Ziphoblat

[quote name='iceonaboy' timestamp='1370592181' post='2103062'] Is it that good? I am on the lookout for something a bit lighter. I love the fact that my Genz six by 10 is high, for hearing on stage, but Im not so keen on the weight of the bugger. I want something that gives lots of bottom end but is still bright. So, is the Barefaced the cab its made out to be. I am a firm advocator of the 10 inch speaker cab, but I may be converted [/quote] My experience was different. I owned a Compact but sold it on and bought a Super Twelve T instead. The compact was great, but it just didn't have enough top/upper mids for my taste. It was easily the best 1x15 I've played through, and would potentially have been everything I needed if it had tweeter. The S12 sounds fairly damn close to the compact without the tweeter on, and gives me everything I need with the tweeter turned up. I suppose it simply depends on your needs, after all the S12 does cost twice as much.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1370541897' post='2102475'] With basses as with photography , the people who focus on the equipment to a fetishitic degree are usually amateur enthusiasts , whereas to professionals the equipment is mostly just tools of the trade to make money with . There is nothing wrong with being interested in equipment - people who are may or may not also know how to use it to make music or to take photographs with - but it is a slightly different passion than the purely artistic and creative . The fact is that it is much easier to focus on external problems with equipment than it is to get down to the crux of most people's problems , namely how to use the equipment more skillfully . Buying a new bass is a lot easier to focus your energies on than learning how to play the one you already have properly . I'm as interested in gear as the next person , probably more so , but I have learnt through experience a long time ago that a far greater sense of satisfaction comes from being able to play well than from aquiring any new toys . [/quote] I'll agree with this to an extent - certainly, I think it covers many cases. However, I think many of the amateur enthusiasts talk so much about equipment because they don't have a lot else to talk about when it comes to their bass playing. Talent and knowledge are not mutually exclusive; there are still plenty of professionals who know their stuff when it comes to gear. Take Geddy Lee for example, in all the interviews I've seen with him, he definitely seems to know his stuff when it comes to his amps, his instruments etc. However, discussion of that often covers only a small portion of the interview because his lines and playing are also interesting enough to inspire conversation, perhaps unlike the average amateur enthusiast. [quote name='charic' timestamp='1370585942' post='2102978'] Hmm... ACG, Fender, Yamaha.... nope can't see much in common between them [/quote] Forget ACG or Fender, is that a Hotpoint I see in the background?

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1370104872' post='2096520'] Isn't that cheap considering the age of the instrument and the fact that Lemmy is a rock legend [/quote] It has a guaranteed price match, perhaps someone else is selling Lemmy's old Rickenf*cker for this amount.

I got them all apart from two from the first round, I think it was Coldplay and McFly or something, so nothing I was really missing out on.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1369307243' post='2087500'] Maybe.... but mids are often the key to sounding "good" - certainly in a band/stage scenario. Recording and home practice are different things altogether. [/quote] It simply depends on the nature of the instruments you're playing with. If you're having to find space around a hard-hitting drummer and a wall of distorted guitars, you'll struggle without mids. But there are applications where a mid-scoop can function effectively too.

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1369233803' post='2086684'] I have always used a smiley face on my eq. I keep going back and trying to redo it with "only my ears" but it always comes out the same, but, even though it sounds good to me, the comments here keep knocking my confidence in it. Although, thanks to the resonant frequency of this room, it's now a smiley face with a buck tooth, my amp looks like a bloomin' Hillbilly. [/quote] Mids are grossly over-rated on this forum. If it sounds good, who's complaining?

Hmm, the votes are strange. Seems very few other votes have gone to the one that I thought sounded best aside from my own, and lots of votes to one that I simply didn't like at all. Sounds like it was recorded in a tunnel in the next room or something, to my ear at least. Interesting. I'd like to hope that my own mix looks a little bit neglected because it sounds audibly quieter than most of the mixes.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1368883619' post='2082628'] In effect , no it doesn't . All pickups are placed in a static position . Where that position is has a profound effect on the overall sound coming from the bass . The variable speaking length of the string is a given constant , and the pickup position gives a similar tonal character to notes played anywhere along the string , regardless . In reality , you have to put the pickup somewhere and some spots are sweeter than others . [/quote] I believe the point about the sweet-spot is that it's usually suggested to be a specific point relative to the part of string that's actually vibrating, which obviously changes in length depending on where you are on the fretboard.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1368640958' post='2079653'] Uncoloured / flat - can come across clinical. [/quote] To me, the rule of a good cabinet is that sh*t in = sh*t out, tone in = tone out. It's all well and good relying on the tone imprint of a cabinet to sound good until you're then DI'ing out of your amp to the FOH. You might sound great to yourself, but for all you know what the audience hear is sh*t (and if you find that your tone is a lackluster through a "clinical" cab that's probably the case). With a fairly balanced response from your cabinet, if you sound good on stage, you know that you sound good out front. And yes, it's definitely possible to sound good with a balanced cabinet. Sure, you could bring microphones into the equation, but then you'd have to pay a lot of money to get one that isn't going to impart its own frequency response upon the signal, and then it probably won't be suited for live purposes.

I must be the only one who likes that sort of drum sound. Ambience and brittle top end would be my main criticism of some of the mixes. Some had the bass too loud also, which I suppose isn't too surprising in a forum of bassists. I think I might have been a touch guilty of that myself, although I intended to rectify it, just never got round to uploading a reworked mix until it was too late. Definitely an interesting listen anyhow. There seems to be quite a notable difference in loudness between some of the mixes even despite the metering process.

Depends on the bass. My Fender has a maple board and poly finish so it's usually little more than a wipe down with a cloth, occasionally some polish on the body. The Warwick needs a bit more care, I tend to apply lemon oil to the fretboard, beeswax to the body and the back of the neck, and give it a full wipe down too.

Yeap, prone to this myself. I'll write something, get to a point where it needs some sort of middle eight or variation (if it's a less "typical" song structure), and then try and write something for that. Usually I write something that I really like, but that doesn't work, so that itself becomes a new song and then the previous one gets put on the pile. Rinse and repeat..

I use the Diago velcro, never had a problem with it. Could probably stick a hippopotamus to the ceiling with it.

[quote name='Oversoul' timestamp='1368472048' post='2077526'] Dude, don't judge things by my profile picture....it's just a picture, of me, holding a friend's bass. I'll even tell you that my current bass could be older than you, likely. I'm not dissing the relics, just dissing capitalism, I guess. [/quote] It had nothing to do with your profile picture. It was a hyperbole to your hyperbole, drawing on the fact that usually the people who bash Fender because it's cool to bash Fender tend to own wacky boutique basses because it's cool to be different (is it? ) Anyway if we're going to be serious for a minute, your claim that Fender instruments are somehow overpriced and selling purely based on brand is absurd, especially when you specifically call Fender into question but make no mention of any other brands offering worse deals. Not many companies offer an instrument that hasn't come from a cheaper factory they outsourced labour to and have the courtesy to chuck in the essentials with the deal, all for the price that you can pick up a Fender for. What about Warwick, for example? You can get a Korean (?) made Corvette for more than the cost of an American Standard, and what does it come in? A poxy gig bag. Fat lot of good that is. A Fender comes with what is without a doubt one of the best hard-cases I've ever encountered which is worth £150 itself. I love my German-made Warwick Corvette to bits, but does it represent the same value for money as my Fender? Not in my eyes. It's certainly not a better-made instrument (you'd be hard pushed to notice any discernible difference in build quality between the two, and for what it's worth both can hold their own with basses twice the price), and I highly doubt the quality got better since they outsourced production from Germany to Asia! Bear in mind that I'm simply using Warwick as an example here, and I still think their products are great for the money, there are plenty of other companies you could compare to as well. Hell, take Sandberg for example. £1500 for a Sandberg with a skinny little gig-bag, versus £1200 for a Fender with all the correct accessories, both made to an equal standard (baring any QC anomalies you really should try before you buy for this money anyway), and then bear in mind that the Sandberg isn't being imported from outside the EU. But Fender are still trying to rip you off compared to everyone else, right? Yeah, right... . Can't deal with people mindlessly bashing an entire brand with empty, meaningless claims.

[quote name='Oversoul' timestamp='1368463780' post='2077401'] You're right, but me personally I can't get that from Fender as well. They're overpriced fad tools, that's it. they look cool, but far away from a real old soul. Fender just uses it's history to charge big time for a half-assed, badly baked instrument that could come in the Squier catalog. (It would make more sense.) [/quote] This guy . Why, of course, we should all be playing coffee tables with pylon cables bolted on for more extended range, but that's beside the point really isn't it?

I waited about 6 weeks for my Compact, but that was the very beginning of 2012 so a fair while ago. I waited 14 weeks for my S12T/V which I ordered in September 2012 and received 4 days before Christmas Day. Was worth every minute of the wait though.

[quote name='Oversoul' timestamp='1368407242' post='2076772'] Meh...Sandberg do better looking relics, and probably cost less. [/quote] I don't get relicing, but I especially don't get why you'd want a relic that had a brand name stamped on the headstock of a brand that's only been around a few years. Instead of looking potentially old/mysterious/full of mojo (at least I assume that's the goal with relicing) it's simply going to look like it's been abused beyond belief in the short time it's been on this planet. Surely the appeal of having a beat up instrument that looked as if it's old with a story to tell is predominantly aesthetic, and therefore surely a period-correct logo such as Fender is part of that aesthetic?

Not talking about this from a legal perspective here because I have no idea when it comes to that, but I've always been of the opinion that any finished tracks a band gets together are theirs to keep. If one member of the band decides to go his own way, I think if everybody works under the assumption that he gets to take his bits with him when he leaves, it can all get a bit petty and futile. Personally I write the bulk of the material for my current band (minus lyrics/vocal melodies, but the songs are always full of instrumental melodies and hooks) and I'd have no quarrels accepting that what that stuff gets used for if I decide to part with them is entirely up to them, as long as I received due credit should it become financially profitable on a considerable scale (which is obviously not going to happen). If I were to start a new project the last thing I'd want to be doing is recycling my old stuff anyway. If you can write one good piece, you can write another.

People who call Ashdown gear muddy need to understand that this is all subjective, but Ashdown gear definitely isn't muddy? Right. I've had more than my fair share of encounters with Ashdown gear and every time I find the tone to be too muddy. Interestingly enough I formulated this opinion long before encountering anybody else saying anything similar on forums. The lower end gear is downright weak in my opinion, the higher end stuff simply doesn't have the definition and responsiveness that I'm personally looking for in an amp. Furthermore, they seem to have a large footprint on the tone of an instrument to the point where many can end up sounding far too similar, and almost restrict the dynamics, which is why I really detest their frequency in music stores. There was a time when you couldn't try anything out in PMT in Leeds without plugging it through an Ashdown amp, not much good if you want to hear the instrument itself. It almost certainly is dependant on what an individual wants from their gear and tone. What one man finds acceptable, another man finds muddy. I've had to use Ashdown amps and at a gig and hated the whole experience, but found that it sounded really good when the next band were on because the thumpy less defined tone worked well for them. However, there's no doubt in my mind that they have far less definition than most gear, and that's where all these claims of muddiness come from. Just because somebody finds the amount of clarity he gets from his Ashdown amp to be acceptable, that doesn't mean another's claim that Ashdown amps are too muddy for him is somehow invalid. I remember being caught off-guard by an Ashdown combo at a rehearsal studio in a period between amps (I'd sold my old cab but not received my new one yet). We returned a couple of weeks later, and I still had no amp of my own, so decided to bring an XLR cable with me. I had a cunning plan to overcome the mud. I DI'd the bass into the PA, rolled off all the low end and introduced it to the speakers very slightly just to get a little bit of top end fizz coming from my bass. It was an acceptable sound, at least some nuance was there. About half an hour in the guy working in the studio popped his head round the door and had a hissy fit because the bass was plugged into the PA (rather unnecessarily, because it was extremely quiet, had the low end cut, and the damn thing had a pair of 15 inch subs hooked up anyway, but that's another story). He proceeded to question my sanity, and following an explanation of my quest for definition, he began to tweak the dials on the amps EQ (all five of them, as if I'd never touched an equaliser before myself) until he'd satisfied himself that it would now sound nice and sparkly. "Try that" he said. I played a bit of bass. "There you go" he said, happy that the bass now had enough definition. Sounded fine to him. Still sounded like sh*t to me though.

I don't think you need a "damn good reason" to play open notes but I can understand what he means. If you choose an open note when that note would just as easily be available to you fretted then it's usually for a reason. Personally my main use for open notes is as pedal notes. I don't mind open E, A or D but I'm not a fan of the sound of the open G.

Sandberg Basic? [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/206371-sandberg-basic-4m-natural-l500-collected/page__p__2064781__hl__sandberg%20basic__fromsearch__1#entry2064781"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/206371-sandberg-basic-4m-natural-l500-collected/page__p__2064781__hl__sandberg%20basic__fromsearch__1#entry2064781[/url] (no affiliation, just has a MM pick-up, is within the price range, and is a well-made instrument).

Cables don't make a difference to your sound. Magic pebbles. There's an article somewhere on the web (don't care to find it right now) which debunks the whole thing. If there [i]is[/i] a difference, then it's extremely subtle and negligible because there have been countless blind tests where nobody could tell a difference between gold plated voodoo and bargain bin Stagg cables. A poorly made cable might start to fall apart or introduce noise flaw which consequently has negative impacts upon the sound, but a functional cable is not going to gain any benefit from being plated in gold or whatever else it is they try and sell. My suggestion would be to simply to choose based upon price and build quality. Having excessive lengths of cable can have a theoretical negative impact, but it's very small, and you'd need lots of it to accumulate any discernible difference. That's not to say that having reams of unnecessary cable all over the floor isn't a royal pain in the backside though. EDIT: Talking about instrument cables here, that is.

I rehearse [i]and[/i] gig with the same band. How about that then? Quantum physics eat your heart out.

Thanks all for the replies, much appreciated. Got it all sorted now (or I hope, anyway). [quote name='Bassmonkey' timestamp='1367426838' post='2065559'] Hey Dave - think we played together a few moons back, I was in Fifty-50? think you're a pal of Kev Morrissey's aren't you? small world this bass business. Hi anyway Andy [/quote] Small world, I think you've seen my band play a couple of times at the Bankhouse in Pudsey (assuming this is the same Andy from the Cardinals in Leeds I know anyway).