GrammeFriday

And now I have major GAS for a Maruszczyk, too! Curse you and all your evil works, Basschat!

I am very familiar with Glockenklang preamps as a Sandberg player (Sandberg fit them as standard) and cannot speak highly enough of them, Glocks are silent (i.e. no hiss, unlike some preamps), and when all the controls are set flat you cannot even hear when it is being toggled between active and passive - and there is no annoying 'pop' when you switch (again, unlike some preamps). In passive mode the treble pot functions as a tone roll-off, i.e. just like on a passive Precision or Jazz bass. And it will run in passive mode even with no battery. When I bought my first Sandberg I remember thinking that the active/passive switching option would be cool not only because of the reassurance of having a plan B if the battery died mid-gig, but also because I thought it would give me more tonal options. In practice, as Machines points out, the battery dying mid-gig thing has never happened to me, and as for the tone thing, I found in practice that passive was a bit wimpy compared to active, and I ended up never using it. In other words, it's nice to have passive mode there as an option and as a failsafe, but it's one that I've never needed or wanted to use in reality. BTW, £100 to have it fitted is a total bargain - Glock preamps start at £100 if you buy them separately from Bass Direct: [url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Glockenklang_preamps.html"]http://www.bassdirec...ng_preamps.html[/url] and that is without the labour charge that you'd have to pay a luthier or tech to get it installed. Other considerations: 1. Are you someone who likes to tweak their amp to get different tones, or do you prefer to do this using the controls on your bass? If the former, then maybe passive is all you need. If the latter, then an onboard preamp is a no-brainer. Personally, I much prefer to leave my amp set flat and do my tone shaping from the bass, and only tweak the amp settings if more radical surgery is required (e.g. because of crappy room acoustics or suchlike). 2. If you are going to be playing any larger stages (i.e. where longer cable runs are required) then an active bass (or at least some kind of active boosting) is almost mandatory, in order to avoid signal loss problems. 3. Passive and active basses are very much like vintage and modern cars - the vintage ones have an intrinsic retro charm and vibe of their own, and since they are very simple things, there is less that can go wrong with them. Which is good. But would you really want to drive down the motorway in one? Personally, I'd rather be in the 2015 model with the beefy engine, comfy seats, stereo, aircon, satnav etc!

Just bought a POG2 from Adam, and found him to be a very helpful, prompt and accommodating seller - great communications throughout, product arrived next day, exactly as described, in extremely well-packaged box. !00% recommendation from me! Cheers, Adam!

How hard can it be?!

[quote name='Ben Jamin' timestamp='1438643573' post='2836123'] The other advantage the G&L L2500/L2000 has over Sandberg/Warwick etc is that all it's controls can be used in passive mode, so if you run out of battery/want a passive sound you can still use all the other tone-shaping stuff [/quote] Not so much an advantage over Sandberg - all Sandbergs have active/passive switching, and in passive mode the treble pot functions as a passive tone roll-off, just like a Precision or Jazz tone knob. Oh, and they can run in passive mode with no battery installed as well.

Yes, lots of different suggestions, but I notice that most of them have both bridge and neck pickups. I still refuse to believe that you can get a credible bridge pickup sound from a bass with no bridge pickup. Yes, you can kind of fake it by playing near the bridge, but it doesn't really cut it, at least not to my ear anyway.

Stunning!

Agreed.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1438589887' post='2835548'] What is wrong with: Pretty much any bass --> decent compressor/limiter --> decent overdrive/distortion --> decent graphic EQ --> decent amp with suitable bypass switch usage? [/quote] This set-up cannot entirely overcome limitations of pickup configuration/placement, and neither can your fingers or playing style. I first learned bass on a Precision. Very nice it was too, and it did nearly everything I wanted it to, but there was one sound that I could not get out of it - a certain fingerstyle sound that I heard lots of virtuoso/technical players doing. For a long time I thought it was my fault that I couldn't 'get' this sound - I did think it was all down to some kind of lack or limitation in my fingerstyle technique. And then one day I tried a Jazz bass for the first time, and soloed the bridge pickup, and BOOM! there was exactly 'that' sound. It wasn't anything to do with my fingers (or a compressor, or any other box of tricks) at all.

Yet another vote for Sandberg, here - I do play in a covers band with a very wide ranging repertoire (everything from She Sells Sanctuary to Last Night A DJ Saved My Life), and my VM5 does it all.

Yes, it is true for both Squiers and Fenders. But I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the heavier ones - IME very lightweight Fenders/Squiers can suffer from terrible neck dive. And if I had a choice between a sub 9lb bass with neck dive and a 10lb bass with perfect balance I'd take the 10 pounder every time. Having to hold the neck up with your fretting hand is an ergonomic disaster, and is just as likely to lead to back problems as wearing a boat anchor every night.

Got a pic of the Sandberg for us?

A used USA MTD would be well within your budget, and would be a fabulous choice. This one, for example, is a total bargain: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/260009-mtd-535-24-ashwalnut-as-new-pricedrop-l-2000/ I had a go on this bass at Bass Direct before Elguedd bought it, and can say it is one of the best basses I have ever played in my life. Sound, playability, build quality, ergonomics and aesthetics - this bass has it all.

I'm holding out for the Darkglass Symmetry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keoI-wf8pc8 Anyone know when it will be released?

Ah, it's blues jam night at the Dog and Duck, again - great stuff. Now, where's my P bass with flats?

Intriguing!

Looking forward to seeing pics of yours in all its risky glory! Enjoy tomorrow!

It wouldn't be this one, by any chance, would it? http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Mike_lull_PJ4.html

Just sold an EHX Pulsar pedal to Graham. A faster or more hassle free transaction would be impossible to imagine - super prompt and friendly comms, and payment received in the blink of an eye. Perfect seller! I hope you enjoy the pedal, Graham - it was a pleasure doing business with you!