Wolverinebass

I was under the impression that the Ashdown stuff (amps at least) is designed by Clive Button the bloke who did quite a lot of the old Trace Stuff. If that's so, here's an idea. Revamp the old Trace Elliot MP11 preamp (sort of like the superfly with an 11 band graphic eq and midi footswitchable with channel memory) and pile in a proper digital power stage so say 500- 800W and valve gain. There. You have one of the most flexible amps you'll ever own. Loads of EQ options, stupidly lightweight and lots of shiny lights and buttons to appease people like me who like that sort of thing. I'd pay for that.

I know what you mean about amp colouration. That might have been some of the problem at the time. However, I'm taking an example of me trying to play rather intricate delay effects to compete in a 2 guitar band. That's when you need some serious limb hacking cut on your signal. As I said, most of the time I don't use it as the instrument's natural tone is enough in most circumstances. However, I still think that Status make exceedingly good cakes and there isn't a bad bass among the entire range.

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1268888' date='Jun 14 2011, 05:10 PM']The thing with those 'all graphite' instruments is they can be extremely harsh and bright. A little wood and graphite softens the sound ever so slightly and seems to give it a more characterful midrange.[/quote] That's why I like the all graphite ones. As Rich (Out To Play Jazz) suggests ones which are foam rather than wood encased in graphite. Harsh? Thank you. That's what I want. Virtually unlimited cutting brutality on tap. I don't have to use it and I frequently don't, but it has enabled me to have the requisite amount of cut when I need it in demanding situations. I've never experienced this from any other bass I've tried other than all graphite ones. When I tried a Mark King (which was the graphite skin version) it just didn't have it though it was a fantastic bass. Even when I played a normal S2, it just wasn't the same. Hey, I'm biased. I love my buzzard. Plus I thought the Stealth I tried a few years ago was great as well. I fully suspect that I'm in a minority of one with this statement, but this is what does it for me.

I think it's a reasonably gaudy bass (nobody look at my signature to suggest that I play either "loud or "gaudy" basses!!). On the other hand I generally don't like Fenders per se. The Warwick reverso was hideous and I'm sure a kneecap wrecker. I went from really liking AC to thinking he was hugely overated. Probably, because I went off U2 after Pop. Just a thought. Would I pay £4k for a precision? Not a chance. Depends if you think it's worth it or not.

[quote name='Delberthot' post='1241753' date='May 23 2011, 03:42 PM']Its a lot easier thanyou think unless you really get your fingers way under the string when popping[/quote] Quite. Am definitely upgrading to a 12 string just for the fun of it. Will still keep the 8 though!! And yeah, signal splitting with an 8 sounds massive.....

The comment about the Danelectros wasn't that they're rubbish or that I think they are (and I don't). I thought that the ones he got were really nice sounding and for what he paid for them they were massively batting about their price range. I enjoyed "having a go" on them. However, my comment was about the fact that he then sold his very nice jazz for less than half of what he paid for it and got 4 instruments that sound absolutely identical which I thought was pointless and illogical, hence my comment. Why have 4 basses that sound absolutely the same? By the time he'd wanged out for all of this lot he could have got himself one very, very nice bass indeed. Just my opinion though. It just seemed like bonkers GAS to me.

At present, I use a Digitech 2120 for FX and in the loop of that I have a Bass Pod XT Pro. Now, the problem is that when the pod is engaged there is a very, very noticable voume drop. I've tried this vice versa and in several other different configurations to check and also with my "bean" pod and the same thing happens. Has anyone encountered this problem before? Any suggestions? You may ask why I have to have stuff in this order it's so I can use some of the more bonkers stuff on the pod before the main fx of the 2120. The volume difference between patches is a problem. Would some sort of clean booster pedal be the order of the day? Any advice would be gratefully received.

They might work, maybe not. The comments about evelope filters is definitely true. I use a Digitech 2120 and that's a guitar processor. It works like a dream for bass as well, so try some stuff out. The worst that can happen is it sounds pants.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1234164' date='May 17 2011, 12:20 PM']Not sure if you know what you want anyway. You seem to have basses to cover a lot of ranges in music and one or two are very focused and almost limiting..not that that in itself is that bad, possibly.. but until you grow into a style your thinking will not have much shape to it. A jazz is a workhorse that can cover anything with a bit of imagination.. but you need to really rate it as a bass and just because it has Fender on it doesn't make it any good. I wouldn't worry about direction until you get some. Maybe your upcoming gig will help ...as hopefully, that is the point.[/quote] I agree totally. Until you know roughly what you want to sound like, it's a bit difficult to say. I chose the basses I've got as I know exactly what I want to sound like. In truth I probably stumbled into it. Plus the comment about a Jazz is right on. One of my mates got a Jazz and whilst the sound of passive basses doesn't work that well for me, I thought it was fantastic and very versatile. He then sold it and bought 4 Danelectros. Never did figure out the logic of that. Billbo's comments about telling the difference between basses is true to an extent, but it's reasonably easy to tell maybe not what make they are (which I think is a bit difficult sometimes), but the different sound when used with the same amp settings.

Just depends what you want out of it. Something that sounds distinctive may not be what you want at all if you like a precision type sound, you won't really get it from an active bass. Besides, they won't make you better anyway unless the neck is easier to play. I'd tend to stick to what you like. You could spend squillions on a bells and whistles bass, but it could prove rather frustrating if it doesn't work for you and you don't get on with it.

Not sure if this is the right place to put this in, but here goes. Is anyone going to see The Black Ships on Thursday 2nd June at Kings College Student Union? It's Nick McCabe and Simon Jones' new band (formerly of the Verve). It's sort of like the tonto psychedelic jams that the Verve used to do in their better days, but it's not necessarily to everyone's tastes. Sadly, all of my mates have pled poverty or aren't really interested in that type of music. If there are any BCer's who are going and fancy meeting up with a fellow bassist, let me know.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1228790' date='May 12 2011, 01:38 PM']As far as getting at the guy for using a 15 string,it's worth bearing in mind that John Paul Jones especially Tom Petersson have used a 12 string bass for years. Jauqo's bass is the same thing,just a 5 string version. Allen Woody (Allman Bros.,Govt. Mule) used to use a Modulus 18 string!![/quote] To be fair though, JPJ uses a 12 string bass that's a 6 string with octaves rather than a 4 string with 2 octave strings per fundamental which is what Tom Petersson and Doug Pinnick use. Just to up the pedant value. A 15 string like this bloke is playing is a 5 string in triples if that makes sense. Interesting playing, but I fail to see the point other than it'd be rather difficult to use it in the way he is. Everyone's entitled to their opinion on the merits of insanely stringed basses though. I like the multi stringed versions personally, but I'm sure that there are many on this forum who would regard even a 5 string bass as being wrong. Not my point of view, but just an observation.

Myself and my guitarist went to see King's X at the Electric Ballroom in Camden and got a few things signed. Doug was a very nice bloke and the only gripe that I had from the gig about the band was that he only played the 12 string on 1 song. Come on!! I certainly counted at least 6 songs that were played on a 12 when they were recorded and he played them on the Schecter. On a certain level, it was slightly disappointing. However, it did put me in the mood to get a 12 string. Pity that they are so amazingly rare and virtually never come up on Ebay. Bummer.

I remember I had to get my Buzzard fixed and Rob told me that there would be a new kingbass and then something with a large body similar to the buzzard. That was in 2007. So clearly he's got a lot on. Plus developing new instruments must take ages. I just wished it was something totally mental and brutal sounding. An explorer shaped all graphite? The Chris Wolstenholme thing sounds interesting, but if it's just a graphite skin, I wouldn't be interested. Sure it'd still be great though. I certainly thought your 5 string graphite S2 was very, very impressive.

On a personal level, I wished they'd make more all graphite instruments. The constant volume of different Kingbasses has now started to grate a bit on me. I mean, how many models do you need? Naturally they're brilliant instruments, but do we really need 7 different versions when the options are all there anyway? Don't get me wrong here, my buzzard is the best instrument I'll ever play and status make fantasitc cakes so to speak, but I'd be holding out to see what Rob's new B1 is going to be like.

This looks very interesting. What are the final specs going to be and dare one ask what might the damage be for one of these puppies?

My current GAS list: Hamer Chaparral 12 string bass Or alternatively, get someone to build me a 12 string to my own spec which would probably cost more than the deficit. Silddx's bass looks magnificent!! I can see why you would only need that one!! Yamaha looks lovely as well. I'd be going for the black, but it's just personal taste.

[quote name='Clarky' post='1208070' date='Apr 22 2011, 10:49 AM']Why don't Tech 21 wake up and smell the coffee and make a small Class D amp with a Sansamp EQ section? They have one of the strongest brand names for DI/EQ and yet insist only on applying this to pedals or relatively heavy (>20lb) 'old school' type amps[/quote] I'd sooo have that. Give me the PSA 1.1 with a digital power section and I'm there!!

I used that 4x10 MB pictured in the post above at a rehearsal a few months ago. In a word - rubbish. I just could not (no matter how much fiddling I tried) get a decent sound out of it. If I can't get a good sound out of an amp with a Buzzard after 5 minutes (generally 30 seconds suffices), then something is generally wrong. I then switched to my Alembic. Same again. The one thing I would agree with posters is that it is very loud. But when you can't get a decent sound out the damn thing, it kind of defeats the purpose. I'd never use Marshall stuff as every experience I've ever had with them has been wholly negative. If this is the make you want, then I'm hoping it'll work better for you than for me.

I've been playing 8 string bass for a year or so and am seriously thinking about stepping up to 12 string bass. Plus as one is a Kings X/Doug Pinnick fan I've always fancied it. Now, I appreciate that there aren't many 12 strings on the market and most are not manufactured in the UK or even the EU for that matter. The question is, is there anyone on this forum got one and if so, what do you think of it? Why did you go for say a Hamer or a Dean or whatever you've got? Now I appreciate, that there are a lot of folk who think that even a 5 string is sacrelige (I don't subscribe to that view myself), but I'm quite interested in folk's views. This has of course nothing to do with meeting Doug Pinnick after Kings X's gig in Camden last week...

I've never found guitarists who mainly only play chords worth dealing with. In a trio format, space has to be given and taken in equal parts by all the members. Sometimes I'd go bonkers, sometimes the rest of the band. To fill all the space all the time is futile and in many ways fatiguing on the audience. It just doesn't work in practice and in a way becomes a kind of onslaught that just isn't that good. In regards to your question. Try playing to the vocal (if there is one) and ignore everything else. That's more often than not how I learn a song or solidify the part I'm working on. Quite often I just completely ignore the drum patterns for a while and then come back to them for some push and pull. Or I might focus on the guitar if it's quite complex. Just an example. By comparing what you're doing with the pattern/melody of each, you'll get something that more often that not will be pretty decent. Leaning more toward one will probably give you some reasonably differing results as well. Everyone's different though and I'm sure that you'll find something that works for you.

[quote name='gafbass02' post='1191453' date='Apr 7 2011, 09:54 AM']It's when I see a guy that can blatantly hardly play and not that interested in bass making a living as a bass player that I get pretty fed up. Feels like I've spent years learning my craft and my instrument for nothing. Shoulda spent more on haircuts and practicing tickling a (inevitably) p bass or Rick with a plectrum while staring at my feet.[/quote] Tell me about it. That sums my attitude up exactly. I accept that there will always be someone that can do something better than you. Such is life. Like Doddy, that just makes me practice more and try new things to improve my playing. But when people who can barely play make squillions when there are others on this forum who would wipe the floor with them and have put years or even decades into learning to play well, I feel physically sick and begin to wonder why the hell I ever bothered.

That's a bummer. Everyone's had them. I had one where I looked down at my hands thinking that the song sounded all wrong. A song I wrote I hasten to add. I had the most hideous mental blank for at least 20 seconds where I just continued playing what I was doing. Afterwards this was commented on by the band at the bar. Like I was in some sort of trance when I was playing. Naturally I didn't mention that I didn't have slightest idea in hell what I was doing. The odd thing was that apparently I played the right notes as I listened to the gig the next day. To this day I have not got the slightest clue what happened.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I think I'll start off at 1mm and see how that goes. Grab a few and see what works for me. I guess trial and error in this case will be the order of the day. I'm not intending to switch to pick playing exclusively by any means, I just think that it's a good thing to be able to do properly. Am sure I'll have to endure insults from my guitarist mates for a while until I get reasonably decent at it.

Drummer problems? Tell me about it. About 18 months ago the band I was in lost our drummer as he moved up to Sheffield. Fantastic guy and an amazingly talented drummer. We tried for (I kid ye not!!) a year to find someone who was even decent. Not a hope in hell. In London. My brother said "so what you're saying is that in a city like London with the population of Scotland you can't find someone even remotely decent?!!" The final straw was when I saw an ad on Gumtree which was for an available drummer. I clicked it open and read it. The influences were all there and I thought this might be worth a go. However, getting to the bottom of it, it said (this isn't a joke either), "I've been playing for 4 months - PAID WORK ONLY." I felt physically sick. Look anywhere these days and all of them say that. Paid work only. Funny thing was how most were only just okay and didn't really stand out as anything special or great.