Kongo

[quote name='Skinkemann' post='662519' date='Nov 23 2009, 11:34 AM']I tought a 5 string was needed when playing drop c. But what I see now, 4 strings to more than enough good.[/quote] It is for me! LOL I HATE detuning bass it doesn't feel right...you never get the right feel or tone out of the strings than when it was standard. So I play 5 and 6-string bass, tuned standard...My band plays drop-B (Fine, but different fingerings), C# standard (No open string there then) and drop G# (C# standard with lowest string dropped right down to G#)...and I still don't detune...Actually I do drop the lowest string too for one song because it's better for slap but that's as far as I go. Who needs to play the same as the guitarist in metal anyways? So for drop-C it's up to you but for drop-B 5-string is fine.

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='663005' date='Nov 23 2009, 06:28 PM']I swapped out the Bart MK1s on my Ibanez SR500 and replaced them with Nordstrand Big Singles. They're slightly narrower than the Barts but I wasn't bothered about cosmetics at all. If I was, I'd fit a pickguard to hide the gaps. At first I ran it through the MK1 pre but have now gone passive, and much prefer the single coil passive sound. However there is something of the 'dark' character of the bass that remains, giving it quite a thick tone. I assume this is due to the body (mahogany) and neck (bubinga/wenge with rosewood). When I flip the S1 switch I fitted when I converted to passive, it sounds massive. My conclusion was that bad/poorly matched electronics can really 'choke' the tone of the wood, conversely a good bit will bring out the best in the wood's sonic properties. But the wood's fundamental tone is always there and you can't make mahogany sound like maple. I could be wrong.[/quote] Yeah Mahogany has quite a thick low end sound from my experience whereas Maple has defined highs and SHOULD be snappier...As it is unplugged but not plugged in...I really must look into this but I do wonder if it's worth doing or not I mean, it might do nothing or sound worse...and cost a bomb in doing so! I'm not sure...there's so much to think about.

[quote name='henry norton' post='661634' date='Nov 22 2009, 11:14 AM']Yeah you kind of got the answer there yourself Kongo. Barts aren't known for being particularly hot or especially aggressive so it's not surprising you're not getting a loud, aggressive sound. The wood adds allot to the sound but if the pickups aren't picking it all up you won't hear it through the amp. Presumably the money went on the woodwork rather than the fittings so it sounds like a perfect bass to hot rod. Have a trawl on the net for pickups, most alternatives will be louder and more aggressive than the Barts.[/quote] One guy I know went Nordstrand pups, Audere preamp and SWEARS by it's tone which he says is "Second to none", and he got a lot of basses...But it's a costly endeavor if you get it wrong...Basslines do do soap bars but there active...I don't really want active pickups because 1) they wont drop right in and 2) some preamps such s as Audere say they dont work with active pickups...the pickups in my RD tell me that passive pickups are still good. Which is worth swapping first? I'd say the pickups myself and then see what that does...What say you? [quote name='JTUK' post='661806' date='Nov 22 2009, 02:37 PM']so, be careful how far you go if you want the basses to retain similar qualities, not so much in sound but gain etc...[/quote] My RD is 5-string with 18mm spacing, the BTB 6-string with 17mm spacing...Cant play 6-string songs on a 5-string and thus, I don't play both in the same band...I only wish Ibanez made 6-string RD's or even still made them all together! GREAT basses with HUGE sound and coil tapping allows an array of tones... But hey, if they did that my world would be perfect so...LOL!

Wow how many replies! I guess this is the 1 Million Pound question eh? [quote name='henry norton' post='660833' date='Nov 21 2009, 10:19 AM']There's always a point, the number of threads regarding electronics and pickups on this forum alone will tell you that. Some pieces of wood just seem to work better as a bass body/neck than others - that's why you can pick up two otherwise identical Fenders and one sounds lively and resonant and the other sounds dull and lifeless. The type of wood will have some effect on the timbre (the frequencies that make up the sound), but even the most seasoned electric guitar luthiers are at the mercy of the wood to some degree or another. An archtop guitar luthier will carve, scrape and generally work a top & back until they get the desired resonance, something you can't really do with a two inch slab of hardwood. If the bass sounds good to begin with, fitting better pickups will make a huge difference, as will a good pre. Whether you'll like that difference is another matter [/quote] Well the bass in question does sound really nice unplugged with enough highs and lows across all 6 strings accordingly, but plugged in it sounds dull and flat, even extreme tweaking of the preamp EQ jus makes a more nasal or subby flat sound... It's my Ibanez BTB556MP thats on the agenda here first. With maple top and bottom and walnut sandwiched in between. It's on the top of my list for sustain and the natural tone is good, just plugged in...not snappy or aggressive enough. It has the vari-mid preamp and Bartolini MK2 pups. My other one I used before coming back to this is an Ibanez RD605 with a 2 band EQ Ibanez preamp and Basslines pups, one jazz in the neck one MM @ the bridge, this is the model with the proper Basslines not the later Ibanez designed ones and they are ceramic too! My RD, made of much cheaper wood once plugged in sounds HUGE! Such POWERFUL low end, punchy mids and bell like highs...A little HOT in the signal and excites any amp its plugged into (turn the input DOWN LOL!)...with a switch for the preamp you can hear how it sounds passive...which is still massive and punchy but not as refined. My thinking is then, maybe the RD over compensates with pickups...the preamp is great but is considered cheap. But what could I switch my barts out with? There not proper ones, Korean made, but they are jus too weak in output...I have to crank it to about 1 o'clock on the input gain to get the sweet spot on my Trace Elliot head (thats the yellow light)...and the preamp seems to be...worthless. I think the wood is good and if you think it is defo worth changing the pups and preamp then I might jus do that. I'm just interested in the relation of why wood affects tone so much.

This is one such phenomenon that eludes me...Your told that pickups pick up vibrations from your strings that are then turned into a current that goes into an amp, gets amplified...and this is how your sound is made...If this is how it is to be...why does the wood matter? It does, and I know this but how? I have a few basses of varying wood type and density and all of them carry the natural sound (when played unplugged) as well as the tone of the pickups and / or Preamp...the denser the wood, the woodier the sound...the softer the wood, the flatter the sound... How is this? I'm looking to mod some of them but, if the wood will always affect the sound...is there any point? Can any preamp and pickup combination overcome this?

[quote name='Beedster' post='644617' date='Nov 3 2009, 07:27 PM']I think most people were too exhausted from reading the thread (and perhaps not quite clear on what exactly you were asking?)! OK, firstly, they are very easy to install, no soldering required, certainly on the Jazz version. Secondly, the Z switch is, to my mind the best feature so definitely install it, thirdly everyone I know who has one has had to order from the US. Good luck Chris[/quote] yeah probs lol...Didn't have much time so I sorta brain stormed. Basically all I'm trying to do at the moment is make the tone workable as the stock one sounds flat, and tweaks on the EQ dont do much...either add nasal or sub sounds...no actual mixing of the EQ's seem to work, just increases output (obviously). What other kinds, if need be, could I look into? As for pickups I'm gonna give Nordstrand a call. :-) And shipping from the US is no problem. I used to have a custom string set by Conklin and they always arrived in good time.

So not even one person has used an Audere preamp or even changed one? Gotta be someone.

Hey all long time not speak! been busy with my band which is good...but as anyone will remember I change basses like underwear! So to cut a long story short I've decided to use my 6-string BTB again...only to remember why I put it down. it plays fine, I'm used to the neck and slap techniques are no problem...ITS THE SOUND! My GOD why is it so flat? I've been using an Ibanez RD 605 i bought from Geoff Burne here and thats what got me to believing in preamps. When flat the RD sounded...well...heavily passive...but flicking the switch on...OMG! it comes alive and until having a switch I thought preamps did nothing flat (although modern I've lived in a passive world for so long)...this leads me to believe that what ppl said about the BTB series is true...the preamp is rubbish and always sounds flat...no tweaks deal much to me. not even the vari-mid... So, I took on some advice and looked into Audere preamps, i've gone for the component version for obvious reasons and found myself...intrigued! The options are HUGE! I get paid this week which means \i must have one and see (or rather hear) for myself but I'm asking for help deciding. On my BTB i have 5 pots, one of which is stacked. I have volume, balance, treble, bass and mid with a vari-mid sweeper. The options available are too big to list so here's a link so u can see: [url="http://www.audereaudio.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=8"]http://www.audereaudio.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=8[/url] I've been thinking, because so it reads it comes with a Z-switch? So I need room for this? I have no problem in drilling new ones if needed, i've had the bass 2 years now almost. So I was gonna go for Volume, balance, treble/bass (stacked), Mid and a Mid switch. I dont want the 4 band because then I have low and high mid...I'd rather have a switch, which is similar to the prestige BTB model. Also going 12-volt, same as it is now... That takes up 5 pots...thats the lot...so with the LED and Z-switch this means I need to make 2 more holes somewhere? I could have volume/balance (stacked) but I'm not too keen on the idea. Also, does anyone have any dealings with them here in the UK? they do ship and I've had great dealings with Conklin in the past, with VERY fast delivery. Also, as these are pre-wired is it as the Jazz bass version is, where no soldering is required? U just put the wires in like Hi-Fi speakers and clamp them in...and being pre-wired the battery box wont go into the slot mine has as the wire wont be able to pass through...unless I unsolder it and do so that way, would be cleaner than taping it down. Thanks all, I hope this isnt a daunting read...my posts when asking for help are always...detailed LOL! But seriously, I heard many a bassist say the BTB is better when the stock preamp is changed...I could change the pups later but really, I HATE how flat the preamp is....might as well be passive! Any info will be appreciated. I would really like to get one of these and do a preamp install. Love my BTB...Jus dont like the flat tone! :-)

I bought a Trace Elliot 1048H cab and a month later a Trace Elliot AH1000-12, Eddy even held onto it for me until I was paid. I have used it on one gig and countless rehearsals, with many more gigs lined up. No problems AT ALL and the head is pretty much brand new even still. I cut RIGHT through the mix. The full story is in the old feedback for Lushuk but he's defo NOT dodgy having met in person twice, both at his bands rehearsal...People these days are jus too quick to jump the gun.

[quote name='Josh' post='551562' date='Jul 26 2009, 03:31 AM']He is one of the best Bassist's in the genre, Sam and Ryan Martinie really do make Nu-Metal worth while.[/quote] Yes exactly! More than a pentatonic scale for one. But the Unquestionable Truth is a real weak album, 3 Dollar Bill is by far their best. To say they are good but ruined by vocal content and image...Dude, that IS Bizkit's fine point, who else does that? If not for that they'd be...well like a lot of average bands that got forgotten. If your pissed off at someone don't tell me you never told them to f*** off...Let's all get away from being square and admit that putting it into music only makes it more real to yourself. It's one way to express, why not use it? I'm an adult and I LOVE some of this in my music. Bizkit's reunion meant a lot and LOADS were there at Download, including myself...and not ONE song from the UT album, only the good stuff.

Every Wednesday and Thursday my band is up rehearsing till 1am, so that's in the morning. Get back about 2 in the morning, go bed...wake up at 7 for work. Hated it when the band was just starting out but now I look forward to it, you get used to silly times. Proves how into it your are.

Plus he had a Custom Ibanez BTB...the ONLY custom BTB and they NEVER released it! He later had a Warwick with the Ibanez MR-2 bridge...very oddball, because he loved the bridge...then when he went exclusive...well...warwick bridge...I thought he prefered the MR-2? He's real good. Plays in 5-string standrad tuning when Wes is in C# and actually climbs to the high frets too. Very underrated and way better than Timmy C...Much more varied and interesting.

I don't like the attitude of music shop staff members...All the MM basses have lazer fields and the like, should you even breathe on them! Why should you buy without trying? They are there to test first and buy later if need be, just like a car showroom. Hence, I don't use music shops any more...Going to buy strings and they don't even know what your on about and try to make YOU look stupid!? I don't think so.