Lfalex v1.1

Not impossible. Heavier cuts of wood such as as Zebrano often require chambering to reduce weight and improve resonant characteristics.

Had a 1990 SR5 fretless. Lovely thing. One of the few I regret selling. Fast Forward 15 years and I now have a Bongo, which is an excellent instrument. If you're open to alternatives, don't rule out a Bongo 4H or HH.

The Argon 8x arrived yesterday. Seems to be fully functional. It's a bit of a monster. Build quality of the body is beyond reproach. Less so the encoder controls, which feel too light and plasticky. The modulation joystick is really rather good. Way better than the strips on the Hydra Explorer. Keyboard/bed is good, and the fact that the aftertouch isn't polyphonic isn't as much of a come- down as I'd expected. Tempo control and arpeggiator control is much better implemented. Sounds less extreme and smoother than the previous attempt. In spite of my finding it LESS intuitive than everyone seems to think, I can see it growing on me. Photos to follow in due course...

Very nice. Now you need a G&L of some sort... Perhaps an SB-2 or an L-1000?

That was timely! (But then again, we are bassists!) I received it yesterday. Thanks for asking. An alternative replacement has been ordered courtesy of Andertons, in the form of a Modal Argon8x. It was very reasonably priced, and given that they're not likely to be around much longer due to Modal being in administration since last year... Why not? If I still feel the need for the screaming madness that a Hydrasynth can generate, they'll be around a while longer yet. As with all the best things in life, I've absolutely no idea where I'm going to put the Argon 8x! There's already one keyboard too many in the lounge! 🤪

Nice, and the SR body shape is lovely and comfortable. Yep, Barts. Yep, exotic woods. Yep, Made in Japan. But I can't help but to think that there are plenty of other excellent basses to be had for ~€2300. That's just the new stuff. What you can get second-hand in excellent condition for that money....

Finally got the refund. Purchased a replacement elsewhere instead.

Second-hand is the way to go, as long as you have an opportunity to test the gear first. It's worked out fine for me. I have subscribed to the 2x 8 ohm cabinet school of thought in the past. These days I prefer 1x 4 ohm cabinet (with plenty of power handling) in a larger format but ideally with lightweight (neo) drivers. The reasoning being that it's always going to liberate the all the amp's power (assuming a 4 ohm minimum load) which means you shouldn't easily run out of headroom. I'd rather turn down a system with too much potential than wish I hadn't left the second cab in the spare room... (For reference, I have an old 450w Markbass head and a Schroeder 21012L, which is about ¾ the size of a standard 4x10 and weighs 41lb. Both were second- hand)

(It was from Kent. It took 1 day to get from me back to them.) And the item was not sold as as advertised. I've no confidence in them whatsoever. You may think that's unreasonable. I don't.

Don't bother with this company. Just. Don't. Got an e-mail on 12th Mar; "You're eligible for a refund!" As though I'd won some sort of prize. Timeline; 26th Feb- Ordered. 27th Feb- Received. 29th Feb- Dispatched for return. 1st Mar- Bax received the return. Didn't acknowledge it. (Various emails and phone calls ensue) 12th Mar- Email to confirm that I'm entitled to a refund. Maybe another 14 working days. So I'm looking at 28th Mar before I might get my money back. They'll have had my funds for 31 days at that point. Hmmm. Get some interest on that, did you? Lump it together with everyone else's pending refunds for a month and get some interest on that, did you? And let's not forget that they're at fault for selling me faulty goods that weren't as described in the first place.. 😡

It wouldn't hurt if it helped people make better/more appropriate purchasing decisions! I've never needed to purchase any pickups. But from what I can recall seeing, they only quote things like DC resistance, Resonant frequency, wire gauge and maybe how many windings there are. Yes, they quote magnet material, but field density/ strength? Don't think I've seen that.

I take your point. It might be nice if manufacturers measured/ declared such specifications?

Magnet material also seems to play a part, if only because of the way the sound is presented tonally. I suppose magnet size/strength will govern the field through which the string passes, also affecting output. AlNiCo magnets are the softest, warmest sounding. Ceramics are harsher and seem "louder/hotter" And as for Neodymium...

On a slightly more serious note?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=RFDW9b_ejfI&si=ULoES7CdemU73xTW Still can't work out how to embed things. Not quite an instrumental, but hey...

Bax have, after much chasing, decided that I am "entitled" to a refund. I certainly am! They sent me a POS. I sent it back ASAP in exactly the state in which it arrived. No sign of the actual refund, though, so I'm still without product or funds. Thanks, Bax.

I've been using a 21012L (4 Ohm) with a 450w Class A/B head. Even against a loud band/ drummer, neither component seems to be breaking a sweat. Too middy? Shove it closer to the rear wall and get the benefit of a bit of boundary reinforcement to the bottom end.

Might a tweeter level control be a worthy addition to your design? They're quite common in commercial designs to help tame excessive/harsh trenle without having to mess around with your tone.

Thumb fin, Bass of neck or floating thumb, then, I guess.

I use the inside of the rear edge of the soundhole on acoustics (if the Kingman has one!)

I've shared a bill with Skindred, The Darkness, Biffy Clyro. Doubtless some others. Benji from Skindred is a good laugh. Real nice guy.

I think you'll find, like Nirvana, that there's..... Thumb Fin in the way.

Alas, not likely at the moment!

In spite of my efforts, no refund has yet been dispatched or received. Both Parcelforce and Bax acknowledge that the return made it back to Bax. Yet they've done nothing. Furthermore, my vacuum cleaner bit the dust (after over a decade and many repairs by me) and the car needs a new battery. Looks like the Synth journey is over for now.

My scenario is not going well. 6 days have elapsed since I dispatched the faulty synth. I've received 2 emails from Bax; 1 advertising the new (and presumably working?) version of the dross they sent me. 1 asking for a review of the dross they sent me. Once I have a refund securely in my hands, I shall likely give them a royal savaging in a review for trying to pass off sub-standard product as being ok. It's not ok. Off to make some enquires, Parcel Force first, to see where the return went, then Bax, to ascertain why nothing has happened. Then, if necessary, my bank, to see what recourse I have. Final sanction? I guess Kent Trading Standards. Update: Made enquires. ParcelForce- Yep. Your return made it to Bax on 01/03 @ 1047. Bax- Yep. Your return made it to us on 01/03. Yet they sent no confirmation Email as promised, nor did they initiate a refund. Nice lady on telephone said she'd call finance and send a confirmation Email and start the refund process. Should have it in 7 working days.... Got an Email from Bax; Hey, would you like to buy a Hydrasynth Explorer? Not right now, no. I can't afford one as your sitting on my money. And IF I ever get it back, I still won't give these people another minute of my time or penny of my money.