I've returned more to Zzounds than I've kept. Cost about $30 for a 45 day trial. Deal to me.
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The Combo Club
- Thread starter ChefKen
- Start date
I've returned more to Zzounds than I've kept. Cost about $30 for a 45 day trial. Deal to me.
Very nice!! What's the neck like on your Chowny? I want a CHB-1 and a Retrovibe! and a
SWB Pro.
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I didn't plug the JC in, so I have no personal experience with it. In the videos I've seen the tone was great. I've heard the JC is a must have if you are a session player in Nashville. I am not!
I agree with what you and GP said about the body. I the the JC looks beautiful, but it is too much bass for me. I am very comfortable with the Hofner.
Because the body is wide (16-1/2”) I took several months to get used to playing the JCB while sitting. It took no time at all to find sounds I liked. It’s got quite a broad range of tones. I play it through a Markbass CMD121P and the first comment I heard when I first played out with it was how nicely it cut through. I’m jonesing to plug it into one of the new Ampeg RB amps. That’ll call for a trip to the big city. Eventually.
- Oct 22, 2015
- 21,155
- 256,562
- Disclosures
- I am an affiliate for Ari Cap.
This is the latest from Chowny (Steven Chown is a CC member)
Chow Down! Chowny & Retrovibe Bass Club!
I'd describe the neck on my CHB-1 as a slender D profile. I (personally) find it fast, and comfortable. Upper register notes are easy for me to reach.
I studied photos of Jack Casidy to learn how to best hold my CHB-1.
The Acinonyx has been my Number 1 since it arrived. Today I'll likely play my Chowny. The two basses are pretty different animals.
I seem to remember you mentioning this once before (probably the last time I looked into this bass) and saying you didn’t care for it. I see nothing has changed!
Yeah, once you get to used to a certain body style, like the Hofner, everything else seems strange. I’m continuing my journey to Germany, spring 2022.
Report of Sweetwater trip:RR, I’ll promote you to Lieutenant of the cables and cords stockpile if you deliver us your best summation of the trip! I’ve jever been there and would love to know what goes on, how your treated, and if they’ll let you play until risk of driving other customers away (that’s what always happens to me). Thank you in advance!
The place is b i g. So much space. Only about 30% of the people inside were masked, and in general, it would be easy to spread out enough to not have anyone closer to each other than 6'. I found myself thinking of the comparison with Elderly Instruments in Lansing, which is one of my favorite music stores. Elderly is a tight area, where at it's peak, one had to be very careful removing instruments from the walls because it was nearly impossible to not bump the ones on either side. It felt intimate and special. Sweetwater is just so open, it felt more like an air museum filled with music stuff. The amount of things on display felt like less than I would have expected for the size.
The instruments and items were well displayed - you could see what they had on offer clearly, nothing was hidden away into a corner. Lighting is good, and the surfaces and layout was clearly well-considered and felt substantial. A high-quality ethic permeates. The staff were all friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. My on-site interaction was with a young man who identified himself as a trumpet player, but he seemed interested and even slightly versed in basses and bass amps. He admitted his ignorance early (which to me is always a good sign) and looked things up quickly if he did not know the answers to my questions. No pretense of being, "the cool guy who knows what's right." I was happy with all my interactions there.
I played as long as I wanted to, which (due to my insecurities) is never very long. I ran 3 basses through 2 amps. I played two new ones:
and my short scale Sterling StingRay, "Birdy":
Plugged them into a Trace Elliot Elf 8" combo, followed by the Vox VX50BA. Probably a mistake to go that way. The Elf combo is strong, projects well, and filled the room easily. From what our friend @Morrighan has said, I expected it to color the sound more than it does. It is not as transparent as my PJB Double Four, but I now wish I had used one of these as my replacement for the failing GK. Notes bloom, have clarity and depth that surprised me from such a tiny package. After that, well, the Vox seemed weak (at only 1/4 the watts) and just did not impress me. Tone seemed a bit stiff and there were transient buzzes which I attribute to a brand new speaker needing to be worked in (from what I've read in this club). I should note that the Elf was one of their demo models, while the Vox came straight out of the box. The Vox was clearly more suited to a smaller and more intimate playing session, while the Elf could have carried a small coffee-shop acoustic gig.
My main reason for going was to find a gig bag for my little StringRay, and I tried out both the Gator Transit Electric Guitar Gig Bag, and the Levy's Deluxe Gig Bag for Electric Guitars.
The Transit has a soft foam insert along the bottom, which I had to remove for this instrument. At that point, there were no reinforcements or protections at the strap button, so I decided that the slightly less expensive Levy's was my new case. Birdy fits it perfectly, and I think it provides adequate protection while being light and easy to carry.
Also picked up a green 10' Fender hemp-covered cord, and a new TC Unitune clip-on tuner.
Very good trip! I even resisted the urge to bring one of the two new basses home with me.
Pictures on request of purchased items.
PS: Ignore the attachment at the end of the post. I'm not sure why it's there.
Attachments
Last edited:
You may like this thread: SBMM Stingray Short scale
And maybe the one about my particular instrument: NBD - SS Sterling by Music Man Stingray Daphne Blue
- Oct 22, 2015
- 21,155
- 256,562
- Disclosures
- I am an affiliate for Ari Cap.
Oh yeah on that Elf combo! The Trace Elliot colour, I find, happens as the gain goes up. Somewhere around noon some compression begins and it's a whole new game. The overdriven heavy fuzz happens when the gain is dimed. Maxing the volume and playing a low gain is clean. There's a lot to play with! And what an easy schlepp 
Saw at least 4 lefty basses in the store.
RR, Great review of your Sweetwater visit. I wanted to wait until your review to add there were at least two lefty basses when I was there, which is hit it miss at most music stores (with mostly misses ..).
I took a LH Squier and plugged into every amp that sparked my interest. They had plenty out for demo. I tested out amps for at least an hour in the bass room.
I highly recommend a SW visit if you are in the area.
I'm guessing that photo was not from 20' away? I think it looks great. Blems add character!Thanks!
...it's a nice 20-footer - I've never gotten around to getting it refinished
Someday.......
But it plays great!
I didn't play as much with the gain as I should have. Had it set about 1/4 to 1/2 through its range. Very impressed by that tiny amp. 17 pounds!Oh yeah on that Elf combo! The Trace Elliot colour, I find, happens as the gain goes up. Somewhere around noon some compression begins and it's a whole new game. The overdriven heavy fuzz happens when the gain is dimed. Maxing the volume and playing a low gain is clean. There's a lot to play with! And what an easy schlepp
Report of Sweetwater trip:
The place is b i g. So much space. Only about 30% of the people inside were masked, and in general, it would be easy to spread out enough to not have anyone closer to each other than 6'. I found myself thinking of the comparison with Elderly Instruments in Lansing, which is one of my favorite music stores. Elderly is a tight area, where at it's peak, one had to be very careful removing instruments from the walls because it was nearly impossible to not bump the ones on either side. It felt intimate and special. Sweetwater is just so open, it felt more like an air museum filled with music stuff. The amount of things on display felt like less than I would have expected for the size.
The instruments and items were well displayed - you could see what they had on offer clearly, nothing was hidden away into a corner. Lighting is good, and the surfaces and layout was clearly well-considered and felt substantial. A high-quality ethic permeates. The staff were all friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. My on-site interaction was with a young man who identified himself as a trumpet player, but he seemed interested and even slightly versed in basses and bass amps. He admitted his ignorance early (which to me is always a good sign) and looked things up quickly if he did not know the answers to my questions. No pretense of being, "the cool guy who knows what's right." I was happy with all my interactions there.
I played as long as I wanted to, which (due to my insecurities) is never very long. I ran 3 basses through 2 amps. I played two new ones:
View attachment 4370355
View attachment 4370356
and my short scale Sterling StingRay, "Birdy":
View attachment 4370357
Plugged them into a Trace Elliot Elf 8" combo, followed by the Vox VX50BA. Probably a mistake to go that way. The Elf combo is strong, projects well, and filled the room easily. From what our friend @Morrighan has said, I expected it to color the sound more than it does. It is not as transparent as my PJB Double Four, but I now wish I had used one of these as my replacement for the failing GK. Notes bloom, have clarity and depth that surprised me from such a tiny package. After that, well, the Vox seemed weak (at only 1/4 the watts) and just did not impress me. Tone seemed a bit stiff and there were transient buzzes which I attribute to a brand new speaker needing to be worked in (from what I've read in this club). I should note that the Elf was one of their demo models, while the Vox came straight out of the box. The Vox was clearly more suited to a smaller and more intimate playing session, while the Elf could have carried a small coffee-shop acoustic gig.
My main reason for going was to find a gig bag for my little StringRay, and I tried out both the Gator Transit Electric Guitar Gig Bag, and the Levy's Deluxe Gig Bag for Electric Guitars.
View attachment 4370375
View attachment 4370376
The Transit has a soft foam insert along the bottom, which I had to remove for this instrument. At that point, there were no reinforcements or protections at the strap button, so I decided that the slightly less expensive Levy's was my new case. Birdy fits it perfectly, and I think it provides adequate protection while being light and easy to carry.
Also picked up a green 10' Fender hemp-covered cord, and a new TC Unitune clip-on tuner.
Very good trip! I even resisted the urge to bring one of the two new basses home with me.
Pictures on request of purchased items.
PS: Ignore the attachment at the end of the post. I'm not sure why it's there.
Happy Sunday to all and congratulations, RR, you met your end of the bargain (in fine fashion, might I add) and I will honor mine. You have been promoted to all things cables tuners. Welcome home, Lieutenant!
And yes, I am requesting photos of your purchases to be put on here if that’s okay. I’d like to take a look at the Fender cable if you don’t mind.
My biggest takeaway, besides the sheer size of the place (no, I have yet to visit Mecca), is that the TE convovwith it’s small speaker sounds that darn good! I know Faital is renown for its speaker build, but sheesh. That’s why those little buggers are so expensive!
Yeah Rod, ya should’ve started off with the Voxy, but hey, it’s also about two-thirds less priced too. If interested, read Doggie’s prose on how he was ready to give up on it ever sounding good until one day it magically came to life and he’s not looked back since. But if I had the choice, I’d pick the TE too.
Thanks again for your in-depth reporting. I enjoyed it as much as the others did as well. I think that should be our promise to the club that whenever you visit a retail music shop or superstore, that you drop a brief note on your time spent, even if you don’t think much happened. That way we can all live through these experiences and make it more fun for the club. Many have done it previously and it’s greatly appreciated.
Thanks again, RR!
Saw at least 4 lefty basses in the store.
Nice. I’m gonna guess Squier, Fender, and maybe Ibanez models. Better than a kick in the head, right PT?
Happy Sunday to all and congratulations, RR, you met your end of the bargain (in fine fashion, might I add) and I will honor mine. You have been promoted to all things cables tuners. Welcome home, Lieutenant!
And yes, I am requesting photos of your purchases to be put on here if that’s okay. I’d like to take a look at the Fender cable if you don’t mind.
My biggest takeaway, besides the sheer size of the place (no, I have yet to visit Mecca), is that the TE convovwith it’s small speaker sounds that darn good! I know Faital is renown for its speaker build, but sheesh. That’s why those little buggers are so expensive!
Yeah Rod, ya should’ve started off with the Voxy, but hey, it’s also about two-thirds less priced too. If interested, read Doggie’s prose on how he was ready to give up on it ever sounding good until one day it magically came to life and he’s not looked back since. But if I had the choice, I’d pick the TE too.
Thanks again for your in-depth reporting. I enjoyed it as much as the others did as well. I think that should be our promise to the club that whenever you visit a retail music shop or superstore, that you drop a brief note on your time spent, even if you don’t think much happened. That way we can all live through these experiences and make it more fun for the club. Many have done it previously and it’s greatly appreciated.
Thanks again, RR!
I have 2 of the new Hemp cables. Look great and sound good to me.
Report of Sweetwater trip:
The place is b i g. So much space. Only about 30% of the people inside were masked, and in general, it would be easy to spread out enough to not have anyone closer to each other than 6'. I found myself thinking of the comparison with Elderly Instruments in Lansing, which is one of my favorite music stores. Elderly is a tight area, where at it's peak, one had to be very careful removing instruments from the walls because it was nearly impossible to not bump the ones on either side. It felt intimate and special. Sweetwater is just so open, it felt more like an air museum filled with music stuff. The amount of things on display felt like less than I would have expected for the size.
The instruments and items were well displayed - you could see what they had on offer clearly, nothing was hidden away into a corner. Lighting is good, and the surfaces and layout was clearly well-considered and felt substantial. A high-quality ethic permeates. The staff were all friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. My on-site interaction was with a young man who identified himself as a trumpet player, but he seemed interested and even slightly versed in basses and bass amps. He admitted his ignorance early (which to me is always a good sign) and looked things up quickly if he did not know the answers to my questions. No pretense of being, "the cool guy who knows what's right." I was happy with all my interactions there.
I played as long as I wanted to, which (due to my insecurities) is never very long. I ran 3 basses through 2 amps. I played two new ones:
View attachment 4370355
View attachment 4370356
and my short scale Sterling StingRay, "Birdy":
View attachment 4370357
Plugged them into a Trace Elliot Elf 8" combo, followed by the Vox VX50BA. Probably a mistake to go that way. The Elf combo is strong, projects well, and filled the room easily. From what our friend @Morrighan has said, I expected it to color the sound more than it does. It is not as transparent as my PJB Double Four, but I now wish I had used one of these as my replacement for the failing GK. Notes bloom, have clarity and depth that surprised me from such a tiny package. After that, well, the Vox seemed weak (at only 1/4 the watts) and just did not impress me. Tone seemed a bit stiff and there were transient buzzes which I attribute to a brand new speaker needing to be worked in (from what I've read in this club). I should note that the Elf was one of their demo models, while the Vox came straight out of the box. The Vox was clearly more suited to a smaller and more intimate playing session, while the Elf could have carried a small coffee-shop acoustic gig.
My main reason for going was to find a gig bag for my little StringRay, and I tried out both the Gator Transit Electric Guitar Gig Bag, and the Levy's Deluxe Gig Bag for Electric Guitars.
View attachment 4370375
View attachment 4370376
The Transit has a soft foam insert along the bottom, which I had to remove for this instrument. At that point, there were no reinforcements or protections at the strap button, so I decided that the slightly less expensive Levy's was my new case. Birdy fits it perfectly, and I think it provides adequate protection while being light and easy to carry.
Also picked up a green 10' Fender hemp-covered cord, and a new TC Unitune clip-on tuner.
Very good trip! I even resisted the urge to bring one of the two new basses home with me.
Pictures on request of purchased items.
PS: Ignore the attachment at the end of the post. I'm not sure why it's there.
Happy Sunday to all and congratulations, RR, you met your end of the bargain (in fine fashion, might I add) and I will honor mine. You have been promoted to all things cables tuners. Welcome home, Lieutenant!
And yes, I am requesting photos of your purchases to be put on here if that’s okay. I’d like to take a look at the Fender cable if you don’t mind.
My biggest takeaway, besides the sheer size of the place (no, I have yet to visit Mecca), is that the TE convovwith it’s small speaker sounds that darn good! I know Faital is renown for its speaker build, but sheesh. That’s why those little buggers are so expensive!
Yeah Rod, ya should’ve started off with the Voxy, but hey, it’s also about two-thirds less priced too. If interested, read Doggie’s prose on how he was ready to give up on it ever sounding good until one day it magically came to life and he’s not looked back since. But if I had the choice, I’d pick the TE too.
Thanks again for your in-depth reporting. I enjoyed it as much as the others did as well. I think that should be our promise to the club that whenever you visit a retail music shop or superstore, that you drop a brief note on your time spent, even if you don’t think much happened. That way we can all live through these experiences and make it more fun for the club. Many have done it previously and it’s greatly appreciated.
Thanks again, RR!
Iss very proud off me beink to announce Combo Club Wiki page update of rank promotink to Lt. RodRy. Iss right there with other named officers just a leetle bit above Most Venerable Garage Door section off da Wiki.
Wass wery goodt
Now, all must stand at attention with hand over heart as iss played most solemn Combo Club National Anthem!
.
Thank you, Sergeant at Arms for the Wiki addition (go there if you haven’t seen it yet) and National Anthem posting. Don’t know about the rest of you, but I stood during it.
A little 'note' re the video: the THUNDERBIRD was "ailing"(needed repair)at the time this was shot, so I was playing my, now long gone, Epi EB-3L through the mighty Kasino-on the Kasino's last gig('cos it's a PITA to move-and it won't fit in my new gigmobile).
