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Going to order a Fender Mike Dirnt Precision bass in vintage white on Monday. Played a used one today at a small store when I was visiting our capital city and was about to buy it until I noticed that there was some strange mixture of some heavy adhesive stuff and melted finish near the input jack of the bass. It was only one centimeter in diameter but I just couldn't stand the idea of shelling out 600 euros for an instrument with that kind of aesthetic mishap. Anyways, at least I got to try it so I put an order up for a new one. By the way, are the cheap Kustom heads and cabs just pure crap? I'm tentatively interested in Kustom DE300 HD and DE410H. Someone actually had some positive experiences with them at a Finnish bass forum.
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# ? Jan 29, 2011 21:53 |
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# ? Jun 5, 2024 04:42 |
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These Loving Eyes posted:By the way, are the cheap Kustom heads and cabs just pure crap? I can't speak from experience, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say "yes." I actually had no idea that the Kustom brand had been revived.
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# ? Jan 30, 2011 01:10 |
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So here's a question...I'm a big fan of melodic pop basslines a la Paul McCartney, Bruce Thomas, etc., and like to use that kind of stuff in my songs when I can. This song that I wrote has some "opposing motion" in it, in that the bass note will ascend, while the chords descend or vice versa. For example, the first bit goes Dm/A, C, Bm/D, then Esus; the second part is D/A, E/G#, D/F#, then E; finally we have Em, D/F#, C/G, then B/F# So the question (finally) is: is it possible and/or a good idea to try and put a melodic type bassline on there, or is it better to just outline the motion with simple 8th like is already on there?
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# ? Jan 30, 2011 17:32 |
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Seventh Arrow posted:So here's a question...I'm a big fan of melodic pop basslines a la Paul McCartney, Bruce Thomas, etc., and like to use that kind of stuff in my songs when I can. This song that I wrote has some "opposing motion" in it, in that the bass note will ascend, while the chords descend or vice versa. For example, the first bit goes Dm/A, C, Bm/D, then Esus; the second part is D/A, E/G#, D/F#, then E; finally we have Em, D/F#, C/G, then B/F# I think it depends on what else you plan on adding to the track. Is it completely tracked otherwise? Because there's definitely room for it, especially in the second part.
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# ? Jan 31, 2011 15:29 |
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Other than a vocal melody, that's pretty much what it'll sound like. And looking through the Standing in the Shadows of Motown book, I see that Jamerson would be able to take those kinds of chord progressions and play around with them, so I'll see what I can do (although I'm not a genius like Jamerson was).
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# ? Jan 31, 2011 20:49 |
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What's behind the bass tone in this song? I can't always pick out my P's and my J's, and how's he getting that 'mwah' in the slides - is it the fabled tapewound strings, or can you get that sound another way? I haven't heard that tone in any of their other songs, I think it's usually roundwounds all the way https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3qy_iX4ok8
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# ? Feb 1, 2011 16:09 |
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I get that sort of sound to my slides with my bass, I use D'addario XL nickel wound so maybe the bassist uses the same sort of strings in that song?
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# ? Feb 1, 2011 17:51 |
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baka kaba posted:What's behind the bass tone in this song? I can't always pick out my P's and my J's, and how's he getting that 'mwah' in the slides - is it the fabled tapewound strings, or can you get that sound another way? I haven't heard that tone in any of their other songs, I think it's usually roundwounds all the way Sounds like worn-in Flatwounds on a Pbass or something else with a humbucker. Maybe an EB-3. If they're rounds, then they are nickels and are about dead and the tone is backed off on the bass.
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# ? Feb 1, 2011 21:10 |
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I think that's a fretless bass with the neck pickup with bright flatwounds, like d'addario chromes. The notes around 0:06 sound quite fretless-y to me.
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# ? Feb 1, 2011 21:15 |
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bionictom posted:I think that's a fretless bass with the neck pickup with bright flatwounds, like d'addario chromes. The notes around 0:06 sound quite fretless-y to me. Nah, I don't think so. Mike Watt gets identical sounds and never plays fretless. The warmth of the tone is somewhat covering up the separations in the slide produced by the frets. If you throw some good headphones on and really listen, you can hear the separations.
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# ? Feb 1, 2011 21:35 |
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Anyone have any suggestions on rhythm exercises? I'm having a littttttle bit difficulty playing on the &'s when not in between two downbeats E.g: I can play: code:
Give me: code:
Suggestions?
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# ? Feb 1, 2011 21:40 |
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Walked posted:Anyone have any suggestions on rhythm exercises? Do you tap your foot when you play? If so, you can think about the &s as every time your foot is up in the air. At least, that helps me. Other than that, you just have to listen to a LOT of bassists who have that great syncopated timing. Chris Wood is wonderful in that regard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3SvyCSt9H0 Scarf fucked around with this message at 21:54 on Feb 1, 2011 |
# ? Feb 1, 2011 21:52 |
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Yeah; I try to. I tend to tap my foot doubletime to match the &s. It's incredibly frustrating. But I'll just keep at it with a metronome and listen to more bass!
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# ? Feb 1, 2011 22:12 |
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Scarf posted:Nah, I don't think so. Mike Watt gets identical sounds and never plays fretless. The warmth of the tone is somewhat covering up the separations in the slide produced by the frets. You are right, i can hear the clicks of the string at the end of each note now. In one live video the bassplayer plays a thunderbird... could be the bass of the recording, no?
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# ? Feb 1, 2011 22:32 |
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baka kaba posted:What's behind the bass tone in this song? I can't always pick out my P's and my J's, and how's he getting that 'mwah' in the slides - is it the fabled tapewound strings, or can you get that sound another way? I haven't heard that tone in any of their other songs, I think it's usually roundwounds all the way I'd say it's worn roundwounds on a Jazz with a fair amount of compression; and probably DI'ed. Nice song, btw.
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# ? Feb 1, 2011 23:12 |
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Walked posted:Anyone have any suggestions on rhythm exercises? Take the stuff you know you're having trouble with, and sloooooooooow doooooooooown with a metronome. A good rule of thumb is if you can play it three times in a row you can start to speed up gradually. I'm just starting to practice the stuff I'm having trouble with, as oppose to practicing the stuff I'm already good at.
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# ? Feb 1, 2011 23:45 |
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Noise Machine posted:Take the stuff you know you're having trouble with, and sloooooooooow doooooooooown with a metronome. A good rule of thumb is if you can play it three times in a row you can start to speed up gradually. That's the plan at this point. Boring as gently caress; but gotta do what I gotta do. Hmph.
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# ? Feb 1, 2011 23:48 |
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Also, try this: play all eighth notes, but accent the notes you would normally be playing, for example 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 &3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & Of course, start it off slow...
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# ? Feb 2, 2011 00:23 |
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Underflow posted:I'd say it's worn roundwounds on a Jazz with a fair amount of compression; and probably DI'ed. Nice song, btw. Ah yeah, I just got into them recently - not their most involved bassline, but I really like that mwah sound! Thanks guys, that's pretty helpful. I might have to try some flatwounds next time, my roundwounds are pretty dead but they don't really open up when I slide (haven't tried compression though) - that recording goes from very dark to fairly nasal depending on his playing so it sounds pretty versatile. Also, I've been daydreaming about a fretless bass, and also a 5-string - is it worth getting a 5-string fretless? I've never actually played a fretless instrument so it would be a challenge with four strings
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# ? Feb 2, 2011 00:23 |
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Seventh Arrow posted:Also, try this: play all eighth notes, but accent the notes you would normally be playing, for example Thanks. That sounds really helpful too. Didnt even think to try it and thats exactly what I'm looking for.
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# ? Feb 2, 2011 00:39 |
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I'd like some guidance on moving to flatwounds from knowledgable folks please. I've never used them on my bass before, but played on other basses with them and not enjoyed the feel much. I dig the sound and can see how it would work with my rig (Jazz > Ashdown ABM > 210/115) but they just have too much tension for me, feels like I'm playing a toy with plastic strings or something. Are there any flatwounds that are a bit looser so I can dig in more? I do a lot of pedal whole notes too, if I go flatwound does it affect the sustain enough to be noticeable? I'm not really sure I'm looking for flatwounds, or whether I just think I am because I associate them with classic basslines.
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# ? Feb 2, 2011 00:41 |
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darkwasthenight posted:I'd like some guidance on moving to flatwounds from knowledgable folks please. I've never used them on my bass before, but played on other basses with them and not enjoyed the feel much. I dig the sound and can see how it would work with my rig (Jazz > Ashdown ABM > 210/115) but they just have too much tension for me, feels like I'm playing a toy with plastic strings or something. Are there any flatwounds that are a bit looser so I can dig in more? I do a lot of pedal whole notes too, if I go flatwound does it affect the sustain enough to be noticeable? Thomastick Infeld flats are real loose, but they are pretty expensive. I have some on my Marcus Miller jazz and I love them.
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# ? Feb 2, 2011 01:00 |
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further explanation on foot tapping and how it can work for you. Start very slow. tap your dominant foot on the down beat 1,2,3,4 and tap your non-dominant foot on the up beats. doing this allows in slower tempos will help solidify the sixteenth note. practice scales this way. also, don't be content to just learn right hand technique or subdivision by itself. always play scales with your left hand. Scales are the language of music. learn them.
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# ? Feb 2, 2011 01:04 |
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baka kaba posted:What's behind the bass tone in this song? I can't always pick out my P's and my J's, and how's he getting that 'mwah' in the slides - is it the fabled tapewound strings, or can you get that sound another way? I haven't heard that tone in any of their other songs, I think it's usually roundwounds all the way I looked up some pictures and videos of the band playing live and he plays some beat up custom thing with a J-pickup setup, regular Precision, and a Reggie Hamilton Jazz (which has a P pickup in the neck position). Here's a good video that shows it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eykJpAhLomQ The bass - http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0138700300 That kind of tone is not hard to get, you just need something with a pickup in the P position and freshish roundwound strings. That "mwah" you hear in this song is just from hitting the strings aggressively and having them buzz on the frets as you slide. Don't turn your tone control down or anything dumb like that.
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# ? Feb 2, 2011 03:16 |
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DrChu posted:That kind of tone is not hard to get, you just need something with a pickup in the P position and freshish roundwound strings. That "mwah" you hear in this song is just from hitting the strings aggressively and having them buzz on the frets as you slide. Don't turn your tone control down or anything dumb like that. I have a Precision and a Jazz, both from the early '70s, and honestly: if I just DI the Jazz through a tube pre-amp and a decent compressor the Jazz sounds almost exactly like the one in the vid he posted. The Precision through the same setup sounds bassier; like the sound Sting had on "Hole In My Life" from the first Police album; similar, but more meat to it. Anyway, like you said; the approximate tone isn't that hard to get. darkwasthenight posted:I'd like some guidance on moving to flatwounds from knowledgable folks please. I've never used them on my bass before, but played on other basses with them and not enjoyed the feel much. I dig the sound and can see how it would work with my rig (Jazz > Ashdown ABM > 210/115) but they just have too much tension for me, feels like I'm playing a toy with plastic strings or something. Are there any flatwounds that are a bit looser so I can dig in more? I do a lot of pedal whole notes too, if I go flatwound does it affect the sustain enough to be noticeable? If you do decide to change you'll notice you get used to the different feel very quickly. When I first switched to flats it took only a few weeks to make rounds feel thin and rubbery. Thomastiks are indeed pretty loose; so much so that I only use them on my short scales. If you're worried about sustain: check out the nylon tapewounds from Rotosound. Always forget the name, but they're the black ones. The surface of the string never sees the air, so the tone remains pristine. I can point you to one or two examples if you like - strings in question last changed ~15 years ago.
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# ? Feb 2, 2011 10:23 |
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Underflow posted:I have a Precision TruBass 88s are Roto's tapewound. They're great strings, but have a very "woody" tone to them in my opinion. La Bella's tapewounds I've found to be smoother, "thicker" sounding.
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# ? Feb 2, 2011 15:33 |
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Scarf posted:TruBass 88s are Roto's tapewound. They're great strings, but have a very "woody" tone to them in my opinion. La Bella's tapewounds I've found to be smoother, "thicker" sounding. Don't know why I keep forgetting the name. Actually, I do: I once had a windfall and stocked up on my favourite string brands to last me the rest of my life. And then I go and never change them anyway... I love that woody sound, btw. The effect is even stronger on a Rickenbacker. Hit the open strings and there's that 'plunnnk' like you just smacked a couple of huge tuned wardrobes together. And with the mute down so that everything upwards from the 7th fret or so gets dampened a bit it's almost as if you have instant access to two different instruments at the same time. The only drawback is that for some songs, the sound can just be too big.
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# ? Feb 2, 2011 16:12 |
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Yeah, I really want to try those Rotos sometime. I really like the way Chromes sound on my "P", though, and I don't want to change strings on my Dano because it's a pain to setup. Maybe I should just buy a new bass...
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# ? Feb 2, 2011 16:20 |
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I ended up pulling the trigger on a used Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0. This might have been kind of dumb since I've never played through one before, but I liked what I read and change is good, right?
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# ? Feb 2, 2011 16:35 |
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TyChan posted:I ended up pulling the trigger on a used Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0. This might have been kind of dumb since I've never played through one before, but I liked what I read and change is good, right? I doubt you'll be disappointed. And even if so, you should have NO problems unloading it again.
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# ? Feb 2, 2011 17:00 |
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The tone in that Land of Talk song reminds me a lot of Graham Maby from Joe Jackson's band.
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# ? Feb 2, 2011 17:30 |
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Seventh Arrow posted:The tone in that Land of Talk song reminds me a lot of Graham Maby from Joe Jackson's band. Yeah, you're right. I was trying to recall the Precision equivalent to that tone and mentioned Sting on the first Police album, but Maby comes much closer.
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# ? Feb 2, 2011 17:44 |
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Cross-posted from Gear trades... I'm looking to buy a short scale bass neck for a wacky project. Preferably an Epiphone EB-0 neck or any Gibson-styled knockoff headstock would be cool, but really anything with a working truss rod, usable frets and non-warped...ness is good. Also preferably something on the cheaper side...like if you have one just laying around for some reason!
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# ? Feb 3, 2011 03:08 |
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Um... Hello. Ampeg does a B15N flip-top reissue.
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# ? Feb 3, 2011 16:37 |
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Scarf posted:Um... Hello. Yes please. If I had $4000 I wouldn't spend it on an amp, if I had $4000 to spend on an amp I probably would get something a little more practical (maybe a Reeves half-stack with money left over), but owning and playing through that flip-top would make me very, very happy. Not practical at all for most people, but really awesome. I suppose it would make sense for big recording studios that drop thousands for a preamp, etc.
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# ? Feb 3, 2011 16:55 |
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Narwhale posted:Yes please. If I had $4000 I wouldn't spend it on an amp, if I had $4000 to spend on an amp I probably would get something a little more practical (maybe a Reeves half-stack with money left over), but owning and playing through that flip-top would make me very, very happy. Not practical at all for most people, but really awesome. I suppose it would make sense for big recording studios that drop thousands for a preamp, etc. I agree completely (I'd also love to have a Reeves). It's just nice to see Ampeg try and get back to their roots a little bit.
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# ? Feb 3, 2011 17:04 |
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DrChu posted:I looked up some pictures and videos of the band playing live and he plays some beat up custom thing with a J-pickup setup, regular Precision, and a Reggie Hamilton Jazz (which has a P pickup in the neck position). That's some fine research! Yeah my problem at this point might be that my experience of basses is jumping on one during rehearsal breaks in a band 6 years ago, and getting my own cheap Aria a year ago and playing that through a Microcube. I think I need to hit up a music store and start auditioning their stock... Also I think someone was asking about finding progressions to play over, I found this the other day: http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/guitar_chords_jam.php Basically you can build your own by clicking on the fretboard which is nice and simple, I started using it to learn walking bass and actually try to sight read music. Has anyone seen anything similar out there that doesn't require a download and isn't limited to I IV V7 or whatever? The timing seems a bit off on this one...
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# ? Feb 3, 2011 19:51 |
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I'm curious how many watts the original fliptops had...anyone know?
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# ? Feb 4, 2011 19:05 |
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I think it was 30 watts? Not entirely sure though.
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# ? Feb 4, 2011 21:42 |
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# ? Jun 5, 2024 04:42 |
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Seventh Arrow posted:I'm curious how many watts the original fliptops had...anyone know? 30 watts. Ashdown have just done a fliptop too, the Drophead: http://www.ashdownmusic.com/bass/section.asp?section=valve. There's a 30w and a 200w version and they look amazing.
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# ? Feb 5, 2011 00:05 |