alexclaber

As infrequently as possible. I don't like the new string sound but I've noticed that after a year or two, depending on the amount of playing, roundwound strings rapidly die by losing their sustain and getting rather boomy sounding. Having a bass with a very stiff neck, hard fingerboard and stainless steel frets means I don't need a fresh string to get a bright sound when I want one. Alex

[quote name='eude' post='207612' date='May 27 2008, 09:46 PM']Nice to hear the 33" bug is spreading, I'm so so pleased that I went for it on my 6 string, it really makes playing much more comfortable. The B string is as good as any high end bass I've played, and it's even better than the B I tried on a 36" high end bass, which shall remain nameless. The real nice surprise with it is the way the higher strings seem to sing that little bit more.[/quote] I really like the way that changing scale length has such a big effect on the sound - as you've noticed a shorter scale gives the higher strings a more vocal quality whilst making the lower strings rounder sounding. I prefer the more aggressive sound and the feel of a 36" scale but it's a very personal thing. For all the pondering we do about wood choices and so on with custom basses its amazing how the vast majority of customs are 34" scale or 35" for fives. FWIW I'm using 38-58-78-104-134 gauge strings on my 36" scale standard tuned five. Alex

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='271594' date='Aug 28 2008, 10:33 AM']SOLO bit? [/quote] Play one of the basslines you'll be playing on the gig. There is no point doing some slap frippery to set the levels and then to spend the entire gig playing fingerstyle! Alex

Kind Of Blue, obviously! ESP is a great lesser known album that manages to be accessible yet unique. On The Corner is a very cool and weird groove monster. Alex

[quote name='RIM Basses' post='263583' date='Aug 16 2008, 01:21 PM']Great to see you are doing well with the cabs bud, looks like you might be busy.[/quote] They do take a while to build! I have four of The Compacts in various stages of progress and the first of The Big Ones on its way. However I am getting more efficient so hopefully I'll be able to make a few a month. I'll be bringing one of each model to the SE Bass Bash. Alex

In chronological order: Traynor YBA-2B combo (25W all-tube sealed 1x15") Peavey Sessionbass/112MB (200W s/s head with 1x12" whizzer ported tiltback cab, occasionally used with big 1x15" cab) SWR Grand Prix / Mackie M1400 / Two Acme Low-B2s (1000W into ported 3-way cabs) SWR Grand Prix / QSC PLX 3002 / Two Acme Low-B2s (2000W) Avalon U5 / QSC PLX 3002 / Two Acme Low-B2s (Class A s/s preamp replacing hybrid preamp) Avalon U5 / QSC PLX 3002 / barefacedBass Compact (550W into ported 1x15") Best Looking Amp - probably the current rig, or maybe the '70s Traynor combo Loudest Amp - PLX 3002 and the Acmes, but The Big One will be louder! Best Live Sound - U5/PLX/The Compact Best Studio Sound - U5, easily! Most Commented Upon Live Sound - SWR/Mackie/Acme but that's because it did the most gigs! Most Frustrating Set Up to get a sound out of - I used to blow the bulbs too often with the Mackie/Acmes but never had a problem with sounds. Overall Winner - The current rig but I should hope so after this much work! Alex

[quote name='geilerbass' post='270930' date='Aug 27 2008, 12:53 PM']Which reminds me, I really need to get a new set as I've had mine for a few years now...[/quote] I wonder what happens as they age? Mine are 7 years old now but seem to work just fine and still fit well. Alex

I would split your pedalboard signal chain so one runs to the clean amp and one to the dirty amp. That way you can have pitch shifters and delays and things like that at the front of the chain running both amps and then distortions, wahs and other nastiness just going to the dirty amp. If you want to have the dirty rig running all the time then I'd be more inclined towards EQing that right and forgetting the clean rig. The reason behind the Timmy C type rig is usually to allow kicking in the dirty rig to fill a certain space left when you're in a one guitar band and said guitarist starts soloing. Alex

[quote name='geilerbass' post='270816' date='Aug 27 2008, 10:28 AM']I'd go for the ER25s - particularly if you're playing heavy music. In fact, there are times that even a 25dB cut doesn't feel enough.[/quote] If your stage sound is loud enough to need ER25s then I pity your vocalist! However I agree that if you're in a loud heavy band that it's probably worth trying the 25dB filters - once you have the plugs made for you then the filters are relatively cheap. I think they do 9dB ones as well but I can't really see the point of them unless you have a very quiet drummer. Good move on the ER20s, a very wise investment! Alex

Bear in mind that a high power 1U amp will tend to be of significant depth whilst a similar 2U amp can be a lot shallower so the total racked volume may be the same. The QSC PLX and PLX2 amps are all around 20lbs or less and hit a great balance of price vs size/weight/features/power. The Crown XTi amps are also well worth looking at as they're even cheaper and lighter and have built in DSP. Alex

Fantastic work! Alex

Get some ER20s and dont' go into the rehearsal room or venue until you have them in. It takes time to get used to them but persevere, your hearing is too valuable to risk damaging it. Bear in mind that some people's ears can stand far higher volumes without suffering damage whilst others will get permanent tinnitus after only a few loud nights - unfortunately you won't know how tough your ears are until too late! If you can afford it I highly recommend the ER15 custom made plugs - they cost about £150 but it's the best £150 I've ever spent on any music-related gear. Alex

I find it easier having just one but The Funk Brothers did an amazing job with three! Alex

[code]------------------|-------------------| ------------------|-------------------| ------------------|-------------------| -------------1----|----------1-2-3----| 3-3-3-3---3----1--|3-3-3-3------------|[/code] It's all about the rhythm though - short long short long rest three notes, short long short long three note walk up sustain, then back and hit that staccato downbeat hard Another approach I might take would be to drop the one and then hit a load of 16ths (so if you count 1 e + a 2 e + a etc you're missing the 1 and then playing on the e + a 2 e + rest over a and 3 and then e + a 4 e +, then the next bar rest on 1 then play e + a 2 e + then rest and then walk up on the offbeats ( the + of 3 and the + of 4). [code]---------------------|---------------------| ---------------------|---------------------| -55555---55555-------|-55555------3----4---| ---------------------|---------------------| --------3-------3----|--------3------------|[/code] Another approach is to play short 1/4 notes on the root on the first six 1/4 notes, then leave a small pause and do a syncopated fill back into the 1/4 note roots. Etc. These ways you're more of a rhythmic counterpoint to what the guitar is playing, you push against it and pull with it. Focus on the rhythms, try mixing up short and long notes, leaving rests, playing syncopations. Think about what feel like the big notes and hit them together but then go elsewhere in between. Alex

I don't have an easy way of getting a recording up here quickly but here's the kind of thing I might play over the first riff: (d=staccato 8th note, D=legato 8th note, _=sustain for another 8th note, -=rest) d D d D - D F C d D d D F F# G_ Does that make sense? Alex

Try taking the guitar riff and then replacing some of the root notes with octaves and fifths (up one string and two frets or down one string same fret) to build a more melodic bassline that moves around that riff. Alex

One trick is to break down the bassline to the barest notes and then build it back up. Throw in a few fills as you do so and you're home and dry. Have you heard "The Jam" by Graham Central Station? Some great approaches to soloing in that. Also "Dance To The Music" by Sly and The Family Stone - hear Larry introduce his bassline with a vocal moment and then in comes the fuzz! Make the solo fit the instrument - you play a groove machine, play a groove-centric solo! Alex

Both mine are rare (RIM Custom 5 is unique and '87 Warwick Streamers are few and far between) but definitely not vintage! Alex

[quote name='BOD2' post='267727' date='Aug 22 2008, 11:29 AM']The other good thing about the MR8 series is that you can connect and record up to 4 sources (e.g. 4 separate mics) simultaneously, whereas as most other multitrackers a limited to 1 or 2 sources simultaneously.[/quote] I had one of those and it's a neat little thing, especially with the 4 track simultaneous - very very easy to use. The Tascam 2488 is a far bigger and not quite so friendly beast but the extra size and cost gets you 24 bit recording with 8 track simultaneous and up to 24 tracks total. Alex

We did our last EP entirely (bar final mastering) on a Tascam 2488 which only cost a few hundred quid. Very impressive piece of kit. Alex

Channel Willie Weeks! Alex

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='266346' date='Aug 20 2008, 03:10 PM']Root, third, fifth and seventh of what?[/quote] Whichever chord you're playing. [quote name='bilbo230763' post='266346' date='Aug 20 2008, 03:10 PM']Sorry, mate. I'd recommend going the other way and learning scales before chords [/quote] Well you would say that, you play jazz. Alex

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='266336' date='Aug 20 2008, 03:01 PM']But then you're half-way to learning the scales anyway - might as well just learn them and then those numeric intervals will make more sense. It's not any harder to just learn the scales IMO.[/quote] The argeggios focus on what is central to the bassline, without the fripperies of the non-chordal notes. Rather than mindlessly go up and down the scales, find the chord sequence to a song you like and then work on applying the relevant argeggios to each chord to create a bassline. Also look at the original bass line and relate that back to building it from the arpeggio. Focusing on scales as a bass player is as useful as a beginning drummer focusing on fills - start with the essentials! Alex

I don't believe scales are the right place to start on bass. Instead, learn the basic arpeggios - major, minor, dominant 7th, minor 7th, major 7th, half diminished, diminished. If you're outlining a chord sequence that will help you far more than learning whole scales in each key. It's all about the root, third, fifth and seventh. You can do so much with those four basic notes. Alex

[quote name='stingrayfan' post='266147' date='Aug 20 2008, 10:51 AM']+1. I reckon a lot of it is in the fingers but imagine Jamerson on a Stingray w/roundwounds or Mark King on a Hofner Violin w/flatwounds. Their style would still be there but it would sound a bit odd.[/quote] I bet Jamerson would stick a wodge of foam under the strings at the bridge to deaden them and sound hardly any different, certainly in the context of the recording. Mark King would be a different matter, but he might end up sounding cool for once! Any given instrument/processing/amplification system has a range of sounds it can cover and if you know how to use it then you should be able to always get your tone assuming it is within that range. The vast majority of bass sounds can be achieved closely enough with the vast majority of quality systems. Personally I like to use a bass/rig that has a huge tonal range and then my ears/hands can get on with intuitively sorting out the tone. Alex