mcnach

Maybe we should all start sending individual emails to Mr. Hall asking for clarification as to what he finds acceptable or not (not mentioning basschat, but just as a "I have this bass and was thinking about selling it on eBay but I heard that it may be a problem because... etc etc"). Take up their time.

[quote name='FretNoMore' timestamp='1369908973' post='2094230'] I do have a few pedals I'm trying out at the moment, the jury is very much out on which I will keep. Among them is the Darkglass Vintage, and it's not completely unlike the MXR really. It's hard to describe sound but the VMT, to me, has a more open sound and a slightly finer grained breakup, if you know what I mean. It sounds "nicer" than the MXR which is darker and a little harsher. Which can be good or bad depending on what you're looking for. Both of them boost the midrange a bit, changing the tone of the sound, the MXR perhaps at a lower frequency range. Of the two I prefer the Darkglass pedal that can also go from clean to quite a lot of overdrive. This isn't easy though - I don't always hear the same as I hear in online reviews when trying a pedal myself. [/quote] I know! I have bought enough pedals based on reviews and found them completely unlike what the reviews led me to think they would sound like. I guess you can only get so much information second hand, you still need to try stuff with your own basses etc and see what works.

[quote name='FretNoMore' timestamp='1369857073' post='2093668'] Just got it but don't like it much unfortunately ... of course it depends on what you're going for, but as I'm looking for a bare minimum of breakup and little change in tone this is not for me. This pedal is not clean with "Clean" on max and "Drive" on minimum. MXR mentions that the clean signal has a preset EQ, but they don't say it's also distorted even at the minimum setting, so not actually clean, and it's too much for the subtle breakup I want. It's also not quite transparent; to me it sounds a bit muffled - not to be confused with "warm" or "dark" in my opinion. I think this pedal will work great if you're looking for medium drive or more, but don't buy it if you want barely audible dirt and a transparent tone. [/quote] I am curious about the MXR too, but I am glad that I decided to try the Darkglass Vintage first. From what you say above, I think you would probably like it. I got mine looking for a substantial overdrive sound, which the Darkglass can do very well (without getting crazy like the B3K can), but what it does really nicely is that fat cleanish/nearly clean type of overdrive. So much so, that I think it's going to become my default "very low overdrive" pedal, the kind you're sometimes likely to leave permanently on. My only "niggle" is that it seems to be a little dark. I wish it had a tone control of some sort. It was ok with my Stingray (active with a semiparametric mid control) as it allows me to tweak the sound a lot, but on the Jazz it was always a bit darker than I wish. Although that particular Jazz is darker than most too, so that could be a factor. I only really played with it a bit in the house, and then during a 2h rehearsal... but I was using a battered horrible Peavey combo which made all my overdrives sound teh same. I normally bring my RH450 head and plug that into a 410 Ampeg cab they have at the rehearsal place, but the other day it had been substituted by that combo. I was annoyed as I brought 4 pedals so I could try them side by side and compare... but that combo was both horrible and sounding nothing like my normal rig does... The four pedals were two cheap Joyo overdrives (the Vintage Overdrive, which is lovely but takes away too much bottom end... so it's a guitar only pedal for me, really, and the Ultimate Overdrive which is mighty), a TC Electronic Mojo Mojo (which is more like a strange distortion, almost fuzz) and the Darkglass Vintage. Through that combo, those very different pedals sounding too much alike... grrr. Next week! I still need to play with the Darkglass a bit more to really understand what it can do. The "Era" knob seems way too subtle... but then with that combo everything was a subtly different shade of brown, sh*t-brown.

Hmmm... my RH450 is an early one (May 2009), but no cracks yet. I hope it stays that way, I imagine if it was going to happen it would have happened already. Good to know that it should not be too hard to find replacements even if I had to pay. My first RH450 went "puff" in a cloud of white smoke when I switched it on on the 5-6th time I used it. That was a Saturday night. I wrote to them on Sunday. On Monday they got back to me, they had checked and my local dealer (Guitar Guitar) did not have any in stock, so they sent one for me, and on Wednesday they called me to let me know a new unit was waiting for me at my local Guitar Guitar shop. I just had to walk in with the old one and walk out with the new one. That was great service.

I attempted a part-exchange deal with Bromberg, his Thumpinator against my T-Rex Jr power supply and a Boss OC-2. Unfortunately the Thumpinator never arrived. However, I have nothing but praise for this gentleman. Really nice guy. He was very pleasant and easy to deal with, with good communication (except for a bit where he did not realise the PMs go into a new page so he missed my messages for a couple of days... and I have done the same in the past! I wish the PM threads went to the first unread message by default rather than the first message ) ... and in the end he offered and sent me a refund, before I even asked. I still hope it eventually turns up either at my end or yours, Graham!

Tried the Microtubes Vintage last night... and it's very very promising! It's probably the best "just a touch of overdrive, nearly clean" type of pedal I have tried. It's perhaps a little "dark", but I have not had time yet to fully experiment with it. I like it a lot, that's for sure, 'though.

[quote name='Dandelion' timestamp='1369521405' post='2090185'] But I have a MIM Jazz bass, It is a very nice bass with a lovely polite harmonic tone, even when played acoustically. It can also do clank on demand. But I want the distinctive stingray tone, How do I go about this? Will an ATK300 fit the bill? How about a Sterling sub? Would either of these fit the bill? My next move would probably have to be a trade, because I have no spare cash at the moment. But before I put my beloved Jazz up for trade, what could I realistlcally hope to achieve bass wise in my pursuit of stingrayness. Would an ATK300 / 400 or a SUB be a fair trade for a MIM Jazz bass? Or would I be wasting my time? It is not my intention to get a trade on the strength of this post, but I am after an assessment of whether I am on the right track or not? Alternatively, Are there any jazz bass pick ups which would approximate a Stingray? All advice gratefully recieved. [/quote] Look for a used EBMM SUB (the old US made, 2003-2006 one, with the black neck and headstock and textured paint), and don't look back. It has nothing to envy the "real" Stingray except maybe looks. One was just sold on the forum for £300 and you will not find a better bass for that kind of price.

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1369476382' post='2089594'] Ah, fair enough I may have ordered a vintage following that post anyway... [/quote] It's funny how it happens, eh? you click on the wrong button my mistake, brush certain keys, and before you blinked twice... you have ordered one! It's exactly what happened to me!

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1369436710' post='2089399'] Can I be the second to know? A Vintage is really tempting me! [/quote] I was talking about my OKKO Basstard pedal. PauBass had already expressed an interest in it months ago.

[quote name='PauBass' timestamp='1369407835' post='2088932'] Fixed that for you Jose Let us know how you get on with the Vintage, I might get me one to go with my B7K [/quote] still after one of those Basstards? Depending on how things pan out with the Darkglass and whether the RATM band dies or not (it's been dying slowly over the past few months), I might be persuaded to let it go... you'll be the first to know The Darkglass Vintage should be with me tomorrow, or Monday if I miss the delivery. I have a gig on Thursday that I could use it for... so I should be having fun with it soon... I'll report back.

... and it's shipping today! Can't wait!

I could not resist it... so I just ordered one too. I had the B3K for a while, but although it could sound fantastic it was not the type of sound I wanted for the bands I play in. The Vintage looks like it could be "the one" 'though. A bit expensive, but then I could easily spend that money buying 3 other pedals that don't quite sound the way I want so... I just had to go for it. At the moment I am using a range of distortion/overdrives, and I hope the Vintage will help me rationalise my "collection": OKKO Basstard, which is great for fat heavily distorted sounds. I would probably keep this regardless. I use this in the RATM and RHCP bands. Soundblox2 Bass Multiwave distortion... for it's "synth-like" quality, which works well in the funk band. those two will probably stay. It's the following that might be replaced: Joyo Ultimate Drive. It sounds great, but it's a fine balancing act to get it just right as a tiny change in the gain results in a large change in volume... it's a bit annoying live. I like the dirty heavy overdrive from this, and the mild overdrive too... but it's too hard to switch between the two and too sensitive to which bass I am using. I used this in the RATM band mostly. Joyo Vintage Overdrive. This substituted the Ultimate Drive, mostly. Much more controllable and beautiful sounding... it loses a bit of bottom end, unfortunately, otherwise it'd be a real winner. This I use a lot now for the RATM band. It's good at low and mid gain overdrives. TC Electronic Mojo Mojo. Curious pedal this. No problem with bottom end. It does a really nice low gain sound and can do decent mid-high gain too. I use it in the funk band (low gain) and sometimes on the RATM band. From the clips it sounds like the Darkglass can probably give me very similar sounds to teh Joyo Vintage Overdrive, but preserving the bottom end, and more. It's too expensive for me to buy 2 of them to have one on in each pedalboard, but if it sounds THAT good, I won't mind shuttling it between boards.

[quote name='Hamster' timestamp='1369213528' post='2086253'] It may be much easier to make Basschat a totally 'Rickenbacker Free Zone' so the admins don't get any more bullish emails and live under constant threat of legal action. [/quote] Not a bad idea!

[quote name='Green Alsatian' timestamp='1369163845' post='2085734'] If I were the owner of Basschat, I would ban all discussion of Rickenbacker products and inform John Hall of this decision. Or have Basschat sponsored by Music Store Professional and tell John Hall to suck it. [/quote] +1 announce it clearly at the top of BC: Rickenbacker free zone. Full ban on anything Ric.

[quote name='AndyBob09' timestamp='1369299899' post='2087376'] Daft Punk - Get Lucky. I've not stopped since I first heard it. The whole album is great. [/quote] Indeed! Get Lucky... I have spent hours playing along to that one, not exacly the same bassline, but something similar, and varying... it's addictive!

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1369239818' post='2086780'] My first "proper" rig was a TX410 paired with a black widow 15. I replaced that stack with a single eden 2x10 without any loss in volume/depth, this was later replaced by an epi 3x10, which in turn was replaced by a compact/midget stack. A single compact will easily match the tx for volume/depth IMO. [/quote] thank you for making the wait appear much longer now

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1369140343' post='2085279'] Describe how to do it properly. You turn up, punters are standing in the rain waiting... Then what ? [/quote] Then... bye bye and it's the promoter's problem for not providing a suitable installation. If it happens to you in Madrid in August... perhaps you just had bad luck. If you organise an outdoor event in Britain, anytime of the year, you have to think about the possibility of rain, come on!

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1369133454' post='2085140'] I don’t do wet!! If I turned up for a gig and there was inadequate protection from rain I wouldn't play. [/quote] I'd be inclined to do the same. If the stage does not offer suitable protection from the rain, I would not do it. I'm not going to risk my gear. A wireless is great too, for extra safety. In fact it was one of the reasons I bought one, after seeing the wiring in some bars I played

[quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1369142093' post='2085331'] Haha, it will so long as you play it better than I managed on the recording! That was about 5 days in after loading a van up with gear in Devon, driving to Edinburgh, setting up the recording 'studio' in the cottage and then playing for hours and hours each day. Brain frazzled, fingers destroyed - my timing in the little break bits is about as atrocious as it could possibly be despite simplifying the line...I cringed a bit when I listened back when setting up for mixing shame because I think it's a nice line overall [/quote] as always, it sounds worst to the person who played it There are some great ideas there, it's my favourite track! When I listen to our SBK album, I often cringe too. We recorded drums, rhythm guitar and bass in two days, and not even full days... all hurried and not the best state of mind (or body, it was FREEEEZING in that disused church where we were recording)... I guess most people don't notice, but I hear every single timing error.

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1368939334' post='2083185'] Would I be right in thinking that if I found where the sweetspot is in relation to the nodes or abtinodes and then found the corresponding one on a smaller or larger scale. That would be the equivalent? [/quote] the nodes will change as you fret different strings. This is very easily demonstrated by the pinch harmonic technique any decent old school metal guitarist will be only too happy to demonstrate until your ears bleed Although perhaps the nodes don't move all that much from any particular spot, since the bridge is not so far from the pickups... Hmmm, so maybe there is something to the node positions. When doing pinch harmonics you need to vary slightly where you pluck/touch the string... but yes, it is only a slight change on location. The pickups and their magnetic field covers a wider area... hmmm. We need a way to visualise a vibrating string, the magnetic field, and how the nodes change position as we fret different notes...

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1368894707' post='2082789'] So, there's no such thing as a 'sweetspot'. There's merely different places to put a pickup and each place will be a factor in the overall sound of the bass. An aspect fo the sound of a P bass comes from the position of it's pickup. Same for a J bass, but the pickups are in different palces. And same again for an MM or any other bass. Where you place the pickup makes a difference but the idea of some magical 'sweetspot' - it's nonsense. [/quote] +100 I think some people call the Precision pickup spot "THE" sweet spot because they happen to prefer the sound of Precisions, etc. In truth... like you said, where you place the pickup has a huge effect on what it sounds like, and whether you prefer it in one place or another is down to the individual. A Jazz or an MM pickup at the Precision spot have a certain "precisiony" quality to the sound, even 'though it won't sound exactly the same. Similarly with other pickups/locations. An MM pickup close by the bridge where a Jazz would be sounds nothing like a Stingray but more like a fat type of Jazz... etc. My "personal sweetspot" seems to be a wide area around the Stingray single pickup location and a Jazz bridge pickup, as I favoure those positions regardless of the pickup... but it's totally subjective: my own personal taste. It is intriguing that you get a "type of sound" from a pickup location despite the fact that the length of the string varies as you fret various notes. The one thing that remains constant is the length between the pickup to the bridge. Maybe that has something to do with it, although I can't think how.

The latest from The Cat Empire, released on Friday. Great album! [url="http://youtu.be/1kde760LKrE"]http://youtu.be/1kde760LKrE[/url]

I'm subscribing to this thread. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops.