Dood

Queen - Live At Wembley ‘86 Tape, “off the board” recordings, CD, VHS, DVD, Anniversary DVD... From a teenager and onwards this album has quite literally been my bible. I have learned so much about my music craft from watching this concert. Song writing, stage craft, making recorded songs work on stage etc etc, it’s all there. Right now, Devin Townsend is getting a good spin on my BluRay as is Gojira.

The SC Preamp is really rather good! Sadly lockdown meant I’ve not been able to try it with a double bass, but I recorded my review with a piezo equipped (prototype) Gillett Guitars fretless 5 string - and it never sounded better.

I miss mine.

The Orange Bass Butler is capable of some searing distortion but it is also another pedal that can be wound back to "vintage valve amp" territory. Its a physically much larger pedal, but it sounds super nice. GR Bass is another brand to look at. They have a Pure Drive pedal with some helpful EQ on board. Finally, EBS again, their MicroBass 3 has two channels that can be blended together both with their own EQs. Channel one features an entire gain section where Channel two is capable of some super clean, high headroom fatness. Blend to taste, very nice!

Ahh, you mean the stand-alone review and also the tech session with the Tech 21 combo? Sadly I had to give the DP3X back. I'm actually hoping the SH is still at the studio because I want to play with THAT one again too!

Thank you SO much for the tag Much appreciated! For comparisons above @bassist_lewis I've also reviewed the Tech 21 Dug Pinnick and Steve Harris pedals. For adding in a tiny bit of grit but not faffing with loads of EQ, I really like the EBS Billy Sheehan Signature Drive. The "Ultimate" being the latest version, but I have the "Deluxe" on my own board. It's nice for adding in just a hair of grit without touching the bottom end which is blended with a separate volume knob.

I've got the Darkglass Harmonic Booster on my desk at the moment and will be recording a full video review for it for Guitar Interactive Magazine soon, but I can't speak for what issue the review will come out in. The magazine is free to read and every back issue is available for free on the GI Website where you'll find the other Darkglass pedals and amplifiers I have reviewed too. The reviews are often added to YouTube too.

I grabbed the deal a couple of weeks ago too and have dropped some stems in to it for a play but haven’t got much further with it yet, but I will!

Hot off the press from @Bergantino Audio: Bergantino is proud to announce our new NXV – (NEO X-Treme Vintage) series of bass cabinets. Our NXV Series is based on the same innovative Neo X-Treme Technology drivers, but lends itself to a more vintage vibe both in looks and sonic delivery, perfect for those players who don’t need or wish for that percussive top-end sparkle that the NXT range offers. The vintage voicing of this series meant that no tweeter was needed to be implemented in the design, as NXV’s driver’s high frequency response extends high enough to more than please those players who just want a solid and classic bass tone. Perfect for blues, soul, rock, metal and many other styles of music, the premium components in the NXV series will bring your sound to life, sit you in the mix with the punch and quality tone you crave, yet give you the flexibility to cut through when it is your time to shine. To learn more please visit: https://bergantino.com/nxv-neo-x-treme-vintage

I have two Fender Power Jazz Bass Specials made two years apart. Same electronics on both. The only visual difference is the shape of the bridge. I had two Tobias 6 string basses, completely stock. My two Shukers are made by the same person using the same wood types and same electronics. One is a 7 string the other a headless 6. You would have to have cloth ears to not be able to tell that in each case they sound different to each other. I’ve even had pairs of review basses that acoustically sound different to each other even before they are plugged in. (Dingwall Combustion 5 and Dingwall NG 5 string springs to mind)

Having reviewed the Kestrel and the Kingfisher, I gotta say the Kestrel we had in was absolutely banging'! A great bass. The Kingfisher was nice and well made, but the former would have come home with me if funds were allowing. Oh and they really need to get on and make 5 string versions!

Oh and Hohner were building licensed Steinberger 'cricket bat' basses for many year (Still do I think, such as the Hohner B2, which I suspect, without pictures yours is a version of!)

Well! By the looks of it it's a standard headless Hohner and thats an "aftermarket" add-on judging by the choice of screws!

The 80’s ones are just about to go up in price!

Yeah, real, check out the brochure link I posted above.

Just found an older FB page dedicated to the original Boxer series : https://www.facebook.com/fenderboxer/

And further confusion added as each had it's own model number too, such as PJ-555, PB-551, JB-555 and PB-755

Because the original Japanese range of guitar and basses were called Boxer. https://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-amp/fenderjapan/boxer/en_04.html Now I cant translate but maybe there's some details in the original catalogues!

Yes, that always confused me a bit, but the Jazz Bass Special comes from the Boxer range, of which there were quite a few different models, with slanted pickups, P styles, J bass styles etc etc along with a range fo Guitars too I understand. Quite right, it is a Jazz neck on a P body with PJ pickups - That's the bit that makes it "special". I really love the configuration! It's different! Also correct, Duff's original bass, the pearl white Jazz Bass Special was based on the 80's models, however his arrived with a precision profile neck. Whether or not that was a mistake or intentional, Duff didn't seem to mind and that's why his Mexi signature model has a P neck on it rather than the Jazz neck - so, essentially, his signature bass is just a PJ precision without a pick guard. Things become even more confusing as Duff's new model has a pick guard and is advertised as the "Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision" , yet on the headstock it says "Deluxe Jazz Bass Special". Err, is it special in that it has no jazz in it at all now?

Fender MIJ Boxer Series Jazz Bass Limited Edition Sherwood Green Metallic This is a Fender Boxer Series Jazz Bass, part of a limited run of MIJ (Made in Japan) instruments paying homage to the hot-rodded Boxer Series of the 1980s. The bass features a basswood body, rosewood fretboard with a flatter than usual 12" radius, jumbo frets, and a combination of Precision and Jazz Bass pickups! The controls are a 3-way toggle to go between each pickup, with a TBXTM (Treble Bass Expander) circuit in there for even more dialing in your tone. Grab your limited edition Boxer Precision Bass now! Includes: Gigbag Solidbody Electric Bass Basswood Body "C" Shape Maple Neck Rosewood Fretboard 34" Scale Length 12" Fretboard Radius Bone Nut, 1.5 Width 20 Jumbo Frets Boxer Jazz Bass® (Bridge), Boxer Precision Bass® (Middle) Pickups Vintage Style Split Single-Coil Precision Bass Middle Pickup Volume 1 (Middle Pickup), Volume 2 (Bridge Pickup), Master TBXTM Circuit (Treble Bass Expander) 4-Saddle Bridge Gotoh Vintage-Style Tuners Black Hardware

Strangely right now the link to the Fender website page is down, but Andertons sent an email out with the "New for 2021" models that had a boxer bass tucked in the corner. Clicking through to the Anderton's website and yes, lots of nice new Fenders, but again, no Jazz Bass Special! Online, it looks like the basses will be FSR, thus being made in Japan, like the original 80's models. Only one colour at the moment, but boy there's no doubt these will be nice - hopefully as good as the originals (of which I have two of the 80's active versions). Here's the only outlet I can find with decent images: https://www.themusiczoo.com/products/fender-mij-boxer-series-precision-bass-limited-edition-sherwood-green-metallic

Though, I will respond to my own posts with this extraordinary experience: I was walking through London one day, many, many years ago with my girlfriend at the time. I forget why we were there and where exactly. Probably doing 'the markets' and having a day out chillin'. This lad cycled past, came back, circled us, turned to me and said, "Don't give up, your dreams will come true" - or at least, something similar, from memory. I'm not so sure that I was recognised as being a bassist, but he weirdly knew that I was having a difficult time with bass. So, if you're reading this, guy on bicycle, thanks for that, its been over 20 years now since the encounter and my bass now pays the mortgage!

Did anyone mention @Sims Super Quad pickups yet?

On the flip side though, it highlights how complex a subject playing bass is! And, you know what? I bloody love it!!

I've selected HH as my two "working" basses have a pair of hum buckers on board, but like others, my answer is also dependent on what I am trying to achieve. As a professional bassist, it's a bit like a painter having different brushes and paint colours. I do adore my battered and bruised ash P bass though. There's just something about it's sound that is wonderful. Oh and reverse P has been mentioned - I have a pair of Japanese Fenders with rP-J configurations. There's just something really nice about them when in 50/50 blend mode.