thisnameistaken

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='677898' date='Dec 8 2009, 02:05 PM']Best time to do it. You'll be much more skint afterwards. And you can disguise the item as some lavender bath salts or a nice tie. Go on, you know you want to.[/quote] I've just had a phone call with my company about taking a bonus this christmas, so depending on the size of that, maybe. But first priority is a double bass at the moment, I've already got synth pedals. Although I would like to give this one a proper go. But that is a good price... Oh dear, here we go.

[quote name='mark_random' post='677664' date='Dec 8 2009, 11:14 AM']If you are interested in taking one, I suspect that I will only have these two now before Xmas, so drop me a PM and I might even be able to knock you a few quid off the web price.[/quote] I don't think I'd be that popular if I was to start buying MORE synth pedals right before christmas... Nice to hear it's finally out though.

Active circuits basically give you more EQ options on the bass and they're usually a bit less noisy than passive basses (which tend to pick up interference to some degree). Passive basses just have a tone control that allows you to roll off some treble, whereas on active basses there might be bass, mid, treble boost/cut available, pre-shape switches ('bright', mid-cut, etc.), parametric mid-band selection etc. Sometimes active circuits can make the signal sound a bit compressed, but it really depends on the circuit. They're also much better at preserving the sound of your bass down long cable runs (lower output impedance - passive basses can start to lose treble information after 20' of cable or so, even if it's good cable). Again, there's no 'x is better than y' to it - some people don't like complicated controls, some people just think passive pups sound better, and so on.

[quote name='rakester' post='677442' date='Dec 8 2009, 03:28 AM']I may be opening a can of worms here but sound wise how do P bass differ to J basses? I read a P has a chunkier neck and a single humbucker pickup and the J uses two single coils and has a thinner neck? Are either limited to certain styles of music?[/quote] The P pickup is still a single coil, but a split design. The J has two coils that you can mix with a pair of volume controls. The P is a simpler sound. Not necessarily a bad sound at all (there's been plenty of hit records made with P basses) but it does its one thing and there's not a lot of variation available. If you like the sound of the bass on tunes by, say, The Smiths, The Stranglers, The Clash, The Jam, The Housemartins, all the '60s Motown singles, etc. then you'll like the sound of a Precision bass. The J offers more midrange, the pickup nearer the bridge has a very nasal quality, and the pickup toward the front sounds warmer and rounder than the pickup in the precision bass. To me the Jazz sounds thicker, generally, but the Precision is voiced very well for sitting in the typical bass guitar slot in a band mix. They both work well though and it's a matter of taste really. The Jazz is popular amongst disco/funk players particularly but it has been used in rock music and it was also used on most of the Jamaican pop records of the '60s and early '70s so it definitely does reggae too. Neck-wise the Jazz gets much narrower towards the nut whereas the Precision is more consistent across the whole length of the fingerboard. In terms of the shape of the neck yeah, generally the P feels a bit chunkier, but it's not uncomfortable. And if you started on a P you'd never know the difference anyway, so don't let the neck profile put you off if you think the P sound is more the sound you want. TBH if you're an out-and-out rocker I'd go for a Precision. Or if you particularly like '60s music, again, I'd plump for a Precision first. But otherwise, a Jazz might be more your cup of tea. Bear in mind there are tonnes of basses which aim to please both crowds with a P pickup at the front and a J pickup at the back. Some of them are cheap, and actually quite good (the Yamaha BB basses are basically more versatile Precision-type basses, the necks feel more like a Precision than anything else, but they have that extra pickup you can mix in if you want a bit more honk to your sound). I'm glad you haven't asked about all the other bass guitars with their own distinctive signature sounds. To be fair there aren't really 'student' models of those anyway so they're not really worth bothering yourself with at the moment.

The current Squiers are nice, but if you buy one spend a bit more and get it set up by a good luthier (you can get recommendations for people in your area on this forum) because shop setups are usually sh*t, especially on their lower-priced guitars. Honestly if you swapped out the bridge, tuners, pickups on a Squier you could probably gig it for the rest of your life. The necks are very decent. Or if you're a full-on metal fan the budget Ibanez basses are alright. Or you could look at Yamaha, all their low-end basses are very nice. You're spoilt for choice, basically. But avoid super-budget names like Vintage, Harley Benton, Stagg, etc. I don't know where they're building those but they aren't pleasant to play.

I spent pretty much the whole of 1997 listening to that album. Supremely talented bassist, I don't think anyone grooves harder.

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='677322' date='Dec 7 2009, 10:58 PM']I was in a band with my now ex husband, even after we split up. You can imagine how well THAT went.[/quote] My mate was in a band with his wife, even after she started shagging the drummer behind his back. It didn't end in handshakes and well-wishing.

I've only ever been in one band where I liked everybody. Usually it's sax players who are the problem.

[quote name='mark_random' post='676887' date='Dec 7 2009, 05:18 PM']Well... THEY ARE IN STOCK! I'm not sure how I missed the delivery because I'm dying to have a go on one, but from the looks of our stock system, they arrived last week. I'll let you know for certain tomorrow when I've actually got my hands on one.[/quote] Cool, look forward to hearing your report. But they've been "in stock" at GAK since August, so you could've tried it several months ago.

[quote name='mark_random' post='676842' date='Dec 7 2009, 04:22 PM']Hi guys. I thought I should chip in... Firstly, I'm sorry to here that you have had a bad experience with GAK.CO.UK. I can only apologise on behalf of our internet team. As you probably know, we have only just started to advertise stock availability on the site and, in the majority of cases, it is working astonishingly well. However, as with any stock system, mistakes can occur and we are trying to minimise these errors where possible.[/quote] You might want to look at this then: [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/80499"]http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/80499[/url] Given that all your competitors are saying they've got them in stock or can deliver them in a matter of days, excuse me if I assume it's not an innocent mistake.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='676777' date='Dec 7 2009, 03:11 PM']To be fair it's quite difficult to get a "live stock feed" system going and working well.[/quote] True, but it's easy not to deliberately and blatantly lie about what stock you have. A few of the large online stores have had the Markbass Super Synth "in stock" since late summer with a note that it can be delivered within 2 days. Not sure how they're managing it when the pedal hasn't even been released yet, maybe not even mass-produced yet.

[quote name='4 Strings' post='676697' date='Dec 7 2009, 01:35 PM']Uninitiated here, what do the piezos do?[/quote] It's just a [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_(music_technology)#Piezoelectric_pickups"]different approach[/url] to pickup design.

[quote name='absolutpepper' post='676330' date='Dec 6 2009, 11:52 PM']I like how you went through my post and basically tore apart or disagreed with everything I said...so much for my trying to help!!!! Obviously you seem to be THE authority on bass synths.[/quote] I'm sure your post was helpful and the O.P. thanked you for it, but there's no harm in hearing more than one opinion. I was replying with regard to the tune the O.P. wanted to ape, and I only referred directly to your replies in two places. In every other part of my response if I've disagreed with what you said it's because I have a contrasting opinion to you. I haven't owned all the pedals discussed (I've owned most of them, and I've had three Bass Micro Synths so I'm fairly convinced the tracking works) but the only one I haven't at least used is the Digitech Bass Synth Wah. Oh and of course that Markbass pedal you recommended which doesn't exist yet.

The Schroeder 1212L is a very light and very capable full-range cab. You might be lucky to get one used for £300 though - they tend to go for nearer the £400 mark, but they're worth it.

I do love the old Mk1 shape. I think I'd want a pickguard if I was having one built actually.

[quote name='cgordonfreeman' post='674775' date='Dec 5 2009, 10:07 AM']Ya, that's 9 knobs alright. It's got: Volume, magnetic balance, piezo/magnetic balance, bass, mid, mid sweep, treble, piezo tone and passive tone control. The passive tone control only sounds like a passive tone as there is no passive option on the bass. John East wasn't able to make the system passive due to the piezos but still put on a passive tone control for good measure.[/quote] Crazy stuff. Well I guess if you're having a bass built for you, you might as well make it flexible. I would've had two parametric mid bands. (just kidding!)

Is that nine knobs on the front? What's it got in there that needs nine knobs?

[quote name='JTUK' post='674212' date='Dec 4 2009, 02:51 PM']!!!!!!!!!!!!! are you saying the Wal is going to cost you £3200...?? And ask yourself how easy it will be to get that sort of money back.. if and when you come to trade it in or sell it on. Sort after hot-name jazzes may get that sort of money as the market is big..not sure that applies to Wals.[/quote] Wals are pretty rare, they don't come up on the used market very often and many "players players" are known for playing them. They hold their value exceptionally well. Even the old "budget" single-pickup Pro models are still sought after. I'd much rather have a Wal than any super-jazz. It's one of the basses I've always wanted (but have always been to cheap to buy)

[quote name='Basska' post='673816' date='Dec 4 2009, 12:30 AM']I know of Fishbone but don't know any. Any album recommendations?[/quote] Fishbone are a bit difficult to recommend, they change styles on a whim, it depends what you like. They're amazing musicians though. Their first (eponymous) EP is mostly ska/punk sounding ('Party At Ground Zero' is on it), the second CD 'In Your Face' has some '80s-sounding pop/funk on it and a couple of Jamaican-influenced tunes, 'Truth And Soul' is sort-of a rock album, has a Curtis Mayfield cover on it, no real ska as such except 'Ma and Pa', but it has 'Bonin' In The Boneyard' on it which is a really full-on bass part. 'Reality Of My Surroundings' has a totally mental mix of funk, reggae, ska and punk, but I think it's probably their most representative record, and the last album with the original line-up 'Give A Monkey A Brain And He'll Swear He's The Centre Of The Universe' is... Well it's thrash metal, soft rock, Parliament-style funk, that tune I linked to above, some other really messed-up stuff. They got dropped from their label for making that record. I think it's a lot like a Parliament record in that when you're done listening to it, you feel like someone's been upstairs giving you a quick and clumsy rewiring. [quote name='Basska' post='673816' date='Dec 4 2009, 12:30 AM']If you like your Dub/Ska I'd recommend The Skints. Played with them about an hour ago and they're awesome. They're first cd isn't that good of quality tho the songs are good. They've got a new album out aswell but I don't know anything about it[/quote] I've had the new album on quite a lot over the last couple of weeks, there's some very strong material on it, but there are a couple of tunes from the old EP on there (Murderer, Sociopath). Still, they are talented, hard-working kids that lot.

I used to have a Godin Acoustibass fretless (now re-worked and sold as the [url="http://www.ninestonering.com/craig/blacka4/angle.jpg"]A4[/url]). It just had an LR Baggs transducer under the bridge and it sounded feckin huge. Amazingly acoustic-sounding for a thinline bass.

[quote name='Protium' post='673693' date='Dec 3 2009, 09:49 PM']+1 my Pedulla is a bit marmite with it. The shithouse BEAD precision sounds immense though.[/quote] My old f/less Stingray sounded ace through my Woolly Mammoth. The Thumb, not so much. So I suppose it depends.

I've never seen the official league table of bass players so I don't know who is overrated and who isn't. But I do find the flabbergasted worshippers quite amusing.

This is about as ska as I've heard Less Than Jake sound: I much prefer Sublime's sound tbh: And of course Fishbone:

[quote name='Mr Fudge' post='673034' date='Dec 3 2009, 12:10 PM']Yes, Cars by Gary Newman in particular. I know that there is a clean line in there and most of the bass is on an actual keyboard. Just looking to emulate something like. Of the general era?[/quote] The Korg G5 can do that sort of thing fairly well, but it's not entirely convincing (sounds a bit woolly to me), and it's quite limited otherwise and the way the filter works is frustrating. I was very disappointed with mine. It's also a huge pedal to lug around for one or two sounds. A gated fuzz into a chorus would probably work quite well for that, to be honest. The Akai Deep Impact would definitely do it - it's got a preset just like it - but you'd be looking at £3-350 if and when one turns up on the market because of the Muse fanboys, and you get the issues of relying on an old and discontinued pedal. The EHX Bass Micro Synth wouldn't do it, but it is excellent for '70s funk Moog-like bass sounds. And I would say the tracking is very good, I see another respondent has already said it wasn't. The Octavius Squeezer wouldn't do it because it only has one oscillator. It is a mental pedal though, the OSC sounds great and it's really versatile but it doesn't do that string synth type sound - put it through a chorus and it might though, I don't have a chorus so I can't say. The Digitech Bass Synth Wah wouldn't do it, it's a similar effect to the Bass Micro Synth but with a less good filter. The Boss SYB-5 might do the sound, but it might not track your playing well enough to produce that particular bass part reliably and cleanly. Caveat Emptor and all that, but it's cheap compared to most of your options and it's Boss so you might find one in a shop you can try out, so might be worth a look. [quote name='absolutpepper' post='673036' date='Dec 3 2009, 12:11 PM']Markbass Supersynth (£280 odd) - PROs, on paper sounds like it could be fantastic and going by their reputation and other products it likely will be. CONs, availability is difficult at the moment and as a result not many people have had the opportunity to play one and explore the sounds/features on offer.[/quote] It's not out yet - nobody's played one. Biggest CON to me is the lack of tweakability on the pedal itself, seems you have to plug it into a computer via the USB port to edit patches - not very convenient to tweak your sounds in rehearsals and I think that's really important. What sounds good at home might disappear into the mix with your band.

[quote name='OldGit' post='673056' date='Dec 3 2009, 12:27 PM']Early "first generation" Ska had 4 on the floor basslines on uprights a lot of the time and evolved from Calypso, Blues, R&B and just about everything else The 2/4 chop guitar/keys made the big difference and may have named the genre. How about some suggestions for good CD's to start with for these guys?[/quote] The originals? There are a bunch of Trojan Records collections available with the singles on them, all the stuff that was rocking the UK in the '60s.