mcnach

My band has decided to have a bit of a busk this summer, and for that we're going acoustic... except the bass. Three acoustic guitars, singing, a trumpet (that's going to be loud!) and a drummer who will bring things to hit, maybe just a cajon and a tambourine. Now, bass... I'll need amplification, so I am looking for something that will do the job, cheapest and lightest wins. I am tempted by the Crate Taxi. Friends of mine had the TX15 and it was not extremely loud, but with acoustic guitars etc I think it'll be just fine if I cut lows a bit and use a midrangey sound (which is what I normally prefer, with my Stingray), and it's small, light enough and reasonably cheap. They used to make a 30W version, but not anymore. I wish I could have deep lows, but I am realistic... Does anybody else know of other alternatives? I do have a small, light and powerful Markbass combo, but I imagine getting a suitable battery/converter for it to work for longer than 30 minutes will result in probably about the same expense as the Crate, and a lot heavier overall... although I could probably just get a trolley for it too. Any ideas?

I got "The Email" today! My Compact is nearly done and it's time to pay the balance A lot sooner than I expected.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1373060742' post='2133442'] I face 'generic zero-definition bass tone' syndrome quite often. I try not to stress about it these days, 'cos if the engineer wants to mix the band from the drums up there's nowt you can do about it. I generally insist on a mic or post-DI which I think helps. Every now and then we get someone who knows what mids are, and what flatwounds should sound like. I cherish those moments. [/quote] I was at Kelburn Festival this weekend (where I got to play with two bands ) and I saw quite a variety of bands. Some bands were awesome, and had really good bass players who played great basslines. At least I think so, because all too often they were an indistinguishable rumble and I had to use my imagination to fill in the gaps. Often, the "bass" actually came from the bass drum and you could just about get a hint of pitch definition if you focused hard enough. Grrrr. It nearly drove me mad with a couple of bands that clearly would sound amazing if the basslines were audible. Why why why why? Why?

[quote name='bridge' timestamp='1373028011' post='2132937'] Guys, The band I play in, are forever wanting to change/add to the setlist.(every 2-3 gigs). Just got me thinking, how often does your band change its setlist?? [/quote] all the time! and tend to change order of the songs according to what we think will work best at any given moment.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1373010493' post='2132660'] Over the last few years I've come to the conclusion that at the level the majority of us play at on here most of the time it really doesn't matter what you sound like out front for the average audience member. The important things are that the overall volume level of the band is not too loud (or too quiet) and that the vocals can be heard. Everything after that is just icing in the cake. Its far better to put on a show and to be entertaining because that's what the audience can relate to, and what will bring the compliments and merchandise sales after the gig. Unfortunately having a great bass sound (or not) will make little difference. If you are really serious about having exactly the sound that your band wants FoH (and remember it's the whole band sound that is important not the individual instruments) then get your own sound engineer who is knows what they are doing and can prove it to the house engineer in seconds. Also stop playing multi-band gigs with sub 30 minute change over times. Sometimes though it easier to have a moan then to actually do anything about it. [/quote] amen!

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1372709749' post='2129030'] Beautiful. [/quote] thank you! oh, you're still talking about the bass?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1372349553' post='2124714'] Intonation adjustment doesn't matter on a fretless bass (apart from the convenience of having all the positions in the same place on each string) because you can adjust each note to be in tune by moving your finger(s). On a fretted instrument the intonation adjustment is there to compensate for the fact that you are also stretching the string slightly every time you fret it. [/quote] Indeed. How much a string stretches also is a function of how thick they are (and material/construction, so different strings even of the same gauge *may* throw the intonation off slightly). A lot of people won't even notice, unless it's really badly adjusted, as they don't venture much beyond the first 5-7 frets.

[quote name='megallica' timestamp='1372227824' post='2123017'] I don't like the asymmetrical (yes I had to look the word up) headstock and the scratch plate looks a bit naff but I would still own one of these. I would have to remove that pickguard [/quote] yes, why did they put a pickguard? Just route it nicely and show the body as it is.

5-string now!!!!

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1372109558' post='2121853'] There's one in Gorgie, by McDonalds... [/quote] It looks like it's the only one in Edinburgh! I'll raid it at the weekend...

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1372103753' post='2121724'] Being a foreign national, you are EXPECTED to know! Doesn't matter that you aren't German, Polish or Austrian, you're a bloody foreigner, and it's your job to know where to get the bloody foreigner food [/quote] I know where Waitrose is, they have quite a lot of delicious foreign food... and no potato bread

I think it's the universe telling you something

I still see your preEB headstock. On my laptop.

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1372100410' post='2121630'] I'd definitely volunteer to help, Caesar Augustus is my current favourite tipple £1.39 a bottle in Aldi by the way (along with lots of other Williams Bros beers). [/quote] oooh, good taste and good tip! Where is an Aldi now? I will find out! Williams make some very yummy beverages, but Cesar Augustus is my current favourite too. The right amount of hoppiness, and refreshing. Before that it was Brewdog's 5AM Saint... We must catch up, after you return and before I go away there's about a week... Holyrood 9A have tons of very tasty beers on tap. Plan? Probably best to move to PM before others get jealous

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1372095660' post='2121553'] I know I never thought I would sell it, the [u][b]only[/b][/u] thing wrong with it was the lack of B string [/quote] Can't let go of the avatar, eh?

[quote name='donkelley' timestamp='1372089004' post='2121416'] Hey pal! It's Don (dkelley) from talkbass.... good to see you following up with this color change thing. I believe I embraced the "wine vomit purple" title when I got my fretless 5 in that color. LOVE the color, personally. Will be very interesting to see the outcome though if you do paint it. I've only ever painted one instrument in my life and it was a tragic failure when I was a teenager... partly due to a poor choice of paint color and texture. So I don't think I have the guts to do it to an instrument I truly like and that has some actual monetary value (albeit not a ton of $$$). I really need to open mine up and check the wiring - being fretless I think series switching capability would be really cool - maybe in a push pull. I also wish I could throw a piezo strip under the saddles but of course it doesn't work that way (need one for each and they need to be carefully placed and installed and probably would sound bad and/or break easily if I did it myself). Just saying though - I still love my bass. mine still has the original pickguard out of difficulty in finding a replacement that fits 5 string usa subs. [/quote] Hey how are you doing? I had a black SUB5, and I ended up ordering a pickguard from Pickguard Heaven. It took 3-4 weeks, but it was perfect. As they are based on your side of the Atlantic maybe it would be a bit faster (and cheaper) for you, if you wanted to change it. I can imagine the fretless with the pickup in series could be mighty! I really think the 2EQ works best on a series-wired pickup. The colour... it is growing on me, I have to admit. The thing is I only really bought it because I wanted a red one (call me vain ), as I already had a great SUB (white, wired in series)... so... agh, I don't know! What a problem to have, eh? REgarding painting and possible disasters... I am not very experienced either, but in my little experience I think that the right paint and the right nozzle when spraying can make a huge difference. The ones I used for respraying my fretless Jazz came from "Manchester Guitar Tech", nitro paint. Those cans produce an extremely fine mist, and after a couple of tries on a bit of wood, I decided what seemed to be the right distance at which I could spray... then I applied the paint in very very thin coats. The paint dried very quickly, and I only waited 20min between coats. I could have probably done it faster, but that's how I did it. That bass was shoreline gold, and I simply cleaned up the body well and started spraying: first a white nitro primer, then the orange paint. It worked out pretty well, except a couple of tiny runs from when I became a little too overconfident at how well it was all turning out The final result was a little rough, but less so than the finish on a SUB. I liked it, and I did not bother polishing it. That's what made me think "hey, let's paint a SUB red!" I am not sure how well the paint will adhere to the finish on the SUB, but from my tests, I think it will bite well enough. I'm not sure how much of a difference it will make the fact that the SUB's surface is so rough to start with... but I am confident the result will be good. At least with these cans I mentioned. I think the trick is spraying very thin coats, and not too close to the bass. The nozzle on these cans allows you to produce a very fine mist that's just perfect. If I could do it, with no experience, anybody could! I'm keeping it as it is for now, 'though. I have too much stuff going on at the moment, and just moved a couple of weeks ago... no space for spraying yet. But I think it'll end up orange or red before the end of the year I ordered a clear pickguard, as I really like it being a single colour, but miss a bit the extra 3mm the pickguard gives you when slapping. It arrived today... but unfortunately it's strongly tinted blue. At least I think it's the plate itself, but it could be the protective sheets making it look that way. I just wrote to the seller to make sure I got sent the right one, before I start ripping the protective sheets off. edit: aha, it was just the blue protective film. Colourless pickguard. Looks good and feels good

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1372076952' post='2121216'] I'm not keen on the vomit to be honest and mcnach knows he will paint it anyway! [/quote] all it would take is an idle evening and a bottle of Caesar Augustus in the fridge

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1372068444' post='2121122'] The debate on series or parallels as stock. When you are buying used who is to say the wiring wasnt changed during its life? I know I changed mine when I had one and sold it on in parallel. Had a go on a compete respray one, including neck refinish, and contours had been sanded too, a lot lighter and played awesome. [/quote] It's hard to rewire the pickup and make it look exactly like stock, with the way the cables are wrapped, and the soldering blobs would almost always give them away as a resoldering job. Besides, a good number of reports come from people who bought the bass new.

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1372061415' post='2121020'] Sssshhhh. Buying a new bass will make me sound like Bernard, not 1000s of hours of practice! Don't ruin this!! [/quote] Buying a new bass could make those the first 1000 hours of practice a bit more interesting... perhaps. (does that help? )

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1372004772' post='2120550'] I give you the new addition to the EBMM collection! Pre EB gone to the top bloke that is Old Horse Murphy as he wanted a Classic4 because of his duff hand and I wanted a Classic5 because of my duff wrist, bit of a meeting in a carpark bit of ooohing and looking at basses some folding cash (rude to tell to who or how much) and there you have it, everyones a winner.....until I want my pre EB back obviously [url="http://s997.photobucket.com/user/stingraypete/media/20130623_172731_zps46dbb2fd.jpg.html"][/url] Leaves the wall looking like this [url="http://s997.photobucket.com/user/stingraypete/media/20130623_171159_zpsda369c66.jpg.html"][/url] The blue SR5 might go if I fall in love with the Classic and I can then be a bit more adventurous, still like the look of them Jabba5 classics or maybe something totally different but 5 string for sure? [/quote] Not a fan of sunbursts but... that one looks tasty. I love the tinted maple fingerboard... I still cannot believe you sold your preEB! What's the world coming to!!!???

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1372053653' post='2120961'] I've found air guitar is the only way of sounding like Edwards! [/quote]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1372024848' post='2120855'] This seems a sensible thread to ask this... I've been desperately trying to sound like Bernard Edwards recently---whats the best "stingray on a budget"? [/quote] do you really need to ask? SUB!!! (but you may still sound like you more than Bernard Edwards... ah, I wish it were that easy! )

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1371985267' post='2120278'] I like that colour! Maybe with a white pickguard? Although a capri orange Stingray would be very cool too. [/quote] I have a white pickguard too... it does look nice with it too, I have to say I was toying with the idea of bringing it tonight to Sneaky Pete's... but being the first gig and not 100% at ease with all the songs I might just take my trusty Stingray for comfort. Purely psychological, maybe it's the maple fingerboard on the Stingray that makes me feel more at home... there really isn't much between the two basses, only that the Stingray has now an extra mid-sweep module (John East 3-band preamp).

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1371977492' post='2120159'] Fabulous - bet it sounds killer. I wouldn't repaint it - for one it looks great as it is and secondly I think I remember reading that colour is quite rare as they only introduced it towards the end of the run of subs. But it's your bass, your call! Subs are all supposed to be wired parallel according to EBMM but I always wondered if the 5 string version would use a basic version of the SR5 pick up - which would be wired series - it certainly doesn't seem to make sense to wire special pick ups for the sub when they were a budget instrument made at low cost. All that said Subs are notorious for having had after market mods done to them. Fiesta red looks good if you're going for a refin. [/quote] Not very interested in the "rare colour"... it's unlikely these basses will become very valuable (note to self: check this thread in 30 years and kick yourself ), but it's growing on me. You see the problem I would have? I still want a red Stingray. I'd end up buying another one to spray it red! (probably a white one and ignore the primer coat ) Just talking. I really don't want so many basses. Chances are I will keep it like this for a bit, and one day paint it. The wiring on the SUBs is confusing! I have only checked one SUB5, one that I owned. It was parallel. It was a 2004 and like you say, it does not make sense since the SR5 at the time was wired in series! The pickup was original and not modified in anyway. Now, the 4 string SUBs, they are a bit more common, so I have a bit more information about those. The first time I heard about the pickup being wired in series, stock, was when Ou7shined mentioned it and then posted pictures. He had seen other SUBs, also wired in series and assumed they all were. That's when I appeared with the SUB5 and said "but look at this, this one is parallel". At that time I assumed the SUB5 was wired in parallel and the 4 string version in series. Interestingly, that would make the SUB5 -at the time- a truer Stingray than the SR5 which had a ceramic pickup at the time, I believe, while the SUBs were all alnico. I have a 2003 SUB, and that one was wired in series, stock. I have had the opportunity of seeing others. Also series, also early ones (2003-2004). My new one is a late one (probably 2006), and is parallel. Did they start out wiring them in series and then switched to parallel at some point? Did they just use whatever they happened to have nearby at the time of assembly? I have not yet heard an "official" account that fits with all the observations, but someone *must* know. I really like the pickup wired in series in a 2EQ bass, it adds extra midrange punch and makes the 2EQ more useful, in my opinion.

[quote name='apa' timestamp='1371974279' post='2120121'] If you don't want the existing paint then can I have it? Its exactly what my next one is going to be painted. Just pop it in a jiffy . A [/quote] I'd paint on top of it, but if I strip it, you *will* get it