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Finished cutting down the combo and now have a TS-50B head essentially.  
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Nov 14, 2016 00:25
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AlphaDog posted:This is what I'd probably do if starting now. That said, the way entry level gear loses value works for you pretty hard if you buy it used. Like, you can probably find an OK-for-a-beginner used bass for $100 (I'm in Australia, I'd guess it'd be less in america), which sucks if you're selling it and paid $250-300 for it new, but doesn't suck if you paid $100 for it 6 months ago and decided to upgrade or quit. Yeah I guess that's true. Then again, with a quality instrument there's the added incentive to practice just to hold it, hah!
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Nov 14, 2016 00:44
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Dyna Soar posted:Yeah I guess that's true. Then again, with a quality instrument there's the added incentive to practice just to hold it, hah! Definitely! To reiterate the second part of my previous post, if it doesn't feel good to hold, you're not going to want to play it. e: That said, when I was starting on electric bass I got a GSR200. Took me about 3 years before I started to feel like it was the instrument rather than me that wasn't that great (that is, once I learned to turn the awful active EQ bullshit off). Also, if you're at all talented you're gonna progress way faster than I do. Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Nov 14, 2016 |
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Nov 14, 2016 00:55
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FedEx man paid me a visit. Box is awfully wide. How'd they keep things from shifting?  Came in a decent case  I admit I am not crazy about the color. Bought primarily on price.  But hey, it sparkles! Everything is better with sparkles. 
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Nov 18, 2016 22:43
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pumped up for school posted:FedEx man paid me a visit. Is that the MIA one you were talking about before? I like the color combo. I'm trying very hard to resist inquiring about the Bergantino HT210 on my local craigslist. Don't buy more cabs... don't buy more cabs... Dang, there's a Euphonic Audio stack on there too. Why wasn't any of this stuff around when I was actually in the market for a cab?
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Nov 19, 2016 01:26
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Juaguocio posted:Is that the MIA one you were talking about before? I like the color combo. Yes it is a 2012 MIA. I can't find a mark on it other than a few on the pickups. I paid $650 and think I got a good deal. I think if I'd seen the ad with a stock white pickguard I would have passed, but the guard grabbed me against the flake finish. It is growing on me. I played a pair of Bergantino 1x12s that I absolutely loved. Get that 210!
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Nov 19, 2016 02:07
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pumped up for school posted:Yes it is a 2012 MIA. I can't find a mark on it other than a few on the pickups. I paid $650 and think I got a good deal. Yeah that's a great deal for a MIA Fender. Now that I think about it, the Berg might have been a HT112, but it's gone in any case. I hesistated because I don't like cabs with tweeters, though Bergs are probably way better than most. If a NV cab ever appears, I'll be all over it. Juaguocio fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Nov 19, 2016 |
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Nov 19, 2016 21:59
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I think a white pearloid or cream pearloid pickguard would complement the sparkle blue better.
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Nov 20, 2016 17:17
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A little something different. Looking to buy wife a Christmas present. She has an old Teisco SS bass that needs the electronics re-done (everything - pickups, pots, jack), strings, a replacement tuner and fretwork. She holds onto it for sentimental reasons (bought it when she divorced her guitarist-ex, lol), which is why I am thinking of having it fixed up. I -think- the neck is ok but I haven't checked the truss rod to see if it works. Alternative would be to buy a Squier Jaguar SS. Probably similar price. She'd love the styling but the sentimental option would get me points. She's been bugging me for "lessons" for years but I know I'd be a horrible teacher. I have bad habits and, having never taken lessons, really don't know how I'd teach her. Thinking Rocksmith to get her started, then an online option if she sticks with it. Anyone tried Rocksmith? I could even get her some of those DR colored strings but don't know if they can be cut right for a short scale. I'll measure the lengths of the Teisco ball-nut/tuner tonight.
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Nov 21, 2016 22:35
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Rocksmith is pretty fun. There's some input lag that bothers me (this varies by hardware setup), but overall, it works pretty well as advertised. However, It doesn't really teach you anything about technique, which is bad for a new player. It makes sure you gets the notes relatively right, but doesn't really know if you're making the strings buzz or arching your fingers poorly or whatever. If she's actually trying to learn decent technique from scratch, I don't think there's really a substitute for real lessons from a real person. Once you have the basics down, Rocksmith is good for a game, but at some point you realize you can just read tabs and play stuff without the game.
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Nov 21, 2016 22:45
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I don't really get anything out of Rocksmith that finding a tab and playing along to an mp3 wouldn't do. You really need to know the basics of playing first because Rocksmith isn't going to teach you very well, and by the time you've got the basics down, you probably don't need a computer game to tell you you've hit a wrong note. Still a pretty fun game though, even if all the bass tones it gives you always sounds like similar shades of mud to me. Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 23:35 on Nov 21, 2016 |
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Nov 21, 2016 23:32
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If you play Rocksmith in hard mode aka Score Attack, it has a lot of the same advantages as recording yourself - you're forced to really pay attention and try and nail things perfectly, because one mistake will have a lasting effect. So it's good for practicing performance while being fun times It's a bit more advanced than a tab, they're all professionally transcribed so you get a lot of fingering and position cues for the whole song, which can be helpful for a beginner if you actually pay attention to them. And the repeater thing that lets you slow down and simplify parts can be really useful too. The input lag can be a problem if your computer or setup isn't nice and low latency, but you notice it more on fast rhythmic parts like straight 8th notes. But yeah it's not really the same as lessons - might want to point her at some youtubes
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Nov 22, 2016 00:15
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Sounds like a pass on rocksmith. Maybe farther down the line.
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Nov 22, 2016 08:15
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pumped up for school posted:Sounds like a pass on rocksmith. Maybe farther down the line. To try to more helpful: pumped up for school posted:... an old Teisco SS bass that needs the electronics re-done (everything - pickups, pots, jack), strings, a replacement tuner and fretwork... I -think- the neck is ok but I haven't checked the truss rod to see if it works. If I had an old bass that needed fixing, I'd be way happier if my wife got it fixed up than I would with a new bass. You'll probably be OK doing the bolded bits yourself, assuming you own a screwdriver and a soldering iron. Fret work isn't easy and I'd be completely lost with fixing a truss rod (not even sure it's something you can do without special tools), but the rest of it's nothing too difficult - take photos of everything before you start, put it all back exactly the same as it was but with new components. Or just get it done professionally. Either way, maybe part of the present could be a few lessons? Or a teach-yourself book/video/online thing and you could help out if she has questions? e: I think any way of learning will work if the person wants to play. Like, my introduction to bass was from when I was barely able to wobble through some simple 3-4 chord acoustic guitar songs after giving up on my lessons years beforehand. A friend handed me an acoustic bass, and said "here's D, C, and G, pluck with these two fingers, I'm gonna play Sweet Home Alabama, try to stay in time". From where I'm at now, I can say "it would have been good to have lessons when I started", but I don't think I would actually have stuck with it if I'd started by taking lessons. Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 10:16 on Nov 22, 2016 |
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Nov 22, 2016 08:26
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pumped up for school posted:Sounds like a pass on rocksmith. Maybe farther down the line. I have gotten some really good mileage out of a songsterr subscription. It isn't perfect, if you are working with headphones getting the volume balanced can be a mess but being able to set the speed and highlight sections can help a lot. Many of the same criticisms will apply, for technique lessons are the way to go. I had good luck with a guy on craigslist, met up found out we get along and all that stuff without being obligated for X hours or 2 months up front or any of the other silliness that can come along with trying to get lessons at a big shop. Little stand alone stores would also be a good resource there.
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Nov 22, 2016 14:44
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AlphaDog posted:
That's a good point. I guess I had it in the same thought as needing car work: while I am having belts replaced, go ahead and change my oil, please. But pots and jacks I have replaced before. So I can save a few bucks. Here's the bass in question. I love how it is like the 60s version of "Yo dawg, I heard you liked pickguards".  The tuners work, it is just missing a cover so I'll leave it be.  The action is crazy high (and I grew up prefering high action like an upright).  It doesn't look like the neck has a bow in it, just a pretty severe reverse angle ("up" away from the plane of the body). Before I replace the electronics I will see if I can lower it, otherwise I will see if the repair guy can shim it. If he's successful I will swap out the electronics. Thought I had last night was just to clean it up and mount it as wall art. She'd dig that, too, if it is beyond reasonable repair.
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Nov 22, 2016 18:09
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The truss rod looks pretty easy to adjust, but with action that high you may want to try bending the neck back by hand while adjusting it, that seems like too much to rely on the nut alone.
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Nov 22, 2016 20:11
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AlphaDog posted:I don't really get anything out of Rocksmith that finding a tab and playing along to an mp3 wouldn't do. Rocksmith really has done wonders for me but you have to use all of the features of the game. A very strong example being that if you happen to have a song that you struggle with put that part of the song in riff repeater. While tinkering mess with the settings so you can slowly build speed as well as accuracy. Also I made it a habit of playing score attack with the goal of getting platinum on easy for every song I've mastered in the learn a song function. If you happen to learn a song but step away from it and you don't want to deal with master mode throw the song in nonstop play. *Master mode never appears in nonstop for me even if I've 100% a song. Finally the technique games are pretty fun and help you become a much more technical player and the lessons are well detailed in their explanations. However I spent many years playing Bemani games. I.E Dance Dance Revolution, Pop'n Music. So for someone like me it comes more naturally than it may for others. I hope this helps, don't dismiss the game. *edit* Apparently, master mode can be unlocked for songs the game just expects you to know. However, there is a feature in options where you can turn off master mode universally. Munoma fucked around with this message at 00:48 on Nov 25, 2016 |
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Nov 22, 2016 20:49
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pumped up for school posted:It doesn't look like the neck has a bow in it, just a pretty severe reverse angle ("up" away from the plane of the body). Before I replace the electronics I will see if I can lower it, otherwise I will see if the repair guy can shim it. If he's successful I will swap out the electronics. DrChu posted:The truss rod looks pretty easy to adjust, but with action that high you may want to try bending the neck back by hand while adjusting it, that seems like too much to rely on the nut alone. If the neck's not bowed, I would have thought that adjusting the truss rod wouldn't help. Check it with a straight edge, or fret the 1st and last frets and see if the neck is as straight as the string. I'd think that an unbowed neck that angles upwards means that it's shim time, but I've never shimmed a neck and can't offer advice on it. Try adjusting the bridge first. If that doesn't work, check that the neck is actually attached properly (like, if a screw or two has been loosened and not tightened back properly, it can be non-obvious except that it makes the neck sit at a funny angle). Between each adjustment you try, I'd measure by fretting the strings at 1st fret, then measuring from the 12th fret crown to the bottom of the string and writing that down so you can tell if you're making it marginally better or worse even if it doesn't look any different. Someone more experienced than me probably has a better idea or more stuff you could try. Bass looks cool af though, I'd definitely fix it up it was me 
Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 22:18 on Nov 22, 2016 |
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Nov 22, 2016 22:07
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Thanks for the advice, guys. I think I have a plan for now, at least.AlphaDog posted:Bass looks cool af though, I'd definitely fix it up it was me There's one just like it on Reverb right now, if someone is into odds and ends instruments. Teisco made some rad designs and I like looking at them.
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Nov 22, 2016 22:52
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DrChu posted:The truss rod looks pretty easy to adjust, but with action that high you may want to try bending the neck back by hand while adjusting it, that seems like too much to rely on the nut alone. Yes. Take all tension off of the neck (i.e. make strings completely slack) Loosen the truss rod completely and try and massage/carefully push the neck so it has a slight back bow. Tighten the truss rod to lock in this amount of curve in the neck. Slowly bring strings up to pitch to test amount of curve in neck. Trial and error until it's where you want it. The main takeaway here is that the russ rod really only holds the neck in place and adjusting its nut should never be expected to make huge changes to your relief. Minor tweaks are fine, big changes (like this needs) no.
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Nov 23, 2016 02:52
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Thoughts on Seismic Audio cabs?
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Nov 23, 2016 03:26
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muike posted:Thoughts on Seismic Audio cabs? I haven't played them personally, but never met anyone who thought they were great that had enough experience hearing better cabs to know the difference. Buy something decent used for slightly more dough.
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Nov 24, 2016 23:42
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So I'm looking to pick up a bass and this one popped up locally. I'm waiting to hear back about it as the listing was a little sparse on details, but can anyone tell if this is an actual Fender jazz bass or just a Squire?
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Nov 28, 2016 05:38
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Well if it's got the original neck, then yeah it's a fender. Unless it's a well done fake, hah. Google squier neck and you'll see the difference.
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Nov 28, 2016 12:19
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It's a made in Mexico Standard Jazz Bass
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Nov 28, 2016 19:48
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The Stratocaster knobs are a dead giveaway that it's an older Mexican Fender bass.
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Nov 29, 2016 06:54
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Thanks for the help, but I missed out. She wanted $100 for it, but I didn't see her email back and it sold before I could reach her again. I'm a bit devastated 
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Nov 29, 2016 17:19
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No Egrets posted:Thanks for the help, but I missed out. She wanted $100 for it, but I didn't see her email back and it sold before I could reach her again. I'm a bit devastated That's a shame. Great deal, but great deals are always the ones to get away the easiest. I was just going to sell my old Mexi-made to my cousin for at least double that. They aren't bad basses, although they use an amalgam of differently sized parts, so they aren't as easily customized as their later generations and American cousins.
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Nov 29, 2016 18:02
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for a hundred bucks thats a real steal.
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Nov 29, 2016 18:07
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Hi, need help with something. I'm in dire need for an amp but I want something that I can play my electric on as well. That and I really want a USB connector on the amp so I can directly record onto my computer with Audacity. I know Peavy makes an amp that works this way but would anyone else know of a brand or model?
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Nov 29, 2016 18:22
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Munoma posted:Hi, need help with something. What do you want to play through this amp, exactly? Electric bass and electric guitar? Upright bass and electric bass? Can't really tell what you're asking. Regarding USB output, unless it's directly interfacing with the amp settings like Line 6 pedals that can control the amp effects, then you're probably better off getting a cheap sound card with line in. The DAC in most USB outputs is pretty bad. If they are anything like what you find on turntables then it's just a gimmick. A dedicated sound card (even a really cheap one) will give you better quality than most motherboard sound inputs, then just get the cable and adapter needed to connect to the 1/4" line out of basically any amp. What's your budget and how will you be using the amp - solo practice only, practice with a band, live performances for 100+ people, etc?
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Nov 29, 2016 19:18
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The Science Goy posted:What do you want to play through this amp, exactly? Electric bass and electric guitar? Upright bass and electric bass? Can't really tell what you're asking. I want an amp that I can use for my electric bass guitar, I also have an electric six string guitar that I would like to use as well. As for the USB connectivity I didn't realize that it would be a bad decision. Right now I have a 1/4 to USB cable and that works just fine in Audacity so maybe it's not worth looking into. So better question. What is an affordable bass amp within 300 to 500 dollars US that I can play my six string electric guitar on as well?
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Nov 29, 2016 19:24
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Your current USB setup will probably be similar or better quality compared to an amp with built in USB, especially in a reasonable price range. Munoma posted:So better question. In that price range (or any price range, to an extent) you will be compromising the sound of one of the instruments. Ideally look for something with a tweeter or horn, for producing a full range response to get the guitar to sound somewhat decent without sacrificing the low end bass response. Smaller speakers may help with that also - a 2x10 or 1x12, but not a 1x15. Don't expect any built in effects to work great on guitar, as they will be designed for a very different frequency range. MarkBass is my preferred full-frequency-response brand, but they are not "affordable" unless you get a solid deal on used gear. One option could be the TC Electronic BG250-112. 250 watts, 12" speaker with a tweeter, solidly within your price range. It has a USB port, but that is for uploading TonePrints (idk, read up on them) or for updating the amp's software... it doesn't do audio out of the USB. They also make a 2x10 version which would be a better choice from my view, but it is at the top of your budget. If at all possible, test before you buy!
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Nov 30, 2016 02:01
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I appreciate the detailed response, though most of what you said is greek to me. I'll look into it further, thank you very much.
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Nov 30, 2016 02:16
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For a single amp that does a good job for bass and guitar, get a good keyboard amp. A Peavey KB300 (discontinued, but very popular and available used) is a good choice: it's got a 15" driver and a horn driver as well. And, 3 inputs, usually. The only built in effect is reverb. You'll need an effects unit for your guitar, and you should have one for bass, too. But, since keyboard amps are designed to cover a very, very wide spectrum, this should do the job if you want a single amp that does an OK to good job for both instruments. They're basically a small PA system with a speaker system built in. But, this will do an OK job. A good job at best. For a great job, you need dedicated amps.
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Nov 30, 2016 07:27
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Yup. Royal blood uses a combination of bass and guitar amplifiers since each accentuates different sounds. This video is kind of helpful in explaining how and why each is used. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2tNAXPczMk
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Nov 30, 2016 07:58
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So after getting beat to the used MIM Fender J-bass and swallowing all my tears I decided to sell an acoustic guitar I never use to increase my budget to include some new basses. I went to a local guitar store with a budget of ~$400 for a bass and an amp. I was pursuing their used section when I noticed a Fender Mustang. I picked it up and played with it for a bit. I really liked the size, feel, and color. I checked the tag and it was marked as $300. Being new to bass I checked online for reviews and prices and decided to get it. They had Fender Rumble 25's on sale for $80, so I grabbed one too. Well, I got to the counter and it turns out the mustang was marked incorrectly and was actually a brand new one, but they gave it to me at the lower price. So I got a MIM Fender in the end anyway. Pretty pumped at the moment! 
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Dec 1, 2016 02:18
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Last question for now. What's a reliable six string bass under 1K? What company do you guys go to for strings?
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Dec 1, 2016 02:45
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Munoma posted:Last question for now. It's hard to beat Ibanez on a bang-for-buck scale, especially for 5- and 6-string instruments. You don't pay too much but you get a lot of bass.
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Dec 1, 2016 02:47
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