TRBboy

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1360872734' post='1977804'] Thought I posted in here. Brought TRBboy's old natural 'Berg basic and I'm still in love with it, always been a little unsatisfied with a little low mid hump that has been more prominent in the studio so investigated to find that it's wired in series, so will be looking into how it sounds in single coil and parallel. Although it's not been a deal breaker as I've played it exclusive since having it off him, with only wanting to give it up for a dream bass. Played it so much it's got a wear mark from my grubby thumb near the pickup lol! and a vid from a gig. [/quote] NOOOOOO!!!!! You've marked the finish!!!! Glad you're still enjoying it mate, if I hadn't decided to switch to 5ers full time, I would definitely not have parted with that one! My first Sandberg, and turned my perception of what works best for me upside down. I haven't looked back, and can't see me rocking anything else now. I know what you mean with regard to the mid range response, and I strongly recommend you try one of the High Gloss (Alder bodied) Basic Ken Taylors if you ever get chance. Personally I think that the alder gives a slightly warmer, more even response, but you still get plenty enough snap and sparkle on the top end. Obviously the dual pickups give you a broader tonal response too, and a lot more flexibility dialling in the sound you want. Hit me up if you're ever in my area, and you're welcome to have a blast on mine! Take it easy man.

[quote name='John Cellario' timestamp='1360875221' post='1977856'] I'm thinking of buying one of the California basses and was just wondering what kind of sound difference I'm going to hear between the bridge J Bass pick-up and the bridge double humbucker type PUp. I live in Manchester ....any recommendations which dealer to buy from..someone mentioned Germany before. Thanks [/quote] In my opinion, the MM pickup is a big improvement. Don't think for a minute that you're going to get a Stingray sound from it because it's too far back. The benefit is that you don't suffer some of the weakness/thinness associated with a J bridge pickup, but it still definitely sounds like a bridge pickup just with a bit more balls. The California TM has a coil split switch for the bridge pup anyway, so you can still get that single coil sound. As always, you really could do with trying one to see if it's for you. Don't know if there's anywhere too near you though..... As far as buying one, yes the German retailers are generally cheaper than UK retailers, but I STRONGLY recommend talking to Alan Greensall at Synergy Distribution (the UK Distributors) because he will do his utmost to help you find the best deal possible in the UK, and will be able to offer plenty of advise about specs, etc too. I felt that it was worth paying a small amount more to deal with a UK seller. Alan will also be able to advise you of the nearest stockists to you, so it would be well worth giving him a call. [url="http://www.synergydistribution.co.uk/Welcome.html"]http://www.synergydi...uk/Welcome.html[/url] 0121 270 6485 I think that they're amazing instruments and offer incredible value for a handbuilt instrument with such great sound and playability. Hope this helps!

[quote name='OzzyGreg' timestamp='1360702532' post='1975150'] . Try some of the OD/Distortion/Fuzz patches here: [url="http://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B7b88q8uy5hYMFJUem5nUDNyMkk/edit?usp=sharing"]http://docs.google.c...dit?usp=sharing[/url] [i](You'll need Zoom Edit & Share installed to be able to download them and load them into your B3.)[/i] [/quote] Thanks for that Greg, having a bit of trouble with my computer at the moment though so i cant install the software. After playing around a bit more, I think I've found some sounds I'm happy with, ironically back with the MXR! You just can't set it up like you would with the real thing and expect to get the same sound. It's very useful that you can turn the "colour" off on the distortion channel too, which is something you can't do on the real thing. I've got one set up for a little grit, one for a more balls-out OD, and I'm using the Flip-top model for when I want more of a vintage/old school vibe. Apart from that, just using the Multicomp and looking for some reasons to indulge in some of the more modulation/filter/synth type effects. After practice last night, I can quite easily see that the B3 could replace my pedal board!

Hi guys, just wondered if anyone could suggest a good valvey grit/breakup/od sort of sound, that doesn't colour the tone too much? Really happy with the B3 overall, but I'm just struggling to find this sound (which I use all the time). I currently run through the dirty channel of my MXR M80, but to my ears the one on the B3 doesnt sound much like the real thing. I'm trying to set the B3 up so that I don't need my other pedals if at all possible.

Thanks for the replies guys. My phone is normally in my pocket, but wouldn't that be causing interference when I'm going straight into my amp too? When I tested it earlier I had my bass on a stand nearby anyway, not on a strap. Tried both the cables straight into the amp too to rule that out.... Maybe I'm being too fussy, but obviously it was a problem in the studio before anyway. Effect power supplies will let me return the psu because it's just inside warranty, but I'm not convinced it's the root cause of the problem now! Had a play with my zoom B3 tonight, I thought if I just use that it might sound cleaner. I like the compressors, but the drive sounds aren't really doing it for me at the moment, and i can't get the MXR M80 to sound much like the real thing at the moment.

Well, I tried the different effects on their own today, and still got the noise. I then tried them with batteries in instead, and still got more noise than if i go straight into my amp, but without the high pitched electrical hum that I get with the PSU although not much difference. Stupid question maybe, but will effects always add an increased noise level to your signal path?

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1359324878' post='1953192'] I tried the boss LMB3 & if the "Enhance" was too high, it raised the noise floor. In my instance there was a feint buzz in bypass & a shed full of wasps doing backing vocals when it was engaged. Just a suggestion to help narrow things down. [/quote] Ah, right! I read the Ovnilabs review of the LMB-3 before I bought this pedal, and I've always kept the enhance knob turned right down. It should be labelled the "hissy whiny horrible noise" knob! As an aside, until last night I forgotten what a big difference the MXR M80 makes to my sound! I basically have it on all the time as a pre I guess. I run it with just a little grit for the rock band stuff, and clean for the soul choir stuff. Adds real balls and presence to my sound, makes it sound a lot fuller and more authoritative. Still, the bass sound was great on the rough mix I heard last night with just pure Sandberg & Markbass!

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1359294647' post='1952565'] Like Shep says, most likely the PSU. Another thing to check is how many mA the PSU puts out & how many mA all your pedals add up to. Though I doubt all your pedals will take more than 250 mA, if the PSU isn't putting enough juice out, it could cause noise. I had a similar issue when I tried daisychaining all my pedals. For a couple of pedals, I use a Godlyke Powerall (same as a OneSpot) with a daisychain & have no noise issues. But the Moog MF101filter doesn't like to daisychain at all, so it has it's own PSU. Try taking 1 pedal out at a time & see if you still have the same issue. If you find removing a certain pedal fixes the issue, try it on it's own PSU or put some copper shielding in the case. If that fails, bin the pedal. Another thought that it might be... If your limiter isn't set up right. [/quote] Interesting..... what would cause the limiter to make that noise?

Thanks Shep I'll check it out!

Hey guys, I'm sure this sort of question has been asked many times before...... I seem to get a high pitched "noise" from my pedal board sometimes, it's not normally an issue live, but I was in the studio tonight and it was a real problem. So much so that I had to skip the pedal board altogether....... My board is as follows: TC Polytune -> GTX Bass Limiter (LMB-3 clone) -> MXR M80 Bass DI+ -> Boss ODB-3 I've just got a basic daisychain PSU from effectpowersupplies. Tried just using the comp and M80 because they were the only necessities for these tracks, but no improvement. Do I need to spend a small fortune on a better PSU? I'd be grateful for any suggestions!

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1359034608' post='1948744'] All of which is good advice except that the first rule in any H&S assessment is to eliminate the problem if psooible. In this case the problem would appear to be excessive noise. Volume [s]switches[/s] dials go down as well as up! If I go to a gig and need ear protection then it's too loud, if I'm playing and need ear protection then I'm too loud. What is the point of playing loud if all that's happening is that punters need ear plugs! Steve [/quote] We're very loud for the venues we play, but the trouble is we can only be as quiet as the drummer (who isn't Mic'd up), and there's no chance of him using hot rods, pads, brushes or anything else because it would sound poo! If I try to play without my plugs in now though, the cymbals and snare absolutely kill me! As an aside, I've also found that my vocals are sooo much better now, because I can hear myself much better with my plugs in.

I use the Alpine Musicsafe earplugs, and they're awesome for the money. Come with a carrying case and a choice of three different attenuation inserts, plus a spare earplug. I can't gig without them now, it sounds like a right racket!

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1358863168' post='1946184'] Thanks. No I didn't do a review yet, but to keep everyone amused I just knocked this up. Filmed using an HTC Flyer tablet, with the bass running through the Peavey practice amp my son uses for electric drums. It doesn't sound the greatest, but at least you get the idea. [/quote] Thanks for that Gareth, sounds good! Did you have the neck pup soloed? Have you got flats on it?

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1358855879' post='1945977'] At home today, so snapped some pictures of my VT5 [/quote] Very nice! I really should get round to posting some pics of my new KT5 on this thread! Did you ever do the video?

Usually have 1 or 2 pints of bitter shandy, although I wasn't driving on NYE and did have a fair bit more...... The result?: Increase in showmanship, decrease in musical ability!

I've played a few Eggle guitars, and they were awesome! I loved the look of their basses, but I picked one up at a trade show once and the neck felt like the fat end of a baseball bat, the thing was virtually unplayable and I left the stand feeling very disappointed. It was beautiful to look at, but horrific to play. Still, that's the only Eggle bass I've played, so others may be different I guess.

Sharay Reed (for those of you that don't know who he is): http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pATcvr3zAhg And this guy, Al Kelly: http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=plpp&v=IN2Rf_docjs

I would keep an eye out for a Yamaha BB605, BBG5S, BBN5, etc, etc. They're awesome basses and they can go for about the same or less than the Ibanez you've been looking at! I picked up a BB605 several months ago for less than that, and it's just an incredible instrument, I prefer it to basses I've had costing many times more. There's always RBX375's going for next to nothing on ebay too, although personally I don't like them as much as the BB's mentioned above.

Well, I dunno..... He's played on records for Yolanda Adams, R Kelly, Boyz II Men, Destiny's Child, and obviously loads of Gospel stuff to name but a few. Check it out: http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/credits/sharay-reed/529912 I guess I just wondered if anyone knew of something that was actually a great album, as well as having some of Sharay's best work on it. I was surprised to see that he's done BVs for Jay-Z too!

Anyone.....?

I picked up an SR5 in Guitar Guitar in Brum last year and had a similar experience.... Really dull and flat and not a very gutsy output! The strings were a little dull, but there was more to it than that. A/B'd with w Lakland Skyline 55-01 it sounded decidedly weak! Weird......

Hey folks! Really into Sharay's playing at the moment, got my wife New Directions "Destiny" album for Christmas which has some outstanding bass playing on, although I think Sharay is only on a couple of tracks. Just wondered if anyone could recommend any great albums featuring Sharay on bass doing what he does best? Ta

Usually just use a Planet Waves microfibre polishing cloth dry - no need for polish! When restoring a "wreck" before, I have used a bit of Auto Glym I have knocking about.... did the job just fine! (although I wouldn't use it on a nitro finish!)

I do backing on quite a few numbers and lead vox on a couple of tunes. It's fine for me as long as the bass part isn't too intricate, or the rhythm of the bass part doesn't contradict the vocal melody. I would like to sing more, but I'd rather not let the bass part suffer, or simplify it too much. It's okay with original stuff, because you can engineer it to work for you, but with covers (especially if its a really well known bass part, or its critical to making the song sound right) it's much harder.