thisnameistaken

I guess for a 'fast neck' to be a distinguishing feature there must be some slow necks out there but you never hear about those. What is a slow neck?

I can't play fast on any neck.

When you put it like that I can see how the £2000 CD player would really come into its own if the music industry decides to remaster everything properly. And you know that might happen too, stranger things have happened. In the mean time you can get much cheaper CD players you know? I mean way, way cheaper. Normal shops sell them.

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1354278205' post='1884337'] No more a nightmare than buying a CD and discovering that it sounds like a bag of spanners due to the "louder is better" trend. [/quote] If I had a £2000 CD player that sounded worse than a record player I would not consider any CD purchase a 'disaster'

Leave it. A refinish would probably lower the value if anything. Wal values are always going to be up there unless the thing's been butchered, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

[quote name='urb' timestamp='1354201999' post='1883514'] [url="http://www.bassguitarmagazine.com/current-issue"]http://www.bassguita...m/current-issue[/url][/quote] Looks like Hollywood got to John Taylor's face. Eww.

The Digitech Bad Monkey is a surprisingly good bass overdrive pedal and dirt cheap, even more so if you can find a used one. Here's one for £25 on eBay, free shipping: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bad-Monkey-by-Digitech-/290823167798?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item43b6695f36

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1354202438' post='1883528'] Then again. I think of myself as a bass[i] guitarist[/i].....and I use the devil's plectrum. [/quote] I like the pick sound although I rarely use it myself. But now I play double bass more than bass guitar so I guess I can't be a bass guitarist now.

I've never really played guitar. I've probably had one in my hands for about 20 hours at most, I've been playing bass for over 20 years. I do own a cheap strat and an acoustic for recording demos and I know a lot of chords because of course it's convenient as a bass player to be able to recognise chords played on a guitar, but I really can't play guitar very well at all.

[quote name='jaybass 70' timestamp='1354186196' post='1883148']I am really confused re the effects loop conundrum! I have a markbass TA503 and a Zoom B9 multi effect, in the Markbass manual it says I can run effects pedals or rack gear through the loop, am i best going direct into the zoom with my bass or using the loop, it sounds good either way to me.[/quote] I don't know anything about the B9 but I guess since it's a floor unit it's probably designed to run on an instrument level signal, but if it sounds fine in the FX loop by all means put it there if it's the best solution for you. I imagine the Markbass loop is still a line-level loop regardless of what it says in the manual.

Just wondering what you chaps do when you're faced with a repetitive pattern in Eb or Bb minor with a lot of root/third stuff in it. Do you play it in half position and constantly have to move, or do you play it further up the board? I prefer the sound in the lower positions but it just doesn't seem practical sometimes. Do I just give up and move to a more comfortable position?

[quote name='Si600' timestamp='1354111875' post='1882190']Thanks At the risk of properly derailing the original thread, what's the FX loop for if it doesn't supply the right signal for a pedal board?[/quote] Rack units usually take a line-level input - FX loops are designed to accommodate rack effects. Pedal manufacturers (usually) assume you'll take a cable direct from your guitar since you'll be standing right next to it. It's fairly logical but I agree a bit of a pain to have two different approaches to doing the same thing.

[quote name='Si600' timestamp='1354102280' post='1882002']What happens to signal degredation via cable if you use the FX loop? 3m from bass to the amp, 3m out to the board and then another 3m back to the amp before it hits the speaker? Just asking really, 9m of cabling may not make a huge difference but I'm curious whether it does.[/quote] Well the signal coming out of the FX loop is usually a line-level low-impedance signal, so it will survive cable travels better than the signal from your bass. But most pedals are designed to operate with an instrument-level signal at the input - not line-level - and some (vintage fuzz circuits particularly) operate best when fed a higher impedance signal from the passive pickups of a guitar/bass and don't sound so great when fed by active electronics, so they would no doubt be even worse in an FX loop. In short: 9m is (IME) enough cable to suck tone, but after the first 3m you've got your amp so the signal gets buffered right there. From there you're looking at a mere 6m run to the board and back which isn't too bad at all, but you might find your pedals don't like the signal you're giving them.

If anyone didn't already order one (or two!) of these, snap up one of these spares - they are ideal for mounting jacks to tailpieces and if you don't need one now you will sooner or later.

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1354062688' post='1881732'] Analogue EQ's work by causing phase changes (for the most part); that is an additional distortion of the signal. Hence it is less pure if you use an EQ. If purity is your goal why would you ever try and fix a percieved issue by adding distortion and ohase issues (as well as a dose of treble or bass that they room you are in can't handle), when the issue isnt in the source but the room?[/quote] It's difficult to argue that the source isn't a problem without knowing what the source is, and it's difficult to argue that building a good listening room is the answer when changing the furniture or simply inviting over some fat people is going to change the sound. I think this is why consumer EQ units sell. But mainly people disagree with the production decisions on the records they buy, and they like to do stupid-but-powerful things like doubling the power in all the bass frequencies. Depending on the record maybe that's not a bad thing to do. But it's moot to argue about consumer activity when talking about snake-oil hi-fi, because the only music that ever gets played on snake-oil hi-fi equipment is Pink Floyd.

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1354039868' post='1881311'] If I get time this evening I may do a little bit of analysis on my bass tone - record the same passage with 10ft, 20ft and fx pedals in bypass sort of thing - it wont be scientific but it will be interesting [/quote] I don't know that I ever tried 20ft - I usually use 15ft from board to amp and 10ft from my guitars, although that is sometimes 15ft, so I think my experiments were with either 25ft or 30ft. That's not to say you won't notice with 20ft, just that I don't think I tried that.

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1354029710' post='1881095'] Yes, it can, however, IME its far more likely that pedal board signal degradation is due to poor quality interconnecting patch cables. I use 10 ft in to the board and 10 or 20ft out of it, I couldn't care less about true bypass vs buffered - actually in point of fact I'd far rather have a really great buffered signal than a true bypass signal, since it will (again IME) degrade significantly less with cable length. However a good active circuit goes a hell of a long way towards making that unimportant (again IME). Yes you can probalby measure some degradation, but in live use I haven't been able to really notice any degradation in my board with either active bass, but you cantell (albeit slightly) with the passive one. [/quote] I've noticed a deadening of the sound of my Warwick over 25-30ft cable runs with only a true bypass switch connecting two decent-quality instrument cables - no patch cables involved in the signal path. It was noticeable to me, especially when I then just plugged a single 15ft cable directly into my amp. Sure it's worse with a passive bass I agree, but it's bad enough to be a problem with actives in my experience. My strategy is to always have one 'master switch' pedal that I can push to take all of my effects out of the signal path entirely, and I'm currently using a box that Max at SFX built for me as a transparent buffer (as well as being a 2-channel mixer). Prior to that I used a Boss LS-2 (not quite good enough IMO - some noticeable treble loss when in bypass, wasn't too bad though) and prior to that a passive true-bypass loop switch (not nearly good enough - tone suck central). In terms of interconnecting patch cables I use George Ls but I'm not massively concerned with what they do to my sound because my sound is going to get gnarled up by my effects when they are in the signal path anyway, there's no bass guitar sound worth preserving once the signal's gone down one of those routes.

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1354028950' post='1881074']*snipped good stuff about acoustics* As for True bypass vs Buffered? Use an active bass and stop worrying about it [/quote] I'm not ignoring the wink at the end there but I'm sure you know that even a low-impedance signal can get obviously degraded after 20 or so feet of cable.

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1354027867' post='1881045'] you can go whatever route you want. Fact is that many Amplifier manufacturers choose to produce amps without tone controls. It is not a fact that those who choose to purchase them are uneducated audiofiles [/quote] No I meant what would [i]you[/i] do. I'm pretty content with the sound I'm getting from my hi-fi and the furthest thing from my mind is removing all the tone controls to see if it sounds better. I wanted to know what you - as a believer in this approach - what procedure would you employ to match your hi-fi components perfectly to your listening environment? I am willing to concede that removing all the tone controls from your setup would be a good thing if you can explain how you find out what is exactly the right setup for your room. And could you also describe what changes you would make if you bought a new sofa. Would you then begin the entire process again from the start?

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1354027614' post='1881037'] I have used true bypass and buffered effects and IMO my Tone is alot better without either. [/quote] But you don't understand why, and you've ended up back where you started with no more of a clue than you had in the first place, which makes your experimentation completely worthless!

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1354005381' post='1880596']finding a wasp nest in my shed and backing out quickly only to stumble and do a backwards roll into my other shed![/quote] I'm really sorry to hear you're in pain but that's the funniest thing I've read in ages.

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1354026542' post='1881011']Dont agree. High end Hi Fi is about careful matching of your components in order to get the optimum sound to suit a given situation. Tone controls help when the marching is not optimum in order to compensate. Pity though that all Hi Fi buffs who use high end amps without tone controls are uneducated audiophiles [/quote] So if your intention was to eliminate tone controls from your home hi-fi, and instead carefully match your components to suit your living room, how would you go about doing that? I guess you'd do spectrum analyses of your room and take that data to the hi-fi shop who would match your EQ requirements to a specific set of components? What if the exact set of components for your room don't exist? Do you capitulate and buy an EQ - a consumer unit specifically designed to fix the problem you're having - or do you start remodelling your house? Your approach sounds impractical for both the consumer and the hi-fi industry, who presumably can't mass-produce anything any more because it all needs to be built bespoke to match individual listening rooms. I suppose that does at least go some way to justifying the ridiculous prices.

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1354026497' post='1881009'] OK then all those that use true bypass are stupid. Guess all you guys using EBS, Markbass, and other true bypass effects best chuck them in the thrash.[/quote] Are you reading my posts before you reply to them? There's nothing stupid about using boxes with true bypass switching so long as you understand what that means and what the benefits (and drawbacks) are. If you do then you can make it work for you. If you don't then you'll probably end up making an incorrect assumption about why your bass sounds like sh*t, followed by a triumphant thread about how you heroically threw the baby out with the bathwater. [quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1354026497' post='1881009']I have fixed the problem. I have ditched my effects,so i need not depend on any electronic circuit, buffered or otherwise to manipulate my tone.[/quote] Good for you. All that was left for me to do is explain it to all the potential readers that may come in here with similar problems so they don't make the same mistakes that you made. Now you have served as an warning to others, so it's all good.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1354023002' post='1880916'] The main subjects I feel like i could contribute to include: mental tricks and studies to develop different feels and so on. Also, how to build musical parts anound singers, songs and drummers. You notice i said musical, not "bass parts". I don't think of myself playing bass lines. I like to think that I play music.[/quote] That could be a valuable resource. I think bass players probably more than any other musicians have a quite concrete opinion of what they see as their 'role' in an ensemble. I think it's a shame, and I think it stops a lot of people from playing what they would like to play because they are worried about whether they're filling this space that they imagine they ought to be filling. I listen way more to singers than I do to drummers, and concentrate on accompanying the singer not the drummer, but I always hear this advice about 'locking in' with a drummer. Sure do that if all you want to do is emphasise the drum part, but there are so many other approaches that work and contribute more to a song.

[quote name='pendingrequests' timestamp='1354019061' post='1880823']I understand everyone is in a different situation and maybe plays different covers and music to what I am. I'm just a very big supporter of less tech and pedals and more classic tone and sound.[/quote] And yet - according to your signature - you have four Boss pedals in a row before your bass signal gets to your amp? Boss buffers aren't the worst in the world (and they are certainly better than nothing) but they do make a noticeable difference to your sound. If you do want to use those pedals and still have a quality bypass signal you would benefit greatly from bypassing them all with a loop pedal that uses better quality components.