stevebasshead

You might also want to read the sticky [b][url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=3730"]click here[/url][/b] at the top of this forum, there's some very useful info in here which may be of help to you in understanding the interaction between gain and volume controls, what they really do and how best to understand them (despite the misleading labelling some manufacturers use). Very interesting reading.

[quote name='spinynorman' post='246466' date='Jul 23 2008, 10:39 PM']That's all very well, but how does your sound get into the cab before it comes out? I think it's the ohms, or maybe the watts.[/quote] It's a mystery to me, maybe one for Sherlock Ohms and Dr Watts-on [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='246477' date='Jul 23 2008, 10:54 PM']LOL! Just one question, though... How did you manage to play if you had your fingers in your ears? Talented toes or an extra talented penis, perhaps?[/quote] Building up the callous was a nightmare

[b]You're all compl-e-t-e-ly wrong.[/b] I get my sound out of my cabs. I checked, I put my ears next to them and it's [i]definitely[/i] the cabs. I then tried putting my fingers in my ears and got no sound at all, not one chuffing note, so I definitely don't get my sound from my fingers. I now have earwax on my strings and they sound dead. Would using Elixirs help?

I can't believe this thread has got this far without someone mentioning Elixir strings...so allow me... They're worth considering, the coating keeps them fresh for months and months so no hassle of taking them off, cleaning and re-installing them, and that same coating stops them feeling rough like stainless steel strings do. Not cheap but they'll save you in the long run and if you go for them shop around on eBay, they're often cheaper from the 'states even with shipping. The thing I worry about with the boiling methods is that you can't be 100% sure that all the water that may have got under the windings has been dried out, and then it'll start to rust to core wire, assuming it's only the wrap wires that are stainless steel (does anyone know for sure?) I tried boiling mine long before Elixirs came out and like someone above said, it works but the newness disappeared so quickly that it seemed a lot of trouble for not much benefit.

Fret height plays a part too. If a bass has uneven frets then it doesn't matter how stable/rigid/straight the neck is, the lowest action you can set will be influenced by whichever fret is highest above the others on the fretboard.

[quote name='Balcro' post='232734' date='Jul 4 2008, 03:01 PM']If you want to check your level, get a £20/25 sound level meter from Maplin and do a dry run ASAP - at the lower setting for your PA guy. In this type of situation the most penetrating noises are usually the bass and the vocals, so they will need the most care. Flatten off any boom from the bass and reduce any echo on the vocals. it all helps. Good luck, Balcro.[/quote] You'll need to allow a few extra dB for "crowd babble" for when the gig starts, it'll add to what you produce. Wedding gigs have more of this in the background than pubs of course because most of the people there won't be live music go-ers and hence aren't going to be that attentive to the band - they're there for a catch up with relatives they've not seen since the last Wedding/Christening/Funeral. Also allow a dB or two if the wind is in the direction of the cut-off mic. Or muffle the mic with something thick and absorbent when no one's looking

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='225898' date='Jun 24 2008, 02:13 PM']go watch teh videos, yeah i looks a mess but sounds awesome, i was expecting utter rubbish which it certainly isn't, and add to that he sings whilst playing it. [/quote] I just watched the videos - incredible! Nice sound too. I have trouble talking and playing bass at the same time, let alone the complex lines he's playing on both at once while singing. The human brain (although not mine!) is an amazing bit of kit when it's wired up properly

[edit - threads merged -ped] Couldn't find a Ped-Thread on it's own but just to add to this feedback and this one too I've just bought Ped's M-Audio Oxygen v2 midi keyboard. Great price & great service, almost instant PM replies and it was posted off to me practically immediately! Top bloke, cheers Ped! Regards, Steve.

[quote name='Adam.M' post='215830' date='Jun 9 2008, 11:30 PM']Thanks for the replies guys I think i may go for the GK GT400RBIV or an Ashdown MAG 300 EVO II... my two favourite bassists use GK though, but the big big GK, i hope i can get some of that vibe out of a lower wattage unit... now to find a 4ohm 4x10, marshall do one...[/quote] You may not need to get the bigger GK, in fact a lower wattage unit might suit you better depending on the size of gigs you play. This is an extract from [url="http://www.instituteofbass.com/archive/product_spotlight/gallien_krueger/"]this interview with GK's founder[/url] which might help you: "When a power amp puts out as much power as it is capable of producing, that is referred to as "hitting the rails." The way our amps go in and out of the rails is very different to how other manufacturer's amps react. Sometimes you will hear guys talk about "the G-K growl." If a bassist is used to playing an 800RB, he'll know exactly where he needs to place the controls on his amp to get that G-K growl. If he then moves to the 1001RB-II which puts out over twice as much power as the 800RB, he'll have to play his amp much louder to get that same type of growl. I have found that this is one of the biggest things that bassists have to learn in moving to a more powerful amplifier. If you want to maintain the classic G-K growl and don't need to play at loud volumes, then you definitely want to stick with a lower powered amplifier so it is easier for you to hit the rails." Regards, Steve.

[quote name='dannybuoy' post='211625' date='Jun 3 2008, 10:42 AM']I've bought a couple of pedals from the US and have so far escaped any import duty.[/quote] That's been my experience too. From the States I've bought a pedal, an expensive-ish body blank for a project I'm (supposedly!) working on and a scratchplate. All were easily high enough to attract duty etc. but I only had to pay it on the scratchplate, but it was cut wrong and its replacement arrived without any further duty being requested. Result!

OBBM - highly recommended!! I've got speaker and instrument cables from him and they're first class. But if you've got a Planet Waves I thought they came with a lifetime guarantee, so couldn't you take it back under warranty? Regards, Steve.

[quote name='RichardH' post='208029' date='May 28 2008, 01:45 PM']I had a thought a few days ago... A couple of these at £3.49 each) plus some lighting gels equals dirt cheap rear colour wash. What do you reckon? Wouldn't want them pointing at me, but directed up the wall behind the drummer - and especially if we rig them to a dimmer to control the intensity - I reckon they might work OK.[/quote] We used about half a dozen of these in my last two bands (although without a dimmer, not sure if they work with halogens???) mounted on pieces of old shelf put on the floor in front of us and a pair clamped on the top of the PA speakers. They're certainly better than relying on the pub's ceiling lights. If you're clever and plug them into a multigang which has individual switches for each socket you could choose to light each song a different colour just by flicking a couple of switches on or off, i.e. plug the one's you put red gels on into one socket, blues into another, green into another. Then put any combination of the three on to create different colours. Can't beat a proper lighting system of course but as a cheap starter it'll work fine, just don't put the gels too close to the light or they'll melt (guess how I know...)

I wouldn't worry too much about the poll results that you get, it can be a bit tricky generalising about speaker cone sizes. So much depends also on the cab shape and size and baffling etc. For example, I've got the classic old vinyl covered Trace 4x10 and 1x15 and the 1x15 is brighter and less bassy sounding than the 4x10. Really must get round to selling them at some point as I'm currently using a pair of Tech Soundsystems 2x12's. Light as a feather, stacked vertically to get one at ear height for better monitoring (but it turns out to be the BFM recommended way too...bonus). As people have pointed out a little way above, trust your own ears and audition/buy whatever sounds and works best for you especially if you're going through the PA and using your rig for monitoring. You'll be all the more satisfied for it If you let people know where you are you might be able to arrange a mini bass bash at a local rehearsal room with some local BC'ers so you can try/hear a variety of different cabs types with your amp at a better volume than you'd get away with in a shop.

[quote name='BOD2' post='202973' date='May 20 2008, 04:27 PM']Of course everyone else on stage thought the bass was too loud....[/quote] If it's too loud, they're listening too hard

[quote name='Musky' post='202566' date='May 20 2008, 01:37 AM']9v is indeed 9v. But unfortunately not all 9v batteries stay at 9v for very long. Different batteries have different discharge rates and characteristics, so theoretically the battery can make a difference. I've seen plenty of people state a preference for zinc carbon batteries on vintage fx boards, though I've never managed to hear a difference myself.[/quote] If the equipment needed to draw a particularly heavy current from the battery would some batteries be worse than others at supplying it under such load? That's the only other thing I can see making a difference, assuming my understanding of electrickery is correct. No idea whether it'd make such a difference as to be audible though.

[quote name='johnnylager' post='202790' date='May 20 2008, 01:00 PM']Far be it for me to read another forum, but I've just spent the last hour reading [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=393208"]this[/url]. If, like me, you [i]might[/i] be a bit of a gear nerd, especially of the Geddy Lee variety, then as Steve says - get the kettle on and start wading... Fantastic. Thanks Steve, I owe you a pint mush. [/quote] Hehe, nee bother mate, 'tis a very insightful read

Could it be worth seeing if you can get more comfortable by adjusting the strap differently to how you'd have it for your previous basses? Free to try and you've nothing to lose...apologies if you've already tried this I suggest this because I used to think Warwicks weren't for me because I didn't like the club-like feel of the necks on the couple I tried. But I've recently been wondering if I should have played with different strap lengths before coming to that hasty conclusion. I'm fairly sure that if I played around with longer or shorter straps I could have found a more comfortable position for my left wrist, which had been the bugbear for me, instead I bought something else. Steve.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='201810' date='May 18 2008, 10:50 PM']I don't think it makes a difference. One day, I will swap the necks of my two P's around and prove it...[/quote] Best suggestion yet IMHO. That's probably the closest we'd ever come to confirming if there's any difference because it eliminates (as far as is practical) all other variables. And if there WAS a difference in sound noted it'd be just as interesting to swap the necks back afterwards and make a 3rd recording to confirm everything had reverted back to the way the 1st recording sounded. That would eliminate differences introduced by unbolting and bolting the necks and torqueing the bolts together slightly differently each time. Just to be utterly scientific and absolute in the test results Steve.

[quote name='Ham fisted Bass' post='201720' date='May 18 2008, 08:06 PM']Can anyone explain (or point me at a thread) how Geddy Lee does the 'in ear' monitoring thing?[/quote] [quote name='bnt' post='201874' date='May 19 2008, 12:13 AM']Have a look [url="http://www.bassplayer.com/article/northern-warrior/Aug-07/30528"]here[/url], the sidebar has a full breakdown of his current touring rig. The main components are the [url="http://www.tech21nyc.com/rpm.html"]SansAmp RPM[/url] and Palmer Speaker Simulators. Weirdly, Geddy still has a couple of Trace Elliot amps in his rack though I have no idea where that signal might go. They all use wireless monitoring, handled from a monitor desk - dunno what they use.[/quote] Geddy's own bass tech, Russ Ryan, has posted loads about Geddy's set up [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=393208"]here[/url]. It covers the Trace Elliot amps and [i]I think [/i]there's mention of his in-ears but don't quote me. Just make a cup of tea, set aside an hour or two and wade through the tons of posts

Bear in mind also that the 500w rating for your, or any, cab is an indication of the power it can handle coming in from the amp, it's not what the cab puts out (cabs don't put out watts, amps do). What makes one cab louder than another is speaker efficiency. This is defined in db/meter/watt and is derived by feeding a 1watt test signal into the cab, measure how loud it is in decibels at a distance of 1 metre. Hope this helps. Steve.

I think Customs are wise to most of the tricks by now, if anyone's not going to let stuff sneak by it's the taxman! But I also think there's so much comes into the country now that all they can do is a spot check irrespective of what's marked on the package, so it's pot luck whether you get asked to pay the duty or not. For example, I ordered a plexi pickguard for my Ric from the States and I had to pay the duty. But it didn't fit so I returned it and the replacement came through without the duty hit (just as well, I'd have hated to pay twice!) I also just got a fuzz pedal which was clearly marked as a Guitar Effect Pedal and it slipped by unchecked. It's usually worth a gamble, in my case the fuzz pedal would've cost the same as the UK price if I'd had to pay the duty but it lucky for me it worked out cheaper. I wouldn't have minded paying the duty if needs be 'cos I think in the long run it's odds on you'll still save if you a) buy enough stuff and the US price is substantially cheaper to put the odds in your favour.

I think you can do it without an A/B/Y box - plug directly into the SVP and take a line from the tuner out on the back into your Eden's input. This should provide [i]the same [/i]signal that you've sent to the SVP in the same way as splitting the signal, as to quote from the manual: "This jack is a direct output from the instrument. It is the only output that stays active when the Mute switch is depressed." (Poor Mute switch, give it some prozac!! ) Gotta be worth a try. edit to say: The Tuner out should be pre-Eq etc, the only thing I'm not sure about is whether the SVP's input gain knob affects how strong the signal going out of the tuner out is. You'll just need to be aware when you try it, start low and see what happens.

[quote name='BOD2' post='190705' date='May 2 2008, 04:54 PM']Probably this [url="http://www.limitedgoods.com/itemView.php?ProdID=67149&source=FroogleUK&medium=free&campaign=FroogleUK"]Behringer LC2412[/url]. But if you think MIDI programming is complicated prepare yourself for the wonders of DMX512 !! To be fair, I've never actually programmed a DMX console before but when I looked into it I was having real problems getting my head around some of the concepts as applied to various different manufacturers' equipment. Maybe it's simple when you have the gear in fornt of you to play with ?[/quote] Looks like great fun to play with, and not a bad price. I'm drawn moth-like to it...

iColour4's get the thumbs up from our band but if LED's had been more widely available and not as expensive (at the time) we'd have gone for those instead of searing our skin off under the iColours! Anyone know what the bottom line spend is to get a controller that can be pre-programmed with a lighting sequence/pattern on patches, a la multi FX units?