jazzyvee

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1457187172' post='2996144'] Custom moulded plugs, mine are ACS, but there are other companies with similar products. Wish I'd known how big a step up from generic plugs the moulded ones are years ago, best money you can spend as a performing musician IMHO. [/quote] I had been using the generic plugs for about 10 years before getting a set of custom moulded plugs from ACS. Whilst the generic ones were ok and kept the overall volume down to a manageable level. What pushed me to the custom option was that I was finding that the generic ones do not attenuate the sound in a consistent way across the spectrum so I was finding that it became difficult to accurately balance changes in the intensity of my playing with the rest of the band in the dynamic moment of a song. I got some of the ACS about 2 years ago which I think are 17db and are quite flat in their attenuation properties and they really work well. I've recommended them to our sax player and he now uses them all the time.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1456478285' post='2989356'] I have the tc polytune clip on... it's great. So much so that it's now my only tuner. [/quote] Same here, in fact I like it so much that I've somehow lost my boss pedal tuner which I was going to put in my guitar pedal board.

[quote name='sykilz' timestamp='1456766570' post='2992041'] I had the less powerful Tour 450, which is pretty much identical other than power, and it was a good, solid amp, never let me down, not a particularly characterful amp, but had a very usable e.q . to me it sounded not dissimilar to my friends Ampeg pro 7 (?) amp, which cost him huge money....!!!!! Heavy buggers though by todays standards, but well built. Hope this helps a bit. [/quote] I bought a Tour 450 as a backup when my mesa walkabout was away being repaired. It's ok sounds good at the bottom end but not as clean and punchy as the mesa boogie. But yeah if the 750 is anything like this one I'd recommend it. Interesting that the DI works on 48v phantom so still works if the amp fails or the amp is switched off.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bassplayersunited/

[quote name='three' timestamp='1450029224' post='2928917'] Alembic Brown Bass in original 2002 spec [/quote] Sweet bass.

Yeah I love Gary Willis's playing and am a big tribal tech fan.

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1456318788' post='2987736'] Not true, you're probably just listening to a certain type of music or group of musicians. [/quote] From my perspective, and I listen to a diverse range of music both on record and live, I don't recall ever hearing a fretless bass without chorus. I hope I'm proved wrong because I want to hear what it sounds like naturally. :-)

Well if anyone has any links to someone playing clean fretless bass playing with no effects at all I'd be interested in hearing what it sounds like.

I don't play fretless bass but have always wondered why it seems that everyone who plays one uses chorus and some also use chorus and a reverb. I'm not saying it's a good or a bad thing, I just wondered if this type of bass doesn't sound good played clean with no effects.

Since this is a dream situation, I would go for a custom series II alembic short scale 4 string bass with all the exotic woods and some custom electronics added in the mix.

Did a cracking gig last night with musical youth at the watering hole in perranporth. Good crowd of really good people. Hope we get booked there again.

[quote name='GrammeFriday' timestamp='1453904233' post='2964029'] Great photobomb from the DB, there! [/quote] I've read great things about that takamine acoustic bass. How close do you think it gets to an upright bass sound?

The main problem with large indoor gigs is stage volume which is usually incredibly loud compared to pub sized gigs purely from the monitor mixes and backlines so you might still not even be able to hear the cab behind you clearly even if you get a bigger rig because the engineer will want to keep your rigs volume lower, and give you more in the monitor to reduce spill into the house mix. If like me you wear ear plugs, I recommend you do, you have to resist the temptation to turn the volume up more. If you like the sound of your current rig then I'd suggest using it, I use an 8ohm mesa 1x15 a lot with a 300w walkabout head which gives me maximum of about 160watts and I can hear myself fine. I do tend to put my cab back about 8 feet or so from me so I can so I get a chance to hear some direct sound from it at head level but I think the most important thing is to get a decent mix in your monitors as your priority and your cab will keep the bottom for you. If you get the balance right between the monitor and your cab behind you the sound kind of feels like its surrounding you rather than coming from the back or front and keep some higher mid frequencies in for pitching. I have tried putting the bass cab on a flight case or something to get it closer to head height but I miss the bottom end which is what keeps me connected with the feel of the music.

Here is one based in the USA. http://www.redbubble.com/people/oddmetersam/collections/264001-bass-player-and-other-music-apparel-and-ipad-case?ref=carousel_collection

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Ok took them on a theatre gig last night with Musical Youth. [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Bass Used: Alembic Series I Europa 5 String Bass.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Strings Normally Used: D’addario Pro Steels 45 – 130[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Bass Rig: Peavey TX810 bass cab 1 x Alembic F1-x valve pre-amp, QSC PLX 2402 Stereo Power amplifier.[/font][/color] Everything went superbly well with the strings, the sound was great on stage and from feedback I got from the engineer and some musicians and producers I know in the audience the clarity was excellent all the way down the B-string the notes were as clear as any other string. ( I never have problems with the low B string anyway). The warmer bias of these strings worked well for reggae and gave me the lovely warmth I like and enough crispness to give me note clarity without taking the emphasis off the bottom end. Interestingly on this bass I had to adjust the truss rods slightly to give me clearance on the B string but that was only 0.25mm additional neck relief and about 1/2 mm higher at the bridge. I think I will keep these strings on this bass as they seem more suited to is sound and I use this bass more often for warmer sounding music. Now it's a matter of seeing how long they keep the tone that I like. Thanks D'addario for the opportunity to try the strings and please feel free to send me any other strings you want beta testing in the future especially any stainless steel or coated strings.

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1455467713' post='2979331'] Yeah...the reason I was boiling them was because they sounded like flats instead of rounds. The moment a string loses its zing I feel the need to replace it [/quote] I've never boiled strings but I too feel the need to change strings when they lose their zing.

[size=4]We are playing in Birmingham this evening for the album launch. It's at The Crossing, based in South & City College Birmingham, High street Deritend, Digbeth, Birmingham, B5 5SU.[/size] [size=4][email protected][/size] [size=4]Doors open at 19:30, gig starts at 21:00[/size] [size=4]Entry is completely free and it's being filmed by ITV for a documentary on the band due to air sometime in April.[/size]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1451915442' post='2944507'] Gross. I would suggest Elixir Nanoweb coated strings. More expensive but they last longer. [/quote] Agreed

When the guitarist tells you to turn your sound down. [url="https://youtu.be/2K869itz2Ww"]https://youtu.be/2K869itz2Ww[/url]

I think if the bass looked too worn out and tired I'd get it refinished as long as it wasn't too expensive to do.

I had a rehearsal session with Musical Youth today today and had previously transferred the NYXL strings to my Series I 5 string alembic as it has a much warmer sound due to the pickups being closer to the end of the neck. So I was hoping that they would sound much more at home in for reggae. I was right they seem more suited to that sound that what I'd used them on before. The bottom end is much richer warmer and has a great punch on the E and A strings but less punchy on the B string even though the bottom end is more pronounced. We rattled off a few Bob Marley songs, some sugar minot, Pablo Gadd and others and I was more than happy with the sound of these strings. Regardless of the music I'm playing I am not happy unless I can hear absolute clarity from all the notes whether it is a heavy dub reggae sound or a smooth clean crisp tone like Stanley Clarke uses. I like to hear all the notes being played not a woolly indistinct bass sound which is why I tend to use brighter strings and get rid of them when they lose that clean definition. I'm really pleased that these are doing that in the reggae context. Time will tell how well these strings keep their current tone. I have a theatre gig on Saturday for our album launch so that will be the real test of their tone.

[quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1433513122' post='2791740'] I have different instruments for different bands, due to different repertoire. So at home, depending on which gig is upcoming, I could have any or all of them out at the same time. [/quote] Pretty much the same thing I do, I decide what bass is best suited to the next gig then that is usually the one I do all my practicing for that gig.

I had the same happen on my boss PSU years back on my guitar step and since it was a plastic earth prong, it had no electrical function. It was only there to move to the safety shutter so that the live and neutral can be exposed and allow the plug will go in. What I did was got a short extension lead and plugged in the psu after by moving the shutter in the earth socket on the extension with a piece of hard plastic, then taped the PSU in place so stays put. Be careful not to cover any vents for cooling. It's still there in my effects board and no problems.

I have the same problem with my Mesa Boogie walkabout head on top of their walkabout cabs. To stop it, Gaffa Tape is your friend.