Paolo85

1 hour ago, AngeR said:

I’m really sorry if someone is offended by from what I said. Actually, it’s just my opinion. I’m not telling that anyone that buys this bass is stupid or something… for me, doesn’t even come close to Sire (Sire are far from perfect too). 

Here’s my point:

 

- the bridge was terrible because when you hit hard the E and G strings the saddles move around, other cheap bridges don’t

 

- the neck pickup has a significant low output comparing with the bridge one (it’s like on a jazz bass you have the neck pickup at 50% and the bridge at 100%)

 

- actually, I did the setup on this bass and part of my daily work, it’s repairing guitars (setup, fret levelling, changing electronics and many other things) so I might know something 

 

Funny thing that there’s people who is offended by an opinion based on a recent exeperience. 
 

My student was really happy with the bass, for me that’s the important thing. 
 

I would buy it? Hell no! 
 

Again, that’s only my opinion. 
 

If the pickups are the same of the JB 75 (I am not sure that's the case but that would be my bet) your student really should not have that problem at all. I imagine the bass would still be within the 30 day return window, and regsrdless Thomann is likely to accept that as a defect and allow a free return/replacement at any time. By getting the bass replaced your student may even be more lucky with the bridge. I have a Wilkinson bridge with brass saddles (so I guess similar if not the same as the HB's) on a Squier Affinity P bass and never had any problem - it certainly felt sturdier than the Affinity bridge. I do not use high tension strings though

11 hours ago, AngeR said:

Today one of my students brought the purple jazz to the lesson. In my opinion, it’s a beautiful piece of crap. Looks good but sounds awful. Low output pickups, terrible bridge and not a nice tone. The neck tough it’s not bad, the binding and the fret ends are well finished. 

You certainly may be right, and tone is subjective. However, when I had a HB JB75, which I imagine would have the same pickups, I was not under the impression that outpot was low for an alnico pickup. So I wonder if there might have been a setup issue in terms of strings-pickups distance which may be affecting tone as well

1 hour ago, pete.young said:

Well I guess everything has increased in value during the current cost of living crisis, including firewood. But  a SquiER like this is still not a 400-500 quid bass. And this guy is not a salesman of any description , especially not amazing.

 

..

The bass sells for 220 though. But yes

"It's the smoothest pro neck and fretboard you'll ever touch, and the lowest Bass guitar action you will find anywhere: super-fast and smooth" is delirious and makesnit smell fishy

7 minutes ago, polvo said:

 

Might be a stupid question... but can't I just switch strings around between different basses instead of buying a new set for each bass? So if I find strings I like, test them out on different basses and then put the original strings back on if I want to sell it on?

Not stupid at all. Yes you can, I do it all the time, but they say there is a risk of deterioration.

20 minutes ago, polvo said:

 

Yeah I still don't really have a feel for this, cos I've only ever had my Tanglewood and playing on guitar shop basses for a few minutes at a time doesn't give me much sense of what's what. I'm kind of wondering if I should start picking up a few random cheap basses to try out and then resell.

 

Why not! That sounds like fun

However, it can be time consuming and expensive. Two of the most important factors in how a bass sounds and feel are strings and setup.

I personally think each bass should be given a good chance, which means a good set of strings and a good setup. If you sell without trying this you maybe age giving away a great bass for no good reason.

Strings cost, and setups do cost unless you do it yourself (which I strongly reccomend).

(Now, what a good set of string is  that's another rabbit hole. I have spent more money in trying different strings than in basses, and it was worth it from my point of view).

So at least I would not go 100% random and get a bass that you read very good things about from many people. Which likely means going for a "mainstream" name (maybe Yamaha, Ibanez, Sire have a reputation for making good cheap basses), which is not necessarily the best thing in general but a good heuristic if one does not want to do a lot of research. And I would really try to make a list of what are your favourite player's basses and see if you see a pattern there. If say it turns out the majority plays a P bass, then get a cheap P bass.

15 minutes ago, kodiakblair said:

Pickups are simple things,

I would disagree  Yes, pickups are a simple technology, but different pickups clearly do sound different so any time something is different it can be subjectively ranked - and there tend to be collective patterns (not rules, just patterns).

Obviously, there is no rule stating that one should prefer the sound of a vintage Fender over an Encore, it is clear that a good setup makes a massive difference. Much like for wine, we may have different feelings about the same thing on different days and depending on the context. And not very many people would bet money on which wine is which in a blind test. And equally, concluding that all wines are the same just means not having an interest in wine. Which is fine

In my opinion, if you have time and interest, it is better to do it the other way around. Basschat is an amazing resource of information on cheap basses. There are a number of youtube channels  specialised in cheap basses (LowEndLobster, BassAdvisor, Bully Thakidd to mention some). I would spend some time reading and listening, and get a sense of which bass you want. There is a big difference between buying an Ibanez SR300 and P bass. They can both be good deals but maybe one is more suitable for you than the other.

I think there are a few things you probably want to make up your mind about (eg preferred string spacing, type of pickups - P, JJ... - , is weigh important for you, active/passive, do you want a slim neck?) before buying. A good tip in general is buying a bass that is kind of similar to the basses used by your favourite players.

Once you have a sense of what sort of bass you like (maube you identify 2 to 4 similar basses that you may like), then just keep an eye on the market until a good one pops up.

If I have to buy a second hand bass, ideally I like to buy from an active member of Basschat. Gives me more confidence than a total rendom guy.

There are a couple of things that are important for me and I often ask about: action, weigh, balance/neck dive. Two otherwise identical basses are likely to have a slightly or significantly different fretwork, and may have different weigh/balance.

The problem is that the definition of "low action" is subjective and also depends on string and touch so there is always a chance to be disappointed.

Another thing I always ask about is wether the truss rod is fully functional. I just do not want a bass that I cannot set up with different strings. Some sellers do not play with the truss rod so there is always a risk there.

Anyway, take it easy because the good thing of an used bass bought at a good price is that you can re-sell it at a similar price. Unless you get one with serious issues (truss rod not working, warped neck), in that case it would not be fair to re-sell as if they were ok

40 minutes ago, kodiakblair said:

Have to wonder though why a bass strung with flats needed a fret dress and polish after just 6 year.

 

 

I have a theory about this: fretwork in the 2 Squier Affinity PJ I have had was dreadful. One may consider spending 100-120 for a fret dress from a point of view, instead of changing bass. The problem is that it is hard to get that back at sale point so personally I preferred to improvise and file frets myself.

Other considerations: stock pickups on an Affinity PJ are not that good from my point of view so the replacements for me are certainly an improvement.

If that bass really has impecable fretwork it is worth the money in my opinion, assuming it does not have other problems (eg my Affinity PJs had limited truss rod range).

It is not however the deal of the century. Making upgrades, unless you buy stuff second hand at good prices and do some work yourself, is just not cost-effective.

There you go!

JB 62

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_jb_62_sb.htm?glp=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw5P2aBhAlEiwAAdY7dMh2F4IlN4lMpG3WHJrGHeyFahVbotuYZbNqCXvHS3gDFOxHQFu1rRoCIDAQAvD_BwE

And the MV-4JB Gotoh

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_mv_4jb_gotoh_bk.htm?glp=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw5P2aBhAlEiwAAdY7dNG5m3-ic3l7i26HKVm8lbESh8mlrj5hF-QufbjuU9Gb9g4JFRCy8xoCkCwQAvD_BwE

10 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Ah.  Are the specs otherwise similar?

Apart from aesthetic differences, I believe so. But nobody here has had a chance to play them yet

They have put on the market two different but similar series in the space of a few weeks. One £150 poplar with clover leaves, one £200 alder with gotoh Y and Wilkinson bridge

23 minutes ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

I've just compared the specs on the HB website. The JB75 is "american ash" and the new MV-4JB Gotoh is alder.  One would assume the alder bass is lighter.

FWIW, the other new jazz bass they recently released in their Standard series (the Gotoh is Deluxe) has a poplar body.

Good spot on the wood. Aesthetically I prefer the sunburst bass in the poplar series and I am not so sure I have strong opinions on tone woods yet so maybe that's still the way to go for me unless it balances badly (and it certainly would unless they have changed the neck shape significantly from the JB75fl

I think there is a very good chance I'll buy a HB J within the next few months. But I'll let others go ahead and test them first 😁 

That should be it right?

https://harleybenton.com/product/mv-4jb-gotoh-db/

Aesthetic aside, looks like the main difference with the JB75 is the gotoh tuners, unless the caramelized neck is actually roasted. Unless.. they have taken the opportunity to slim down the neck and the body and the bass has a more normal weigh. In this case, with good pickups, tuners and bridge, it would be a game changer for the price range

This is a rare case of Basschat succesfully stopping an attack of GAS!

The Sansamp Bass Driver effect in the Zoom is just great, I can't get enough. I just blend a bit in (40-50% max) with the clean signal, maybe cut the treble a bit - or if I am using a mute, keep the treble flat and add a tiny bit of Presence. I really get a sound I love!

The only downside is that for some reason if I have the blend at zero I can eq the lows but mid and treble seemingly do not do anything... I wonder if it is a bug.

This is also an example of Youtube providing bad guidance. I really did not like the Sansamp Bass Driver DI preamp in comparison videos. Part of the problem is that many people leave the Presence knob flat for a basic sound, while I believe it is boost only

1 hour ago, PaulThePlug said:

Have you tried the Aphex Punch OptComp?.. The compressors... DBX D160 and D Comp (MXR) are also worth a little look.

I do not use a compressor at this stage but I will try them. It would be good to know that I have good options

9 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

Have a play with the Zoom's Tech 21 Sans Amp and MXR DI a-likes in a patch on their own... any good?

That was very good advice! On their own I preferred the dry signal as usual. But playing along with songs with foam (sponge really) to mute the strings as I normally do lately the Tech 21 worked absolutely great - leaving eq flat. I was not expecting that!

Not sure GAS is gone though

I play very close to the neck so I definitely appreciate the problem with low tension strings. In general however I prefer low tension/stifness than the opposite. I had a very bad tendinitis years ago, and that was on my fretting hand. So I want to take good care of both hands.

Still, I do not need strings to be as soft as TIs. I mostly play flats but I have some ProSteels 45-100 on a bass and they feel super-comfortable. I can imagine a 45-105 would also be a good feeling

Hi all, I have started playing again this year after a long gap and for the time being I am a couch player. I play through a Zoom B1 Four with headphones (Audio Technica ATH-M20) with jack adapter.
I have a probably irrational itch for a preamp pedal but I am trying to understand if the arguments in favour of it for it hold so I feel better with myself if I buy it.
The Zoom has served me well so far. I have no need for effects (although I can see the case for a compressor one day) and I like the dry signal so that's what I have mostly been playing with. Recently however I have started to play with amp simulators. Some have a response that beefs up the sound of my G in a way that is smoother than just eq-ing the dry signal. I also like to be able to adjust the gain as well as the parametric mids in some amps.
Still, overall the simulators available do not get me too excited. I find that mostly I lose some clarity.


I have started looking at the Nux Lee Davis preamp pedal. I have read that a dedicated headphone out sound noticeably better than plugging headphones in the standard out with a jack adapter
I like the default amp sound for what I have heard. Good clarity and fairly transparent as a starting point, while it still cuts high frequencies a bit. There are options to import different amps and cab simulators should I change my mind about the sound. It could be the first bit of my future rig when I'll have time for a band if I buy a poweramp

However, I would be disappointed to buy it (at double the price of the Zoom) and find out I am better off with my zoom at least for home practice.
I wonder if it is true that the sound with headphones should be better with the dedicated exit. I wonder if I should expect more of amp simulators in a £130 preamp pedal compared to a £60 effect pedal.
Has does anybody have any feedback?

Thanks

On 19/10/2022 at 15:56, stewblack said:

The only thing I hope is they have sorted the weight issue. The other jazzes already on their list are boat anchors.

Given that they have the same pickups as the current Js but a poplar body, I would not be surprised if the new ones were a response to the well known criticism that the basses are too heavy.

However, my JB75fl was both heavy and a neck diver. Hope this new ones have significantly lighter necks/headstocks.

If they have sorted all this out this is likely going to be my next bass

Have a lovely bash. Unfortunately this year I cannot come, hope I can meet you at the next opportunity

You may still be able to grab them at much lowe prices (just now seen some 45 105 on amazon at less than 40). I see that Strings Direct has them at 95. These may be a new batch? There was a global shortage in the steel and alloy markets in spring that may help explain the increase. If that's the reason prices may have to go down going forward, and these will eventually be sold at a big discount (that is, a more normal price)

6 hours ago, chris_b said:

 

What basses have given you this issue?

I have noticed it specifically with 3 P basses (all Squier affinity, one 2008, two contemporary PJ), a Cort B4fl, a Harley Benton JB75, a Harley Benton HBZ2005. This may or may not have happened with other basses now sold (Sire V5, Ibanez GSR205b) I do not remember for sure but I am pretty convinced this is the case because, after playing a P for the first rime after many many years a few months ago, one of the things I noticed the most was how much I preferred the sound of the G, despite the split coil, probably because of the low mids.

I find the problem most marked for notes played close to the nut, which, looking online, seem to be the case for a lot of people.

To be clear, I am not saying the G now is unusable. It's all good for most purposes and for a lot of songs it may be good to have a G that is more snappy. As I am now looking for an almost upright sort of sound, this thinner G has become something I want to look into more

15 minutes ago, chris_b said:

If you have the same issue with the G on multiple sets of strings I'd say you had a problem with the bass, pickup or electrics.

It could be to an extent, but it also happens with different basses

23 minutes ago, miles'tone said:

The Ernie Ball Group II flats don't sound like rounds. Maybe you're thinking of the EB Cobalt flats?

Yes actually! I was thinking the cobalt! How are the Group II in the scale of thumpyness?

I actually love a simple white pickguard on a sunburst. I think it is beautiful as is