alexclaber

[quote name='AM1' post='451592' date='Apr 1 2009, 03:26 PM']Aaah Shaddap and don't be a killjoy [/quote] By all means learn Rocco's stuff to get your right hand technique happening but please don't use it on a gig for a good few years! Alex

[quote name='AM1' post='451564' date='Apr 1 2009, 03:03 PM']That's exactly what I like. Really great technique and control. A big part is feel for sure but for this particular example of the genre, technique plays a big part.[/quote] Put the bass down and step away from the Tower of Power! Rocco's style is so hard to pull off correctly and sounds so bad when done wrong that it is the last place to start with funk. The world is full of bad funk players who followed Mark King's slap playing and Rocco's fingerstyle (if they were good then the later would sound good but there'll never be any true funk in that Level 42 plinkily plonkily silliness). Aim to funk with as few notes as possible, that way even when you're a beginner you'll sound funky. Once you get busier the note spacing, length, accenting, tone, position vs the beat, and other phrasing, becomes more and more critical. Alex

[quote name='51m0n' post='451473' date='Apr 1 2009, 01:40 PM']Even Sex Machine, which is not that tough of a riff, is really taxing on people coming from a rock/punk/blues or even jazz rhythmic background. Bootsy laid down some of the all time ultimate funk grooves with JB, and a lot of them use very natural sounding, but really hard to nail 16th note syncopation, and the real trick is he often played lines that syncopate off different 16th notes each beat in the bar.[/quote] I have never ever heard anyone play Sex Machine like Bootsy did. Even JB's band couldn't do it right once he left. Incredibly difficult feel. [quote name='51m0n' post='451473' date='Apr 1 2009, 01:40 PM']TOP is devastatingly hard in comparison, just because its so fast. Sure you maybe can play the line, but if you dont play it as solid as Rocco and grooving as hard then you have a way to go, and very few people can really do it (I know I seriously struggle when I start tying to play things like On The Serious Side - it sounds simple but its a killer).[/quote] I'd say that ToP is much easier feelwise than Sex Machine but damn, it is fast, and more than that to get that tone you have to dig in hard with the right hand and mute very heavily with the left. Keeping that pace and top spin up for an entire song requires incredible stamina. Check out The Meters too. Technically very easy to play but the feel is hard - you need to sit back and cope with the drums sitting even further back. Alex

I guess my right hand technique is rather like my left hand technique. So if I'm just reaching for an octave or suchlike then I'll leave my right hand thumb in place (resting on pickup, body or B, E or A string), whilst if I'm shifting up a string or two and staying there for a phrase then my thumb will shift. It never anchors, it only rests. Anchoring implies excessive tension! Likewise my left hand will pivot about the thumb to reach farther than the 3 or 4 frets I normally cover but if the phrase requires then the thumb will shift. Try playing major and minor scales where you play the root then octave on each note, and then try going root root octave octave. That should get your right hand string skipping pretty well. Alex

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='451443' date='Apr 1 2009, 01:15 PM']Thanks Alex, i understand what you are saying but i want and need to play in the lower register. I feel comfortable and it fits. My band isnt what you would call...er...good :-( so we need a solid bass end. playing in the higher register leaves a gap and there isnt anyone to fill it. Guess im more a traditional bass player.[/quote] That's exactly my point! There is a misconception that traditional and solid bass playing involves always staying down low. However if you look at a lot of old rock and soul the bass player often spends most of their time in the middle register but it still sounds fat, solid and traditional. If your tone is right you will not leave a gap, in fact you will fill the space between the bottom and the keys/guitar/vocals that much better. Alex

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='451235' date='Apr 1 2009, 10:09 AM']Play that funky music sounds great in E but in D or Eb, whilst still being easy to play on a 4 string, means its too high or i need to detune.[/quote] You've mentioned quite a few songs that I think work great on a 4-string in that key - there's a lot of funk in the middle register that you're missing out on by thinking you need to be an octave lower. All in the tone and feel. If you get that right you can even lay down the bottom whilst being up around and beyond the 12th fret! I think I found this when coming up with basslines for new songs and realising that I was always starting on the lowest octave of each note - thereafter I started trying to work that region up around and beyond the 7th fret and learnt how fat you can sound up there and how nice it is to be able to go down as well as up! I guess I wouldn't have been forced to learn about the power of the middle and higher registers if I'd had a five sooner, though since getting one a year ago I've taken to it like a duck to water. Alex

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='451392' date='Apr 1 2009, 12:41 PM']Was that a silly question ? :S[/quote] Not at all! People seem to think drop-tuned 4-string basses are like so heavy man, need super rawk cabs to handle it, but hordes of bassists have been playing 5-strings for the last decade or two and few drop-tuned fours go as low as a standard five. However drop-tuning generally goes hand in hand with loud guitarists, a rather different situation to a 5-string in a function band... Big lows at high SPL need big cabs or smaller (but still quite large) cabs that can truly handle big power through having high excursion speakers. Alex

Regarding syncopation and note choices, there are really no hard and fast rules in funk. Likewise tonal choices - a huge range of techniques and resulting tones work with funk. Spend enough time listening to the greats and it should all come fairly naturally. I came to funk from rock and metal via the Chilis. Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the only album I've ever learnt start to finish and I still think it's a great one to enter funk through - the punk/rock crossover makes it that much more accessible as do the more song oriented arrangements. I haven't honestly learnt much funk by rote since then - some Larry Graham, some Rocco, some Jaco, but they're more for getting technique sorted slapwise or fast 16th note funk. I've listened to plenty though and hand me any bass and drop me in any funk band and I will lay it down like a mother. I will say though that you're best steering clear of Rocco's style for a long time - it is seriously hard to get right. Bizarrely Jaco's 16th note lines are much easier to nail because they are far less reliant on the left hand muting. Nowadays I do play those heavily muted thuddy 16th grooves but it's taken years get that vibe happening - most bassists end up going all growly bridge pickupy and trebly when doing 16th note funk but sounds so cheesy in comparison. All about the FEEL dog. Alex

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='451314' date='Apr 1 2009, 11:23 AM']Just out of curiosity wouldn't it be worth looking into what amps the 5/6 stringers use? wouldn't they come up against the same problem?[/quote] Indeed they would! Alex

Multiplying... Alex

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='451295' date='Apr 1 2009, 11:07 AM']Just to check: you haven't really cancelled my order, right?[/quote] Oh I see, you were joking. Ah... Alex

What amp will you be using? Alex

[quote name='Hamster' post='451280' date='Apr 1 2009, 10:56 AM']No specs for the Baby Sub?[/quote] Big Sub and Baby Sub have the same sensitivity and LF response as the Big One and Big Baby respectively. Knock off a few lbs for the removal of the midrange section. The Baby Sub is a very potent beast for adding serious bottom to a rig but you will need a dual channel amp to use it effectively due to the low sensitivity. The Big Sub can be run in parallel with a mid-sized cab but you'll struggle to drive it to full volume without the other cab totally farting out - however at lower SPL its higher sensitivity means you'lll be able to hear it adding bottom unlike the Big Baby which will be lost unless it's under a very quiet cab (like a 1x10"). However if you have enough power the Baby Sub could actually add useful bottom to many 4x10"s! Alex

[quote name='Adee' post='451229' date='Apr 1 2009, 09:59 AM']The best review would be to bring a selection of cabs to the next Bass Bash and let everyone test them with the wide range of Amps, Basses and playing styles available along with side by side comparisons with other cabs too.[/quote] Although I will endeavour to do that I don't think it's actually the best test - these cabs all work best in context, so playing in a loud band. A/B comparisons when soloed are all very well and good but at a Bass Bash you can't get these cabs anywhere near loud enough to show how they leave the competition behind. For instance there are a few nicer 1x15" cabs that at low volume sound fairly similar to The Compact at low SPL and a side-by-side comparison would just make you go "well it sounds as good as that and it's half the weight". But really turn up the volume and the other 15"s give up the ghost whilst the Compact just gets louder and louder and louder. I got to try a Bergantino HT115 at a Bass Bash a while back and it ran out of low frequency power handling at such low SPL compared to the Compact. Alex

[quote name='ben604' post='450642' date='Mar 31 2009, 04:22 PM']There's some Aguilar GS410s being bandied about on a thread which I've registered an interest in, at 700rms each, they should be able to handle the volume, no?[/quote] The pair could definitely handle that but not due to their power rating. If you want to handle big lows with farting you need enough speaker area and cone excursion. As most cabs are rather short on cone excursion (ability of the woofer to pump back and forth without distorting) the solution is lots of cone area. There are a select few cabs that can move a lot of air without having lots of cone area but the list is very short! Alex

[quote name='johnnylager' post='450595' date='Mar 31 2009, 03:26 PM']You forgot Big One x2. Muhahahaha. :brow: I've gone deaf just thinking about it. Or is that blind? Or is that for another reason?[/quote] WHAT?!! Yes, blinding! By the way, the first vintage look model is going out in this batch - a sideways metal-cornered and fabric-grilled Compact to sit underneath a Fender Bassman. Alex

[quote name='Alien' post='450580' date='Mar 31 2009, 03:15 PM']If you're looking to power the whole thing off a 12V battery, why use a 240V amp? You get losses in the inverter, and then more losses in the power stage of the amp. Why not use a preamp pedal and a small car amp? Something like [url="http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/products/25/29/182/GM-3300T/specs.html"][b]this amp[/b][/url] would give you 150W into 4 Ohms continuous, and would draw 15 amps maximum. You'd want a 30 AH battery to play for 2 hours, which is pretty small as deep-discharge batteries go.[/quote] Yep, that makes much more sense. Small car power amp, preamp pedal and driving a midrangey 1x10" or 1x12". If you have an active bass you may even be able to skip the preamp pedal, I know my bass with the OBP-3 has enough gain and a low enough output impedance to do that. Have a look on PJB's site to what size battery they recommend. Don't forget you'll need a charger too! Alex

Good idea, I shall do that. In the meantime: [code]Compact 25.5" high x 19.5" wide x 13.5" deep / 32lbs / 100dB / F3=63Hz F6=51Hz / £400 Big One 29.5" high x 21" wide x 16" deep / 47lbs / 99dB / F3=47Hz F6=41Hz / £625 Vintage 38" high x 24" wide x 13.5" deep / ~52lbs / 103dB / F3=59Hz F6=51Hz / £650 Midget 19.5" high x 15" wide x 13.5" deep / ~25lbs / 99dB / F3=82Hz F6=58Hz / £375 Big Baby 25.5" high x 19.5" wide x 13.5" deep / ~34lbs / 95dB / F3=46Hz F6=40Hz / £575[/code] Note that these specs are only suitable for comparing within the Barefaced range - other manufacturers' claims may be a little more impressive on paper... Recommended pairings: Compact x2, Midget x2, Compact+Midget, Big Baby+Baby Sub. Alex

Ideally you want to be using a Class D amp into a horn cab to get as many acoustic watts out as possible for as few electrical watts from the wall (or battery). If you could find the right inverter you could possibly then the rig from a load of Lithium Ion power tool batteries. The PJB Briefcase is the only nice sounding battery powered bass amp I know of and it can manage about one hour off one battery. Alex

[quote name='allighatt0r' post='450447' date='Mar 31 2009, 12:42 PM']So what that is saying is that with the castors on (similar to putting the amp on a beer create, only shorter), I will get a gain from low frequencies being reflected upwards by the solid floor on the frequencies below ~100Hz (depending on how tall the castors are), and that when the castors are removed and the amp is directly on the floor, I'll get boosts below ~250Hz? This seems to confirm that castors off = better!?[/quote] The 3" lift off the floor caused by castors will make no difference to the acoustic coupling with the floor boundary. You'd need to be lifting the cab 3 feet off the floor, not 3 inches to get a significant difference in boundary reinforcement! The castors should however minimise mechanical coupling. Alex

[quote name='escholl' post='450413' date='Mar 31 2009, 11:54 AM']The second part, I wasn't referring to the baffle step, but rather the "space" the speaker is in as defined by the acoustic boundaries, or something like that. I've read about it in a few books recently, although I can't really explain it without an image, and i can't find an image on the net. fail. but it's the same thing as when speakers are defined as being measured in either half space or free air (whole space), and why some studio monitors have adjustments for half, quarter, or eighth space. this probably isn't explaining it any better -- but it's basically what causes the acoustic coupling effect you were talking about, i think.[/quote] That's exactly what the baffle step is. With the speaker on the floor below the baffle step it radiates into half space and above the baffle step it radiates into quarter space. Linearly double the size of the baffle (i.e. use four cabs) and you lower the frequency where you shift from half space to quarter space radiation by an octave. Alex

Now that's a proper heavyweight combo - RAWK!!! [quote name='allighatt0r' post='450393' date='Mar 31 2009, 11:31 AM']Thank god for castors! I read in the user manual that the castors are removeable. Has anyone had experience with taking them off at every gig? is it worth it to get the "floor coupling" effect?[/quote] No. Explanation here: [url="http://barefacedbass.com/technical.html"]http://barefacedbass.com/technical.html[/url] Alex

[quote name='escholl' post='450390' date='Mar 31 2009, 11:30 AM']But my understanding is that in the sub-200Hz range, the benefit for just two cabs would be 6dB, as not only has the number of drivers doubled (+3dB) but also the bottom cab has gone from half-space (assuming it's not against a wall or in a corner) to effectively quarter-space (another +3dB below 200Hz -- the coupling effect you talk about is the change from half to quarter space).[/quote] It is really complicated, I've spent years puzzling over this and still so much to learn. The benefit from doubling the number of cabs is 3dB wattage sensitivity or 6dB voltage sensitivity (for parallel wiring) or 6dB maximum output (3dB sensitivity plus doubled power handling). I believe the reason for this improvement in sensitivity (and thus efficiency) is due to increasing the radiation impedance by increasing the radiating area - I'm not 100% sure on this though. There is a change due to the space they're firing into but it's only within a small frequency range - basically it's like lowering the baffle step frequency slightly (that's the frequency where output shifts from just forwards (180 deg) to wrapping around the whole cab. If you go from one cab to four in this arrangement you'll lower the baffle step frequency by an octave, in this case from ~220Hz down to ~110Hz. If you stack two cabs vertically there won't be much change in baffle step. [url="http://www.t-linespeakers.org/tech/bafflestep/index.html"]http://www.t-linespeakers.org/tech/bafflestep/index.html[/url] Alex

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='450356' date='Mar 31 2009, 11:01 AM']How about BGM reduces the font size and writes more words? That would be an improvement.[/quote] That's what CAR did with the revamp a couple of months ago. So much more content yet the same or fewer pages. Alex

[quote name='chris_b' post='449512' date='Mar 30 2009, 02:51 PM']The Epifani UL410 is rated at 1000 watts. I haven't a clue what that means in real terms but mine is very loud with just 300 watts going into it.[/quote] It means it can handle 1000W of power without the voice coils overheating. However like almost all 4x10"s it can't handle more than about 300W cleanly in the lows but as you've noticed it's already damned loud by that point! Alex