Bridgehouse

There’s quite a bit of confusion and mix up in this thread. Let’s separate out some points for clarity. TRS & XLR - different connectors, same job. TRS stands for tip/ring/shield and means there are two signal wires and one ground - this allows for a balanced connection which (keeping it simple) allows much longer cable runs that can have any noise picked up along the way cancelled out at the other end. XLR is the same - two signal, one ground and thus balanced. A standard bass cable is one signal one ground and thus unbalanced - long cable runs will pick up noise. Now, the key bit is the impedance & voltage of the signal you are trying to send. From lowest to highest - mic, instrument, line. Depending on the equipment you are plugging in to, you are trying to find an input that will deal with your signal properly. A mic input on a mixer will have a mic Preamp that deals with its low output levels - a line input may not work well, but some pro stuff will be able to. The desk may have a separate line input, either xlr or TRS. A DI box that a soundman asks you to plug in to will convert instrument level to mic level and will have a balanced output for a long cable length. The key bit here is that the Stomp has a balanced output for long cable runs - so long as the soundman knows its line level then they can do what they need to do at the other end and not worry about cable run length. If you present it as TRS or XLR it’s actally sort of irrelevant.

Had that conversation - once I have a full bass fund again that’s def on the cards

I’m glad I’m not alone!

The graphtech Ghost boards do seem to have a habit of doing this - especially their “summing” boards. The actual piezo elements themselves are fine and seem to last a good while

Why would anyone pay £2k or over for a bass where they couldn’t even be bothered to glue the neck on properly and had to use woodscrews to hold it on instead?

a) possibly b) not sure you need it on top of your amp.. more like you won’t need your amp at all.. c) Think of it as the Preamp section of your amp And thus gain, eq, compression etc but no power amp or cab - they usually have a DI out so you can colour/shape your tone and model depending add some amp/cab simulation without the amp and cab before it goes straight to foh and comes back to you via monitors. d) that’s like asking “I need a bass - which one?” You need to set a budget and then ask what sort of sound you like. Sansamp make some good ones, as do many of the other popular brands. Do you want simple (like the MXR DI) Or complex like the GK Plex? Complex just means more things to shape your tone in the absence of an amp and cab e) Isn’t that a cat food?

Nah, the Behringer BDI Preamp at £17 last week is the best vfm bit of kit

Yeah - one thing it doesn’t do is that more trad fretless mwah with any authority. It’s actually more like a slightly mid scooped P bass on speed. I’d like something less distinctive I could take to the more Er, salubrious venues, and um, well, gas innit....

You just keep me hangin on...

I need to shift my 74 Precision to get some bass funds together - but it’s just the sort of thing I’d use for gigging fretless and as an alternate to the Shuker

Isn’t it huge tho?

I agree. I’m considering one for in the music room at home.. as a fixed bit of kit the weight would be immaterial. Er, as long as floor could take it.. 😂

I don’t think it’s old fashioned - I think the people who don’t like the tone think it more “anachronistic”

The ACG Finn? No, it was originally passive only. It was routed for a battery box and had one fitted so I thought “why not?” Turns out it opened it up completely and it’s a different beast compared to when it was passive only.

I meant to ask - those Tune Maniacs seem pretty rare - but I like! Seems like they’d be difficult to get hold of tho?

Yep. I picked up a uni-pre from Alan for my ACG Finn and it transformed it. When the Shuker needed new gubbins there was only one guy to go to.. John East. Such quality and brilliant service

Ok, it’s wrong. I hold my head in shame. Despite the claims of “tone suck” and many having it... I just can’t stop using this for those dial-an-overdrive sounds... (plus it makes a cracking boost...)

I always thought I was a Chromes man, but it occurred to me today that the two basses I play the most have TI Jazz flats on. Weird, I always used to think they were a bit too rubbery for precise playing. But there’s a set on the ACG (and I forgot I’d put them on!) and a set on the fretless. Just goes to show...

I thought the most pornographic bit was the obvious pair of tweeters. Fnarr

Your uni pre sounded fantastic on Friday night at the O2 Academy in Leicester - my ACG is gig bass number 1 and I would seriously stuggle to move to something else for live use when it matters!

Wielded Uberhorn One in anger today. I was slightly tempted to gig with it on Friday night, but chickened out and decided to use it at a Jam session today with some guitar buddies. Took the ACG as well as it’s my known staple. Had my QSC10.2 and Preamp board as setup one and used the house Trace GP12 as well. Interestingly, tried the Uberhorn through the GP12 first and it sounded massive - one note played and everyone in the room looked at me with that “wtf was that!!” face.. thinking it was the Trace I swapped to the QSC. Nope. Same thing. Massive sound. Deep, punchy, but lots of rich overtone harmonics all over the shop. I was a bit stunned by it to be honest as there’s so much there that it almost got a bit unwieldy. On piezo alone, I rolled back the bass and tuned the mids and then rolled on a bit of treble and kept the vol at just under half way. It was still huge but quite manageable. The GP12 gave it a thunderous sub bass whereas the QSC gave it a bit more “hifi” sparkle. Both very nice in their own way. For a couple of jams a guitar chum played bass and used the ACG whilst I had a drum, and I have to say, it sounded real good, but the sheer weight of presence of the Uberhorn is something I’ve just not experienced before..

Bit late with this one, but Friday night was support slot at the O2 Academy Leicester supporting The Men They Couldn’t Hang.. great venue, great gig and loads of fun..

I like Chromes on my P. Bit of zing, plenty of thump, and they dull nicely after a week or two. Will last a good 5 yrs or more. I personally like TI’s - not so much on P basses but on some basses they are tonal nirvana for me. And I guess that’s the rub - it’s horses for course and you’ll find you love some and not others despite what anyone recommends. Oh, and the Fender flats are surprisingly good for the money...

I have a full fat floor version. It has never been gigged. Does that tell you something? Well, no, actually.. It gets used every day. It’s under my desk and is my primary practise tool. It’s my audio interface, mic interface, it gets used for guitar and mandolin as well as bass, and it lets me try a load of different bass sounds on tracks so I can work out what I like/don’t like. It’s probably my most used bit of kit, but not as a live tool.

I think we have the answer then! The board is 7.25 at the top and probably at the bottom, thus appearing a bit looser, and the frets a bit tighter due to also being 7.25 Cor. I'm sticking to a one piece fretless neck - this stuff is too hard for my little brain 😁