scrumpymike

On 14/09/2022 at 00:41, RichT said:

 

So I thought I ought to report back after a week of ownership... and wow, what an instrument! The Vox A1H beats any bass I've owned in terms of build quality, it feels solid and made with precision and attention to detail. I think mine may be one of the heavier examples at about 6lb 14oz, but anything under 7lb is fine by me. Ergonomics of the surrounds are great and well thought through so while you're playing it, either sitting or standing, you're completely unaware there's anything unusual about the design. Neck & frets are beautifully finished, and the sound... oh the sound is exactly what I was after. I've never played an American Stingray, but the Vox has the ability to convincingly emulate all those Ray-featuring classic records I love, so I'm happy. 

 

What I'm most impressed by is just how easy it is to play. Whereas I've found I sometimes need to coax my EHB1505 into what I want it to do and have to play carefully to achieve the desired results, this thing just wants to make all the right sounds without me even really trying. I think there's something special about the Aguilar pickup and pre-amp in the Vox, it seems to respond to right hand positioning and how hard I play completely intuitively. 

 

The Starstream comes across as less odd and more functional in real life than in photos. The matt finish on the surrounds makes them feel like wood and it kind of has the impression of a natural evolution of something like my Hohner stick bass. And for something featuring so much physical space it really sounds very solid-body, much more so than the chambered EHB does. scrumpymike was entirely correct, at the price these are available they're an absolute steal, can't recommend them enough.

 

I've just finished setting mine up for Schaller strap-locks - the cherry on the icing on the cake! PIc's to follow.

On 12/09/2022 at 09:56, Rich said:

Oh I do like the King Billy.

Same here Rich! There was a kind of carnival atmosphere on Saturday, both inside the pub and out in the street. They're a pretty knowledgeable lot too when it comes to music - no surprise there I guess. Amusing to see a couple of Bobbies on the beat chatting amiably with a small crowd sat on the war-memorial steps in front of the pub. The crowd had been smoking dope 5 minutes earlier and the motionless air was still loaded with the unmistakable aroma. The banter finished, the police strolled off, the smokers lit up again, and everything was back to normal.

Played Glastonbury again last night. The King William pub to be precise.

2 hours ago, Jabba_the_gut said:

I like that idea. Always interesting to hear these comparisons. 

Thanks for posting Phil. I liked this idea when you ran it by me via PM and - subject to interest from others - I still do. The side room could revert to a (relatively!) quiet space for low-volume playing through small amp or headphones. Also ideal for a prospective seller to demo kit FS to a prospective buyer.

16 hours ago, Richard R said:

I really need to get the rota swap sorted so I can come down.

Definitely!!

On 31/08/2022 at 21:22, Pinball said:

I'd like to come along. Depends on commitments so I'll confirm nearer the time.

Note: I can bring some interesting kit. Manton, Supro (again), Jack Cassidy, and Precision Deluxe, Triad and Surveyor if I still have them. I can't bring em all though so let me know if you fancy playing anything specific. Also some pedals.

I really enjoyed the past ones I managed to make.

Ed

I'd like a go on the Supro.

3 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

always interested

Me too, as well as others I'm sure.

3 hours ago, Obrienp said:

I hope you are pleased with it. Given everything it has got on it in terms of hardware, that sounds like a very good price. Enjoy!

+1

22 hours ago, RichT said:

 

In light of my experience with the Sterling SS described in my previous post, I've been looking at the Vox Starstream 1H again, with the Artist version being available for a similar price to the Sterling.  How exactly does the non-Artist version differ? I guess it doesn't have the Aguilar and Gotoh hardware, but what's the setup with it? Is it all passive with just a straightforward volume & tone? How are the ergonomics and how have you found it compares sound wise (I guess I'm asking with regard to 'Rays more than anything else)? Do you feel like you'd prefer the option of it being active?

 

Part of wanting the SS Sterling was the appeal of a passive Stingray. I'm in love with Paul Denman's dark mellow 'Ray tone on the early Sade records, I'd love a lightweight SS bass that can sound like that!

 

After moving my SBMM s-s 'Ray on, I went for a Starstream A2S based largely on Dan's review of the A1H below and after a good chat with him and the guys at Vox UK. Believe me, the Vox Artist is in a completely different league from both the 'budget' Starstream (which I bought first and sent back) and the 'Ray. Vox said that the Artist was made in Japan for parent company Korg as a limited 'premium' run to test/prepare the market for the cost-engineered version intended to sell in higher volumes. Even priced at its launch RRP of around £1400 the Vox would be value for money. For the £800 I paid, it's a steal. The quality is as good as it gets, IMHO the avant-garde design looks great as well as making complete sense in functional terms, and I love the choice of Aguilar AG 4-J70 pickups (the A1H has an AG-4M) and OBP-2 pre-amp. I went for black with the maple fretboard.

Vox Starstream A1H review by Dan Veall

14 hours ago, agedhorse said:

Naaah, just correcting scrumpymike's post in the event that somebody reads it and is confused.

Sorry folks, I was quoting from memory without checking, so just let that be a lesson to me! 🙂 Top marks once again to Agedhorse with his all-seeing eye.

I know this is a HandBox thread but the following comparison may be interesting. My main gig amp is the Mesa TT-800. Once I got my brain calibrated to what the twin-channel Mesa does, I quickly set it up to my liking and it has become the 'gold standard' amp for me. However, the much cheaper and simpler HandBox succeeds in coming so incredibly close in terms of delivering 'my sounds' that I have massive respect for what Leszek has done. Also, as already posted, he was very helpful in liaising with my amp tech to fix a small issue even though I bought mine used off here. In practice, I tend to use the TT-800 at larger/'safer' gigs and the R-400 for playing the smaller/tighter venues and 'wild west saloons' ("Suddenly, the doors flung open revealing a mean, scar-faced dude dressed in black. The customers dived under the tables, the bar-tender hastily turned the mirror round, but the band played on.")

Last but not least, I can report that my R-400 recently survived a 3-foot drop virtually unscathed, despite landing on one corner in the street. I'm not recommending you try it but it's comforting to know that this is one robust piece of kit - especially the famous 'hand-box' wooden case.

Just a few hopefully relevant comments based on my experience.

First of all, my R400 sounds good however the controls are set.

Second, the manual for my Mesa TT-800 with 3-valve pre also states that you set the master at 1 o'clock, tweak the gain switches (it's got 2 channels) to suit, then crank the master up if necessary.

Last but not least, if it's possible to get truly awful sounds from Leszek's new amp (which is pretty unusual with modern amps), he should include some sort of user instructions that explain what to do and what NOT to do. This is meant as constructive criticism btw 🙂

5 hours ago, fiatcoupe432 said:

Where can we send the payment ? 

As for gear I will be bringing 

My pentabuzz 

Mtly pasini fretless

Ibanez 6 string rr 1990 made in japan

PM sent

On 27/08/2022 at 22:44, Richard R said:

I think I am still able to come, there's been a few swaps on the church rota but it looks clear on the 9th for me at the moment. Do we need to say in advance what we're bringing? 

Yes please!  We always do a list of who's bringing what so everyone has an idea of what's there to be seen, heard, played or - last but not least - bought.

I'll start the ball rolling:

Some or all of the following: my two Andy Rogers custom-builds; Vox Starstream A2S; FOR SALE!!  Gillett Contour Standard 4; Mesa TT-800 head; FOR SALE!!  Eden WT550 Traveler head; Hand-Box R-400 head; 2 x Barefaced SC3 cab's.

We also start a list of raffle prizes: I'm putting in a nice Fusion semi-rigid case I got for a s-s headless ACG and a Hercules mic stand - both pretty much as new.

Over to you!

5 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

You have a bass bash coat?

Just a prototype. We'll be launching the product at next year's Bash.

6 minutes ago, scrumpymike said:

 Reading it again, I don't either🤔 I was trying to say that we know we'll break even with £13 (plus a few T-shirt sales) so charging £15 would just be to give the person on the till an easier life handling £notes rather than scrap metal.

 

I'll get me coat...

That's not just 1 x £13 by the way. I've won the wooden spoon so I'll stop digging now.

5 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

I didn't understand that!

 Reading it again, I don't either🤔 I was trying to say that we know we'll break even with £13 (plus a few T-shirt sales) so charging £15 would just be to give the person on the till an easier life handling £notes rather than scrap metal.

I'll get me coat...

16 hours ago, Chienmortbb said:

I might bring Ms Chien with me, she can cook a bit (well a lot, and she is very good at it) do the scrumpettes need a hand and shall I chain her to the kitchen? Oh, and how much for a Tee? Sadly, inflation means I need a 2XL now.

Extra help from Ms Chien will come in very handy. As it happens, 3 of the usual team can't make it so a couple more volunteers will be most welcome - shout-out to woodinblack's other half again?

16 hours ago, Frank Blank said:

Make it a round £15, no one wants to piddle about with coins, everyone knows it's still massive value for money and some of us suffer from triskaidekaphobia*

 

* alright, I just wanted to write triskaidekaphobia

OK, anyone averse to the number Xlll just pays £15 and gets two-quid's-worth of raffle tickets thrown in 👍

We did think about the practicalities of handling loads of coins but we are ADAMANT that we will NEVER knowingly overcharge our bass buddies.👼

Some T-shirt sales would help us lots 🙏

13 hours ago, dmc79 said:

I wonder if the QC has improved recently, I mean I’ve seen numerous negative comments about short rays 

 

Maybe I've just missed it but I haven't seen much negative stuff, just lots of positives. The one I had was unbelievably good and punched way above its (then) £600 RRP.

It's less than 7 weeks to the Big Fat South-West Bash Day - that's Sunday October 9th in case you didn't know! The winning formula remains unchanged:

        You pay a BARGAIN PRICE to EAT, DRINK and BASH yourself silly amidst AMAZING KIT in nice surroundings with like-minded folks and NO NEIGHBOURS TO WORRY ABOUT! 🥳

We're having to increase the Bash price this year, and here's why.

Last year for the first time, the Bash failed to break even. We knew our costs would be higher due to the pandemic but, in the hope of a higher than usual turnout thanks to 'pandemic bounce-back' effect, we decided to keep the all-in, attendance plus-food-price at £10 - and over-ordered on the T-shirts ☹️. In the event, what we got was the opposite, with a lower-than-normal attendance because many people were still cautious about socialising. Unfortunately, those food and drink prices have continued to rise, so this year's increase (the first and only one in 6 years) has to cover that too.

                                                           So this year's new, all-in price for the same top-quality Bash we all know and love is £13*.

As an extra guarantee that we'll break even, we also need advance payment from at least 25 of you. You can do this by pre-paying your £13 entrance or buying a Bash T-shirt in advance (£20 including p&p, £15 if collected at the Bash). As usual, just PM me and we'll sort it.

We can't wait to see you guys!

*And we can only do it at this price because, as a Trustee of the hall, I can hire it for the day at half price!

23 hours ago, yorks5stringer said:

I thought he seemed a bit wooden when I spoke to him last year......

That's knot true.

23 hours ago, yorks5stringer said:

I thought he seemed a bit wooden when I spoke to him last year......

That's knot true.

On 23/08/2022 at 09:50, Frank Blank said:

 

Another year not attending your own Bass Bash Mike? It just won't do.

It's called delegation - anyway, I only missed breakfast 🙂 

That's drop-dead gorgeous! GLWTS.

On 16/08/2022 at 15:20, Woodinblack said:

 

Yep, exactly the same. He cut up a piece of brass tube he had and used it to drill round the remaining part of the screw, then when it was out put a dowel in, chisel it down and smooth it, colour it black (although it was smaller than the area covered by the straplock, so it didn't show). I say awkward because I don't think I could have done it. He did it, if he hadn't I would have had to pay someone to do it.

First thing I did when we finished was take the other strap out, and use a proper screw for the other straplock!

It took the new bass feel off the bass, and coloured my opinion of them. I still love that bass (and I still have it), but it tainted it a bit

Ha, that's just what I did! You need a piece of thin-wall round tube (long enough to get to the bottom of the screw left in the wood plus enough for your drill chuck to grip securely) with inner diameter slightly bigger (pref +0.5mm) than the screw diameter. Notch some teeth into one end of the tube using a small file or junior hacksaw blade - and away you go!

On 15/08/2022 at 11:53, Woodinblack said:

 

The screw on the strap button on mine also broke when I tried to replace it for strap locks and if I didn't have a friend who was good at woodwork who got it out perfectly it would have been awkward to get out

Awkward? It was a b**ch! The screw had sheared off flush with the body and I had to make a special tool to do the job.