Count Bassy

[quote name='alexclaber' post='625392' date='Oct 13 2009, 07:35 PM']But good active electronics aren't cheap. Alex[/quote] I agree, but don't understand why that is. Surely it can only be in the design costs and profit margins, because the component costs, even in the best electronics, can only be a matter of a few tens of pounds (I'm guessing that most of that is in the pots etc as Op-amp chips and resitors etc are generally very cheap). Yet we are expected to pay £80 - 90 for something half decent and approaching £200 for something like the John East filter preamp. Is it a case of charging what the market will stand?

I've read through this thread and am still a bit confused. Am I right in thinking then that ported cabs should be lined and that sealed cabs should be 'stuffed'. I've suddenly become interseted as I've just opened up my Marshall combo (to fix an amp problem) and notice that the (sealed) cab part has no lining or stuffing of any sort. Should I be looking to do something about this, and if so what? Thanks in advance.

[quote name='TheDave' post='627385' date='Oct 15 2009, 09:54 PM']I do like that Stu Hamm Urge, I bet those are difficult to find too. [/quote] Yes - but not impossible. A couple of years ago I put a search on E-bay, with the e-mails, and within 9 months or so I first had a MIM Urge Mk 1 (2 Jazz pickups only), and then a MIA Urge Mk1 (2 Jazz + a P pickup). Both are great instruments. A couple of the MIAs have been on E-bay recently, but at silly prices. My MIM cost about £350 (which I think was over the odds really - but I was desperate to get one) and the MIA one was £600 (which I think was a fair price). To my ear the MIA on the P Pickup does not sound quite like a actual P bass (thgough more so in passive mode). Also it's quite a lively instrument and I've ended up putting ground wounds on, which tames it down a bit.

Fender PT100 does well for me. About £40.

QUOTE (Toasted @ Oct 5 2009, 02:42 PM) I don't see how that's a "benefit" over, say CNC. [quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='617862' date='Oct 5 2009, 07:49 PM']I do. Dude with a spokeshave, chisels and sandpaper is cheaper than an expensive CNC router!! [/quote] Actually a small CNC router (big enough for a neck or body) can be pretty cheap these days, <£20K. This sound like a lot, and program development will also take some time, but if your producing standard parts, which Wal seem to be, then this cost and effort will soon be repaid in terms of production rates and repeatability. I guess that finishing would still be hand, but your man could do that while the router produced the next part. Also, in general princible, I can see why people like the idea something being hand made, but quality wise I would have thought that CNC has all the advantages. Edited to say that , if spec'ed correctly, same machine could do most of the bridge work as well.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='620616' date='Oct 8 2009, 02:49 PM']Its become obvious to me that sometimes I dont need the hardcases I have. Certain gigs require the entire band in one large car with amp heads, guitars/bass and basic drums.[/quote] I'd have thought this situation was exactly when you would want a hard case rather than a soft case. I'm in the same situation and it's nice to know that nothing will get damaged if the load shifts, e.g. a heavy combo decides to topple on top of the bass.

[quote name='henry norton' post='620242' date='Oct 8 2009, 08:41 AM']The other problem with oak is that it's quite acid, so you'll need all brass or stainless screws.[/quote] I agree, but why would you use anything else on a bass anyway?

Not to detract from Nathan's bass skills, but I know which one I'd prefer to hear and/or see.

Andy Fraser -I've never heard anyone say anything negative about him Mick Karn - Ditto Duck Dunn - Ditto Martin Turner - Ditto Pete Stroud - Ditto Jerome Rimson - him neither, but then I've not heard him mentioned at all by anyone but myself I wish I could add Entwhistle, but then he has already been critised in this thread so does not qualify. My only crititism is that he was too good and I have no chance of being able to play like him.

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' post='613104' date='Sep 30 2009, 04:58 PM']whenever i have done live recordings, i'll not re do anything. either it's good enough to release or it isn't![/quote] +1 I've never had the opportunity (i.e. talent) to do a proper recording of any sort, but if i did this would be the approach I'd have to it.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='611238' date='Sep 28 2009, 08:48 PM']Jaco is, and will always be, the greatest bass player of all time.[/quote] Personally I wouldn't say that he is now (he never did it for me), but to say that he always will be is just silly, and its a fair bet that Jaco himself would not have thought so either. You are putting him in the position of Shakespeare: however good a playwright is, even if better than Shakespeare, he/she can never be 'Better than Shakespeare'. It's as if someone in the 60's had said "No one will ever be better than the Beatles". Sorry, but this sort of attitude just niggles me.

Thanks for your thoughts so far chaps (this also acts as a bit of a bump to get it back on the first page) - anyone else got anything to add?

Inspired by the tread about 'fake' live albums I was wondering what people do for demo disks. We're only looking to get build up some regular local bookings (mostly pubs I guess), not looking to get get any business/recording interest (too old and realistic to worry about that, and only do covers anyway). So were looking for soemthing to hand out to local landlords etc. So, with that in mind, what would you put on a demo disk? My instinct is to put on untouched live recordings made with one or two microphones at the back of a venue, so that the demo reflects as much as possible what an audience will hear on the night. I'll qualify this by saying that I'd select tracks from a series of gigs, excluding any major cock-ups or poor mixes etc. Our guitarist would prefer to set up a dedicated rehearsal and have a recording channel set up for each instrument, but still recorded simultaneously from a single play through. You could then adjust the mix and do some processing later. I guess you could do this at a live gig also, and thus get some audience noise as well, but the practicalities of setting it all up might be difficult. Further, you could go into a proper studio, but I think we are agreed that that is going too far (and expensive). So what would you do / what have you done, and how well did it work? While on the subject, what, and how much, content would you actually put on a demo disk? Our singer want's to put short snippets of various songs on, so that the whole demo is only 5 minutes or so long, on the basis that the landlord won't want want to spend much time listening to a demo. My instinct is to put whole tracks on, making the demo longer, but allowing the Landord etc to hear a bit more if he wants to. Again, what are your experiences? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Glad to hear it Thumbo. Whilst I've only had a few sets of strings off you the service has been excellent.

I think that a lot of it is to do with the tendency to always adjust the sound balance by turning something up, rather than turning something (or everything) else down, so the overall volume inevitably rises. .. Plus of course lead guitarists ....

[quote name='RichB' post='585505' date='Aug 31 2009, 12:03 AM']I'm crap so play everything wrong. [/quote] It's not wrong - its simply a different interpretation!!! - alternatively,if challenged, just say that you're playing the jazz version! Apart from that slight qualification .... +1

Brian Fox???

[quote name='BigRedX' post='565673' date='Aug 11 2009, 09:34 AM']If he had learnt how to play maybe he'd have created a better instrument, or at least understood how it need to develop as the music that it was being used for developed and progressed. I'm thankful that nowadays there are an abundance of bass guitar manufacturers and luthiers who have developed the instrument so those of us who require something more now have access to suitable instruments.[/quote] I think you're being a little harsh on him. It surely has to be acknowledged that, as someone else has said, the P, J and Musicman, or derivatives of these, dominate the current bass market 50 years later. If they were so bad why are people still copying them today? and I include here many of the 'posh' builders (sadwoski etc), not only the cheap far eastern copies. Also, anyone who is one of the first in a field can hardly be expected to come up with the ultimate development at the first go! That's a bit like criticising Carl Benz because his car wasn't a Mondeo, or a Maserati. Isaac Newton said something along the lines of 'If I have seen further than others it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants'. If someone of his stature can acknowledge the work of his predecessors then surely we can all acknowledge the importance of Leo Fender.

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='562305' date='Aug 6 2009, 09:56 PM']Gives me an idea........ When i hit middle age i'm gonna custom order a bass with a huuuuuge belly scoop (it'll be 5mm thick in the middle, enough to cover my eventual gargantuan belly), reckon i could patent the idea and make a fortune![/quote] Alternatively buy an acoustic bass and simply take the back out - it's what I'd need. Also has the advantage that you could scratch your belly button through the sound hole!

[quote name='jhk' post='555520' date='Jul 29 2009, 08:04 PM']+1 on the above `thunder` series is really the one to consider. good luck ![/quote] Or the quantum headless - brilliant bit of kit and great for lugging around hotels etc

[quote name='Mikey D' post='552526' date='Jul 27 2009, 12:37 PM']I have a GWB35 that has been upgraded with a custom Nordstrand Dual Coil Pickup and a Bee Pre. I sold a standard GWB35 to buy this one that was already upgraded so I have used both and the difference is astounding, but I can't tell you if the preamp or the pickup has added more. I have no idea what a Bee Pre costs but the web link is here: [url="http://www.beebasses.com/html/bee_pre.html"]Bee Basses Website[/url] There are some recordings of the bass at [url="http://www.myspace.com/daniellabove"]Daniella Bove's Myspace[/url] that give you some idea of the sound, but I'm based in Milton Keynes and you are more than welcome to come and try it out sometime.[/quote] Thanks for this. I've looked at the website, but they don't give a price for the preamp, or even say that they will sell it on its own, although you've got one so they obviously do! I've also googled various combinations, but can't find any reference to them in the UK. Also of course it requires additional holes, so I might pass on that one for now. Actually I might just drop them an E-mail to get a price. I might well take you up on your offer of having a try out at some time - thanks.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='552501' date='Jul 27 2009, 12:10 PM']Considering your comment re the ACG pre-amp it looks like you got a good deal on your GW bass. Was this new (in which case where and do they have any more?) or second hand?[/quote] It's ony the GWB35 which you can now get new for about £495. I bought it second hand about 18 months ago (through basschat) for £300, at which time you could get it new for about £430. Hence my comment on paying £180 for the preamp. Note that I'm not saying that its not a reasonable price for what it is, just that I'd find it hard to justify fitting one to a £500 (new)bass (I'm only an ameteur after all).

Summarising what I've got so far then, from peoples contributions above, and looking on the web: [b]ACG EQ02 3K/S:[/b] I'm sure that this is amazing, but at £180 + I'm going to have to pass on it for now. Also it would require drilling extra holes which I'd prefer not to do at the moment. [b]EAST BTB-01[/b] £92.50 with the black knobs. I'm suer that this will also sound good, and at that price is a possibility. Does anyone know if this unit actually amplifies the signal at all in its 'Flat' setting, as I'd quite like to boost the output as well. This looks very easy to fit and vould not require additional holes. [b]EMG BTC[/b] £78, but a lot of the reviews say that it is a bit harsh and un-natural sounding. Anyone here got any experiance of these. [b]Seymour Duncans[/b] All seem to be for twin pickups [b]Bartolini NTBT 2.2 A/P[/b] On paper looks good, and one of those recomended by someone in this thread. Also I quite like what they say about how they build them. Bassed on the dollar price and the UK rip off factor, I'm [b]guessing[/b] it would be about £100 over here, but therein lies a problem: I haven't been able to find anyone selling this usnit in the UK. Anyone got any ideas? I'd say that the John East is probably the front runner at the moment, but anyone else got any further ideas before I get my credit card out? Thanks again

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='542490' date='Jul 16 2009, 06:39 PM']Think i've said before that buying a box of 9v batteries is false economy, guitarists circle round em like vultures and you end up losing half of them![/quote] And your kids!

/insert tongue in cheek/ Still not sure what a 'piccolo bass' is. Surely 'bass' derives from the range of the instrument, so isn't a piccolo bass a contradiction in terms. Have you considered of a ukelele? - available with the right number of strings and in the right register. /remove tongue from cheek/