bassmayhem

After some more serious testing and tweaking I've come to following conclusion: Monique excels in certain aspects. When it comes to note and string separation, she is outstanding. When playing chords with four or five notes you can clearly hear every note ring without any compromising and interference from other notes. Pure harmony!!! The all tube layout also allows a nice natural compression to the sound. For traditional playing I'd say you eliminate the need of a compressor, if your technique is good. Also, it is impossible to get a bad tone out of Monique, due to the function of the EQ. Personally I like boosting the High and Mid to threee o'clock, and leave the Low at noon. That brings out clarity without shrillness. On my Bassman amps - very good amps, btw - you CAN tweak some really nasty tones if you want, but also very nice and blossoming. But - the definition and separation isn't there in the same way. The Spartan is clean too, a really nice sounding amp, but lacks the wooliness and sweetness you find in the tone of Monique...

Monique is like the crown on the king...

Well, I sold some expensive stuff, so it is a "zero-sum game", more or less. I am a sole proprietor when playing bass, so if I don't put my musical income back into my "firm" I have to give it to the tax authorities. Better having no profit at the end of the fiscal year. I don't live off playing bass, it just adds a golden edge to the existense...

Jule Amps Monique tube preamp inte Vanderkley Spartan with two Hypex power amp modules, 2 x 800 W RMS in 4 ohms, then into an AccuGroove Tri112L... I haven't tried with my big TKS 2126 cabs, but I doubt it'll be worse...

Totally overkill in the rehearsal room! Li'l bro comes home with me...

Be sure of that.

The new big blues/rock rig: Fender Super Bassman with Fender Bassman 810 Neo cab, supercharged with my new Payson Supercharger PJ... I can't wait to get it out into open air soon enough...

Home in the "bassment" now; with the new partner in "crhyme", Payson Supercharger PJ... Compared to the 100T, this setup is way cleaner at higher level. Otherwise same, same...

My Fender Bassman 100T with its "home cooked" cabinet is getting a big brother this weekend. The Super Bassman with 810 cabinet moves in. Why have one when there can be two...? It is strange; the 100T is more than enough live on stage, but in the rehearsal room it is kind of too small...

Well, then you can have a glance at my Super J's... I think I make the ads today...

I got a super J5 but no P5... This one does both, but has the longer 37" scale that I prefer. The longer scale makes difference, a difference that appeals to me. My SJ4, SJ5 and SP4 will be up for sale after Midsummer holiday. I keep my 37" Dingwall, though. Need to clean out the closet a bit. I tend to grab one bass most of the time, my SJ5, and as second my SP4 for our Elvis shows, but this one will do both. My SJ4 is more or less a wall warmer now, when I have my old '78 Fender Jazz in playable condition. That is the bass to measure all others against, the one that follows me to a deserted island... Understand me correctly, the Super p and J's are super nice and fantastic instruments, BMW and Mercedes, kind of, the Payson is Subaru. But my preferences say 37", and PJ, that fills all the holes...

Some words after a day with the new bass, the Payson Supercharger PJ... Those hidden fret tangs are very, very... smooth. This is the first bass ever I didn't have to do a setup on, other than lower the bridge pickup's treble side a tad. It was almost completely in tune after the trip over the Atlantic. Perfect action, neck relief, intonation! I want the neck to be as straight as possible: it was! I want the saddle to be just a tiny little bit higher than the frets: it was! (Why should it be any other way?) The outer strings line perfect along the edge of the neck, with enough margin, no more, no less. That makes a very comfortable neck that ain't too big. No dead spots! No string buzz, unless I dig in and really make it buzz. Comfortable asymmetrical shape of the neck, nice width at the nut! No big ugly Mickey Mouse ears, but smooth "mini mouse" ears that match the somewhat smaller but very sturdy headstock. It is designed not to be broken when you club an ox... The body shape feels familiar and place the bass in the right position. Maybe the belly cut could have been a bit more generous for seasoned and mature players, but that's no big deal. ;) Big, chunky knobs made for walk... sorry, grabbing and twisting! They could even have been a tad bigger with that old bakelite phone feel... The tone, then... Big, full, clean, whatever you play comes out. My wife said yesterday evening, that it sounds like a classical instrument in the way it responds to touch. She is a seasoned piano player with a good ear. Want J-bass? Got it! Want P-bass? Got it! Want BASS? H*ll yeah! That low B really fills the room, clear and articulate. This is no Ferrari or Lamborghini; more of a Subaru: poent, comtetent and gets the job done I got some other basses for sale now...

I got a Super P4 too. If you somehow get tired of the Super P5, you can always do a part trade with my Voodoo Prima 6...

Both equipped with J-Retro Deluxe. I couldn't stand a bass with pickup switching. A Jazz Bass has always blendable pickups. Always! No - not the serial mode; I didn't like the mismatch in volume when switching. Don't miss it...

Nothing is for "free", unless the Chinese steal it and copy it... I've been playing Dingwall basses the last three years or so, but really missed the 37" scale in traditional shape. My primary gigging bass now is a SJ5, but I'd really like a fully grown ditto.

Payson Clarke who makes strings for fan fret instrument is making fan fret instruments... https://bassmagazine.com/gear/payson-basses-releases-the-new-fanned-supercharger-series