Gareth Hughes

I'm proud to be a geek. The geek shall inherit the earth.

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1343684213' post='1753775'] Thanks Gareth for your comments. You are always a fantastic source of info [/quote] Is that a polite way of saying I'm a geek?

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1343670037' post='1753465'] Has anyone ever used the headphone out on their amp to provide some in-ear monitoring? [/quote] You could do that if you're not hooking a cab up to the amp. My Genz Benz Streamliner master volume controls the headphone output and the speaker output so I'd deafen myself if I used headphones alongside a speaker live.

I play a little and I surprised myself at how not confusing playing in fifths is. Actually find it easier to read cello than than to just noodle about - I'm not that comfortable with fifths yet.

Never mind the first position. Find the octave E on the A string and the higher octave E on the G string. Figure out where those E's are in relation to the crook of the neck and where the fingerboard meets the neck joint. With your first finger on the E you've got these following notes available: E string: B, C, C# A string: E, F, F# D string: A, Bb, B G string: D, D#, E Plenty to get you going there. And while you're there, find the E major and B major scales. Another thing to do is to thin outside the box with relation to where you start notes for a scale/arpeggio/pattern. For instance - with the A major scale, keep your hand in this E on the A string position. Play the open A string to start with. Then play the B and C# on the E string. Next, either stretch/shift a little to play the D beside the C# on the E string, or play the D on the open D string. Then play the E and F# on the E string. Then stretch/shift back a little to play the G# on the D string. Then return the original position and you've got the octave A. Repeat that process and you've got the B on the D string, and the C#, D and E on the G string. So in that one position, and with using open strings and a minimum of shifting, you've got an A major scale + a fifth. With the same process you've also got the D Major scale up to the 9th and down to the 6th - the B on the E string. Another thing to help you get up to this position confidently is to play your F major scale in half position so you can solidify the sound of it in your head. Then, play it this way - F and G on the E string, then A, Bb and C on the A string, then open D string and shift up to this new position to play the E and F on the A string with your first and second fingers. When that begins to get solid, try shifting on the open A string so you've got F and G on the E string, open A string, then Bb and C on the E string (the Bb requires stretching back a little) and then the open D string, and the E and F on the A string. I wish I'd been told this years ago. Instead, I got Simandl and slowly crept my way up the neck, all the while nurturing the FEAR OF THE DUSTY END!!!! It needn't be like that - just find those octave E's and get your disco freak on!!!!!!!

In theory they should be - I mean, if a P-Bass isn't an industry standard I don't know what is. Having said that - I recently swapped pickups in my Squier Matt Freeman Precision and installed a set of Wizard Thumpers. The Wizard casings were too big so I had to change them with the Squier's. So the internal part of the pickup was the same size but the external wasn't. Hope that helps.

I've had pretty good results using a Fischer two channel headphone amp, with one channel coming directly from my bass and the other being a mix from the sound guy. Great little flexible set-up. In dual mono mode (same signal to both ears) I can adjust the balance between me and everyone else on the fly. The other setting is a stereo mode - me in one ear, everything in other ear. That's great for total separation, but a little unsettling. I use this set-up for a trio with double bass/vocals, guitar/vocals and backing singer. Flippin guitarist had so much lovely low end from his acoustic that it was covering up my low end onstage and I was having trouble hearing myself properly. Not a terribly expensive set-up to be honest. Here's the stuff: [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/fischer_amps_inear_monitor_bp.htm"]http://www.thomann.d..._monitor_bp.htm[/url] You'd also need this adapter as a regular one won't work with the saftey lock: [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/fischer_amps_9v_dc_netzteil.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...dc_netzteil.htm[/url] And here's a cheaper version: [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/millenium_hpa_in_ear.htm"]http://www.thomann.d..._hpa_in_ear.htm[/url] Bloody raging now - that looks like a great deal to try it out!!! Rather than this being a body pack that clips onto your belt, I just run a long headphone extension cable and plug into that - means less hassle when you're walking on or off stage. For earphones themselves - I started off with these cheapies from Thomann: [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/the_tbone_ep_4.htm"]http://www.thomann.d..._tbone_ep_4.htm[/url] Cheap and cheerful and not a huge amount of low end but here's where that's a bonus: good soundguy suggested this to me - said to get cheap earphones because the seal/isolation isn't that good so it naturally lets in a good deal of the room ambience. Basically a cheap and easy way to hearing everyone else without setting up a second channel. Do it like this, along with playing through an amp, and you're basically just bumping your bass above the room sound. And because you can hear yourself better you can lower your amp volume and it sure makes it a darn side easier to [s]hear when you're out of tune[/s] play in tune.

Thank you very much indeed.

[quote name='umph' timestamp='1343570970' post='1752165'] drill a hole, wire in a volume pot. tis a cheaper solution [/quote] +1 to this. Did this with both my Mini Q-Tron's - works a treat.

Great - now I've just realised how nowhere close to the mark I've been busking that song at gigs for years!!! Nice playing m'lady.

[quote name='TheRev' timestamp='1343134809' post='1745805'] That is one of the most sickening sounds you can hear. [/quote] I'll go one better/worse - hearing the headstock rip apart whilst you're playing in a quiet room. The sound of ripping wood mere inches from my head haunts me to this day - even thinking of it now sends shudders down me spine.

Bump

Hey Folks - Just got this book as a replacement book via an Amazon dealer, for another book that was pretty mangled. As luck would have it the cd is missing and the seller doesn't have a replacement copy. [s]Does anyone have the cd of this? [/s] *Sorted now folks - thank you good people of Basschat*

If you get the Simandl 30 Etudes, it's worth springing for the MusicMinusOne edition which has the piano accompaniments on cd, as well as another cd with the bass parts performed too. Great for getting the intonation together along with the tempo.

I use two 1x12's and love the versatility, and love being able to stack them vertically to bring the sound closer to my ears. My Markbass LMK 500watt head into two Epifani 1x12 cabs has more volume than I need. With one cab it's a great rig for upright. If I was picking a new rig from scratch I'd be tempted to go for the new GenzBenz Contour 2x10 combo and then add another cab when needed. As much as I love having separate heads and cabs so I can mix and match, there are times when I'd just love to roll a combo in, plug one kettle lead in and away I go.

Yeah, but think of all the straps you could get from that horse

I use a Korg Pandora PX3B jobby I bought years ago in London for way too much. Probably a better, and cheaper, updated version available by now. Decent sound, eq is grand and editable on each patch. Drum presets are cheesy but grand for practicing. Handy feature is the 'Phrase' function which lets you create a loop of whatever audio comes thru the Aux input. Oh, and it has an Aux input too

Bass clef wizard on my first go. I reckon I'd a Great Wizard if I knew the keys to type a lot better!!!

Hey Lindsey - that is such a great tone you get on the Carole King clip - especially on 'White Christmas'. Colour me with envy. Good luck.