Jolltax

The IEM thread is a bit overwhelming, lol, I decided not to add this to it - but I have read the first section and was hoping for some advice, I have been playing 4 years (but 58 yo), and just started rehearsing with a local band which is amazing / brilliant fun. They rehearse in a small room and play very loudly (to me), at times I can't hear what I am playing and I quite worried about hearing damage. I have bought some Fender Musician Series Ear Plugs for our next session. The band mostly play through their own speakers / cabs and I am standing right next to mine which makes it even more difficult to hear. Is there a standalone / self contained solution whereby I can have my bass, some ambient sound so I can hear what the band are playing into IEM's which allow me to control the volume and what I am hearing but still hear my bass in the mix. I read the 'bible' at the beginning here and see that potentially the Zoom H6 or similar might be the ticket with built in mikes - is that right? Can it be combined with wired or wireless IEM's - could anyone suggest something suitable? I don't mind spending some money but it looks like it will cost enough to not want to make a wrong purchase! I would be very grateful for some advice on what will work well. EDIT : The more I read about wireless IEM's the more scary (and expensive) it gets. I'm going to buy some wired IEM's and a Behringer P2 just to see if I can get used to it first, maybe I'll be able to hear enough noise through the IEM's to avoid the need for additional mikes and mixing etc etc Thank you J

From an engineering point of view - I think multiscale headless basses make sense to me as a way of optimising string length and balance and I wanted to try a 5 string - that pretty much narrows it down to the Ibanez EHB series! My research suggested the Nordstrand pickups were the way to go hence the 1505 series. I was lucky enough to be able to try an EHB 1005 at the Guitar show in Solihull and this really gave me the confidence to place an order. After a few days of messing about with it, here are my impressions and initial thoughts : It's very comfortable, superlight and the headless system means it is very well balanced As some others have said - the way the back is profiled means that the bass naturally sits on the strap slanted slightly upwards (towards the ceiling). Its not a huge deal, but I think I would have preferred it to sit parallel to my body. I'm still getting used to the multiscale fretboard but its not as dramatic a change as I thought it would be. Scan set the bass up for me and it has very nice low action, just like the one at the Guitar show, maybe they are all like that! Loads of output and many different sounds from the pickups and pre-amp, also sounds great in passive mode, B string seems quite well defined to my ears. The bass is silent, seems to have almost no noise, nice. I find tuning on the headless bridge to actually be easier and more accurate, the knurled knobs make fine adjustment easy I think the build quality is OK, but could be better. In the pictures if you zoom in you can see the finish has a lot of wood imperfections / unfilled grain holes on the body and the neck - I am not experienced enough to know whether this was done intentionally but it is not an aesthetic I enjoy, to my eye it looks sloppy and indicates a lack of attention to detail The neck is very nice, I have very little experience on 5 strings but it seems surprisingly thin and I like the fact that there is still reasonable string spacing. I think I would have preferred Dunlop straplocks but the Shaller ones are OK if a bit fiddly After one sitting I performed the mod on the locking jack, removing the spring, suggested by @fretmeister and others on here, the jack release was way to difficult to operate without removing the bass and messing about, hated it The neck dots, as many others have mentioned are pathetic and hardly visible under subdued lighting after a few minutes So far so good, not withstanding my niggles I am still very happy with the bass, especially the weight, balance and ergonomics making it so comfortable to hold and play ..... J

I've also been under weather since the show with a sore throat and generally feeling crap, haven't turned the corner yet either, grrr people and their diseases

I had a great time there today, it was mostly guitars but there was certainly enough bass stuff, as a newb I got a chance to try a lot of stuff I have never seen before, here are some of my impressions : The Ibanez EHB basses at Scan were an absolute a bargain, apparently they were B stock but were selling £200 below retail and as far I could see were new i.e. I think they might have been demonstrators. Unfortunately fortunately they didn't have an EHB1505MS PLF which the one I have my eye on. I got a chance to have a play though and it has really sold me on getting one, loved headless / multi-scale concept @Manton Customs there with his beautiful creations I liked the ACGuitars basses also, some beautiful finishes https://acguitars.co.uk/ Picked up another Pinegrove strap at a show discount, they are great My first ever time playing Yamaha basses, the BB they had was lovely, had such a nice tone and felt great in the hand, lovely neck - online and in photos I never liked the looks but in reality they were really nice, added to bucket list Had a really cool chat with the luthier who makes these https://www.fidelity-guitars.co.uk/ - his whole aesthetic concept of re-imagining catalogue guitars / basses from the 60's but making them with high quality materials is awesome, all the components are custom he has his own bridges made by CnC - really cool, was such an interesting guy I saw (but did not bother) Cici (from Cici bass YT channel and Andertons videos) and also the dude from Crimson guitars (is it Ben?) Was excited about seeing Sandberg basses, but couldn't find them sadly One further slightly more depressing point, standing in the queue and looking around the venue the attendees were overwhelmingly middle aged (and that's being generous), sign of the times I suppose. @Richard R I think its fair to say there were certainly a lot of metally looking people and things there Will be back next year, was great fun

Good point, I will bring some pocket money and I'll wear a badge just in case a fellow BCer wants me to bore the pants off them J

I'll be there on Saturday, probably aim to spring out of bed early and be there at the start - hoping to ignore all the guitars and try some multiscale basses and saying hi to @Manton Customs Looking forward to it, should I leave my wallet at home?

Would love to see pictures get your feedback, perhaps a NBD thread incoming? I too am looking at these basses as with the cessation of Enfield production they seem the only vendor currently producing basses specced with them (?), although I think I saw Robin use one in one of his custom builds @Manton Customs I am seeing him on Saturday and I might ask him about them then as I am sure that would also be a good option! Regards J

Looks really nice, very kind offer, thank you but probably a bit far for me

Looks fab, I have seen your For Sale - surely a bargain, unfortunately fretless not on my RADAR at the moment

I think the Sims Quad-Sim pickup system looks really cool and as I am considering buying a bass fitted accordingly I was interested in hearing forum members experiences of the pickup system. It seems almost too good to be true if it can do a good impression of precision, jazz and other basses. I found very little on Enfield basses in searching these forums. I am also curious, if it works as well as it appears, why is it still a niche product? My guess it is that there is some kind of compromise on sound, any thoughts or experiences? I am also really keen to know which builders are recommended for high quality basses which can be supplied with these pickups, I was really disappointed to see that the Enfield line of basses appear to have been discontinued, I particularly like the Enfield Avenger II. I am aware of the Bass Centre Power Basses, do you have any other recommendations? Cheers Jolltax In the unlikely event that any readers are not aware of the pickup system, here is a good video showing how it works

hello @Greenguitarman I am a relative newbie (been learning bass almost 3 years). I wanted a bass combo (amp with built in amp) to use for practice and also to take to places and play with others, so enough guts to play along with a drummer in a small venue but I can carry with one hand. My budget is £300. I just pushed the button and blind-purchased on a Fender rumble 100 from Scan Computers . Might seem an unusual choice of vendor, I chose Scan because I use them a lot for IT equipment and they have always given me fantastic customer service. I decided against second hand as wanted something with a warranty and these Rumble amps seem to be universally loved and have overwhelming positive feedback generally on the internet and fits my budget. Most others on this thread have far more experience than me, but it feels like the 'safe' option based on what I have seen. I am waiting for it to be delivered and I will let you know! J

I ordered a cable and will give it a go and feedback, I'm worried about noise - we'll see how it goes, thanks!

Sorry I didn't explain it very well. I normally practice through the amp and using my speaker / cab (photo) - sounds great When I want to use my DAW I plug directly into the interface - the pc speakers are weak What I am hoping to do is to use my amp / speaker combo to play bass as normal, and simultaneously connect the DI out to my computer via the interface so I can record without using a mike J

Hi, Quick question : Can I connect the DI out from my Warwick Gnome Pro head unit into my PC audio interface, this way I can use my EQ on my head unit and maybe also play out loud if want whilst still recording on my PC? I currently either plug my bass into the head unit and play through my cab OR plug my bass into my PC audio interface and record using my DAW. Trouble is my PC speakers can't really handle the bass and sound terrible. The amp has USB and is supposed to be able to function as an audio interface but this doesn't work so I don't use it, I just noticed my head unit has a DI out on the back described in the manual as 'post EQ' (photo attached) I would have to get an XLR to 6.3 mm male guitar jack cable like this one - would this work? I don't want to blow anything up .... J

I think this is quite exciting, I tried a Sterling Sub Stingray 4 HH recently in a shop and was not impressed with the build quality, was priced locally at £469.99. As an owner of a Sire M2 I am a fan of their stuff and feel like these might make a better budget option, especially with the extra jazz pickup. Originally thought they weren't for me, even though I love the sound, but I picked up a 90's Stingray with a very slim neck last year whilst visiting someones house and really liked it and it completely changed my mind. Which StingRays have the jazzy neck vs chunky? I dunno ..... Regarding the Sire Z7, a little disappointed the neck is not slimmer, although i understand this is entirely personal preference, if they bring out a version with a neck like the one on my M2 (38mm) and once we confirm it can do a good impression of a Stingray growl, I will deffo get one This clip suggests it sounds pretty good!

I tried the same thing and even with the so-called aptX low latency bluetooth I found it to be impossible, the latency made it unplayable and drove me nuts As mentioned above the only headphones, which I know of, which allow wireless bass playing are the Boss Waza ones - these do work but in my opinion are expensive for what they are (although I know some people rate them highly) Good luck J

Hi @Bass Novice, welcome, I wonder how long before you need a new name on here I am also a learner (started in lockdown) and live near the Welsh borders in Tenbury Wells, just curious how you are learning - taking lessons? Personally I have found online lessons very helpful but also thrashing along to tunes on YouTube/Spotify, for the first year or so I played exclusively through my PC using a Focusrite 2i2 and through headphones but eventually got a head unit and cab - I found playing out loud made things a lot more enjoyable (other family members might be a bit more neutral on that, lol) J

HI @creamsoda - Welcome to the forums! I wonder if a separate post / thread outside the introduction area might get you more feedback on your app? J