Al Krow

Is the SA C4 also monophonic synth (as with the FI and Helix Stomp)? Be obviously interesting to see how good it is at tracking, but if @Quatschmacher is getting one immediately following release we shouldn't have too long to find out how it stacks up against the FI. I'm going to be so bold as to suggest that tight tracking is perhaps the single most important feature to having an 'usable' synth. My understanding is that a polysynth, as well as allowing chordal synth patterns, will be better at tracking because it won't glitch so easily if any notes are e.g. deliberately overlapped or octave notes played together. Wondering if the Mooer GE300 is currently the only polysynth option?

Well that would definitely make it unique. You could even get it resprayed red while you're at it. 😁

That's cos you've gone from your beloved BB1025 (which you have always regretted selling, right?!) to the 735A, which has the most complex EQ layout of the "3" series basses, given you've got both active and passive options and a 3 band EQ. I'd say the VVT control on the rest of the current purely passive "3" series is just as easy to operate as the 'simple' "2" (and earlier) series with their pup selector switch, but also provides the benefit of fully flexible pup blend.

Anyone who pampers his basses by taking them on trips to the Med is entirely justified in being fussy. Let me know if there's a role going as a bag carrier to your bass going in the near future (no need to post a 'Wanted ad', just pm me)...can't be any worse than being the PA carrier for my bands and could well involve sunnier climes 😁

You can extend the life of 'normal' batteries with any recharger I would have thought (not just the one dB linked to). But not for anything like as long as proper rechargeable batteries.

Right I've been ridiculously slow on this point, but one benefit from the "3 series" EQ is that you have complete flexibility to blend in as much or as little P or J into the mix as you want. With the older "2 series" and earlier models, which have the selector switch, it was a choice of P, J or exactly 50:50 P/J. But given how good pure P or P/J sounded, I guess no one (me included) really gave a rat's tail about it!

Haha - I bet the poor bass is thinking: "damn I wish I was stuck in the East End now..." 😀

Had the privilege of playing this today. Lovely bass in great condition. Light weight, looks great, and sounds pretty good too! @bassfan will be getting it properly set up shortly and, following that, I suspect it will be an excellent gigging bass for some of those venues a fully loaded Status probably shouldn't venture into 😀

Sounds like a very good choice! I'd actually expect the 734 passive tone to be a little different (preferable?) to the 434 given the step up in pups from the YGD V5 to the YGD V7. @bassfan and I A/B'd a BB425 and BB1025 today. The 425, as previously mentioned, has some of the punchiest pups I've experienced. However we both agreed that higher end pups in the 1025 gave it a tone we both preferred - a more complex sonic flavour and richness if I can put it in those terms; and this, together with the other refinements in the 1025, explained the price differential between these two very good value "2 series" basses. Looking forward to the YT demo! I clearly let that one go too quickly, or more likely simply that a better bass player can always make exactly the same bass sound better in his or her hands! 😀

It's been waiting patiently in line for a while to get tried out, behind a bunch of other bass gear, but got unpacked yesterday and tested with a six string at home. Plenty of power and articulation. Good solid build. Straight forward to use. Then got its first outing with the full band last night and seemed to do the job just fine! Can't see any reason why this won't be a keeper as our new floor monitor and replace our current Behringer B205D.

Sold Lee my MXR BEF. Very easy transaction and great comms. Top bloke and always a pleasure to deal with. Cheers, Bas

Traded a PSU, sold a Fwonkbeta, got to try out his rather marvellous Status and also his BB1100S and found time for a burger and chat all on a sunny Sunday. Top bloke. Always a pleasure to meet up! Cheers, Bas

Shouldn't you be out buying Alembic basses or something? 😄

Thanks for clarifying, John. I was getting all excited for a moment

I use my HPF at the start of the chain to remove low end 'crud' (rather than at the end of the chain) which means that none of the later pedals on my board, or later effect sims on a Zoom patch, need themselves to be dealing with unnecessary low end stuff. There was a comprehensive HPF thread a year or so back and the AcBsPre effect sim was discussed in some detail. Here's a few comments from our more expert BC'ers from that thread relating to the AcBsPre: Jus Lukin: ...the AcBsPre, which is based on the Fishman Platinum Pro EQ. The 'depth' control [being an HPF] is for the filter, 10 being minimum cut. Depending how accurate the copy of the filter it is, it should be introducing a cut at 10hz even at 10. At 9 it is cutting from about 40hz, so is the most akin to a Thumpinator. I find that with the AcBsPre, all EQ halfway with Gain at 50 and Level at 100 gives me a 'bypassed' sound which I can use as just a low pass filter. The depth control is the HPF, and I find that with everything at zero, gain at 50 and level at 100, it is essentially at unity. Except the depth, which is at its minimum at 10! Jrixn1: The Depth rolls off the lows : - at 10 -> no roll off (full bass) - at 0 -> like an HPF fixed at 200Hz and in between : - at 5 : 100Hz - at 6 : 80Hz - at 7 : 70Hz - at 8 : 60Hz - at 9 : 40Hz (I made very quick measurements, so it's "almost" these frequencies). Opticaleye: I'm sure it's been mentioned here before but just a reminder how Fishman recommend setting up the Platinum Pro Eq depth control. This of course applies to the AcBsPre sim on the MS-60B and the B3. Depth Tighten up your sound, or dial out deep-bass feedback with the Depth control. The Depth control works hand in hand with the Bass control to bring out tight and articulate lows: 1. Start with the Depth turned up full (5:00) with the EQ set flat on your bass amp and/or PA. 2. Set the Bass control to full boost. 3. Play the bass and back off the Depth (counter-clockwise) until you hear the sound tighten up, usually between 9:00 and 12:00. 4. Re-set the Bass slider to taste. I've always found this method to be really effective.

Can't fault your choice - exactly the set up I had on my board, until this 'wretched' B1X-4 showed up, which has just survived its first outing on a function gig tonight as my 'pedal board' and tuner

That's good to know. I was under the impression it was only a 12dB per octave cut.

It seems to be going head to head with the Helix LT which is similarly priced. Obviously Helix has a much stronger brand and following in this space. But hey - in the past two years with advent of the new Helix range we've got to a stage where a lot of us are already considering replacing their entire analogue pedal collection with a digital multifx. And more competition is only going to push the needle further in that direction.

Had a Cali 76, I actually preferred the Spectracomp. Only reason for moving the Spectracomp on is that the B1-4 covers off the basses for me. Thumpinator + Spectracomp is a very good combination for what you're after. But costs a bit more. If you want budget then B1-4 will do the job. The slight noise only gets noticed if you have nothing else in the mix, no aux in, no band mates, just you soloing alone at home.

Haha, well I think you can see that the £400 is clearly there in the construction and components being used as the basses step up across the range.

+1 to Cameron and Bass Apprentice's comments above. To make up for my earlier facetious remark, here's a summary of how the BB "3 series" range steps up from the 234/5 to the 734A/5A: BB 234/5 BB 434/5 BB 734A/5A Body Solid Alder Solid Alder Alder/Maple/Alder multi-laminated body construction Neck Maple (single piece) 4-bolt 5-ply maple and mahogany laminated 6-bolt 5-ply maple and mahogany laminated 6-bolt Nut Plastic Graphtech Graphtech Pickups YGD V3 P/J (ceramic) YGD V5 P/J (alnico V) YGD V7 P/J (alnico V) active Controls VVT VVT vol, balance, 3 band EQ, active/passive Machineheads Lightweight open-gear Lightweight open-gear Lightweight open-gear Bridge Vintage style Vintage Plus (steel baseplate/ saddles) Vintage Plus (steel baseplate/ saddles) Diagonal body through stringing No Yes Yes Passive Yes Yes Yes Active No No Yes Additional features on 434/5 in red (and also appear on the 734A/5A) Additional features on 734A/5A in blue

£400? 😄 Sorry I couldn't resist...

I'm not sure that is a possibility on the Spectracomp, but happy to be corrected by someone with greater expertise. However you can very easily set up hpf + Spectracomp style compression on the Zoom B1-4 which will cost you just £70. And it will provide a ton of other available effects in addition. (It's also an excellent headphone amp with aux in and provides a really usable tuner and worth IMO getting for those alone!).