Cornwall Steve

Hi Richard Regarding the mystery writing inside the cavity, my brother lived in China close to the Korean border for over a decade teaching English. He is married to a local. They speak several Chinese dialects and understand some Korean. I could forward the writing on to them if you like. They might be able to translate it or at least identify which country the writing originates from ? Cheers, Steve

Thanks Ian. I'd thought about Ampeg (along with other brands too). Never tried one. On line there seem to be so many divided opinions especially on the volume verses sound quality front and that's held me back. As a I don't gig, or even play in a band, for me sound quality is king. I just want to be able to achieve a smooth, clean sound without the muffled, muddy or distortion. Many years ago my old HH bass head driving a custom mad 1x15 reflex gave me just that but those days are long gone and it's mainstream modelling stuff now, mass produced in the PRC, and loaded with gimmicky knobs, buttons, sliders and flashing lights that IMO add to user appeal but do very little else. In short, sound is such a personal and emotive subject. We all hear things differently. We all strive for that perfect balance.

Many thanks for your reply, advice, and recommendation. I think I'm settling into the prospect of a Rumble V3 100

Wow, that's impressive 👏😳

Thank you very much for such a comprehensive 'heads up'. Plenty for me to think about and take on board. I concur with your recommendation to clear the decks and pension off the Spiders (great for wannabee teens on a tight budget but I've moved on from that now 😂) and the Ultrabasses/BXL's. It's the best bang for the buck in terms of tone quality I'm after - not Volume. I remember seeing those red lights glowing in the Rumbles's Ports. Began to think my eyes were playing up again 😂 But seriously, thank you once again Ed 👍

Thanks for that Rob. It's just the info I'm interested in. And sounds like you're another supporter of the V3 versus the older models. I think I'm leaning more towards the V3 - or perhaps a Cube 🤔😳

Thank you for your reply

Oh I see ...... that's interesting to know. Thank you 🤗👍

Interesting you propose the Roland Pete. I recently bought (another) Yamaha BB from a private seller. To allow me to try it out he put it through his Cube. I'd never played through one before and was quite taken with it. I play quite a bit of Slap and wasn't sure how well the Cube would take it (I was there to test the bass - not the amp!😂) Anyone know how well the Cube rates against the V3 Rumble for Slap? Many thanks for your suggestion Pete 👍

So I'm guessing you concur with Casapete. Both your thoughts on the older versions is interesting to my ears, especially as its so often the case with music gear that the 'new' stuff isn't as good as the 'old' how many times have we heard that said before, y'know the ole 'they don't make em like they used to'. Perhaps I'd before drop the idea of the V2 and go for the newer V3 ? Many thanks for your thoughts. Cheers

Thank you very much for posting your reply. Your advice and observations are warmly appreciated. Your thoughts too on the older V2 models is especially interesting and given me lots to think about 🤔 Cheers and thanks again 👍

Hi All I'm getting on a bit in years and don't Gig or even jam but I still love playing my basses (all twenty odd of them). Amplification wise I have three of the more powerful Behringer Ultrabass Combos plus a couple of medium output Line 6 Combos. I've accumulated these over the past few years and whilst they all work fine and deliver volume in plenty, they do so without the quality of tone or finesse I'd like. More recently I've thought about getting shot of these and replacing them with something of better quality. I'm not in the Mark Bass league I'm afraid and at pushing 70 years old and not in the best of health so little point spending hundreds of £ ! I have my eyes on Fender Rumbles (secondhand), the more powerful Combo versions so I get the EQ (to adjust settings for my 4,5,6 string Fretted and Fretless). I'm also leaning more towards the Version 2 rather than the current Version 3 (the 3's don't have a lot of visual appeal to me neither do the controls located on the top and back - I'm old school and prefer mine on the front 😂). Do any members have any experience or advice on the V2 please. And are they the Rumbles really as good as the on line postings say they are? Or am I missing a trick and would be better off with something else. Advice and suggestions welcome please 🙏 Living in a remote rural part of the Country with no decent music shops selling used or nearly new gear (unless its a five hour round trip) doesn't help 🤔! Thanks everyone

I have severe arthritis in the little finger of my left hand. So much so that a couple of years ago it started to cease being straight and align with the ring finger next to it. As it got worse (and the knuckle more painful) my little finger elected to head off in a different direction and folded underneath the ring finger next to it. As time went on I began to lose the use of it and it started to get in the way too. I'm right handed so my accuracy on the fretboard started to diminish with a useless little finger waving around as my left hand moved up and down the neck. More recently I've been through the investigation process and very soon I have an appointment with a hand consultant at my local hospital to discuss amputation or permanent fusion. Should make playing bass (and keyboards) interesting !😂

Hi Good morning Thank you very much for sharing the data on Dean Edge fretless basses, which is very helpful and informative. My apologies for not responding sooner. Thanks Steve

Hi Lemmywinks Very many thanks for the info 👍

Well, the one nearest to where I live, and prefer out of the two, is simply described as an 'Edge' and is a kinda blue-green colour in the photo looking almost teal. For the £250 price tag I can't imagine it's terribly brilliant quality however the headstock says its made in Korea (by Cortek perhaps?)

Does anyone own or has played one of these? Are they any good ? Where I live it's slim pickings for choice when it comes to picking up a half decent 5 string fretless at a reasonable price however a couple of Dean's have recently come up for sale within driving distance. I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts please 🤔 Thanks

Yes, I've seen it too. It's a really lovely bass and top notch too however, unfortunately, my budget won't stretch to the price (plus costs to get it from Falkirk to Cornwall), hence focusing on the more affordable 425x

Hey Terry, no it wasn't, unfortunately. My own fault. Twice I tried negotiating with Andertons thinking that as a returning customer (having previously bought 3 basses from them - two of which were brand new) they might have knocked a few quid off their asking price, and I guess I was a bit pissed off when they said 'No'. I was also put off a bit with their replies when I was simply trying to learn a bit more about the bass. I didn't feel that unreasonable considering I was chucking 400 quid on the basis of seeing a handful of photos. Still, by hesitating I lost out. So I only have myself to blame. 😥 So the search continues. And I've learnt my lesson !

That's very interesting to read and food for thought. Thank you 👍

Yep, with you on that one mate. I much prefer the older BB's to the present ones As for the AFR5, the number of times I've bought basses on-line only to be disappointed when they arrive and plug 'em in. Like you say, basses I never needed in the first place. Nicely put ....... trouble is there are just too many out there needing a good home 😳 plus I'm a sucker for a bit of retail therapy too. Made worse by retirement and too much time on my hands !😂 All the best.....

Hi Terry, makes me realise how much I'm missing out living so far away from civilisation - Still the beaches here are nice ! 😂 I've been in touch with Andertons again today to try and obtain a bit more info on their secondhandhand White BB425x. I didn't so I still think it's a bit on the high side - and they won't drop a penny. I've tried researching as much info as I can to find out if the 1025x is really worth the extra premium over the 425x. Seems those in the know have divided opinions 🤔 Actually Terry I quite like the735a. I know many have a lot to say about the capabilities of the 735 - or rather lack of. I've had a go on the 735a (at the Yamaha store in the West End) but never even held a 425 or a 1025 so no idea how they compare 🤔 Are you disappointed the AFR5 has gone ?😔