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I recently got a Squier VI. I've known about the Fender VI from the 60s for many a year, and until recently, there were only two ways to get one of these weird things: pay thousands to get a vintage instrument, or pay thousands to get a custom shop built version. Now you can pick up a fairly good version for about $350. Not too shabby. I've been unable to put this thing down. It's an instrument that has no right to exist, but that I'm thankful someone decided to make. I'm having a lot of fun playing guitar stuff on it, and I am even using it as a regular bass, although this is trickier due to the short scale and closeness of the strings. Finally, the dirty channel on my Sunn 300T is getting a really good workout. Hooked up to the 2x15 and 4x10T, this thing really wails. Even on the clean channel, it sounds bassier than I'd expect for a short scale base sporting such light gauge strings. Any other Bass VI owners out there? Any suggestions on stuff to listen to and learn to play on this weird beast? (Preferably in the area of rock or metal, or any of the myriad of variations on those genres....) Also... DeathSandwich posted:So has anyone got the chance to play around with the Ibanez SRF700/705 Portamento fretless? I happened upon it the other day and am kind of fascinated by it. Fretless, two and a half octave string scale, with a Piezo system and it's $900, which seems reasonable for how fretless basses are priced. I may have to take the dive on this next time I got money burning a hole in my pocket but am kind of curious if anyone has actual hands on experience with it. While I haven't played this bass, I do have a 20-year-old old Ibanez 5-string fretless (SR505FL). Looking at the SRF700/705, I can tell you that the extra range they talk about is almost certainly useless. Even getting your fingers up to those notes on the last 6 "frets" won't be easy, unless you're tapping or something. Extended range like that is usually a gimmick, frets or not. But to get that upright acoustic bass sound, definitely invest in a set of nylon tapewound strings. They feel like flats but are easier to move up and down on, and they have an amazingly good upright bass sound, even without piezo pickups. (The strings are usually black, but I'm sure there are other colors out there.)
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Mar 15, 2015 18:13
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Jonithen posted:I'm jealous. I tried to do the bass VI thing, mentioned a few pages back I was expecting delivery of a MIJ one. Well it arrived, and was essentially unplayable. Could not set the bridge height or neck relief to be able to get anything useful out of it, think it was simply a dud. Tried a Schecter ultracure vi which played a lot better but had a splintered fingerboard on either side of the 9th fret that never should have left Musician's Friend in that condition. I'm glad you like yours, I really wanted to give the 6 string bass in that form factor a go, but I am apparently cursed. I don't have good luck, and the weather was really bad when I ordered mine, so I had my instrument shipped to a nearby Guitar Center. That way, if something was wrong, there wouldn't be any hassle with getting it set up or replaced or whatever. Thankfully, it arrived set up properly--I was surprised as hell--and it just needed to be tuned up. Just seeing one and knowing it was mine was pretty cool, and hooked up to a Blues Junior, it sounded really nice. I don't know if I'll go baritone with it. The low E string is a little floppy, but a thicker gauge could fix that, probably, and it's fun to play guitar lines one octave too low. The really low stuff doesn't work too well, but anything from the A string up is fair game. (Yeah, right in the baritone range....) This is an instrument that shouldn't exist, really. I can totally see why this wasn't a hit in the 60s, but I'm glad it's available now, especially at the Squier's price point. It's a unique instrument.
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Mar 16, 2015 23:46
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It could be because you're used to guitar, and your hand is having some growing pains. Playing bass requires a little bit more hand strength on the fretting hand. You might also be fretting too hard. If you're playing on an old or cheap instrument because bass isn't your primary instrument, the action may be high, making things even a bit worse. I've met other bassists who seem to be trying to mash the strings into the frets with all their might, and they have the same problems you're describing. Not to mention the fact that if something is just harder to play, there's a tendency to tense up and do everything harder. Hell, I'm guilty of that, and I've been playing bass for over 20 years. It happens, and it creates cramps. My advice would be to rest that wrist and hand. Doing even more exercises won't help and will actually make it a little worse. You only want to do the exercises if you're not having rehearsal all the time. You're messing around with carpal tunnel syndrome, and the answer is not more stress.
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Mar 19, 2015 16:45
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muike posted:I know this is really dumb but my experience with bass has been really sporadic over the past ~10 years so I have some simple questions I hope you guys can answer. Average scale is 34" for pretty much all non-short-scale basses, 5- and 6-strings included. Some companies offer a longer scale, 35" or 36", for 5- and 6-string models, but it's hardly standard, and you'll pay more. (That said, you'll have a B string that isn't flippitty-flappitty and is more fun to play... which is great for the 4 notes it gives you.) Short-scale averages around 30". As for string gauges, 40-105 sounds custom, because the G string is light but the E string is not. And yes, they sell "custom gauge sets," which are designed to have lighter G and D strings paired with heavier E and A strings, because bass. You want to stick with what your bass was designed to use, but you don't have to. Just be aware that moving up or down far in the gauges will require some setup work. I use medium-gauge pure nickelwounds for all my Fenders. They just have that nice classic tone, they're easy on the frets, they're easy on the fingers (easier than stainless steels, for sure), and they actually last for quite a little while. I've used light gauge strings before, but I don't care of them much because the strings have to be looser, which means they flap around more, and I like to dig in without hearing fret buzz (and without having to have action that is too high). Mediums are actually a pretty good place to start: 45-105. Nice, meaty, substantial. If you'll be doing a lot of bending and crap, go with light gauge strings. I've never used heavy gauge strings, but they'll be tighter and harder to bend. BTW, these are roundwounds. Flatwounds exist, which feel like smooth wires under your fingers. Some people love 'em. I don't, except on fretless (and on those, I use nylon tapewound). As for brands, you get what you pay for most of the time. Avoid Earnie Ball Super Slinky, because they wear out (read: lose their bright, new-string tone) ultra-fast, even with moderate play. GHS Boomers tricked me twice because of their endorsements with famous bassists, but they are, in reality, not much better than Earnie Ball. I wouldn't go any cheaper than Fender strings, but d'Addario are also OK. Some people swear by La Bella or Dean Markley. tarlibone fucked around with this message at 04:05 on Mar 21, 2015 |
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Mar 21, 2015 04:02
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Jonithen posted:I have poor impulse control. I also have a MIM 5-string Jazz bass with the Gotoh tuners. Those were standard on these models; Fender bass tuners generally come in the one size--big-rear end--and these make it easier to have a 5 in-line headstock. The "Noiseless" pickups are definitely aftermarket; MIM basses have standard pickups, and to my knowledge, Fender never uses Noiseless on the MIM-level standard. My bass is midnight wine, though. After all these years, my Jazz 5 has needed maybe one truss rod adjustment. It's been played a ton, too. For many bands, it was my go-to bass, especially if it was only practical to bring one bass to a gig. In one cover band I was in, the guitarists were obsessed with playing the songs in their actual tuning, meaning we had to account for standard, standard - 1/2 step, standard - 1 step, drop D, and drop D down 1/2 step. They had multiple guitars and still had to occasionally retune between songs because they didn't bring 5 guitars to the gig. I simply used this one 5-string. When they gave up and went to a 2-guiar system (standard and drop D), the joke was on me, because I had to relearn half our set. On my Jazz 5, the bridge-to-string height on the A string is about 2/3rds of a dime. You either need to shim the neck or adjust the truss rod. I'd check the relief first to see if it's the easier fix.
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Mar 25, 2015 05:48
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All this got me thinking about my Jazz V. It's got old strings, but I took out my feeler gauges and stuff and found that the action is higher than spec. If I lower it to spec, it buzzes in some spots, but just a little over spec is fine. It's lower now than it was before I started fiddling with it the other day, though, so that's good. And I play with my fingers and tend to dig in a lot, so I'm just a buzzy player by nature. Does anyone else play with higher than spec action, or is this just an old guy thing?
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Mar 27, 2015 23:09
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I've been playing for a while, too, and every now and then I get self-conscious about these little things. You know, because it totally matters, because the bass is always super-easy to hear and right up front in the mix. Derp. I was poking around online, and I found a video made by a guy selling a book on maintaining guitars where he sets up a P-bass with different specs, and ones that are pretty close to how mine is currently set up. That said, I know at least one of my instruments is getting to that spot where it needs to have the frets leveled and crowned. Not looking forward to that, because as you say, you don't always know what you're going to get.
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Mar 28, 2015 18:16
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You shouldn't be looking for a reason to like these strings. I use roundwounds or nylon tapewound on my fretless basses. I've tried regular flatwounds, and I cannot stand them. My fingers don't slide over them as easily and the sound just isn't to my liking. I'd say, keep playing them for another month or so. If after that you are still wondering how much longer it will take for you to start enjoying how they feel and sound, then the answer is, you don't like them. Flats aren't for everybody.
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Mar 28, 2015 23:02
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The only way to learn how to do it is to do it. When I was in theory class, we had to do transcriptions, but only of a melody line. Prof would play it on the piano, and we had to figure it out by ear. First he'd play it, then we'd sing or hum it to ourselves, then we'd work it out. It's just something you learn by doing. If you're trying to grab a bass line (or some other line), that method works well: play a small part of it over and over until you can sing the part you're trying to transcribe. Once it's in your head, find it on your instrument, and you have it. You'll probably want to write it down, too. Then, on to the next part.
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Mar 29, 2015 17:25
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Are you talking about the notes F and G, like a line with a bass line that has a bunch of F G F G G G G G F G F G G G G stuff in it? Or do you mean the keys of F and G? I'm asking because not much thrash metal involves bass lines where keys are all that important. Usually, you're doubling a guitar line or something like that; there's not much scale-running going on. If it's the notes, then be sure you're using your first and fourth fingers. There's a tendency to use one finger per fret, but in the lower positions on a bass, and especially at high speeds or where strength is required (like in thrash), that can be awkward. It'll cramp your hand and in general isn't really fun. If it's your right hand (picking/plucking hand), then it's just something you'll have to practice. The old method works the best: start slow until it's perfect at the slow tempo. Then, work your way up. Remember: if you can't play it slow, you can't play it fast.
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Apr 6, 2015 16:16
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SintaxError posted:I'm basically a total noob to bass and stringed instruments in general. I picked up a used Ibanez SR300B DX from a local music shop about 2 weeks ago, and I seem to have trouble tuning the G string. If the G string gets sharp as you go up the length, you need to lengthen the string; that is, you must move the saddle back toward the back of the bridge. You say it's as loose as it can go, so I'm assuming you have it out as far away from the back of the bridge as possible. That's making it worse. It is extremely unlikely that this bass was manufactured so horribly that you can't properly set the intonation. Ibanez has decent instruments across all price ranges; they just don't make 'em that bad. Test your 12th fret harmonic against the 12th fret fretted note. If it's sharp, as you indicate it should be, then move the saddle back. If it's flat, which you say isn't the case, then move the saddle toward the neck.
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Apr 12, 2015 01:36
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This superglue stuff sounds like the beginning to a hilarious practical joke. Seriously. That said, as long as you let it dry before you touch anything, your fingers will be fine. Fine, but coated with superglue. You can't peel it off without removing some skin. I wash dishes by hand (at home! My day job isn't dishwasher, I promise!), and my calluses have never been that great. With bass, it's not so bad, but man, it's murder on the Bass VI. In fact, I'm finally getting some decent calluses because of that thing.
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Apr 16, 2015 04:14
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UncleBlazer posted:I finally picked up an olympic white squire VI Your low E string issues are a feature, not a bug. The problem is that the really light gauge they use for the low E combined with the short scale (30") means that it's a floppy string. It's going to buzz and rattle and while you can get it in tune, proper intonation is going to be an issue. I've heard many people have success with replacing that string with a heavier gauge one, although I'm coping by just being careful with it and playing with a lighter touch.
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Apr 17, 2015 14:53
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There are videos where you can see the speakers of a guitar cab while someone plays a bass through it. It's not pretty. Also, the amp itself will be voiced for guitar and not bass. So using a guitar amp for your bass probably won't sound good, especially if you're talking about a practice instrument, and as a bonus, the speaker might short out. Bass and keyboard amps use different kinds of speakers, even when the speaker diameter is the same. They are built to handle a wider range of frequencies. Bass amps will be voiced for bass guitar, while keyboard amps will usually try to have a very neutral and transparent sound color. Keyboard amps will suffice, but bass amps will give you the sound you probably expect out of your bass. As has been mentioned, most bass amps are clearly marked as bass amps. Of those that aren't, most bass amps lack certain features common to guitar amps. For example, only a handful of bass amps have an overdrive or distortion circuit (mine does have one), whereas most guitar amps, especially practice amps, will have one. If you're not sure, do what someone said and look it up on your phone.
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Apr 18, 2015 23:52
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itsjustdrew posted:but ibanez in general are a decent 'go to' then? If I don't get that one I can get something similar. I'm a Fender man. So my instinct is to tell you to buy a Fender, even if you're not interested in buying a bass. But, of the instruments that I own that aren't Fender, I have two Ibanez: an acoustic bass guitar (because they make a cheap, good one), and a 5-string fretless Soundgear (because I wanted a fretless, I was 19, and the only one being sold at the only store I could shop at was an Ibanez Soundgeear 5-string fretless). Since then, I've played a bunch of basses, and Ibanez makes a good quality instrument for a very affordable price. They have put the 6-string into the price range of just about anybody--when I was a kid, it was hard to find one for less than $1000, and that was 1990 dollars. tl;dr: Ibanez is pretty good.
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Apr 25, 2015 04:37
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You should be able to pick up a (non-American) Standard Fender Jazz 5 for around $700. If you shop for a used one, you can save tons more. My go-to 5-string is a MIM midnight wine Fender Jazz, the model with the mini-tuners (5 inline small Gotoh tuners). Fender has more expensive options, too, and there are some quality Squiers out there that are well within your budget. That said, Ibanez Soundgear is an excellent brand with a long pedigree and a well-deserved reputation for delivering a fairly consistent, quality product at a very reasonable price. I have a 5-string fretless Soundgear from 20 years ago, and it's still perfect. Ibanez's only real problem, in my opinion, is that it's not a Fender... but I'm sure some would say that's a feature, not a bug.
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May 22, 2015 20:53
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I was going to mention the thing about EQ'ing last night, but I was tired, so I went to bed instead. Long story short: if you're having trouble cutting through the mix, make sure you have mids in your sound. It depends on your bass, which mids you want. For example, my Fender P-Bass Special with a maple fretboard and nickle-wound strings loves having slightly boosted bass, slightly less boosted treble, and a decent dose of upper mids. Add just a soupcon of overdrive to give the accented notes a bit of sizzle, and I can be felt and heard. For my rosewood fingerboard instruments, though, I boost the lower mids, because that's where they need the most help. Going with the typical metal-style scooped EQ setting doesn't work for anybody. It makes the guitars sound loving awesome... until anyone else in the band starts playing. Then it's poo poo, and hard to hear poo poo at that. The same goes for bass, except a little worse, because you're competing with power chords and the bass drum if you don't have any mids. Guess who wins that war. As for watts, another important thing to remember is that Watts =/= Decibels. Someone's 500 W amp is not 1 and 2/3rds times as loud as my 300 W Sunn 300T. In fact, cabinets being the same, it's really only a little louder. Noticeable, sure, but not almost twice as loud. And a 1000-watter is not twice as loud as that 500-watter. That's just not how it works. Bigger numbers do mean more sound, but only on a very basic level. It's not to scale. (That said, guitarists play in a range that's easy to make loud with an economy of watts. A 150 W guitar amp is going to be able to hold its own with a 300 W bass amp. 'Dems just 'da breaks.) And don't let people tell you not to mix 15's and 10's. I have a 4x10 w/ a piezo horn, and a 2x15. Sure, it's far too much to bring to most gigs, but I've done it on occasion, just to show 'em. (This combination is also pretty good if your amp has a bi-amp mode.)
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May 28, 2015 16:29
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Twenty pounds is heavy? I wonder what my Sunn 300T weighs. Edit: I looked it up in the specs. Seventy-five pounds! Holy hell, no wonder no one ever helped me with my gear. I knew it wasn't just because I'm the bass player! tarlibone fucked around with this message at 01:24 on May 31, 2015 |
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May 31, 2015 01:09
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:20 pounds isn't heavy, but in today's market it may as well be an SVT. It's really hard to get people spend money on a boutique-expensive head that's 20lbs when you can get the same wattage for less than half the price and less than half the weight. I assume you're right. I got my current amp only because about 10 different things happened at once, and I ended up getting an excellent all-tube amp for, basically, a song. But before then, and even since, I was a fan of solid state amps. I mean, tubes kick just a little more rear end in certain ways, but I can't begin to count the money I've spent on 6550 tubes (6 at a loving time!), special fuses that were nearly impossible to get before Amazon was a thing, and backaches. Solid state is rugged, it's dependable, it's cheap, and it's light. And, although it doesn't sound quite as good as a tube amp in some situations, solid-state is excellent, sonic-wise, for the bass. It is literally a win-win-win-win-draw. I just never knew that weight was something that people worried about. I can tell you this: back when I was amp-shopping, nobody ever talked about how much an amp weighs. And I'm talking, at most, 15 years ago. I heard about watts, I heard about hybrid amps (usually a tube pre-amp and solid-state power amp), and I heard a lot about bi-amping. Never once did anyone mention weight. When did that start?
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May 31, 2015 08:14
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:I think that regardless of what "your sound" is every serious bassist should have a P-bass with flats in the stable. P-bass? Yes. Flats? Sorry, but no. I have some nylon tapewound on my fretless, but I tried flats years ago and hated every second of it. It's just easier to move over rounds, for me anyway.
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Jun 1, 2015 18:43
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Here's my baby.
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Jun 2, 2015 06:30
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Widdershins posted:
That's a feature, not a bug.
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Jun 3, 2015 04:14
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Fretboard materials make a huge difference, and this can't be overstated. The 50's P-bass has a maple fretboard; I think that's an option on the standard model. This will give you a brighter tone, especially on the attack. There will be more upper midrange, as well. It'll overdrive quite nicely if you want it to, and it'll just about sizzle if that's what you prefer. The rosewood fingerboard is standard on the other model. It'll have deeper lows, beefy high notes without a lot of sizzle, and an overall mellower sound. Where the maple fretboard can cut through the mix in the midrange to upper registers, the rosewood will cut through at the bottom and serve as an amazing foundation. Beyond that, the 50s bass should have nicer electronics, but both of these models are made in Mexico, so it's hard to say that for sure. The 50s P-bass has a 7.25" radius fingerboard vs. the standard's 9.5". This means that the fretboard is noticeably more curved than you may be used to; 7.25" used to be the standard but hasn't been in many decades. It will have a different feel, but it shouldn't be a problem. Just be aware that it's going to be different than any other bass you own.
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Jun 5, 2015 15:44
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I just read that Chris Squier of Yes passed away. RIP.
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Jun 28, 2015 18:18
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When you said something about your bass imploding, I got this image of a nervous bassist bowing a string and watching the bridge with an eagle eye. Suddenly, it becomes clear that it's going to totally collapse, and the bassist's eyes open wide in terror, but he doesn't have time to stop bowing. Then, with a snap, the bridge breaks, and the sudden change in tension does cause the bass to literally implode, folding in half first and then continuing to compact itself in a tangled mess that makes more and more racket as it shrinks. Finally, it just vanishes in a puff of smoke, and there you are, holding a bow, hunched over nothing at all.
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Jul 8, 2015 18:13
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Imaduck posted:Who would I look for to service these? I mean, I've done some work on old stereo equipment myself, but I don't really have a local store I'm super comfortable with. Most stereo equipment, even going back a number of decades, use discrete, solid-state electronics. Tube-based amps are a different beast and if you're not used to working on them, you shouldn't mess with it. That said, most local stores don't do their own tech work, at least not in my experience. They contract the work out to some local tech person who, usually, knows what they're doing. Case in point: my Sunn 300T needed some work; the tubes were OK but the thing barely worked, random crap started not working every now and then, etc. ad nauseam. So, I took it to the local Fender dealership (Sunn was bought by Fender and Fender put out the Sunn 300T), and a couple weeks later, I got it back. The service sticker on the back had a name I recognized, and it was some guy who handled several stores in the St. Louis area who happens to be the good friend of a friend of mine. The kicker? My friend told me that this guy would look at it for me if I wanted, but no, I wanted to go through the authorized service channels. Because I'm a genius, that's why.
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Jul 22, 2015 23:22
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Southern Heel posted:My Squier CV P-Bass has 'broken' again - about five times now, essentially no signal whatsoever. It was working perfectly the last time I put it on my stand, and how it has gone quiet again. Over the course of various attempts to permanently fix this (which ultimately fail), I have replaced all wiring between the jack and the pickups, insulated the inside faces of body rout around the jack socket. No doubt it will be something along the same lines as before - a cold soldier joint, or some pinched cable that's shorted out. The question is - how many times do I take this bastard apart before I just hand it over to a luthier? Unless you're an excellent wiring/soldering tech, then you should at least see what a repairman says. Problems like you describe are usually related to the wiring, and if you're the one mucking about in it, and you're not an expert, you might be fixing stuff that ain't broke and not addressing stuff that is. I'm not saying you're not an expert, by the way, because I don't know. You mention insulating the inside of the body cavities--the lack of insulation there never causes silence. It only causes more noise. If you've shorted your "hot" to this ground, then you get total silence. First, make sure it's the instrument. You could have a poo poo cable or a problem with your amp. Try different cables and amps. If it is indeed the instrument, take it to be repaired. Wiring problems are fixable. At worst, you may have a wiring issue at the pickup itself, as someone noted, and that may require replacement of the pickups. On a Squier, that's not too costly, and it's a great opportunity to upgrade anyway. There are problems that would make me want to ditch an instrument. Neck problems that can't be fixed, or that don't stay fixed, come to mind. Wiring is one of those things that can always be fixed.
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Aug 13, 2015 01:30
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UncleBlazer posted:Pretty obscure question buuuuut... Has anyone ordered La Bella flatwounds for the Fender VI before and how long did it take to get them? That sounds... like... how you say... ah yes... the poo poo of a bull. I just ordered some La Bella strings for my Squier VI a few weeks ago. Hang on, let me look... OK, here are the details: Ordered 8/28/15, shipped 9/1/15, received 9/3/15. After a few days, I put them on and realized that the full winding on the low E wasn't long enough, which suggests that it was meant for the Ibanez Crossover, which doesn't have that extra several inches between the tailpiece and bridge. (I emailed them on 9/3 and sent a picture, and they got back to me on 9/8 and said it was a mistake. They're sending the correct string. I imagine it'll be here in a day or two.) So, if they get me the replacement string by 9/11/15, which is Friday (and they'll probably hit that deadline), then my entire experience with them will have taken 2 weeks, start to finish, including email correspondence and a second shipment to replace an incorrect string. Granted, these are roundwounds, but that's also two weeks, with several days in there for correspondence and replacement. I ordered direct from La Bella, too.
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Sep 10, 2015 01:02
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If you're looking for a first bass, it's hard to beat a Precision Bass. They're incredibly versatile, easy to control, and nearly every company makes a P-bass clone. They're balanced, they have the perfect scale length, and they allow you to play with trademarked Precision. Squiers aren't bad, but for a little more you can get a MIM Fender P-bass. But the Ibanez equivalent is probably OK, too. Honestly, just play a few basses and get the one you like the most.
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Sep 22, 2015 03:41
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For early Metallica triplet parts, don't play 8th notes. You're creating a vertical hemiola, and while that's great if you're doing it on purpose, it sucks if you're not... and you're not. Cliff Burton played with his fingers, and believe you me, he hit those triplets. So my suggestion on that question is twofold: 1) practice and hit the triplets, 'cause that's what Metallica did, or 2) if you can't do that yet, then simplify it but don't go against the grain. If they're playing triplets you can't keep up with, then play swing 8th notes. These are triplets where the first two notes are tied. It will make it gallop slightly, but you'll at least be playing notes in time with the guitars. And, from there, you'll eventually be able to hit those triplets. As for palm-muting the chuggachugga parts, it depends on what you want everything to sound like. If you don't mute the strings, which is usually what's happening when you're listening to a metal song, the attack of each note will be somewhat buried by the ringing of the string. One way around this is to dial up some tone or high frequencies on your EQ to accentuate the picking sound, but this doesn't work for every song. Another way is to palm mute, but it takes a heavier touch than it does for guitarists, and it doesn't have quite the same sound. But, since you're generally buried in the mix anyway for these sections, just do what feels best at the tempo you're working with, and fart around with it during practice to come up with something you like. With bass, there's never really a hard-and-fast rule that covers any given situation 100% of the time. Not even with the chuggachugga parts.
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Nov 5, 2015 15:53
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H13 posted:What's the logic behind NOT scooping the mids though? I have pretty mid-focused guitars so I figured scooping the mids on my bass would let the guitars sit in the bass...if that makes any sense. Oh poo poo. You're in a band with intelligent guitarists. Have you considered joining a band with really talented but dumber guitarists? Trust me, there are a lot of those around, and they scoop the everfucking poo poo out of their mids. Here's the thing: mids are easy for the human ear to hear. And, they're easy for speakers to drive. They're easy on amps, too, when compared to low frequencies. What I'm saying is that bassically, mids are the poo poo. Many guitarists love to scoop their mids because it sounds so freakin' cool, man. Just a ton of low and a ton of high and negative mids because, dammit, he ain't in a 1970s classic rock cover band! And I will admit that both bass and guitar sound great with the mids scooped... until any other instrument at all begins playing. Because at that moment, everyone is competing for the same frequencies, and nobody can be heard distinctly except for the singer and the drums. The guitarist starts turning up, the bassist follows suit, and soon it all sounds like indistinct poo poo. Adding mids solves that. Guitar with some mids brings it up toward the front, and the guitar won't have to be turned up to 11 just to be heard distinctly above everyone else. (And by that time, they're drowning everyone out.) And bass with mids sits comfortably between the kick drum and the guitar. You'll actually be heard without having to turn your amp all the way up--people will hear you and everyone else in the band. Mids are your friend. Believe in the mids.
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Nov 7, 2015 02:58
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Kilometers Davis posted:Still grumpy about losing my ability to play fingerstyle thanks to classical guitar nails. I miss that deep thump every time I pick up my bass. Ugh. I could not deal with that. Have you tried those felt picks? They can't simulate that extra thump you get when your finger plucks a string and comes to a stop on the next string--a subtle sound you don't always notice until it's not there--but they do give a rounder attack that is somewhat finger-like.
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Nov 8, 2015 07:36
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The quality-to-price ratio of Squier can't be overstated, really. I mean, I'm not going to tell anyone to buy an Affinity series instrument, but the models above that are all really good for the price, and the Vintage Modified are surprisingly good, without the need for the "for the price" qualifier. My Squier Bass VI is really good and very (but not completely) true to the original model from the 60s. I had to get custom strings for it because there was no way that .084 on the low E string was going to work for me, especially not at a 30" scale, but beyond that, I've been loving it.
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Nov 12, 2015 17:28
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Otis Reddit posted:Yes but buzzier and shittier. This, pretty much. It's on a short 30" scale, so even a normal E string would be at least a little buzzy, but the super-light gauge they use for that string... I mean, it's just barely playable. Put it this way: imagine a standard bass. Now make it a 30" scale instrument, so all the strings are looser. Then tune your A string down to E, because you're using medium-gauge strings. That is literally the stock bottom string on the VI -- 0.084! It's the A string on many sets.
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Nov 12, 2015 22:36
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UncleBlazer posted:What's the action looking like on others Squier VI? Mine is about 1cm consistently from fifth to last fret. I have the stock bridge and my action is not that high. Hang on... ... ... OK, according to my Stewart MacDonald String Action Gauge, at the 21st fret, I'm looking at 0.125" on the low string about 0.110" on the high string. Going by the 64th scale, it's 8/64ths and 7//64ths, so that checks out. I usually measure on at least two of the different scales to make sure I'm not looking at it wrong. In the Devil's System of Weights and Measures, that figures to 3.18 mm (low) and 2.78 mm (high). I cannot fathom how you'd get 10mm. That's preposterously high. Are you measuring from the bottom of the string to the top of the frets? Because that action can't be right. But, before shimming the neck, try doing something with that bridge. I can all but guarantee that your instrument didn't leave the factory with 10 mm of action, and you're using an aftermarket bridge, so there's a possibility that it hasn't been properly installed and/or set up.
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Nov 26, 2015 19:26
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I wouldn't advise shimming the neck until everything else has been ruled out. So far, we only know that the action is "about 1cm consistently from fifth to last fret," and that's so far off that I am having trouble believing it. Uncle Blazer: do you have a ruler that measures to 64ths of an inch or half millimeters? Many online guitar gear shops sell these. Even if you live in a metric-using place, I'd go with the inches version, since 1/64th of an inch is smaller than 1/2 mm and converting to metric is so easy. Here's a 6-inch ruler from Stewart Mac, and a metric version is available. Specifically for string heights, I find this one more useful. Since it's bigger, you can lay it across several frets, ensuring you're measuring perpendicular from the top of the frets. The metric version goes down to .25 mm, which is really good. First, look for neck bow. Capo the first fret and press down at the last fret, and measure the string height (distance between top of fret and bottom of string) at the 7th or 8th frets. You're looking for about 0.012", or 0.3 mm. This should be across all strings, but checking at the top and bottom strings is sufficient. If it's much higher than that, then most or all of the problem could be neck bow, and you can correct that with the truss rod. This is usually the cause of super-high action, and when going to heavier string gauges, it's all but guaranteed to happen. If the neck bow (relief) measurement is in spec, then measure the action (string height). I'd start at the 17th fret, which Fender recommends. The spec is 6/64ths on the low E and 5/64ths on the high E string (2.4 and 2 mm), which is, honestly, too low for most folks. My own instrument is set up with action of 8/64ths and 7/64ths, and that works for me. You can go even higher if you want, but 10 mm, if that's accurate, is way too high. Since you are probably using heavier strings than stock, it is also possible that your strings aren't seated fully in the nut slots. That shouldn't be messing with your height that much, though. If the neck isn't bowed and the height can't be adjusted by lowering the bridge, then you may need to shim the neck. Was this a problem back when you had the stock bridge?
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Nov 27, 2015 17:51
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JHVH-1 posted:I'm wondering... this Squier VM Jag bass I got has a bass boost circuit. Its not really active as far as I know. If the batter is out it doesn't work, Hold up just a second. You do have active electronics. Passive electronics don't ever require batteries, and passive controls cannot boost signals--they can only cut them. Well except for the Black Ice guitar mod, but that's witchcraft so it doesn't count. If you remove the battery and something quits working, shorting out the battery terminals won't make it work in passive mode, because there isn't one for the circuit in question. Now, back to your message.... JHVH-1 posted:... but I guess I could try connecting the battery terminals together to see if it completes the circuit. I was thinking having a real switch to bypass it would be decent, but not sure what the best way to put that in (an actual switch, a pull knob maybe but I kinda like the knobs on there). Not sure if its worth messing with cause I am happy with the thing otherwise. From what I read when you unplug the instrument the electronics aren't doing anything. It still has the battery that was in when the thing was sitting on the wall at the store at this point. I bought some rechargeables to have and use in guitar pedals etc. so not the end of the world. I don't use it gigging or anything but just curious since I never really owned any instrument with electronics in it active or otherwise. Most active electronics systems have a switch built into the output jack: if something's plugged in, it's on; if nothing is plugged in, it's off. So, always unplug these instruments when not in use. I recommend using alkaline batteries. They'll last longer than rechargeables and are more reliable and predictable. The batteries in these instruments should last for at least a few years unless you're a professional player who always has it plugged in and in use. Some active instruments can be used in passive mode. Sometimes there's a switch for this--I have a cheapo Rogue 8-string bass that has a volume knob you can pull out, and then it's in passive mode and will even work without a battery installed. But, the output will likely be lower, and some circuits won't work at all. For example, on my bass, in passive mode, I end up having a passive volume and tone control, and a pickup balance, but the bass and treble boost circuits no longer work.
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Dec 3, 2015 00:04
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Hmmmm. Well, I can't remember the last time I got an instruction manual for an instrument. Sometimes I get a little map of what the controls do because gently caress labeling things (Ibanez, I'm looking at you), but yeah, Fender mostly is good for giving you a really generic set of instructions for upkeep and that's it. They're very Gibson about instructions. I'm curious, though: does the bass work at all if there is no battery in it? I'm sure the bass boost won't work, but lots of things are passive and active these days. Personally, I leave the bass boost up to my fingers, my heavier string gauges, and my amp. Even on my active instruments, bass and treble response is usually flat. But that's just me. If the bass sounds OK without the battery, then you don't have to worry. You won't loose bass by not having it powered up (assuming it runs in passive mode). You just won't add any. Not at the instrument end, anyway. The main thing is, it's gotta be fun to play.
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Dec 3, 2015 02:15
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Captain Apollo posted:Actually, the 750 is for a brand new one. I have a "hookup." I'm pretty sure that if you're getting that price for a new one, you don't have to use quotation marks around the word «hookup».
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Dec 8, 2015 05:09
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 02:50 |
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Putting flats on your Geddy is legal. It's not against Bass Law. So feel free to do it. But, just remember, putting flats on your Geddy bass is a little like rebuilding a 64 1/2 Mustang to show off around the neighborhood and at local car shows, and then dropping in a bone-stock 2008 Ford Focus I-4 engine. Yes, you can do it. And technically, it'll be OK. But... come on. Seriously, though--tapewounds are what I have on my old SR505FL. This is a 20-year-old Soundgear, BTW, not one of the newer ones. Those tapewounds have been on there for years, and it's got a great fretless, almost acoustic, thump. I wouldn't put them on an instrument with such a strong and prominent upper-mid-range and high range sound, though, because they're wasted on such an instrument.
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Dec 14, 2015 00:54
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