thisnameistaken

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1354015432' post='1880753'] I am aware of the ongoing discussion of True bypass V Buffer. Different players have different opinions. little consensus here.[/quote] If there is no consensus then it's because a lot of people are stupid. Everybody knows cable capacitance deteriorates audio signals. This is a proven phenomenon. 'True bypass' does nothing to improve this situation so naturally if you add more cable you lose more signal. This is not a matter for opinion, it's simply true. [quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1354015432' post='1880753']I have used a sansamp preamp in the past and it has an fet buffer but I found it deteriorated the tone and certainly did not give not the same sound as what i would get when i went straight to my amp.[/quote] Then it's a crap buffer using poor quality components. Use a better one. [quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1354015432' post='1880753']I use High end 10ft. cables and a Sadowsky NYC bass. In my experience a 10 ft cable directly from the guitar to the amp is going to give you a better tone than a guitar~board~board ~amp set up regardless of whether the pedal is buffer or true bypass.[/quote] The board itself - if it really is 'true bypass' - will make practically no difference, it will only add a few inches of cable to your setup and nothing more. The big difference is doubling the length of your cable run and not fixing the problem you've created by doing that.

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1353963954' post='1880375']Boss say The GT6B is true bypass. That may be the case, but i found that even in true bypass mode it sucked my tone when compared with the signal going directly from the guitar to the amp.[/quote] If it is true bypass then you may well still have been experiencing 'tone suck' from your cables. Bear in mind that if you're running a pedalboard you're probably running twice the length of cable that you would ordinarily be using (guitar->board, board->amp). If you are then you need to make some effort to buffer your signal along the way to preserve the high end - true bypass will not do that for you. Put a good line driver in the middle and you'd get exactly the same sound you'd get if you went straight to the amp. The problem was your understanding of how your gear works, not your gear. As is often the case.

If you're considering a contact mic, also take a look at the Ehrlund EAP. BC member daflewis is selling them in the UK. There's a thread about it here and a couple of quite long threads on Talkbass with lots of experiences documented. I put one on my bass a couple of months back because I was sick of the sound of piezos and it has made amplifying my bass so much more enjoyable. With regard to the feedback issue versus a piezo element, it is probably the case that the piezo will go a bit louder so depending on the kind of gigs you're doing it may be worth having a piezo too, but in my experience the Ehrlund goes surprisingly loud and - more to the point - is more audible because you can hear all of the instrument.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1353930796' post='1879775'] BBC headline reads: 'Jazz bassist Marcus Miller's tour bus in fatal crash' [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20486184"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...t-arts-20486184[/url] Trouble is, MM never plays Jazz.[/quote] I suppose they were being sympathetic. 'Cheesy '80s bassist' would be a bit harsh given that he's in hospital.

I used to get a bad sound through my effects units too. Rather than removing them I just found the best way to bypass them when I'm not using them, now my bass sounds just like it ought to whether I've got my pedalboard in the signal chain or not. But by all means throw the whole lot away if you're happy with no effects.

My Ehrlund had its first attempt at keeping up with a drummer today, in a too-small rehearsal room so my bass was positioned half-way between my amp and a guitar amp. Guitarist of course was too loud because he's a guitarist. The mic really surprised me. I did struggle a little with feedback but it was because the guitar amp was pointing at my bass and only about 3 feet away - it was the guitar causing the feedback not my bass. Still it managed to be loud enough to be heard, I could hear myself clearly all the time and it was just a brilliant feeling compared to struggling with various piezos over the past couple of years. And I realised once I got there that I hadn't auditioned the position that I'd mounted the mic - I'd taken it off to find a better way of dealing with the cable and then just stuck the mic back on without testing it, so it wasn't even the best sound I could have got. Good stuff!

A passive bass would probably suit your music better but there's no reason why you can't get the sound you want with the gear you have. Have you really tried everything with the EQ on both the bass and the amp? I've never come across an amp that couldn't roll off enough treble.

Cheers Clarky mine were here when I got home, I've got one on the Ehrlund now but I'll have to remove the G to put one on my Realist... Wish they'd just offer these with the pickups!

But at the same time there are people who only come here to sell stuff. Given that they're not really participating in any other way I think it's reasonable to expect the host to receive some token amount from their trades.

On a more positive note, with two extra strings we could rid the world of guitarists.

I imagine it may come with a more formal way of generating a commission for BC. I think a sales commission would be fair enough given how much gear changes hands here, but I still don't like the classifieds-style approach.

Seems you already know she's right so I don't have to say anything. I try to make sure my stuff is kept out of the way of 'tidying hands', not to mention bouncy dogs.

I think the move to 'classifieds' style selling makes sales seem a bit more private. I don't think this is a good thing at BC, because the kind of peer review of for sale threads that we've had in the past has always been a positive addition IMHO. I certainly feel a lot more comfortable buying from people who are discussing their item openly than I would through a classified ad - even though these are the same people they seem more anonymous through that kind of listing. Just my opinion.

Put flats on the 4. There, now you need both. That's why I've got two bass guitars.

Yeah my Ehrlund jack is currently held on with velcro ties and a big pad of foam to isolate it from the tailpiece. :/

I bumped into a singer in the street last night who I'd been trying to form a band with earlier in the year. At first I thought 'Oh hello, might get something organised finally', then as we were chatting she mentioned she was supposed to be going to meet a band that night but 'can't be bothered'. Alarm bells! Shame. Still flaky.

The Schroeder 1212L is a one-hand carry, I think it's a bit pricey given the construction to be honest but it sounds good and is very portable, I don't think I'll ever shift mine.

Awesome, thanks so much for this!

[quote name='anthomp' timestamp='1353091420' post='1871633'] You have the choice of staying in your bedroom doing your best "Portraits of Tracy" and "victors" or you go out and become entertainers.[/quote] There's a fair bit of range in being an entertainer though. How many bands can you think of who had a chart hit with Mustang Sally? Why didn't all the other bands in the history of popular music record it and release it as a single? After all, everybody ****ing loves it so much don't they, playing anything else is just churlish surely.

Brilliant. I wanted to order one of these when I got my Ehrlund but it seemed like a pain to do. Put me down for two of them, I'll put one on my Realist as well.

[quote name='mike257' timestamp='1352993417' post='1870282']it is a guaranteed winner every time we play it. People sing, dance and have fun to that song without fail at every event we play - why wouldn't we play it?[/quote] I can't give you a reason why you wouldn't play it, only the reasons why I wouldn't play it. I'm quite content to be called a snob if it's the worst criticism that can be levelled at me. I also don't watch X Factor and don't buy lottery tickets - throw me out of England.

He's had those gooseneck mics going on for ages. Apparently he breaks them all the time.

[quote name='ratman' timestamp='1352989212' post='1870209'] I've played this song probably every other gig for almost 20 years. For sure, it gets tedious at times. But the crowds love it, and they can join in. And we're here to entertain them, aren't we?[/quote] You don't ever think you should strive to do more than that?

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1352975228' post='1869930']What's more enjoyable at a gig - an audience dancing around and singing along or sitting completely still in their chairs? To paraphrase Ecclesiastes 3:2, a time for unabashed entertainment and a time for jazz. [/quote] At first I thought your reply was a facetious response arguing that if you're not playing Mustang Sally you must be playing some indigestible self-indulgent nonsense, but then I realised it was a clever metaphor to demonstrate that the reason there are thousands of bands playing Mustang Sally is because none of them have the imagination to realise that there are acres of middle ground they could be occupying.

[quote name='thumperbob 2002' timestamp='1352971941' post='1869868']I particularly hate the " we have always done things like that and its always gone down well" train of thought and wish musicians would try to be less lazy with their set choices and push the envelope somewhat.[/quote] I don't know if it's laziness, or the oft-cited altruistic and noble desire to please the audience, or simply an egotistical need to have the public slurring along to choruses so the band feel like they're special. I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the third one yet. Bit close to the bone?