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Underflow posted:It's safer to bring a little bass amp and use that for the low end while you run a parellel line (or the amp's lineout) to a PA channel where you roll off bass almost completely and cut enough high end to let the vocals shine. You'll have an audible but discreet presence. The amp doubles as your personal monitor. If you go straight into the PA without one you might find yourself in trouble when things get louder. If they're anything like the churches around here, they'll have a crossover and subs, eliminating the competition between the vocals and bass. But yeah, it's not a bad idea to bring a small amp for your monitor feed if they don't have one already set up for you. But again it really just depends on where you'll be playing. We've got a bunch of those Mega Churches here that have amazing sound systems.
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Jul 6, 2011 13:49
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Wow. I thought a church would have one of those little all-in-one systems; like a powered mixer and a couple of 'full-range' tweeter+woofer speakers on tripods.
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Jul 6, 2011 15:22
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Underflow posted:Wow. I thought a church would have one of those little all-in-one systems; like a powered mixer and a couple of 'full-range' tweeter+woofer speakers on tripods. Yeah, it really just depends on the church I guess. Having a live "praise band" for contemporary church services has exploded over the last decade or so. And in more affluent areas (like mine), there are some pretty big churches with a HUGE entertainment budget.  Couldn't find a better pic. But this is one of, and the original campus of Seacoast Church (http://www.seacoast.org). I live close by and have attended services there before. Their sound and production equipment rivals pretty much any venue in the area... you can't really see it, but everyone has a monitor, there are subs, mains, a drum booth, etc. Pretty much the works. Again, this may not be typical in all areas, but down in the bible belt, churches got money yo.
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Jul 6, 2011 15:49
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Heh. Back in the UK we used to go Vox-hunting in small country parishes. They'd sometimes have an old AC-30 doing PA service for Easter and Christmas pageants. Dunno if they have any musical equipment at all in European churches other than ye olde pipe organ.
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Jul 6, 2011 15:59
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What are your guy's opinions on Kustom combo amps? My local Guitar Center has a Kustom KB200 1x15 200W combo amp used on sale for around ~$200 and I'm really considering picking one up. I've outgrown my crappy Johnson practice amp and am looking for something with a little more oomph. I've also considered buying a Behringer BXL900 1x12 90w for $185. I've heard really good things about the Behringer but haven't heard much about the Kustom. The Kustom is over double the raw wattage of the Behringer but wattage doesn't mean poo poo if the sound quality sucks.  I'm also taking suggestions for combo amps around the $200-250 range if these two both suck. I've only been playing for 6 or 7 months and am now starting to play with some guitarist friends of mine, so I'd like to have something with a little more oomph but nothing crazy expensive. I'm definitely not going to be gigging anytime soon.
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Jul 6, 2011 16:00
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I think most people here will tell you that a) 200W is a bit on the light side if you ever want to do some serious/fun gigging, and b) combos are generally not a very good idea, 'cause they're difficult to upgrade from and unwieldy in use. Also: read up on Behringer's overall quality problems before you put any money in something of theirs that's going to see road action. Kustom is not a bad brand though.
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Jul 6, 2011 16:05
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Bazanga posted:What are your guy's opinions on Kustom combo amps? My local Guitar Center has a Kustom KB200 1x15 200W combo amp used on sale for around ~$200 and I'm really considering picking one up. I've outgrown my crappy Johnson practice amp and am looking for something with a little more oomph. I've also considered buying a Behringer BXL900 1x12 90w for $185. I've heard really good things about the Behringer but haven't heard much about the Kustom. The Kustom is over double the raw wattage of the Behringer but wattage doesn't mean poo poo if the sound quality sucks. I'd suggest finding yourself a used Fender BXR 200. It was the first amp I had and it is PLENTY loud. There's a LOT of power hidden in the EQ. I actually gigged with it in small venues starting out.  Should fit your budget easily.
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Jul 6, 2011 16:09
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Scarf posted:I'd suggest finding yourself a used Fender BXR 200. It was the first amp I had and it is PLENTY loud. There's a LOT of power hidden in the EQ. I actually gigged with it in small venues starting out. Underflow posted:I think most people here will tell you that a) 200W is a bit on the light side if you ever want to do some serious/fun gigging, and b) combos are generally not a very good idea, 'cause they're difficult to upgrade from and unwieldy in use. Update: Bought the Kustom after comparing it and an Acoustic B100, B200 and Fender 75w. Holy piss, the Kustom blew them out of the water. The new B200 was great but it was not worth the $150 price increase over the used Kustom. Obviously the B100 and Fender are 100w and 75w, respectively, but this thing is loud as hell and the tone is fantastic. Turned the volume up to around a 3-4 in the store and it was just thunderous. The reason it was marked down so much is because there was a quarter sized hole in the mesh screen on the front of the speakers. I wasn't expecting it to have as good of tone as it does. It's an amazing upgrade from my Johnson 30w practice amp. 
Bazanga fucked around with this message at 15:43 on Jul 7, 2011 |
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Jul 6, 2011 16:55
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I've often heard that 200W is light but I've yet to play a gig that a) didn't run their own sound system and b) wanted the band to play really loud As a result I've yet to turn my 200W Kustom past about 1/2 of it's available output. It's certainly a consideration but it's been my experience that the amp you bring is used to send your signal to the venue's speakers and be a monitor for you on stage.
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Jul 7, 2011 23:32
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Yes, that's a valid point too. Not everyone plays the same kind of music, and there's lots of instances where 200W is more than enough. I think the biggest reason for the 'get a head and cab' advice is the fact that sooner or later a player will want or need the versatility plus the extra headroom, so why sink money in an intermediate solution. And if they do decide to throw it in at some point; a worn head and cab will often fetch a better price than a nice looking combo, whatever the brand. But even volume is relative. I played at an old ballroom in the north of England years ago with just 2 100W Hi-Watt heads and (I think) London City cabs; both guitarists with an AC-30 at full blast each, and the drummer amplified with a simple 2-mic overhead. It's the loudest gig I can remember.
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Jul 8, 2011 10:38
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Apropos of nothing but this really brightened my day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JInxsRyVgCk I love a bit of enthusiasm
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Jul 9, 2011 21:51
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baka kaba posted:Apropos of nothing but this really brightened my day Also this thread makes me miss my bass which I haven't played in months because I'm rebuilding it and it's in the shop having a block put in the spot where the bridge J-pickup used to go argh  e: vvv yeah that's what's making me miss my bass, I have the most fun playing it than even drums Schlieren fucked around with this message at 00:37 on Jul 10, 2011 |
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Jul 10, 2011 00:06
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Honestly for me it's not even about what he's playing there, just that he's clearly having a blast doing it 
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Jul 10, 2011 00:22
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If there are any vintage ampeg guys on here; I have a 72 V4B that I want to swap tubes in. I am currently running a set of Ruby 7027As (the tubes it was designed to run). The amp is plenty loud for what I need it to be but it distorts early. I have been tinkering with the idea of throwing a set of JJ 6550s in there for a little more clean headroom. I know that this amp will take any 6L6 type tube without modification and tubes rated for 200 watts in quad won't make it any louder but the idea is that they won't saturate as early as the current 100w in quad Rubys. I was wondering if anyone on here has ever done this with a V4. There is a lot of talk about it on the V4 boards but it's all from guitar player points of view. I wanna hear a bassist opinion.
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Jul 10, 2011 04:22
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I'm playing in the 5th position at the moment, it's really opened up a whole bunch of inspiration for me - maybe because the open string notes are so ingrained in my head on their positions in the staff, it plays easy like Sunday morning. EDIT: Damnit, just got to a second of Hal Leonard where it uses tabs to denote which fret to play on which string, instead of purely notation. I thought I was getting pretty quick with sight reading but the speed at which I can read tab just blows it entirely out of the water. A bit frustrating, but what can you do? Southern Heel fucked around with this message at 08:15 on Jul 11, 2011 |
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Jul 10, 2011 20:42
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If anyone is interested, I have a brand new (with all three CDs) Hal Leonard Bass Method Complete Edition available for free for anyone who wants it. I was drunk/tired when I bought it on amazon a few months back and ended up ordering two instead of one. I kinda forgot about it and now it's unreturnable, so I pass the savings onto you, my fellow newbie bassists. I'll be shipping media mail through the post office so US goons only, sorry.  Just post in here if you are interested and we can swap emails.
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Jul 14, 2011 02:32
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After a discussion with one of my buddies about how many cars I've owned (a lot) I figured the only thing I've owned more of than cars is basses. And I was right... Synsonics/Sears shortscale P-Bass Musicman Sterling Warwick Thumb NT5 Warwick Thumb BO6 Warwick SSII 5 Warwick LX 5 DeArmond Pilot 5 Lightwave fretless 5 SX 70's Jazz 4 SX 70's Jazz 5 Fender MIJ 70's Jazz 4 Fender Precision Special Deluxe Valenti 5 G&L L2500 tribute Ibanez Gary Willis 5 Engelhardt upright Stambaugh 5 Stambaugh 5 fretless Yikes.
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Jul 14, 2011 20:46
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Southern Heel posted:I'm playing in the 5th position at the moment, it's really opened up a whole bunch of inspiration for me - maybe because the open string notes are so ingrained in my head on their positions in the staff, it plays easy like Sunday morning. You should focus on notation. Tab can still be incorrect even though it's the "right" notes, the tone is not the same. In my own experience, I tend to play some notes higher up on the neck that I could play in 1st position on the G string, but I play them high up on the A to give me a fuller, rounder sound, especially if I'm using a pick. When I'm playing electric I hardly EVER play open strings (except E of course) because I can control the attack a little bit more when fret in the 5th position as opposed to an open string. On the flip side, I'm playing with a group of friends that's doing a Neko Case song that had an upright originally. I got very close to an electric-cum-upright sound using my thumb, palm muting, and playing the D and the A open. Noise Machine fucked around with this message at 20:51 on Jul 14, 2011 |
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Jul 14, 2011 20:47
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Yeah, a little muting can tame open strings and make them sound a lot nicer. My old '72 JB came with the chrome caps and had a thin strip of rubber foam under the bridge cover - no idea if that used to be factory. Also have the mute on my 4001 dampen the open strings somewhat; it doesn't touch anything when notes are fretted. Btw, most classical musicians use light mutes behind the saddle of their string instruments, right? I recently saw Scotty Moore had a handkerchief propped between the strings behind the bridge and the top of his hollow-bodied jazz guitars and gave it a try on my 175. Sounds really better when I let open chords ring out.
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Jul 14, 2011 21:23
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I just ordered the components and hardware to build one of these bad boys: I am building a Bill FitzMaurice Omni 15 TallBoy full range speaker cabinet, which can be found here: http://billfitzmaurice.com/Omni15.html I am using an alternate setup that Bill includes in the plans, with two Eminence Basslite S2012 woofers in addition to the midrange and tweeter. I am also modifying the design slightly, just enough to accommodate two casters and a handle to roll it like an 8x10. I just need to find the best place in my area to get the wood, track down the components for the crossovers and front grill, and decide which color to order the Dura-Tex, and this project will be underway. I don't know if it's just my local store or nationwide, but Musician's Friend is holding a promotion with increased discounts after gear trade-ins, so I'm taking in my old basses and combo amp to trade for a MarkBass LM3 to power the new cabinet.
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Jul 15, 2011 02:04
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I've been learning how to sight read fairly well but I still have some issues mapping notes to the fretboard. Something isn't clicking and it seems like it's really holding me back. I don't have an electric tuner yet Update: Bought a Snark Chromatic tuner instead. Works fine and is about 1/10th of the price of the TU-3. CaseFace McGee posted:I just ordered the components and hardware to build one of these bad boys: Bazanga fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Jul 15, 2011 |
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Jul 15, 2011 16:16
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Bazanga posted:I've been learning how to sight read fairly well but I still have some issues mapping notes to the fretboard. Something isn't clicking and it seems like it's really holding me back. I don't have an electric tuner yet Where on the fretboard are you having issues mapping notes? Is it a certain part of the fretboard that's giving you trouble? Bazanga posted:If you don't mind me asking, about how much were the materials for that beast? I'm guessing it would be around ~$700 US all together? That thing looks like it will be just nasty. The speakers are an upgrade from the baseline models suggested, which brought the cost up. The handles, wheels, corner protectors, and other various things like that added $80 to the cost, which was quite a bit more than I expected. One of the issues with a project like this is that a whole bunch of little things show up that you need to buy, which brings the cost up a surprising amount. Even so, with the upgraded speakers, case hardware, wood, screws, adhesive, DuraTex, crossover components, and the plans from the website, I'll be spending just under $600. EDIT: the plans and website say that a barebones cab can be built for under $400. I have spent a lot of time researching what speakers to buy and where to get them for the best price, what modifications to make to the cabinet, how to make sure those modifications don't detract from the tone or volume, and I've read through the build plans cover to cover three times so far. The time investment is pretty large if you want to build the best cabinet that you can. With luck, I'll be able to do the assembly of the cab on the 30th, paint the 31st, and finish it completely a few days after that. I sold basically all of the old gear I had laying around and ordered the MarkBass Little Mark 3, now I just have to wait for it to ship... then I have to wait for a chance to build my cab... the anticipation is killing me! The Science Goy fucked around with this message at 02:39 on Jul 16, 2011 |
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Jul 16, 2011 02:35
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Well done man. Playing through your own ideal configuration that you've built yourself is a great satisfaction. I'm sure you'll get decades of mileage out of it.
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Jul 16, 2011 11:27
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Does anyone have any tips for playing lightly? I play finger style and when performing live I have a tendency to pull too hard, especially on songs where I'm rocking out and moving a lot on stage. Just came back from a gig and I've got some soreness on the end of my middle finger, which unfortunately has become very typical for me.
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Jul 18, 2011 05:29
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Cloud Dog posted:Does anyone have any tips for playing lightly? I play finger style and when performing live I have a tendency to pull too hard, especially on songs where I'm rocking out and moving a lot on stage. Just came back from a gig and I've got some soreness on the end of my middle finger, which unfortunately has become very typical for me. I used to do that until I started using an additional amp (or monitor) in parallel with only the mids and high end close by (heavily compressed so as not to blow my ears to pieces on the transients). Makes you hear the dynamics and nuances better. For smaller gigs just find the sweet spot where you get the right mix between your bass and the rest.
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Jul 18, 2011 10:55
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Cloud Dog posted:Does anyone have any tips for playing lightly? I play finger style and when performing live I have a tendency to pull too hard, especially on songs where I'm rocking out and moving a lot on stage. Just came back from a gig and I've got some soreness on the end of my middle finger, which unfortunately has become very typical for me. Do you anchor your thumb or float? I'd say maybe 75% of people I see digging too hard (unintentionally) have their thumb anchored. It's much easier to change up your plucking dynamics when you float.
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Jul 18, 2011 14:20
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Everyone says not to stop playing when you mess up - but if you've messed up then surely it means you don't know what you're playing? How do you immediately start again?
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Jul 18, 2011 14:30
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Scarf posted:Do you anchor your thumb or float? I'd say maybe 75% of people I see digging too hard (unintentionally) have their thumb anchored. Man, I didn't even realise people play without their thumb anchored. I only have it resting lightly on the last inch of the neck, but I'd have no control without it.
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Jul 18, 2011 15:12
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Southern Heel posted:Everyone says not to stop playing when you mess up - but if you've messed up then surely it means you don't know what you're playing? How do you immediately start again? What do you mean? When you're recording you should obviously stop and do it again, but live you have to keep a confident look and act as if it was intended that way.
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Jul 18, 2011 15:14
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Underflow posted:Man, I didn't even realise people play without their thumb anchored. I only have it resting lightly on the last inch of the neck, but I'd have no control without it. Well, "floating" is still anchoring, but I change where I rest my thumb depending on what string I'm playing on. If I'm on the E, it'll be on the pickup/body, if I'm on the A it's on the E, D on the A, G on the D, etc. etc. It's a tad different from anchoring though, more like just resting. To me, "anchoring" often results in sort of tugging against your anchor-point, which is what can cause excessive digging into the string when you're playing. Mainly the result of stretching across the strings too much. Floating is also incredibly handing in muting. Scarf fucked around with this message at 15:27 on Jul 18, 2011 |
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Jul 18, 2011 15:25
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Southern Heel posted:Everyone says not to stop playing when you mess up - but if you've messed up then surely it means you don't know what you're playing? How do you immediately start again? For me, it's because by the time I've played the incorrect note, I should have already been thinking about the next note I'm going to play anyway. It's not a matter of not knowing what you're playing. Sometimes you're fingers just don't follow your brain. Sometimes you get a little lost of where you are on the fretboard, or where the song is going. But then once you figure it out, you kind of snap back into place. It's just a product of being comfortable/familiar with the song/scale/groove/etc. It can kind of take a while to develop that kind of thinking though. Scarf fucked around with this message at 15:34 on Jul 18, 2011 |
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Jul 18, 2011 15:31
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Scarf posted:Well, "floating" is still anchoring, but I change where I rest my thumb depending on what string I'm playing on. If I'm on the E, it'll be on the pickup/body, if I'm on the A it's on the E, D on the A, G on the D, etc. etc. Okay, I see what you mean. I actually like the tugging on the A and D strings on only one specific bass I have, which is an old fretless PB set up to imitate an upright as much as possible. Pick-up very low, neck shimmed up to create an exaggerated tilt, free-floating heavy bridge on 2 pivots, and the strings h i g h. Giving the A or D string a good pull there gives me a that buzzing sound of an upright miked with 1 at the bridge and 1 close to the player's fretting hand.
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Jul 18, 2011 15:41
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Southern Heel posted:Everyone says not to stop playing when you mess up - but if you've messed up then surely it means you don't know what you're playing? How do you immediately start again? Lots of good responses to this so far. Here's mine, having stage experience, or seat time as I call it around a poker table or in a car around a race track, you'll start to feel what to do when you mess up or goof. If you aren't a seasoned studio musician, it will happen. Just keep going, and get in as much of that seat time as you can. Keep playing, even if it is an open E, open A, muted string, something in the key and hop on board when it comes back around.
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Jul 18, 2011 15:51
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Scarf posted:Well, "floating" is still anchoring, but I change where I rest my thumb depending on what string I'm playing on. If I'm on the E, it'll be on the pickup/body, if I'm on the A it's on the E, D on the A, G on the D, etc. etc. How exactly do you have your thumb for this? I've been fiending for a 5-string so I figured I should try the floating thumb thing (plus to just have another technique) I can use, but from the videos I've seen you have your thumb kinda sideways resting on all the strings below the one you're playing, and that means friction against the corner of the cuticle and man is that uncomfortable and probably damaging.
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Jul 18, 2011 23:13
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baka kaba posted:How exactly do you have your thumb for this? I've been fiending for a 5-string so I figured I should try the floating thumb thing (plus to just have another technique) I can use, but from the videos I've seen you have your thumb kinda sideways resting on all the strings below the one you're playing, and that means friction against the corner of the cuticle and man is that uncomfortable and probably damaging. I'll try and take a pic or two this evening, but yeah, it's mainly sideways like you describe. I've never really felt any friction or pain from it. But I also have a pretty severe hitch-hiker's thumb, so I can and probably do bend it as well. Like I said, I'll get some pics in a bit.
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Jul 18, 2011 23:49
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Ok, excuse the lovely phone camera pics, but here you go:  
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Jul 19, 2011 02:47
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Ah ok, so are you muting the lower strings some other way, like with your left hand? The way I saw described basically has your thumb lying flat across the strings below your target one, like a barre, so your cuticle area ends up in contact with the string too and it's really sensitive, especially when you move. I've scratched that part up a lot strumming guitar, don't need no more of that! Like this dude (the confused Talkbass thread recommended him) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU Nice bass 
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Jul 19, 2011 19:51
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baka kaba posted:Ah ok, so are you muting the lower strings some other way, like with your left hand? Yeah, his way is if you want to keep your wrist straight. Which is a priority for some people who develop wrist pain, or don't have flexible thumbs like mine. Honestly I've never had that kind of problem. He talks about it like it's poor technique, but it's really a matter of taste. If I lay my wrist flat, I find I pluck more with the pads of my fingers rather than closer to the tip. I feel like I can be more articulate and have better speed and precision if I bend my wrist a bit and kind of get up OVER the strings. Plus I think it's kind of overkill to mute ALL of the strings below the one I'm playing. Really only the string directly above the one I am playing is the one I might accidentally hit. And yes, the fretting hand (left in my case) mutes the other strings when needed.
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Jul 19, 2011 20:12
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Yeah it's more the ringing that I'm worried about. Right now I do the 'mute the E with the thumb, A with the ring finger' thing so I'm used to having every string muted. Are you hooking your thumb over to mute? Also does anyone play with their forearm kinda pointing up the neck, plucking with the side of your fingers instead of coming in from above and using the tips? Just wondering if that's a thing, or is it close to how you play an upright? I discovered it trying to get a kind of upright sound, works pretty well on the A string partway up the fretboard
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Jul 19, 2011 22:58
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Yeah, I do; for slow stuff all the time, for fast stuff depending on the sound I'm going for. Basically exactly like McCartney. Who still is my favourite bass player.
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Jul 19, 2011 23:28
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