Musicman20

Just curious....they seem very rare!

Ill view these in terms of comfort: P Bass - Perfect for thumpy in the mix playing, or full on grindy rock n roll. The neck, to me, feels great. You can slap and pop on a P and it sounds like a P bass....which I personally think is pretty cool. J Bass - I still havent found the right J Bass for me. I sometimes think the neck is too cramped, due to the fact I learnt on P basses. Great for slap. I sometimes find a J bass gets lost in a rock mix, but thats just me and probably because im used to a P bass. Great tone. Stingray - The ultimate do it all bass IMO. Great neck, great tones, great feel. Superb slap tone, and very comfortable. They are viewed as one trick ponies (as are Ps) but WHAT a trick! Bongo - I want one, that is all! From the demos Ive heard, modern, clean, versatile, and pretty funky looking. If depends what slap tone you like. Personally, I think the slap tone on EBMMs is perfect...very little effort needed for a huge sound. Try as many as you can.

Clarky seems to be having dreams about gear in Off Topic! I hate waiting for couriers.

I almost took some the other day but got carried away playing!

One thing im confused about is the cab experts saying 'dont mix drivers' yet the BF site says you can mix the 12 with the 15....who is right?!

This has to be one of the best ideas for setting up an instrument. No tools needed, just something to fit into that hole in the wheel. The best part is that you having nothing to fight to do it quickly...eg no guards to remove, no screws etc. Literally loosen strings, adjust, tune back up. Done. I havent had to do it on my new EBMMs yet, but I know its going to save a lot of messing about.

I tend to leave it as factory standard now. I did tweak my USA P Bass though as it was TOO low...

I cant say anything because I think Bongos and Big Als look great, but thats not for me, sorry.

[quote name='ingenius' post='994585' date='Oct 20 2010, 11:27 AM']For info Guys... I had the all the tone controls on the Stingray set flat, and i nudged the Mid control a touch backward and forward during the rehearsal as required but i mean only a little. treble and bass knobs stayed at centre dent. For what its worth and only my opinion, the Sansamp BDDI does favour a hotter output from a bass. Am loving that stingray sound .. need we cover a show us your Stingray thread ? or has that been done before ? regards Keith[/quote] There is a thread in the Gear section below I have found I raise the mids a smidge, and lower the treble. I do like that 'in your face' Ray tone, but the treble cut brings the fingerstyle tone to perfection.

Cant agree more. They just seem to have such massive tone its unreal. After trying a Ray instead of my Precision at a practice, the whole band noticed the massive sound.

Definitely agree. Although mine is the opposite. After fiddling about, ive gone back to EBMM basses yet again. Fender's are fantastic, when you get a good one, but the chances of a poor Ray are very low.

[quote name='Beedster' post='992916' date='Oct 18 2010, 11:02 PM']A lot of manufacturers leave me feeling a little cold with their rapid release/withdrawal of products. It's probably just that I'm used to the relative inertia in bass technology that characterised the first twenty years or so I played, and reflects middle-aged conservatism on my part. I hate it when I buy something only to find it's superseded by another 'improved' version 6 months later. And yes, Markbass gear never stacks well C[/quote] +1 Absolutely hate it when they release new gear straight after the previous one has got popular, (especially if its too soon eg 1 year). Markbass are very expensive. You know what they need to do? Make a LM head that has ipod/aux in, a mute, and a few other extras (2 speakons), charge a little bit more, and it will FLY off the shelves. The LM3 is fantastic. When I tried the F500, I was a little underwhelmed. Nice tight sound, just TOO small and not enougb room for those controls. The general consensus seems to be: Markbass amps are great, the cabs are so-so. The NY122 is bloody great though. I think their amps mixed with Aguilar GS/DB and Berg cabinets is the key.

[quote name='machinehead' post='992959' date='Oct 18 2010, 11:38 PM']It wasn't aimed at you in a confrontational way. I was just adding to the debate. Sorry if it seemed like a bit of a dig. I'm sure you'd admit that none of us are totally immune to marketing bulls**t. I know I'm not, as hard as I try. Frank.[/quote] No worries! I must admit, sometimes I do fall for marketing, but I try my hardest to test it beforehand.

[quote name='machinehead' post='992850' date='Oct 18 2010, 10:06 PM']Otherwise you're at the mercy of the marketing bulls**t or judge on looks.[/quote] I definitely didnt (personally) fall for marketing bullshit. I asked bass players who I trust who have been playing for years, and they arent in the 'sales' arena, so they arent trying to sell anything for anyone or themselves. Sorry if that wasnt aimed at me. Yes, I agree aesthetics are not a priority, but if its between a high end fantastic large manufacturer and a small DIY high end manufacturer, I know which I would choose. I went out there and tested all the cabinets I had in mind. The DB212 just happens to look absolutely stunning as well as sound thick, syrup, warm and articulate. Ive tried a BF product and found it was not for me, and thats at a gig. So I gave it a chance. Am I vain? Hell yes The one issue I always consider is resale. In 5 years or so, Aguilar or Bergantino will no doubt still be large if not even larger. Thats me being cautious though. Im being honest when I say Im glad youve found the cab(s) for you....as I have. I still craze a Bergantino 112 x 2 setup though...but I by no means need it.

[quote name='dub_junkie' post='988636' date='Oct 14 2010, 11:37 PM']musicman20 has a Stingray5HS but he is keeping us in suspense re pics![/quote] Alas I keep forgetting! It is beaaaaautiful! Those pickups are so massive, in terms of output and size, and look amazingly well build.

They have a LOT of cabs in their lineup right now, yet the UK and USA dont really seem to have embraced the cabinet side of their offerings. I tested the NY122, the new 2x12. It was pretty damn fantastic.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='992129' date='Oct 18 2010, 12:31 PM']I did think it strange at the time. I checked each serial number and they were all 2008. I thought 2008 was the year QC went up.[/quote] I think the new versions and improvements, high mass bridge etc, went into production late 2007, so some 2007 basses have the improvements. So, in essence, all basses from then on should be better? Are they? Well, the bridge, case etc are, but the basses themselves fit/finish etc, are a lottery. Hence why after seeing all the problems you had with a Jazz, Ive decided not to bother. A shame, as Id like one.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='992104' date='Oct 18 2010, 12:08 PM']Well the MIM 70's classic i had for less than 24 hours (before the MIA's) definitely had a 11th fret that stopped me getting a low enough action that felt comfortable. I like a 2mm action at the 12th fret and dont think its unreasonable to expect to get it on any bass. The HW-one also has this but as its so far up its not really an issue for me. The MIA's were all 2008's, even though i brought them new, so maybe QC is actually better on the 2009-2010 basses. Ive got a bit pickier as ive got older although i try and keep it in perspective. Thats why im now keeping my sights on the lower end of the market.[/quote] Wow, they still have 2008s? I was told by a Fender chap that in the USA they had a massive lack of stock for a few months and were waiting to catch up, therefore any sunburst MIA Jazzes were going to be 6 weeks at the least....not sure if thats changed recently. You would imagine that they would have definitely had new stock since 08! Bloomin heck.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='992063' date='Oct 18 2010, 11:26 AM']This is exactly how i felt with the MIA's recently. None of them were unplayable and i could easily have kept any of them but for almost £1000 i felt i shouldn't have to put up with a second rate job. My HW-one has a high 19th fret but as it cost a lot less im a bit more forgiving (plus i have no need to play that high so its not a problem)[/quote] I thought there was an issue with a high fret on one of mine a while back...I changed the strings and adjusted the string height a little (they were WAY too low) and it disapeared, as did any fret buzz. I was pleased! Not saying that higher frets dont occur, as we all know they do. Luckily this time it wasnt that. I agree, for the new retail prices, despite my love for the new MIAs, I think they are slowly started to creep back to QC issues. A massive shame. Either that or im pickier as I get older, (definitely needs to be factored in!)

Despite the high spec of the BF drivers, the Bergantino cabinets are world reknowned for being the 'best' your bass can sound....I did own a HS410 and it was extremely 'clear'. I think, if I had the changce, I would have kept it. I do now want some sort of Berg cabinet but Im still thinking of what matches up the best to my current amps. At the moment, I really dont think I need one. Its more of a 'treat' haha. Are they any better? Well, Im no speaker cab guru, but I would trust Jim's designs over virtually anyone else. That's probably due to reputation more than a massive amount of experience with his cabinets. One thing you will notice on Bergs is the impecable build quality. Despite the AE line being a little more 'fragile', they literally look like a high end stereo system. Jim will not ever release his exact driver spec, but Im guessing, and from memory, they are custom Eminence speakers as are most nowadays.

[quote name='JTUK' post='991252' date='Oct 17 2010, 04:18 PM']I have not read through all the pages but this is about it for me. If you are happy you have a really good one, then fine, but I wouldn't buy one blind. Fender are not the only company I would say this about though.[/quote] +1 A lottery...