neepheid Posted August 17 Posted August 17 6 hours ago, Obrienp said: Ahhhh! I decided to take one for the team and just ordered a Hartwood Satellite from G4M. Couldn’t resist the GAS. I’ve gone for the blue (like the one Bass the World tested). They had a nearly new one for £30 off and I wondered if that was the bass that Bass the World tested. I was tempted, because Gregor said the frets were perfect but I decided to take a risk on this being a Hartwood feature (just jinxed myself) and to get the full 3 year warranty, so ordered a new one. I will let you know what I think of it in due course. I suspect I will end up changing some parts: I can’t resist tinkering with cheap basses. The bridge might not be a straightforward upgrade because it looks like it has only got a mounting screw at each corner, rather than the ubiquitous Fender 5 screw mounting. The pickup might just be swapped for a Tone Rider; possibly a Duke. +1 for the Duke, was sounding great last night in my Fazley Hot Rod. Also consider the Entwistle PBXN (Modern) if you fancy a brighter, more "modern" sounding pickup with plenty of output. Just watch out for those super strong magnets - don't pull them apart, slide them apart - the magnets can be stronger than the glue sticking them to the pickup itself... 2 Quote
BassApprentice Posted August 21 Posted August 21 (edited) Another option for all you medium scalers - Gretsch CVT Electromatic. Looks cool for around £500 Edited August 21 by BassApprentice 5 Quote
Obrienp Posted August 21 Posted August 21 2 hours ago, BassApprentice said: Just for another option for all you medium scalers - Gretsch CVT Electromatic. Looks cool for around £500 Nice but quite steep for what is not much more than an extra 2” on a G2220 neck and a modified body shape. Good to have another reasonably priced medium scale around though. 2 Quote
Obrienp Posted August 21 Posted August 21 Which reminds me, I was going to do a NBD report on the Hartwood Satellite bass. I will get round to it soon, complete with photos but immediate impressions are favourable. The neck is really good for a budget bass: pretty well what Bass the World’s Gregor said. Good fret finishing, nice roast maple neck, heel wheel truss rod adjustment, even the laurel fret board is OK, although a little dry, which was easily fixed with a some lemon oil. I took it to my local luthier for a new bass inspection and he recut the nut, which was too high and did a few tweaks to truss rod and saddles. It plays great now. It balances OK on a strap, although mine are all grippy, so other mileage might be different. Certainly nothing like as bad as say a Squier Jaguar H. The pickup is a bit odd: less output on the bottom string but strong on the two middle strings (low mids centric like Gregor said). Slightly disappointing, so I have ordered a Tone Rider Duke. More to follow, when I have time to do the NBD report. 3 Quote
fretmeister Posted August 28 Posted August 28 Just in case - I have listed 2 medium scale Ibanez basses in the classifieds (I have paid my subs!). A 4 string and a 5 string. Both in great condition. In the unlikely event that someone wants them both I'm sure a deal can be done! Quote
fretmeister Posted August 28 Posted August 28 That's lovely! The website people need flogging though. Can't spell "D'addario" properly. No nut width or bridge spacing information either. 1 Quote
Chienmortbb Posted August 28 Posted August 28 6 minutes ago, fretmeister said: Can't spell "D'addario" properly. Many people cannot say it properly. 2 1 Quote
Obrienp Posted August 29 Posted August 29 16 hours ago, andyonbass said: Any thoughts on these? Chowny NT-5 Are they still in business? They seem to come and go, moving production around. Wasn’t it meant to be coming back to the UK? Perhaps that is why there is a 12 week delivery time. I imagine that is going to be quite heavy given the neck through design but always good to have another medium scale on the block. This one is serious money though, so I would definitely want to try it before buying. 2 Quote
Obrienp Posted August 30 Posted August 30 For a bit of balance, not everyone likes the Hartwood Satellite. I have to admit the sound is probably a bit marmite but then he seems to have only tried it with the horrible OEM strings: Quote
Obrienp Posted October 1 Posted October 1 Latest iteration of the Heartwood Satellite: I can’t help but tinker. It’s now got a DiMarzio DP145 Will Power humbucker in it with a coil tap switch. I think it looks the part and sounds huge. 8 Quote
ezbass Posted October 1 Posted October 1 34 minutes ago, Obrienp said: Latest iteration of the Heartwood Satellite: I can’t help but tinker. It’s now got a DiMarzio DP145 Will Power humbucker in it with a coil tap switch. I think it looks the part and sounds huge. It really does have that ‘50s/‘60s bass of the future look. 1 Quote
JohnDaBass Posted October 1 Posted October 1 4 hours ago, Obrienp said: Latest iteration of the Heartwood Satellite: I can’t help but tinker. It’s now got a DiMarzio DP145 Will Power humbucker in it with a coil tap switch. I think it looks the part and sounds huge. OMG that is truly something to behold.. Wonderful, quirky, and probably sounds awesome. Congratulations on your superb new baby, enjoy 👏👏👏 1 Quote
Obrienp Posted October 2 Posted October 2 27 minutes ago, wrinkleygit said: As for a 32” scale, there is only one !!! For those of us not in the know, what is it? Quote
wrinkleygit Posted October 2 Posted October 2 Somewhere in the “build threads “ search for -semi hollow fretless , it’s a well documented build by the genius known as Jabba the Gut . 3 Quote
Merton Posted 11 hours ago Posted 11 hours ago Now down to 4 basses in my stable, two medium scale ACGs (below), a short scale ACG and short scale Conway Instruments fretless. Ever since Alan built me my first 32” bass back in 2014/5 it’s felt like “home”, and after several iterations as I played around with different shapes, woods and pickups, earlier this year he built me what I can only describe as the most perfect bass for me - the 5 string RetroB (see here). I’ve thoroughly enjoyed gigging her all summer and got to thinking how comfortable I find the RetroB shape both seated and standing, and how much I love the RFB pickup in the bridge position (essentially an ACG take on an MM). So I commissioned a 4 string version. It’s less exotic - no fancy top wood and accent veneer, no blocks in the board - but it’s scratched an itch I’ve had for years about having a black/maple bass whilst also giving me the shape and tones I am after. So these are my medium scale siblings now and I really can’t see anything making me want to change them. 10 Quote
Chienmortbb Posted 11 hours ago Posted 11 hours ago On 02/10/2025 at 18:52, Obrienp said: For those of us not in the know, what is it? The mighty Gut. 1 1 Quote
HotelX Posted 6 hours ago Posted 6 hours ago (edited) CC51DAF8-69AA-4C34-9454-3F35B8DEF946_1_201_a.heicHere's my Kelvin Daly 32" bass, currently my main player. Kelvin worked for Carl Thompson for quite a while. My favorite detail is the scroll headstock. Edited 6 hours ago by HotelX 2 Quote
Frank Blank Posted 5 hours ago Posted 5 hours ago On 02/10/2025 at 18:24, wrinkleygit said: As for a 32” scale, there is only one !!! This is very true, but as I have returned back to long scale (for fretted at least) I think my fretted Jabba spalted bass (which is almost identical to @wrinkleygit's) will be on sale very soon. 1 Quote
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