BigRedX

I've owned several basses with this type of intonation adjustment where the saddle is unlocked moved into position manually and then relocked, and all of them were a pain to adjust compared with the humble BBOT. All of them require the strings to be significantly slackened off before any adjustments could be made, and if you were changing to a very different gauge/type of string, that meant of a lot of tuning and detuning of the strings, to the point where the advantages of having new strings were almost completely lost by the time the intonation was correct. On some the act of locking the saddle would cause it to move again making the adjustment process even more complicated. I suppose if you rarely venture above the 7th fret and stick to a single type and gauge of string it's not too bad. That's not really me though. I'm assuming with a multi-scale bass there are fewer options regarding string types and for most people once the intonation has been set for their preferred string it should never need to be adjusted again. I'm still not a fan.

In that case it's probably worth buying them from Amazon, as they will give you a refund with no quibbles should something go wrong.

Also, which I forgot to mention in my previous post, since I am now controlling most of my Helix patch, snapshot, synchronisation and parameter changes via MIDI from the backing it has the added advantage that the red flashing LED on the Helix tap tempo switch turns blue when MIDI clock is being received, which means that that it acts as an indicator that the backing is running.

So it's question of unlocking the saddle and moving it manually? In that case IMO it's a terrible design.

How do you adjust the intonation on this?

But the slide is only part of it. The pedals and knee levers are a big part of the sound, because they only affect some strings and not always by the same amount. That's why knowledge of the instrument is fairly important for getting a realistic sound out of a VST or samples.

A USB hub is OK so long as it is powered externally and not via the USB bus from the computer. I had an issue with the Novation LaunchKeys 37 controller keyboard, where it would not work properly form the convenient USB socket on the front of the computer. Attached to one of the USB sockets on the back of one of my monitors (which is essentially a powered hub) it has been fine.

True custom shop would let you have anything you wanted, so long as it was recognisably based on something Fender had already made.

5-string, 34" scale Starcaster Bass. All black including the neck with an ebony fingerboard. Blocks and binding on the fingerboard. Reduced sized tuner keys to allow 5-in-line without needing to enlarge the headstock.

Looking at some people's pedal boards functionality is definitely a side issue ;-))

My experience of trying to emulate real instruments is that getting the playing technique/style right is probably more important than the actual sound. Therefore what you need to think about is how the slide and pedals/knee levers are used and hopefully you'll be able to emulate that on a guitar patch. You might need to treat each string as a separate track to achieve the correct string bending and note sliding effects.

I'd get them to make me a Bass VI, but with a Shergold Marathon 6-string bass width and profile neck, 13.5mm string spacing at the bridge with a Graphic Ghost saddle system fitted. Then the pickups and vibrato system adjusted to match the wider string spacing. Standard Bass VI controls for the magnetic pickups terminating in a jack socket, and Roland standard multiway socket for the Ghost system to drive a Roland V-system. Gotoh machine heads that look like the Fender ones but have better enclosed gearing. Colour would be a metallic flake white including the neck, ebony finger board with block inlays and binding. Chrome scratch plate and hardware.

IME unless they have a specialised dedicated foot controller Roland devices are usually designed to work with the appropriate Boss FS5 footswitches. There are two types FS5U (unlatched/momentary) and FS5L (latched). These are still available although quite pricey.

What Roland device is he trying to make it work with? It would be worth having a look at the relevant page in the Roland devices manual regard compatible footswitches. Given the circuit diagram that has been posted is correct I suspect that the matrix switching the Digitech pedal sends doesn't exactly correspond to the matrix switching the Roland unit expects to receive. And why should it? They are devices from different manufacturers. Once you have pedals with more than two switches connected by a simple two conductor and earth cable there are no guarantees that a switch from one manufacturer will work with a device from another.

I can't find any definite information, but I would suspect that it's not simply wired so that each switch is attached to a separate conductor on the cable, and therefore will only work when connected to the right equipment - in this case another Digitech device. I'd start by plugging in a TSR cable and checking with a multimeter what happens when you press each footswitch. Alternative open up the unit and see what's inside.

The problem with this is that for a traditional bass rig your cabs are just as important to your sound as the amp, so running the amp on its own is never going to be an effective solution, as you'll be forever messing with the EQ trying to replicate the sound of the missing cab(s). If you were to look at getting a load box, the only one I could recommend for this kind of amp is the now discontinued Marshall PowerBrake, which is big, heavy and even with the fan running will get very hot (it's trying to dissipate 100W of audio power as heat). None of these devices are really designed for bass amps - they are aimed at guitarists trying to tame slightly over-loud 50W amps. IMO you are better off forgetting about the amp entirely for home recording and get a pre-amp/DI with a suitable sound.

"Better" when it comes to the sound of an amplified instrument can be very subjective. Also not matter what rig you have home practice volumes will never have the same level of "excitement" as at a gig. Without more information about how you think the current amp is lacking it is difficult to make effective suggestions.

Surely the pre-amps built in to the EMG pickups should make them appear to the rest of the circuit as standard impedance?

More better photos of Hurtsfall from the Goth Friday gig:

What don't you like about your current amp?

Friday night at The Chameleon in Nottingham with Hurtsfall, supporting Chaos Bleak and Senex IV We missed our last rehearsal as our synth player had picked up some lurgy from his kids, and we definitely noticed that we weren't as tight as we should have been, and because of that we weren't ready to play any of the new songs we had been working on so it was the same set as we did last time. Also note for future gigs not to ask for any changes to the foldback mix without trying them first - my idea of very slightly more Bass VI in the monitors and the sound engineer's was somewhat different... However the audience thought we were great and despite going on first at 7.30 it was pretty close to packed from the beginning, Saw some old faces from the past and a couple of people who regularly attend In Isolation gigs who didn't realise that I also play with Hurtsfall. Photo from the gig showing our singer in full Goth Friday mode as we play the song "Revelator":

Probably because you've been to the wrong ones. Come and see some post-punk inspired bands at small-ish venues and there will plenty of bass guitar mixed up front where it supposed to be.

Just a reminder that Hurstfall are opening the Goth Friday gig at The Chameleon in Nottingham tonight (Friday 7th April). We're on at 7.30.

And here's a photo of mine: Just making some adjustments for tonight's gig. The foldback at the venue will be more than adequate for our needs which saves me having to carry the RCF up two flights of steep and narrow stairs. I've included the backing playback system, because this also controls all the patch changes on the Helix required for the songs as well as being our drummer and second synth player. The foot pedal to the left is used to stop and start playback as well as run a macro that closes the current song and opens the next one in the set. The songs are numbered in the order we are going to play them so the set order can be quickly changed by simply renaming the songs.

Just doing some last minute adjustments before tonight's gig and therefore have a chance to take a reasonably good photo of the rig I'll be using. Eastwood Hooky Bass into Line6 Helix and then direct into the PA. The foldback at the venue we're playing tonight will be more then adequate, and so it'll save me from having to carry the RCF cab up two flights of steep and narrow stairs. Also pictured is our drummer and second synth player.