vinorange

I had wondered about leaving it be but think there may be a bit of distortion from the preamp too.

Hello out there I recently acquired a rather lovely USA Fender limited run FMT but am not too sure whether to upgrade the preamp. Has anyone any experience of the Fender deluxe preamp board (part No 054137) and have you swapped it out to really liven up the sound of the bass? It is ok but limited. No active / passive bypass, no mid frequency selection and boost only on the Eq. I had thought about an East Uni pre 4 but wondered if there are other options out there that people have used. It's not got a plate btw so not a drop in. Cheers

I would have bid against you Ash had it not been for that nut width. I had a Shuker P/J which was built to the JJ specs and couldn’t get on with the nut width.... Hope it’s a keeper.

School boy error on my part!

A little harsh but as you wish....

Wonder if anyone here snaffled it?

I may have lit the blue touch paper. Ah well, let's see if there are subsequent fireworks..

Mike bought my Laney Nexus head. A great basschatter and such an easy deal. Offer in, deal done, exchanged amp and money on the same day! What more could you ask for? A credit to BC. Thanks

Graham bought my Shuker P/J. Easy deal and a great guy to deal with. Thanks

His user name is JohnWayne0191 hence the cowboy reference......

Another cowboy seller.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Shuker-JJ-Burnel-Signature-Precision-Style-Bass-Guitar-Signed-By-JJ-Maker-VGC-/194780375701?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0 If it didn’t have a 44mm nut it’d be coming home.....

Good old eBay 2nd hand but in perfect condition. I’ve watched 2 recently and they both sold for under £300.

I just thought I may as well add a little thread about the much talked about Tech 21 VT 500. I had been tinkering with valve amps, longing for the warmth and grind that only tubes can give you - or can they? I tried an Ashdown Little Bastard but didn't like it as the tone is very limited. Next was a little stubby which was better but still oddly lacking. Next in was an Eden E300T which was much more like it but then I got tempted by a Laney Nexus 400w tube (all the while the internal walls were starting to deteriorate with the increase in grown up watts). The Eden had to go as the tonal options from the Laney are amazing - as it is itself. However I do find that I need to tinker with the controls for different basses; my 1980 Rick, my Shuker jazz and my bitsa P bass. Needing instant tonal gratification I decided to try the Tech21 VT500 and at £250 for a 500w 3kg head why not? It is fantastic and to such an extent that the other amps are going on the market (including my Eden Metro combo). All 3 of the basses sound brilliant through it without being processed or sounding the same and without having to alter any settings. They each retain their own character which is always a worry with a vintage Rick going through modern amps. The controls are really nifty too. The character dials from flip top to typical SVT to the left and to a fiery driven modern sound to the right (not for me thanks....) The 3 band eq is powerful too, being active you get boost and cut. The drive control is nicely controllable but it's the bite that adds that little extra that cuts through the mix. there's also a blend control to mix dry signal with processed signal. I'm pairing it with a highly efficient Barefaced cab so the 500w at 4 ohms is plenty. All in all it has all the zing I like, it doesn't need much to get a wonderful tone, it weighs 6 pounds and is astonishingly good value for money.

It was and that Eden head was surprisingly good but I've swapped about to a much lighter rig. Tech 21 VT bass does a very good valve amp impression with 1/10th of the weight and I swapped to an 18kg 2x12 Barefaced cab as the Berg had ceramic drivers and was 35kg. There is a theme here as I'm an old fart.....