Musicman20

To me, some of the heavier DG sounds go too far and just sound SUPER scooped and almost not like a bass...!

Those limited Musicman basses are far nicer than I imagined. They've really nailed the interesting finishes to the necks.

Sorry for lack of updates from me, but I doubt I can make it to this as the car will be being used by my partner...enjoy the day!

This is stunning. If you don't mind me asking, what was the total build time as an estimate?

[quote name='njr911' timestamp='1485962727' post='3228053'] it's 3/4 length which might explain the cost ? [/quote] Ahhh....aimed at younger players?

I'm certain the majority of these signatures basses are actually better than the American Standards....time will tell re the latest American Professional Series.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1485957364' post='3227999'] Finally Fender come up with some great sounding and playing basses and all anyone can do now is gripe about the colours!! [/quote] Why not enjoy life in style? In addition, the 2008- onwards changes were significant to the American Standards. I have an 09' P and an 11' J. Both are superb. I have played many P basses and I would not in any way want to 'upgrade' to these latest models.

I'm sure you can just order online and have a returns policy. You tend to find a lot of the usual general music stores won't concentrate on what is still a little bit of a niche product. No idea why as they are so small and light, they take up no room! Plus, imagine being a 13/14 year old lad/lass, walking into a store to try an amp that might be good enough to do small gigs with, and you find one that size. Parent's won't moan about helping you to gigs or storing your gear, (I've been there before, you can tell....when I had a huge Trace amp and cabs in my parents house).

I don't dig black guitar and basses, but that is kinda cool. I wonder what the deal is with the price? Is it MIM?

I totally understand that prices are higher with boutique gear, especially Darkglass (are they boutique now though? Becoming very popular now...) and high end compressors. This applies to the entire world. But, what we are saying above is that NOT ONLY are pedals increasingly expensive (I mean, £350 for a bass drive pedal is expensive, let's face it), the price has ALSO been increased here in the UK due to such a poor £, which is a direct result of you know what. The value dropped BECAUSE of that vote. There is no way you can say otherwise. So, the combination of normal manufacturer price increases, along with the fact pedals CAN be expensive, added to the fact we are paying more in the UK now....(e.g. Strymon pedals have gone up £40-50 due to the weak £) means it is, in reality, getting out of hand.

They just need to have a few exciting colours in the range. Like, every year, introduce one off the wall colour and one classic pastel. E.g. Off the wall - Purple metalflake Classic - Sea Foam Green or Sonic Blue (non metallic) I agree that the latest colours are just dull. I personally like Sunburst and White, but they NEED that tort guard they used for the American Standards. I don't own any black basses and I doubt I will. The new green and blue/grey and ok, but....meh....not exciting. Probably the most boring lineup I've ever seen them release. Good job because right now the last thing I need is more basses.

Hopefully it will calm down. I've experienced issues with my ears/dizziness through stress and it was awful, but it has got 95% better now the stress has calmed down. Strange how much stress can affect your body physically.

I used to have exactly this tone for years. It was almost a signature sound as all the bands I played with / shared stages with asked how I got the bright sound and cut over the guitars. I don't really do it as often now, but I could just with the following: - Bright settings on a clean/crisp amp. I used a Trace amp for those tones, and tended to have normal levels of bass and mids, but boosted lower treble and treble. Even some high mids can help. - Usually a cab that was fairly aggressive, if I could use one. Normally, a cab with a HF horn dialled in a little. - For me, new strings. I used Rotosounds back then. There are probably better strings available that do the same and stay bright. I was a student so I used to carefully boil my strings in washing up liquid after a few months, then re fit, and hey presto, they sounded basically new! There are even bright sounding flats... - Either an aggressive plec technique or heavy finger technique. If you want the strings to clank on the fretboard, a bit like Iron Maiden or old Face to Face, and you play with fingers, then play over the area a P pickup would be or closer to the beck. Dig in! - Lower action...the grind and clank on the fretboard adds to it. I didn't used any pedals or distortion to get that tone. For years I didn't bother with pedals. Pedals will work wonders though, e.g. the Tech 21 Sansamp BDDI or VT Bass.

I'd pickup either: - Flea Jazz Bass (fantastic example of a Jazz), - Musicman Stingray, in any format, e.g. 2EQ, 3EQ, then H, HS or HH. If you like a slimmer neck like a Jazz bass, a Stingray 'Slo Special' might be your thing, or you could get the Stingray's sleeker sister, a Sterling! I would opt for the more expensive instrument, then build up pedals.

They are the middlemen, surely?!

[quote name='Left Foot' timestamp='1485487790' post='3224349'] There's no way brexit has had any effect yet, that's lazy conjecture. [/quote] https://blog.andertons.co.uk/andertons/save-now-prices-increase Ermm. Well, seems quite a large retailer reported on this back in mid 2016. So yes, by now, it certainly HAS added to the price rise....significantly. Not in any way judging who voted what, but a lot of those who voted 'Leave' seem in denial about this fact. Obviously not insinuating what you voted.

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1485435370' post='3223940'] Seems fairly in line with other official amp bags, like Markbass for example. [/quote] It is WAY too much. My TC bag cost me about half.

Oh... https://www.thomann.de/gb/darkglass_microtubes_900_bag.htm

Strange how guys like these: http://www.magneticeffects.net/ ...can make amazing fuzz pedals (and I do mean amazing - more so guitar related) for about £110-120. I've recently bought from him and he even knocked money off for buying two. Very pro fit and finish, really cool sound. They have been getting rave reviews in the guitar mags and Tone Report. I do think some pedals warrant a higher price tag, but £300+ for a bass fuzz or drive is crazy. I am primarily a bass player and I really do think it is much simpler to get a half decent bass drive tone than seeking the guitar tones that seem much more obviously different and dare I say it, sometimes more exciting. A good solid bass drive and fuzz from say EHX, then maybe an Ampeg flavour from Tech 21 and I think you've got a huge array to play with. Good bass overdrive/fuzz/distortion is easier to dial in IMO. Source Audio seem to hit the market right with things like their Nemesis delay....the sheer options and capability of that pedeal is crazy. You could just buy the SA Aftershock, use the App, and have loads of bass overdrive etc available.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1485292968' post='3222912'] They'll still sell though, just like there are plenty of people willing to spend over £800 on an iPhone. [/quote] I've no doubt they will, but iPhones and pedals like the Chase Bliss pedals offer a lot more. No doubt this pedal is stunning quality, but the range of drives and pre-amps are expensive from DG.

Very reasonable price, IMO.

Yeah, if it is hitting those high prices, it is going to put people off.

Just another dreary release. NAMM demos are never a good judge, but they do not sound great.

[quote name='Passinwind' timestamp='1485196907' post='3222028'] Just curious: what would it take to get you excited? I barely even noticed that there were guitars there beyond the ones in the next booth to me and the Ibanez and Heritage jazz boxes. [/quote] I had a look at the bass releases, obviously not all of them as I didn't go, but it was the usual boutique P and J, a few more daring designs like Ibanez, then Fenders latest Professional series which I won't be bothering with. Lot's of mini Class D amps, the only one of which I currently find interesting is Genzler. Whereas guitar had interesting designs like the Musicman St Vincent, Valentine, etc...lot's of guitar effects that are clearly more fun to use on guitar (latest delay and reverb by Source Audio), recently released Boss pedals, and so on.

I've took delivery of the Boss Katana 100 and it is SUPERB. The best value amp product I've ever experienced.