neepheid

The Inevitable Teaspoons will be making their debut in the "big smoke" of Aberdeen (hey, Aberdeen's big to us country loons) on Saturday April 12th. Venue is Cafe Drummond on Belmont Street. Doors at 8pm and I believe it's free entry. We're on the bill with a band from Inverness called Silver Coast and possibly as yet unknown other support. As it's our first "big" gig, it'd be great to see some support. Come and see the results of what we've been up to for the last few months!

I've had a BB614, a BB300 and I have today a BB350F and a BB450. My current two are both mid 80s (BB450 is 1985 and BB350F is 1986) and both were made in Taiwan. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but if you a Japanese one, I suspect you're going to have to aim earlier than that. All I can say about the ones I've had is that I've had no worries gigging any of them (apart from the fretless, and that's my fault, not the bass's ). My BB450 is my least expensive bass (and a rescue job at that - it had been parted out, truss rod maxed out, no nut - got it all back together and fixed all the issues) but I'm happy to pick it up and play it any time. I find the neck has a nice inbetweeny profile - not as fat as a P, not as skinny as a J. Me and my BB450 at Belladrum (Tartan Heart) Festival last year: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bs4gJsM660[/media]

For a while now, I've been recording The Inevitable Teaspoons rehearsals on a Zoom H2N. It does remarkably well considering its size, but the PA in the room isn't the best and the vocals were just about distinguishable at best. So I decided to leverage the flexibility of the H2N and use a separate microphone for the singer and put it into the H2N as well. 4ch surround mode means that you get internal stereo mid-side microphones of the Zoom plus a stereo external feed. Trouble is, the gain control isn't independent, and it needs to be set to zero for the ambient room stuff, so I needed to employ a separate mic preamp between the Zoom and the vocal microphone. No biggie, a bit of mucking about with levels and a couple of ruined clippy ones but apart from that got some usable stuff. Anyway, long story short, I only have two stems (is that the right word?) to work with - one with the singer (plus a little bleed from the room) and one with the rest of the band (and a little bit of the singer). I applied some quick and dirty reverb to the vocals (50/50 dry/wet mix so it's not a reverbfest then panned the wet/dry out about +- 20% - I don't really know why, seemed like a good idea. Once I mix them wet/dry vocals down to a single stereo track, I find myself constantly tweaking the relative levels of the rest of the band and the vocals. I never know if I'm happy with it or not - I want to be able to make out the words, but I don't want the band to seem drowned out by them either. After what seems like an eternity, I come to and realise that it's only a rehearsal reference recording and say "that'll do". Hats off to you proper sound producers/mixers, where you have to tackle the relative levels of every piece of the drum kit and each individual player. I think my head would explode. This is why you pay experts for their expertise

[quote name='eude' timestamp='1396026987' post='2409231'] Having previously owned and loved my original Promethean Combo, I was amazed at just how good your Red Sub clone sounded mate. It's not nearly as elegant in design as the Ibanez but it was very solid and built to last, a bit bigger than the Ibanez and a bit too carpety for my liking, but in a blindfold test I don't think you could tell the difference. If I'm in the market for a Promethean again, I'd happily go for a clone having now managed to audition one Eude [/quote] Ahh man, I'm gutted that you had moved on your Promethean pre bash, it was supposed to be the great A/B test. Bummer. Still, I'm glad you got to have a go of it and glad to hear that you thought it sounded good, as a former owner of the "real deal". Aye, it may not be the bonniest amp ever made, I'll grant you that, but it's been two years now and I haven't caught myself wishing that I had a nifty pull down stand thing when I'm screwing in the extra "foot" in my RedSub to tilt it Surprised that the fundamental difference in cab design (Promethean - front ported, RedSub/HB - rear ported) didn't seem to make any difference. I guess they're equally tuned to the driver which apart from the cone colour appears to be identical to both.

The only concession I might make is taking one of my semi-acoustic basses to an acoustic gig. Apart from that, I'll play what I like. I'm the bass player.

Yet another thread which looks like it's heading for an ending wrapped in knotted pedantic knickers then...

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1396002786' post='2408817'] Surely the neck would be finished in a clear coat over the top of the colour? That's how all my basses are done. [/quote] There is a clear coat over the top of the colour on the body, but it's super thin over metallic so it isn't smooth to the touch, or at least not as smooth as I'd like a neck to be.

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1396004360' post='2408843'] Partly true. It is a 2014 model but doesn't feature the 120th anniversary bits because it was carried over from last years production due to delays. The serial indicates it is a 2014 model :-) [/quote] I really should know by now never to talk about Gibson in absolutes, those crazy, contradictory eejits To satisfy my curiosity would you be so kind as to tell me if the serial number is the usual coded one (YDDDY(N)NNN) which Gibson normally use, or is it the "special" 2014 scheme (14 + sequential number)?

It really depends upon what's on. I think I favour the smaller venues, putting on weird bands but that might be because I worked behind the bar for many years in a small (<300 cap) music venue. I have been an Iron Maiden fan for many years, and finally got to see them live at Download 2007. I can't really remember much about it, and that's not because of alcohol. The main thing I remember is one of my mates getting an unintentional kick in the face from a crowd surfer and had to be lifted out the front of the crowd to go to the first aid. So he got right up to the front, but for the wrong reasons I don't even remember which songs Maiden played. Why was I there? To be able to say I was there? Because frankly, that's about all I've taken away from the experience. Sorry if that seems cynical. Having said that, at Belladrum last year I saw MacFloyd perform the entirety of Dark Side of the Moon. Even though I was at the back (barely got in the tent), I had a pint of Black Isle Brewery Blonde in one hand and a nip of Tomatin in the other and was singing along like a bloody fool. Fantastic. Loved it. I guess it depends on the gig. I don't do well with big crowds anyway, I'm a country boy and I'm used to having room to spin around with my arms stretched out if the mood takes me. I also don't care for too much chatter around me at gigs - far be it from me to dictate to people what they do with their spare time but if you're not interested in the music, then WHY ARE YOU HERE?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1396001833' post='2408794'] I still like it, and I still think the un-cloured neck looks weird. [/quote] Be that as it may, you can trust me when I tell you that a neck finished the same as this body would [i]feel[/i] weird. The clear coat which is there is a lovely satin finish, glidey glide. When it comes to the neck, surely how it feels trumps how it looks? At least you won't object to how my Ripper is being done. Now if only it had 5 strings...

Also meant to say, the bass the OP is referring to is a 2013 model. Jack socket mounted on the (tort instead of 5ply black) pickguard and no 12th fret 120th Anniversary inlay.

[quote name='DorsetBlue' timestamp='1395999093' post='2408746'] Is that a 2013 model, as I thought the 2014 were smooth gloss? [/quote] That is a 2014 Bullion Gold model, they aren't filling the ash grain prior to applying the colour (It'd probably be £1200 instead of <£800 if they did). Gibson's definition of "gloss" and mine differ somewhat. The finish is my least favourite thing about this bass. It's just as well it sounds fantastic and is excellent ergonomically. As I alluded to in my Goldfinger picture, it's more like having gold poured over the bass. That's my story and I'm sticking to it It's also hard to photograph, at least it is with a phone camera: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/76091-gibson-porn/page__view__findpost__p__2374898

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1395952841' post='2408398'] I had to go and look on the Gibson website. Obviously a photo isn't the same as the real thing, but that colour looks pretty damn sexy to me... [/quote] Mine's nowhere near as smooth as that: It's more like this:

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1395945180' post='2408306'] Neepheid is quite right. I mean the back of the neck. I can understand why bolt-on neck instruments do it (even though I don't like the look of it), but to go to all the trouble to deliberately mask off the neck and have it not matching the edges of the body seems ludicrous to me. It wouldn't have to be sunburst - simply a continuation of the colour at the the point the neck joins the body would be suitably aesthetically pleasing. Nothing wrong with a gold neck on a gold bodied bass IMO: [/quote] You wouldn't want the Bullion Gold finish on the back of your neck, trust me. It's probably my least favourite thing about the whole bass.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1395916703' post='2407855'] Funnily enough I was introduced to a guy at a party as 'another bass player'. His first question was what bass do you play. I have an Ibanez. He said 'Ah. I play a fender', then he walked off. He's a strange guy by all accounts anyway so no loss. [/quote] Sounds a bit dickish to me.

[quote name='GrammeFriday' timestamp='1395872426' post='2407573'] Wednesday night is Troll Night, apparently ... [/quote] Only Wednesdays?

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1395786969' post='2406425'] It does look nice, and it makes a change to see a 5-string Gibson. Pity they couldn't be bothered to match the neck finish to the body though. [/quote] I heard they made this especially for you. I also heard they also nearly called it the Gibson BRX, but someone in Sales vetoed it. Bet you feel bad for griping about the neck finish now, don't you?

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1395850001' post='2407137'] Just out of interest, do you think this bass would be better with a matching sunburst headstock, or do you mean it should have a 'burst finish on the [i]back[/i] of the neck as well ? [/quote] BRX means matching finish on the back of the neck. Which I think would look pretty preposterous on my Bullion Gold EB and would definitely not welcome, but never mind. [quote] These do indeed look like nice basses, but to my own tastes, they don't look right with Music Man - style pickups with the big exposed pole pieces, If they sound like MM pickups that would be wrong, too, but I doubt that they do . It would be much more apt for this bass to have traditional Gibson-style humbuckers with chrome covers. That is the classic Gibson look. Overall though, I expect these would be very useful basses at a very reasonable price for a decent quality American-made bass. [/quote] Given the variety of Gibson's bass output since the first Gibson Electric Bass (renamed EB-1), I'd struggle to define a "classic Gibson look" if I'm honest. The only common theme running through all of them is the logo and the fact that none of them sell in numbers that give Fender any sleepless nights

Well, it's a start towards airlines being prevented from acting like total dicks in response to anything that isn't bag shaped.

Keep this coming folks, a nice list of basses for me to avoid - I need room for my sausage fingers to blunder their way around the strings.

Never. When the dials on my Red Sub claim to be flat, the sound is so mid heavy it sounds awful. I always, ALWAYS use the Contour control to scoop them out to a degree, the Contour is usually around half way round just to sound "normal" to me. Then I have the graphic EQ putting selected mids back in for flavour. And the Starcaster always needs a bit extra high end help, bless its old school thumpy cotton socks Short answer: no, I never play with "flat" EQ.

[quote name='ToneStyler UK' timestamp='1395761630' post='2405925'] Yes, we've been making ToneStylers for years with D-flat shafts for set-screws and with "fine" 24-spline shafts for USA push-on knobs, which are very successful, but they do not fit "coarse" 18-spline knobs. It's true what you say: that players will change their knobs, but we think that we might be losing a number of sales to Epiphone and other owners who are not prepared to "spoil" their instrument by changing its original 18-spline knobs. We're trying to estimate what that number is, to determine whether to make the pots with coarse shafts or not, and, if so, in what proportions. [/quote] Ahh, I get what you're up to now (now that I've actually taken the time to look on your site instead of making assumptions), you're selling single pot replacements, not entire gubbins replacements. Of course that makes sense that people would want the original knob. D'oh! Carry on! I don't have much to offer beyond your rough generalisation (which is on the whole pretty sound from what I gather).

Here's what my BB450 sounds like recorded direct via USB into Audacity with no tricks, attached to a ham fisted buffoon trying to play I Got You (I Feel Good) http://www.ifb.co.uk/~matthew/mp3/BB450%20soundclips/