Quilly

Old thread but I’ll comment anyway, these are great basses . 2+2 headstock not to everyone’s taste but the bass is very tidy (about 2” shorter than my Sandberg California/ fender p bass) despite having 24 frets . Sounds great and punchy . (I’ve the mm one) . I dunno any other bass players that have this bass but it’s excellent for the money (around €1400), mine was discounted to €1100. Some bass for that money .  

On 21/09/2023 at 16:36, juanbcn83 said:

That California central......awesome!!!!

Looks very like the Basic which I have and love the sound of. I wonder is there much of a difference in the sound or feel of the 2 basses. 

1 minute ago, asingardenof said:

 

I've been really pleasantly surprised by how well my Elf and Two10S pair together, and have had some nice comments from audience members on my tone. My ABM is definitely the preferred solution if circumstances allow though.

I've toyed with the idea of selling the Spyder and getting a small hi power class D amp, but these amps are kind of rare now (twin valve preamp) and for some reason don't have great resale values though they sound great and a re built like tanks, (a 'lo-fi' version AMB-600). I'm always afraid these small class D amps will go pop in the middle of a gig (happened me a few times), so far the elf hasn't missed a beat.   

3 Amps, 2 Cabs

Amps:  Ashdown Little Bastard 30W, Ashdown Spyder 550W,  TE Elf (200W) - The Swiss Army Knife of amps IMO.

Cabs:  TE 300W 1x10, Barefaced Two10

I play in an acoustic covers band , elf set up ideal for that. Sometimes I sub in in a 10 piece jazz band, surprisingly the elf+110 can manage, though I prefer to use the Elf amp and BF cab for that when no PA support (warmer sound). For the indie rock band I play in, has to be the Spyder and two 10, though I've had good results with Elf / Two10 also for this application.  

LB-30 for home use mostly, love the tone from that amp thro the BF 210.   Never been in a situation where the Spyder and BF 210 weren't loud enough. 

I got a serious case of gas when I saw this for sale , my main worry is that it might be kinda awkward to play with that humbucker so far forward (no thumb rest ). Also I may tire of the tone of it but it looks so cool .

Still in because I haven't been playing much but starting to browse a bit more than usual lately 🙈

I sold an Ashdown CTM100 last year and ever since I've been drawn to a replacement 100-200W tube head. That Stoneham YI200....Why aye indeed 🤩 

On 08/09/2023 at 17:47, Storky said:

That sounds like what I need to do! Do you have a link to the pick-up you put in?

They used to be available on Thomann but I cant see them no, here's the Lollar website link 

https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-p-bass-pickups/precision-90

On 08/09/2023 at 17:47, Storky said:

That sounds like what I need to do! Do you have a link to the pick-up you put in?

They used to be available on Thomann but I cant see them no, here's the Lollar website link 

https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-p-bass-pickups/precision-90

On 08/09/2023 at 17:47, Storky said:

That sounds like what I need to do! Do you have a link to the pick-up you put in?

They used to be available on Thomann but I cant see them no, here's the Lollar website link 

https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-p-bass-pickups/precision-90

DID the string still fit in the Nut slots ? 

4 hours ago, bertbass said:

I think that EL34s sound the best.

I had an old 50w Carlsbro 50top guitar amp and it sounded super with bass. Sorry I sold it off, that had a pair of EL34s

1 hour ago, warwickhunt said:

 

Alternatively search on BC for Handbox WB100.

Still smaller than the WB120, in addition the manufacture of this is sporadic, but I think they're back up and running again. Great amp by all accounts, I think they're using 4 6L6 tubes. The project here is to use 2 * KT88s, similar to the Ashdown CTM100, but much tidier.  

16 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

Maybe I’m missing something- are there pictures ?

 

i ask as a total tube amp newbie 

Probably all you'll see at this point is a bunch of electronic components on a hacked down chassis as its still a WIP. But If you check out the old style Ashdown Little Bastard 30W head you'll get an idea of the final dimensions. To get a 100W valve head to this 16" or thereabouts footprint is a fair achievement. Usually a 100W valve head is a big beast.

I think this will be a hit, a compact 100w tube amp for bass! . Kinda holy grail stuff. 

Do mods count? like bridges, pickups, that kinda thing. 

13 minutes ago, BassmanPaul said:

One thing you can say is that Peavey has always put out good sounding and reliable equipment!

Actually I’ve been in loads of bands that had peavey gear and while not considered “premier” the gear always worked. 

Most of the gigs I’ve done over the last year have been in small pubs or cafes or else on stages in local events where parking is an issue and you often have to walk a few streets to get to the stage through crowds (food festivals and the like). For this the elf/110 has been invaluable. I can usually get away with one trip on foot with no compromises as the elf just gets DI’d and sound great. It looks a little odd on a big stage but most people don’t even notice. One really handy feature is the gain/compression function, one less pedal to carry. Great piece of kit.

4 hours ago, ead said:

Having owned one for a while I think the best features are:  Greater comfort, lighter weight (on the whole by quite a margin), an active passive switch and, it's probably heresy and I will be burned at the stake, the preamp to me seems better thought out.

 

I shall now await the MM police with some trepidation 

While not a central I’ve a basic and I owned a stingray many moons ago. The Sandberg is a nicer playing bass…there I said it . 

A good few years ago Sandberg brought out their version of a telecaster bass called the “Seventy-two” it had one big MM humbucker in the neck position, they even had a tele style headstock, I remember they were exclusive to Thomann. Anyone ever come across these ?

53 minutes ago, Pirellithecat said:

Any "Central" users out there?   Be interested to know how you're getting on with them ...........  have a VM4, fancy a VT/TT Superlight, but can't find a 4 string Central to try before deciding (and then saving, and then negotiating with SWMBO and ......... )   Can't really find much comment on't internet so thought I'd ask.😁

Probably a lot like the basic , I don’t think Sandberg do different neck widths .  I reckon it would sound a bit like the VM4 you have with just the M pickup with a bit more warmth and the pick-up is more central in the body. This is just a guess tho. 

On 25/07/2023 at 07:47, bottomfeed said:

Sandberg basic ...green-burst, maple neck, Aguilar pickup.. 

I’ve a 4 sting version in natural ash I bought last year from a German music store . I had a stingray in the past and I really wanted something that could recapture that tone. The basic does it in spades but feels more comfortable and that headstock makes the bass a lot “tidier” . The 3 band eq makes this a really versatile instrument.

36 minutes ago, BassAdder60 said:

Yep I sold mine then started to regret it but it’s not an easy amp to sell these days which is criminal for such a glorious amp. Sign of the times sadly 

Yeah and these valve heads literally run for ever and ever as they're so serviceable and they sound great too.   I think this amp weighs in around 19kg which isn't bad at all....for this type of head.

That’s a good price for that amp. I sold mine a few months ago and half regretted it. It just wasn’t getting used tho. Probably the best mix of power tone and weight for most applications and easy to maintain, just 2 KT88 valves that are really easy to swap out thanks to that handy bias gauge .

On 15/07/2023 at 00:13, dmccombe7 said:

Have you fitted a set of Aguilars in there.

How do they sound.

Sometimes i think the standard Sandberg pick ups are a bit sterile and have no warmth like my fenders. 

I still like them but best of both worlds would be Sandberg bass with Fender pick ups.

Dave

I changed out the Sandberg pickups on my VS California for overwound lollars and I couldn’t be happier with the change , bass sounding much more aggressive and driven 

12 hours ago, zbd1960 said:

Yes, but we can't afford it! There are some strings I'd like to try, but at around £300 a set, you can't really experiment.

 

My cello is German, dates to around 1900. If I had the money, I'd like a nice C19th English / German / French / Italian instrument. Unless you are very lucky, you'd be looking at prices of £15k and upwards - nice English cellos are very expensive. Forget an C18th instrument, I don't have enough gold bricks for that.

My bow is a basic German pernambuco one cost £450 back in 2011. I've tried bows costing up to £1,500 but not felt there to be much improvement. I've been told I need to spend a lot more than that to see 'real' improvements...  

 

I have had a discussion with my cello teacher about once I've moved house, I might treat myself... but not rushing

Surely there are good Japanese or Eastern European cellos ?