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Sadowsky Metro Express M/J

I recently acquired a MetroLine M/J 5 string; and after several gigs, I feel it is the best version of a 5 string Jazz Bass I have had the pleasure of playing. Specifically, the neck taper and pickups / electronics absolutely capture what I value in Jazz Basses, but with the added B string.

IMO, Warwick / Sadowsky got it right. After all theses years.

I’m glad that you love it. I opted for Dingwall and I am very happy too.
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The Official Variax Bass Club

I don't know if everyone is aware, but L.R. Baggs still makes the piezos for these.
  • Direct Source: LR Baggs support still has the raw piezo elements in stock.
  • Pricing: They are currently $10 per element.
  • Hardware Limitation: They only have the raw piezos, no metal saddles or extra bridge hardware.
  • Tech Tip: Their tech advised to replace all elements at once to avoid string-to-string volume imbalances.
  • 805-929-3545
I also found new intonation machine screws, the one on my B string is hard to turn and might be galling. I found what I consider better replacements at Bel-Metric. They are class 12.9 black oxide cap head allens, much harder than the stock machine screws and not likely to gall at all. Hopefully I can get the old machine screw out. I ordered 2 - M3 x 40mm x 0.5mm, 1 - M3 x 45mm x 0.5mm and 2 - M3 x 50mm x 0.5mm bolts. They are partially threaded, not full threaded, with 17mm of thread. Those lengths will work on the 705 to get the saddles in range of intonation adjustment.

I also ordered a new volume pot/switch from Full Compass. They think they can have delivery in 2 to 3 weeks. We'll see...

GK vs Rumble

I still have the first version of the MB212 and it’s still going strong. It’s light, takes up very little space and is loud. Whenever I play it in my house, I’m always ready to sell the thing, then I get it to a gig and it sounds amazing. I’m going to keep using on it until it dies. I’ve never played a Rumble but have been curious about the Ampeg 210 combo.

Fernando Saunders

The first time I saw Fernando he was with Hammer.😎
First time I saw him was with McLaughlin's One Truth Band, in 1979. Front row seats at the Berklee Performance Center!
Fernando was playing a fretless Fender something -- it was either a Jazz Bass with a P pickup in between the Js, or a Precision Bass with two J pickups on either side of the P.
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Double Bass Good Luthier in SoCal?

LA Bassworks...Lisa and Gabe will cure what ails ya'. I've been a happy customer for 30+ yrs.
How do you NOT know about them?? ;)
Good Luck.
Thx.
Lisa and Gabe are simply the best. I miss them and their work sometimes. When I lived in the LA metro area they were always my go to.

Another person to consider is Jason Brown who’s out in Orange County. I’ve never gotten work from him, but did go to one of his students, Tristian Cole Falek, when I lived in Santa Barbara for a year. Jason has a great reputation as well (I’m always biased towards Lisa and Gabe though).

Markbass Micromark 801 Opinions?

How has it been? Did you decide to keep it?
No. There's a lot to be said for what it offers in such a small package. There's also a lot to be said for something which accomplishes exactly what you need but no more, and takes up as little space as possible in the process. It certainly does better than one would expect from a 1x8.

The "Official" Black 'n' Maple Club - Part Four

Most of the “good” mojo on the edges and such, is there for all to see.
I had a different sticker where the Sasquatch is, and peeled it off. The sticker took the clear-coat with it, so ai had to put another sticker on there. That one didn’t looks like mojo at all…

Zoom in to this one, you can see the missing clear coat and the edge mojo
View attachment 7549855
Yeah that's the only problem with stickers you never know if they're going to come off clean or not. It actually looks pretty nice even with the stickers.
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Looking for a small multi-use amp that will work for bass

Following up,

The setup is functional and I'm able to do silent practices... I have a Zoom L8 mixer that I picked up used only to find it was damaged a few days later, then called Zoom support and found out it was still under warranty (they sent me a refurb 👍). Other than testing it when it arrived, really never used it. I brought it down to use with this new setup. While it is packed with a lot of features, I'm finding the Pre's are pretty basic, for example with a Shure AXS 3 mic, my vocals are barely audible in the headphone mix. That's normally a pretty hot mic which is why I brought it, I normally use an SM58. Running my bass through an MXR M-80 DI the tone is pretty meh... add any volume distorts (might try it through the Ultra DI). On the positive, I run a Taylor 214ce acoustic through a Behringer Ultra DI and it sounds stellar :thumbsup:. To be fair I brought an older pair of Audio-Technica headphones down to leave here (ATH-M40fs), so they aren't the greatest but they normally have good volume. I'll probably replace the ROKIT 5's sooner than later, they are truly overkill for condo living.

This allows me to keep up while away, which was the goal. I'm hoping that with some more time on the L8 it will be a little more user friendly, maybe watch a couple of tutorials. Bottom line is that is does what it was set up to do, didn't require much other than setting everything up.

Cheers
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Where is that guitar center search app thread?

What was it that you’re looking for?

not at all

someone here on TB, not affiliated with guitar center in any way, created their own search app / site
that was easier, more powerful, faster and more user friendly than GC's own web site.
they posted a link and asked TB users what they thought , and the response was positive.

N.A.D. Genzler Kinetix 800

Well...

Now it is here. I expected a tube amp, and it feels very close to that. Tone from clear and soft to smooth growl: not the harsh broken sound many amps produce. A fine growl...

The only downside is that it doesn't look like a Fender Bassman, but that is no issue. The amp responds to your touch in a pleasant way, the tone blooms according to touch.

With all controls at noon, except for master volume, you get a good starting point. The only thing I've done is cut som treble to 9 o'clock. The lean/fat/thick switch in fat position is what I prefer.

My main bass - the Unicorn Purist - has rather low output, and due to that very wide tonal range. With that bass I set the mute/on/boost switch to "boost!". On my other basses I set just "on".

Powerful! Dynamic! Neat! Yep - a keeper! I like it...
smile.png




And - I like the new knobs. The old ones were a bit difficult to see when tweaking...
Are you still using the Kinetix?

I love the Streamliner and still have my 600 but wondering your thoughts on the Kinetix compared to your Streamliner 900? My take after reading pages and pages is it's the new and much improved Streamliner which is why i favour this slightly over other great heads like the Mesa 800D that I've heard great things about.

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Portland Bass Club

I thought it might be interesting to invite and collect all the PDX bassists into one virtual location. There are some extraordinary bassists in this town of all kinds Local goings on, PDX music lore, gear finds, interesting local players, whatever. I will reluctantly accept Seattle neighbors also :laugh:

To get things rolling, you can talk about your own band, or your favorite players in town, or your favorite guitar shop or venue- whatever!

I'm partial to Laurelthirst and Alberta St. Pub, and Goodfoot- there's too many to name!

Warwick Embedded Strap Lock - Popping out

Hello good folks of the nether regions,

My strap keeps popping out of my Warwick Thumb Bass (1992, if that's of any significance).
As you can (probably, hopefully) see in the image, the strap is pulling away from the body because of the angle of the dangle.
After about 10 or 15 mins of playing, it pops out.
It hasn't hit the floor yet, but one day...

The embedded button is an original part of the instrument - and it is fixed in very tight!
And I'm using a new Jim Dunlop strap assembly on the strap.
I have tried the straps with Jim Dunlops from my other instruments but the same thing happens.

Any suggestions on how to fix this?
Or another strap lock that I could use?

Many thanks in advance.


View attachment 7523692
I have a brand new Thumb BO and the very same straplock failed on me yesterday. Thankfully I caught the bass before it hit the ground, but my trust in these locks is now completely shattered. I may ask Sweetwater to provide me a replacement set but honestly I can't see myself wanting to ever rely on them again.

I can pull on it without a crazy amount of force and it pops right out. Pretty appalling for what this thing cost. Though I never did quite like how extreme of an angle at which the strap put its load on that attachment point anyways, maybe I need a shorter strap.

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