Iron1

www.solar-guitars.com check 'em out! It sounds great. At first I wasn't keen on the pickups, but after some adjustments and tone fiddling I love them. For manufacturer pickups, I don't see how you can go wrong. I don't like them quite as much as I like the Ibanez Powerspans, but they get the job done for sure.

So, I just bought the TRBX174, then put Entwistle Neodymium pickups in it (which rock, BTW) and a buddy popped up needing to sell stuff to cover unexpected bills. He made me a deal I couldn't say no to on this monster and now I have a TRBX w/Entwistle pickups for sale. It's nice & light while still feeling very substantial. Has a very fast neck that's smooth as silk. The tuning keys are a great added bonus, as the ergonomic shape makes them easier to turn (for me at least). Took me a bit of tone fiddling to dial in a fat tone, but I started with one I'd dialed in for the TRBX and ended with a tone I like even more than those Entwistles. Overall, I'm very in love with this one. I held onto the TRBX until this arrived as I wasn't sure which one I'd keep, but now that I have them both, it's a no brainer.

Well, I'm very metal, so that works for me. Haha. And, I was a huge Ibanez guy for years too (not endorsed, but very brand loyal that is) so that tidbit helps a lot. Thx! Interesting that you cite bad customer service, I've heard tons of stories of the opposite. I'm in a Solar FB group and it's almost nothing but people saying "I love this guitar" sort of stuff. Funny how two of us can gain opposite perspectives based on the good 'ole internet.

Anyone have a bass from Solar Guitars? A buddy is making me an offer I might not be able to refuse, but figured I'd see if anyone here has one and their thoughts on 'em before I pull the trigger. TIA!

I don't know about the UK, but Kreator used to be huge in the US, in the metal world at least. They were one of my faves in the late 80s/early 90s. Saw them 2 nights in a row with Coroner and wow did they put on a great show!

Wow, that's gorgeous! Checked out the tracks - great bass tone. The few I listened to were a little sleepy for me, but overall very cool stuff. Bummer it was yet another promising band killed by ego. I'm sort of in the same place but further down the road. Did albums and tours and what not back in the 90s, and now I just do the one man band thing with lots of cull/gear churn to rekindle novelty.

I definitely have a weakness for T-Birds. Some day I'll get one. Glad you love yours. Not sure how true this is, but I've always heard the only difference in a lot of Epi/Gibs is the hardware. So, with QC all over the map these days, it's easy to believe you found an Episode that's better than the Gibson equivalent. The lightness and neck feel were definitely appealing with the Spectra I checked out. I played 5 or 6 basses that day from different brands and lines and it played the best. Glad you like yours!

Slightly unusual is awesome. I've been in metal bands since the 80s and it seems these days 90% of the new stuff all sounds the same. Unusual is original. And, tell me more about the other two in this pic. Can't tell if that's a Gibson or an Epi, but it look gorgeous. And, is the other one an SR of some sort? Gorgeous Hamer! How do you like the Jackson? I almost bought one before getting my Yamaha, but the store clerk was a tool, so I went elsewhere and landed the TRBX instead. Speaking of, after some great recommendations on here, I put some Entwistle Neo pups in it and they sound massive. Still tone fiddling a bit, but here's where I am right now with it:

I looked around and didn't find a thread like this, so figured I'd start one. If you play bass in any form of metal, here's a place to chat about it. Share pix of your bass, gear, etc. Share info on what you play and what you play it through. General chat related to bass players who lay the foundation for metal of any sort. Here's my bottom end toys: 1994 Ibanez EXB445 & 2020 Yamaha TRBX164 I run them through an Axe FXII XL+ using a mixture of Mesa and Soldano amps

As a kid, Gene Simmons. As music taste matured, Cliff Burton. Today, Cliff and Jo Bench.

Not a big fan of raw wood finishes, but wow that's a gorgeous example of one done right. Congrats!

I have D'Addario XLs on both my 4- and 5-string basses and want to change them both out. The best bass player I've ever known personally swears by GHS Boomers which I've actually never had (always been a D'Addario fan) but I did get a set of Dean Markley Blue Steels a few years back I just loved. For playing metal, where I want less jangle and more boom, which would you recommend?

I got a set of Shure SRH840s for Christmas this past year and they're amazing. You can hear the bass clearly and feel it in the sides of your skull as well. And, not fake bass like Beats, but true bass. They were recommended to me by one of the best sound engineers I've met over the last 30 years as the most accurate cans he's found under $500.

Sounds like a perfect bandmate, if you ask me.

My first band the drummer and I were the least experienced/talented, and me more so than him. Fast forward 5 years and I was the most successful, then 5 years later the drummer was. As said upstream, I've been the least and most experienced in bands and I'd take the least any day of the week. I'd suggest you should be very thankful, and make sure the other bands members know it.

I always remember him just glued to that pinball machine in the Whisky. Got to the point where if I went in there and he wasn't right there it seemed odd.

Got 'em installed and set them at the same height the stock ones were set, then quickly realized they needed to be lowered quite a bit. Not quite sure I have them set at the perfect height just yet, but they are far more articulate than the stock Yamaha pups. There's also a bit of harshness to them I'm not sure I like, but that could be just further height adjustment/a little tone fiddling with my Amp Sim in my Fractal. So far, definitely happy with them. Any suggestions on perfect pickup height?

Entwistle's showed up late yesterday. Hopefully will have them installed later today! Picture added for those who haven't yet seen the monster poles on the P: Time to shake the ground!

Oooo... that's a sexy curve. I just got my Entwistle PBXN/JBXN set for my TRBX174, so if I really love them, I might try a set of those for the Ibby if the wiring doesn't get me where I want to go. If not, I do love me some Dimarzio. Thx! And, fun fact (for no one but me), Killed By Death is the song that turned me into a lifelong Motorhead fan. So much so that when I lived in H'wood and almost ran Lemmy over with my car when he was J-walking, I listened to it on hard repeat for weeks after.

I have the same one. Tons of fun to mess around with. Do you use the front interface or Axe Edit?

The EMG Selects are actually passives, so no worries on that front. Any particular ones that have a nice, thick tone you'd recommend checking into?

So, essentially I should just rewire the EMG Selects and try that? Sounds an awful lot cheaper and easier than buying more pickups.

So, is there a J style pickup you think has a tone in the same ballpark?

I believe it. Loved the sound I got with them.