Frank Blank

Thanks for this Sir. I’m already quite taken with the black Babicz but very interested in the other options, hmmm.

This is true. I do have a tuner that’s on all the time but I find myself referring to it rarely initially it gave me confidence but you are quite right, nothing beats actually refining your musical ear. A tuner can be a tool to achieve this refinement rather than something to rely on instead of improving one’s ear.

I use a Peterson StroboClip HD, it’s on all the time I’m playing, just practice, practice, practice. Play tunes with no ‘fretless content’ so to speak. As other people have said, after a while going back to fretted feels like a regressive move, fretted instruments begin to feel restrictive.

👍

AER make the best combos for double bass there are, full stop.

I’m looking at a QSC TouchMix 8 for some reason...

This is great info, I'll be looking into the Zoom, cheers.

What did you replace it with?

Reaching new levels of dumb here but how would I switch them on and off if they are in parallel? The Fishman has a boost and a tuner mute but is just ‘on’ when an instrument is plugged into the input?

*sigh* I’m holding out because, indeed, I have two basses and want two distinct sounds but I want the cleanest most uncoloured sound possible from both and that’s all I want, those two. Again I would feel like I wasn’t using a fraction of the capabilities of a Helix just to get two variations of eq and gain? I feel as if my (by now no doubt boring) query is coming around to your earlier two preamps with a line switcher suggestion. Mind you there are smaller Helixes... (I’m assuming you are using the top Helix model?)

1. jebroad 2. Len_Derby 3. Jabba_the_gut 4. Spondonbassed - Hohner B2A 5. Andyjr1515 6. Jimothey 7. Mojo 8. Owen 9. Teebs 10. Josie 11. Aidan63 12. Frank Blank Will be bringing Rob Allen Mouse, a fretted Godin A4, an Ibanez SRC6 and a Fishman / QSC FRFR setup.

I have an acoustic bass and a passive bass that need separate eq but ultimately to go into one input on the QSC. When we rehearse I go through the QSC but my partner sings and plays acoustic mostly unamplified, occasionally they will use an amp but rarely. In a live situation I play the acoustic bass through the Fishman, into the QSC and DI out from the back of the QSC, my partner usually DIs straight to the desk and relies on the venue’s foldback, so, at the moment, we don’t share anything.

In my QRC just bass.

Foldback for both of us.

Thanks @jrixn1, will take a shufti.

I don’t think it looks odd or ridiculous to see anyone on stage wearing over ear headphones, certainly if it’s the difference between you continuing to play or not. I’d wear ‘em like a shot at the drop of a hat!

Hmmmm. I’m now on the horns of a dilemma. As enlightening as the mixer route info is (seriously cheers @EBS_freak) it is useful in another way as in to hone my nebulous ideas about what I want/need between my bass and the QSC. I will further discuss the live mixer route with my duo partner and no doubt come back here for further info. What worries me about the mixer route is it means (or at least will for me) a lot of learning new stuff, which, of course, isn’t a bad thing but a) I’m not particularly tech minded and b) I’m trying to keep the kit as small as possible. I have read up on the Grace Designs Felix which appears to have two channels with separate EQs, as does the Bassbone OD (thanks @Muzz). I’m also not averse to the idea of having two preamps and switching between them with something like the Boss LS-2, but again it’s not the ‘one box solution’ which brings me then back to @EBS_freak‘s mixer solutions. I suppose I’m thinking more of when I’m at home noodling/writing I just want a very simple set up but one where I can swap basses quickly (thinking about it that applies to live too). I asked the initial question because I hoped there was such a thing as a two channel preamp that could drive the QSC and cope with inputs from a passive electric bass and an active acoustic. I think I’m worried that if I went down the mixer route I’d barely use a fraction of its capabilities but then they are there when possibly needed in the future (and once I’ve learned the difference between an XLR and a barometer). Then there’s cost, the Felix is around £1100 and does a very specific job, albeit brilliantly apparently, then the mixers cost much less but do loads more, but are bigger, more complicated, bloody cables everywhere... Not so much the horns of a dilemma but the antlers maybe, anyway, as always, everyone thanks for the input.

One thing I do know... you gots to love a quality come-back. First class.

It strikes that rare balance of being complicated yet still serving the song perfectly, it is, as you say, just a great bass line.

Oddly enough for me I did start off playing it down by the nut (I play higher up the neck usually) but my tutor soon had me up on the 7th!

Foolishly I decided to transcribe Pump it Up by Elvis Costello at my last bass lesson, and I’ve been practicing it ever since, blimey Bruce Thomas was some player.

They really do!

This is really helpful interesting info thanks.

Cheers dude.