Dood

Blimey, who is THIS young whipper-snapper?? (I’d just like to add that this video is older than 8 years!) - I’m not sure what happened to the Cliff Burton bass review.

Good question and I can’t remember what I did when I had a BH800, so I am no help there - but, you can edit TonePrint pedals - Spectracomp and HyperGravity I’ve edited many times to get the behaviours I want from them. I feel a bit sad for TC, they had an impressive roster of artists and were pushing the envelope of bass tech, then someone decided to pull the plug. Friends left the company and many of the products are long since discontinued. I really rate their compressors and at the time, their multi-effect processors were unrivalled. I bought a BH head for my daughter recently and I was reminded how good they sound.

Like buying a car, it would be helpful to know what you want from an amplifier. How will it fit your needs and anything that would be a hard-pass. What style(s) of music do you play? Do you favour all HiFi goodness? Completely flat and direct? Raunchy drive, metal or some old school Jack Bruce thump? If you’re looking for all of that then there’s also avenues to explore. Don’t forget also that the speaker cabinet makes a huge difference and battles have been lost either in performance or just taste because the signal chain didn’t play ball. What kit are you using? I’ll post my reviews playlist later, out of the hundreds of videos, there’s a good few amplifiers in there to check the specs of and find something you like.

Thank you! I appreciate the feedback ☺️🙏 I’m very pleased to hear it, I hope that my Bass Gear Magazine reviews do too, but I never really know!

I use DT770 Pro, so I was all over the app for a test! Hmmm, I like the EQ ‘flattening’, I’m slightly less enamoured about engaging the speaker function which definitely works better in the ‘dry’ setting to me. That said, I can’t really complain as it’s not as if I have to splurge for the price of Sound ID’s headphone correction software! Still, good to have the ole cans out again!

I’m not sure if Laney are at NAMM, but this week they announced the brand new Nathan East preamplifier pedal. I was involved with the testing and was asked to produce a product release demo for Laney and Nathan. I’ve linked my video in our reviews section.. because, you know, BassChat and everything Please give me some nice feedback on the YouTube video itself, show some love ❤️

Here’s my promo video I recorded for Laney Amplification to support the release of Nathan East’s new Digbeth Preamplifier Pedal this week. I am also very proud to have been an important part of the prototyping and testing for Nathan’s pedal prior to release and was involved in tweaking the tonal parameters.

Thank you! Looks like I’ll need to hear them! - I saw there’s quite a few different sets available. Have you tried the different types?

This! I am obsessed with this sound! It’s sounds a great deal like my 76 P bass but more of everything. I’ve never tried Optima Gold strings before, but hearing comparisons against standard Nickels, it’s exciting stuff.. to my ear anyway. I asked Don what EMG he has on board and he let me know it’s a P-X.. so, guess what I want now!! Literally the sound I’ve had in my head for years!

Welcome back Gizmo! It's been a while ey! Do you still have the basses you made? Will you be planning to get the luthiery tools out again? All the best! Dooooood

Here's my full video review of the Hornburg Dual Parallel Drive/Fuzz Pedal by @Goliath_FX based here in Blighty! What a corker!! https://www.bassgearmag.com/goliath-effects-hornburg-dual-parallel-drive-fuzz-pedal/ Please like and share the video - I'd also really appreciate it for some positive comments on the YouTube video itself, as it helps me to know if you wanna see more!

Absolutely, we all have our preferences! I just found the 'pop' and pick sounds on the D & G strings to lack the body that the reverse config (and jazz basses in general) produces. Which aligns with why many favour the reverse P. I think the examples would have been better presented with a improved "amp" tone, but I suppose he was just trying to demonstrate quickly. I think I did spot a video on his page about jazz bass 60's and 70's spacing, so that definitely makes a difference too. - but I suppose ultimately, like anything on a bass, is whether or not its something that is important to the player - lightweight tuning keys, gold encrusted knobs.. or just a buzz free fretboard! ... see you in the rabbit hole, i'll bring biscuits!!! 😃

I don't think it was this one, but still, I can hear the difference:-

There's a great example video on YouTube I saw a while ago. Its very subtle but the timbre does change from one position to the other. Three of my basses are reverse P (notably the Fender Power Jazz Bass Special model) and I have reviewed a good pile Spector basses over the years with reverse P pickups in them too. Tonally I prefer the sound of my 76 precision with the standard layout but one thing that certainly does sound WAY better is a PJ set in the reverse configuration. The D&G strinsg need that distance between the coils of the P and J to sound less thin together.

A very silly afternoon at Dood Towers. Miss ya matey!

and on the subject of making room for other instruments in a mix, Waves are giving away Waves Curves Resolve for "free" - https://www.waves.com/plugins/curves-resolve . "Curves Resolve provides an intelligent way of solving conflicts between multiple tracks in your mix. It processes one track by listening to another, carving space only when and where there’s a clash. The result: no masking, no congestion, no mud. A cleaner mix that breathes, letting all your sounds fit together beautifully. And it’s almost impossible to overprocess – more transparent, with more control than any alternative."

The SSL plugins are designed in conjunction with Sonible who offer their own 'assisted' plugin suites. I've not tried these SSL plugins, but I do own the Sonible suites. They are a useful second set of ears when I am mixing and do sound very good indeed. Sonible's latest Compressor and EQ plugins enable multiple tracks to be analysed at the same time so that each instrument's sound can be adjusted to fit in the mix, rather than 'just being a great sound' solo'd. Clever stuff! As a fan of SSL in general, I'd liek to see what Sonibke have brought to the SSL suites.

I can't see why it's not something to investigate! I am sure some will suggest altering your technique, but I like problem solving. I like thinking about how things, designs can be improved. (Don't get me started on the amount of guitar brands that keep churning out the same designs in the name of progress ha ha!) Innovation never came from following the crowd, ey! Sat pondering with a cuppa, I was thinking something like the shape of these hair ties, but obviously smaller to fit round the thumb. Or a piece of foam pipe insulation. Invent away and let us know what you come up with!

I had a Matsumoku made Aria Pro II from '76 with a SEN Japanese Ash body like the Blade basses - yes, very much like Northern Ash; Dense, heavy and, whether or not folk believe that the body wood makes a difference to tone, this one definitely sounded like it felt! More likely to be used for recording purposes, but I do have some super wide bass straps that should releive a little of the 'heft' that I use wil my 70's P.. another Ash "boat anchor"!

Because I’m a sucker for a 70’s shape F headstock 😬. That said, the B-3 Custom on the blade website with the maple fretboard looks delicious.

Levinson Blade have appeared on my radar (again)! You’ll may already know that I love my Fender Power Jazz Bass Special basses. I love the Jazz neck, 22 frets, deep cutaways and superb PJ tone when given the EMG treatment. I’ve always fancied a Jazz equivalent of my PJ’s but never really fancied the idea of routing out one of my beautiful PJBS’s. So, I’m certainly intrigued by the Blade B3 / B4 (old version mainly) as it seems it could almost be a close cousin of Fender Japan’s exceptional handy work!

I'd video reviewed the original Session combo about ten years ago and more recently the newer Mk3 30W version. I think as a little practice amplifer it's a cracking unit. Of course, it has a small speaker so don't expect window rattling low end, but it has a nice rounded tone - and didn't sound boxy in my studio. The Mk3 also has a bluetooth input, handy for jamming along to your mobile device's music selection or a practice app like Guitar Pro. I'd appreciate a like, share and a positive comment on my video *as a reviewer I am allowed to say what I want, no one sanitises my produce before it is released.

Hey Barabas (and all) thank you for being patient! For a few reasons we've experienced a lil delay in getting reviews out, but I can confirm that I have submitted my full review and my edited (and produced) video to the magazine! The review includes both the Monaco and Silverstone II so you can compare the two! I can see them both having their place in a wide range of situations and they easily deliver the sort of sound that I demand behind me.

The basses look really good and Nate's video is a good demo of the tones. My immediate thought as soon as I saw these models is that the leg rest cut-out is quite a long way back toward the bridge and, with a 'full size' headstock, it will neck-dive.

I do!