neil___lien Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 (edited) Dear Fellaz & Felazettes of the BassChat World! i have my eyes on one of those BTB basses on the second hand market here, but i have a couple of questions before i pull the trigger. i was wondering if maybe U bass-savvy guys could help me. - The logo on the bass head is gone. Seller blames it on the fact that those BTBs are made in Indonesia, - He replaced the knobs with Jazz bass knobs, - He says he replaced the electronics with Electronic DELANO Active/Passive with Sonar 3MS/E EQ (the PUs are the original Bartolinis, - The ramp has been custom made & drilled into the body by a "luthier", what do U think of that? Here are the pictures: Do U think i should get it? The price is a bit above what my budget & the drilled ramp is a bit of a disappointment, but other i don't get to see them pop up on my radar that often... Whaddya think? Thanks for Ur help! Edited December 9, 2019 by outtaseezun typos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cribbin Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 I can't believe a luthier did that. The grain's not even running the same way as the rest of the guitar .... IF, I was interested, those hideous pieces of wood would have to come off first and see what damage, if any is hidden below. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 Jesus... All ramps look awful but that’s particularly bad. As above I’d get those monstrosities off and see what the damage was underneath before even considering how much the other modifications have reduced the value of this bass... 😕 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 It’s a nice bass and I could live without the headstock decal , but removing the ramp will definitely leave noticeable holes in the body, which for me would be a no. I would wait for the right one that you’re happy with 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil___lien Posted December 9, 2019 Author Share Posted December 9, 2019 Thanks guys! i have never played with ramp. I don't think they look ugly in general, but it's true that the fact that it has been drilled into the body of the bass, the fact that i covers the lower horn and also the fact that i just noticed they drilled another hole in the back to put a strap knob... i guess i could use all those elements to bring the price into my budget (which is 500€, the asking price is 590€) but i don't know anything about those changes they've also made on the electronics. Or even if a decal can just fall from a headstock as he claims happened.. i don't think i'll ever find one of these for this price, so i could live with those flaws in my only "expensive" bass. But i was scanning the lovely crowd of basschat to see if U knew anything about the electronics he mentioned and the decal thing. Please let me know if U do! Thanks for the replies so far: U guys would've managed to talk me out of it, if only i could afford the next one on the second hand market lol... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahambythesea Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 I think it’s horrible, especially with the ramps. My guess that it will be really difficult to sell on when your fed up with it! I bet the ramps are adding a lot weight to an already heavy bass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil___lien Posted December 9, 2019 Author Share Posted December 9, 2019 i hadn't thought about the weight! But i already play a Harley Benton BZ-6000. Is there anything heavier than that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 I’m sure someone will be along soon to advise on the electronics, there’s some pretty knowledgeable people here 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil___lien Posted December 9, 2019 Author Share Posted December 9, 2019 Haha thanks! That's exactly why i turn to U guys! i know U know things i don't know! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Aesthetics aside for a moment, can you try it before you buy? If it's a slightly butchered but plays well and sounds good, maybe it's worth €500? The changes to the electronics might not be for the worse, but I'd probably change the jazz control knobs. As for the ramps... Maybe you'll like them. Maybe not. Lots of options there; Take them off and attempt to fill the holes Replace them with more sympathetic-looking items Leave them on, but at least use some darker screws! If you can check it out in person and it turns out to be good, maybe go for it. Otherwise, I think I'd pass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil___lien Posted December 10, 2019 Author Share Posted December 10, 2019 Hello! Thanks for Ur reply! Here's my situation: i live in Spain now, but used to live in Paris, so i still receive notifications from the second hand market there. i'm visiting my family there over Xmas & that bass is like 3/4 hours away from Paris (i know in which region the seller lives, but not the exact city). i don't have a car there, which means i would have to borrow a car, and drive there & back in the same day. So if i go there, i want to make sure that it's worth it. i've found a couple of videos about the Delano Sonar 3MS/E, so that's good. I don't think it is a huge improvement over the stock thing, but whatever. And yeah, i will definitely go back to the original knobs, and the seller is including them with the bass. Also, on another forum which shall remain nameless, another bassist brought up things i hadn't seen: the elbow corner of the bass has been levelled away, & it's true that it doesn't even look like the BTB846SC-DTL version of the bass, or the other BTBs, it just looks weird. The person thinks that for this woodwork job they had to sand the rest of the finish of the bass (hence the vanishing of the decal thing) to refinish it. Here is a photo reference sent to me by that bassist on the other forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil___lien Posted December 10, 2019 Author Share Posted December 10, 2019 (edited) Okay well apparently he sold the bass last night to someone else. Thanks a lot for Ur answers though... Edited December 11, 2019 by outtaseezun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binky_bass Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Good. You dodged a bullit there in my opinion! €500 is enough to get a decent 6 string on the second hand market. Look at eBay, a few weeks ago I got a Yamaha TRB6P for £400, there are very good deals to be had if you are patient and keep your eyes open! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil___lien Posted December 25, 2019 Author Share Posted December 25, 2019 Thanks @binky_bass! I was specifically looking for a BTB single cut 6 string, either one of the two available finishes. They're super rare on the second hand market... but yeah U're right, patience & keepin an eye open are essential! Thanks again and congrats on that Yamaha!!! Enjoy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3.thumb.jpg.120e0d2588a37efe802fa8831b23947c.jpg)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.