thodrik

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1453125504' post='2956554'] These by a long distance [url="http://www.daddario.com/DADMobileProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=3757&productid=380&productname=EXL160BT_Nickel_Wound__Balanced_Tension_Medium__50_120"]http://www.daddario...._Medium__50_120[/url] 120-50 is a great set for that tuning! [/quote] I absolutely love these strings for drop C tuning. I have used them for anything between D Standard and C standard and they deliver. In my opinion, they are far better than the DR and Dunlop sets that are supposedly designed for lower tunings. The D'Addarios are also much cheaper. Due to the size of the strings they are not great for slap, but in terms of tapping, bending, general speed across the fretboard, I haven't encountered any difficulties. My personal opinion is that when it comes to lower tunings, having balanced tension is much more important than just say adding a couple of gauges equally across all strings, which just leads to the same old 'floppy E string, tight G string' problem. I did try a set of custom Newtones for my five string tuned to A standard, which were nice, but expensive. I have since discovered that if I tuning a four string down to C, I don't really need an extra string! If only they made a five string set.

Ditto X2 and Flashback X4 were my main purchases last year. Mostly used on guitar but a lot of fun was had. MXR Phase 90 was also lots of fun.

I might in the minority that actually likes the sound of Trace pre shape sound when used with a passive bass. I always started with the pre shape on and then EQ'd some of the bass and treble out and some of the mids back in that are cut out by the pre shape. I only ignored the pre shape if I had a bass with a powerful on board EQ or I had a good floor level preamp like a Sansamp or something similar. In the modern era of 'a bit of valve grit' and 'brilliant flat response enhancing the natural tone of your bass', the baked-in sound of Trace Elliot is a bit unfashionable. I have three Trace Elliot amps and love them. The V6 is a monster.

TC Flashback X4 is reliable, fairly flexible and easy to use. Takes up a hell of a lot of space though. The Line 6 DL4 is a good on too. I tried both but ended up going for the TC Electronic. T-Rex do some great (and expensive) delay units too.

Not entirely related but I ended up buying a Duality pedal yesterday. I was looking for an obscenely unsubtle fuzz pedal and it more than delivers.

No information on the ultra on the Darkglass site. I'm guessing that it is still in the prototype stage.

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1451586750' post='2941720'] So you have a bass which is "ok and usable" at best?! Why not buy something that you like? [/quote] Because it is cool and I like it!

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1451502008' post='2941060'] I know plenty of you hate it, but I love the Precision design for its simplicity. The one thing that does irk me about it, however, is the control cavity. I've just had to remove 13 screws (well, 12 since I lost one) in order to pop off the scratch plate and find out why my tone pot's crackling. Leo and co managed to solve this problem on the Jazz (and even the Telecaster before that) by having a separate control plate - so why didn't they think to update the Precision's design for ease of access? Alternatively, tell me what grinds your gears about your favoured axes. [/quote] A previous owner of my Precision solved that problem. Cut the pick up into right about where the Jazz bass control plate would be. Then you can simply remove the smaller area of pick guard rather than the whole thing. Other bass design problems. Gibson EB3: - the bridge: 3 points so tricky to adjust the action. - the bridge again, the string saddles are in the wrong position so the felt from your strings goes over the saddle and causes intonation problems. - pick up selection: Setting 1 (front pick up) is okay and usable, setting 2 (back pick up) is really weedy, settings 3 and 4 (both pickups) are 'mud'. - tone pots and volume pots are really just 'on/off' knobs, so you can't really sculpt any usable tones from settings 3 and 4. - it is really heavy. - set neck, would prefer neck through or bolt on. - neck heavy, so headstock dive happens all the time. Apart from that, it is a great bass.

It really depends. I have heard a lot of bands covering Sabbath songs and drenching the bass in overdrive or fuzz. Most of the classic rock stuff has a bit of light overdrive via it being recorded with valve amp being played at high volume. However, a clean bass sound is probably going to more accurate representation of the original recordings than you would playing through a fuzz like Boss ODB3 or Zvex Wooly Mammoth. You would be surprised at how many 'heavy' bands use predominantly clean bass sounds, Iron Maiden being one of them. With overdrive, a little goes a long way in terms of the overall mix. I like classic rock, but get frustrated with some of the classic rock purists who listen with their eyes and get outraged if you use anything other an valve head or a bass that isn't a Fender Precision, Fender Jazz or Rickenbacker. Years ago I was told that my Vigier Excess was the wrong bass to be used when playing classic rock like Sabbath. Geezer Butler played the same model of bass during the Reunion in 1997 and that Roger Glover has been playing Excesses for years and even had a signature model!

Some of the new Dave Gilmour album, also been listening to Bleeder by Mutoid Man, which is pretty damn cool.

I have also had the Sansamp Bass Driver for the last 6-7 years. I have also tried the EBS Valvedrive, which was a lot more transparent but a pain in the whole to gig with (12v AC power supply, large pedal footbprint, valve pedal so more likely to go wrong) and Electro Harmonix English Muff'n (pretty much the same problems as the EBS but less flexible EQ and less good build quality, slightly more gritty sound though). The Darkglass pedals are getting good reviews at the moment. You could also look at the Rusty Box.

'Why are [insert name of company who makes expensive basses that look remarkably like a Fender Jazz]'s so expensive?' is a common question. The 'super Fender' is a niche market and there is a high demand for the instruments. Since the companies are generally smaller than say, Fender, the price of the instruments will be pretty high to reflect the work of the small team, or individual who made the bass. Companies like Sadowsky and Fodera also operate out of New York, so the cost of operating the premises are probably pretty high as well. Alleva Coppolo I believe build their instruments to be more similar in feel and sound to vintage Fenders from the 1960s, as opposed to say Nordstrand and Sadowsky who make basses that look like Fenders but have modern high output pickups and EQ systems. After a certain price point, there isn't really 'better' so much as different. It just depends on whether it is the right instrument for you and whether you are willing to buy it.

Fender Precision, valve amp, play loud. Tuning to C sharp standard is optional but helps.

I wouldn't say no to trying one of the Darkglass overdrive units, particularly the B7K.

The only thing that I took away from the video is that I do not have the patience to watch a 30 minute long video blog. That is time I could spend playing bass and improving my technique, or drinking coffee and looking up the latest football news.

I have used the balanced tension 120-50 set for the last few years. Fantastic strings for tuning below standard tuning and they are really reasonably priced. I have used the standard nickelwound 105-45 sets one and off for the last 10 years as well. I prefer the D'addarios to Rotosound and Ernie Ball strings, but I'm not that precious about strings and will try other brands as well.

I tried a customised five string set on a five string, 145 - 50. I ordered them from Newtone strings. I generally don't mix different brands of strings, but I will trying different gauges of strings I am trying out tunings that are in non-standard turning. Drop C for example. I don't really bother anymore as the D'addario balanced tension strings 120-50 serve me well from D standard down drop B. Anything lower than that I would just use a five string in standard tuning.

Tried slap bass on my EB3 a few times. Not terrible but you aren't going to get 'that' Fender type slap sound. The longer scale versions like Rippers and Grabbers would probably be a better bet.

I like him, but he isn't somebody I listen to frequently. I generally don't listen to 'listen to how great [insert individual player of a certain instrument]' type bands. Jaco was a great player and influenced many, including many of the 'noodling away on the back pick up of a jazz bass while wearing a hat' bass players that I love so dearly...

I have had Trace Elliot stuff for years. The V6 is great. I have SMX head as well which is good, but if you are into the natural, gritty valve amp sound without a pedal you are best looking elsewhere, or just buying a pedal and turning off the pre shapes.

Post codes in the Highlands are also to blame for some courier problems. Places north of Inverness can have post codes beginning with 'KW' which leads to couriers thinking that they being asked to deliver to Orkney, when they are actually being asked to deliver an hour's drive north of Inverness. Arranging delivery to non-mainland places like Orkney can be even more tricky. It might be the case that couriers just don't want to deal with the A9, which is a horrible road long overdue for being turned into a dual carriageway.

I have a Sadowsky Metro, but the 'well built, expensive bass with active electronics that looks like a Fender Jazz' is a pretty saturated market. Just try as many as you can and buy the one you like most.

I have been playing a 360 in rehearsal and it is a nice amp. I can't say I have noticed too much difference from playing the 350 to 360 in terms of top end EQ, though I'm not doing much slap and pop stuff so I have not really been pushing it. I have the blue stripe Fafner as well and the Valve Drive. I wouldn't say that '360 + Valve Drive' = the 660 or Fafner sound. I always thought the 350 and 650 sounded pretty similar in terms of EQ structure and were both a bit more user friendly than the Fafner I. The Fafner II just looks a bit over the top in terms of design for me.

[quote name='Adam Wiseman' timestamp='1422475493' post='2673227'] Thank you all for your replies. Thodrick, I think I will give that 120-50 set a go. [/quote] Let me know how it works out. I've been looking at those walnut Rickenbackers for a while now!

D'addario do a balanced tension set of 120-50. That is what I used when tuned to drop C, as in drop D but a whole tone lower on all strings.