Baloney Balderdash

Because the right preamp can turn your decent amp into a not merely decent but amazing sounding one.

My main bass, a just 28.6" scale Ibanez GSRM20 neck + GSRM20B body Mikro Bass, strung up with Elixir Nanoweb guitar strings, threaded through the cut off ball ends of old bass strings, to not fall through the bridge, of the gauges .080 - .062 - .046 - .036, tuned to F# standard tuning, that is 2 half steps above regular 4 string bass E standard tuning (left shot is how it looks currently, right how it looked previously, the latter just included because it's a much better shot of the bass, to give a better impression of how it really looks : My pedal board setup, which is a pedal based "amp-less" setup, is currently under reconstruction, but this is how I plan for it to look when done : The small board containing all my "always on" pedals, the actual pedal based "amp-less" setup part of this arrangement, bar for the Zoom MS-70 CDR on the big board, which is also an "always on" pedal, that beside working as a multiband parametric equalizer got the last of those 2 band parametric EQ models in the signal chain of the always on patch set up as follows: [Freq=12kHz Q=1 Cut=-18dB ; Freq=20kHz Q=0.5 Cut=-20dB], approximately mimicking a -12dB/Oct LPF set at 3.6kHz, essentially functioning as a simple faux, EQ based, cab sim. The TC Electronic Sub'N'Up Mini is used exclusively for a 1 octave up effect, delivered by a customized Toneprint, to mimic an effect somewhat similar to that of an 8 string bass, with pairs of respectively bass and octave strings. Some of the pedals in my setup was missing from the online pedal planer app I used to make above graphics, so this is what the numbered pedals really are supposed to be : :-: Xotic EP Booster (forgot to number that pedal) = Mosky XP Bosster (clone of the Xotic EP Booster V1) :=: The 2 Joyo Gate of Kahn pedals (forgot to number those pedals too) = Joyo Orange Juice (Orange amp style drive) :1: Artec SE-EQ8 Graphic Eq (8 band graphic equalizer) :2: EHX Black Finger (tube driven optical compressor, actually primarily functioning as a tube preamp stage, though I do have a bit of subtle compression dialed in as well) :3: ART Tube MP Project Series (tube preamp and DI) :4: Zoom G1on (primarily functioning as a pre drive reverb unit, though also used for a few non reverb effect patches) :5: Zoom B1Xon (primarily functioning as a post drive reverb unit, though also used for a few non reverb effect patches) :6: Danelectro FAB Metal :7: Monarch MFL-22 Stereo Flanger (basically a rebrand of the Arion SFL-1 Stereo Flanger) :8: Mosky Black Rat (RAT clone, used in Turbo RAT mode) Also forgot to include the HoTone Trem, tremolo pedal, which would go after the Behringer SF300 Super Fuzz on the big board, in effects loop B of the Boss LS-2, and physically it would be placed after, that is to the right of, the EHX Freeze on the middle ledge of the board. My amp, a 160W SS Peavey Solo Special 112, of which I only use the poweramp section, going into its Effects Return input, and having the build in 12" speaker disconnected and instead hooked up to a passive FRFR PA speaker, the The Box PA 502, which features a 15" woofer/mids driver + 1.7" high mids/high frequency tweeter (think the crossover is at about 2kHz) :

Scooped mids galore and a resulting inarticulate mud and getting lost in the mix? Just like the original abomination. But of course if you think "...and justice for all" is the greatest bass album ever then you might just have found the holy grail. Edit!!: Sorry, I apologize about being so harsh. But please know that the hate is not aimed at you in any possible way, but at the pedal, which I think it should be clear from above i have absolutely no love for. Is an amazing clone of the original Tech 21 preamp though, and not least for the unbelievably dirt cheap price, if you happen to love scooped mids.

I'll let you in on a little secret, it is actually I who plays all bases ever played, using mind control. Of course I can't have my vict..., I mean mediums, panic and resist my mind control, so I make sure to make them think they are actually in control themself. Ever experienced being in the so called state of flow when playing, where stuff seems to play it self, almost as if you are just channeling something that comes from somewhere other than yourself through your fingers? Well, that would really be me!

Really to address the actual issue that OP wants solved. Chances are high you are fine with what you already got for what you want to achieve, please read on: With the right P pickup, the EMG Geezer Butler P for instance would be perfect for this, that is a vintage voice pickup with a slight focus on the upper mids and not overwound, the right EQ (but I think in specific the Geezer P would be perfect for this purpose), roundwound strings, eventually even roundwound stainless steel strings, and eventual perhaps even wiring the pickup directly to the output jack socket to have absolutely no accentuation of the high end the pickup produces as well as raising the resonant peak of it, P pickups can sound plenty of clear, and certainly punch through, with fingerplay too. I would even say under the right circumstances a bass equipped with a P pickup is more likely to punch through a mix, thanks to its general mid focus, than a bass equipped with J pickups, especially if both J pickups are on, which would result in a mid scoop, which again is the recipe to inarticulate mud and getting lost in a mix. If you insist on getting a bass with a J pickup then I would recommend a PJ bass over a JJ bass, but, as said, with a new pickup and an EQ pedal, perhaps even by just adjusting the EQ on your amp, you ought to do fine with what you already got and play. And also upper mids are your friend, especially the area around 1kHZ, that is about 800Hz or so to about 1.2kHz or so, experiment with choosing a center frequency around there, apply a relatively narrow bandwidth/high Q value, a Q value around 4 or so should work, and then boost, just +1dB to +3dB, depending. I already mentioned this is my previous reply, consult it for compressor settings as well, to emphasis the attack, which will help you cut through, just like the above tip will.

Thanks for making me aware of the existence of that shop though, wasn't aware that anything like that existed, definitely something I will consider in the future, even if having to pay shipping costs likely to be same as the order it self and on top of that an import fee that would be about double the shipping cost isn't exactly optimal. Also tape is ready at hand, cheap, easy to fit, to apply and remove (electrical tape at least is), for trying out stuff.

Point being my Nylon picks seems to be much more form stable, even the .60mm ones, my Tortex .60mm not so much, to put it mildly, as opposed to what Dunlop claims in that piece I quoted them for. Of course the picks are not going to warp automatically by just laying around, no one claimed anything like that.

You can get it in quite a variety of colors, but I don't think any too funky, and almost certain not metallics and sparkle, since it is made for the purpose of being used with wiring (like for covering wire splicings and similar), hence the name electrical, or insulating, as it is also called, tape. But you might be able to get tape with those kind of qualities made from a similar flexible rubber like plastic material. Not the direction I am personally going for though, if it was meant as a suggestion, rather than for your personal use, the Aria Pro II in the background of those photos I posted was decorated like that back in my teens, partially as a joke (however too much work to remove now (I tried and it feels as if the adhesive of those stickers has somehow almost vulcanized with the finish of the bass or something like that), and I suppose it does have it's own quirky funky charm to it too).

Dumlop's marketing describes it a bit differently: "Tortex Flex Picks combine the memory and durability of Tortex with the flexibility and warmth of nylon." Of course neither is really true. It is though somewhat more flexible and somewhat rounder/warmer sounding than regular Tortex picks, but not really exactly like a Nylon pick, it's more of it's own thing that's neither regular Tortex or Nylon. Also I don't know where they got the "memory" part from either, I always find that my .60mm Tortex picks pretty quickly ends up warping, whereas my .73mm regular Nylon picks keeps the exact same shape no matter how much I use it.

Tried all that out in PhotoShop, and personally I think it end up looking too boring that way (jack output socket is staying where it is, as I moved it there for a reason, that reason being that barrel type jack sockets, even the high quality ones, are just not reliable and always end up malfunctioning). For a more classy/sharp look, with less color distractions going on, I have considered going through with this look though: Those were made with white electrical tape, but the stripes on the upper part of the body would eventually start to move and deform, because I tend to rest my arm wrist on that part of the bass, and the adhesive of the electrical tape wasn't strong enough to keep it in place (which though is also the advantage of using it, easy to remove without too much adhesive gunk left behind, along with the fact that it is easy to clean, should it get smudgy over time, since it is made of a somewhat rubbery plastic material), so if I go through with this it would have to be a permanent thing, like actually painting it on, and properly, using masking tape, several layers of white paint and following clear coats.

I already played with that in PhotoShop, cause I had the same thought, but looks really weird. Like too much going on and ruining the symmetrical balance. What did look great though was just having a stripe of red in the middle of the two pickup halves respectively, instead of covering completely as it is now, like a single red strip of tape going across the two pickup halves respectively along the line of pole pieces, but I have run out of red electrical tape, so will have to wait with trying that out in practice till I get restocked.

No, I just have a really old crappy digital camera that makes post editing necessary if I want to make my shots look remotely decent, which is not always equally easy and not always unequivocally successful or without compromises either. And for some strange reason, as you can probably tell from the shots I posted here I get best and most authentically (authentic in relation to the actual motive that is) looking photos with the camera turned downwards, shotting from above at my motive lying flat bellow it. Whenever I try to take pictures horizontally, with the camera in regular orientation, as you normally would, the shots always end up looking very off, like the lighting and colors being completely off and the picture also lacking details and depth, compared to the motive I am photographing (I suppose it could very well be a tradeoff of the camera trying to keep everything in it's line of shot/sight sharp and in focus).

So this is what I decided for, for now at least, luckily it is quite easy to change, should I change my mind:

I know, I just wasn't sure that was what originally was written, thanks for clarifying though.

Well, the effects of the B1Xon (I also own a backup G1Xon, and a G1on, and a MS70-CDR, which features the same generation Zoom effect models as the G1 and B1 (X)on, as well as a G1 Four and B1 Four, so I actually know what I am talking about) are much more tweakable and customizable (beside just generally sounding better in my opinion), and you can assign the build in expression pedal, which is actually really great and responsive, to control any one parameter of any one effect of each given patch (as well as of course master input or output volume for each patch), instead of being limited to only being able to control, what 5? or something like that, expression pedal specific effects, as it is on the B1X Four. Also there's no signal loss or tone suck on the B1Xon, when bypassed you get the same signal you feed it with, no coloration, unlike what I experienced with my B1 and G1 Four (which both now lives in a drawer, unlikely to ever see use again), so no need of a master EQ and volume control, on the B1Xon you can even set the volume both for each individual effect in a patch but also master for the whole patch (which as said also can be assigned to be controlled physically by the build in expression pedal). Also I've experience no unwanted noise with my B1Xon (I do feed it from a power supply with isolated and filtered outlets though). So I would say those "advantages" of the B1X Four (controls that allows you to make up for tone suck and coloration from the units bypass in the first place, and more accurate tuner, which most people will have a dedicated pedal for anyway, and certainly wouldn't need to be more accurate than the B1Xon for live use, plenty accurate for that use, and again by far most people using a separate more precise tuner for setting intonation, serious recordings e.t.c) are by far overshadowed by the advantages of the B1Xon, real advantages might I add.

I still don't get it... Cocked wah? Or? I feel sorry for people named "Richard", actually my uncle's name is "Richard" (that's not his name though, thanks profanity filter for discriminating people named "Richard", like they wouldn't already have insecurities about their name, and I doubt having it straight out censored will make them feel any better about it). At least my uncle's middle and last name is not Willy Johnson.

Oh, please, would you stop apologizing! If it sounds and plays great it sounds and plays great. Don't listen with your eyes and wallet, use your ears! Weight sure ain't where it is at either, and the fact that it is light weight doesn't make it a toy. I am sick of people who seems unable not to mention short scale and toy in the same sentence! Where does the messed up idea that if your hands and shoulders doesn't hurt after playing an instrument it must somehow be a lesser instrument come from? An instrument being easier and less straining to play ought to be an advantage and make it a better instrument, not lesser, and certainly not a toy. And several high end basses got basswood bodies, which is both a very light and a very cheap wood. The price of wood is all about availability not about it's quality as wood for instruments. Edit!!: A testament to my grumpiness.... A bit too early just yet to call me a grumpy old man, but if it continues this way.... Yikes!

So I can't quite decide what looks best, the knobs on my bass with or without green electrical tape (also known as insulating tape), or perhaps as the paintshopped photo with respectively green and red electrical tape, applied. So beside the first image being of lower quality than the two other, which do you think looks best? Hopefully you opinion will help me decide. I should perhaps add that this is an Ibanez Mikro Bass, which has been my main instrument of choice for quite some time. Knobs ala au natural : Knobs with green electrical tape applied : Knobs with one of the two knobs having been edited in Paintshop to be red (respectively green and red electrical tape applied to the two knobs) :

I have experience with both picks, the .73mm regular Nylon might be ever so slightly more flexible than the orange .60mm Tortext, but kind of hard to judge as it is sort of a different feel all together, being a different material, softer, and thicker, it simply reacts differently. The Max Grip .73mm Nylon for some strange reason is slightly stiffer than the regular .73mm Nylon one, which might make the former more similar in flexibility to the .60mm Tortex one. Still be aware that even if it is a close match in terms of flexibility alone as said it reacts and feels a bit differently all together. But yes, Nylon picks definitely gives a slightly rounder/warmer, less clicky, tone, but while still giving that specific snappy emphasis on the attack that is unique to playing with a pick.

The Dreamer is Still Asleep - by Coil

I always thought I hated flanger, cause I wrongly associated it with only being able to produce over the top metallic jet plane noises. However a couple of years ago I unexpectedly got my Monarch MFL-22 Stereo Flanger (a rebrand of the Arion SFL-1 one) back, after having borrowed it to a friend way back and forgetting all about it, originally having bought it used in a deal together with a Monarch chorus and phaser in the same series of pedals (also Arion rebrands) sometime around the mid 90's for pretty much peanuts, something like less than half of what just one of those pedals goes for used now for all 3 pedals together. I figured I might as well try it and was surprised with how nice it actually sounded. Capable of some really beautifully shimmering bubbling modulation with a subtle vocal like quality, or more abstract, but perhaps more saying about the character of this effect, akin to carbonated spring water. It's currently on my main board, placed in one of the effects loops of a Boss LS-2, and either blended with clean signal in about equal measures, giving the effect described above, at the same time subtle and very precent, like not blurring the original signal at all, as pronounced modulation effects otherwise can have a tendency to, or mixed with a phaser, placed in the other effect loop of the LS-2, giving a really pronounced and very psychedelic deep swirly swooshing effect with a somewhat quacking quality, and a somewhat mystical oriental vibe to it. Actually this flanger has even become my absolute number one favorite modulation effect, and I actually think flanger works particularly well with bass. And if I was only allowed to have one modulation effect this would be it. This is how it looks, not my unit though, just a random Google image (and don't let the plastic housing fool you, it is proper Made in Japan quality, and the fact that mine still works flawlessly, despite being a pedal from the late 80's, and the fact that my unit has seen a fair share of abuse, ought to speak for it self. And as said sounding absolutely astonishing): I do plan on acquiring a Boss BF-2 clone, probably the TC Electronic Thunderstorm one, and an EHX Electric Mistress clone, probably the Mooer E-Lady, at some point, cause I also really like how those sound, but I still very much doubt either of those will knock the Monarch off my board.

Ibanez GSRM20B Mikro Bass! Just 28.6" scale length.

I didn't seem to be able to spot you mentioning the size of the speaker unit in this, so what is it?

I don't think anyone claimed them to be diametrically opposite, they are related, but there is a reason that there are several words that means only slightly different things, it's in the semantic nuances. Synonymous words while similar semantically are often not entirely identical so while two synonyms will share a majority of annotations and connotations, some would be differently weighted as well as some would still be completely unique to either respectively. "Oomph" for instance would suggest "punch" to a much higher degree than "heft" necessarily would. "Oomph" to a higher degree suggests "impact", where "heft" to a higher degree suggests "weight/mass", they are of course that way very closely related, I suppose you could say two aspects of the same phenomena, but with main focus on two different aspects of that same phenomena, and while it is actually possible to imagine contexts where you would have one without the other. While this might seem like nitpicking what it really is is just addressing the importance of clear communication as most people are in fact not mind readers.

Geddy Lee too, at least in later years. Though Geddy does make quite frequent use of that flamenco style inspired finger flicking technique I mentioned in my initial reply in this thread. Still doesn't really sound like they are playing with a pick.