biro

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1435257305' post='2807091'] I find the bartolis a bit polite sounding and not that growly, although you can make them a bit more lively with the eq (which is generally bass / treble / middle or bass / treble / freq / q. I would agree the 500 is a sweet spot, I had a 505 (and you can get them really cheap). [/quote] Or, you know, overdrive them to 11: https://soundcloud.com/ballpointmusic/ibanez-sr-506-guitar-rig

I recently acquired a 506 for a very honest price after trying another specimen in a Denmark St shop some time back and having my personal conversion on the way to Damascus. I got mine on BC, an it's a 2007 model. I agree that it could do better in terms of pick ups, but the quality of these instruments is just exceptional for the money. It's currently my main bass and I am very happy with it. Loads of sustain, great attack, the right amount of woody growl and super comfy. As of now, I believe I could only part with it to get an upper-level Soundgear. Also, whoever designed the SR neck is a hero.

[quote name='Oscar South' timestamp='1435268471' post='2807223'] Thanks again for your insight. In the end (actually a lot sooner than I expected the process to take expected) I took a bit of a gamble and bought this: [url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Yamaha_TRB_5P.html"]http://www.bassdirec...aha_TRB_5P.html[/url] It has 24 frets and it's neck-through.. (and having played a bolt on TRB for a number of years now I can relate to all the traits you describe of bolt ons) There were a couple of factors which convinced me to take the risk: 1. P/J pick config.. I've never played any pickup config that comes even close to the effectiveness of the Jazz bridge position for amplifying harmonics. 2. Piezo pickup, which are generally considered from what I've read to boost the responsiveness of an instrument and amplify harmonics extremely well. 3. Two switchable user tweakable mid boosts, which I can customise to accentuate the key frequencies involved for harmonics and tapping. 4. I've additionally ordered Status Hex Wound strings as I imagine the slightly stiffer strings will be further favourable for the response and harmonic content of the string. Everything other than the through neck (which the presence of a Piezo may nullify) seems to favour it for my uses. This was enough to convince me to try and give such a beautiful instrument a go, and I've had nothing but exceptional experience with the TRB line. The 1990 MIJ models are perhaps some of the best they're produced, so lets see how it works out! I'll post an update here after I do a bit of playing. If it doesn't work out.. I'll just have to sell it and try a Warwick Thumb!! [/quote] I actually have a thing for the TRBxP series! You did well, and, if all fails, you can always sell it to me

[quote name='Oscar South' timestamp='1435184552' post='2806411'] In fact, if you have any commennts on scale lenth then that would also be welcome. The decision I'm facing is that for solo performance, I believe that piezo pickups would be great to fill out the natural frequency range, but most piezo equipped instruments have a neck thru build in order to enhance the bodies resonance. [/quote] I personally don't have a lot of experience with piezo pick ups, but I am definitely convinced they could help in making those pesky frequencies stand out. As to the scale length, personally, I am back to 34" after a troubling affair with a 35". To be perfectly honest, I think I might be exaggerating the differences, but regardless of how abnormally big my hands are, I find the tension and the spanky-ness of a 34" just right for my taste. That being said, I wouldn't go lower for tapping / solo stuff -- my impression is that articulation can be affected by that to some extent.

[quote name='Oscar South' timestamp='1435175930' post='2806314'] The obvious thought that this gives me is that with the appropriate EQ treatment the thru-neck's apparent shortcoming can be nullified. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience on this? [/quote] In my experience, that is the epitome of a problem that an EQ cannot solve. I've had a good deal of neck through basses and that is perhaps the main reason why I ended up selling them all -- though I did own a gorgeous neck-through Spector Euro 5 fretless that truly had an amazing attack and mid presence, which I eventually sold it for other reasons. It's a matter of attack, really, and, all things being equal, I found the sustain on bolt on instruments suited my taste more: I do not mean to say that neck through instruments have more sustain -- though I found this to be true in many cases, however counterintuitive this might sound; I mean that the way the note rings on a bolt on is fundamentally different. In my experience, this helps a lot with natural and artificial harmonics and tapping.

As someone who used to do a good deal of fancy trick playing, I would recommend bolt on over neck through. That being said, my BTB705 with EMGs had very nice harmonics. (Exhibit [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqYti8mFA08"]one[/url] and [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6S8pmgfg38"]two[/url].) My Peavey TL-Six, less so, although perhaps that was more pick ups and less construction. (At [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E61ixTfKd6c"]0:30-ish[/url].) A cheap bolt on bass like a Douglas from Rondomusic had [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM4AhheTJeA"]better harmonics though[/url].

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1434918062' post='2803878'] Biro, The problem with doing the filter processing outside of the bass is that you miss out on one of the most import aspects of the sound which is that there are separate filters for each pickup. [/quote] Yours is a very valid point. I wonder if I could mimic that by using a dry / wet control on the low pass filter plugin.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1434870175' post='2803361'] IMHO the Wal sound has very little to do with the filter preamp... Whilst I find it an intuitive and versatile control system, for me it's the multicoil pickups that give the instruments their distinctive voice. [/quote] I absolutely agree. I think it would be possible to approximate that sound even further by employing different pick ups, yet I believe this simple experiment is interesting in that it shows that esoteric preamps results are actually rather easy to mimic, if not to achieve altogether.

Since I was at it, I decided to make a series of short samples: https://soundcloud.com/ballpointmusic/sets/lets-see-if-it-sounds-like-a-wal-spoiler-it-doesnt

Well, I am resurrecting this topic to address the Wal cloning thing again. I am not interested in getting that sound right at any cost, but I am laying down some bass lines for a friend and I thought that tone could fit in the context. I started wondering how close I could get to the original with some plugin tweaking in my DAW. (He's in charge of the mixing anyways, but still.) So, the principle is pretty straightforward: low pass filter (12db / octave) + resonant frequency (+10db give or take). I had done this in the past (with a friend, we actually created a 'walizer' plugin), but I decided to give it a try with the simpler devices included in any daw. In theory, this should be pretty similar to the way the Wal filter preamp operates -- if only on paper. I have achieved the same results with Logic Pro X's Equalizer and Apple's AU Low Pass (included with all Macs). Clearly -- and, really, I can't stress this enough -- we all know that Wal basses play the way they do because of a combination of woods, very peculiar pick ups / buffers, the preamp and who knows what else. Yet, to my very uneducated ears, this sounds like a good approximation, especially if your bass is a bolt on with humbuckers. It should go without saying that while this suits my needs because I simply don't need a Wal and I play live through a laptop anyways, it's not a particularly practical solution for most people to do the tweaking with a mouse instead of a pot.

Very well. I expect my bank account to get lighter. I have enormous hands, and no problems whatsoever with chunky necks: necks that don't adjust, that I can't deal with. As an aside: Neepheid, the name of your band is work of genius.

Thank you ever so much! Yes, to be honest I believe it would be a good deal for me as they have indeed quite a lot of tonal variety. Also, it's probably the closest thing (conceptually, albeit not necessarily sonically) to a Wal these days and at that price range. I just need to make sure I won't have to return it after three days of tinkering.

Hello fellow Basschatters: once again, I am raising a first-world problem. Not so much, actually, because this could be quite crucial. Since I am in a boring stage in my PhD, I am thinking about getting a G&L Tribute L2500. (Makes perfect sense, doesnt it?) They're quite the steal from our beloved German superstore, and since I am after a mildly traditional and versatile 5 stringer, it seems a good bet. I have tried this model several times and I know what I am getting tonewise. However, I have read horrible stories about the truss rods on G&L necks. I have been perusing Talkbass for a while and found alarming reports of stripped nuts, broken rods and extremely expensive replacement necks. And yet, I like my necks very straight and adjustable: this is [i]the[/i] potential dealbreaker for me. Now, I am wondering whether there's been a different luck on this side of the pond. Anyone? As usual, many thanks in advance!

Well, tried pressing the headstock against the wall and clamping it. No luck. At this point, I will have to see whether I can find any other solution. This really bothers me -- again, first world problem and all, but still!

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1433163282' post='2788405'] I'm under the impression that dead spots span more than a single fret/note where you would indeed find that sustain was reduced either side of the dead spot itself. You could try holding the tip of the headstock against a wall as you play the G at the 24th just to see if the sustain improves - my Curbow 5 suffers from a dead spot at the 16th fret on the G and sustain is reduced either side but when I hold the headstock against a wall the sustain improves markedly. Also, from what I've seen of pictures of BTBs online the 24th is the final fret for the G and D strings (it has a 'wavy' end to the fretboard?) so it can't be a bad fret. [/quote] Actually, the wall trick is a brilliant idea. That will definitely be my first concern as soon as I get home! Thanks!

Thanks mates! And yes, I know, I know, but... the fact is that my SR506, for example, sustains the note for ages compared to this, which also happens to be neck-through-body. I do understand that it is a very minor thing, and definitely a pet-peeve. Still, I think it may be a matter of bad frets.

Guys: my BTB is easily the best sounding bass I have, but it has little sustain on its highest note, the 23th-24th fret on the G string. Granted, it's usable and, in the end, it's not like it's a crucial note. It does, however, bother me. Now, neck is straight, action is low and I've tried different strings. The most irritating thing is that the D string plays perfectly well at the 24th fret. I have been thinking that it might be a dead spot, as it does sound like it might be a resonating frequency problem when I play on the 24th fret, but that wouldn't quite explain why the sustain is not so great at the 23th fret as well, albeit to a lesser extent. I have also thought about blaming it on the monorail bridge, but that does not explain why the other strings sound fine... Any suggestion would be most welcome! Thanks!