mcnach

It really really really annoys me when it's too loud. When is it too loud? When you cannot tell what everybody else is playing no matter what you do (among other things). What's the point in rehearsing if you cannot really hear eachother well enough to tell when something is off? From my personal experience I suspect too high volumes are mostly 1) an ego thing and 2) an ego thing. Some people play very loud in tiny rooms because that's the only place they get to play loud and they're frustrated playing quietly at home. I can understand that, but go climb a mountain and you can play there with a million watt rig if that pleases you. The fact that you cannot hear things so well at very high volumes it's also used to mask when a band is not very good. If you play loud and are reasonably in time, playing loud can fool people into thinking they are better than they really are. It's a bit like the guitarist using insane amounts of distortion and feedback... the noise masks his clumsiness. Sometimes people just turn up and up because their sound is not clear enough to them... and rather than EQing their sound better, they maintain a bad EQ but a lot louder. So ignorance is sometimes cause for being too loud. I have quit bands in the past when the volume was an issue and it was not addressed to my satisfaction. I play because I love the music, if I can't hear what everybody else is playing what is the point? I have never ever heard a band that was too loud and also played well, there's usually an inverse correlation between how loud they play and how well they play. This is not gigs where they turn up the volume for the audience extremely loud, I'm talking about the volumes the musicians use. Live, it's a bit different. I hate loud stages for the same reason, and it also makes the sound guy's job harder. I want to sound good out at the front, and not so loud that people can't stay in front for longer than a couple of songs at a time because the volume it's uncomfortable. Live, sometimes you can barely hear yourself. It's a shame, but if you know the song (and you should!) you quickly adapt to suboptimal sound and tune in to the instruments you really want to hear. If stage sound is bad and people turn up to compensate, the sound remains bad but in addition it becomes mushy. Ideally you'd want a good sound onstage because if it sounds good I enjoy it more and if I enjoy it more I play better, plus it allows you to interact with others better. If you are going to improvise anything or jam anything at all... you'd better be able to hear what the others are doing! I use earplugs a lot, especially live as I am normally right by the drummer, my concern with volume is not so much hearing damage (as I can protect myself) but about the music itself. If it does not sound good, what is the point? I do like a bit of volume and feeling the bass as much as hearing it... but a lot of people go crazy with volume and it spoils everything.

[quote name='Kevin Glasgow' timestamp='1365107702' post='2035562'] Hi folks, Here's our new video. This one has a wee bass solo too! [media]http://youtu.be/1gG_dpMdoWs[/media] Cheers, Kev [/quote] That was really good, but I find the video hard to watch. The editing seems a bit too"ADHD", the very frequent changes meant I just had it playing in the background but I could not bear to watch it. I liked your bass tone a lot

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1365276539' post='2037635'] People assume that if you play bass then you are a failed guitarist. [/quote] indeed, and they assume it's all about steady root notes for 3 chord songs and that anybody can play that. guitarists are among the worst offenders, as they invariably feel they have to play fast or slap or something to be seen as "good"... but neglect to support the song.

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1365275218' post='2037608'] Personnaly octave pedals, they are all one trick ponies, and non really work as well as they should. I much prefer octave up sounds, since you never get tracking issues and its much easier to fatten up what you already. Although the octamizer is my personal favourite for octave Downs, and is also a better alternative to the meatbox too. [/quote] But the glitches appear due to poor recognition of the low frequency notes, so if you let a pedal do the octave up, it is likely to be just as glitchy, only more noticeable as the bassier tones can be easier to disguise. Also the octave up sounds I have heard are a bit too "metallic" sounding and artificial, to me. The EHX POG has an octave up and if blended carefully it can sound pretty cool, I have to admit. I'm expecting the T-Rex Octavius early next week and that one also does octave up. The demo video above makes the octave up sound not very nice... but if blended a bit lower in the mix it can be interesting I suppose. What pedal do you use for the octave up? Octamizer as a Meatbox substitute... I believe that! I was experimenting with it and it can make some truly deep noises!

[quote name='bobbass4k' timestamp='1365274958' post='2037606'] The sound of the OC-2 is second to none, but it's something of an anomaly, it's popularity and status is kind of self propogating. Think about it, if Boss released a brand new Octave pedal that didn't track very well, couldn't handle chords, glitched out on long notes, and one of it's only 3 controls was almost completely unusable, people would slate it. [/quote] ha ha, true!!! I guess when it came out there was nothing else that could compare, for its price (relatively economical)... so that led to its popularity.

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1365273527' post='2037579'] The OC-2 really is great, nothing has matched its synthyness for me, even if it does track a bit [i]too [/i]badly. Best octaver i have ever had is the Mutron Octave Divider, but good luck finding one for less than £450 odd these days! [/quote] I have never seen one in person and I hope I don't, in case I really like it. £450? Ouch! You'd better use it for every song all the time so that you get your money's worth then! There was a Guyatone something or another that the bass player in a band I saw once was using. I can't recall what it was... it had some envelope filter like effect but it may have had an octave too... regardless, it was an amazing sounding pedal, really fat and juicy... but not light juicy... STICKY juicy! ( we come up with really weird stuff to describe sounds, don't we?). He used it for sure when doing Stevie Wonder's "Superstition". But when I was talking to him about it, I remember he mentioned the cost and I blocked it out of my mind, as it was also very expensive. edit: I think it was the Guyatone Ultron. No octaver there but very tasty nevertheless.

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1365273187' post='2037573'] I'd like an HH3 to plug into my filter. Maybe one day. [/quote] yeah, that sounds like it can be a lot of fun! Maybe if the funk band starts to make a bit of money I can justify it... but, we need songs first. So far we've only written four (as in 90% done, just details about the vocals left to do) and a couple more half way... lots of work to do still

[quote name='tedmanzie' timestamp='1365268707' post='2037485'] funnily enough i thought the MXR tracked miles better than the Aguilar, I could hardly shake it off!... [/quote] I didn't get to compare the MXR and the Aguilar side by side. When I tried the MXR against the OC-2 I chose the OC-2 based on the sound, but the MXR tracked a lot better, no doubt. However, I found it a bit lacking in the personality department, for my taste. A bit too clean. The MXR is a very good octave pedal, but it does not produce the kind of sound I was after. The Aguilar also tracks a lot better than the OC-2, but I can't compare it against the MXR. It's possible the MXR is a bit better there than the Aguilar, I do recall the MXR tracking very nicely. The Aguilar, however, is more "dirty" (or rather, it can be more dirty, for you can use the filter to change the tonality a lot, from very clean to dirty, and from very deep and bassy to very trebly), and I can get the kind of sound I want from it, while I could not get it from the MXR, unfortunately.

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1365265745' post='2037431'] You make me envious! I'd love to A/B the OC2 & OC3. I bought an OC3 off Shep about a year & a bit ago (he was replacing it with another OC2). I've heard that a few folk think the OC3 is a bit thin, but used through a couple of filters, dirt & chorus, I'd call it anything but thin. For your funk band, I'd definitely suggest getting a filter to go after the octave & dirt. [/quote] The OC-3 was not bad at all, it's just that I preferred the OC-2. I would not call the OC-3 thin either, but it was a different sound, and it was good, for sure! The filter section is covered already with a Soundblox BEF Pro. I love this thing I also have a Bassballs modified to have the internal trimpots accessible with standard outside knobs, and it can produce some cool sounds, but I'm not sure I need to clutter the pedalboard with it. Then there is the EHX microsynth. I really like it, but it seems a bit too bulky for a sound I will use only rarely, so I might not keep it long. Yup, an octave, an overdrive and and envelope filter (with presets!) and that's me sorted I think

You can never have enough threads about octavers for bass, can you? I have recently started a new funk band with a few members from my main band and others, and I am now "allowed" to let loose with FX So the octave pedal came out. In the past I tried various multiFX, Zoom, Boss, they all worked but none excited me enough. When I went for single pedals I tried (owned for a while, sometimes simultaneously) the Boss OC-3, Boss OC-2, Danelectro Chili Dog and MXR bass octave deluxe. Oh, and I had a Digitech SynthWah whose octave mode was pretty cool. It's actually a very nice pedal. But it requires more juice than the others and at the time it was an issue so I let it go. If I was allowed only one pedal, I would probably choose the SynthWah for versatility. Anyway, pure octave pedals... The Chili Dog was the least good of the bunch. It sounded great, and on guitar I loved it, but the tracking was poor for bass unless you really played high. The Boss OC-3 did not do much for me when I compared it to the Boss OC-2, which was nice and fat and dirty. The OC-2 sounded nice, but tracking could be an issue at times and it's prone to glitches meaning that short notes are best. The MXR tracked better and was VERY good... but too "clean". So I kept the OC-2 and sold all the others. And did not use it all that much. Until now. I *love* the OC-2. With a bit of overdrive after it... it can be amazing. But the tracking/glitches annoy me a bit. I decided to check two other pedals: the Aguilar Octamizer and the T-Rex Octavius. Different animals... so there's the risk I will keep them all I just got the Octamizer, yesterday, and I have been playing with it a bit now. My initial impressions were quite good. It can be very clean, but it can do dirty octave too. Not as much as an OC-2, but it's still very good. Tracking is NOTICEABLY better. Much much better. Yes, it's still better to stick to higher notes, but I can go lower and 1) it tracks more confidently than the OC-2 and 2) it sounds good, unlike the OC-2 that can sound like a mess on the lower notes. Although I don't really go there with the octave on, normally, it's nice that I can ocassionally stray and it won't be too messy. The Octamizer works with overdrive pedals in a different way than the OC-2. Because it's cleaner, you hear "distorted bass plus octave" more clearly than using the OC-2, which is less recognisable as a bass. Not better, not worse. Just different. I like the Octamizer. Because it tracks better than the OC-2 and it can be made to sound a little dirty, I'm leaning towards letting it replace the OC-2. But I will have to try it with the band. Often things sound very differently once I play at higher volume and with guitar, voices etc... but it sounds very promising. I have ordered a T-Rex Octavius as well, which has been on my mind for ages but never tried because of the 12V requirement and, frankly, the cost. But I had a "what the hell" moment and ordered one the other day. I should receive it on Monday. Will it really follow me like a dog? [size=3][b][i]edit: the T-Rex Octavius arrived on page 2[/i][/b][/size] [media]http://youtu.be/OAZimHX75Xk[/media]

[quote name='stu_g' timestamp='1365034472' post='2034537'] me playing along to the stranglers [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kD3vsbxMHI[/media] [/quote] Very nice tone!

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1365067125' post='2034706'] Creepjoint's first gig in ages. This is the first song of the set, the whole thing is on youtube [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFJZP755TkA[/media] [/quote] love the entrance!

[quote name='mike 110' timestamp='1365021551' post='2034338'] I don't know if it's my favourite , but I've loved Eight Line Poem from Bowies Hunky Dory album since I first heard it in 1973 . It's Mick Ronson at his absolute beautiful , tasteful best ....unfortunately I don't know how to upload any vid that there might be around ...if some kind soul could do the honours , I'd be eternally grateful ...plus you'd be doing a public service ! [/quote] here you go: (just copy the "share" code on Youtube, and paste it as a link, using the icon of the chain links) [url="http://youtu.be/n_B9-Fiw9J8"]http://youtu.be/n_B9-Fiw9J8[/url] beautiful!

[quote name='rubis' timestamp='1365020023' post='2034307'] You have taste Mr McNach, you got me listening to Lizzy all day today......what about the 1st solo on the live version of Opium Trail........or all of the Black Rose song.........the solo at 2:30 is the same but I prefer the Live and Dangerous version with the lovely outro as well [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m33yq9UED_g"]http://www.youtube.com/watchv=m33yq9UED_g[/url] Or how about another of my live favourites.....Jeff Healey ........awesome player.......he sounds like he was wringing that guitars' neck at 1:16 [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQwqSrPdwjQ[/media] [/quote] Thank you Any Thin Lizzy is good for me. Jeff Healey! Good call! I have his first couple of albums and I love his vibrato, so very expressive. So much music, so little time!!!

[quote name='Wil' timestamp='1365003946' post='2034006'] I can't wait until someone invents inflatable cabs. [/quote] and inflatable cars!!! No more parking problems!

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1364813577' post='2031089'] And if the polepiece to string alignment DOES bother you... P pickups with blades are available.. [/quote] as long as you don't mind not sounding all that much like a P bass, of course

[quote name='ialma' timestamp='1364786654' post='2030879'] My first bass, Arirang korean jazz bass clone with refinished body and (discovered later) misplaced guitar pickups. No need to mention the low action, let's say first time I unbolted the neck, the truss rod fell off the neck [/quote] My first guitar was an Arirang!!!!! This one: horrible thing!

[quote name='The Hat' timestamp='1364679715' post='2029682'] Now i know this is a very subjective question, but a goal I have is to be good enough to play in a band. Ive only been learning the guitar about 5 months and the bass about 1 month but i think its good to have goals, no matter how long they take to achieve. I practise most days for around an hour but do miss a day every now again. With the right commitment, im reckoning 2 to 3 years to get good enough ? I fully realise that even after 2 to 3 yrs i would still have loads to learn but hopefully be good enough to play in a band. What ya reckon, am i wildly out ? On another note, has there ever been a bassist or guitarist who came to the instrument late in life but became a pro and makes money from it now. Im not talking about someone that has been musical before but someone that never played an instrument before and then suddenly picks it up and then becomes sh*t hot ? [/quote] The amount of time it takes varies from person to person, and band to band... Try to get in the best band that will have you, and try to play with people who are all better than you. That will push you and you will learn a lot faster. Whenever you think you are willing to try, go for it!

One of my all time favourite guitar solos must be the one on Thin Lizzy's "Dancing in the moonlight". It's not a difficult solo, which added more to it, as I was able to play it quite soon.... but it's just melodic and beautiful. Here, from around 2:03 [url="http://youtu.be/Unnh0T2Ftro"]http://youtu.be/Unnh0T2Ftro[/url]

[quote name='pst62' timestamp='1339784677' post='1694429'] "A 22 year old Michael Schenker giving the old guard something to think about!" [media]http://youtu.be/n0OatiI5XcE[/media] [/quote] Oh, I love that album, I haven't listened to it for ages! I know which CD I'm taking to the car later today!

[quote name='soul deluxe' timestamp='1364563596' post='2028219'] ive seen lots of fantastic live bands but nothing quite like this.. imo... they are the sh*t. the bass solo's and drum solos's are well worth the wait..... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTZdI0HG7Oc[/media] [/quote] I watched the whole set of videos on Youtube. Awesome! Thanks for posting!

[quote name='Stroopy121' timestamp='1363518504' post='2013497'] [indent=1]I think that black one in the OP loks awful, but I love the body shape![/indent] [indent=1] That's a beauty IMHO.[/indent] [indent=1]I'd rather have the option for a P90 in the bridge and FA in the neck, but otherwise I'd happily have one (if it wasn't a grand a pop!)[/indent] [indent=1]xx[/indent] [/quote] That one I like. I'd happily play one... but not at $2000...

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1364568154' post='2028285'] EEEK! Bit of a problem with the bass this morning - now fixed. The bass needed a bit of a wash and brush-up, and some routine maintenance. So, this morning, I; - Sorted out the loose jack socket. - Quick squirt of switch cleaner into the pots and jack socket - electrics are much quieter now. - Removed the strings to clean and oil the fretboard with lemon oil. Smells like your mum's kitchen now. - Tightened all tuners - they were all loose and rattling - Cleaned the bridge and removed nearly all of the rust. Putting the strings back on, the nut cracked and half went flying across the kitchen! Oh sh*t. Panic phone call to Steve Robinson guitar tech in Manchester. "Bring it straight over" he said. While I waited, he fitted a new nut and he tweaked the truss-rod to get rid of the fret-buzz at frets 1-5. Since it's the BC relay bass, he didn't charge anything. He's a good man. Here's his website: [url="http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/"]http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/[/url] Anyway, the bass is now much fitter and healthier and ready to get back out on the road. All's well that ends well. Steve [/quote] I met Steve Robinson a couple of times. Nice guy, and my respect for him just went up a notch. Nice one!

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1364586613' post='2028622'] Just for attending the bass show in a brown work coat (complete with biros in breast pocket), he commands my utmost respect and admiration. [/quote] brilliant. I never met him, but my dealings with him on the phone and by email gave me the impression he is a very enthusiastic and very nice man.