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Welp, I think I found my P-bass... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygYu_7364gE (...I'll just copy it through Warmoth, though.)
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Jul 12, 2012 02:43
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| # ? May 12, 2024 09:23 |
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:Welp, I think I found my P-bass... Meh, there's nothing really special about this. A Precision Special with a 70's Jazz neck, even the guy in the video was struggling to talk about it.
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Jul 12, 2012 03:11
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The main thing I was apprehensive about was going rosewood with blocks on a P-bass, but this one really works well. I'd probably go sunburst / tort with the blocks...or maybe antigua.
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Jul 12, 2012 03:51
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:The main thing I was apprehensive about was going rosewood with blocks on a P-bass, but this one really works well. quote:or maybe antigua. 
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Jul 12, 2012 04:01
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I've got a MIM jazz that I'd like to upgrade the pickups on. I play in a progressive rock band and favor a brighter, punchier tone. I don't want to get a crazy expensive set of pickups though, just a mid level set. Any suggestions?
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Jul 12, 2012 06:05
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:I'd probably go sunburst / tort with the blocks...or maybe antigua. Hell yeah, appliance-burst for life!  Seems nice, but it's nothing I haven't really seen/played before.
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Jul 12, 2012 15:31
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Antigua is gross and awesome and I want it. The new antigua reissues don't really look right, but maybe that's just 40 years of fading working its magic. As for the P-Bass Pro, I know it's not anything new in concept, it's the execution of that exact combination of stuff that's more appealing to me than anything else you can go out and buy, particularly from Fender. I don't know, I'd have no problem playing a "Fender" from Warmoth, but I kind of feel like if I'm getting an instrument to be my Fender* it shouldn't have some other headstock. I had a P-bass special deluxe for a few years with flats, Nordstrand pickups, and Aguilar preamp...really shouldn't have sold it. * I'm moving soon and I'll want to find new people to play with, but I have this weird idea that showing up to auditions with regular old rock bands with one of my fancy custom basses will turn people off, but showing up with a regular old P-bass would be safe. That's dumb, right?
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Jul 12, 2012 16:12
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dissin department posted:I've got a MIM jazz that I'd like to upgrade the pickups on. I play in a progressive rock band and favor a brighter, punchier tone. I don't want to get a crazy expensive set of pickups though, just a mid level set. Any suggestions?
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Jul 12, 2012 16:16
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scuz posted:Look up DiMarzio Ultra-J pickups. Had a set back in the day and they might be right up your alley. Seconding this, these pickups are boss. I threw 'em in a MIM jazz I used to have and they improved my tone immensely. Felt like they ran a little too hot at times, though.
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Jul 12, 2012 19:33
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:* I'm moving soon and I'll want to find new people to play with, but I have this weird idea that showing up to auditions with regular old rock bands with one of my fancy custom basses will turn people off, but showing up with a regular old P-bass would be safe. That's dumb, right? I feel the same way about my custom bass. I dunno if its dumb, but I do think rock bands need a certain image and a flamed koa 6-string headless with onboard 5-band fully parametric eq just doesn't mesh well regardless of sound and playability.
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Jul 12, 2012 20:48
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:* I'm moving soon and I'll want to find new people to play with, but I have this weird idea that showing up to auditions with regular old rock bands with one of my fancy custom basses will turn people off, but showing up with a regular old P-bass would be safe. That's dumb, right? A lot of people might have preconceived notions about how a bass should look like because fancy wood basses are often associated with not-very-rock-and-roll solo guys, so this gives you an opportunity to perform a litmus test of sorts. If they rag on you hard about not having a Fender before they even hear you play, they're probably idiots and you can walk away safely. The caveat is that if you show up to a rock band audition with a 7+ string monster worth more than a 2005 Honda Civic you are probably the idiot.
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Jul 12, 2012 23:05
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Ah cool, Failure fans in this thread.  They're what got me interested in bass ages ago, but I didn't start playing one until a few years back. I'm a horrible noob with a lot of bad technique habits and probably hosed-up EQ settings by your standards, but I like the way it sounds and I have a lot of fun playing along with my music collection. I dance and sway and bang my head like an idiot, pretending I'm up on stage with the band.This thread has been really helpful, though. My bass is an Ibanez SG300DX, and my amp is an Ampeg BA112. Up until this past weekend, I thought the electronics in the bass were passive, so I had been playing on the -0db input. Someone mentioned that most modern Ibanez SG models have active pickups and/or EQ, so I opened the back panel and... yup. No wonder I was nearly shaking the walls of my condo on volume 1. Hope I didn't break anything in the amp.  That said, now that I'm playing on the proper input, I have it cranked up to 4 or so and it sounds so much more warm and soft. Me likey!
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Jul 23, 2012 16:29
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FancyMike posted:I've never really noticed much difference in my setup between the true bypass and buffered pedals. I haven't actually run any tests to see what sounds better though. Usually I've got about 10-12 pedals on the board with a couple of them being buffered and no real concern given to buffer placement. Sounds good with either the modern active Stingray or old passive T-40 bass to my ears. Same thing switching between the fifty year old tube amp or the modern solid stater. It could just be me missing something, but I'm one of the folks who's always been happy with my sound even through stupidly over the top or complicated effects chains. Autolux and Failure are both so fabulous. Found this thread on talkbass: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f36/autoluxs-crazy-effects-339042/ The guy in the thread was right about the custom pedals though. I swear I saw a Big Muff, but it might also have been just a regular aluminum case for some mystery custom job. There were some other things covered in black gaffer tape  edit: "rack full of bullshit" in the most endearing manner. Failure and Autolux are two of my favorite bands.
a_pineapple fucked around with this message at 15:44 on Jul 24, 2012 |
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Jul 24, 2012 15:37
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vas0line posted:Eugene Goreshter was the bassist of Failure, and is currently the bassist and lead vocals in Autolux, another loving amazing band (along with Greg Edwards, formerly guitar/vocals of Failure, and also Carla Azar who is incredibly creative behind a drum kit and electronic stuff). I saw Autolux live a few times and Goreshter had a rack full of bullshit and the sparkliest p bass ever invented. Goreshter wasn't in Failure. I don't recall what band he was in previously, but Edwards played most of the live/studio bass in Failure, and I think all the bass during their fretless years. Ken Andrews (frontman/guitar) also took up some bass duties, and during their live shows, he admitted in an interview that it was because on some songs, he just couldn't play the guitar parts and sing simultaneously.  Two examples I can think of are Frogs and Heliotropic.Autolux is cool, I really like Future Perfect, but from what I've heard from their 2nd album, it's just a bit too weird for my tastes. I do admit they are wizards at making stuff sound like... stuff. If that makes any sense. I've seen Ken Andrews live and got to meet him, now I need to see Autolux and meet Edwards.
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Jul 24, 2012 16:13
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Ofecks posted:Goreshter wasn't in Failure. I don't recall what band he was in previously, but Edwards played most of the live/studio bass in Failure, and I think all the bass during their fretless years. Ken Andrews (frontman/guitar) also took up some bass duties, and during their live shows, he admitted in an interview that it was because on some songs, he just couldn't play the guitar parts and sing simultaneously. Their second album is indeed a departure from their first, though still amazing. As such, I am on pins and needles for their third. Edit for basschat: Sooo... I've finally found the tone I'm looking for, and it's from a goddamn Fender Jazz bass with groundwounds of all things. Now, I want to budget about $800 for a used one. I really dig the look of the Aerodyne, but I don't know much about it. Any recommendations on year/place of manufacture for a decent Japanese or American Jazz or Aerodyne? a_pineapple fucked around with this message at 23:05 on Jul 26, 2012 |
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Jul 25, 2012 04:13
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For $800, you can get a Geddy Lee signature model. The Geddy is a Japanese model, and is basically the American 70s Jazz Reissue at half the price. And with a Badass bridge. The only thing about a 70s Jazz is that the bridge pickup is closer to the bridge than on 60s and most current Js, so they have a bit more bite. If you get really lucky, you might find a used Lakland Skyline Jazz bass at that price, which is better than any Fender I've played. You should also check out the Squier Vintage Modified Jazz. $300, Duncan pickups, and good body and neck wood. With the rest of your budget, you can upgrade anything you aren't happy with like the bridge, and put the rest towards strings, a new amp, pedals, etc.
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Jul 28, 2012 04:47
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vas0line posted:Eugene Goreshter was the bassist of Failure, and is currently the bassist and lead vocals in Autolux, another loving amazing band (along with Greg Edwards, formerly guitar/vocals of Failure, and also Carla Azar who is incredibly creative behind a drum kit and electronic stuff). I saw Autolux live a few times and Goreshter had a rack full of bullshit and the sparkliest p bass ever invented. Wait, when did we start talking about Failure? Fantastic Planet is easily one of my favorite albums ever. Also, I didn't know about Autolux, so thanks!
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Jul 28, 2012 04:59
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Does anybody have any experience with the Modulus VJ? I am looking for a clear, punchy sound while having the look/feel of a Jazz Bass and this seems to fit the bill. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.
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Jul 29, 2012 16:08
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They're cool basses. Really bright, but you can always pull brightness out of a bass if you want. I've been thinking about putting together a Warmoth, but I made the mistake of seeing what the cost would be to get a Valenti made exactly how I was planning on doing the Warmoth and the price difference is only about $400... Or, I could piece something together with used parts.
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Jul 30, 2012 04:29
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Looking for some advice on purchasing! I play with a great group of friends weekly and our "band leader" is an awesome older guy who's played music forever and due to this we play everything except metal-type stuff (which I have zero interest in). Mostly classic rock, though one of our guitarists is skilled in jazz and we play some watered-down standards when we can pull them off  I'd like to have my own bass for when I feel the need to get into that bass groove at home but also in the hopes of eventually playing with the guys and not having to play the Squire P Bass the band uses. I play acoustic/electric guitar and piano so I feel having a bass would give me a great opportunity to move away from strumming/rhythm guitar and finally get down to the business of travelling the frets. I haven't been playing guitar for more than two years and unfortunately have fallen into that trap of becoming more familiar with chords than properly learning the scale fingerings. I love to improvise (easy on piano) so this should be a great avenue into strengthening my skills across bass and guitar both! So far I am looking at basically the OP recommendations - Fender Standard Jazz and Roland practice amp (we have a decent double amp setup already for bass where we play). The rub here is that a few of the guys I play with keep telling me I should really look into a fretless bass as apparently it offers more options for the player and they all say I have a great ear. I can jump in on a song with the band's bass and hold it down though I don't know what notes I am playing (and the technicality of my fingering is no doubt horrifyingly bad). I like the idea of it and have no problems with training my ear but I want to know if this is generally considered a Stupid loving Idea for someone new to bass. Any recommendations on a fretless bass if this isn't a horrible idea? I believe there's actually just a fretless version of the same bass recommended in the OP. Thanks for reading! Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 21:43 on Jul 31, 2012 |
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Jul 31, 2012 21:41
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I got a fretless Squier VM Jazz a few months ago - it's great, and a lot of fun, but it doesn't exactly sound like a fretted bass. It depends how you have it set up too, but there's a slight wooliness to the sound, instead of a tightness, and obviously you get the fretless mwah in there as well. Your fretting hand does have more options, but at the same time you need a lot more control to use them - your finger has to be exactly on the right place to get the note you want, even a little pressure either side can throw it off. Depending on what you want to play that can all be part of the sound, but if you're playing tight, punchy basslines it makes things harder. And your ear won't necessarily help if your fingers are in the wrong place, playing a sequence of out of tune notes! People tend to drill fingering patterns just so their hands learn the positions of notes and interval distances all over the neck. That might sound a bit discouraging but I just want you to be aware there's work involved - you need to know exactly where your hand is and where your fingers are supposed to be at all times, and that's harder if you're actually performing. But the instrument itself is fun as hell, and you should definitely try one out at a music store. As for whether it should be your first and only bass... I'd probably say no personally (I've only been playing a year or two though), but it depends on how much work you're prepared to put in and what you're actually playing
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Jul 31, 2012 22:31
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I would NOT recommend starting on fretless electric bass. If you aren't yet comfortable on fretted, then no need to start on fretless. If you'd spent a lot of time playing upright, it might be an option. Stick with fretted for now, and as you get into it add a fretless. The Vintage Modified Squiers are excellent places to start, though. AIDS CURES FAGOTS-The Modulus VJ is similar to a Fender Jazz, but not identical. The neck is based off of the early 60s Jazz neck in shape and profile, but the composite neck has a different feel from the maple used in Fenders. Modulus basses are very punchy and can be a bit bright, though not to an un-musical degree. All the VJs I've played had Bartolini pickups and preamps. They sound great if you like a modern, "hi-fi" bass tone, especially with that composite neck. If you like a more vintage-style tone, you won't get it with a Modulus.
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Aug 1, 2012 03:58
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What the gently caress - is that some stupid word filter?
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Aug 1, 2012 22:39
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Thanks for the advice folks. I managed to cut a nice deal at Best Buy for a display Fender American Special Jazz for about $700 in 100% perfect condition and $210 for the Microcube. This is the same Best Buy I nabbed an awesome display Billy Corgan strat at for hundreds off sale price. The great thing about Best Buy displays is that if they are on the higher rungs damned near nobody touches them since they only take them down for serious inquiries.
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Aug 1, 2012 23:35
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Incredulous Dylan posted:I managed to cut a nice deal at Best Buy for a display Fender American Special Jazz for about $700
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Aug 2, 2012 04:01
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The ever awesome Dwarfcraft are following the super successful 'new risky effects pedal on kickstarter' trend and have nearly funded the new Pitchgrinder. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1933690225/pitchgrinder-an-8-step-sequenced-pitch-shifter Best quote: 'It's gonna look like tits on glass, folks.'
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Aug 3, 2012 03:19
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sunburstbasser posted:AIDS CURES FAGOTS-The Modulus VJ is similar to a Fender Jazz, but not identical. The neck is based off of the early 60s Jazz neck in shape and profile, but the composite neck has a different feel from the maple used in Fenders. Modulus basses are very punchy and can be a bit bright, though not to an un-musical degree. All the VJs I've played had Bartolini pickups and preamps. They sound great if you like a modern, "hi-fi" bass tone, especially with that composite neck. If you like a more vintage-style tone, you won't get it with a Modulus. Thanks for the info! I love the feel of a Jazz bass, but I am definitely looking for a hi-fi change and I am not too attached to the classic sound (my 07 Jazz bass takes care of that).
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Aug 4, 2012 03:21
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This is a bit of a long shot, I am enquiring in all possible relative threads. This one goes out to the people in the US - does anyone know of someone who could custom make an aluminium treble pickup cover for a Rickenbacker 4001 bass? The factory ones, shockingly, are chrome-plated plastic - I need mine to be metal as I am getting it chemically etched with a design.
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Aug 4, 2012 11:55
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Spent some time at GC playing various P-basses, and this the only way to express how I'm feeling... Apparently some point between the last time I played a "real" P-bass and now they changed the neck, and they're nowhere near as huge as they used to be. Everything just felt...right.
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Aug 5, 2012 23:07
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:Spent some time at GC playing various P-basses, and this the only way to express how I'm feeling... Interesting... I wonder when they changed the profile.
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Aug 6, 2012 02:04
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Wow, I didn't realize that the new necks are 1/8th of an inch more narrow. I guess the vintage ones are 1 3/4, Warmoth P-Bass necks are 1 11/16, and the new ones are 1 5/8. I kinda always thought that it was that huge neck that helps makes a P-Bass a P-Bass.
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Aug 6, 2012 02:26
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Rifter17 posted:Wow, I didn't realize that the new necks are 1/8th of an inch more narrow. I guess the vintage ones are 1 3/4, Warmoth P-Bass necks are 1 11/16, and the new ones are 1 5/8. I kinda always thought that it was that huge neck that helps makes a P-Bass a P-Bass. I've never really had a problem with the width at the nut... but occasionally the large profile of the back of the neck can cramp up my hand. Especially the old baseball-bat ones.
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Aug 6, 2012 02:45
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They went to a "Modern C" back shape and 1 5/8" width on the majority of P-basses, with the American Special with a "slim C" back shape and the same width. They played incredibly.
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Aug 6, 2012 03:04
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All the 70s P-basses have uniformly had huge thick chunks of wood as a neck, while the Rickenbackers I've played (depending on year) are either pencil thin or P-bass thick. At least they stick to their sizes, I guess.
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Aug 8, 2012 04:03
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I know I said I was done getting Stambaughs but, lol, whatever. This:  with a top like this:  body woods like this:  Fretted ebony board without inlays, pair of Nordstrand dual coils with top-matching covers, black hardware. I still need to get that P-bass, but I'm really jonesing for a six too. Haha, I have problems.
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Aug 16, 2012 21:40
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Crossposted from the amp thread: My new rig :3  Super Bassman 300
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Aug 16, 2012 22:48
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Stupid question time. I have a Line 6 Lowdown practice amp and also Audio-Technica ATH-M50S headphones. Can I plug the phones directly into the amp without damaging them? I'm pretty much a gear newbie (used to play mostly acoustic guitar), so I thought I'd ask before I ruined a pricey set of phones.
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Aug 17, 2012 03:47
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All of the Line 6 Lowdowns are listed as having a Headphone-out jack. It should be labelled on your amp, although the LD15 apparently is a line-out/headphone. What are the jacks labelled? It should be pretty easy to figure out which one your headphones plug into.
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Aug 17, 2012 04:13
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That's why I said it was a stupid question  Yeah, I've got a headphone jack. My old Sennheiser HD-201s distorted pretty badly if I used them, so I figured I'd ask about my new Audio-Technicas before I tried them out. I really don't want to gently caress up these phones because they're so drat nice.
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Aug 17, 2012 04:18
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If the headphones are good I wouldn't worry about it. I use Bose headphones with far more powerful amps than those little Line 6 amps. No problems yet! If you get a bunch of distortion, I'd wager it's in the amp and not the headphones.
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Aug 17, 2012 22:58
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