bnt

From the "Rush in Rio" DVD: Geddy: "PRS... is that something women get?" Alex: "No, it's this Penis Reduction System I need to use..."

[quote name='The Burpster' post='208264' date='May 28 2008, 06:32 PM']Oh dear, why dont you just slap me in the face? ... The 'birds in flight" inlays are not "seaguls" they are in fact 9 different birds.[/quote] SORRY! Is one of the birds an Albatross, and does it come with wafers?

Pretty sure it's a PRS Bass IV like the one [url="http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/55U-3594.htm"]here[/url], except that it's black and has the PRS "seagull" inlays. It's 2 pickups + a dummy noise-cancelling coil ([i]a la[/i] Alembic). Michael Manring played a PRS for years before he got in to Zon's graphite necks.

+1 for [b]Cliff Williams[/b] - classic minimalist style, gets the job done and then some. Ditto for [b]Frank Bello[/b] (Anthrax). When I think Metal bass, I don't usually think "flashy" - but [b]Rob Trujillo[/b] (Metallica) has been a monster for years, way back to the days of Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves:

A plainer English version of what that Rane document says about multiple paths to ground causing ground loops: A common cause of ground loops in a studio setting is having two bits of mains-powered gear, connected together in the audio path, that have different mains earths. "Different" in this context means e.g. one bit plugged in on one side of the room, the other bit getting power from the other side of the room, or more subtle problems like grounding to a rack. You can sometimes get mains current flowing between them along the [i]audio[/i] ground, because the mains earths on the two sides of the room are not equally-well earthed. (Sometimes, Earth... isn't!) In a live situation, you probably won't have that problem, and you would not want to lift ground anyway, for safety reasons. If you were sending a signal to the PA, it would be a balanced signal that wouldn't cause a ground loop.

[quote name='shaundixon666' post='206080' date='May 25 2008, 06:13 PM']I thought you had misspelled Opeth for a second there (silly me) but then off I went to youtube to have a listen. And damn you are right.[/quote] Let me head there for a gander... I thought this was a misspelling of [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=90G0mHx3auU"]Oteil[/url]. -_-

[quote name='Oscar South' post='180991' date='Apr 20 2008, 12:56 PM']even tuning with the fifth and seventh fret harmonics, so you're tuning to identical overtones? can you elaborate on this because its interesting.[/quote] Only just seen this - let me try a quick version: When you do the 5th & 7th fret harmonic thing, you're tuning the strings to a ratio of 4:3, a perfect 4th harmonic. 5th fret harmonic = 1/4 string = 4x frequency (2 octaves) 7th fret harmonic = 1/3 string = 3x frequency (octave + major 5th) However, on an [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_temperament"]equal temperament[/url] (ET) instrument like the bass, for the ratios to add up correctly over the strings, each string needs to be 5 ET semitones apart. That is close to a perfect 4th, but not exactly the same, in terms of the frequency ratio between the strings: Harmonics: 4:3 = 1.3333 ... = 4.98 semitones * 5 semitones: 2^(5/12) = 1.3348 ... Say you have a 6-string bass, so you do that 5 times (B1 -> C3 = 25 semitones), and compare results: Harmonics: (4/3)^5 = 4.214 = 24.9 semitones * 25 semitones: 2^(25/12)= 4.238 The error in ratios is about 0.5%, which might not sound like much, but if you convert the harmonics figure back to semitones, it comes to about 24.9 semitones*. If you follow the harmonics method exactly, the High C will be about 1/10 semitone [i]flat[/i], which is definitely audible. The error might not be much per string, but it compounds, like interest on a mortgage. On a 7-string (30 semitones), the error climbs to 0.12 semitones. ps: maybe the extreme example of a theoretical 13-string bass would help: Intervals = 12 x 5 = 60 semitones = 5 octaves between low and 5 strings. 60 semitones = 2^(60/12) = 32 = 2^5 = exactly 5 octaves harmonics: (4/3)^12 = 31.7 = 59.765 semitones*. "quick version", eh? * to convert frequency ratios back to ET semitones, the formula looks like this: 12* log2(f), where "log2" is the "base 2 logarithm of f" = 12*log(f) / log(2)

[quote name='charic' post='205431' date='May 24 2008, 10:34 AM']Why has this not been used as a weapon lol.[/quote] It would be a bit difficult to aim. Bass frequencies are notoriously non-directional, so protecting the "good guys" would be a serious challenge.

I don't have one, but I know I wouldn't mind one of these [url="http://www.cc.rim.or.jp/~tune/"]Tune[/url] TWXT models: They do 4-, 5-, 6- and 8-string basses with tremolo. If you wonder what an 8-string with whammy sounds like ask [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=19iekoushoY"]Narucho[/url] for a demo.

Well. Arbiter has announced that it has taken over distribution of Schecter and Spector: [url="http://www.mi-pro.co.uk/news/29507/Arbiter-announces-new-lines-for-music-fair"]details[/url].

I'm sure I remember reading a John Patitucci interview in which he mentioned the superglue, but he also mentioned some kind of "instant skin" product from a pharmacy. I think he meant something like [url="http://newskinproducts.com/"]New-Skin[/url], which the maker says works for musicians.

I can't say I'm that interested in joining a union of imaginary bass players... maybe if it was real bass players?

[quote name='Ham fisted Bass' post='201720' date='May 18 2008, 08:06 PM']Can anyone explain (or point me at a thread) how Geddy Lee does the 'in ear' monitoring thing?[/quote] Have a look [url="http://www.bassplayer.com/article/northern-warrior/Aug-07/30528"]here[/url], the sidebar has a full breakdown of his current touring rig. The main components are the [url="http://www.tech21nyc.com/rpm.html"]SansAmp RPM[/url] and Palmer Speaker Simulators. Weirdly, Geddy still has a couple of Trace Elliot amps in his rack though I have no idea where that signal might go. They all use wireless monitoring, handled from a monitor desk - dunno what they use.

[quote name='Dr.Dave' post='201107' date='May 17 2008, 04:25 PM']For me (duck's to avoid missiles) Jack Bruce - at just about every stage of his career.[/quote] But was it, though, relative to what was available at the time? There's a reason why he liked short-scale instruments like the Gibson EB-3 and the Fender Bass VI... Otherwise, I'm sure there are guys with rubbish instruments at home, but when it comes to live playing, a rubbish instrument would be a bit risky, IMHO. Let the guitarists muck around with such stuff.

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='200816' date='May 16 2008, 11:51 PM']Spot the odd one out? [/quote] I can see two non-Fenders there, if that's what you mean..? [spoiler]the two Sadowskys at the left[/spoiler]

[quote name='beerdragon' post='200717' date='May 16 2008, 08:56 PM']I always thought T bone burnett did the music for O brother. [/quote]He [i]produced[/i] it, but there were a lot of different musicians on there, and Ralph Stanley was one of them. I just read that Stanley's version of "O, Death" for the movie won him a Grammy award, "Best Male Country Vocal Performance". Ah niver knew thar was such uh fing!

If I win the lottery, I might have a word with [url="http://www.chrislarkinguitars.com/"]Chris Larkin[/url] to see what he can do, but to answer the original question, I would still like Tune Bass Maniac to make me a signature bass, perhaps based on the [url="http://www.cc.rim.or.jp/~tune/tune/twx-through.neck/twx-through,neck,series.htm"]TWX Through-Neck[/url] in Chestnut. Mmmm. Whoever makes it, I want a 35" (or 36"?) 6-string with some custom electronics: - Single MM-size humbucker in "sweet spot", with coil tap/phase switch - piezo saddles to 13-pin out, + mix - using something like a [url="http://www.rmcpickup.com/polydrivei.html"]RMC Poly-Drive IB[/url] system. I think I'd have a lot of fun putting the spec together, and seeing and hearing the results, which is (I think) part of the idea of a signature bass. It's about more than "getting the job done"!

[quote name='thinman' post='199297' date='May 15 2008, 09:00 AM']I understand the science bit - it's more the application. If you can drown out an unamplified drummer then what's the point? Demolition, internal organ damage? Won't your band sound terrible? I know some very flat cabs need a fair bit more power but 1kW!!? I think burpster's closing comment may be nearer the truth. Marketing men know us blokes too well.[/quote] At least bass amp marketing is honest compared to the marketing you get with e.g. car stereos. The RMS figure is the one that matters, not "peak music power", whatever the heck that is. I also agree with the need for headroom, and the components last longer if they are run underpowered. (Heat is the #1 killer of transistors.) Did any of you see that Mythbusters episode where one of the guys stood in a circle of Meyer Sound PA speakers and got blasted with subsonic frequencies? They were testing the "brown note" myth. SPLs were over 150dB, but he felt nothing, though I felt sorry for any elephants in a ten mile radius.

It's also an unavoidable fact of human hearing, which is less sensitive at low frequencies. To get a given perceived sound level, you need more RMS power the lower you go. That extra power is not wasted in the amp, it goes towards carrying the bass signal further. If the amp was just wasting hundreds of watts as heat, it would need much bigger fans! There's an article about SPL and power, [url="http://www.usmotors.com/products/ProFacts/sound_power_and_sound_pressure.htm"]here[/url].

Well, Gene Watson and Ralph Stanley are real country musicians, and Stanley did appear on the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack, singing [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoIebIKNS4s"]"O Death"[/url]. But I have no idea what that "Harmony H" bass is...

I was interested in the SWR MoBass a few years ago, so this name sounds familiar... I wonder how tightly those modules are secured? Don't want the EQ dropping out - literally!

[url="http://waltons.ie/waltonsshop/index.php?cPath=60_62&sort=2a&filter_id=27"]Waltons[/url] in Dublin still has them, though I'm not sure if the Euro/Pound exchange rate is that competitive vs. the USA.

[quote name='pjbass' post='198385' date='May 13 2008, 11:35 PM']Yeah definitely the ghost notes lilt the bassline. I found this video helpful to learn from: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwwncfsPogw"]Rio[/url] Its loads of fun to play[/quote] I like his version... but after the "floating thumb" thread his right wrist position gives me the willies. Unless he learns to straighten it, he could be heading for some carpal tunnel problems...

Another possibility available to you is to build your own, using Warmoth parts. They do Fender-shaped "Deluxe 5" [url="http://www.warmoth.com/bass/bodies/deluxe5.cfm"]bodies[/url] and [url="http://www.warmoth.com/bass/necks/necks.cfm?fuseaction=includes_deluxe5"]necks[/url]. Normally 22-frets, but with 24 as a custom option. One potential problem I see, however, is that the longer fretboard might make it impossible to adjust the truss rod?

[quote name='mcgraham' post='197964' date='May 13 2008, 01:57 PM']Making sense?[/quote] I get that from the video, but if it means using the thumb only for muting, then no thanks. For accurate fingering, I need a constant reference of my hand position relative to the strings - up/down and high/low - and that's what my thumb provides when it's touching a string by the tip. It's a tiny, quick movement to get it over the string and I have flexibility in how I time that (I observe), hence my reluctance to call it "anchored". So I do see what he's saying, and I don't need an explanation, I just think it's wrong for me.