thodrik

I got into Graveyard by their third album, so that is pretty late for me. I got into Isis (the band, not the terrorist group) pretty much right after they split. I got really into the Joshua Tree era U2 material a few years ago, despite really not liking anything else they have released. Recently, despite having a 'if it isn't Peter Green era or Rumours it isn't Fleetwood Mac' attitude, I have really started to appreciate the 1980s Fleetwood Mac stuff.

The Warwick pricing means that their Sadowsky Masterbuilt 'limited run' production basses are in many cases more expensive than one off, custom built NYC single cut basses which are still being built by Roger Sadowsky and his team. A look on the 'recently sold' section of the Sadowsky site reveals a number of single cut basses which were on average about $1,000 cheaper than the Warwick limited edition. For example, just on the Sadowsky site is this single cut for the price of $6,950: Granted, the woods on the above NYC are not as exotic as the Warwick Masterbuilt basses, however, when it is possible to order/buy a Sadowsky built by Roger Sadowsky for a lower price point (and a considerably lower price point compared to the $10k plus models), it does raise a few eyebrows. It is a tricky one for Warwick, as if one of their craftsmen/women spends the same amount of hours on a Sadowsky Masterbuilt as they do on a Masterbuilt Thumb or Streamer, (which generally are sold at similar prices to the Sadowsky Masterbuilt line) then the prices will need to be charged by Warwick accordingly for the time spent on them by the craftsmen involved. The prices are eye-watering, but Warwick have been charging similar fees for their limited Masterbuilt runs of Warwick basses every year, so I would guess there is a market for them. As it is, I love Les Paul guitars but I just don't like single cut basses.

Wes Scantlin has had personal problems for well over a decade. Having seen videos of previous meltdowns, on stage rants, bad lip-syncing and heard first hand stories of disastrous behaviour on their UK tour in 2016, I have never been able to watch the video as I felt like making fun of it would be just kicking a guy when he is already down. In terms of the band, a few tracks on the first album were alright, but it was very much safe, highly polished post-grunge stuff and didn't leave much of a lasting impression on me as a teenager.

However, in many cases the more expensive Masterbuilt by Warwick basses are actually more expensive than the Sadowsky's built by Roger Sadowsky in NYC. I think that this is a short term anomaly, on account I think that the general ideas is for the the Masterbuilt by Warwick line tofully replace the NYC Sadowsky range when Roger Sadowsky himself actually retires.

I have the Ditto X2. It is fine and is fairly transparent. The new plus version is really good. The X2 though takes up quite a lot of pedal board real estate, but to me it is worth it for a designated 'start' and 'stop' buttons! I did a loop on a recent album where I had a bass tuned to drop C and there was no issues in terms of transparency or loss of bass signal when I was recording and the signal chain for that was just bass - Flashback X4 - Ditto - interface. Sounded great, apart from the actual playing.

Exactly, I am a hypocrite! Apologies, I had a half finished thought that I posted before finishing because I was called away on my lunch break at work. Essentially, while it is nice to receive an instrument that has been given a full set up before being shipped, I think that this should be considered as a bit of an 'unexpected bonus' rather than an expectation from a retailer. This is entirely correct.

It really is disappointing to hear. The two Sadowskys I have (2009 Metro, 2009 NYC) are exceptional. I understand that the Metro Express basses are made to a lower price point. However, for £700+ there have been far more QC issues than you would expect for a bass at that price point. The concerning thing however is the variety of different QC issues, weight, standard of finishing, electronics, set up etc. The fault of the set up might be partly down to the retailer. However, we cannot expect a retailer to give every instrument they receive a full set up. Particularly, Guitar Guitar, who probably would need about a dozen members of staff just to do set ups of the Gibsons they receive, let alone the basses they get. In comparison, my nephew bought entry level 5 string Sire from Andertons that was 'B- Stock' but was delivered fully set up in with a new set of strings. Needless to say I tried it and considered the bass to utterly exceptional for the price point. I think that someone at Andertons at twigged that this was a 'first bass' purchase by a 12 year old and had gone above and beyond to get the bass ready from the get go, despite it being a low value purchase.

Both gorgeous but I am very biased towards Sadowsky and both my Sadowskys are sunburst with maple necks... The figuring on the Fodera neck is very nice too though...

Hulk Hogan plays bass and used to act in films that were probably much worse than his bass playing. Jason Momoa is a keen bass player as well.

Great review. I have been seen considering the Teambuilt Thumb 6 for a while now. I really don’t need a six string but if I did a Warwick would be right at the top of the list.

Those Yerasov pedals look really cool.

I essentially use the AO as a clean preamp to add mids back into the signal to counteract the scoopiness of the B3K! Not recorded with the AO yet. Did a stoner/doom album lately with my signal essentially being the Walkabout combo with the B3K.

I really don’t like the first Red Hot Chili Peppers album but I really like the George Clinton produced Freaky Styley. Bleach by Nirvana is probably my favourite Nirvana album. It is also widely critically acclaimed so not one I would think is easily dismissed as a stinker. Also, I dislike all four of the first Pantera albums pre Cowboys from Hell!

I really really wish that they would do a wooden walnut style finish of the modern Vigier basses. I would love a walnut finished Excess.

Sadowsky NYC 5 or Vigier Arpege 5 Elixirs Nickel set 130-132 (both tuned 'up' to drop B Karnivool style but on five strings rather than six); or Sadowsky Metro with Roto 100-40 stainless steels (standard tuning); or Vigier Excess tuned to C sharp sabbath tuning/drop B with Elixirs 130-50; or Fender Precision tuned to D standard/Drop C with D'addario Nickel set 120-50; or (probably not but maybe) 1974 Gibson EB3 with Elxir stainless steel 105-45 (standard tuning) Generally I play fingerstyle but I have been playing with a pick more in lockdown. Cable Boss Tuner - TU3 Darkglass B3K or made by my mate GCI Bass Brutalist Darkglass Alpha Omega or TC Electronic Flashback X4 My mate's DIY clone or an Earthquaker Hummingbird Tremolo TC Ditto X2 Keeley Bassist Compressor cable into any one of Mesa Big Block 750: or EBS Fafner; or Trace Elliot V6; into a Mesa Powerhouse 6x10 (I have a heavily soundproofed garage and I am careful with the volume!); or when I being sensible my Mesa Walkabout 1x15 combo.

Exactly. 'Soundguy acceptance factor' is a big deal. I mean, if the soundperson has the view of 'I just want to use a DI box into the front input of the amp' it is difficult enough to negotiate the use of my own DI from my head, let alone trying to get them to (a) mic up my cab or (b) run a slave output to the back of my amp which runs into my own personal external DI box. Items (a) and (b) are needed to make the most of the immense tone of a valve amp with no DI attached, however in the soundperson's defence, sometimes they just do not have time to do (a) or (b) given time pressures between changeovers etc. Not all big valve amps have a DI. I'm pretty sure Matamps don't have a DI either but I might be wrong.

While those tactics are highly effective it still requires more items of gear that you would not need if the amp had a DI built in to it in the first place. I mean it is not an absolute deal breaker and it is an awesome amp irrespective, but I generally like an amp to have a DI with a pre/post EQ option.

There is also the English Muff'n and EBS Valvedrive, both of which actually have valves. I have both and confirm that they work well with active basses. Both take up a lot of pedalboard real estate though!

The Aguilar Agro worked great with my Sadowsky Metro. It worked great on low gain settings. It does seem to lack (in my opinion) a bit of low end 'oomph' compared to the Darkglass pedals, so I used to run the Aguilar with my old Tech 21 Sansamp Bass Driver. That was a great mix. However to my ears the Aguilar has a much more natural and less fizzy sound than the Darkglass, despite it not having a blend control. On low gain settings the Agro does a terrific 'clank' as if you are driving an amp to breaking point. I have a Darkglass B3K at the minute, which definitely delivers more low end grunt than the Agro. It is fairly fizzy, even on low gain settings but it most definitely works with active basses.

I moved on my M6 because it was so loud and clean and I wanted something I could dial in a bit of preamp dirt at useable volumes like I could with the Walkabout. I ended up with the Mesa Big Block with is probably the dirtiest, most valvey hybrid head I have tried. The EQ on the Big Block is fairly agricultural compared to the Walkabout or the M6, as the Big Block only really does 'one sound' which is generally a mid heavy, gritty, grindy rock tone. Luckily that is the exact sound I am looking for. You can kind clean up the sound by backing off the gain but it just does not achieve that wide open clean sound of the M6. However, I already had an EBS Fafner which could do the same kinda tone as the M6 but had a more forgiving volume taper! Though back to the actual thread I would have bought the Orange AD200 several times over it had actually had a DI! I really like the Orange guitar amps as well and have been after one of the discontinued Thunderverb heads for a while.

I might do this but I have essentially migrated to Bias for my go to ‘laptop’ guitar sounds.

Surely if the bass player is capable of playing quickly enough to reach the 'gold' standard of BPM expected of professional bassists that is excitement enough?

Well if you are fan of movie soundtracks and don't play with a pick, then to be a respected professional you will need a Goldfinger capable of playing to 104 BPM... https://songbpm.com/@shirley-bassey/goldfinger

Gold by Spandau Ballet has a BPM of 143, so this is the correct answer in terms of finding the 'Gold' standard. https://getsongbpm.com/song/gold/mwMVME

After 40+ years, the 'good ones' will be the ones that were owned by people who generally looked after them and gave the basses a regular set up, rather than how many cosmetic dings the bass has. I think that the overdone 'relic jobs' of modern basses give some people unrealistic expectations of how much wear and tear you actually should expect to see on a 40 year old an instrument when the instrument hasn't been periodically attacked by a belt sander.