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EBMM Gamechanger??

#41
It's a really interesting idea, but the one thing I really hope (for EBMM's sake) is that the idea takes off. Because you are really riding on a lot when you call a product the "Gamechanger", particuarly if it doesn't actually end up changing the game! Its sort of like all these manufacturers who advertise their new smartphone or tablet as an "iPod / iPad Killer". I always thinkg: Why don't you wait and see if its succesful first! :)

One thing that does boggle the mind is the sheer number of combinations of pickup configuration. They were saying on a 5 coil guitar there are 250,000 combinations. That got me thinking, are instrumnet manufacturers generally using the "optimum" configurations and will this just let you mess with the ones that don't really work as well, or are their combinations that just arn't making it onto mainstream instruments that are as good as the one's most makers use?
 
#42
mynan said:
Well I can't say that I know any pros, but it looks like Tony Levin and Craig Young might have a slight difference of opinion to yours.
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Great. As I wrote above, to each his own. This site is for sharing views on bass gear above all, and my views on gear shouldn't bother anyone. When it's time for music, messing with gadgets just isn't my scene.

As for disagreeing about the need for it, Tony can prove me wrong by finally getting a paying gig by using it. I've always wondered what's been holding him back all these years. Maybe he can even get an endorsement deal with EB. Ahem.
 
#44
Smallequestrian said:
Of course nobody needs it, nobody needs anything more than a Pbass, but for some reason people continue to buy and play all sorts of other basses regardless.
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Infidel!! (a fairly dedicated Spector & Mike Lull Modern Jazz player here... even though with any luck my next NBD will be over the weekend with an older Fender American Deluxe Precision V in Crimson Transparent, Maple fretboard and 5-inline headstock! :help: That big-a$$ Dual Coil bridge pickup gives it some Jazz-like "cut" and makes it the only P-Bass I come *close* to liking. :smug: )

As for the Gamechanger, just like the Bongo and everything involved in it (and it's beefy 6-string version, which everyone and especially EBMM players were dying for back in 'da day), the Sterling 5-string, the 25th Anniversary and Reflex production version, I salute Sterling and all at EBMM for being one of the only "Production Line" companies to truly innovate and forward pickups, preamps and "technology", & ergonomics when as one of the larger instrument companies (well, a small Production Line but hardly a one-or-two person shop) it could truly hurt them as opposed to Fender and the "Big Guns" who have the financial luxury to cancel a "different" bass a year or so if it doesn't catch on without sustaining much damage... 24-fret Jazz Bass anyone... as if that's even very "different" in the scheme of things anyway? :rollno:

Would I buy a bass with the Gamechanger? Highly doubtful. I find myself just fine with a good quality 3-band Active EQ circuit (Aguilar OBP-3SK/PPs or Bartolini NTMBs in most of my Basses), and even then am very much a "tweaker"... a bit of mids here, a touch of high-end there. Even such "known quantity" preamps such as Audere's Z-Mode throws me for a loop and out of my comfort zone. I'd personally much rather have a high-quality pickup well-designed from the beginning to have its own tone and leave my mucking about out of the equation. ;) However, I *do* think Bassists as a rule are far more willing to go along with change and will give the Gamechanger a try. Guitarists, on the other hand from all my experience with them, are actually the least willing to try new concepts - them seem to be happy with a 3 or 5-way switch and perhaps a passive Tone control, and typically only use Active Electronics for gain purposes (Heavy Rock and \m/etal tones) and not the EQ abilities. In my mind it seems the best market for this would actually be keyboardists, which have their Instruments based around Technology in general... but just try fitting a Gamechanger into a Keytar! :eek:

Actually, don't. Please. :help:
 
#45
I think it's pretty cool to have MORE tonal options out of one bass, if I need 'em. Hell, for years I just ran my J bass wide open and didn't touch the knobs...on the bass that is..cuz I sure as hell have to do some twisting on the Compressor, or Amp, or Pre-amp to tweak the sound. My setting on the Rays and Bongo, are minimal at best, and they seem to be keeping that idea the same with regards to knob twiddling.

People born in 1991 are going to have less issues with these new ideas anyways..the ones that think iPads and iPhones and iCrap is cool out of the box, without all the 'back in my day' romanticism.

And anyways...Fender is changing some colors this year, so that's big news if PBasses are all anyone needs.

These new Gamechanger things are going be crazy expensive anyhow...so it will be interesting indeed to see who has a valid opinion after owning it.
 
#46
Bassmunnky said:
People born in 1991 are going to have less issues with these new ideas anyways..the ones that think iPads and iPhones and iCrap is cool out of the box, without all the 'back in my day' romanticism.
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There's always some crossover - I love my technology and have certainly used it both in Life as well as certain areas of my Basses. How I use EQ and Tone-Shaping, though? I tried a bunch, and found that what works for me is what I was using already. Was I willing to change for the "betterment" of my sound? Absolutely. Did I find that it was needed. Nope.

And anyways...Fender is changing some colors this year, so that's big news if PBasses are all anyone needs.
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And if we've extra lucky, the colors won't be available until the Fall! :smug: Are 'dem new versions of the American Deluxe Jazz & Precisions shipping out reliably a year after *they* were announced yet? :D
 
#47
mynan said:
I might be mistaken, but I don't think the Gamechanger actually does anything with the EQ settings...only the pickup coil settings, so you would still need to have knobs to adjust your EQ.
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that sucks.they should make it fully programable like an FX processor. give it 32 or something programmable slots that affect eq, vol, pickup config, etc. all aspects.
 
#48
I guess my biggest concern is it being future proof. If I bought one today will I be able to program it 15 years from now? Do I need to keep that old 2010 iPad around and hope its battery still works. That's one reason that I liked the Variax bass. You could do all the programming on the instrument itself.
 
#52
superbassman2000 said:
it's a cool idea, but gamechanger? it's about as "gamechanger" as gibson's robot guitar idea. Cool concept, but it seems like it's just technology for technology's sake
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At first glance, I could see why it would be easy to throw this in the same bag as the Robot Guitar, Variax, Dusk Tiger, or Firebird X, but I don't think this is a gimmick. And I can see why it wouldn't be attractive to the "set it and forget it" player, but to the player who likes to experiment or the player who likes more versatility, this could be a great thing. If there are really hundreds of thousands of pickup combinations in one instrument, then who's to say that some engineer picked the best 5? And if you break it down, it's not that complicated...10 presets?
 
#57
cybersnyder said:
I guess my biggest concern is it being future proof. If I bought one today will I be able to program it 15 years from now? Do I need to keep that old 2010 iPad around and hope its battery still works. That's one reason that I liked the Variax bass. You could do all the programming on the instrument itself.
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yeah, when i watched the video i thought 'cool idea' until they started talking about an iPhone. I don't have one and i'm not going to buy one so i can change some sounds on my bass.
 
#58
mynan said:
At first glance, I could see why it would be easy to throw this in the same bag as the Robot Guitar, Variax, Dusk Tiger, or Firebird X, but I don't think this is a gimmick. And I can see why it wouldn't be attractive to the "set it and forget it" player, but to the player who likes to experiment or the player who likes more versatility, this could be a great thing. If there are really hundreds of thousands of pickup combinations in one instrument, then who's to say that some engineer picked the best 5? And if you break it down, it's not that complicated...10 presets?
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I am just saying time will tell, however, looking back on history, I'm not going to hold my breath. presets don't change the game.
 

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