andruca

I own a SansAmp RBI but might get away with almost any OD pedal as long as it has a blend/mix (wet vs. dry) control. I also get SansAmp and many other preamp/dist/OD emulations from a variety of small Zoom multi-FX units. Emulations are decent and you have many different preamp/dist/OD models in there to decide what you prefer (also, Zooms are abundant in the 2nd. hand market for half your budget or less). I'd start there to get familiar with dist/OD/grit in general and what it can do for you, the different sounds and the different ways to obtain them, then eventually decide pursuing a particular dirt pedal if you feel the need and have found that's the one for you.

I got the cheapest body and neck I could get from AliExpress. Neck was 23.40€ (Outdoor Equip Store) and body was 28.97€ (Soundly Music Store) back then, shipping included. It's been one year since I put up a DIY with those and all other parts from a "Jazz" I got from a guy for 38€ (badly shaped, painted by someone on LSD, truss rod not working, etc.). So far no issues with the neck. Not the thinnest Jazz neck but decent enough. Truss rod doing great too (have adjusted it 3 times IIRC). Will never know what the parts on the "donor" bass were, no brand to be seen anywhere. Still came out nice and sounds good for any kinda' stuff, even tho' it's mostly set up to play punk/HC/metal. At 90€ (if I don't count the Hipshot D-tuner, which I already had lying around) it's been a great bass. STILL, it had dead spots (most notably the Bb at E string fret 6) which I got rid of with a Fat Finger (add some 10-15€) I have always on it these days (not used in this recording) so the neck's not perfect, but still intonation's good, no high frets, fret ends are OK (except for just 4 I had to file a little), no ski jump so far and stays straight, so at 23.40€ it's way more than I ever expected. With such precedent, I expect a 55£ to be definitely decent. I love maple+blocks. I would have payed a little more for maple+black blocks but back then it was more than double the money (around 50€), so I decided to stick to cheapest possible. Cheapest neck you can get from AliExpress right now is 53+€ (either "rosewood" or maple).

Also don't discard Schecter. IDK if they make 34" 5ers but even at 35" they don't feel cumbersome and their 5er necks are SKINNY (19.5mm thick @ fret 1), super sharp C shape, with a 45mm nut. Most (if not all) have a 17mm string spacing at the bridge, OK for me (used to Stingray5's 17.5mm), but might not be your thing.

I've had two of the same bass in three occasions. 1) (Korean) Fernandes Gravity Deluxe Vs, early '2000s, production of each some 3 years apart according to serial #, totally consistent, virtually undistinguishable. 2) Ceramic era Stingray5s (1997 & 2003), real consistent despite one being full birdseye and swamp ash and the other being regular maple with rosewood board and regular ash. They used to play different as one of them needed a shim. Once that was done they're indistinguishable, even in tone if they're on the same strings. Still own these 2 guys, my kids will probably inherit them. 3) Yamaha BB-615 (both made around 2008-9 in Indonesia), indistinguishable too. Guess some brands are better at consistency than others. That said, I own a Pro Series (Korean) Warwick Star Bass 5 and I can't really tell a difference between that and some more "modern" RockBass version specimens, they feel and sound the same. Not implying one of your Warwicks is a lemon (don't think those guys' QC lets lemons out of their factory) but maybe it's on their weakest extreme as per wood and electronics quality, as some have already mention.

If you're asking plain quality, they sure are great. I own 2 USA Stingray5s (ceramic era) and I've owned a Ray35 H. Only aspects I could tell they were cutting corners were: 1) Pickup are screwed directly to wood, not thru' threaded inserts as the EBMM ones. 2) No compensated nut (not that I cared much, my old Rays also don't have one). 3) Had to go thru' the truss rod wheel in mine with a drill as the holes were sketchy, a nail/screwdriver/whatever you use to adjust wouldn't go all the way in. My Ray35 was great. I even did some experiments with its coil selection wiring (so I could use real single coil, each on its own). Still I didn't like its weight. It was a black one, presumably mahogany, still heavier than any of my (ash) Ray 5ers. Before buying it I had tried some SUB Ray5s. Found them equally playable, but lacking in the preamp dept (clear preamp clipping going on), and noticeably lighter, of course (basswood). After owning that Ray35 I wouldn't go Ray35 HH but a SUB Ray5 HH. IMHO the difference in price isn't justified by a consequent increase in quality nor functionality, plus the weight issue (personally, after putting up 2 very nice sounding cheapos I don't fear basswood at all). I'd just try powering the preamp with 18V first to try to get rid of these basses' endemic clipping (have done this a couple times in the past, most preamps do accept a wide range of supply voltage, so that manufacturers can use 9V or 18V depending on how hot their pickups of choice are, also a variable resistor before the preamp can work, if the bass is hot enough that losing a little output wouldn't suck too much). If that doesn't work you can swap the preamp for cheap. I feel spending too much would defeat the purpose in a 400€ bass, but there are still many options. There's 20€ Artec preamps from thomann. I've used some of those (3 band version, for a couple active Yamaha BB-615s, stock Q-Mix onboards were awful -lows control too high, also lacked headroom-) and am sure they're a hell of an upgrade for the stock Ray5 preamp. Here's a nice review of the Ray5HH (stock clipping and all)...

I have 2 Stingray5s with the unfinished neck. I oil them once a year, or if I eventually see they're real dry (you can defniitely feel it to the touch). ZERO humidity marks so far (my oldest SR5 is a 25 y/o birdseye necked one -pretty dark, looks almost roasted-). That's very dense maple. Other more porous untreated woods might need a different oiling frequency. I use abundant linseed oil, let it sit for a couple hours, then wipe all the excess oil out.

In my case it doesn't change much from bass to bass. I do almost always record with my SansAmp RBI, and sometimes I rehearse with it (+Hartke 3500+a couple old Peavey cabs). When recording I also use the uneffected output, even tho' I've almost never ended up mixing it in. But lately I've been using my Zoom gadgets more and more (same thing, basically SansAmp emulation, sounds convincingly good). I've got an MS-60B, a G1Xon and a B3. The B3 both has a DI and can be used as a sound interface. So I mostly record with it nowadays (DI output can be set to "uneffected" so you don't even need an extra DI for the wet/dry thing). It's SO convenient, it's "my tone in a box", I can go anywhere with a bass and one such gadget and have my tone on whatever amp/desk/interface I plug in, and also have a powerful tool I'm familiar with for the occasional tweak and/or experiment. Whatever the choice, I just don't conceive an alternative for live situations, I'm all for carrying my tone with me in whatever portable thing I use as a preamp, and using whatever amp' there is, with it's EQ to simply adapt to the room's response and resonances. Regarding tone, I use a thick crunchy tone for almost everything, might back off the gain a little for fingerstyle and that's about it. Here's the crunch out of my SansAmp RBI (a reference track for some recording)... http://www.andresdemarco.info/COCOYDANI.mp3 (Stingray5) and here's a sort of "clean" (cleanest I'll go) tone first, then crunchier, with my Star Bass...

Sure, I'm counting on that for FUTURE generations, not the current one.

I'd like to comment (and probably polemicize -only out of frustration, sorry-) on the modules/blocks approach. I've been a Boss user (ME-8B and GT-6B -noisy!-) prior to switching permanently to Zoom around 2004 (a 708II back then, had previously owned a BFX-708). I 100% hate the "modules" approach. I like to simply chain effects. Who cares if they're MOD/SFX/REV/DLY/PRE/AMP/EQ/DYN? Don't get me wrong, Zoom switched to the "chain whatever you want in whichever order" (even several instances of the same effect) paradigm only for the recent 2 generations, but that is since 2011 (when the G3/B3 models were released). The modules thing kills Boss for me. The "workarounds" they came up with for this (such as having duplicate FX modules, so you can use, say, chorus and phaser at the same damm time) only make it more ridiculous to me. I'm a big fan of some features, as the parallel processing in the GT-1000, but then again, they're shootin' themselves in the foot by not allowing us to configure the "morphology" of our chain(s) however we want no matter the "module". How come I can use 5 MOD effects in a row on a 50€ B1on and not on a 600€ Boss multieffects? IDK if there's some limitation so that, say, for the hardware, a delay and a preamp are not comparable entities. Doesn't seem to be the case with Zoom, each FX is sort of a big config file for the audio engine. Some take more processing power, some less, but that's about it. Guess I'm waiting for a future Zoom generation that allows parallel chain processing (hopefully done right: chaining whatever I want with whatever else I want, in whichever order and putting both Ys wherever I want them when going parallel).

IME, only decent pitch shifter in either the MS-60B or B3 or G1Xon is the Ba Pitch model. I've tried both the regular PitchShift and the PedalPitch/BaPedalPitch but those simply track horrible or offer stupid useless modes (the pedal pitches). I don't use the single note ones, they work even worse. All this said, with the Ba Pitch I've managed to do some nice "Royal Blood on the cheap" tones basically with either 2 of my Zoom multiFXs (many tips in the video description).

Funny thing is, with 115 effects loaded in my G1Xon firmware, I still have 152 free blocks according to the editor. Thinking of an average of 6 blocks/pedal I could still fit some 25 more effects in there. Does anyone know of any pedal count limit? 140 effects is MS-60B zone (142 in fact). Will definitely give the B1Xon effects list a look. Owning the MS-60B first I've always looked down upon the B1on/Xon as less high end. WRONG! It's SO capable. And for anyone doubting about construction/ruggedness, well, last week my G1Xon took a 2+m (6-7ft) fall from a shelf. Hit the computer desk (IKEA kinda' stuff, left a HUGE triangular dent about 3/4" deep), then hit the floor, LOUDLY. For sure the hardest hit ever on any Zoom device I've owned (about a dozen). Still looks and works like new 😮 EDIT: best I could do, a G1Xon firmware with everything that comes stock plus 41 more effects, which is pretty much everything you'd need from the B1Xon (bass amps/preamps, BassOD, BassMetal, BassDist, all missing filters -Ztron, A-Filter, M-Filter, etc.-, Ba PEQ, Ba GEQ, many compressors and synths); also linking my MS-60B firmware (stock stuff minus minor useless crap, plus 13 guitar amps and the Ac Sim from the MS-60G). custom G1Xon firmware with plenty of bass stuff (total 146 fx) custom MS-60B firmware with 13 amps and Ac Sim (total 147 fx) Also, here's a compilation point I put up with everything Zoom firmware editing and all my 6 "maxed" firmware versions for the B/G1[X]on and MS-50G/60B.

For "guitar" I go BaPitch (fixed, octave up)+BaPitch (occasional 5th up, mix at 35)+guitar amp model (either BgCrunch, MsCrunch or VXJimi)+SuperChorus (stereo mode, allows for great L-R control). If using the G1Xon (one more effect slot) I'd add ZNR (you guessed it, the guitar signal path is DIRTY) and also keep the 2nd (5th) shifter on and blend it between 0 and 35 by lifting the expression pedal (so I don't have to go into on/off mode, therefore lose patch navigation abilities). No extreme EQ on the amp model, nor extreme drives (around 2/3). I also keep both BaPitch tones to ZERO, makes half the work of reducing roboticness (the other half is done with the distortion in the amp model after the shifters).

Nevermind the gadget, effects sound the same and have exactly the same parameters in all 3 of my units. For bass I mostly use BassDRV (varying EQ, but close to flat, nothing extreme, gain at 75, blend at 75) and 160Comp (threshold at -20, ratio 10, gain 15 and soft knee). This produces a nice fat crunchy sound with my old ceramic Stingray5s. I turn on the AcBsPre before that to boost the input signal before the BassDRV when using my Star Bass (the bass used in that clip). Occassionally replace the AcBsPre in the beginning of the chain with either the DI Plus (MXR Bass DI emulation) or even the BaMetal (a bass oriented version of the Metal Zone) for a couple different more DJENT'ish crunch flavors. Still all around the same idea of fat consistent crunch.

Was totallly unaware of this TC booster. As per YouTube demos I'd say it's one of the few overdrive pedals without a blend control that I'd use on bass. This sorta' respects the bass' timbre, I like that kind of OD that allows you bass to still "blend thru" the saturation at a nice ratio. I've got a Guma Drive kit coming my way (Xmas project with my brother -domotics circuitry designer and occasional drummer-), but if I have to be honest I have much more day to day use for this kind of overdrive tone (even this particular pedal with no blend control) than the CMOS style really. NICE usable bass OD, and at that price, a no brainer. Too bad I'm mostly a multiFX guy (altho' single "my tone in a box" kinda' use), these days you can get all sorts of great single pedals for CHEAP. Since I'm using multiFX mostly as preamps (fat compressed crunchy style, either picked or plucked) I know I could get away with this Spark Booster and a DI box for gigging or even recording (I've used a SansAmp RBI since forever, don't fear the pedal + DI layout at all). Thanx 4 sharing! 👍👍👍

I've had some trouble trying some updates to my G1Xon. Thing is I couldn't get some bass effects in there (Bass OD, DI Plus and a couple others). They wouldn't show up and it'd hang when changing models with the up key (not the down key, it'd scroll and just show "bypass" as many times as missing bass models + 1). After 2 days of failure I realized I was using ZDL files from the MS-60B, not the B1Xon. As much as parameters are the same and the effects sound the same the ZDL files are not the same (i.e., the MS-60B's DI Plus model takes up 5 blocks space in the MS-60B while the B1Xon's takes 6). As soon as I took those effects from the B1Xon firmware everything went back to working like a charm. BTW, I'm toying with some "Royal Blood on the cheap" kinda' schemes with my Zooms. Not bad at all. Just ignore the PitchSHFT or any other and use the BA Pitch, others won't work remotely as good on bass. All details in the video. Most efficient setup (also the most effect slots available) is the MS-60B doing bass duties and the G1Xon doing the fake guitar part. But I still can use any of the 3 for any task. Just can't have guitar amps on the B3, but still, many of the included distortions/overdrives can do a decent job at that too.

A bigger body bass might be a solution. But then those come with no contours, so there's another problem, they carve a groove into your forearm. I got away with "children head saver" rubber cornering in my Star Bass. Not the best aesthetically tho'.

The firmware update shouldn't knock your existing patches down,. BUT, I've already had an "incident" with my MS-60B, after a succession of firmware updates, where it'd show the bypass sign over some pedal models (and they're turned off, as if unavailable or something). I had to factory reset my MS-60B, install the original firmware (Zoom's latest for the device) and only then update with my custom firmware, which is now working OK (version 2 in my folder, was missing the acoustic sim for guitar in my first edit with all the added guitar amps, made necessary room by "sacrificing" the MarkMid amp sim -far from my thing-). The main con of this factory reset is I had to dial in my patches from scratch (fortunately only 10 of them). I don't use no ToneLib or anything, I'm faster dialing it all in the pedal, copying from my B3 (also had to do the same to have my bass patches in the G1Xon). The caveman way of copying patches, I know, I'll eventually install the librarian and learn how to use it. Zoom's firmware updaters are mostly self-explanatory. You power on your G1on with up and down buttons pressed so that it boots in firmware update mode, then run the EXE inside Zoom's firmware update zip file. This is a video for the G1on/Xon, but applies to B1on/Xon exactly the same.

No worries man 😉 Yep, most probable case.

Unfortunately this hack is not compatible with B3/G3. That's why I was asking if I could simply convert, if needed, my whole B3 into a G3 just by installing the G3 firmware. AFAIK the hardware is identical.

Over the weekend a deal I couldn’t let pass showed up and just hours ago I picked up a G1Xon for 30€, like new, in its box and including a power supply. There was plenty of space in the firmware edition to add the basic effects I need for bass (Bass PEQ, SansAmp, AcBsPre and a handful others, less than a dozen overall). So now it's a G1Xon with the basic stuff I need there for bass, analog to my MS-60B that now has some added guitar amps in it. Love having the AUX IN so this will travel with me in a gigbag a lot. I copied a couple patches from my B3 and, besides initial need to set global/patch volumes I cannot tell a difference in tone between neither of them (B3, MS-60B, G1Xon). Because I'm working in a couple different computers I've set up a folder to have all my Zoom FX firmware tweaking resources in one place. You'll see some G3/B3 stuff I stored there too, just ignore it, it's there for my use. Totally related to this, has anyone ever tried to install G3 firmware to a B3 or viceversa? Thanks in advance.

As a software guy myself I love this kind of projects. All my respect for these wise and generous people. I can't find a way to donate to the guys behind it, is there any?

Hey everybody! I've just done the "personalized" firmware installation into my MS-60B and I love how easy you can do this. I've basically removed some useless effects (the kind of filler stuff I hate in multieffects, who in this world needs 20 flavors of choruses, reverbs, delays, the bomber or the ring modulator?) and added some guitar amps (Rectifier, JCM800&2000, Bogner, Diezel, Twin Reverb, AC30, Hiwatt) so I can have a nice array for home recording or eventual "Royal Blood on the cheap", a trick where I'd use both the B3 and MS-60B together, with the MS-60B handling the guitar part (input from B3's right output, chain of 2 pitch shifters -fixed octave up and on/off 5th above that- plus some distortion, I was using the Metal Zone emulation, now I use the Rectifier I just loaded). The information in this thread has been HIGHLY VALUABLE to me, a BIG THANK YOU guys for sharing.

New "soundclouder" here. https://soundcloud.com/andres-de-mordecai Just uploaded my latest 2 home demos (my "current generation", this is the best I've produced at home so far, detailed enough for it to be learned by the rest of the band then recorded in a real studio). Drums made in Hydrogen using a kit I've built thru' the years (anyone else still using Hydrogen?, might be out of fashion, but I've been to Addictive Drums and still prefer Hydrogen). Then imported it as layers (kick, snare, HH, stereo toms, stere OHs) into a Zoom R24 and recorded everything else in there. For bass I used either a Musicman Stingray 5 (demo 2) or a Schecter CV-5 (demo 1) thru' the R24's own multieffects (on input, SansAmp emulation and heavy compression). Used a cheapo' Tele copy for guitar (carelessly played really, pretty rough), also thru' a Boogie emulation inside the R24. Vocals (in Spanish) were recorded using my Shure SM7B. Then it all went out of the R24 and into Reaper for some editing, final mixing and "mastering" (loudness mostly).

I got it from a guy in Mallorca IIRC, back in late 2017. If you're looking for a 4 string there's a 400 in Torrevieja, Alicante, right now (gorgeous BTW, includes a case, great price). https://www.milanuncios.com/bajos/bajo-electrico-4-cuerdas-ibanez-atk-400-348637486.htm

I've owned what is the lightest and skinniest necked ATK I've ever put my hands on, a 2001 MIK ATK-405 (5 string, with extra jazz style pickup in the neck position). Body was mahogany and weight was under 4kg. Neck thickness (front to back) was slightly over 20mm at fret 1, and that's almost SDGR thin (also, I'm a Stingray5 guy and those are 20mm@fret 1). Had owned a MII ATK-305 years before that and it was heavy and neck was not bad, but chunkier as all other ATKs I've played (MANY). The tone variety is also interesting in this one. These can be had for less than 400€ 'round here (Spain), if and when one appears in the used market (haven't seen any show up for the last couple of years here).