the current Ampeg BA series is not so good in my opinion 
1 Like
That will be really really really expensive
Edit: $500. Honestly I thought it might be a little more.
3 Likes
That looks and sounds incredible.
It stands to reason that Darkglass were the first to produce software distortion that I actually liked. The NeuralDSP plugin is awesome too.
3 Likes
Doug Castro is also the owner of Neural dsp but you probably know that 
3 Likes
Yep, I basically think of them as DG
2 Likes
I’m glad they created this. Hopefully it will push other manufacturers to include more functionality like this in their devices.
2 Likes
Yeah totally agree and it also justifies Darkglass (high) pricing better imo. You get a lot of functionality for this price.
In-depth video is up as well:
2 Likes
As I am seriously GAS-ing for a Sandberg J bass, this is quite interesting:
(Potential spoiler further below - you may first want to watch the video 
)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#1 and #4 were clearly standing out for me… hard to imagine there is about a factor of 8 or so in what they cost between these… 
Not sure what the heck is going on with bass #2 there, though!?!
5 Likes
Julia sounds more German every video I see her in.
Bass 2 would be going back to the shop. Bass 3 would be getting new pups. I actually liked 4 best, except for its neck soloed
3 Likes
Yes, that one sounds pretty muffled. I would have expected a brighter sound.
3 Likes
Hehe, yeah, now that you mention it 
Something must be off here… I can’t imagine it sounding like that for real…
Bass 4 does sound pretty good… and it’s the cheapest by far 
1 Like
Bass #1 was the only one that I really liked… Bass #4 was not too bad, but just like @howard I didn’t like the tone of the neck pickup. Bridge pickup and balanced pickups didn’t sound bad. Probably good value for money, but I’d probably spend a little bit (or a lot?) more and get bass #1.
3 Likes
Okay, I just checked and the answer is not “a lot more”, it’s “a sh*tload more”. Bass #1 is ten times the price of bass #4
2 Likes
Haha, yes indeed… Now, it might not show in this test, but woods, weight, build quality, hardware, playability etc would of course factor in as well… plus the fact that the Sandbergs are made and put together in Germany.
Still, those Harleys sound amazing for what they cost 
3 Likes
Well, Santa came early this year.
He found me a Teambuilt 2015 Thumb.
It got cleaned, lemon oiled, set up to Warwick specs and then dumped a bit lower like a homie’s lowrider.
Then it was off to the local music shop for new strings. My man, the bass manager suggested we go stainless this time.
I was hesitant. My soft hands might get torn up.
The bass manager suggested I needed to get hard.
So Medium DR’s went on.
Part way through winding on the E string, local metal bassist Kai rocks up which is handy, as he has a thumb and I did ask him to give this one a test thrash, which he agreed to.
I missed the initial few notes, but I knew then that I got exactly what I wanted.
6 Likes
Very nice!
1 Like
Maybe you could have helped poor old Kai out with donating some cash so he could get a haircut after trying your bass 
The only other one I’ve heard in real life was the 2020 limited edition that used to be just to the right of where I was standing. Every time I went into the shop I looked at it and I was just blown away by the wood grain looking like a badly stuffed pillow. The sound it made forced me to love the shape.
The day I walked in and saw the empty spot in the rack… It was an actual knot in my chest.
This was quite a surprise as had no intentions of actually ever buying it.
I couldn’t get over my emotional reaction, so I figured that I’d best listen to myself.
I started looking and much to my amazement, this one came up 480 odd kilometers from me, way cheaper than it should have been. I figure it’s the closest I’ll ever get to a zebrano. The guy was an absolute pleasure to deal with and waited for me to juggle funds around.
The kicker was when I sent him the test thrash video link and he recognised Kai.
Kai is in eight bands. At least one is heavy metal so his hair length is a requirement.
Here is the 2020 LE and mine.
6 Likes
Ooh, gorgeous. Man, Warwick does woodgrain so well. That thing is going to be growly AF with a pick too.
2 Likes
I expect that everyone here will at some point have tried to explain the differences in the sounds that various bass types make to NON bass players.
Once you’ve gotten accustomed to the “signature” sound of a particular bass, you can remember it and then, you can distinguish it.
We naturally acquire a mental catalog of bass sound signatures in the same way we can tell if an engine we hear is a 4 cylinder, V8, Semi trailer diesel or motorbike.
I started thinking about this concept in terms of explaining the differences in bass category sounds to relatable cars.
The 2020 LE in the shop generated enough Sound Pressure to hurt my ears several times on the B String. I’ve done almost the same thing here in my practice room with the Roland Cube 100 with the PJB C8 additional Cab.
In terms of comparable cars, it’s a Bowler Wildcat. Loud, go almost anywhere and the growl will hurt you if operate it stupidly.
4 Likes