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I'm basically a total noob to bass and stringed instruments in general. I picked up a used Ibanez SR300B DX from a local music shop about 2 weeks ago, and I seem to have trouble tuning the G string. Basically, I can tune the open string to a perfect G, but the string gets sharp as I move up the fretboard. Not horribly so, but it's definitely noticeable in the tuning program I'm using. I have the saddle as loose as it can go, and I've tried lowering the action a bit too to loosen the string, but the 21st fret on the G string is still sharp by just a bit by what looks like a bit under half a semitone. Is there anything else I can try to fix this? Should I even really be worrying about it?
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Apr 12, 2015 01:24
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SintaxError posted:I'm basically a total noob to bass and stringed instruments in general. I picked up a used Ibanez SR300B DX from a local music shop about 2 weeks ago, and I seem to have trouble tuning the G string. If the G string gets sharp as you go up the length, you need to lengthen the string; that is, you must move the saddle back toward the back of the bridge. You say it's as loose as it can go, so I'm assuming you have it out as far away from the back of the bridge as possible. That's making it worse. It is extremely unlikely that this bass was manufactured so horribly that you can't properly set the intonation. Ibanez has decent instruments across all price ranges; they just don't make 'em that bad. Test your 12th fret harmonic against the 12th fret fretted note. If it's sharp, as you indicate it should be, then move the saddle back. If it's flat, which you say isn't the case, then move the saddle toward the neck.
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Apr 12, 2015 01:36
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Ah sweet that did the trick. Somehow I managed to get the other strings right with my backwards thinking. Just so I'm clear on terminology, what exactly do you mean when you say the 12th fret harmonic?
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Apr 12, 2015 02:47
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IF you VERY lightly place your finger over the rough area of the 12th fret and pluck you will get a tone that is the pitch of the open string
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Apr 12, 2015 02:50
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I've just picked up the bass for the first time after deciding I'd like to try my hand at music for a change, and since everyone in my lab is already a guitarist I figured bass guitar might break the trend a little bit while still being able to play with them. It also helped that an old friend of mine had his old bass from his undergrad garage band days lying around and sold it to me for cheap, so now I've got this dusty lump of blue to ignorantly pick at like the apes from 2001 A Space Oddity. There's lots of useful information in the OP, so thanks for that. I expect it'll be a while before I really get my head around this thing, I haven't touched an instrument since middle-school piano lessons and sheet music is all Greek to me, never mind actual musical terms like "pitch", "tones", "scales", "progressions", "chords" and so on. But it does make a very satisfying dong noise when I prod at the strings, and that's what counts. So besides all that, my friends have warned me that traditionally the bass player is the least cool member of a band, confirm/deny?
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Apr 13, 2015 08:09
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No, we are way cooler than drummers.
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Apr 13, 2015 10:07
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Upright bass - the coolest. Electric - coolest but most think average to low coolness.
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Apr 13, 2015 15:06
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Been playing bass for two years, and can confirm I'm a total fuckin' loser.
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Apr 13, 2015 15:45
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Dolash posted:So besides all that, my friends have warned me that traditionally the bass player is the least cool member of a band, confirm/deny? Your local metal/rock scene tends to be made up of people who just have no concept whatsoever of what a bass is or why you need one in a band, hence they think the bassist is a useless loser. But the band they're emulating had one, so they should too. In any scene where people have grown up a bit and realize that music is more than guitar solos and vocals, and/or that drumming is more than banging on poo poo as fast as you can, this changes quickly. Although by then, you've already missed out on getting laid. So technically, confirm. Counterpoint: 
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Apr 13, 2015 17:07
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ME
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Dolash posted:So besides all that, my friends have warned me that traditionally the bass player is the least cool member of a band, confirm/deny? oh, absolutely
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Apr 13, 2015 20:23
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Dolash posted:So besides all that, my friends have warned me that traditionally the bass player is the least cool member of a band, confirm/deny? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AuKY-ddDV4 On a side note,, my bass tutor didn't show for my lesson today and his phone goes straight to voicemail. That's even less cool than having callouses on your dick that makes it look like a hornet's nest.
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Apr 13, 2015 20:57
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I prefer the term Laid back myself.
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Apr 13, 2015 20:58
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Verizian posted:On a side note,, my bass tutor didn't show for my lesson today and his phone goes straight to voicemail. That's even less cool than having callouses on your dick that makes it look like a hornet's nest. He's probably too busy not getting laid and doing drugs by himself. rio fucked around with this message at 22:56 on Apr 13, 2015 |
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Apr 13, 2015 22:54
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Dolash posted:So besides all that, my friends have warned me that traditionally the bass player is the least cool member of a band, confirm/deny?      
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Apr 14, 2015 02:58
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Apr 14, 2015 13:21
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Besides, bass guitars look way cooler than regular guitars.
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Apr 14, 2015 19:36
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you gotta ask yourself, are you cool now? if yes, you will be a cool bass player. if not, you will still be a bass player, which is better than just being uncool.
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Apr 15, 2015 11:24
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Hey, so i got what feels like it moght be a no-brainer question, but if someone near me is selling an Ampeg SVT-3 head for $450 ($500 with a road case), should i buy it? i've been wanting to upgrade my head for a while anyway( currently playing out of an Acoustic b200 head with a matching 410 cabinet). also, and this is probably an even dumber question, but i still always get confused about ohmage: if my cab is 8 ohm impedence and RMS 400 watts, and this head says it has RMS power output of 275 watts at 8 ohms and 450 watts at 4 ohms, i should be fine, right? i don't want to have to upgrade my cab too if i don't have to. for reference i will be using this to play very loud rock music (the volume on my Acoustic is usually all the way at ten, ideally i'd like something with a little more headroom)
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Apr 15, 2015 16:05
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So what the hell is up with calluses? For me it goes like this: 1.Play a ton of bass 2. Fingers get sore. 3. Play through the pain. 4. Calluses form 5. Play endless bass with no pain bc calluses 6. Calluses "peel" and fall off? 7. Repeat. I'm just so confused. How do I get my fingers to not be constantly "strong" then sore?
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Apr 15, 2015 16:38
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Kvlt! posted:So what the hell is up with calluses? play every day. i think there's like some sorta tool or thingie that you rub against your fingertips or something. Uncle Boogeyman posted:Hey, so i got what feels like it moght be a no-brainer question, but if someone near me is selling an Ampeg SVT-3 head for $450 ($500 with a road case), should i buy it? i've been wanting to upgrade my head for a while anyway( currently playing out of an Acoustic b200 head with a matching 410 cabinet). the head will give out 275 watts with 8 ohm and 450 watts with 4 ohm. perfectly usable with both, but you get more power if you use a 4 ohm load. 275 should be enough for almost any band, especially live with a decent PA system.
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Apr 15, 2015 16:41
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Dyna Soar posted:the head will give out 275 watts with 8 ohm and 450 watts with 4 ohm. perfectly usable with both, but you get more power if you use a 4 ohm load. oh yeah, I'm not worried about it not being loud enough so much as I'm worried about destroying my cabinet. thanks for answering that question too though.
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Apr 15, 2015 16:47
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yeah, just meant to emphasize that you should be perfectly fine with your current cab.
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Apr 15, 2015 17:09
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Uncle Boogeyman posted:oh yeah, I'm not worried about it not being loud enough so much as I'm worried about destroying my cabinet. thanks for answering that question too though. honestly usually the drop off from the actual perceived volume from 8 to 4 ohms is not discernible.
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Apr 15, 2015 18:12
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as to the other question tho, people like the SVT-3? anyone here have one? i was thinking of getting a Hartke ha3500 for a while, which i could probably get used for like $200-$250, but i hear glowing things about SVTs and $450 on a list price of like $1100 seems like a solid deal. i'm still gonna try it before i buy it but i'm curious what people here think of them, or of the ha3500 for that matter. i just want something with a tube preamp.
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Apr 15, 2015 18:15
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Uncle Boogeyman posted:as to the other question tho, people like the SVT-3? anyone here have one? i was thinking of getting a Hartke ha3500 for a while, which i could probably get used for like $200-$250, but i hear glowing things about SVTs and $450 on a list price of like $1100 seems like a solid deal. i'm still gonna try it before i buy it but i'm curious what people here think of them, or of the ha3500 for that matter. i just want something with a tube preamp. if i was going to buy a bass head I would buy an old accoustic but the SVT-pro line is pretty good usually. try talking them down to 400 at least, they go for less than 400 alot on ebay. when checking going prices always make sure you select "sold listings"
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Apr 15, 2015 18:19
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Dyna Soar posted:play every day. i think there's like some sorta tool or thingie that you rub against your fingertips or something. Do you know where I can get one? And thanks, I do need to play more often as I am also a mandolinist, so I'll take a few days off and use only a pick on my right hand (on the mando), then go back to plucking the bass strings.
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Apr 15, 2015 18:24
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Kvlt! posted:Do you know where I can get one? http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/ruff-rider-ruff-grip-callus-builder#productDetail idk if there's a bass version, never tried one. i just try to play as much as i can, but alas i'm stuck in the same rut of callouses to blisters as you. i remember reading somewhere that rubbing alcohol of any kind on your fingers after playing toughens and build up your callouses. no idea if it works, but iirc eric clapton did it. Dyna Soar fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Apr 15, 2015 |
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Apr 15, 2015 18:53
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I'm not sure if it's because I work with my hands daily or because I'm just playing so hard but on my right index finger I always wear a hole into my callous. It doesn't make it all the way through but I still find it weird that it keeps happening.
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Apr 15, 2015 20:09
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Uncle Boogeyman posted:as to the other question tho, people like the SVT-3? anyone here have one? i was thinking of getting a Hartke ha3500 for a while, which i could probably get used for like $200-$250, but i hear glowing things about SVTs and $450 on a list price of like $1100 seems like a solid deal. i'm still gonna try it before i buy it but i'm curious what people here think of them, or of the ha3500 for that matter. i just want something with a tube preamp. $450 is pretty average for the amp, I can't imagine anyone going to a store and paying $1100 for one. Here are some other options that will probably be cheaper and/or perform better If you want a micro head you can easily get a Markbass Little Mark 3, GK MB 500 or MB 500 Fusion, Genz Benz Shuttle 6.2 An Ampeg PF500 is mid-sized and will give you a similar tone and new is only $400, used for less For rack sized heads there are the GK 700RBII or 800RB. The Ampeg B2RE has the same power output but no tube front end like the SVT and goes for mid $200s. Some Mesa amps can be found around $500 like the M-Pulse 600. There's an Aguilar AG500 on talkbass now for $500.
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Apr 15, 2015 20:39
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DrChu posted:$450 is pretty average for the amp, I can't imagine anyone going to a store and paying $1100 for one. Here are some other options that will probably be cheaper and/or perform better of those listed i would go for gk800rb, stay far away from ampeg portaflex class d amps tend to fart out
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Apr 15, 2015 23:31
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I wouldn't buy any of Ampeg's newer amps. To my ears, they don't capture the classic Ampeg tone, and I've heard many people complain about their unreliability. I'd second the GK 800RB recommendation. They can frequently be found for around $400 used, and sound way better than many modern amps. A cranked 800RB through a fridge is one of my favorite bass tones.
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Apr 16, 2015 00:00
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Dyna Soar posted:http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/ruff-rider-ruff-grip-callus-builder#productDetail Thanks man, I appreciate it! I have to play a show tomorrow and am currently in the "blister" phase. Hope they heal up by then 
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Apr 16, 2015 00:20
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Coat the blister and surrounding area with super glue.
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Apr 16, 2015 00:35
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rio posted:Coat the blister and surrounding area with super glue. That actually works? I thought it was one of those musical urban legends like the story about Flea dumping superglue into his thumb when they were touring like madmen.
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Apr 16, 2015 01:01
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rio posted:Coat the blister and surrounding area with super glue. Does this actually work? Because I have some super glue....but I feel like this is a "tell some idiot on the internet to do something stupid and he actually does it" situation.
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Apr 16, 2015 01:05
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Kvlt! posted:Does this actually work? Because I have some super glue....but I feel like this is a "tell some idiot on the internet to do something stupid and he actually does it" situation. Super Glue was invented during the vietnam war to quickly and effectively close wounds. It's totally safe to use on your skin.
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Apr 16, 2015 01:06
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Hollis Brownsound posted:Super Glue was invented during the vietnam war to quickly and effectively close wounds. It's totally safe to use on your skin. But will it work effectively as a make-shift fake callus?
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Apr 16, 2015 01:17
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Kvlt! posted:But will it work effectively as a make-shift fake callus? totally
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Apr 16, 2015 01:18
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Yeah. I'm doing it tomorrow for a gig, in fact, because gently caress callouses.
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Apr 16, 2015 02:28
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rio posted:Yeah. I'm doing it tomorrow for a gig, in fact, because gently caress callouses. So just a thin layer of gorilla glue over my fingertips will do the trick? Because if this works my rear end is saved.
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Apr 16, 2015 03:07
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