Baloney Balderdash

I just turned my main, an 28.6" Ibanez Mikro Bass with an EMG Geezer Butler P pickup installed, from F# standard tuning, as I otherwise has it tuned to (that is 2 half steps above regular 4 string bass E standard tuning), to B standard tuning, uninstalling the low F# string and moving the others up a nudge, and then adding a thinner high D string. Let's see how this works out... Definitely better articulation and definition (which was a bit lacking on the low F# string, due to the increased stiffness of the strings as you move up the fretboard that comes with the shorter scale), and great for chord work, as well as that extra upper range sounds beautiful for melodic stuff, which I do like a lot, but not sure about how I feel about loosing those additional low notes. For how I use my bass, as a solo and mainly bass and drums duo sort of thing, it does kind of makes sense though. But if I end up liking it this way I will most likely restring it with a set of strings suited for A standard tuning, so called "tenor bass" tuning (that among others Stanley Clarke is famous for utilizing a lot), a full step down from the current B standard tuning (I just didn't have reasonable fresh strings of the correct gauge to tune it to A standard tuning). Eventual I might get an EHX Bass9, which is capable of pitching down you signal with an impressive low latency and great tracking while sounding remarkably authentic to a real bass, for if I need to go lower. Now I know the obvious reply as a question to that would be to why not just use the 5 string Mikro Bass, which I do own, but first of all that would require a pickup upgrade to get it to sound like I want to, plus I really like both the feel and idea of the just 4 strings.

Because these, unlike the other suggestions in this thread, are passive and not buffered you could potentially run into impedance issues.

Boss LS-2.

Danny Carey, Tool drummer, plays jazz as well.

That's because it is a paradox. How are you going to play the same phrase but only once?

You are right, it was Gibson, and it was in 1998, thanks for correcting me. Edited my post to be factual correct.

I use an "amp-less" setup, primarily for the sake of consistency in tone. That is more or less the same tone whether I run it through a headphone amp my studio grade (basically just meaning FRFR) headphones for home practice, though a poweramp and a FRFR PA speaker for band rehearsal/jam, or through a venues PA system at a live gig, plus it just allows you to be much more specific when dialing in your tone. Which is relatively complex and consists of: Mosky XP Booster (clone of the Xotic EP Booster V1) -> XVive Undulator (tremolo, but never actually engaged and used exclusively for its great buffer) -> EHX Black Finger (tube driven optical compressor, with 2 preamp tubes operating at proper high 300V plate voltage, mainly used as a tube preamp stage, with some very subtle compression dialed in, driven to just on the edge of the breakup point) -> Zoom B1Xon (mainly used as reverb unit, including the {very subtle plate reverb -> subtle spring reverb} patch that is part of my basic "clean" tone) -> Boss LS-2 [Loop A + Loop B Mix] (effects loop switcher/mixer) ->{ [Loop A Send] -> Joyo Oxford Sound (clone of the Tech 21 Oxford pedal, which is an all analog emulation of an Orange type amp, dialed in to deliver a low gain overdrive, and mixed with the NUX MLD Bass Preamp from effects [Loop B]) ->|+|<- [Loop B Send] -> NUX Melvin Lee Davis Bass Preamp + DI (loaded with a digitally emulated Aguilar Tone Hammer amp, and an Ampeg SVT-212AV IR cab simulation, with a subtle low gain overdrive blended in at a 50/50 clean/drive ratio, and mixed with the Joyo Oxford Sound from effects [Loop A]) => [Loop A Return] + [Loop B Return] (mixed at an approximate 1:2 ratio) => [LS-2 Output] }-> ART Tube MP Project Series (tube preamp and DI) -> [Effects Return] (basically poweramp input) of Peavey Solo Special 112 (160W SS guitar combo, modded with a speaker output, with the build in 12" guitar speaker disconnected and instead hooked up to a FRFR PA speaker) -> The Box PA 502 (passive 300W RMS/1200W Peak FRFR PA speaker, featuring a 300W RMS 15" bass/mids woofer/driver and a 100W RMS 1.7" titanium high frequency tweeter horn) That said I do own a few amps, an old 200W Peavey XR-600B PA amp, which though needs to be serviced to work properly (just need to have a proper cleaning performed as well as having a couple of pots replaced, so not going to be overly expensive, and I think definitely worth it), a crappy lowly 40W Fender Mustang guitar combo, which I converted to a head, and a 160W Peavey Solo Special 112 guitar combo, which is what I use the poweramp section of, modded with a speaker output and having the internal 12" guitar speaker disconnected and hooked up a FRFR PA speaker instead, for my "amp-less" setup backline. The Peavey amps does both sound genuinely great, and the lowly budget Fender Mustang amp does actually not sound all that bad either, that is at least as long as the DPS powered section of voicings and effects are bypassed. I very much regret being stupid enough to sell my 60W all tube amp Ampeg B-15S, a Dynacord 50W all tube amp Bass-King, and a solid state 130W Trace Elliot GP7SM 15" combo, that I once also owned. Though plan on and will no doubt acquire a new used old classic Trace Elliot amp (that is from the 90's, before Trace Elliot was sold off and went through a couple of owners before finally getting sold to Peavey, which eventually reintroduced the brand) in some form at some point again (or might just get the new Trace Elliot Transit B bass preamp, which is supposed to replicate the classic Trace tone quite faithfully), as those are quite common to find used and goes for quite reasonable prices, and might get a Dynacord Bass-King again too, as those are usually quite reasonable priced too, though more uncommon to find used. Eventually, if I ever get that kind of money to spare, I might acquire a new Ampeg Portaflex PF-50T, which is based on the old B-15 amps with some modern upgrades and currently still in production, and is 50W, all tube amp as well like the originals, as well.

Similar specs to the EMG Geezer Butler P as well, which is actually based on a vintage Fender 60's P pickup, and is cheaper than both. But which I can warmly recommend. Love how the one I have installed in my main bass sounds, and then it is dead quiet, even in a bass that hasn't otherwise been properly shielded, as it is shielded internally and got shielded wiring as well, with the ground running as a braided shield all along and around the insulated lead/hot wire.

I would change having dropped out of Menfolk, a hardcore and noise rock influenced math rock band that I was playing bass in around start 00's, missing out on being part of their first full length release (I did help compose a couple of songs on it though), and also missing out on playing at the Roskilde Festival, Scandinavia's biggest rock festival, with them. And if it would have been possible I would have liked changing the reason for that, same reason why I am too unstable to dedicate myself to being part of a band today, suffering from bad mental health.

Congratulations. I would definitely get one of these could I afford it. Seems like an amazing instrument. I do own a Harley Benton GuitarBass (take on the Fender Bass VI), but as BigRedX mentions the string spacing is a bit tight. That said there's just something about just having 4 strings to deal with that really appeals to me, it forces you to think differently when using it like this, that is as mainly a melodic/solo instrument, sort of both covering the role of what a guitar and bass otherwise would. So I use my 4 string Ibanez Mikro Bass like this, which has a scale length of just 28.6", which I have tuned to F# (that is 2 half steps above regular 4 string bass E standard tuning) for this. Having composed a number of songs using that bass for a sort of stoner/doom rock project I call "all I nil" (6 regular songs, some quite traditional, other less, more alternative, takes on the stoner/doom rock genre, and then 3 instrumentals with more of a folky vibe to them), where I plan the main foundational instrumentation of the songs to be just bass, drums and then vocals, but then adding some more sparingly, more sort of flavor oriented, other instrumentation as well (still need to record the songs properly, but all the bass parts and the basic form of the songs are already in place, and I have tested it out playing with a drummer friend of mine, and it actually work really well as far as I am concerned). My point with this being, that if you think out of the box, and neither treat your bass as you traditionally would a bass or as a low tuned guitar lacking 2 strings, it is absolutely possible to successfully get away with and have fun playing and composing on a 4 string bass solo. As said though if I had the money to spare I would absolutely get an Eastwood Hooky Pro 6 Bass, however even so I think I'd likely still predominantly play and compose on my 4 string.

A compressor pedal and an EQ pedal of some sort would work great for this.

Never knew John Lennon liked to dress up in girls clothes and play bass...

I have always thought Enter Sandman sounds like a commercial jingle (the original that is): Fanta Light! Into night! We're off to Never Never Land!

A good point, and I think formulated excellently as well. Listening definitely is the key, not only with learning to play stuff, but in all aspects of playing, whether that be learning new tunes, writing new songs or parts, improvising, or playing stuff you actually already know. If you don't know how it sounds you are kind of shooting in the dark and will definitely not perform optimally. It seems obvious when you say it but listening really is what music is all about. I'd go as far as to say if you just listen learning theory will be secondary (which in my opinion is really where it belongs hierarchically anyway), if you just notice what it sounds like when you strike a certain fretted note eventually you will learn it and know instinctively where to go to on the fretboard. You should hear what you are playing inside your head as you play it.

Cult of Luna :

Yes, but just because it is the right choice for him doesn't mean it is for everyone. There is no one ultimate way to mix music, and it will definitely depend on the specific musical context in question as well. Yes, using delay instead of reverb does give a more clear effect, as I have already mentioned, but it also doesn't sound exactly like reverb, and it certainly doesn't mean it is the right choice for everything and everyone, personally I prefer a subtle reverb over delay on my bass.

That's a misconception. Learn on the instrument you are actually going to play. That will always be the absolutely most productive way of practicing. If you plan to continue predominantly playing 5 string, learn on that, if you plan on switching to mainly playing 4 string, learn on that. Also never too late to learn. And I'd suggest you spend some time on practicing improvisation as well.

I am 6'4' as well and my preferred main bass of choice is my just 28.6" scale Ibanez Mikro Bass. Then again you have people just as tall playing 24.75" Gibson scale guitars, and no one seems to think that looks strange. I also believe Stanley Clarke must be just as tall, if not even a bit taller, and further more have pretty huge hands, and he plays a mean upright bass as well, yet his preferred electric bass of choice is a 30" short scale Alembic.

Reverb stacked into distortion or fuzz is a beautiful thing.

Jeff Berlin would still disagree... He is the most avid proponent against the use of metronone. Strangely enough as he is otherwise also quite an avid proponent for old fashioned strict music theory teaching and practice.

Leave it alone as it is! (well except for having a new nut cut obviously) You are not going to restore that to it's original state, as you then might as well just buy a similar bass that hasn't been modded. Enjoy this bass for what it is, or sell it to some who would appreciate the work done on it, seems like an absolute killer bass, and to be frank a vast improvement over the original.

Yes, a subtle reverb, more specifically a really subtle emulated plate reverb stacked into a subtle emulated spring reverb, is part of my basic "clean" tone. It contributes to making the tone slightly fuller sounding and sort of gives an extra 3 dimensional depth to it. Delay I use more as a special effect for certain parts, though set to a really short delay time and sufficiently low in the mix it can actually be used as a sort of always on subtle faux reverb, and some prefer this to a real reverb, as it tends to give a somewhat more clear effect than reverb, which basically consists of multiple very short, often EQ filtered, delays with slightly different delay times.