hubrad

Just came across this, courtesy of the Similar Content section.. I don't even particularly know Toto stuff but this sounds grand!

The occasional ceiling dink makes it look like you've actually had a gig! 😄

Get a pair of those cheap reading glasses. 

Great for close up work, plus if you get a little bit of solder splatter..

USA Peavey.. obviously the T40 is the well known model, but the more basic models are excellent workhorses. I picked up a Predator (Str@t type) a couple of years back, and love its feel; the weak link was the pickups, but that's one of those things we all swap around anyway! Cost me just over a ton, so if I can retire on the proceeds that'll do nicely.

11 hours ago, Paddy Morris said:

 

I guess I could damp down the fingerboard but I don't want to kill any contribution that might be making to the tone on the bridge pick-up.

Sounds to me like it's acting like a large wooden reed and contributing a load of unwanted bass resonance. 

I'd try damping it with something removable.. if it works, you win; if not, try something different. 

Very much like mine, same label.

I bought mine from a good friend, and it was estimated to be 1960s, much like meself!

Beautiful tone and volume. Mine has 108cm vibrating string length so verging on 4/4. 

I love mine to this day, so I imagine someone will be very happy getting yours. Glwts!

This diagram is from Knut Guettler's excellent book A Guide To Advanced Modern Double Bass Technique.

Sadly now long out of print but it crops up used occasionally. 

Practice,  I'm afraid! I can't claim to be particularly great at doing this, but better than I was a few years back. 

Best thing I heard was thinking of your whole arm, shoulder down to fingers, as a connected system like the pistons and rods on a steam loco. Aim towards a smooth circular motion, the end result being the least possible interruption to the flow of the bow.

At the reverse, your shoulder switches first, followed by upper arm and so on with the fingers being last to switch direction. They're the smallest and lightest bit of the system, thus least noticeable switch.

A little easier with French bow than German due to the extra flexibility of your fingers, but same idea either way.

We'd better both get practicing!

1 hour ago, itu said:

Put the DMM setting to VDC. When you hit the pickup with a magnetic tool like a screwdriver, the voltage raises shortly to the positive side if it is in phase. The DMM may have a min/max function and here it is very handy.

I never got round to knowing that.. thanks for the tip, itu!

Awesome.. Deffo worth playing through a decent speaker so the neighbours can get the full majesty!

That chart above may help, but probably a multimeter job then. Test for continuity to determine the ends of each coil, then it's a bit trial and error getting the phase right.

I did find this forum on ESP gear, so could be worth asking folks who know the basses: https://www.espguitars.com/forums

Casting around, it sound like there's a ESP Designed range of pickups, SB-4B being the bridge pickup of the OEM pair in many ESP/Ltd basses.. is yours one of those, or is it definitely a Seymour Duncan model?

SD are a good place to start when looking for clues as to wiring colours, but you may have to go in with a multimeter and your ears to decide just which wire does what.. good luck, it's all part of the fun!

Hi Mihail, welcome to Basschat! 

As suggested above, a 6.5 inch or 2x5 inch speakers won't give you a heavy sounding (I assume you want really solid) bass.

I just looked at a couple of your other posts.. These speakers are way too small if you're looking at drop tunings.. they'll probably fart out really easily, even at front room volume.

If the price tags on these two amps are your budget level (we all understand that part!) then you'd be better looking at used gear, but either way get the biggest speaker you can. Preferably at least 10 inch.

If you'll be practicing through headphones the speaker doesn't matter, but be prepared to fry your head! 

Aux In is really useful for a stand alone practice amp, but you can always practice along to a stereo or something else.

You can do this, but as above you'll need to change the nut slots and the setup. I even turned 4 string into 5 string, but I'm told that isn't possible..

I could have saved so much money if I'd done this all those years ago! 😄

A friend in Leeds, years back.. she absolutely swore by the fact her strings were several years old, as she really hated the Zing of new strings. She was dreading the inevitable-one-day string breakage.

A few months later, she broke a string, so replaced the set.. LOVED the tone of the new strings!

To me, she sounded top notch both with old strings and new!

Funny old world.

I think some folks want to sound like x player or y bass.. I prefer the approach of sounding like I sound, depending on choice of bass, and it seems to work almost all the time.

I suppose, as a predominantly fretless player, most folks' reference is Pino Palladino, and let's face it I'll never be him(!) so I may as well do me!

The Overwater approach definitely works for me, either their 'standard' version or you can really enjoy talking to them re options and personal taste/requirements.

1 hour ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

On a slightly philosophical note (I've no experience with Overwater nor Bartolini)

Is it not desirable that a pickup should be as accurate and uncoloured as possible?

This leaves the (internal) pre-amp and EQ to do the tone-control aspect, and any subsequent devices get the potential of a really clean sound to work with when needed. 

If you're thinking of the possibility of future experiments, then go for the Bartolini as they'll be a standard size thus swappable. 

My J5 fretless tone monster came with Barts, but currently sports EMG for extra attack. I still have the Barts so I can always put them back in for the rich creaminess.

Tbh, my experience of Overwater's own pickups is also splendid; I think they're very versatile, and you can actually get alot out of them by fingers and amp usage.

Edit: Check out Ian King for Overwater/Bartolini content.. he told me he's a big fan of Barts, so I'm pretty sure if he's playing an Overwater in a vid then that's what the pickups will be.

Finish.. natural wood. They can take you from plain as you like to as fancy as you can imagine!

The folks at Overwater Towers do very nice things with bits of wood, and with or without extra deluxe glitzy bits the beauty remains for all time.

12 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Hopefully there are one or two of us playing DB & EUB live / or even via Zoom and others have some dates in the diary?

I've certainly been enjoying spending a bit more time getting up to speed on my cheap and cheerful Stagg EUB and now have half a set's worth of material under my belt. Just another set and a half to go... 😁

I do, actually, have one of these online gigs.. Live At The Green Note without any of us actually having to drive there!

This Wednesday at 8.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4430507943642642&id=100000504396211

Reaper.

Even the licence is cheap, but it seems they'd rather you keep 'evaluating than get a cracked copy and slag them off based on faulty software! I fully intend to buy the licence once earning again.

I've been using it.. you can get as complicated as you like, but there are endless YouTube tutorials, including by the developers themselves. 

Phew, at last! Someone has a corking bass coming up.

Same with alot of country and blues grooves.. not hard to get the notes, but you can spend a lifetime really getting the groove right. 

Splendid, innit?

4 minutes ago, Bilbo said:

This one is a bit of fun. Walter Becker's bass line to the track 'Cousin Dupress' from the 2000 Steely Dan album 'Two Against Nature'. Fairly easy read with nothing past eight notes. A couple of bars of chromatic leading notes but, otherwise, pretty much root based.

 

https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/cousin-dupree-steely-dan/

As you say, not deadly complex, but this was the song that sold the album to me on first hearing it.

An elusively beautiful sleazy groove!

It's one of the classic examples of Jaco Pastorius' fretless playing behind a song, and I've heard it cited as one of those tracks which were influential in people deciding to take up fretless bass.

Fretless (he supposedly did the job himself) Jazz bass with distinct leaning to the bridge pickup. Classic tone, although some folks these days really don't go for it.

Deffo go for the headphones, though.. I love this track!

53 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Upright double bass, rather than electric, right?

You *are* joking, right?