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CaseFace McGee posted:Play them both in a music shop, back to back. Go home with the one that makes your insides go more fuzzy. Agreed, go with the one who wants to be your best mate. You'll know who that is, and sometimes it's not about the sound. A good bass is so much more than about the sound.
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Sep 9, 2016 13:56
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AlphaDog posted:A great review. Thanks for the info. Something to think about towards the end of the year.
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Sep 10, 2016 02:09
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More P-bass goodness http://imgur.com/a/G7aiJ I've had this P-bass for over 10 years, my first gigging bass. Been sticking flats on it for the longest time, and man it just sounds fantastic. On another note, I've been a touring bass player for about 5 years, and on my off time I struggle with finding things to keep my game up. Mostly I feel I need to work on my time. Does anybody have any good rhythm and time exercises? I want to start doing drills on the daily, it's really the number one thing I feel I should make major improvements on.
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Sep 11, 2016 22:13
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rebounded posted:Do any of you guys have a Sire bass? I played one last week and was pretty impressed. I wouldn't trade out my MM for it, but am toying with getting an alder/rosewood one. But my 10-minute first impressions are usually a little rosey. I have a four string natural ash V7. Switched it to flatwounds as it was too bright for my taste with rounds, plus I was mostly playing funk and soul on it. (I have since bought a different bass to keep rounds on). Now that I'm accustomed to the pre-amp and know how to get particular tones from it I love it.
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Sep 12, 2016 13:43
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Thanks. I am looking for a funk/soul bass backup. Which was why I was thinking rosewood/alder (little less bright, from my experience). I'll keep the flatwounds idea in mind. How'd you set your mids-sweep? The price is ridiculous. I'd order a fretless but they are still in pre-order only, I guess waiting on enough orders to make it cost-effective.
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Sep 12, 2016 20:25
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i dunno if anyone here lives in kansas city, but there's an actual steal available https://reverb.com/item/2811844-ibanez-sr800-2001-silver i was about to buy it on sight but it's local pickup only and while i might be able to convince him to ship it, i'm kinda put off by the switched knobs
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Sep 13, 2016 02:46
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rebounded posted:Thanks. I am looking for a funk/soul bass backup. Which was why I was thinking rosewood/alder (little less bright, from my experience). I'll keep the flatwounds idea in mind. How'd you set your mids-sweep? I usually set the mid sweep to suit the room, cutting a certain frequency if it's too boomy, boosting if I need the mids to cut through. Be warned - these basses are pretty heavy, did you try standing up with it in the shop?
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Sep 13, 2016 20:36
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anyone have good suggestions for stuff to check out as a guitar player learning bass and trying to not sound like "a guitar player playing bass"
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Sep 17, 2016 00:06
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study bass dot com It covers the fundamentals and gives you some songs to listen to that demonstrate each concept, so that should cover a lot of ground Also practice just using roots, and chord tones, and meshing with the drums. Don't play lead guitar on the bass (unless that's your thing) baka kaba fucked around with this message at 00:24 on Sep 17, 2016 |
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Sep 17, 2016 00:20
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James Jamerson will show you what to do What's Going On Ain't No Mountain High Enough
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Sep 17, 2016 00:30
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... and Bernadette
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Sep 17, 2016 00:50
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 Brought home a new toy today, MIJ Ibanez Roadstar II, half off the conte-crayoned on price from the thrift store! ...then learned why it was there in the first place. The loving strings are carrying voltage. It's not supposed to tingle like that!  Oh well. I was looking for a project bass anyway.
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Sep 18, 2016 00:20
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Should be an easy fix if you know how to solder.
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Sep 18, 2016 02:07
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Juaguocio posted:Should be an easy fix if you know how to solder. In theory, yeah, but I popped the pickguard off and smelled mildew, so I got no idea where the problem is versus what I can see. The guts are a mess, corrosion, rust, it's pretty bad. I figure $40 for a really nice neck and body though is good enough for now.
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Sep 18, 2016 02:13
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My to-do list of bass projects is being pretty long - building a few more cabs, refinishing my existing cabs, deep-clean all the instruments, adjust setups with the shifting humidity... but I finally got to cross off one of the oldest projects on the list.  (not the greatest image, but it shows "the boss" doing his inspection prior to final approval) The bottom contact surfaces are beveled 45° under the foam (always fun to use my router), so the bass can safely sit on it without the case and not have too much pressure on the contact points. The back board is angled to line up with the bass. I've got leather pads glued on the bass to protect the wood when it is laying down, and those pads will rest on that board. I also attached a layer of cork to cushion the board slightly... time will tell if the cork lasts or crumbles. Now I need to buy a better circular saw... this one wants to eat fingers.
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Sep 18, 2016 16:22
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I have a bit of a dilemma. I semi-recently bought an Ampeg SVT-CL, as it's been a bit of a 'unicorn' for me since I've started playing bass (mainly the ability to afford it has been what's prevented me from being able to buy it in the past). I play in a shoegaze band with four other guitarists (yes, four), and therefore I'm after a very specific bass tone soas not to gently caress with the dynamics of all of the other sound swirling around when we play. It's a great amp. It's loving loud, obviously, and super versatile. My issue is that it almost seems to be too versatile for me. It's capable of a fairly broad range of tones, meaning that I almost feel that the 'Interpol'-esque tone that I try to dial in (that's the best point of reference for the tone I'm after) almost seems like I'm wasting its potential, but also given that it's pretty versatile it can be hard to get it 'just right' in my experience. To say nothing of the fact that while my band is somewhat locally known for being overly loud, this thing seems like overkill in the power department. Anyway, all of that aside, we played a show with a pretty big Australian punk band who's bassist uses an Orange Terror 500w bass amp (which surprised me because they'd surely have the budget to buy something 'bigger'). They let us use all of their gear (which was amazing of them), which I jumped on because I didn't want to lug the heavy-rear end SVT up the stairs in the venue. The minute I plugged into the Orange Terror, I had this incredible clean tone that seemed to sound exactly how I wanted it to. With headroom to spare, I might add, given that on stage I had the volume knob up about maybe a quarter of how high it could go and was already kinda drowning out all of my bandmates. My question is - would I be a loving idiot to sell my SVT and buy an Orange Terror instead? Like is this some sort of "Are you serious?" move, or pretty reasonable in the scheme of things? The weight of the thing is obviously a huge factor, given that the SVT nearly throws my back out trying to carry it anywhere, whereas the Orange is lighter than my pedalboard. But also sound-wise, it felt a lot easier to get a tone that is good to my ears with the Orange as opposed to the SVT. Basically, please tell me if I'm a loving moron for considering this. Thanks.
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Sep 18, 2016 23:08
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I had an svt in the 90s. At different times both the 2x15 and classic 8x10 fridges. About every other punk bands player did. I sold the svt after first tour and went to an 800rb driving a 4x10, with occasional rental or house 15/18. I'll be honest I miss the tone and pure balls of the SVT sometimes, but not enough to go back. It is one of those grandpa war stories I tell people dragging that rig up from basement bars. I'd say if you found "your tone" make it happen. I'm jealous. I'm struggling to find a replacement for my GK. The new ones just don't feel right, and while I can pick up an old one pretty cheap, I'd really like to join the millennium.
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Sep 18, 2016 23:20
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Get a lunchbox for playing live but def keep the ampeg. You'll thank yourself later, when you maybe wanna try something new.
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Sep 19, 2016 06:23
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I've been looking for a combo for a practice amp. Ideally I was looking for built-in tuner, some overdrive, AUX in, phone and XLR out, and under 40 lbs. Not trying to play over a drummer. Just wanted a 1-hander for practice and writing with guitarist. Guy is advertising a TC Electronic BG250 115 for $250. Includes a Squier Affinity P-bass, cables and stand. Everything "like new". I have no interest in the bass but figure I can turn it into a project. This is way more amp than I need but that's fine. Same ad was posted a month ago and went away before I could respond. Price seems a little too good to be true, but I'm hoping that (a) he's 90 minutes away from a real town and (b) he's not advertising the amp which is keeping it under the radar. I just caught it from the photo. In case it is real - just how bad is the Affinity line? I've never seen one. I'm ok with swapping out the pups. Might have a bridge that would fit it. Been playing for 25 years and I've never owned a Fender...
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Sep 20, 2016 01:23
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rebounded posted:I have no interest in the bass but figure I can turn it into a project. Fretless conversion 
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Sep 20, 2016 12:56
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AlphaDog posted:Fretless conversion Not a terrible idea. The electronics in an Affinity P-bass are so cheap that I'm pretty sure the manufacturers actually pay Fender to use them in the basses. Just terrible. But, you can get excellent replacement pickups for about $70 (I'm talking made-in-USA Fender pickups here), and for about $30 more, a very high quality wiring kit. and again... a fretless conversion? Not a bad idea at all.
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Sep 20, 2016 14:05
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AlphaDog posted:Fretless conversion As long as the neck is true - if there is any warp, it could be a miserable instrument to play. Some of that can be fixed, but it may not be worth the effort. If it's got a good neck though, it could be a great project bass.
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Sep 20, 2016 15:19
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Well after really getting into my guitar and putting in lots of hours over the last month and a half I decided to dip my toe in to the bass side of things. Went out and spent a couple hours trying a bunch of bass guitar last night. Eventually ended up settling on an Ibanez SR300E. This thing is a blast. I'm really glad I went ahead and got one. Already have managed to learn a couple simple riffs and develop a blister on the index finger. There is something about the bass and playing with multiple fingers that is clicking a lot better for me than playing with a pick. Palm muting is a real bitch for me right now though. Had zero issues with guitar but can't seem to keep notes from slipping out unmuted on the bass.
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Sep 20, 2016 18:17
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If you're playing fingerstyle, then don't forget your fretting hand is a big tool for muting. Also, if you need to mute notes that you're playing, you can just use the fingers that were on the string originally (something you can't do with a pick, where instead you'd lay your palm across the strings).
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Sep 20, 2016 18:38
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AlphaDog posted:Fretless conversion I've seen it done well by end-user, but I'm way too impatient to do it myself. I'd get in a hurry and do more damage than good. If I go that route I'd order a neck from Warmouth. I started as an upright guy, but every fretless bass I've bought has been a let-down. I guess the nice thing about a project bass is I can do a little bit at a time. I've always just bought basses, never learned much about the hardware other than "I like this but not that". My initial thought was just to make a classic Motown thumper, but then paint/finish it something obnoxious. I learned to play electric by plucking along to Duck Dunn and that's what I am going for. Restring with flats day 1. Put in some better pickups; probably replace pots if the electronics are as bad as I keep hearing. I'm open to suggestions from the gang posting P-basses from the previous page. I'll give the bridge and tuners a shot, but probably will get an extender if the bass isn't complete garbage. At that point I'd probably replace all the hardware. If this ends up being a waste of time and effort I will just donate the thing and keep my eye out for a better P-bass as a starting point. Going to buy a Sire next, this just came up as a "why not?" project since it comes with the amp.
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Sep 20, 2016 19:44
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For the price of those parts, you could sell your Affinity P-bass for $100 and buy a used Classic Vibe P-bass with less than you'd spend on parts.
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Sep 20, 2016 20:50
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Sockington posted:For the price of those parts, you could sell your Affinity P-bass for $100 and buy a used Classic Vibe P-bass with less than you'd spend on parts. Yeah. I realized I was getting carried away. I was talking to a friend about this and he reminded me of a mutual friend who spent $24k on a Ford Focus, by going stupid on options. I hate Fender for their over-complicated product lines, but I just want a functional beater. I'm ok with putting $$$ in parts into a project over time but maybe should just find the right platform. $100-150 for pickups, maybe $20 for the cap and wiring. $80 for an extender, probably another $100 for tuners? I've got an old Badass bridge from an aborted college project. I definitely won't put a fretless neck on it after thinking how unhappy I've been with the fretless basses I've had - I'm going to want to play that first. I guess I should just cap myself somewhere. Put $250 into a "free" bass. Hold off on the extender/paint for now. If it still sounds/feels like crap, rip off the replacements, put the stock back on it, and give it away. I'd really only be out the pots/jack/cap. Save the parts for down the line. My first electric was a Peavey Fury. For years I've been toying with the idea of buying back my childhood, and upgrading that. Heavy SOB. May be a moot point, anyway. Go look at this stuff tomorrow. Probably going to be murdered out in the desert by someone who reeled in a sucker.
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Sep 20, 2016 21:50
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For realises you guys who play 5-strings, how often do you dip into that lower fifth? I've been considering getting back into basstronautics and I really need something that attracts me - I had a CV 60's P-Bass (and like the CV 50's Telecaster) it just didn't grab me and make me play. The majority of the music I enjoy is either in E, Eb or D-standard and while I think it would be gratifying to play in a Doom band with a low F# I don't think this is ever going to be a reality. On the other hand, if there's not much to lose, I may provision for it anyway? I've been looking at the Musicman Ray (affordable series) or Marcus Miller Sires, or even the Squier VM 5-string active J-bass that I've seen around. I would be very interested in any input on that too. Many thanks,
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Sep 20, 2016 22:33
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I could never understand why a decent amount of modern country songs are in C# until we covered some in my bar band. Hit the open B, hammer on the C# right away on the upbeat, match the kick for the rest of the chord... That's a hell of a bass texture. In classic rock type settings, I'll use the B to switch things up. First verse I'll set up a pattern leading up to a D chord, then halfway through the second verse I'll go down to the low D instead for some variation. It's not used all the time, but it really allows me to bring in a bit more variation to my parts.
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Sep 20, 2016 23:48
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Southern Heel posted:I think it would be gratifying to play in a Doom band with a low F# I don't think this is ever going to be a reality. In my experience, A is about as low as you can tune without losing definition. Any lower than that is straight mud on bass. Besides, most of the doom bands who tune ridiculously low do so to cover up the fact that they don't have any good riffs.
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Sep 21, 2016 02:20
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Southern Heel posted:For realises you guys who play 5-strings, how often do you dip into that lower fifth? I've been considering getting back into basstronautics and I really need something that attracts me - I had a CV 60's P-Bass (and like the CV 50's Telecaster) it just didn't grab me and make me play. The majority of the music I enjoy is either in E, Eb or D-standard and while I think it would be gratifying to play in a Doom band with a low F# I don't think this is ever going to be a reality. On the other hand, if there's not much to lose, I may provision for it anyway? I've dealt with this a lot, actually. First question: How often do I dip into that lower fifth? (It's the lower fifth string; if you're talking intervals, it's a lower fourth, but I know what you mean.) The answer will really depend on what you play. Things that are in standard tuning down 1/2 or 1 step (which is what I assume you mean by "Eb or D standard") can obviously be handled on a 5-string, but many songs are written with the assumption that certain notes are on open strings--often, the open 4th string. That note is used as a pedal point, and when the bass line leaves that note, it may be written so that the player's fretting hand is in, say, the 5th or 6th position. So you're bouncing C's and D's and E's and F's on the G and C strings off of the open low D string. Now... you can play that on a 5-string, but it's much harder, and it won't sound as smooth. That said, not all songs written in those tunings are like that. I was in a band years ago that played "Fly" by the band Loudmouth. That song was in Drop D -1/2 Step, something the guitarists would have to tune to. I played it in standard tuning on a 5-string with very little difficulty. So for the purposes of playing songs written in altered tunings like D- and Eb-standard on a 5-string in standard tuning, it's going to be hit and miss. But, that 5th string makes songs that were written in standard tuning more fun to play. I'm currently in a band that does the Shinedown song "Second Chance", and the chorus is a really basic C - Eb - F - Ab progression. I don't need to play this on my 5-string, but I do. Why? Well, I can make the chorus more interesting by playing that progression in the normal range the first time (Starting on C on the 3rd fret of the A string and going up for each new chord), switching the last two notes down an octave the 2nd time, and on the 3rd time, and then playing the whole thing down an octave on the 3rd time through, with the C and Eb on the low B string. It gives it some additional weight. Not only can you add spice by replacing the occasional note with its octave-lower twin, but having the low B can open up some new keys if you're a songwriter. Notably, as has been mentioned, C# Minor, which is the relative minor of E Major. Or B Minor, which is relative to D Major. Tons of fun.
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Sep 21, 2016 02:28
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How interested should I be in a non-squier jaguar bass, coming as a casual 6 guitar player? I put a bid on eBay, I thought I was low balling but now the days are playing out and I'm still the high bidder and I'm afraid a) I might end up with it, or b) this might be a great thing. Basically do I bid higher, or let it go. Basically basically what is a used jaguar bass worth.
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Sep 21, 2016 03:30
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FeloniousDrunk posted:How interested should I be in a non-squier jaguar bass, coming as a casual 6 guitar player? I put a bid on eBay, I thought I was low balling but now the days are playing out and I'm still the high bidder and I'm afraid a) I might end up with it, or b) this might be a great thing. Basically do I bid higher, or let it go. Basically basically what is a used jaguar bass worth. I was watching those earlier this year because I like the body style and PJ setup. Standard or American Standard? I know I've seen $400 & $800, respectively. Quick glance at Reverb shows $450/875.
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Sep 21, 2016 03:42
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OK good, I'm in the ballpark. We'll see. CIJ.
Tad Naff fucked around with this message at 05:08 on Sep 21, 2016 |
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Sep 21, 2016 04:38
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The ones with the jag-style plates on the top and bottom have the full active/passive circuitry, which is pretty cool.
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Sep 21, 2016 14:35
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Quick Q - is a Gallien Kruger MB115 worth £250/$324? Thanks,
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Sep 21, 2016 18:39
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Southern Heel posted:Quick Q - is a Gallien Kruger MB115 worth £250/$324? That's what I was going to get if this TC Electronic didn't pan out. I am really biased toward GK amps. Version 1 or 2 (aluminum or cloth grill)? I've head the v1 had poor qc. For the v2 series GK moved ops back to the US. That's a good price on a v2 (new they're $450) but I've seen used ones for $300.
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Sep 21, 2016 22:29
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Thanks for the reply! I'm still mulling over whether I should get a practise amp if I'm happy to practise with a DI-box and VSTs - I'm very happy with BIAS Amp/etc. and have a decent audio interface - and I'm thinking that rather than getting myself a big 1x15 or 2x10 I can grab a SansAmp Bass Driver or suchlike and simply play along with that when I'm at home. I've only been to one rehearsal studio, and they supplied amplifiers - and I've heard from here and on basschat/talkbass quite frequently that venues will have a PA I can connect into anyway. Certainly watching friend's bands play there would always be a PA with a mic infront of his bass cab. Generally, I'm looking for an excuse to not shell out cash for a cab if I don't need it to practise and won't use it in rehearsal/playing live.
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Sep 22, 2016 07:03
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I brought home a BG250-115 and the Squier P-bass. I was half-right: I thought this was a rig a guy bought for himself but decided bass wasn't for him. Turns out he bought it for his teenager, who didn't take to it. Strings were pretty new on the bass, and Dad said they'd never been changed. Dad said maybe 5 hours of use (but he's trying to make a sale...) On the bass, I'm actually surprised how not-awful it is. It feels light and cheap like a toy (even the pickguard feels cheap), but sounds fine. Neck is fine. Frets are fine. I was shocked it was setup well. No scratch on the pots or jack, but the electronics have got to go. I know it is passive and all, but the volume is pretty much all or nothing. And the tone is similarly black, white, and one color of grey. It may as well be a 3-way toggle. Amp: Didn't want to wake wife up, so just playing through headphones but mixed first impression. Perfect for practice amp and carrying to practice w/ guitarist. That's why I bought it. Paid $250. Easier to list some negatives rather than submit the "I've had it for 1 day and here's my 5-star review!" Surprised there's no gain dampener for active inputs. Limiter flashed earlier than I thought it should. As expected, 99% of the digital effects are filler. There's a decent octave and chorus for noodling. The overdrive is fine. Compressor presets I didn't like. Didn't touch the flanger, phaser or vibrato. Half of the presets I tried just gained the poo poo out of the signal and would require a gain adjustment, not just a foot switch. Tuner discrepancy between my old Korg and the built-in. My ear may be biased but I thought the TC was off. Not playing through the speaker but at high levels there's this weird overtone I can't place. Like a weak chorus. Tomorrow I'll ditch the headphones and try some other basses. Try to determine amp or bass. This is a new one for me.
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Sep 22, 2016 07:56
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So I was going to the good music store the other day, not expecting to buy anything and I was just checking out the fender stock that they had in. Decided to go into a booth to noodle on one of the american standard jazz basses to check them out. The cool sales guy I had talked to mentioned that they had a sale going on of some more expensive basses, but they were offering a pretty substantial discount. Long story short I picked up this baby for a full 25% off:  A '74 American Vintage Jazz. I knew when I played it that I had to have it, this thing is loving sex on wheels  . Played it today at practice and it's everything I ever wanted in a bass 
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Sep 22, 2016 09:02
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