|
Rather than one that varied its speed, I'd need a metronome that did very small random pauses 3-4 times per song, weighted towards happening the start/end of a section. I think I could handle speeding up or slowing down, but tiny pauses are infuriatingly hard to deal with.
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2016 01:17
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 9, 2024 17:12 |
|
|
Scarf posted:You're not getting rid of the HB are you? No of course not. Lakland 4 lyfe! (also, hail rickenbacker)
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2016 20:15
|
|
|
Jeff also gave me a neat exercise for learning the neck better (if you can exuse my chicken scratch): So you basically use approach notes all over the neck and do it in all 12 keys. You can also do it for all the triad types (major, minor, augmented, diminished) and even move on to all the chord extensions as well (7, maj7, min7, min7b5, dim7, etc). It's nothing new of course but I find it helps immensely with learning all the mysterious areas of the fingerboard.
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2016 21:45
|
|
|
AlphaDog posted:My playing improved enormously when I started using a metronome and using drum software to make my own backing, but yeah, it's done nothing to help me stay in time with someone who isn't keeping time. Definitely, metronomes won't prepare you for everything you encounter but they're crucial for developing your own sense of timing and style. Does anyone have an opinion on taperwound strings? I've been a DR High Beam evangelist for about 8 years but I've been thinking of branching out.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2016 04:42
|
|
|
mclast posted:Definitely, metronomes won't prepare you for everything you encounter but they're crucial for developing your own sense of timing and style. It's the thing I've done that was the shortest time for the biggest improvement, that's for sure.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2016 05:08
|
|
|
mclast posted:Does anyone have an opinion on taperwound strings? I've been a DR High Beam evangelist for about 8 years but I've been thinking of branching out. I had a set of these once. Didn't buy them on purpose. Two things I remember about them: 1) I didn't really notice much, if any, of a sound difference--they just sounded like new strings to me, and 2) the design of the string causes the action to be lower, and it is likely that you're going to have to adjust your bridge saddles. Honestly, in my humble opinion, taperwound is the same snake oil now that "silked ends" was in the 90s when I was learning how to play. Yeah, it looks different, but I don't know about the claims that it makes things sound any different.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2016 06:18
|
|
|
tarlibone posted:I had a set of these once. Didn't buy them on purpose. Two things I remember about them: 1) I didn't really notice much, if any, of a sound difference--they just sounded like new strings to me, and 2) the design of the string causes the action to be lower, and it is likely that you're going to have to adjust your bridge saddles. Do you use a pick to play? Tapewounds feel and sound substantially different to my fingers and ears.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2016 13:36
|
|
|
Manky posted:Do you use a pick to play? Tapewounds feel and sound substantially different to my fingers and ears. Tapewounds =/= Taperwounds E: tapes are dope, love the feel and tone. They look cool too, I enjoy having black strings.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2016 16:50
|
|
|
CaseFace McGee posted:Tapewounds =/= Taperwounds Ahhhh. I had no idea, my bad
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2016 17:33
|
|
|
Yeah, taperwounds have this thing going on: I got a set once by accident too, many many years back, and i remember liking it for some reason. Probably will try it again, I guess.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2016 19:29
|
|
|
if yall ever meet guitar players with taperwounds pls punch them in the nards cuz they're the guys that went too far
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2016 03:18
|
|
|
Manky posted:Ahhhh. I had no idea, my bad Actually, I almost answered the OP's question along that line. FWIW, I have used flatwounds and tapewounds. Flatwounds I tried once because... well, I don't know, I guess I thought it'd be neat. And while I totally get what they're for, I just prefer roundwounds. Part of that is because I've played a lot of hard rock and metal in my days, I'm sure. I didn't care for them all that much. I didn't dig the flat high end, and my fingers didn't glide over the strings like they do with rounds. I'm not in a hurry to try them again. Now, I do use tapewounds on my 5-string fretless. I bought a set from Carvin many years ago, and I haven't changed them. The nylon tape (or whatever it is) mellowed the flatwound sound even more than I was expecting, but it works perfectly on that bass. And, my fingers slide effortlessly over these strings. If I play with my thumb while using my palm to mute the strings (like how many bassists played in the 50s and 60s, not slapping), I can get a fairly decent upright thumping sound.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2016 04:41
|
|
|
I'm old and out of touch. Saw this headstock today (screencap from Skints vid "can't take no more") and thought the body was maybe a newer Tobias (I had one in 1994, for about 3 months) but don't recognize the headstock. Looks like either butterflies framing a "T" or "BTB". Anyone? Sorry for the bad screencap. There's some minor cutaway on the headstock just behind the white bar (a light bulb).
|
|
#
?
Jan 13, 2016 09:54
|
|
|
rebounded posted:I'm old and out of touch. Saw this headstock today (screencap from Skints vid "can't take no more") and thought the body was maybe a newer Tobias (I had one in 1994, for about 3 months) but don't recognize the headstock. Looks like either butterflies framing a "T" or "BTB". Anyone? Ibanez BTB series?
|
|
#
?
Jan 13, 2016 16:30
|
|
|
Pretty new bass player, having a really good time learning some tame impala and radiohead. Just found out there are two types of strings, flat and round wound. After hearing the difference in a youtube... I really wish I had flats. Guess I'll have to play the poo poo out of these new ernie ball pinks.
|
|
#
?
Jan 13, 2016 20:48
|
|
|
I love my flats. I bought them for the un-twangy sound, but it turns out that the biggest benefit is actually the lack of finger noise. Plus they feel amazing.
|
|
#
?
Jan 13, 2016 23:17
|
|
|
CheesyDog posted:Ibanez BTB series? That was it! Thanks.
|
|
#
?
Jan 13, 2016 23:42
|
|
|
Fierce Brosnan posted:I love my flats. I bought them for the un-twangy sound, but it turns out that the biggest benefit is actually the lack of finger noise. Plus they feel amazing. Might try those out. I find myself playing too gentle on the rounds so I wouldn't hear twang or finger noise.
|
|
#
?
Jan 13, 2016 23:44
|
|
|
All I did was buy a cheapo Danelectro and slapped some flats on those. Those strings sound really good on those "lipstick tube"-style pickups and now I have a bass with roundwounds and a bass with flatwounds (and one with groundwounds, and and...)
|
|
#
?
Jan 14, 2016 03:59
|
|
|
Thom ZombieForm posted:Pretty new bass player, having a really good time learning some tame impala and radiohead. Just found out there are two types of strings, flat and round wound. You're in string country now son, you got a lot to learn  All the different varieties can be pretty expensive though - this is a good time to experiment with your EQ and playing style! Generally a pick is brighter than using your fingers, playing closer to the bridge is brighter than moving up the neck, and rolling off your tone knobs can give a nice dark sound. Experiment with your pickups too, if you have more than one - the neck one is usually darker
|
|
#
?
Jan 14, 2016 06:48
|
|
|
I've been wanting a mini bass since I saw someone playing one last year. I finally broke down and got one (click for store page/details)  
|
|
#
?
Jan 14, 2016 21:58
|
|
|
Ruzihm posted:I've been wanting a mini bass since I saw someone playing one last year. I finally broke down and got one (click for store page/details) Love those  Feel kind of weird to play, since the strings are all flop, all the time. Though there are apparently stiffer replacements, I haven't tried any.
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2016 00:09
|
|
|
I have been playing for years, but I finally found a band before christmas and now I need help finding an amp for practice and concerts I guess. The band has a bass cabinet but no amplifier, so I'm thinking I need a top. I'm slightly on a budget, so I'll stick to non-tubes for now I think. I'm looking for general recommendations I guess, and common pitfalls. We're playing heavy rock/metal, so I'll likely be playing with some effects anyway, but I want it to be versatile enough for playing different genres if need arises. Also I'm in Denmark, so if you know the best place to buy, tell me!
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2016 12:48
|
|
|
So, you guys didn't respond, so I did some research myself, and I'm thinking of getting an EBS Reidmar. Do I want the 700 watt one or just the 470 watt one? It'll be used for smaller gigs I guess, along with practice. Also, the band has a cabinet with four speakers, how do I know what it can handle?
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2016 19:45
|
|
|
Sorry, don't know anything about solid state bass heads. Find out what kind of cab it is and if it's got the original speakers, and then you can find out online what that cab is rated for, if it doesn't just tell you on the back, which I think most will.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2016 20:00
|
|
|
BonHair posted:So, you guys didn't respond, so I did some research myself, and I'm thinking of getting an EBS Reidmar. Do I want the 700 watt one or just the 470 watt one? It'll be used for smaller gigs I guess, along with practice. Also, the band has a cabinet with four speakers, how do I know what it can handle? Looking at the specs on their site, for some reason the Reidmar lists 470 "Dynamic Power" watts , 250W RMS. That's with a 4 ohm load, too; if the cabinet your band has is 8 ohms you would be pushing about half that. The Reidmar 750 has 700W RMS, so it's almost 3 times as powerful. That doesn't mean it will be 3 times as loud because watts don't work like that. How much power you need depends on a lot of things like how loud your bandmates are, whether you'll have PA support, etc, but 250W seems a bit low to me for 'heavy rock/metal'. If the speaker cabinet doesn't have the wattage listed on the back then you'll need to do some research. 410s can vary widely as far as how much power they can handle.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2016 20:04
|
|
|
Gallien-Krueger 800RB heads are pretty universally well recommended for solid state bass heads. Depends on the cabinet if you'll be able to keep up with the band, but I see no reason why not.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2016 04:25
|
|
|
I love my MarkBass head, plenty of power (500W @ 4 ohms) and nicely adjustable tone in a five pound package. They also have 800 or 1000 watt models, all super light. If you don't mind the size and can get a good deal, though, that GK is a helluva head. A college buddy from jazz, a high school band buddy and a local well driller want to start a bar cover band. (not a lead-in to a joke). We have our first jam session this weekend. It will be the first time in a while that I'll be able to crank up my big cab, I'm looking forward to that.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2016 05:18
|
|
|
Throwing in my solid state suggestion of the Aguilar Tone Hammer 500/350. I have the 500 and it's a great versatile amp. It can sound very tubelike and it's the size of a big hardcover. The EQ is the best I've had on an amp. It'll get you just about anywhere tone wise and can go quiet and loud enough to handle most situations.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2016 16:38
|
|
|
TopherCStone posted:Feel kind of weird to play, since the strings are all flop, all the time. Holy moly, you weren't kidding!
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2016 18:30
|
|
|
I guess I'll have to look at the cab to see it is first. What I'm looking for is ohms and wattage, right? Actually, is there a good for-dummies explanation of how amps work somewhere (I tried the OP, but no luck except for words about tubes vs solid-state  ). I want to know what ohms and watts and that size thingie "410" actually mean in terms of physical things and how loud that is on a scale of conversational levels to Mötorhead or whatever.I am looking into your recommendations too, but availability seems to be a concern too. But thanks for giving me stuff to work with!
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2016 19:45
|
|
|
TopherCStone posted:Love those Ruzihm posted:Holy moly, you weren't kidding! The stock Pahoehoes (hope I spelled that right) are pretty floppy, but they're smooth. Old Ashbory strings used to use a tackier urethane that just killed the deal and the nylon core ones Aquila are making seem to have been getting similar poor reviews for sticky fingers. Pyramid makes a set of wound strings that probably help the action a bit, but they also make the U-bass sound like a traditional "acoustic guitar" bass, which defeats the purpose in my book, but if that's what you want... BonHair posted:I guess I'll have to look at the cab to see it is first. What I'm looking for is ohms and wattage, right? Actually, is there a good for-dummies explanation of how amps work somewhere (I tried the OP, but no luck except for words about tubes vs solid-state A 410 that your band is providing you with will undoubtedly be a 90+ lb. box with four 10" speakers. Multiple speaker cabinets typically run at 4ohms, and I would assume your band or their previous bassist had no reason to purchase an 8ohm cab; but there's still the minor possibility considering most major companies produce 8ohm variants of multi-speaker cabinets. The reason this is done is because adding two cabinets rated at 8ohms to an amplifier reduces that load to 4ohms, or rather splits it to a 4ohm load to each cabinet, and again for four speakers at 2ohms, but 4ohms is usually the cutoff point where people dare to tread for their amplifier; and it allows them to take a cabinet like your 410, which is considered a "half stack," and pair it with another 410 to create a complete stack (or you could be smart and place them at either end of the stage for full acoustic coverage but that's just not as cool). Then there are your full-stacks, your mid-stacks(hello Goliath Senior), two-speaker cabs (ugh)... and a variety of single speaker cabs like your 15" and 18" subs, which usually run at 8ohms because they're almost always paired with something. However, these configurations mostly affect the acoustics of your sound, and inherently rely on the output of the amplifier for the actual volume. All the speakers in the world put together would still sound pretty weak with 250 watts RMS as compared to 700 watts. Now that power output comes from, funnily enough, the strength of your power amplifier. The preamp is also important to volume in some cases, which is where the argument in the OP comes in. However, a tube or solid state preamp really only affects the gain-stage volume of your guitar, where that "overdriven" effect comes into play by giving your instrument that extra push before it begins to distort (or well off into that realm, which is where you'd probably be). But, once again, you can dime (max out) your gain, and still sound pretty flimsy if you don't have enough power coming from the power amp, before it is delivered to the speakers. Conversely, the power amp rating also specifies your "headroom," or how loud you can get your bass before you have to start applying gain, which many bassists try to stay away from, depending on taste. This is because bass "distortion," comes in many terrible forms. Gain stage distortion is all well and good, as well as fuzzes and all those other things that go BEFORE the power amp, but after that point you are also making yourself more susceptible to forms of distortion that are unique to bass playing. Because it is such a low frequency fundamental sound, you may often find yourself turning up the volume, which places more stress on the power amp and those speakers of yours. Power amp and speaker distortion are not cool, it sounds like a robot farting and could be causing significant damage to your speakers. To counteract this, you will want to make sure that your cabinet is matched to handle the wattage of your head; and even if it does say its rated to handle "700 watts" and your amp supplies 700 watts, you'd want to be very careful getting close to your maximum volume. What a lot of metal bassists will do to help this situation is to use compression, most notably a hard limiter. While compression is good for providing a static volume in your sound by removing your dynamics, a hard limiter goes a step further by basically cutting off everything past a certain volume. So, you could max out every bit of gain you have until your low end is a muddy mess (please don't do this; remember to get distortion and fuzz pedals that are characterized for bass and will leave your low end alone, for the most part) and it would keep everything at a static __ dB, which protects your cabinet. Correct me if I'm wrong anywhere, of course. And, as for heads: I've never used a head with a power rating of over 400, and I've almost always gotten away with it because I could almost always fill a small venue, unless it had bad acoustics, and anything larger usually had a PA for me to plug into, as well. However, when it doesn't fill a venue, it shows; and there's something to be said when you sit down with a MarkBass mini amp that's about 1/5 the size of your rig and about 50% louder... but, a true musician is always left wanting.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2016 23:06
|
|
|
Is there something like a Bass Driver D.I. that can also power a cabinet if necessary? I'm an on-again off-again bassist and can't really justify my own cabinet now, but having a recording interface that I can also plug into a cabinet at a later date/if neccesary would be amazing. My budget is pretty low, and if I gigged it would be in pretty small venues.
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2016 09:14
|
|
|
Southern Heel posted:Is there something like a Bass Driver D.I. that can also power a cabinet if necessary? I'm an on-again off-again bassist and can't really justify my own cabinet now, but having a recording interface that I can also plug into a cabinet at a later date/if neccesary would be amazing. My budget is pretty low, and if I gigged it would be in pretty small venues. so... an amplifier?
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2016 09:15
|
|
|
Southern Heel posted:Is there something like a Bass Driver D.I. that can also power a cabinet if necessary? I'm an on-again off-again bassist and can't really justify my own cabinet now, but having a recording interface that I can also plug into a cabinet at a later date/if neccesary would be amazing. My budget is pretty low, and if I gigged it would be in pretty small venues. BDDI (and my favorite, the VT Bass) have enough output to be preamps, but you'll still need a power amp between it and the cabinet. Maybe something like this Quilter? I think I saw they're supposed to be working on a bass version.
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2016 14:16
|
|
|
Take a look at this video of Alphonso Johnson playing a Warwick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_8N81C3W_4 Check out his right hand...he's using his thumb to mute the strings as he plays. It's a cool idea, but I would have such a hard time playing like that! Very weird, but it works.
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2016 20:54
|
|
|
Dyna Soar posted:so... an amplifier? Yeah, gotta go with this response. DI boxes don't drive cabinets; that is actually the whole point of a DI box--it sends your bass signal directly into the mixing board without messing around at all with an amp. It adds some minor effects, like a bit of drive or EQ, and that's done to at least add something to what might be a raw signal, but that's all you should expect. From the DI box, your signal can then be sent to an amp in addition to the board. That way, your amp becomes the bass monitor. Or, in smaller venues, they might turn you down in the mix and let your amp do the lion's share of the driving. The only other option I can think of would be a combo that happens to have a DI out, which many do nowadays. A good sized combo with a DI would be adequate for small gigs, adequate for recording, and when playing larger gigs, the DI allows you to be put in the mix so you're not relying on your personal rig to provide the bass for the whole venue. Honestly, the best idea would be to get a decent multi-effects unit. Zoom makes some pretty good ones, and even the cheap BX1 (and BX1ON, w/ expression pedal) should suffice for your purposes. But, there are a lot more out there that are better for more money. These units almost always have amp simulators in addition to their effects, which is great for recording direct. Hell, I have the BX1ON, and it includes a handful of simulated DI boxes, if that's your thing. These units also power headphones. You'll still want an amp if you want to play out, though, but if someone's willing to lend you theirs (which is rare in my experience), you'll have your sound saved in that pedal.
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2016 22:06
|
|
|
I love my Genz-Benz heads. It's a shame the company disappeared, because the Shuttle, Streamliner and Shuttlemax are all excellent solid state amps. Fortunately Jeff Genzler is back in business now, and I can't wait to try one of his new amps to see how it compares to the old G-B stuff: http://www.genzleramplification.com/ I know Andy from Genz-Benz was hired by Mesa-Boogie, and I'm guessing he had a hand in their new Subway D-800. I need to try that one too.
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2016 23:34
|
|
|
Cross-posting this from the "Playing Together" thread, but I want bass players to see it: So it's come to this (and I hope this is the right place, since it's not lessons or "jamz", per se) - my band still needs a bassist. We do diverse punk rock - some stuff is heavy, some bluesy, some simple and full blast, but all loud and energetic. We gig regularly, not as much as we used to, but having a full-time bassist will hopefully rectify that. We finished recording our third album last month. We got tired of being dicked around and started our own label, which has already put out a comp and few albums. We have a love of horror and a ten-year-old's sense of humor - my nickname for the new record is "More Songs About Lovecraft And Dong." Oh, and we play in costume. Based out of Baltimore, but don't let that stop you. I commute up from outside DC, myself. ReverbNation The last album on Soundcloud The new album, unmixed. Keep this one secret. Or share it with anyone who might be into it. Whichever. PM me or send a note to the band's FB account. Same goes if you're already in a band on the East Coast and like what you hear on the label.
|
|
#
?
Jan 22, 2016 17:22
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 9, 2024 17:12 |
|
|
Seventh Arrow posted:Check out his right hand...he's using his thumb to mute the strings as he plays. It's a cool idea, but I would have such a hard time playing like that! Very weird, but it works. This is something you often see six-string players doing, as it's one of the only ways to cover enough of the strings. Never seen someone do it on a four string though! edit: Just remembered it's called "floating thumb" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU for fucks sake fucked around with this message at 01:17 on Jan 24, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2016 01:11
|
|
