Lfalex v1.1

At a slight tangent to Bill's post, concentrating mainly on old school low Xmax drivers' performance explains many of the older bass cab form factors. Low Xmax? reasonable power handling per driver? Stick 8 of them in a box and you have potentially huge power handling, good sensitivity, and the ability to shift a lot of air due to the sheer driven area of the 8 cones, in spite of the low Xmax. Modern enclosures are heading back the other way, with fewer drivers, but similar or better performance and smaller, lighter enclosures.

If that were all there was to it, then yes. However, I'd guess that other variables (system sensitivity and whether or not the enclosure is ported (and if that targets excursion control over ultimate low-end output)) would also alter driver behaviour. To wit; its no good having the available xmax to shift a lot of air if you end up needing so much power to achieve it that you fry the voice coils. Power handling is still of some importance.

My experience is a bit limited, but it seems to me that (irrespective of class) there's no replacement for displacement... or Power. I started out with a no-name 80w 1x12. It got utterly drowned out in my first band practice. I replaced it with a Trace 1110, but I think I was only getting half the power without an extension cab. Next up, a Trace SMX combo and a choice of extension cabs to to liberate the full 300w. That still wasn't enough. I ended up with an Ampeg SVP pro into a QSC PLX 1202. 1200Wrms into 4 ohm, about 600Wrms into 8. That did the trick. Still class A/B, though. I'd not baulk at a class D amp, as long as it had plenty of power to spare, and I got a chance to test it at real-world (on stage/rehearsal with a drummer) SPL.

I tried playing mine with it horizontally across my lap whilst seated. Why? , you ask. I spend 40+hours a week on my feet, and I might like to sit down! I hate, hate, hate wearing a belt and dressing like I'm Simon Cowell just to put a stick on. It's not bad at all. Granted, my hands are both approaching the instrument from what would be the top edge, but at least it's helping my right hand dexterity with regard to fretting. It's got 28 years' worth of catching up to do!

If it's an Allen key, you could always rout the body as per Fenders. (It'd be nice if someone made retro-fittable capstan wheels that fitted into the socket so it worked like a Musicman truss rod adjuster.)

Or seek out that Ibanez thing that had a fretted E, A, D, & G, then a fretless duplicate D and G string. All on the same neck, of course...

Didn't ZZ Top have something like that?

I think I'd go for (given unlimited time & resources) A matching headstock, black (better quality) hardware, better pickups, then a new loom and pots. I'd keep the scratchplate white. Especially if it's 3ply W/B/W.

Mid frequency sweep controls. Excellent for dialling in a good variety of tones. Humbuckers with coil taps. Other than the cost of the wires and switches, why would you not do it. Kudos to Musicman for the Ray 5. That's how it's done. Strap buttons that stay tight. It can be done! I have a bass that hasn't had them tightened since '96 (and it's not a Warwick with the recessed fittings!) Single coils that don't hum. Good fit and finish. I like anything that's been manufactured, finished and assembled with care and attention. Then subjected to good QC. Just to make sure.

At £315 (ish) it's up against some serious competition. It sounded good in the video, but there were (as ever) other variables at work. Someone needs to do a level-matched A/B demo with loads of different products.

Jeez. They must have MILES of string wrapped around the posts to make them look that offset. It looks so far out that I thought they were meant to be the other way around! Probably the last Luthite Ibanez I'd buy. I like my EDB (605?) and aim to find an EDC 705 and 715 at some point, though.

Yes, but they've string E and A backwards. Ought they not to be strung such that they pass under the machine heads, thus maintaining the straight string pull?

That's not the best piece of stringing I ever saw..

The seven Vigiers I've played were superb. One Passion S2 IV. Three passion S3 V One passion S3 IV fretless One Excess IV One Passion S4 They were all good in their own way. All superbly made. The three five strings had very little to choose between them in terms of sound and feel. They're very consistent.

Yes. I want an L-bow. That is all, I'm afraid!