|
If I made a grill it's be that metal mesh backing up the cloth, so you get the protection of the mesh, you can put the grill cloth on super-tight and the frame still retains its shape, and it doesn't look like a loudspeaker in a prison.
|
#
?
Dec 11, 2011 07:10
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 04:12 |
|
|
DrChu posted:Do you mean the spacing between the frets (scale length)? Or the actual size of the frets themselves? If its the latter that's such a weird complaint, but I know some Ibanez models use smaller frets. If its a scale length issue, you've got some choices for a short scale bass. Squire recently has released several models in short scale, like http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0328800506 Rondo Music has some Fender copies in short scale as well. And there's always the Epiphone EB-0. That would be weird, but no, you had it right: it's the scale length. So the Squier short scale basses make for good entry-level practice instruments? I don't think we're going to run into any Rondo offerings for rent (or sale, for that matter) at the shop.
|
|
#
?
Dec 11, 2011 09:14
|
|
|
CaseFace McGee posted:Frames are a bitch - I'm still not happy with mine. I stretched the cloth super-duper tight to give it good tension. I spent over two hours making my speaker grill, with most of that time applying the grill cloth. It's very tedious, and it was difficult to line it up to my satisfaction. When I finally finished, the long sides of the frame had been pulled inwards by the tension, and I had to build and fit a brace in the middle to make it look halfway correct. Schlieren posted:If I made a grill it's be that metal mesh backing up the cloth, so you get the protection of the mesh, you can put the grill cloth on super-tight and the frame still retains its shape, and it doesn't look like a loudspeaker in a prison. At this point I've pretty much decided to go for a metal grill. Almost all my other cabs have had them so I don't mind the look. The cloth would make it more unique, but I'd rather it just work well and not be a pain to make. ibntumart posted:That would be weird, but no, you had it right: it's the scale length. So the Squier short scale basses make for good entry-level practice instruments? I don't think we're going to run into any Rondo offerings for rent (or sale, for that matter) at the shop. For $150 I wouldn't even bother trying to rent one - http://www.guitarcenter.com/item/?itemno=1860420&esid=squire+ss You could always sell it later and make up most of the cost.
|
|
#
?
Dec 11, 2011 22:46
|
|
|
DrChu posted:For $150 I wouldn't even bother trying to rent one - http://www.guitarcenter.com/item/?itemno=1860420&esid=squire+ss I wanted to give you a belated thanks for this advice. I also asked my guitar teacher about what might be the right bass for my wife (he plays bass professionally) and this was the exact model he recommended. He even also said it's really not worth renting it as he scored this with a case for $150 at our local music store. (Though he's planning on getting another for students to use, so it actually be worth it to have my wife just use his if she takes a sample lesson.) Though Caseface, he also likes the Ibanez, but thinks the Squier's better in this instance.
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2011 07:16
|
|
|
ibntumart posted:I wanted to give you a belated thanks for this advice. I also asked my guitar teacher about what might be the right bass for my wife (he plays bass professionally) and this was the exact model he recommended. He even also said it's really not worth renting it as he scored this with a case for $150 at our local music store. (Though he's planning on getting another for students to use, so it actually be worth it to have my wife just use his if she takes a sample lesson.) Squier has really upped their game since about 2008. Their Vintage Modified and Classic Vibe series basses really are a great value.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2011 06:14
|
|
|
Scarf posted:Squier has really upped their game since about 2008. Their Vintage Modified and Classic Vibe series basses really are a great value. I'm really interested in the Butterscotch Vintage Modified P-bass, should I look at replacing the bridge and the electronics or are the pickups ok? I really really really like the look of a Butterscotch/Maple P-bass but can't afford anything else.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2011 15:30
|
|
|
Noise Machine posted:I'm really interested in the Butterscotch Vintage Modified P-bass, should I look at replacing the bridge and the electronics or are the pickups ok? I really really really like the look of a Butterscotch/Maple P-bass but can't afford anything else. I mean, the whole thing is gig-able in my opinion. But yeah, the electronics obviously aren't top notch. A few I've toyed around with in some shops had kind of scratchy pots, but that can happen to any bass on the floor. It definitely wouldn't hurt to maybe replace the pots, shield the electronics cavity, and yeah, replace the pickups if you really feel the need to. The rest of the hardware was alright, I've never really been too picky about my bridges unless it's a blatant piece of poo poo. But if you're a fan of a particular bridge, it wouldn't hurt to swap it out if you already have one on hand or can easily get one at a decent price. EDIT: Long story short, I don't think there's anything on the bass you'd need to replace IMMEDIATELY. But it's definitely a good platform for upgrading when you feel the desire to. Scarf fucked around with this message at 17:35 on Dec 19, 2011 |
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2011 17:30
|
|
|
While I don't great personal experience with the Squire basses, other than playing them in store and enjoying them, I can definitely vouch for the quality of the guitars. The whole product line has fit and finish greatly in excess of their price points.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2011 18:29
|
|
|
What's the deal with bridges anyway? What makes a good one feel good and a bad one feel bad? Sustain or tone quality or what? Also on a possibly related note, I know a lot of people like to play near the bridge (over the bridge pickup or nearer) but on my crappy bass it sounds pretty bad, the notes just deaden. A pick helps but the D string especially gets some 'twonk'y overtones. Anything you can do about that?
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2011 17:17
|
|
|
baka kaba posted:What's the deal with bridges anyway? What makes a good one feel good and a bad one feel bad? Sustain or tone quality or what? baka kaba posted:Also on a possibly related note, I know a lot of people like to play near the bridge (over the bridge pickup or nearer) but on my crappy bass it sounds pretty bad, the notes just deaden. A pick helps but the D string especially gets some 'twonk'y overtones. Anything you can do about that? Oh and cheers to a fellow long time goon who has yet to change their avatar!
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2011 18:22
|
|
|
Yeah it just has that kind of tone you get on a guitar playing real close to the bridge, kinda plinky. Or like playing the strings past the nut. Not great! It's not AS bad over the pickup but it sure doesn't sound great, but I know a lot of people like to play there and get a nice tone out of it so I was wondering if maybe a decent bridge would make it more consistent. Bridges just aren't something I've ever given a lot of thought to - it's there, it's a piece of metal, on rare occasions I mess with the saddles and that's about it 
|
|
#
?
Dec 21, 2011 02:03
|
|
|
baka kaba posted:What's the deal with bridges anyway? What makes a good one feel good and a bad one feel bad? Sustain or tone quality or what? It's mostly practical stuff - adjustment, stability, quality of materials, etc. There's a little bit of tonal difference between a light bent metal bridge and a heavy brass bridge but not anything dramatic.
|
|
#
?
Dec 21, 2011 21:16
|
|
|
CaseFace McGee posted:Fretless. So my friend gave me his bass a few years ago before he joined the navy and I got pretty good at it but he wanted it back a year ago... Anyways, I now have enough spare money to get one probably in January but I decided I want to be different and go fretless, it's not going to be like starting over with a new instrument is it?
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2011 08:07
|
|
|
Vira posted:So my friend gave me his bass a few years ago before he joined the navy and I got pretty good at it but he wanted it back a year ago... Anyways, I now have enough spare money to get one probably in January but I decided I want to be different and go fretless, it's not going to be like starting over with a new instrument is it? If you've already got the bass background, you shouldn't have too much trouble. If you have a choice, I would recommend getting a lined neck so you have some sort of reference. Mine is unlined, so it took a bit more time for me to be able to play in tune (but it looks so fantastic) When you're practicing with fretless, especially when you're new to it, it's important to have reference pitches in the background so you can learn to fix your intonation on the fly. If scales is your thing (and it is, isn't it? Because scales are important) every so often practice super-slow with a tuner, and try to do full octaves with the needle dead-center for each note. It's tough, but an achievable goal. I also have a drone CD that I got for upright that just plays a reference pitch drone for like a minute per pitch. Just go to whatever pitch is your root note, and you can teach your ear the right intervals at the same time you're learning self-intonation. If you like jamming along with songs, set the song's volume and your bass's volume so you can tell if your intonation is off. Also, it's good to know that the band was actually tuned to a reference pitch when they recorded. I'm looking at you, Van Halen. It's a bit more work than a fretted bass overall, but I think it's more than worth it in the end. With a properly set-up instrument, and the right tone and playing style, the tone I get when I throw some vibrato down makes me go  EDIT: Holy wall of text, batman. Don't think that all of this stuff needs to be practiced every day to sound anything above mediocre - this is pretty much everything that I've done ever to adjust to fretless. The same methods *should* be done with fretted also, just to train your ear. I switched entirely to fretless in jazz band 3 times a week, and I only play my fretted bass for pep band. The extra time on fretless developed my ear to the point where I can intonate my fretted bass on the fly by pressing extra on the frets or bending a bit - wouldn't be necessary if the pep band would tune to me or a tuner instead of to lead trumpet's cold horn  The Science Goy fucked around with this message at 14:10 on Dec 22, 2011 |
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2011 14:00
|
|
|
Vira posted:So my friend gave me his bass a few years ago before he joined the navy and I got pretty good at it but he wanted it back a year ago... Anyways, I now have enough spare money to get one probably in January but I decided I want to be different and go fretless, it's not going to be like starting over with a new instrument is it? No, it's not a big deal. Your fingers will still know where to go, and the advantages of having a nice full tone and added subtlety to your playing far outweigh the minor chore of paying that extra bit of attention to correct intonation. Give it a few weeks and you won't even think about it anymore.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2011 14:18
|
|
|
http://bakersfield.craigslist.org/msg/2768538143.html So I've got some Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket, and I found the above. Does anyone have experience with Dean guitars? I've found that this particular model is about 200 dollars brand new, and I've also found generally positive reviews on it. I'm going to call the guy tomorrow, and hopefully go see it. What specifically should I look for? Obviously I'll look for paint chips and warping, but i dunno if there's anything else to look for.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2011 08:35
|
|
|
Took my J-bass to practice the other night. In 2002 I put Bartolini pickups in it and a J-retro too. I sold the J-retro in 2010, bought a cheap P-bass copy and didn't really play the jazz for a while. When I brought it into practice it didn't really sound good unless I had a clean boost on it, then it sounded pretty good. Is there such a thing as "underpowering" pickups? Do these pickups just need a bit more gain to sound good?Scarf posted:I mean, the whole thing is gig-able in my opinion. But yeah, the electronics obviously aren't top notch. A few I've toyed around with in some shops had kind of scratchy pots, but that can happen to any bass on the floor. It definitely wouldn't hurt to maybe replace the pots, shield the electronics cavity, and yeah, replace the pickups if you really feel the need to. I'm going out on a week and a half long tour in January. I played that jazz for a long time until I broke a string and borrowed someone's p-bass, and suddenly found it was exactly the type of tone my band needed. I bought an SX p-bass copy and have gigged with that for about a year and a half. It's slowly starting to lose it with stuff like intonation, and I figure I'd rather have a bass that seems more well built and a better instrument than an SX p-bass. But then I'm worried I might just be buying another cheap bass and have these problems down the line again. Noise Machine fucked around with this message at 06:51 on Dec 28, 2011 |
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2011 03:07
|
|
|
Noise Machine posted:Took my J-bass to practice the other night. In 2002 I put Bartolini pickups in it and a J-retro too. I sold the J-retro in 2010, bought a cheap P-bass copy and didn't really play the jazz for a while. When I brought it into practice it didn't really sound good unless I had a clean boost on it, then it sounded pretty good. Is there such a thing as "underpowering" pickups? Do these pickups just need a bit more gain to sound good? Another possibility is they're wired out of phase. If you turn the volume of one of them down, does the other pickup start to sound normal?
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2011 17:28
|
|
|
Luminous Cow posted:http://bakersfield.craigslist.org/msg/2768538143.html The post is gone now, but I have a Dean Edge Pro 4 that is pretty decent. It's got a nice bridge, decent electronics, and is pretty comfortable. My only issue is that it just doesn't have the sort of shape I personally want in a bass, but that's more my own hang up.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2011 04:13
|
|
|
Underflow posted:No, it's not a big deal. Your fingers will still know where to go, and the advantages of having a nice full tone and added subtlety to your playing far outweigh the minor chore of paying that extra bit of attention to correct intonation. Sorry, but good fretless players spend years learning this. It's not impossible but don't expect to get there overnight.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2011 11:01
|
|
|
cactuscarpet posted:Sorry, but good fretless players spend years learning this. It's not impossible but don't expect to get there overnight. Well, he said he was doing okay on a standard bass already, and it depends on how you look at things in general. Is it a huge job to come to grips with the fretless when you're doing all right on a normal bass? No, not really. Does it take time to become an outstanding fretless player? Sure. But I don't think that's what he was asking; i.e. "do I have to start over?". I'd only played bass occasionally (also on borrowed instruments) when I got a fretless. I think it took about a month before I could take my eyes off the neck, but you're right in the sense that what I was playing was rather tame, and by no means representative of the kind of stuff a dedicated, well-practised fretless player could coax out of the instrument. And a happy 2012 to all of you bass buddies.
|
|
#
?
Dec 31, 2011 13:16
|
|
|
I've had my fretless now for about 7-8 months, and I'm still having problems with my accuracy and thus keep my eyes on the fretboard throughout playing. Like Underflow, I also had only played borrowed instruments before I got my bass, but some of the stuff I've been playing lately is pretty complicated and stuff a smart beginner (i.e. not me) would avoid (of course, a smart beginner would also choose something with only 4 strings, rather than 6, like I did  ). I mean, I feel capable playing stuff like this, as long as I'm paying a lot of attention to my finger positioning (and even then, whevener I'm moving up or down the fretboard my first couple notes of a new bar are gonna be noticeably flat or sharp). As soon as I take my eyes from the fretboard though, which I'm trying to work into my playing style so I can focus more on my plucking hand, everything goes to hell and I mess up way too much and yeah, fretless is definitely a much more difficult bass to become comfortable with. Still, whenever I play something that's fretted with 4-5 strings, it feels way more comfortable to play; if I ever start gigging in the future It will be with something like that, and I'll keep the fretless at home as a practice bass for finger strength and intonation purposes.Keeping on the positive side: learning to play with the correct intonation has worked wonders with my ability to notice when stuff's going out of tune. I help out at work teaching guitars to students (I'm a teaching assistant) and I tune up all the guitars before we get started and flit around the class listening out for whenever something's going out; I can tune a guitar up to a relatively accurate standard more often than not at the moment, thanks to obsessing over intonation on the bass. an_mutt fucked around with this message at 20:46 on Jan 1, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2012 20:41
|
|
|
Cross-posting from the jazz thread. Recording interfaces are fun This one is rather "loungey" but I like it. Still need a somewhat cleaner (and extended) take on the bass, and I'm not 100% happy with the drum-loop, probably going to alter that a bit more. Only instrument left to track is some light organ work, but I'm not entirely sure what I want yet in that regard. http://tindeck.com/listen/npmp
|
|
#
?
Jan 3, 2012 16:58
|
|
|
So I'm getting back in to bass playing after a 5 year hiatus. I have a chance to pick up a Warwick ProFet 3.2 Head and Cab for a very reasonable price. Has anyone had any experience with these? Edit: Cab is Warwick W 410 Pro Box 300W. (8 Ohm) 4x 10" Speaker. Mincher fucked around with this message at 10:30 on Jan 4, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2012 10:24
|
|
|
I have the Warwick 5.2 head (500w version), and it's served me fairly well. I run a VT Bass through it as I like my tone fairly dirty - the biggest downside to the profet series is that being all solid state, you can't crank the gain up past clipping point. They're a full-featured head though - the compressor/limiter works well, the EQ is versatile and they're pretty loud for the advertised wattage. With only effectively about 150W to play with, you may find you're cranking the volume past 12:00 to compete with a pair of guitarists rocking 4x12s, but if the guys you play with run combos then you'll do fine. The cab seems well suited to the head too. I'd quite like something like that myself 
|
|
#
?
Jan 5, 2012 06:23
|
|
|
<1wk until the scheduled completion date of my new Stambaugh. Getting anxious / unctuous 
|
|
#
?
Jan 5, 2012 17:30
|
|
|
Ackbarf posted:I have the Warwick 5.2 head (500w version), and it's served me fairly well. I run a VT Bass through it as I like my tone fairly dirty - the biggest downside to the profet series is that being all solid state, you can't crank the gain up past clipping point. Thanks! I'll give this some serious consideration then. In other news I picked up a 2001 Mexican Standard P-Bass with Seymour Duncan SPB-3's.  I love the colour. Midnight Wine for those of you wondering.
|
|
#
?
Jan 5, 2012 21:45
|
|
|
OK so I am having a technical issue with my bass. So far I've done all of the setup on my basses with no issue, but now I'm stumped. TL;DR My D and G strings are very very quiet on my bridge pickup and the rest are fine. My bass is a fretless 5-string MTD Kingston. Its been a great bass for the past year and a half but recently I've noticed (it could have existed before?) that my bridge pickup is... well, its messed up. I'm not sure how to describe it in concise terms so bear with me. When I turn my pickup selector to the bridge pickup (all the "right"/CW) the first thing I hear is an electrical "hum" that isn't present on the neck pickup. When I play on the B, E, and A strings, thing sound normal. But when I play on the D and G strings, I get very little signal out of the amp at all. What I hear mostly is likely resonance from the lower strings but the notes I play are barely audible - I'd estimate it to be at around 1/8 the volume of the other strings. The sound itself sounds muffled (like a plucked doublebass with a mute on it). The G string is almost completely silent. Things I have tried in an attempt to fix the issue: Assessed the action - not really an issue because the neck pickup works fine Adjusted the height of the bridge pickup - with no noticeable difference Replaced the pre-amp battery - no difference I'm pretty sure its an electrical issue but I know nothing about how things should be set up. I haven't done a lot of electrical work on guitars, however I have completed simple electrical stuff and have a soldering iron. Help me bass goons. I only have one bass right now and I actively perform. Right now I have to use only the neck pickup because even at 90/10 split there is a noticeable volume disparity. Help me get my growl back 
Huge Lady Pleaser fucked around with this message at 00:41 on Jan 6, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 6, 2012 00:24
|
|
|
Mincher posted:Thanks! I'll give this some serious consideration then. That's really pretty; not sure how I feel about how the pickguard gets all rectilinear behind the pickup though
|
|
#
?
Jan 6, 2012 02:01
|
|
|
For all my bassin' homies out there, a reminder that there is a wealth of material waiting to be used in our instrument's older cousin, the guitar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuVUFtlCoeo
|
|
#
?
Jan 6, 2012 09:58
|
|
|
an_mutt posted:I've had my fretless now for about 7-8 months, and I'm still having problems with my accuracy and thus keep my eyes on the fretboard throughout playing. Like Underflow, I also had only played borrowed instruments before I got my bass, but some of the stuff I've been playing lately is pretty complicated and stuff a smart beginner (i.e. not me) would avoid (of course, a smart beginner would also choose something with only 4 strings, rather than 6, like I did This is how I worked on my fretless playing. I set up a tuner that I trusted and made some flash cards. I started with just A B C D E F G. No open strings allowed, because what's the point. I'd shuffle the deck flip a card and hit the note while watching the tuner, depending on how close to in tune it was it either went back in to the deck or off to the side.I just did that in the first position over and over.When I could reliably grab A-G in the first position I moved on to other positions. Next I worked in sharps and flats. Eventually worked through scales. Now once a week I take the entire deck and work through it. The area I live in is a bass wasteland so I'm entirely self taught, so this may seem primitive or stupid, but it worked for me and the whole three students I've taught. I don't know how well it would work on an upright as I've never even been in the same room as one, despite my desire to learn to play one. Feel free to use this if you want, or ignore it, whichever.
|
|
#
?
Jan 6, 2012 11:35
|
|
|
New Genz Benz GAS setting in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP-OazNzPdY GB seems to be making some awesome strides in creating amps that can do both wonderfully colored, smooth, gritty drive, and incredibly clean, transparent tones.
|
|
#
?
Jan 6, 2012 16:47
|
|
|
Oh cool, I thought he stopped making videos!
|
|
#
?
Jan 7, 2012 00:13
|
|
|
baka kaba posted:Oh cool, I thought he stopped making videos! He no longer does them for Guitar World I think... I think maybe he went back to Bass Player? I forget what the deal was. He's still doing vids, but on a much-less frequent basis since he doesn't really get paid anything extra to do the vids on top of his writing for the magazine. Edit: I remember he had one vid up where he was like "Hey, I've got <number> of subscribers now. Wouldn't it be cool if everyone who subscribed just sent me a dollar?" No, Ed... that's not what YouTube is about 
|
|
#
?
Jan 7, 2012 00:29
|
|
|
Hahaha yeah, he's not exactly shy huh? I think his last video (too lazy to look it up right now) was basically him saying 'ok, I'm not being paid to make these videos anymore so I'm not going to do them, I don't do this poo poo for fun, it takes time and effort and if nobody's paying me then it ain't happening, later bros' Maybe Genz Benz sent him a dollar
|
|
#
?
Jan 7, 2012 01:10
|
|
|
baka kaba posted:Hahaha yeah, he's not exactly shy huh? I think his last video (too lazy to look it up right now) was basically him saying 'ok, I'm not being paid to make these videos anymore so I'm not going to do them, I don't do this poo poo for fun, it takes time and effort and if nobody's paying me then it ain't happening, later bros' I mean, I can understand that. If he could become like a Youtube Partner or something, he might be more willing. But he's a full-time musician/writer, so it's not like he's got the time/money to burn making all of these videos. I'm sure he AT LEAST has an endorsement with Genz Benz.
|
|
#
?
Jan 7, 2012 01:28
|
|
|
Schlieren posted:That's really pretty; not sure how I feel about how the pickguard gets all rectilinear behind the pickup though Personally I like it. That's the beauty of personal choice and taste though! I'm working through Wheat's BassBook to refresh my memory and practice exercises. I really wish I had a resource like it when I first started out. I didn't manage to get that Warwick amp head & cab due to  . I'll likely just pick up a little practice amp in the meantime.
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2012 03:28
|
|
|
Full review of the GB Shuttle 6.2 is up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx9OigytbNw
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2012 17:06
|
|
|
Genz can seemingly do no wrong at the moment. My Shuttle 9.0 does everything I need it to do, but I'm still GASing for a Streamliner or a ShuttleMAX... you know, for comparison.
|
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2012 04:05
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 04:12 |
|
|
Juaguocio posted:Genz can seemingly do no wrong at the moment. My Shuttle 9.0 does everything I need it to do, but I'm still GASing for a Streamliner or a ShuttleMAX... you know, for comparison. No joke. I was really wanting a streamliner until I heard the 6.2. I actually think it sounds better, which is pretty drat hard to say.
|
|
#
?
Jan 12, 2012 04:37
|
|