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I haven't really messed with string gauges much so I can't really go there, but if you want to experiment I like nickel rounds for a more consistent bright sound, and it's worth trying flats at least once, which will definitely give you a warm tone. Ed Friedland did a really good writeup on all the various DR strings out there, so you could listen and compare all the different variations on material and core and so on, but I don't think it's online anymore. This is all that remains
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Oct 10, 2015 19:38
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| # ? May 22, 2024 05:09 |
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js86 posted:Oh my god. I just bought this: How long did you have to wait between the time you ordered and the time you got it? I hear the waiting list is pretty long for these.
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Oct 12, 2015 16:28
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Brony Car posted:How long did you have to wait between the time you ordered and the time you got it? I hear the waiting list is pretty long for these. Got it on Talkbass.
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Oct 15, 2015 02:27
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This video made my day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q15LqTowvhA
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Oct 27, 2015 04:02
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Gene Simmons learns what syncopation is 
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Oct 30, 2015 18:21
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Bass Players! Teach a guitar player to be a better bass player! First of all, when a guitar player goes to bass, what makes you cringe? Secondly: I play metal and I'm trying to figure out what to do with chugga-chugga bits. I play with a pick and I'm trying to figure out if I should palm-mute or let the strings breathe on chugs. I'm trying to get my chugs to "pulse" a little which is why I'm leaning towards a palm-mute, but when I do it, it doesn't sound particularly better. I'm willing to bet that I might suck though. Finally! Again with the chugs. If I'm doing quick stuff (EG: Metallica's Battery) is it better to match the triplets or simplify them and just play 8th notes and let the guitar take the stage in that scenario? I'm trying to get everything to move and pulse as much as possible, but I'm aware that bass notes take time to develop. I'm wondering if matching those sorta triplets is cutting off the bass notes too quick and not letting things swing out. If that makes any sense whatsoever. It could be absolute bullshit. H13 fucked around with this message at 10:16 on Nov 5, 2015 |
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Nov 5, 2015 09:33
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The only thing that makes me cringe is a guitar player telling me what I do is easier. Bass tends to use far fewer effects (although I recommend a compressor if nothing else) so your hands will have a greater role in your tone. I suggest recording yourself playing different ways and listening to them later to find what sounds best for the song. Metal definitely showcases guitar much more, but Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Mudvayne all have distinctive bass playing styles that fit their respective songs.
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Nov 5, 2015 14:24
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For early Metallica triplet parts, don't play 8th notes. You're creating a vertical hemiola, and while that's great if you're doing it on purpose, it sucks if you're not... and you're not. Cliff Burton played with his fingers, and believe you me, he hit those triplets. So my suggestion on that question is twofold: 1) practice and hit the triplets, 'cause that's what Metallica did, or 2) if you can't do that yet, then simplify it but don't go against the grain. If they're playing triplets you can't keep up with, then play swing 8th notes. These are triplets where the first two notes are tied. It will make it gallop slightly, but you'll at least be playing notes in time with the guitars. And, from there, you'll eventually be able to hit those triplets. As for palm-muting the chuggachugga parts, it depends on what you want everything to sound like. If you don't mute the strings, which is usually what's happening when you're listening to a metal song, the attack of each note will be somewhat buried by the ringing of the string. One way around this is to dial up some tone or high frequencies on your EQ to accentuate the picking sound, but this doesn't work for every song. Another way is to palm mute, but it takes a heavier touch than it does for guitarists, and it doesn't have quite the same sound. But, since you're generally buried in the mix anyway for these sections, just do what feels best at the tempo you're working with, and fart around with it during practice to come up with something you like. With bass, there's never really a hard-and-fast rule that covers any given situation 100% of the time. Not even with the chuggachugga parts.
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Nov 5, 2015 15:53
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H13 posted:Bass Players! Teach a guitar player to be a better bass player! Don't scoop your mids.
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Nov 6, 2015 00:14
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H13 posted:Bass Players! Teach a guitar player to be a better bass player! Boost mids, never palm mute unless in certain circumstances, follow the bass drum. If the bass drum hits and you don't hit at the same time, you hosed up. You can add more notes than the bass drum but that's the idea. Here's a good tone and bass style that you should treat as the standard in heavy bass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhll12Zngow Edit: Rugoberta Munchu posted:The only thing that makes me cringe is a guitar player telling me what I do is easier. Bass tends to use far fewer effects (although I recommend a compressor if nothing else) so your hands will have a greater role in your tone. I suggest recording yourself playing different ways and listening to them later to find what sounds best for the song. Metal definitely showcases guitar much more, but Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Mudvayne all have distinctive bass playing styles that fit their respective songs. My absolute favorite heavy guitar tones were all due to the bass being high in the mix and prominent in the song. Turn that poo poo up.
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Nov 6, 2015 00:31
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tarlibone posted:For early Metallica triplet parts, don't play 8th notes. You're creating a vertical hemiola, and while that's great if you're doing it on purpose, it sucks if you're not... and you're not. Cliff Burton played with his fingers, and believe you me, he hit those triplets. So my suggestion on that question is twofold: 1) practice and hit the triplets, 'cause that's what Metallica did, or 2) if you can't do that yet, then simplify it but don't go against the grain. If they're playing triplets you can't keep up with, then play swing 8th notes. These are triplets where the first two notes are tied. It will make it gallop slightly, but you'll at least be playing notes in time with the guitars. And, from there, you'll eventually be able to hit those triplets. Isolated - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJF06bNLVlo Bad mix with full recording - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dsij2IaAa7Q However what he did play was close to your suggestion, and certainly not just straight eighth notes. This guy kinda jumps back and forth playing as recorded and as a mirror of the guitars, the emphasis is on the same notes either, and if you were to play like Cliff did (hard enough on the emphasized notes for the strings to hit the fretboard), those other parts of the triplets would be mostly lost anyway - http://andriyvasylenko.com/2015/09/battery-totalcliff/
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Nov 6, 2015 01:05
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David Ellefson is another excellent resource for metal bass playing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMWd8JC_lrs
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Nov 6, 2015 06:27
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Copy everything Alex Webster does.
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Nov 6, 2015 06:32
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Become a 6-string fretless viking like Steve Digiorgio
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Nov 6, 2015 07:02
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Kilometers Davis posted:Copy everything Alex Webster does. ha. hahaha. HAHAHAAAA yeah no. That man is a virtuoso. I'm a hack :P I like the tip with the 8th note swing. That's gonna be good fun to play with. What's the logic behind NOT scooping the mids though? I have pretty mid-focused guitars so I figured scooping the mids on my bass would let the guitars sit in the bass...if that makes any sense.
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Nov 6, 2015 08:10
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I found that enhancing the mids a bit distinguishes you from the kick and also gives clarity/definition, especially when playing downtuned/on a five string. If your guitars are fairly high midrange focused then low mid is what you wanna be boosting. This becomes especially true when you add in some overdrive, if you go for the Fieldy clicky smiley face eq tone there's nothing for your overdrive to chew on and it will just wipe out your low end. A little bit of drive goes a long way, emphasising the attack of your notes. See the bass tone on Burn My Eyes for what I mean.
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Nov 6, 2015 11:31
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H13 posted:ha. hahaha. HAHAHAAAA yeah no. That man is a virtuoso. I'm a hack :P If you scoop the bass mids all you're going to get are low frequencies that compete with the kick drum, and high frequencies that get lost in the guitar. Basically you'd just be contributing mud to the mix. In particular you want to boost your low mids, which should be above the bass drum and below your guitars.
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Nov 6, 2015 16:36
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H13 posted:What's the logic behind NOT scooping the mids though? I have pretty mid-focused guitars so I figured scooping the mids on my bass would let the guitars sit in the bass...if that makes any sense. Oh poo poo. You're in a band with intelligent guitarists. Have you considered joining a band with really talented but dumber guitarists? Trust me, there are a lot of those around, and they scoop the everfucking poo poo out of their mids. Here's the thing: mids are easy for the human ear to hear. And, they're easy for speakers to drive. They're easy on amps, too, when compared to low frequencies. What I'm saying is that bassically, mids are the poo poo. Many guitarists love to scoop their mids because it sounds so freakin' cool, man. Just a ton of low and a ton of high and negative mids because, dammit, he ain't in a 1970s classic rock cover band! And I will admit that both bass and guitar sound great with the mids scooped... until any other instrument at all begins playing. Because at that moment, everyone is competing for the same frequencies, and nobody can be heard distinctly except for the singer and the drums. The guitarist starts turning up, the bassist follows suit, and soon it all sounds like indistinct poo poo. Adding mids solves that. Guitar with some mids brings it up toward the front, and the guitar won't have to be turned up to 11 just to be heard distinctly above everyone else. (And by that time, they're drowning everyone out.) And bass with mids sits comfortably between the kick drum and the guitar. You'll actually be heard without having to turn your amp all the way up--people will hear you and everyone else in the band. Mids are your friend. Believe in the mids.
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Nov 7, 2015 02:58
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Adding a bit of fuzz/distortion to your tone will help you cut through a bit too.
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Nov 8, 2015 04:58
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A very light scoop is okay but yeah I don't like it a heavy scoop. It sounds all dry and nasally to me.
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Nov 8, 2015 05:05
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Flatwounds, tone rolled off, deep bass eq, full fat low mids. If you can't feel it in your rib cage it doesn't need to come out of your amp. Still grumpy about losing my ability to play fingerstyle thanks to classical guitar nails. I miss that deep thump every time I pick up my bass.
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Nov 8, 2015 05:20
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Kilometers Davis posted:Still grumpy about losing my ability to play fingerstyle thanks to classical guitar nails. I miss that deep thump every time I pick up my bass. Ugh. I could not deal with that. Have you tried those felt picks? They can't simulate that extra thump you get when your finger plucks a string and comes to a stop on the next string--a subtle sound you don't always notice until it's not there--but they do give a rounder attack that is somewhat finger-like.
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Nov 8, 2015 07:36
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Kilometers Davis posted:Flatwounds, tone rolled off, deep bass eq, full fat low mids. If you can't feel it in your rib cage it doesn't need to come out of your amp. Along these lines, I am now the proud owner of a 1968 Gibson EB-2D. Baritone switch in low-pass mode, neck pickup only, it makes this really Sabbathy noise, even though I don't think Butler used one. Flatwounds, though I'd really like to know what tapewounds would sound like on it. I've wanted one of these for about 25 years. On tapewounds: I got a set on a bass I bought online. Purple silks, black tape, and I don't think they're La Bellas, because I bought a set and they feel different, and the silks are a different shade. Anyone know who else makes/made black and purple tapewounds?
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Nov 8, 2015 09:25
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tarlibone posted:Ugh. I could not deal with that. Have you tried those felt picks? They can't simulate that extra thump you get when your finger plucks a string and comes to a stop on the next string--a subtle sound you don't always notice until it's not there--but they do give a rounder attack that is somewhat finger-like. I've been meaning to try a felt actually. I'm sure it could get close but as you said, the percussive sound of a finger coming to rest on the next string is a huge part of that deep bass tone. That's what I'm always missing. Gorgar posted:Along these lines, I am now the proud owner of a 1968 Gibson EB-2D. Baritone switch in low-pass mode, neck pickup only, it makes this really Sabbathy noise, even though I don't think Butler used one. Flatwounds, though I'd really like to know what tapewounds would sound like on it. I've wanted one of these for about 25 years. I bet that thing really rumbles. What does the baritone low pass do exactly?
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Nov 8, 2015 16:39
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Kilometers Davis posted:I've been meaning to try a felt actually. I'm sure it could get close but as you said, the percussive sound of a finger coming to rest on the next string is a huge part of that deep bass tone. That's what I'm always missing. quote:I bet that thing really rumbles. What does the baritone low pass do exactly? Two modes, one that cuts lows, and one that cuts highs. It's a stateful push button switch. You never get the full sound of the bass, because you're always cutting something. I've read of a mod that puts a three way toggle in place of the push button, and adds a bypass for full sound. The low pass sounds really mellow and sweet up around the 12th fret. I really don't get what they were trying to do with the bass cut. My Guilds have a similar feature. I guess it would let you get a tic-tac sound? I just don't like honky bass, I guess.
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Nov 8, 2015 19:05
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Kilometers Davis posted:I've been meaning to try a felt actually. I'm sure it could get close but as you said, the percussive sound of a finger coming to rest on the next string is a huge part of that deep bass tone. That's what I'm always missing. Felt pic or quadruple heavy [I use 3mm stubbys] while palm muting are the only thing that comes close. Still, with classical guitar nails, there's no perfect alternative. A moment of silence for our fallen brother.
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Nov 9, 2015 05:59
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Gorgar posted:Along these lines, I am now the proud owner of a 1968 Gibson EB-2D. Baritone switch in low-pass mode, neck pickup only, it makes this really Sabbathy noise, even though I don't think Butler used one. Flatwounds, though I'd really like to know what tapewounds would sound like on it. I've wanted one of these for about 25 years. I have black tapes with purple silks that ARE la bella... maybe they've switched them up.
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Nov 9, 2015 17:54
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if they aren't LaBella, they are likely D'Addario tapes. They also had purple silks.
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Nov 10, 2015 15:10
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I don't see the usual different colored ball ends that D'Addario seems to do, but that's worth a try. Thanks!
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Nov 10, 2015 19:18
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Is getting an Epiphone Thunderbird a bad idea for a first bass? I've always loved the Firebird/Thunderbird shape and there are a couple of cheapish ones near me.
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Nov 11, 2015 14:15
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I've jammed on a couple, as long as it's in good shape I'd say yeah. The bridges can be a pain in the rear end though, if it's a floating one.
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Nov 11, 2015 14:59
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I had one about ten years ago, it was a decent deal at the time before the nicer Squier stuff came around. Lots of neck dive
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Nov 11, 2015 16:53
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spamman posted:Is getting an Epiphone Thunderbird a bad idea for a first bass? Be prepared to move the strap-knob to behind the neck rather than on the (non-existent) upper horn. They neck-dive like a son of a bitch. They're fun, very dark tone, and yeah the 3-point bridge is a pain in the rear end... but you could do a lot worse.
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Nov 12, 2015 02:36
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spamman posted:Is getting an Epiphone Thunderbird a bad idea for a first bass? Mostly rehashing what others have said: - It's heavy as heck - It also neck dives like crazy - The 3-point bridge is the worst bass bridge ever - The one I played had pretty anemic pickups However, there is also the more recently introduced Epiphone Thunderbird Pro. It's a bit more expensive and has similar drawbacks, but it's a neck-through like the real thing instead of a bolt on, has better pickups, a sensible bridge, and should be overall a better instrument.
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Nov 12, 2015 04:10
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Which bridge is it that isn't great? I notice there are a couple. Also why isn't it bad? Edit: Didn't see the above post. Wow, might try to find a pro then.
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Nov 12, 2015 09:42
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I own an Epiphone T-Bird Pro. I find it heavy, neck divey, but basically decent, but I'm mainly a guitar player so I'm not sure how it compares. It's the only bass I've used extensively. I have one issue with it though that's probably my own fault: I tune down to D standard, I've slapped slightly heavier strings on it and the intonation is weird. I've messed with the bridge all I can and now every fretted note is basically in tune, but the open strings are about -10 or -15 cents off. Is this because of me putting heavier strings on without doing anything about the nut?
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Nov 12, 2015 12:29
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I'd get a squier Jazz as your first bass. It's cheap, versatile, has a relatively thin neck so easy to learn and it's easier to resell than something flashier.
Dyna Soar fucked around with this message at 13:00 on Nov 12, 2015 |
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Nov 12, 2015 12:56
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Dyna Soar posted:I'd get a squier Jazz as your first bass. It's cheap, versatile, has a relatively thin neck so easy to learn and it's easier to resell than something flashier. Rolling out my Squier Vintage Modified 70s Jazz Bass story again. I sold an $1,800 EBMM Bongo 5 because the VM70s sounded and played a million times better. The Bongo was one of the most flawlessly crafted instrument I've ever laid hands on but the Jazz straight up feels like I got a vintage bass for the price of a dirt cheap beginner bass. It's unbelievable and I would honestly tell you that you could learn on it and keep it as your only bass all the way through a full professional career and it wouldn't let you down. $300 and you're set for as long as you like playing the instrument. I never shut up about this bass but it's the truth. I even bought it blind from Amazon and was definitely nervous about the quality before it came in. Kilometers Davis fucked around with this message at 16:21 on Nov 12, 2015 |
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Nov 12, 2015 16:17
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The quality-to-price ratio of Squier can't be overstated, really. I mean, I'm not going to tell anyone to buy an Affinity series instrument, but the models above that are all really good for the price, and the Vintage Modified are surprisingly good, without the need for the "for the price" qualifier. My Squier Bass VI is really good and very (but not completely) true to the original model from the 60s. I had to get custom strings for it because there was no way that .084 on the low E string was going to work for me, especially not at a 30" scale, but beyond that, I've been loving it.
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Nov 12, 2015 17:28
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| # ? May 22, 2024 05:09 |
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tarlibone posted:The quality-to-price ratio of Squier can't be overstated, really. I mean, I'm not going to tell anyone to buy an Affinity series instrument, but the models above that are all really good for the price, and the Vintage Modified are surprisingly good, without the need for the "for the price" qualifier. Dumb Bass VI question here - is the low E on the Bass VI the same note as a normal bass?
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Nov 12, 2015 18:48
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