Naetharu

[quote name='SICbass' timestamp='1443124068' post='2872507'] I've only have flats on one of my basses and they're fenders. They're find sound-wise, but I don't really get along with the feel of them. They're ok if my hands are dry or really sweaty, but when they're in that, in between, moist state, I find the flats grip like mad and prevent me sliding. Am I alone in this or can anyone with more flats experience recommend another make to try which don't have this drawback? [/quote] GHS Fast Fret is fantastic for solving this. I use it all the time and it makes playing much easier. Its also great if you are going for fast runs using finger style playing. We do a cover of The Trooper by Iron Maiden and a bit of fast fret down on the plucking area of the strings makes getting those speedy triplets much easier

+1 on the zero fret. I have one on my main bass and it works a treat. The string tension at the first fret feels much nicer than on basses with proper nuts.

Wow! Talk about a bargain. Congrats. I've not had the pleasure of using one of those heads but they do have the cab in the reversal studio my band uses and it utterly rocks. Even my little ashdow class d sounds massive through it. You've got yourself a fantastic rig there!

[quote name='cybertect' timestamp='1441811762' post='2861990'] I must admit to have been most intrigued by your note about these strings on my fretless Stingray's NBD thread. Not so sure I want to go modifying the nut to fit them though. As a band I play with tunes a semi tone flat, that's only liable to be worse if I went for a heavier set to keep the tension up (I don't like strings to be too slack). [/quote] I just thought I'd chip in to say I popped some Black Nylons on my bass this week and they went on fine. They're the 50 - 105 gauge La-Bella set and there was no need to mess with the nut at all. The tension is certainly different to all metal strings but it's not the same as a slack string. The Nylon seems to give them a lot more spring. Also, I tune down for some tracks as well as play a few in Drop-D and there seems to be no tension issues. The only thing I needed to do was raise my bridge saddles a little to allow for the greater movement in the strings (but then I had the action [b]very [/b]low before) I'd honestly suggest you give them a go - they sound amazing and feel fantastic to play. I doubt I will ever go back to all metal strings.

Nice one! Really looking forward to seeing some pictures when you get it [quote name='disgrace of bass' timestamp='1442993837' post='2871143'] What are your thoughts on having a bass built for you to your very own requirement? And what would you be prepared to pay? [/quote] As to this, I would say 100% worth it. Just had the same done with my Maruszczyk and its perfect for me - just everything I want and need from a bass. I guess the one caveat is that you have to know what you want/need. But so long as you have a clear idea of what it is you are looking for a custom bass is well worth the outlay - not to mention that as you've found, it need not cost any more than an off the shelf job from Fender.

Cheers folks, that has been really interesting. It seems that there are some really good reasons for the way things here. It was just a big surprise for me when I moved across to bass to find that, while superficially similar, there are so many differences between bass and guitar amps that I had to start learning from scratch again. I also get the weight issue now I just had my first band practice in a room that was up a set of old winding stairs. I have to say I was rather chuffed with my little class-D stuffed into my backpack at that point

Hi folks, I came across this via the MTD website and I'm curious about the claims that Buzz Feiten makes regarding tuning. Given that it is used on MTD basses I'm guessing there is something to it and I was wondering if anyone here has given it a try? http://www.buzzfeiten.com/howitworks/howitworks.htm The idea seems to be to create pitch offsets akin to those that you would find on a piano. Curiously I always thought that the tuning you get for a piano was a compromise needed due to the difficulty of harmonic tuning over such a wide range of octaves, but all the same the claim here is that it produces a cleaner chord sound. Having read the details on Buzz Feiten's side a few times I am puzzled as to what role the shelf nut is playing. It seems like a different issue to the tuning per-se. If so, is it possible to just tune any old bass/guitar with these offsets? Any thoughts you have would be most interesting.

Hi folks, Having just started out gigging I'm looking to insure my gear and I was hoping that some of you more experienced folks could point me in the direction of a good insurance company. Any points would be greatly appreciated. James

For me it has been 'Spirit of the Radio' by RUSH, Lots of little triplet runs and other rhythmically tricky bits. I'm not quite there with it yet but it is an awesome track so I'll keep working. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tq-UsaRchI

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1442990548' post='2871101'] From my understanding the physical cost of transformers and bits of a 200w valve amp is higher than a 5w guitar valve amp - plus where's the demand? [/quote] Perhaps, though companies like Marshall make 100-watt valve heads that retail around the £600 mark so I doubt it can be that only. As to the demand, I guess that is part of my question. Is it the case that valve amps just don't work as well for bass, do bassists have needs that make SS amps better or is it just a case of that is the way it is and so we are content with the options we have.

Hi folks, Before picking up bass as my main instrument I spent some time playing guitar. Now what has really surprised me since making the change to bass is just how different the range of amps are. Guitar stuff seems to be all about valve these days, and even very cheap stuff contains some valve tech for the most part. For example, I have a Blackstar practice combo (sub £200) that is valve based, and a VOX amp (£450ish) which is pure valve. By comparison I cannot seem to find a bass amp that is pure valve anywhere under around £1200 and most are closer to the £2000 mark or more. I know there are a few amps with valve pre-amp sections that come in a little cheaper, but none-the-less it really surprises me how different the range of amps on offer is between guitar and bass. So I guess my question is why is this the case? Do bassists not really enjoy valve amps as much? Is there a good reason for Solid State bass amps that does not apply to guitar? Or perhaps have we just not caught up with guitar amps in being able to produce quality valve heads at a reasonable budget? Just curiosity on my part really I guess. Any insight would be appreciated. All the best James

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1442929411' post='2870632'] It probably is, if it doesn't go tits-up tomorrow. Time will tell. Funny you should speak of re-housing... I was thinking of using the box for a [i]proper [/i]valve amp... [/quote] Sounds like a good plan, are you looking to build it from scratch yourself? I must admit building my own valve amp is on my 'to do' list one day when I have a bit more spare cash to chuck around.

Humm looks nice to be honest - I'm tempted with one for a back-up at that price. Might have to re-house it in a smaller case mind but all the same, at £88 it looks to be a total bargain.

It might be worth considering this Ashdown for sale on here right now: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/269486-ashdown-mibass-20-amp-500-watt/ For the price the seller is asking its a cracker of an amp. I use one myself with a 112 cab and it holds its own against a very 'enthusiastic' metal drummer and two guitar players armed with great big 100-watt valve heads into 4x10 cabs. The bonus with this one being that it weighs pretty much nothing - I carry mine in a bag along with pedals/cables/etc. making getting into and out of practice/gigs a dream.

[quote name='Shabbs' timestamp='1442782428' post='2869497'] Can vouch for the Ibanez SR506, outstanding instrument. [/quote] While I love the Ibanez basses I find that they neck (at least on my SR300) is too thin for me - I end up with cramp in my hands. I'm a little cautious that the same may be true of the six-string since while clearly wider, I think the necks are still very thin front-to-back.

Cheers folks, that's been really helpful. The RBX-JM2 looks great - I'm going to pop that on the top of my watch list and hope one appears for sale sometime soonish.

Hi folks, Having recently joined a Prog/Metal band I find myself playing stuff that could benefit from a bass with extended range. After a bit of deliberation I'm inclined to skip a five-string and go for a full six since the addition of the high C would be pretty useful on quite a few of the tracks. So, what I am really looking for is a bit of advice about which bass might be worth considering for my first six string. Trying any out is pretty much out of the question. It's hard enough to find non-Fender 4-strings in music shops around here let along six strings. The important things for me are:[list] [*]No more than £500, but less if possible [*]Weight and balance such that I realistically gig it [*]String spacing as close to 19mm as possible (i.e. not too far of what I am used to with my 4-strings) [*]Preferably active EQ since I prefer to shape my tone via the bass [/list] Any thoughts or advice would be really appreciated. I'm not in a rush with this one so if anyone can suggest good second hand models that might be worth keeping an eye out for that would be very helpful too. All the best James

[quote name='OliverBlackman' timestamp='1442703979' post='2868942'] I'm really liking the look of these basses! How much does a 4 string approximately cost? [/quote] They start at around the £650 mark (variable with exchange rate of course). Some of the fancier ones such as the 'Europe' models with the unusual wood tops or the 'absolution' with all the body binding, can be a little bit more. Even then, they come in at under £1000 for a hand built bass with top notch hardware.

Congrats! These VM basses from squire are lovely.

For what its worth my take on Fender is that they make nice basses but charge over the odds for them. At the end of the day even the MIA stuff is still just production line factory made and it's selling for over £1200 for a pretty basic passive bass. You're coughing up a lot of money for the name on the head-stock. On the other hand, that same name on the head stock will mean they retain value well so its not as clear cut as it seems at first.

Fantastic bass! Loving the grain in the maple neck too.

Same here - Elwood X with 24 fret neck and quite a few 'fancy' features added to the stock stuff and still well shy of £1000. The value is utterly astounding - I would honestly consider my bass a bargain at twice the price.

Nice! Those Haussel's are lovely if some of the online sound samples are anything to go by.

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1442594809' post='2868132'] What's your current rig? I'd use pretty much the same stuff for metal as funk, but funk can vary hugely in loudness and tone! [/quote] Right now I am using an Ashdown Mi-Bass 2.0 head with a 112 cab. It does fine for practice but it lacks a bit of clean headroom (once the gain goes above 12o'clock a 'tube emulation' circuit kicks in giving a kind of dirty fuzz). It's also got a bit of a weak E.Q. - I'd like something that I can get a bit more of a gritty mid-growl from. I'm not after distortion but rather a nice gritty growl for some tracks.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1442621154' post='2868340'] Anything else... just ask them. It looks to me like they would pretty much do anything you could think of. [/quote] Yep, treat the website as a collection of suggestions rather than a set range of options. Each bass is hand made to order so there is pretty much no limit to what you can ask for. Adrian sends out a nice little booklet with the basses that gives quite a bit more detail about the different custom work they do and from the look of it they're willing to do whatever they can to accommodate your needs. If you've not had a look yet its well worth browsing through the Maruszczyk Facebook page (there is a little link in the upper right corner of the Public Peace website) as there are loads of great pics on there of the basses that they have been making for the past few years. It gives you a far better idea of just what is possible that they tiny pictures on the main site.