dave_bass5

Ive already commented on my change from Cali to Spectracomp, but today we had a rehearsal and i took both. Now, i know the Cali has more knobs, and has some sort of ‘magic’ in it, (apparently), but the Spectracomp blew it away, at least for my tone. Just using the TC tone print Rockwall brought everything to life. I know the Cali is a more than capable comp, and it was the fact that it has more knobs that made it appealing, but ive really struggled to get it to work to a point where i need it. Maybe the Spectracomp having so many parameters does make more of a difference. The fact tha tit has one knob was the thing that sent me looking for something that was more tweakable in a live situation, but its also the feature that means in not always playing with it. i can see the Cali working better for me in a recording situation, it does sound warm and less aggressive, but as i dont plan on doing any of that then its off the board.

Maybe try lowering the pick ups as well. Now the strings are closer to them the tone will change. Its worth noting that the lower you go with the strings, the more chance you get of fret buzz/clank. These can also effect the tone. As John said, you might need a slightly softer touch now as well. I suppose it deepens on how low you went. Did you take any measurements?

Very true.......i should know

Agreed (and im not one of the many you mention lol). Ive seen loads of bass players that dont use compression on bass, unless for effect. I get that in a large PA rig most things will have it, and i understand why, but thats not really what we are talking about here. To get a good tight bass tone you need many things, but if some people can do it without using compression then that shows compression isnt always needed. If it sounds good to your ears, no harm in using it of course, but its not esential to sounding good and tight.

There are those who feel a compressor is essential to get a good, tight sound, and there are those that have a good tight sound without using a comp. Surely both cant be right lol.

Exactly. It should be set and forget, and with my other pedals I tend to leave them as they are. With the Cali, it’s like I don’t really need it but I’ve spent all that money on it and I need to get it to do something wonderful. Dont get me wrong, it does make a difference, and does what it’s supposed to, but it also distracting (especially the light). I got the Spectracomp when I started using my Jazz bass again. I wanted to beef up the notes on the D and G strings, so thought a comp would help with that. Either even the output from all the strings, or at least tame the lower notes. It did work to an extent, and the Spectracomp was just left on all the time. When I read about the Cali’s side chain and HFP this seemed to do exactly what I was looking for, with dedicated knobs. Having just the one knob means I can tweak it slightly, but I tend to just leave it alone, as without the Tone Print software I can’t adjust much. This is actually a good thing, and why I’m going to go back to it. I thought having the Cali I could at least fine tune things on the fly, but I’ve found having just one knob that changes a few things at once is easer than having 6 knobs. I had a rehearsal last night, and didn’t take any comp. I was going through the studio rig and did feel I should have taken a comp. No one else noticed but I felt the upper notes were a bit too loud, louder than normal (with my P bass). This showed I can make use of a compressor, and I can see what its been doing, so I will keep using compression, just not an expensive one.

Thats why i have a Cali 76 that i dont use lol.

Like flats, i love playing 5 string basses, but always go back to 4's (and rounds). Dunno, you tell us how it went :-)

I have to agree. I used to download all my music for about 10 years, but these days im all above board and pay for Spotify. You cant go basing the current trend on what was the norm decades ago. times change. Back then musicians were paid a fortune, now they aren't. Thats just the way things are.

I was raving about my Cali 76 CB a month ago, so much better than my Spectracomp (for me). Well, ive now done two rehearsals without turning it on, and i dont miss it at all. I think, as always, i was looking for a solution to a problem that didnt exist, and more so willing to throw money at it. In hindsight the Spectracomp was doing just as good a job, although that was used as set and forget. With the Cali im forever looking for that sweet spot. Less choice means less mucking about IMO. Ill stick my Spectracomp back on the board and use that if i need compression. Glad i didn't sell it now. Id rather have that sitting not begin used than the Cali.

What a load of rubbish. Its the job of the singer to sing and be the focal point (most of the time). If the singer is part of a band then he is part of a band. Its a team effort. If the band (inc the signer) rehearse a song why does the singer get to change things on the night without asking the other's?. What if someone else in the band is struggling to play faster? The whole night could go to pot if the band cant keep up. A singer is a singer, not some sort of higher being. I do realise that a lot of singers feel they are 'god', and its only them on stage, but just because they think that doesn't mean its true, and anyone with an ego that size really should check themselves in to a clinic. If you are hired to back a singer then fair enough, you do as you are told, but if you are a band then the singer has no right to expect to call the shots, unless he is a Richard.

We’re learning that song at the moment. I sit at home and play along with a YT bass cover video with the tab. All sounds good, but at rehearsals I’m having to miss out 1/3 of the notes due to the speed were are playing at (and the change of rhythm because the drummer cant actually play it straight). Funny , but I thought I had escaped having to learn this song, I guess the past is catching up with me now..

Looks very tasty already. Not for me, but I think its going to be a big hit.

i always find its the drummer that decided to change/set the tempo of songs. Once the band are paying the singer has no choice but to go with it.

I always shim my necks. I like a med/low action but hate seeing the strings rise as they get past the 12th firet. The shim seems to keep things in line. Not that I ever go above the 12th though.....

I finally got around to playing with my Q/strip at home last night. Just Bass- Q/S - Zoom B3n in bypass mode and headphones. Ok, so its an EQ, not really much to expect. Plugged The Sire V7 in and had a play. Very powerful but i found the best tones were almost flat on the boosts. I never really had a 'wow' moment but i can see it potential. Saying that, even with it off and using my normal Zoom presets i wasn't feeling it last night. I thought id drag the P bass out for a quick go, not played it for months.....WOW, there it is!!!!. I was amazed by how much a small turn on the two mid freq's can go from almost both pups on Jazz tone, to bridge only growl pup, on my P bass. Obviously all the tones in between, but im really, really impressed with this box. I still realise its nothing really special, its just EQ, and all this may not translate donkey well to using it with a rig in a band situation, but its so easy to tweak to get quite different tones that im really over the moon with it. So, back to playing P bass again, although i will miss the B sting. Might invest in a Sire P bass at some point. This obviously delays it going in to the Classifieds for a few months now :-)

Well sometimes it seems like it, although that has nothing to do with her :-) It definitely changed the dynamic of the band, although as my drummer lacks dynamics that's not a bad thing lol.

Same here. In the old band me and the drummer travelled together in his car. We were always on time and continuously having to make excuses for the others being late. The guitarist we had was the worst time keeper ive ever known, other than the drummer when playing :-). We had to start getting to gigs late just so we weren't always in the firing line at weddings etc, when only half the band had arrived. In my current band i travel with my GF (the singer, we live together), and she drives, and is also always late. I get very frustrated and normally arrive in a bad mood.

Or a Way Huge Pork Loin, which i believe is also based on the Neve front end.

I had that on last night and it did seem to do something with my tone. I wouldn't say it was a huge improvement, certainly not as much as backing off the low knob on my bass, but its nice to have a safety net i guess. I do intend to use the Q/strip for a few instruments so its not just for bass.

Its definitely not normal. I use mine with various pedals. I think Danny might be on to something, especially as it does work without the pedals. Good luck, let us know what the outcome is.

Silly question but have you considered its the pre amp not working? It wouldn't have killed your pedals if they still work.

I had my first go on mine last night. It arrived during the day and i went straight off to rehearsals. I will say i love it, love how it looks, love what it can do but think its waaaaay over priced. i agree, at £308 its not quite good value for money, but thats not to say its not going to do its job. During the rehearsal i played with it, and yes, its very powerful. Problem was i was going through the studio's 2 1x15 Behringer cabs, and standing right in front of them. It sounded good to me, but listening back to the recording it was very boomy. My fault of course, and i need more time with it. I ended up using it more off than on, just so i didnt keep the band waiting while i fiddled with it. Next rehearsal isnt for a few weeks so ill have the hang of it by then, and ill also use my own cab. Those 1x15's are horrible, but convenient. Im not sure how useful it twill be yet, but i can see its potential. I think its much better suited for home or studio use though.

I recently purchased a Tascam DR-05 recorder for recording rehearsals. This replaced my old and trusted Edirol recorder. The Tascam producrs much better rectordings, clearer, more even and oval just a big step up from what i had before. I’m very pleased with the results, especially at this price point. My only worry, is that the recording levels goes from 0-100, and i have to set it to 3 to avoid overloading. This works well (and yes, i have asked the band to turn down) but my old recorder(s) had a mic attenuation control on them. I’m just wondering if I should get something that also has this, or just live with wha ti had. I must admit I’m a bit worried about the louder peaks, although th limiter keeps them in check. Thoughts? I’m only use this as a stand alone, its not practical to plug a desk or mic’s in, its just for analysis purposes anyway. My gut feeling is if it works dont worry, but i thought i’d get some opinions before spending more money, in case sonically i could get better.

If it were me, id go for the one in the colour i want and in stock (or earliest delivery time). Other than that, its a personal thing. Order both in none in stock, and then cancel the one you decide against. Ive gone back to using mine again (after about 2 years of using a P bass), and love it. Im finding i use it mostly in passive mode, and it sounds more like i want a Jazz bass to sound, over any other Jazz bass ive played. And that's without engaging the active EQ.