mcnach

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1486542954' post='3232545'] IMO, and I've only got a Squire VM Jazz compared to a MIA P, the Jazz sounds great on it's own but in a rock band situation because it's a lot more scooped sound it doesn't cut through,the P has loads of grunt around 200Hz, which the Jazz just doesn't seem to have, unless I put the pick ups in series mode [/quote] You don't need to use both pickups full. And even if you do, you can play a lot with the pickup heights (both absolute, and relative to each other) to get a 'sweet spot' that is not entirely devoid of 'meat'. But that series mod is a really cool one, I'll give you that. I should do that to mine. I had it on my first Jazz bass and it was a really good sound. I've owned more Jazz basses than is reasonable, and the extent of that midscoop when both pickups are on is extremely variable. I used to think it was mostly the pickups, and the pickups indeed are a huge factor. But long ago I realised that you can alter dramatically the sound by bringing the pickups up or down, and also playing with the relative heights too. I may sacrifice slightly the neck pickup so it has a bit less volume but because it's fatter it really doesn't show, yet the mix is a lot clearer and sits better. But pickup balance is not the full story. Even with the same relative heights, bringing both pickups up or down changes a LOT the final sound. It seems kind of obvious when you spend a little time thinking about it... but it took me years to go at it in a systematic way, and I was very surprised with the results. It's well worth spending a morning experimenting. But don't do it in a hurry. Take measurements and notes, record clips, and then listen back. If you have a band recording without the bass (or a backing track, if you don't), even better... You may just discover your bass can sound a lot better than it already does.

[quote name='Sarlscharisma' timestamp='1486509160' post='3232442'] There's a lot of the JB being thin sounding. Anyone heard the Dead Kennedys live or other end of the spectrum Denny Lane in Wings. I don't buy the thin sound stuff. [/quote] But it doesn't need to sound thin. Just like it doesn't need to sound scooped and lost in the mix. However, it's true, we hear a lof of that kind of sound. Blegh. My current 'Jazz' (it doesn't look like a Jazz, but it *is* a Jazz in everything else) is certainly not thin nor ultra scooped, at least not the way I use it.

I think I'd feel a bit bad for the guy, but it has nothing to do with me so if the band asks me to join and I'm interested, I'd learn the songs ahead of time. Why not? As others said: someone else is going to get the spot, so why not me? However, the way the band is handling is not great. I can see how they want to minimise their down time, but they're really just expanding their 'suffering' time. If they have decided they bass player has to do, the sooner the better, be done with it, get a new person in and make sure you're ready for the new gigs with the new material. If you have to cancel a handful of gigs, well, tough. But I think that's how I'd approach it. I'd talk to the guy and just be frank about it, and ask him whether he'd be willing to play a few more gigs while the search for a new guy goes on. He may well say no, and you have to cancel some gigs. So be it. But he may say yes and then everything is easy. The way they're going about it now is stressful and inefficient and they should 'man up' a bit. It would have nothing to do with me, as the decision to fire the other guy is theirs entirely, so from that point of view I would not let it bother me (even if I do feel a bit sad for the guy, I'm just human). But I'd really want the band to make the situation clear and talk to the guy first. I would hate to do sneaky rehearsals with them. The bass player is likely to find out and I would not want to be in the middle of an ugly moment like that. It does say a bit about the temperament of the guys of the band. It's not great, but I wouldn't make a big deal out of it... although I would not forget it and always keep it in the back of my mind. I don't see it so much as a sign of them being deceitful in nature but just a bit... maybe immature and lazy. We've all seen that behaviour before, even been guilty of it at some point, where by trying to postpone a bad experience we just make life harder for an unnecessarily long period. If it's got to be done... do it, and then deal with the consequences. It's not life or death we're talking about here.

[quote name='Marty Forrer' timestamp='1486521804' post='3232477'] Barefaced. [/quote] Roqsolid actually

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1486487269' post='3232216'] Which tuners Dan, I`ve not had an issue with mine but like to spec up on these things before the event so to speak, as not tried mine in a band environment yet. [/quote] I've gigged mine a few months and I have no issue whatsoever with the tuners, quite frankly.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1486471197' post='3232045'] Routine pub gigs last weekend, both Sat & Sun happened to be in tiny pubs with very small playing areas, not very comfortable but thought I gave it my best shot. Funny moment, the playing area was so small on Sun I had to leave my interval shandy (half drunk) on a shelf in a public area couple of foot away from me as there was nowhere onstage to put it. Glanced over during 2nd song of second set to see some local old boiler finishing it off, obviously thought it had been left and was therefore up for grabs. Had a streaming cold so she might be equally under the weather by now, glass must have been well contaminated. [/quote] ugh... who does that? going around drinking other people's abandoned drinks...? well, my old singer in the RHCP tribute band did he was a character

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1486468766' post='3232017'] Muffled and distant does not sound right at all. Defo check that you have the right buds and no ear wax in them, which can mess with things. [/quote] Yes, that's why I haven't yet really 'reported' anything. I only tried it relatively quickly with one set of buds that 'looked' about right. I'll have to experiment to find the best fit. The UE900 came with a variety of buds, plus I have a bunch of others in various shapes too that are compatible, so when I have the chance I'll sit down and find the right ones for me. When I first tried the Xiaomi I was disappointed and I even set up an EQ preset on my phone (testing them with music I know well on my phone) so that they sounded ok. With a different set of buds no EQ curve was applied and sounded nice and clear. I guess I should try those very buds on the UE900. Soon...

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1486467466' post='3232001'] mcnach - interesting approach, I'm very interested to see what your results are like - especially with no cab sim on the end of that monitor feed. As an alternative... and I've talked about these in the thread before... but if you haven't considered, it may be worth while getting one or more of these if you start to get serious about your monitoring when you are utilising a third party front of house. One of these [url="https://www.studiospares.com/Microphones/Splitter-Combiners/Studiospares-RED800-Mic-Splitter_458950.htm"]https://www.studiosp...tter_458950.htm[/url] and say a cheaper digital mixer such as - XR12 (will give you 2 auxes and a l/r mix that can be used for monitoring) or a XR16 will give you 4 auxes and a l/r mix (that can also be used for monitoring) will enable you to plug your band into your monitoring rig and send a replication of whats on the XLRs to the front of house from the splitter. This will give every band member their own mix that is controllable from your android/iphone/pc A cheap 8 way snake from thomanns will plug your splitter into the foh box. If you need more than 8 channels on your monitoring, you can always double up your splitter and snakes... but obviously you are limited to the number of channels your digital mixer can take. [/quote] This whole IEM trip is like discovering a parallel universe: it's been there all along but only now I start to catch a glimpse... and it's very interesting. Thanks for the above. Bookmarked. I definitely need to think about that... it sounds promising but I need to sit down and digest the information (what connects where, and who gets what, and what else we need etc... There's at least three people in my band (out of 7-8) that have expressed some interest about IEM, and organising something that can easily be used by all is very atractive. The prices are not prohibitive either, so I could just buy the core equipment myself let the others connect to it while I remain the owner and in control (shared purchases are complicated).. Your input in all this is very very helpful. Thank you!

[quote name='Dan Dare' timestamp='1486466700' post='3231993'] You said it - "The guitarist wrote the music". It doesn't have to be an "orchestra or pit band" for there to be arrangements and it isn't "arrogant" for a writer of a piece of music to visualise the entire piece, rather than just a simple melody/top line and to want parts played in a certain way. Why, because it's "pop or rock", does that mean it has to be a free for all? Afraid you're being naïve. [/quote] Exactly

[quote name='Yank' timestamp='1486464563' post='3231966'] O.K. The guitarist wrote the music and the singer wrote the lyrics. They should stick to that.It's arrogant of them to tell the bass player what to play. If they don't like his style, fine, find someone else. This is pop or rock, not an orchestra or Broadway pit band. Bunch of w***ers. [/quote] It depends. It depends whether it's 'their' band, and they just want people to play their vision. Not all bands are a 'commune'. As long as that role is clear from the start, it's all good. Imagine you join an established band: you'd likely be playing what others wrote and you would probably be required to stick largely to the existing parts.

[quote name='Lightlyseared' timestamp='1486460804' post='3231892'] Thanks guys- that already sounds a lot like what I'd go for, depending on the radius. [/quote] Run away while you can. Once they catch you, you will not go away... you... can't... es...cape...

OK, catching up with all the messages now... It's a tough one as those two basses are going to sound very different. But you can certainly do something about it. Are you using mostly one pickup, or both together. If mostly one pickup, then skip to the next paragraph... if both together, I'd make a note of where you are right now regarding pickup heights and angles, and start mixing it up a bit. You can alter the sound quite a bit and find combinations that bring up much more mids than others, which can make the Jazz sit better than it does now. Alternatively... the easiest solution is throwing extra controls at it: J-Retro preamp. This one will work, and it's fully adjustable. It does change a bit the sound of the original bass as it does have an inherent 'colour' (which I like anyway, it's still a Jazz bass, don't worry) although I believe they also make a version that doesn't colour the sound (unless you twiddle knobs), so if you like this idea I'd contact John East and ask him. He's very approachable and helpful.

[quote name='radiophonic' timestamp='1486388416' post='3231302'] I can already boost the output using an LS-2 - collapsed across all frequencies, the levels [i]are [/i]matched (measure at the desk), but subjectively there's still something missing. [/quote] Is what's missing perhaps related to the different tone between the two basses? The Stingray typically has a lot more low midrange and sounds 'louder' and more prominent than a typical Jazz with both pickups on, mostly because there's a slight mid-scoop with the Jazz (and sometimes not so slight! it depends on the actual bass: pickups and pickup heights -which dictates balance-) If that's the issue then it's not so much making the bass louder but perhaps getting some more mids in there, taming the midscoop. You can try to address that by experimenting with pickup heights. At different heights you can alter the balance between the pickups, and you may find a sweet spot that gives you that extra amount of clarity, as opposed to a total mid-robbing spot that you can also get. It takes time, trial and error, and it's a fine balancing job between absolute heights and balance between bridge and neck pickups... but it's free and all you need is a screw driver and some time. You can address that throwing technology at it: John East J-Retro preamp. The level is adjustable, and it can be very powerful, so you will not have a quiet bass anymore unless you really try. You get a 2-band EQ, an active blend control so that you can get the right balance between pickups... and a mids module with frequency centre sweep. This allows you to boost some of the mids that you may find lacking... and because you can sweep-search by boosting mids and twiddling the frequency knob until you hit the spot, you know you'll get the exact frequency area unlike with standard 3-band preamps. So this can work and I've used that a lot... but it adds a bunch of extra controls (and cost) which you may or not want.

[quote name='radiophonic' timestamp='1486385827' post='3231269'] I have an ongoing battle to boost the sound of my Jazz bass to something like the same as my Stingray without sacrificing its Jazz-ness. Even if I match them for volume at the desk, the Jazz sounds subjectively quieter (not a surprise given the respective EQ curves). A lot of articles talk about the Supercharged Jazz tone obtained by using an on-board active pre-amp/pickups, but could I obtain something similar using a pedal. No modding of the bass required (good), easier to sell on if I change my mind (also good). The downside it would seem to me is that you can't recover lost information i.e. If a pickup hasn't detected a sound in the first place it can't be amplified. So my question is; Is there any inherent advantage (leaving aside practicalities) of an onboard pre-amp over a pedal? I'm thinking about something like the MXR or similar - just active tone shaping, no overdrive etc. [/quote] If what you're looking for is a higher signal level, not the ability to change EQ drastically from the bass itself, I would not bother with installing a typical preamp on the bass. Unless it's something like the preamp on the G&L L-series, which does not change the tone (apart from that one brightness switch which you could ignore). I don't have difficulty matching the output of my Stingray and my Jazz basses, so I wonder whether your Jazz has particularly weaker (not saying bad sounding! sometimes the most delicious pickups are low output) pickups. If you love the sound you have right now, I'd just get an external pedal. There's lots of pedals that can do a clean boost, some with added tone controls, and of course most graphic EQ pedals can be used for that purpose too. If you're already using some pedals this is a simple option, and even a £15 Behringer PB100 will work (although it's got a little hiss, so I'd personally just get a Boss EQ pedal as it can be used for other things too). If you're just going to use this one pedal, and it forces you to carry its power supply, extra cables, etc etc... then maybe looking at other pickups it's an option. If you don't necessarily need to keep the existing pickups, there are lots out there that can match a Stingray (which does not have a particularly hot output, by the way). I know the Area J pickups work. The Fender Custom Shop 60s would be my first choice 'though. They are lovely sounding, good honest J-bass sound, and my 75RI was not quieter than the Stingray for sure. But I wonder if it's a matter of changing the pickup height. Have you tried raising the pickups to get closer to the strings? It will change the sound, which you may like or not, but it's easy, fast, and reversible. I'd try that first if you haven't yet. A couple millimetres can make a big difference.

great basses, and the black one looks particularly nice It's irrational but I still sometimes want a black one. I had a hard time deciding when I got mine. I thought they only made it in cream and that's what I was going for... and I saw the black one . I stuck to my original plan but as I ended up transforming the cream one, maybe I still have room for a black one, sometime My "Transmodel" Matt Freeman:

[quote name='Lightlyseared' timestamp='1486423034' post='3231741'] What is the standard neck shape like on a Jake? [/quote] whatever you wish, just supply your own specs. If you mean the stock ones on their website, the nut width is indicated and is variable but it tends to be about 40-41mm. Between a standard Jazz and a Precision (if there's such thing as they vary a lot). Depth at 1st fret probably about 21mm. So it's a slim-ish neck, but not as much as a Jazz. If you're willing to wait 10 weeks, just order you own if you know what you're after.

[quote name='casapete' timestamp='1486128615' post='3229440'] But looking at it from the soundguy's point of view - he [i]knows [/i]that his ( maybe battered ) old AR-133 works properly, and thus is one less thing to consider in the set-up. Also I've done countless gigs where the backline of some bands is not that good a quality / well maintained etc, despite maybe looking reasonable enough. He's just saving time getting the job done, can't blame him? [/quote] I understand that. But it's the way some dismiss your own equipment that I find slightly irritating as it borders on condescending. Most, however, seem to approach and say "you've got DI there, cool, plug this in" or tell me "I'd rather use my box, is that ok?", and I have no problem. I have to admit that from my experience of what many band members are like, if I were a sound person, I'd probably want to stick to my own equipment.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1486043150' post='3228729'] Every time I offer up my own DI box or amp with a DI out, the sound guy snorts, rolls his eyes, gives me a withering look and connects the box he brought with him. [/quote] I knew that guy. It gave me enormous pleasure that the second time he did sound for us, his DI box did not work and ended up using the DI from my MarkBass LMIII. He's used that ever since

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1485951415' post='3227923'] Just to play devils advocate. I've owned the Vintage, the b7k and the b3k twice. Couldn't get along with any of them to be honest, but I was sure I must be missing something since they seemed so highly praised which is why I kept going back. It's been commented by fan bois that folks who don't "get it" mustn't be using them correctly... Alas they just weren't for me. I like the way Doug at darkglass thinks, his support seems excellent and I wish him every success, but they are not all things to all people. I've continually returned to the Ashdown Lomenzo Hyperdrive pedal for my distortion needs, but again it might not work for you. This and my modified DIY BJFE Blueberry clone make a glorious noise when combined. [/quote] I've had exactly the same experience (but only owned the Vintage and the B3K once each ). I liked some of the sounds on their own but with the band it wasn't great, and found the James Lomenzo pedal was more my thing, shame it's so bulky. Not saying the Darkglass pedals weren't good, just that they're not for everyone and not everyone loves them (I do like the company and their attitude), and wanted to add a +1 for the Lomenzo pedal as in one to definitely consider.

[quote name='NickD' timestamp='1486337272' post='3231030'] It looks beautiful in that light. That neck tint should age wonderfully... just need to play it loads and get some dirt ground into it! [/quote] It actually looks prettier 'in person' Really glad I ordered it (despite not explaining the aesthetics properly), it's got a fantastic Jazz bass tone in a package more comfortable than any Jazz I ever played.

[quote name='dieseldalziel' timestamp='1486313932' post='3230813'] It appears the word Keeper applies to this bass AND your gf! [/quote] her, definitely and I met her through playing bass, which is amazing she was a fan of the band and came to see us often, then she told me she plays bass too and wanted to know how I was playing one of our songs... oh! wait! I just realised her plan is to actually substitute me in the band!!!!

[quote name='andytoad' timestamp='1486310687' post='3230779'] So good IEM's a must, if you were to go wired, what would be a good (balancing off cost and acceptable quality) set up? [/quote] I am not an expert, as I am testing the water myself, so don't take my word as "this is what you need" but rather the approach I'm taking, in case it gives you ideas. I paln to go wired to start with. The heart of it all is a small Behringer UB1002 mixer I had for ages. It was about 40-50 quid when I bought it new. That's on an old pedalboard case I don't use anymore. The output goes into a Behringer P1 personal headphone amplifier attached to my persona. That's purely so that I can control volume directly on me, plus it has a built-in limiter, and then the earphone cable is not trailing to the mixer but neatly tucked under my shirt so it won't get in the way: small cables are problematic, bigger thicker ones not so much. As earphones I'll be using the UE900 because I hear great reviews about them, but I'd try the Xiaomi if I didn't have those as they do sound pretty decent even if they don't seem as robust when it comes to bass. The bass gets into the mixer via an OmniCabSim pedal, purely because it simulates a cab and you get a more pleasant sound with it. I'd use the "Thru" to get into my amp, but the output into the mixer. You could plug in directly to the mixer or via DI or whatever else. That's not complicated. Now, the tricky part is getting the band sound into the mixer. I have three options. One, I get a line out directly from the desk (or from a monitor, if we have active wedges, which in some places we do). Two, if a line out is not available, I can try to capture the feed to a monitor. For that I got an Art X-Direct (around £20-25) DI box. It can take a speaker level signal (I'll need a speakon to jack adaptor) into the box, pass the 'thru' signal into the monitor (using another jack to speakon adaptor), and take the output of the box to the mixer. The quality of the sound is still to be checked. It may be a little harsh. The mixer has basic 3-band EQ that can help make it ok. Using some kind of speaker cab simulation might be good. I considered the Palmer PDI09 DI box as it does a good cab simulation, but it was around £80 compared to £20 so I figured I'd give it a try and having a DI box in the bag is never a bad idea anyway. Three... I have a Zoom H2 recorder. It's pretty decent, and you can prime it to record and just use its microphones to capture ambience. Not ideal, but if you're really stuck, it'll give you something that will not be worse than the kind of mush you can get in a terribly loud stage when things go crazy (as they do sometimes, and which prompted me to take action as I want to hear what's going on and not hurt my ears). It can be good to have that in addition to the line out mix from the desk (or monitor). So I'd actually combine 1+3 or 2+3. But I haven't yet tried it... I need to get a couple more cables and fit it all into my board for easy transport and connection. That's just my approach. Of course if you have other ideas I'd be glad to hear

[quote name='colleya' timestamp='1486311234' post='3230787'] I think there probably will be a period of adjustment, like when I first got a proper HD telly. Took me about three weeks to get used to how good the picture was, it looked very weird for a while. [/quote] possibly, and they do take a few hours to 'burn in'... but it was the drums that sounded worse to me... just lacking a bit of punch compared to what I was expecting. A bit 'muffled' and distant in a way. I need to try them properly, and also make sure the buds I choose are the correct fit as that makes a huge difference.

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1486283373' post='3230480'] Bloody hell Jose. That's a cracker. Good work! [/quote] It's a bit of a love/hate thing and I only have myself to blame. I meant for the neck to be the yellowish kind of tint. It looks darker than in the picture. For m previous bass I had a chat about the tint and ended up specifying 'yellowish vintage tint' while here I just said vintage tint... and I got the darker orange type. Then the body... I went for a Prince purple sort of vibe (the whole colour pattern of this bass was based on Prince)... and it looks darker an redder in person. It's beautiful but not what I wanted. So on the one hand I'm looking at it alternating between "very nice" and "but... it's not what I wanted, even if it is what I asked for". That's where I get some mixed feelings. But when I play it... it's such a sweet bass to play! It feels amazing and sounds better. It's surpassed my expectations in that respect. My gf loved the idea of the original colour scheme and she started saying she'll make it happen. Without my knowledge she's photographed the documents that came with the bass to get in touch with Maruszczyk and make sure she gets the same but in different colours. Fortunately she told me about it so we've had a chat and I disuaded her. It's a lovely idea and I love that she even thought of that... but I don't need another bass and this bass is fantastic and I don't want to get rid off it. Imagine I get the new one and it doesn't feel as nice, and I have to decide between the looks or the one I really like playing? Nah... I had my chance, and I got this. It looks a bit like old maroon kind of furniture but if I get blue lights shining on it it looks great The neck bothers me the most... I really like the paler yellowish version... But oddly I think I'll end up loving it more because of the 'failed' looks, as I always had a bit of a soft spot for the underdog, for the slightly cosmetlically compromised... and whenever I take this bass I just struggle to put it down. It's the Jazz bass I always wanted: pure amazing Jazz bass tone in a smaller more comfortable light weight body with the perfect neck dimensions and the smooth lacquered feel... I have a U-Retro preamp that I thought I might want to put here but it's perfect as it is. I love it. So if the colour is not perfect, tough. I'm sure if the bass could talk it would rather be played by someone better than me

[quote name='colleya' timestamp='1486308497' post='3230746'] I've been using the M6 pro for a while and I agree about the fit. I've just ordered the UE900 so hopefully I'll be able to report back with a bit of a comparison. [/quote] I got the UE900 this past week. I haven't yet tried them in anger. They seem very well made, and listening to music through them wasn't a great experience (the £35 dual driver Xiaomi Pro HD are nicer), but I suspect they'll be good for monitoring, which is what they're designed for, I suppose. Playing bass through my OmniCabSim and the UE900 it sounded very clear and the earphones seem to cope with low frequencies much better than the Xiaomi... then the Xiaomi sounded a lot more pleasant. With the Xiaomi a Precision bass sounded nice and funky, with the UE900 it sounded like I'd have no trouble picking it up in a mix, and I'd hear every little scrape and every little extraneous noise I make, removing the illusion that I play better than I actually do. can't wait to try them properly