CamdenRob

SOLD

GSS Baby Sumo

£175 shipped or £150 collected from London E17

Website Stuff;

Inputs/outputs and controls : 1/4" (6,35mm) input jack connector on the front panel. Neutrik Speakon loudspeaker output connector on the back panel. One on/off power switch. Massive pure aluminium volume control.

Power: 600 Watt over 4 Ohm; 300 Watt over 8 Ohms; 150 Watts over 16 Ohms.

THD (at full power): < 0,1 %

Input impedance: 10 K Ohm

Power voltage: 180-264 Volt ac

Frequency response (-1dB): 20-20000 Hz

 

This is a great little power amp. It does need something in front of it to boost the input DB though. I received the following from GSS when I emailed before buying.

 

The Baby Sumo requires a preamp with at least +15dB of gain and an output impedance smaller than 10 K Ohm.

Its input is unbalanced.

 

There are a number of suitable preamp options.  Anything from a $50 Mooer Graphic B eq pedal with gain or a One control Sonic Silver Peg, or Sadowsky SPB 2, or a more feature-rich Fishman Platinum Pro... will work fine.

If you want to get the very best out of the Baby Sumo, you can also use a high end studio grade preamp such as the Avalon U5.

 

I've been using this through a Fishman platinum pro with a pair of One10s and it's plenty loud enough for me

SOLD

Fodera Emperor Standard Classic V - £4000 Collected (London E17)

So sadly I must finally do some adulting and purchase a house… It transpires that houses are bloody expensive and it’s become apparent I may need to reassess having money tied up in bass gear 😕

Anyhoo… Anyone who is in the market for one of these likely knows the finer details, but these are BMT with pickup pan, coil tap, active / passive switch, passive tone control and master volume. Fodera/Duncan dual coils, Ash body, 3 piece maple neck and Birdseye maple fingerboard.

Wonderful versatile bass that will pretty much do anything you want it to whilst looking very stylish doing it 👍

No dings or scratches, currently strung with Newtone diamonds. Comes with the case, tools etc and certificate of authenticity. The luggage scale has this weighing in at 9lb 8oz. It’s very well balanced both on the strap and on the knee.

At this stage it will be pickup only from London E17. You are more than welcome to come and try it out. I can even offer a passable cup of tea. I could also meet at any tube station for a handover. PayPal or bank transfer.

http://i.imgur.com/snWEuwe.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/dDHWJVK.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/59r6Uku.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/VyLTajD.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ECrWwFl.jpg

I waited nearly two years for both of mine (2015 and 2017 builds). The wait was forgotten the second they arrived 🙂

As some others have mentioned it really is a small operation. Last time I visited I understand the turn out was a couple of instruments a month.

Im lucky enough to have owned some wonderful basses over the years, and I know it all comes down to personal preference in the end, but I’ve not owned a better bass than the Wals Paul built for me.

Its also worth mentioning what a stand up guy Paul is... A real passion for the marque and just a generally nice bloke... Always gives me a lift back to the station whenever I’ve had cause to drop off / pick anything up 🙂

No one needs an £8k bass, but if you’re in the market for a high end new build I highly doubt you would every regret placing that order 🙂

I only made one bass gear purchase this year. A new build Smith Black Tiger BSR 6 ordered Christmas last year.

Couldn’t be happier with it

I remember looking at this on the Thomann site... 

What a beauty 😍

GLWTS

NYC Sadowsky Jazz for me this year I think... 

Ah I see. Yes you’re quite right I misunderstood... I bet that will sound great. I really like melodic stuff on bass. Totally different timbre to guitar even if playing similar notes....

Looking forward to the NBD post!

Looks fantastic! Ibanez do some amazing instruments these days... 

What’s the reason for tuning down a step? The A might be a bit flabby 😕

Make sure you do us an NBD thread with pics when it lands 😊

4 hours ago, Jason Karloff said:

A truly amazing collection. Although I have to say my first thought was for your back 😋

Yes that’s the reason Ive been considering  a chambered US Sadowsky to use in the band... My back isn’t great after years of desk jobs 😕

I actually don’t struggle with weight of basses too much if they are balanced... Neck heavy is more of an issue... I had a Thumb NT 6 for a while which sounded absolutely awesome but was unplayably unbalanced... gave me back ache standing with it after about ten minutes 😕

29 minutes ago, Grahambythesea said:

Very handsome woodwork. Will it be an improvement on Fodera or Wal, or is it just the need for an extra string?

I wouldn’t say an improvement, just another option really. Adding something different to what I already have. I usually use a six (the Wals are sixers as well) as I do a lot of chordal stuff when messing around with solo stuff and recording bits and bobs with others. Im so used to it, after so many years, thinner necks feel strange now.

The band I’m currently playing with is very simple rocky stuff so I’d get away with a 4 BEAD and I’d probably only use 3 of those... in fact if I’m honest I could probably do a passable rendition of the set with just a B 😕

Thanks chaps  

Regarding the finish I have been given a bottle of Ken’s polish which I have yet to research the best way to apply... the finish looks very similar to my Wals.

So after nearly a year long wait my new build Smith has arrived!

Very pleased with it  The sound is very tight and focused and the EQ is very subtle. Reminds me of a Glockenklang amp I had in the days before the size and weight of my amplification became the primary driver behind what I use...  Not 100% on the strings I'll swap those out for Newtone Diamonds this weekend, but all in all very glad I've added it to the arsenal  

It's my understanding that Kevin Brubaker and his team do the woodwork on Smith Basses these days and this example is credit to the work he's doing over there in Baltimore.  Kevin has a very fine range of his own basses which are no doubt also built to this level of quality.

I no longer seem to be able to link to stuff from imgur for some reason (it's been a while since I posted anything) so have had to attach these. I need to do some better ones in natural light to fully show off the figuring, but I snapped these shortly after it arrived  

 A different tonal option to add to the stable  

A big thumbs up for Mark at Bass Direct as well for organizing the build. I did try to order one directly from Ken but I couldn't seem to get him to agree to build it for me 😂

*update

Better pics in natural light...

12 hours ago, akabane said:

I want to play too! 

You want wood, you get layers of wood, you sick bunch! 

I have one of those on order. Shouldn’t be too long now 🙂 I’ll be a happy man if it looks half as good as yours 🙂

17 minutes ago, prowla said:

I am currently sitting on an Aeron.

Any trades?

1) Sadowsky USA Vintage 5-24 in Dark Lake Placid Blue

2) Marleaux Contra 6 in the old violin finish

3) MTD 635-24 Finish undecided but something like the below would be the ticket 🙂

Oh and I also want a Sei Flamboyant 6... and a Glockenklang BAC + Glock 610 complete with someone to carry it for me. 😐

However all of the above are trumped buy my current raging GAS for one of these as a result of working from home for the last Two months sitting on a £20 Argos office chair all day... The Herman Miller Aeron. The Grandfather of office chairs 👍 ... My back keeps trying to order it for me when I’m not looking... 😕

All Three of my current basses (and a fourth on the way) were built to order so I couldn’t try before I bought given they didn’t exist when I ordered them.... 🤔 

7 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

I have no need of, so won’t be buying a Fender Precision in sunburst/maple with gold anodised scratch-plate - but I really want one.

We all want one of those... THE classic bass 🙂

Fair enough... just me being weird again then 😂 

I’ve just read the acoustic bass thread and someone mentioned an acoustic bass being useful to have around the house to pick up for a quick noodle. I was going to respond there but this seems like a new thread 🙂

That wouldn’t work for me as I am not able to pick up a bass for a quick noodle... 😕 Every single time I play my bass. I have a quick hand wash beforehand, and then after I’ve finished I spend a few minutes wiping down the strings, fretboard, back of the neck and all the hardware, quick go over the body too. All with a microfibre cloth to remove any sweat / finger gunk etc. If I don’t do this, the next time I pick up the bass I can feel it’s not clean 😕

Am I alone here or does anyone else do this?

23 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

But which of the three Pre CBS, CBS or Tele?

I’d go for the one that’s on the 57 P 👍 

On 25/05/2020 at 01:00, chris_b said:

Assuming the guitarist and drummer hadn't arrived yet, I would turn the volume down, all presets and buttons etc  off, put all the EQ to 12 o'clock and take it from there. I wouldn't spend much time working on the sound. IMO rehearsals are to get the band stopping and starting together and to get the geography right, so thereabouts is close enough.

On 26/05/2020 at 12:46, chris_b said:

If the controls have a 0 at 12 o'clock you know that's where the manufacturer intended the sound of this amp to be. You will be able to add or subtract as you wish, but with this type of control 12 o'clock is a good starting point. If the controls start at 0 and increase as you turn the controls clockwise then start at 0 and find you sound from there.

The real "flat" on many amps could be anywhere on the dial and isn't a real concern for most players.

As Mr @Merton has pointed out... there is a lot of truth in these two nuggets 👍 

If it’s a P bass kit definitely go for the standard Fender headstock shape... Anything else on a P bass just looks wrong IMO.

I’ve warmed to him over the last year or so. I’ve no interest in the lessons side of it, but some of his comparisons and gear demo type videos are as good as anyone else’s  He features some interesting gear as well and also appears to have a genuine love for the instrument (not just the fact he has a successful business derived from it).

I no longer avoid clicking on anything with him in it when the videos appear on my Instagram feed.

Having purchased your first bass a month ago, it must now be time to start thinking about your second bass? amps? picks? cables? One of those weird fret wrap things? 

You can’t just buy a bass and be happy with it... that’s not how this works.

I’m tempted to say just do what you like with it. As others have said it’s your bass 🙂

The only other advice I can offer would be to very very carefully consider if you ever intend to sell it though... any mods will absolutely destroy the resale value. You won’t get back half what you would if you’d left it alone.