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EBMM reflex & 25th Anniversary Club

#161
Some pickup adjustments, new strings, new batteries, cleaning around the poles, neck adjustment back to regular gauge strings & viola, this thing purrs like a kitty! Damn !!

MUCH better all around, wow, what a difference. Some serious cool tones coming out of this bad boy. Its still warmer & punchier than my Sterling & Bongo. Still with rounded tone in the upper mids & treble which theres no bloody chance my Sterling can hit... and thats a refreshing change. I'm really looking forward to blasting this through the amp & cabs tomorrow.

Aggression is back baby but you can tell the high end wood is playing its part between the Ebony board & Mahogony tone block and it has a really high end tone, a punchy warm tone all its own. At first with the bad setup, new but worn down batteries, new but crummy strings and some odd pickup heights I was VERY thrown off from the tone I had in my head... A Sterling with a 4 band EQ... but with all things fixed, this is clearly its own Reflex tone as different as a Bongo is to a Sterling.

And its pretty damn cool :)
 
#163
Keko-

I put the only strings I had handy, Daddario XL round nickels on it Bright...

And its for sale as I already had a warm smooth bass, the Bongo but kinda need an aggressive snarly beast like the Sterling HH with some really glassy highs.

This bass sounds great & I'm going to enjoy it while I have it... if it sits on the classifieds, no skin off my back at all!
 
#164
I see, ...I tried those D'Addario's, the same model set as You wrote on my reflex, ...worse of all strings I tried so far :rolleyes: ...until I try new EB Cobalts, regular EB slinkys works the best for me, even better than EB Coated set! ;)

I got a wedding gig tonight, so I gotta go now,

cheers,

Keko
 
#165
Keko- I'm super excited about the difference of those strings & next time I can get my regular slinkies or even the Cobalts on this bad boy

Just ran it through the Shuttlemax 9.2 & my GK NEOs... what awesome punch, what great tones man, especially with a pick. It sounds just like Better Than Ezras "Good", that cool honk like tone when I want it, I've never been able to nail that tone with a Sterling or Bongo.

I A\Bd it through the amp with the Bongo... the tonal differences between those 2 are much more apparent now. Many more choices with the Reflex... cool stuff.

I'm feeling MUCH better about it now. The strings & especially the pickup adjustments make a huge difference, huge.

I may take it off the market as I'm really starting to love the punchy tone I know I have no chance of getting with either the Bongo or the Reflex. Yeah this bass isn't that aggressive in the upper registers but the Bridge pickup parallel with the treble up & the bass down is getting pretty close to that Sterling tone I liked... who knew, parallel? I was expecting series to do it

Good times !

Good luck at that wedding man
 
#167
keko said:
I see, ...I tried those D'Addario's, the same model set as You wrote on my reflex, ...worse of all strings I tried so far :rolleyes: ...until I try new EB Cobalts, regular EB slinkys works the best for me, even better than EB Coated set! ;)

I got a wedding gig tonight, so I gotta go now,

cheers,

Keko
Click to expand...

Took your advice, went with Dean Markley Helix Steels & Prosteels for super bright... next will be Cobalts, promise... but BassStringOnline knows his stuff

What didn't you like about the XLs?
 
#169
I'd like to join the club. My 25th Anniversary is actually the first Ernie Ball I owned, and just recently I completed my collection. I was after one of the SR5 20th Anniversary basses, which I found on Ebay, and then did some trading to get a Stingray Classic with the rare Ebony fingerboard and roasted neck. But the 25th started it all, and is the most stunning of 3 basses that are definitely easy on the eyes. Be proud to be part of the group! :smug:

Micah

Ernie Ball Collection.jpg
 
#172
I have seen this model on display(new), and like it's tone, action, build quality, and especially reasonable weight for a EBMM. It lists for $2750 and I have the chance to get it for $1550 so clearly a great opportunity. But I can't find any independent reviews (magazine, on-line, etc.) to help in case there are any hidden issues. Can anyone offer any suggestions?

I am a relatively new player using a workable P-bass knock off. I keep telling myself to wait another 6 months and get more expereince before upgrading, but this is a pretty sweet opportunity.
 
#173
Nijushiho said:
I have seen this model on display(new), and like it's tone, action, build quality, and especially reasonable weight for a EBMM. It lists for $2750 and I have the chance to get it for $1550 so clearly a great opportunity. But I can't find any independent reviews (magazine, on-line, etc.) to help in case there are any hidden issues. Can anyone offer any suggestions?

I am a relatively new player using a workable P-bass knock off. I keep telling myself to wait another 6 months and get more expereince before upgrading, but this is a pretty sweet opportunity.
Click to expand...


Which model exactly?

1550$ sounds like a great score for EBMM reflex or 25th!

Give us some more info details what exactly do You wanna know and I'll give You some suggestions! ;)
 
#174
I'm finding some serious aggression on my Reflex HH5 all of a sudden

My settings? Lows 100% cut... yup, 100%

Low mids slightly boosted...
Treble neutral
High mids boosted or cut depending on the song

Then I change the pickups to change my tone and both pickups are STILL warm... cool!
The single bridge is aggressive of course, especially played off the bridge
The inner coils are a nice combo of each.
The single neck pickup has its own passive flavor even in active mode

Series to parallel have a very different flavors especially in the mids. The series is clearly more in your face while the parallel is more traditional EBMM to my ears

Tons of Tones... really, its taken me 2 weeks to really feel I have full command of the bass.

Switching to passive brings out the natural tendencies of my particular bass with the Roasted Ebony neck which is warm & vintage.

Great stuff
 
#176
Just read this whole thing. I currently am rocking a Bongo 5 HHp and love/need the versatility. I've been shopping for a stingray 5 the past couple of weeks and then it dawned on me about the reflex. This is going to be my first and possibly only pick from the factory for a brand spanking new bass. The Reflex sounds like it's my bass. I've played the SSS Big al and I dig the single coil sound from it, the whole active/passive with tone control in passive is a MUST!

My only places I'm torn on is HH vs HSS and rosewood vs maple for each.
My fear is that maple HSS might be too bright for my taste, PLUS the position of the H does slightly worry me. I don't like my basses to play overly bright. But then I go back and feel like I already have an HH maybe I should get a different configuration.
Though, I do realize that the HH has series/parallel and active/passive, not to mention being able to select 2 inner coils. Really tough choice for me, especially since I'm buying blind.
Seems to be Tuna is an HH advocate and Keko is HSS.

The original plan was stingray 5 HS. for something new and versatile. Like Keko, I play in a wedding band. I also play for musical theatre often so I need that super quick sound change. Sometimes, I have 3 seconds to go from a reggae sound to rock. Or one I did was Motown to disco funk. This seems like an ideal bass for me. So the pickup configuration is what's killing me at the moment. Also the color choices are definitely limited, but fortunately for me I like all 4, probably go with gold or burst.

I'd love to hear what you all love so much about the pickup configurations that you love. And Keko, I've seen your vids...how does that Bridge Hum compare to one that's HH? Do you have an idea? I doubt you've played them back to back, but that's certainly a concern for me.

Thanks in advance all and I can't wait to be part of the club...as small as it is :P
 
#177
Exemonium said:
Seems to be Tuna is an HH advocate and Keko is HSS.
Click to expand...

That's ain't correct, ...I'm HH advocate!!!

I recommend HH version, 'cause bridge H is placed in original Musicman so called sweetspot position on that model (original Musicman tone), ...all other coils combinations are the bonus! ;)

You said You've seen my vids, so check them one more time and You'll see that I play HH 5 reflex! :rolleyes:
 
#178
OOPS! Must have been another vid I was confusing with. Sorry about that (how embarrassing) . I really like the sounds of the singles, because I've tried them on the Big Al... But you think that the hum in an HSS is too close to the bridge as well?
 
#179
Exemonium said:
OOPS! Must have been another vid I was confusing with. Sorry about that (how embarrassing) . I really like the sounds of the singles, because I've tried them on the Big Al... But you think that the hum in an HSS is too close to the bridge as well?
Click to expand...

Exactly like that, but that's just my subjective opinion, ...I'm pretty sure that bridge H closer to the bridge got it's own character, especially in combinations with singles, ...sorry dude, but You must decide by Your own needs and let's say "imaginary wanted sound" in Your head (ears), if You know what I mean?

My choice is (was) HH, 5 strings, maple board (recently sealed with high gloss)! ;)
 
#180
Ya, I saw that neck, It looks killer! I wonder why these aren't more popular. By everything I've seen, heard, and imagine, they seem like the perfect all around bass! regardless of which config I go with, I know I'll love it...just feel sad for my Bongo's lack of attention when I get my Reflex!
 

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