were wincing and covering their ears. I had to move right back and to one side of the hall to get anything like a decent volume

You have to explain, rationally, how better quality sound, both for the musicians playing and the audience listening, is “killing rock & roll”. This makes no sense to me whatsoever.

I don’t understand why it should be expected that it would drop out if either out of sight or on a large stage? Whenever I’ve tested quality systems you can leave the room, close the door, walk across the car park, get in a car and wait for some to start driving away before you lose signal!

Our lead guitarist now has a lovely amp with a 5w setting. It sounds fabulous cranked up but he’s still sometimes struggling with it being too loud ?

Not really. Not even remotely similar businesses. Fender has way more in common with Disney or Nike where he was a huge success.

I thought Andy Mooney was super successful at Disney? He was credited with coming up with the idea for the Princess range and then turning it into a 4 billion dollar brand. Also ran the, hugely successful, Disney Retail business. The gossip when he left Disney was that he walked out because the board wouldn’t accept some of his punchier ideas (Disney is a very conservative company). Previously he’d had over 20 very successful years at Nike as both UK CFO and then head of marketing in USA. The job he was fired from was Quicksilver which was in a pretty bad shape when he arrived. Overall his credentials in retail, marketing and financial management are first rate. Seems like an excellent combination for for someone to run a large global music instrument business.

I’m not sure that his name sells that many basses. It’s his design choices that people buy into. He takes maybe 15-20 basses on the road when he goes on tour and genuinely uses a lot of them at each gig / TV appearance. Of course he doesn’t really need to use so many but, given that he can easily afford them (and the techs to get them ready at a moment’s notice) then I can’t see it does any harm to anyone. Because his band is such a ‘showcase’ he often chooses bright colours and bold designs to stand out on stage. Manufacturers like this because it gives them a chance to show off some flashier designs. The number of Clayton ‘haters’ are limited to a few players who hang out on forums. Not many of them and with little influence on the general bass buying public. By making some of the signature models as limited editions this increases immediate demand at launch which, in turn, generates much-needed publicity, and subsequent revenue, for what is an increasingly beleaguered industry. I’d think this particular run ought to sell out relatively quickly. It’ll be interesting to see how well they are made and what UK price comes in at. Looks like they’ll be around the same build spec and quality as the current American Vintage models so may be the same price - possibly a bit more because of the higher grade blocks. Of course, the real test is how they sound but even this is going to be pretty subjective. At most ‘everday’ gigs that they are likely to be used at, I doubt any audience member will be able to hear the difference between one of these and a pre CBS vintage model. They might get noticed as looking a bit different from run of the mill sunburst/Black/white/natural though. If the player feels good about him/herself whilst playing and has a good time then that feels like the most important thing I very much doubt anyone is going to see someone with one of these and go “ooh look it’s an Adam Clayton wannabe, bet he can’t play”. . .