6stringbassist

[quote name='mcgraham' post='224693' date='Jun 23 2008, 08:19 AM']6stringbassist - I think I read the same article as you about MG's action being as low as can be achieved without buzzing. I also recall this same article (or forum post?) saying that the bass would likely buzz and rattle all over the place if it wasn't for the ramp keeping things under control. However, Enrico at Wood&Tronics happens to be a good friend of Matt Garrison (my understanding is that they were in the States together/same time). He and Mark @ BassDirect have both mentioned that the/one of the keys to great tone is a slightly higher action than 'super low', and that artists such as Matt Garrison know and use this; same with guitarists. I can verify this to some extent. In short, my action qualified as super low, ~1-1.5mm @ 12th fret without any notes fretted. I then backed it off to about 1.5-2.5mm (still very low but not as low as it was) The lowest action trained me to play with a light touch, but the fractionally higher action afforded me better tone, and a wider range of accessible dynamics. It also feels better. Try it yourself, you may be pleasantly surprised by the sound and the feel. Mark[/quote] Thanks Mark. I think mine qualified as 'super low', it was about 1 - 1.5mm, it's now slightly higher. I'm convinced that the singlecut design makes the neck a bit more stable, enabling this low action. I play using predominantly 'free strokes', and have a very light touch, I increased my action to improve the sound a bit, I was convinced that Matt must have done the same, to get his sound. And MikeyD, I love the Future2future DVD, his sound and playing on that is really awsome, I was watching that Saturday night for the umteenth time. Kevin

Sei, definately.

I really like MG's tone, everyones different I suppose, the world would be really boring otherwise. Chris2112....... I was just reading a thread on talkbass about DR strings, and happened to notice that someone with the same name as you, I presume it is you, is banned, I'm just curious , what's a TOS violation ?.

They're available from stringbusters and stringsdirect from the end of the month. Only available as a 4 string set though unfortunately.

He's a fantastic builder, I'm still at the stage with mine, where I'm still experimenting with it, and discovering all these wonderful tones and vibes. Some basses are 'one trick ponies', for want of a better description, they perhaps do one thing well, that's not the case with my Sei, it does many things. I've used it in a metal/rock band that I play with occassionaly, and I've used it loads in various jazz settings, it responds to your needs. I like art and obviously music, Sei basses are a great combination of a both, a beautifuly crafted peice of art, and a fantastic musical instrument with wonderful sounds.

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='222891' date='Jun 20 2008, 01:26 PM']I'd use a 100 for an E, a 125 for a B - but thats on a 35" scale.[/quote] Eh ?. That's what I'm saying, he uses a 100 E and drops it down to a B tuning with a hipshot d-tuner .

I played with a band about 2 years ago, the guy wanted everything exactly as per the record, every single thing. He'd assembled an excellent band, I just couldn't be bothered going back the following week.

So what would you use for an E ?. I checked the Fodera website, he uses a 100 E string.

I know about his tuning, but surely if you drop the E down to a B, that's going to make it really floppy, which kind of suggests that he does indeed have quite a high action.

My Sei is even lower, once you get used to it it doesn't buzz. I was just amazed watching Matt, I read somewhere that he has the action incredibly low, but the way he was playing was amazing, and with no unwanted noise. He uses Fodera strings. Glad you like the rig, there's something just nice about 10's isn't there, I'm thinking of getting an Epi UL110 for rehearsal, and small gigs, my jazz band is starting to rehearse on the 4th floor at UCE school of music, I really don't fancy carrying the 4x10 cab up all those stairs. I'm liking my new set up more and more, I was sat earlier just playing long notes, varying where I was playing, and listening to the sound, it's just so much more alive now than with the IP12.

[quote name='Stewart' post='218733' date='Jun 14 2008, 10:23 AM']Neutrik NP2X straight jack and NP2RX right-angle jack plugs are just over £2.00 each from Studiospares, - £46 is rather expensive for 6m of cable![/quote] There's cable and there's cable though. Have a look on some hifi websites, and see how much some speaker cables cost, and there is an amazing difference between a decent speaker cable and the stuff that comes with most hifi speakers. I use Zaolla and Vovox cables at home and in the studio, and I have a Spectraflex for gigs, each does sound different.

I was lucky enough to see Matt play in London a week or so ago (I think anyway). He seems to really play quite hard, lots of chords and strums etc. I know he uses a 33" scale Fodera, so the string tension can't be too great, yet he manages to get such a great deep tone. There doesn't seem to be loads of fret noise, or buzzing which you'd expect if his action was low. So I was wondering about the set up of his bass, how high does he have the action ?. Anyone know ?.

Just get a pair of straplocks, strings direct or stringbusters both sell accessories, and deliver pretty quickly.

[quote name='metaltime' post='220298' date='Jun 16 2008, 11:34 PM']I think you have one of the nicest setups ever[/quote] It's really nice of you to say so, thanks. I'm really pleased with it.

It's a 4 ohm, later in the year I'd like to get another one, I'd also like to get a 2x12 at some point too.

You're welcome anytime Steve, but I should wait until I get the new bass, probably late July. Kevin

Yeah, that's right, it's a two channel amp. 900 watts in to two 4 ohm loads, so you could have two 3x10's or 4x10's, a 1x15 plus a 4x10 or a couple of 2x12's, basically for a couple of hundred more than a new UL502 you get something a lot more useful. Plus the headroom makes a big difference.

It has the brightest, bluest LED I've ever seen, and can produce 1800 watts into a 4 ohm load.....no I haven't mis-typed there 1800 watts !. Yet, it weighs only 16lbs. I've had the 4x10 for a few weeks, but only got the UL-902c today. This is awsome, an adjective that gets used a lot, but fully justified here, this is amazing. I've tried the UL-502 before, and that's good, but having that extra headroom really makes a difference, also the power amp section of this beast is different. This particular head was used by none other than Matt Garrison last Saturday. I've only had it home for a couple of hours, but it's hard to leave it and switch it off, it's brought my bass to life. I used a Berg IP cab before, that was good, don't get me wrong, but it's as if a blanket has been lifted, this is a different class altogether. I love my new bass, but it has never sounded quite how I expected it to somehow, I was never disappointed with it, but it's quite a revalation how good it sounds through this rig. Amazing.

[quote name='XB26354' post='217600' date='Jun 12 2008, 01:44 PM']And the golden rule when transcribing - learn it! Write it out if you want, but it is far more important to learn to play what you're working out, with the same feel as the original - when you can play along with the record and what you play is indistinguishable from the record, you've nailed it.[/quote] I disagree, I think it's far more useful to take something, and use it as a springboard for creating your own ideas. I've transcribed solos and ideas by Coltrane and Miles Davis, and lines by people like Jimmy Garrison and Paul Chambers, to see what they're playing, and to try and understand what they were thinking. I'll then use those ideas to create my own. That's what I was taught anyway.

[quote name='mcgraham' post='218072' date='Jun 13 2008, 06:57 AM']I disagree. However I will say I'm not a fan of the mix on the Time Control, it feels very plain. On top of that I greatly disapprove of Fuze's choice of effects/effected sounds on the album, I have no idea what he was thinking. Check out the live videos of the stuff on youtube, IMHO a [i]significant[/i] better rendition of their pieces. The video of 'Time Out' is absolutely electric. EDIT: Here's the link [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu6agePRtzk"]Time Out[/url] Mark[/quote] That's kind of what I was getting at, his sounds are just wrong, and he is mixed too high.

Erm I hadn't noticed that, it doesn't seem very good.

Thomann and Seitenkatalog have them in at the end of the month.