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ineptmule posted:I want to get back into playing my bass. I learned for about eight years in secondary school but it fell by the wayside after heading off on round the world adventures and university. I used to have one of these many years ago. Most people mod the pickups: if you search google images, there's just about every modification you can do featured there. So short answer, is yes, get some active pickups, it will improve the basses tone and encourage you to practice!
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Oct 27, 2012 11:06
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Playing a 5 really improves your 4 technique. For someone with relatively small hands, it's often easier to play some things too. I've learnt more about floating thumb and finger positioning from a 5 than I ever did with a 4 and bringing that knowledge back to a 4 has been very rewarding. I can't speak for 6's but I'm not that kind of player, I like my bottom end.
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Mar 3, 2013 08:45
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I have a set of DR Neon's on my Bantam 5, and apart from adjusting the truss rod, I've had no B string issues. It actually sounds fine for much of its length to which I attribute the fantastically even-sounding pups as much as the strings. There's a lot of carry-on about B's; some strings and gauges are worse than others, and it seems there's a lot of poorly-set up 5's out there. When I got the bass, the strings for the Bantam were D'Addarios medium gauge and the only reason that B wasn't completely floppy was high action and a tense neck. I'm sticking to low-tension DR's for this reason. scuz posted:Hey while we are on StringChat, do those of us with short scale basses need a special kind of string or do we just lop-off more of the end than usual? Get the scale appropriate to the bass, or you'll be going through a lot of strings. This is also important for through-body basses too!
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Apr 16, 2013 22:53
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New G&L SB-2 Tribute, built in Dec 2012. Massive sound!
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Aug 9, 2013 09:20
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I've been drooling over the Baer cabs for a while, but the Valkyrie sounds interesting!
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Aug 13, 2013 04:49
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Macavity posted:I bought a used copy of Bass Grooves and wouldn't you know it, the drat thing came without a CD. Anyone know where I can pick one up without having to buy a whole nother copy of the book? drat, I hope I don't have the same problem, I ordered a used copy too!
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Oct 9, 2013 17:25
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CisSTAR 19 posted:I read in Bass Player magazine, the source of all things true, that Stevie Wonder's band all tunes down half a step. I don't blame them, a lot of Wonder favourites weren't written for a bass guitar, I Wish is certainly easier down a half-tone. Having said that, I prefer Master Blaster and Sir Duke in their original key, although Blaster is slightly easier if tuned down.
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Oct 29, 2013 11:10
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Scarf posted:look how loving wrong you all are How beautiful and funky, what tone. So bass.  And if you doubt this guy's fingers, check out what he does with an upright https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpCGjIz3p-Q! ewe2 fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Jan 14, 2014 |
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Jan 14, 2014 19:32
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Fast forward to a very different treatment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4MK7TNDmDw. Not only had I not heard Chris Wood now I have to catch up with Steve Swallow  Also, this rare Scofield-Pastorius jam on Chicken https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwhkPSEXs1Q. Imagine that album...
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Jan 15, 2014 07:35
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Declan MacManus posted:Let me start by giving some lip service to my dude Ray Shulman who always gets left out of these discussions Yeah let's see them disco-dance and play this insane poo poo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMrYSTzqFI8
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Jan 25, 2014 18:36
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EvilChameleon posted:Anyone have any hot tips for where to order strings online in Canada? It's not urgent but I figured I should get some backup strings in case I break some or these ones start to suck or whatever. I need a set of 6 which is why I can't just go into any store in town. Separate question, anyone have any opinions on DR Neons? They seem like the look super rad / awful (perfect) at the same time. Thoughts? I'm in Australia and I will only buy from basstringsonline.com. Jason is the best.
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Jan 31, 2014 03:47
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EvilChameleon posted:I saved $5 over ordering through my local store. Let's see how long they take to get here, though. What did you get? I've been tossing up whether to get flats for my SB-2 but after reading an old Bruce Thomas interview where he said he preferred dead rounds, I might stick with my GHS pressurewounds.
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Jan 31, 2014 11:40
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EvilChameleon posted:DR Neon pink 6-string set, .03-.125 x2. So I saved $10 total, $5 for each set. Great strings, I'm looking at getting the new blue ones for my 5-string Washburn.
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Feb 1, 2014 20:21
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Stravinsky posted:Have you tried adjusting the truss rod? Sometimes doing that can fix dead frets and isn't that hard to do. Try LITTLE turns, 1/2 a quarter turn and let it settle for some hours.
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Feb 11, 2014 02:10
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EvilChameleon posted:New DR Neons. So far, so good, other than playing on coated strings feels a bit weird from having gone from uncoated ones. Nice! They will feel weird for a while, but you'll soon get used to them. Those reds are seriously bright!
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Feb 14, 2014 08:44
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Maybe try out some Squiers, they're good quality for the price I hear. Wouldn't mind the vintage modified jazz bass V myself!
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Mar 16, 2014 02:10
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Southern Heel posted:For speed, is it simply a case of a) play more/more comfortably and b) slowly increment bpm? I'm trying to nail that horn break in Sir Duke and it's just murdering me. Definitely recommend it for that one. Even though it's fast, it still swings, so keeping the groove in it is essential. I like to practice it both playing staccato and hammer-ons all the way through, it's a good workout! I also tend to make it up as I go along in the choruses, I've never heard anyone play those the way it was done on the record. Seventh Arrow posted:Supposedly both. In my previous band, I got murdered by the chorus in Immigrant Song, where JPJ does those mixolydian scales in sixteenth notes. Admittedly I never nailed it, but I've seen Tom Hamilton do it fingerstyle, so it's doable. I just look at that one and go "nope my fingers aren't going to do that". Unless he's cheating with a pick which is almost doable for me but only barely. I'm much happier being able to nail Ramble On with the fingers.
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Mar 23, 2014 04:36
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FancyMike posted:It's the stolen one. I do personally think they sound pretty good stock though. Neck position mudbuckers are great. Lovely bass  I love how people decorate their guitars, shows love and personality.
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Mar 26, 2014 22:10
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The Bunk posted:
All of these and also The Specials albums 1 & 2, worth learning. And then treat yourself to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xar9j2RRJDE. Wonderful rhythmic and deceptive lines, and pogo-ing for 40 minutes. It's exhausting just watching him 
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Jun 27, 2014 10:16
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There are some great youtubes of Bruce performing, and apart from his sheer physical dexterity (the stuff he could sing over that playing!), his songwriting talent is astonishing.
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Oct 26, 2014 06:24
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juche mane posted:I traded my Squier VI straight up for a G&L SB-2, Indonesian. Excellent choice. I looked at the VI but just couldn't bring myself to buy one and my Indonesian SB-2 is the best bass I've ever owned. Tip: throw some GHS pressurewounds on it, you'll love the tone. ewe2 fucked around with this message at 01:51 on Apr 19, 2015 |
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Apr 19, 2015 01:49
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Not a pbass but its close, sb-2 tribute with 2yo Ghs pressurewounds:
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Jun 2, 2015 07:08
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Poured a 40 and played some bass to the Specials, rip John Bradbury, genius drummer.
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Dec 31, 2015 12:28
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Captain Apollo posted:Which leads me here: Bassplayers think in chords too, they just don't play all of the chord at the same time, just the important bits, and often invert them for effect. The common "pattern" for country/blues is root and 5th, with a nod to the flattened 7th and depending on the form, passing by the 2nd and 3rd. It's all down to the feel and rhythm after that. There are usually exceptions to the rule, but that'll do you for a lot of tunes. Can I also recommend you Bass Grooves by Ed Friedland who does an astonishing job of explaining many bass idioms and it includes a handy CD to practice with. Get a drum machine to help!
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Jan 2, 2016 10:18
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Rifter17 posted:I have a Sting Ray 5 and I'll never part with it, but that's mostly due to sentimental reasons. It's a solid bass on all fronts and does what it does great. Honestly if I had to do it over again, I'd look into G&L. They make great stuff and are the natural progression of the Fender lineage. People swear by the L-1500/1505, apparently it's got quite a lot of stingray grunt. I love my Tribute SB-2, which has enough grunt that I use pressurewounds to tame it a little.
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Apr 6, 2016 09:52
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I'll get an L2K one day, but yes the p mfd's are insanely strong for a passive pickup. Like many SB-2 players, I use the bridge pickup as a high-mid tone control, great for slap and using chorus with, rolling back the main pup for an older sound when needed. I hope your new pups work well with that bass!
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Apr 6, 2016 12:56
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If you've got a Precision type of bass, GHS pressurewounds are a nice tamer of the aggression, and wear extremely well.
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May 1, 2016 06:38
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Get a G&L SB-2. Then you have the Precision sound with some Jazz edge. At least that's what I can get.
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Aug 30, 2016 09:58
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Constipated posted:Yessss I have been lusting for one of these for quite awhile now. Very solid build, extremely playable. Get a Tribute, if you don't care for fancy extras. Just as good (if you really care, you can always upgrade the knobs). But if you're really keen I think they're still taking batches of SB-2's with an added tone knob but that was a while ago on the talkbass forums. I'm fine with the volume controls as they are, the pickups are very very hot and give good tone variation at between 3/4 and 1/2 turns. Everything else you can do with your fingers. I prefer to tame mine with pressurewounds, they can really honk.
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Aug 30, 2016 23:30
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CaseFace McGee posted:Play them both in a music shop, back to back. Go home with the one that makes your insides go more fuzzy. Agreed, go with the one who wants to be your best mate. You'll know who that is, and sometimes it's not about the sound. A good bass is so much more than about the sound.
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Sep 9, 2016 13:56
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rebounded posted:I won't lie. I thought about buying this: But is it good for grunge?
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Sep 28, 2016 03:55
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Jeff Goldblum posted:
Do it. Do it right now* *unless there's an L2000 nearby
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Sep 30, 2016 06:32
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Jeff Goldblum posted:I did it. Turns out the guy selling it knew me and my band, and was a friend of a friend. We hashed it out and I walked away with it for $600 and if it ends up not finding a proper place in my home I can bring it back. I don't know why I would. This thing is amazing. It's a bit of a shame that it has no tone control, so it will take either some EQ work on the amp or (more likely) I will bring back my Sansamp and use it as a sort of filter. Immediately tested it out at practice tonight and it was very plucky, my attack is still too drat strong. Good stuff! The trick to SB-2's is using the volume pots as tone controls themselves. It won't hurt to adjust the pups either, I found better tone from adjusting the bridge pup. I've learnt a lot about finger tone too, so I feel you get the best of both worlds: 70's p Bass grind with a pick, and plunky county bass up the neck with fingers and everything in between.
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Sep 30, 2016 08:53
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Indeed, you can modify your strings sound quite well as they age with pup adjustment.
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Oct 1, 2016 09:53
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Speaking of G&L, they just released the Kiloton, apparently a passive Stingray type in a SB body. Good thing it hasn't made it to the Tribute range yet, I'm trying to save for a Fallout guitar
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Oct 6, 2016 06:11
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Now you get a L2500 and all your dreams come true
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Nov 4, 2016 11:37
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Unlined fretlesses are great if they're high-quality instruments, but I got a cheaper one and the intonation issues it had sucked the interest right out for me; at least with a lined one you have a chance of getting closer to muscle memory for intonation but a bad unlined electric is worse than useless and in this case all the side dot markers in the world are of no help particularly down near the nut.
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Dec 9, 2016 03:41
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The Science Goy posted:How good are the G&L Tribute basses? I should be able to get a new Tribute SB-2 with a buddy's work discount (hopefully I will find out about pricing tonight), and that looks like a good option for a fairly cheap gigging bass with a P pickup. You won't be sorry. It takes a little getting used to, but with good strings and judicious use of the bridge pickup volume you can have clank and spank to spare. And a Squire VM 70's Jazz is great for the other tones later. Sounds like you have the rig to match as well.
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May 2, 2017 06:37
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Black 1mm Jim Dunlops, never use anything else. I find the slight give prevents fatigue, and the grip works for me.
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Jun 5, 2017 03:55
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I love my SB-2 but I would get a Stingray or Kiloton before I'd go near a Rick.
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Aug 7, 2017 10:01
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