alexclaber

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='174365' date='Apr 11 2008, 09:39 AM']Warwick, I find you guilty as charged on all 9v-powered implementations of the MEC circuits. Compression city! Okay, they're electrically quiet, but that's about all! And before all the Warwick owners start a-flaming, I own two!![/quote] Absolutely. The original MEC preamp in my '87 Streamer was not good at all. I replaced it with an Aguilar OBP-3 which was a revelation. However when I installed the OBP-3 I put a preamp bypass switch in and it wasn't that long before I found I didn't need the OBP-3 at all, the original EMG pickups sounded fantastic running on 18V without any additional preamp or EQ, and just a simple 3-way switch to give me three basic tones. [quote name='Crazykiwi' post='174368' date='Apr 11 2008, 09:42 AM']Alex, I've been told that Alembic pickups aren't active (at least according to John East who has had a play with my Activators). Apparently they're designed passive but very low impedance.[/quote] Calling them active pickups seemed easier than referring to them as low impedance (and thus inductance) pickups with a very high resonant frequency but low output that required buffering and gain so they can drive good signal to an amp. EMG and some Seymour Duncans are the same but with the preamp inside the pickup, and quite a few Bartolini models are passive pickups but with such low impedance and output that they need an onboard preamp with gain to work well. To those that don't know about the tricksy tendancies of the human brain, louder always equals better, so a beginner is much more likely to buy a loud active bass over a quieter passive one that sounds much better if you match the loudness. Same with amps, hence silly gain and volume controls that encourage you to think your amp is really loud because it's deafening with the knobs hardly past 9 o'clock - sadly most of these amps won't go any louder if you turn them up further! Alex

My problem with active basses is that cheap implementations tend to have too much noise, distortion and compression caused by the preamp, plus 20dB of bass boost on an onboard knob in the hands of a beginners tends to result in tonal disaster (and amplifier distress). A well voiced high quality onboard preamp (or true active pickups) in the hands of someone that knows what they're doing can be a great thing. I really like the signal buffering and impedance matching that a good onboard preamp provides and also the clarity and transparent reproduction of a good active pickup (Alembic, EMG, etc). I'm thrilled that the Q-Tuners seem to provide that without the hassle of batteries (I stopped using EQ on bass - except when mixing in the studio - years ago). Alex

[quote name='Clive Thorne' post='174187' date='Apr 10 2008, 10:12 PM']I play a 32", and can fairly comfortably play the classic 12 bar blues thing starting at the seventh fret (its a stretch, but doesn't actually hurt) i.e. first finger at the 7th fret on the A string third finger at the 9th fret on the D string and little finger reaching to the 11th fret on the D string as required. (Think "Bang a gong", steamroller etc).[/quote] Just tried this on my 36". For starters I'd normally play this on 7th fret A string, 9th fret D string and 6th fret G string! But I have no problem playing it your way and I think my hands are barely larger than average. However I do play with my thumb on the back of the neck and my hand pivots about this so I can cover more frets without actually shifting my thumb. If I wasn't pivoting around my thumb it would be more challenging. [quote name='Clive Thorne' post='174187' date='Apr 10 2008, 10:12 PM']I only play a four string so I can't comment on the tone a B string at different scale lengths, but the general consensus seems to be that the longer the better.[/quote] Not the longer the better, the longer the truer and more pure the tone. Basically as you increase the scale length for a given tuning and string gauge, you gain harmonic content at both ends of the spectrum (low and high harmonics), the overtones become more in tune with each other and the note stays more in tune during the note envelope, and the pitched content of the note becomes more significant, and timbre changes less through the attack, decay, sustain and release phases. Conversely as you decrease the scale length you lose both lower harmonic content (particularly the fundamental) and high harmonic content due to the string vibrating less like an ideal string. Clang tones (vibrating bar modes) become more significant as does percussive content (thump). Also the overtone content diminishes more quickly. Now the question is, do you want more thump and midrange or do you want more tonal content, depth and clarity? Your choice of course will not just be determined by the sound you want but also your tuning and where you tend to play. The Novak fanned fret approach makes a lot of sense because you can keep the high strings sounding 'warm' enough whilst making the low strings clear enough. My decision to go for 36" scale was because I've not been impressed by any 34" scale low B strings and I wanted more note and less thump, plus I play a lot of chordal stuff so clarity on the high strings is nice too. And if I want more thump I'm happy to use muting techniques to get it. Alex

[quote name='jjl5590' post='174197' date='Apr 10 2008, 10:33 PM']anyway i read on the wiki that if you use very powerful speakers with a not very powerful head, you can damadge the speakers[/quote] Only if you push the head beyond its limits until its distorting really badly and even then it's only likely to be the tweeter that gets damaged. And you'd have to be deaf to do this. [quote name='jjl5590' post='174197' date='Apr 10 2008, 10:33 PM']and if you use the rig at really low volumes for long periods, the speakers will also break cos they require movement to cool down, and at low volumes they arnt moving hardly.[/quote] Playing a rig at really low volumes for long periods will NOT damage it. Speaker movement does marginally help with cooling but if you're putting hardly any power into a speaker hardly any cooling is required, and most cooling is radiative anyway, not convective. Alex

Get it done under warranty. I really wouldn't want to mess with the speaker in any active sub, who knows what's going on in the electronics. Alex

[quote name='bassjamm' post='172846' date='Apr 9 2008, 08:53 AM']One thing that can be done to counteract the scale length on the B string is to re-arrange the tuning pegs so that the B string has the peg furthest away from the neck, that obviously depends on headstock deisgn a lot, but i've seen this done before in order to increase B string tension on shorter scale basses!!![/quote] This cannot increase the tension though it can have some bearing on the feel - as can neck stiffness, break angle at witness points, action, etc. Before making a decision I strongly recommend experimenting with the effects on tension and stretch on your exisiting bass, using retuning, shifting positions and/or capos. There is nothing like actually trying before buying! Alex

The article Bass Player did just over a decade ago still stacks up as a great list: [url="http://www.bassplayer.com/article/essential-bass-recordings/jun-97/4570"]http://www.bassplayer.com/article/essentia...ngs/jun-97/4570[/url] DUKE ELLINGTON Solos, Duets and Trios [RCA/Bluebird] Bassist: Jimmy Blanton PATSY CLINE 12 Greatest Hits [MCA] Bassists: Harold Bradley, Bob Moore OSCAR PETERSON TRIO Night Train [Verve] Bassist: Ray Brown CREAM Wheels of Fire [Polydor] Bassist: Jack Bruce CACHAO Y SU RITMO CALIENTE Cuban Jam Session,Vol. II [Panart] (Available from Descarga Latin Music, 800-377-2647) Bassist: Israel "Cachao" López MILES DAVIS Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet [Prestige] Bassist: Paul Chambers STANLEY CLARKE Stanley Clarke [Epic] Bassist: Stanley Clarke PRIMUS Sailing the Seas of Cheese [Interscope] Bassist: Les Claypool STAX/VOLT The Complete Stax/Volt Singles, 1959-1968 [Atlantic] Bassists: Donald "Duck" Dunn and others RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Blood Sugar Sex Magik [Warner Bros.] Bassist: Flea GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION The Best of Larry Graham and Graham Central Station, Vol.1 [Warner Bros.] Bassist: Larry Graham CHARLIE HADEN & PAT METHENY Beyond the Missouri Sky (short stories) [Verve] Bassist: Charlie Haden CHAKA KHAN What Cha' Gonna Do for Me [Warner Bros.] Bassist: Anthony Jackson MOTOWN Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection, 1959-1971 [Motown] Bassists: James Jamerson and others B.B. KING Completely Well [MCA] Bassist: Jerry Jemmott LED ZEPPELIN Led Zeppelin II [Atlantic] Bassist: John Paul Jones PAUL SIMON Graceland [Warner Bros.] Bassists: Bakithi Kumalo, Lloyd Lelose, Alonzo Johnson, Conrad Lozano BILL EVANS TRIO Sunday at the Village Vanguard [Riverside] Bassist: Scott LaFaro MICHAEL MANRING Drastic Measures [Windham Hill] Bassist: Michael Manring THE BEATLES Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [EMI] Bassist: Paul McCartney EDGAR MEYER, YO-YO MA & MARK O'CONNOR Appalachia Waltz [Sony Classical] Bassist:Edgar Meyer MARCUS MILLER The Sun Don't Lie [PRA] Bassist: Marcus Miller CHARLES MINGUS Mingus Ah Um [Columbia] Bassist: Charles Mingus WEATHER REPORT Heavy Weather [Columbia] Bassist: Jaco Pastorius THE METERS Funkify Your Life [Rhino] Bassist: George Porter Jr. TOWER OF POWER Tower Of Power [Warner Bros.] Bassist: Francis "Rocco" Prestia III STEELY DAN Aja [MCA] Bassists: Chuck Rainey, Walter Becker YES Fragile [Atlantic] Bassist: Chris Squire VICTOR WOOTEN A Show of Hands [Compass] Bassist: Victor Wooten I have most of these albums and they're right on the money! Alex

[quote name='jakesbass' post='172059' date='Apr 8 2008, 10:05 AM']I've come accross these meters in places where residential noise limits exist, the really stupid thing I've found is that they seem to be less sensitive to bass frequencies than higher register[/quote] I believe all these devices tend to use A-weighting, thus: 10Hz 12,5Hz 16Hz 20Hz 25Hz 31,5Hz 40Hz 50Hz -70,4dB -63,4dB -56,7dB -50,5dB -44,7dB -39,4dB -34,6dB -30,2dB 63Hz 80Hz 100Hz 125Hz 160Hz 200Hz 250Hz 315Hz -26,2dB -22,5dB -19,1dB -16,1dB -13,4dB -10,9dB -8,6dB -6,6dB 400Hz 500Hz 630Hz 800Hz 1kHz 1,25kHz 1,6kHz 2kHz -4,8dB -3,2dB -1,9dB -0,8dB 0dB +0,6dB +1,0dB +1,2dB 2,5kHz 3,15kHz 4kHz 5kHz 6,3kHz 8kHz 10kHz 12,5kHz +1,3dB +1,2dB +1,0dB +0,5dB -0,1dB -1,1dB -2,5dB -4,3dB 16kHz 20kHz -6,6dB -9,3dB The human ear at lower volumes is close to A-weighting in how it references loudness (phons) but as you say this totally fails to consider how bass goes through walls and treble doesn't. What would make more sense if neighbours are complaining is an A-weighed meter outside the venue, but obviously that isn't practical either. Alex

Quite a few people played my 36" scale RIM Custom 5 at the bash and most of them didn't realise it was longer than normal. As someone who never played 5-string before, apart from trying numerous 34" fives in shops and being deeply unimpressed by the low B, it would be interesting to hear whether other bassists think the extra length was worth it for the tone and feel of the low B? Alex

[quote name='The Funk' post='171674' date='Apr 7 2008, 06:44 PM']Get two Hartke 2.5XL cabs. They're awesome and come in at £239 each brand new. As they're 200W at 8 ohms each, you'd draw 400W with them both plugged into your 500W head. If you stack them on their sides, you'd get the same height as a Marshall stack but with more clarity. That would definitely be my recommendation, especially if you're looking at Hartke anyway. As for a head, I'd go for a Gallien-Krueger 700RB. At 480W, it'd be a very good match for the two Hartke cabs.[/quote] If you're buying new then that's a great set-up. Alex

[quote name='jjl5590' post='171665' date='Apr 7 2008, 06:33 PM']but if i buy one 4x10 8ohm cab, its only drawing about 300W from the head[/quote] The difference between 300W and 500W is pretty negligible, especially when you consider that a typical 1000W rated cab can only handle about 250W in the lows. Alex

Or, as I used at my last rehearsal, a length of 4x2. Alex

[quote name='gafbass02' post='171559' date='Apr 7 2008, 04:17 PM']bearing in mind this is being thought of for purely shallow cosmetic reasons...[/quote] Hmmm... The tone is going to change considerably - do you want that change? To hell with what it looks like! Alex

Since ever louder PA systems have become cheaper and cheaper yet the operators' ability to restrain themselves from turning it up to eleven has remained just as lacking, I'm not surprised to see this happening. I welcome the days when small pub gigs stop miking up the drums and trying to shake the walls with kick through subs to boost the sound engineer's ego. Clearly bar staff will have to provided with ear plugs when there is any music playing - combine a packed pub with 'background' music loud enough to be heard over a few hundred drunken voices and you'll be pushing 85dB. Add a band into the mix and you're looking at 100dB plus on a quiet day. Alex

Regarding the original subject, there's a whole world of funk which is often incredibly syncopated but made accessible by its repetitiveness. Check out some pre-Bootsy James Brown (Cold Sweat, et al), The Meters and some of the Parliament/Funkadelic. Find some fat one or two bar riffs and groove them 'til the cows come home. Alex

[quote name='Bigwan' post='171543' date='Apr 7 2008, 03:56 PM']I haven't heard any of the new album, except perhaps a live version from when they played at Abbey Road for Channel4, so I can't comment, but BSSM is one hell of an album to try and live up to.[/quote] The best songs on it, in my opinion, are the ones that they never seem to play on live broadcasts! It's the slower darker material that really feels authentic - the tracks that sound more old Chilis seem somewhat false, like they're trying to rekindle their youth. I notice that Anthony can even sing vaguely in tune nowadays! Alex

No but I did build a rather nice snowman yesterday! Alex

[quote name='Bigwan' post='171523' date='Apr 7 2008, 03:23 PM']How weird is that - that was the first thing I thought of![/quote] I have (illegal) photocopies of the transcription book which have been following me around for years. Let me know if your ears fancy a helping hand! [quote name='Bigwan' post='171523' date='Apr 7 2008, 03:23 PM']Slightly off topic - who else thinks the Chili Peppers have been crap since BSSM?[/quote] Different, I'd say. Whatever they've been doing differently though, they've managed to tap into an absolutely massive audience compared to their pre-Californication days. I've really enjoyed Stadium Arcadium - the only weak point with that album is it covers such a breadth of their music that it's not hugely coherent. If they'd been really ruthless and edited it down to a single album I think it would have been the best work to date. Alex

[quote name='jjl5590' post='171359' date='Apr 7 2008, 12:53 PM']I dont have any real experience, except that i know i will be playing in a heavy rock band, with (im guessing) a loud drummer, and 2 guitarists, who i know for sure are both using at least all-valve marshall half stacks.[/quote] Buy some ER-20 musicians' earplugs whilst you're still young enough to save your hearing! Without buying a bass rig the size of a small car you will never win the volume war. Instead, turn it into a dialogue where you all listen to each other and thus the guitarists learn that the volume knob turns in both directions. Play with each other, don't fight to be heard. If I was in your position I'd track down a used Peavey head and a couple of used cabs (2x10", 1x15" or a mix of the two). Or a single 4x10" (add casters if they're missing) and work on your lifting technique (visits to gym may help...) Peavey gear is really reliable and when you've been playing some years and really know what your ideal rig is (which will only come with time and experience) you'll be able to sell it for what you paid in the first place. If you really do want to spend £500 on a cab, which strikes me as a hell of a lot for a newbie, then check out the DR Bass cabs that Robbie @ RIM Custom is importing, I doubt you can do better. Alex

My introduction to playing other than rock and metal was Flea's work on Blood Sugar Sex Magik. I learnt the whole thing, start to finish and it really opened up my horizons. I think that album still stands out as one of the great bass performances of recent-ish years. Alex

Another key point is that more important than good monitors is monitors you know well, so listen to plenty of music on them whose production you like so you have an accurate reference point. Also bear in mind that in small rooms the room gain becomes significant. In a room with perfectly reflective walls you gain 12dB/octave below the frequency whose wavelength is half that of the longest room dimension. In reality that gain is often closer to 6dB/octave but it's still significant. In my study the longest dimension is about 2.5m so room gain starts at 70Hz! Alex

Tascam VL-X5 are very very good for the money. Plenty of bass extension due to their larger than typical internal volume. Alex

[quote name='jakesbass' post='170899' date='Apr 6 2008, 07:46 PM']...consider Letterman, American Idol...[/quote] And the singers on American Idol tend to be in another league to the halfwits on UK talent(less) shows! Alex

[quote name='Vasquez Rich' post='170484' date='Apr 5 2008, 11:19 PM']I always apply this rule of thumb... if a speaker cab weighs a tonne then it's likely to be LOUD. After all what you are paying for is big magnets... and generally big magnets have higher sensitivity..[/quote] Bad rule of thumb. Is a speaker cab is big then it's likely to be loud. Big magnets may make guitar cabs louder but too much magnet lowers the Qts too much and you end up with less sensitivity in the lows, and we are bass players so sensitivity below 200Hz does matter. Size matters, weight doesn't. Alex

As the starter of this thread it's quite disappointing to read such inanity. I have an excellent ear for timing and if I didn't notice any noteworthy problems then in my opinion (and my opinion of course is bigger, better and more badass than yours) then there weren't any. Those who believe there is only one way to play on the beat should really open their minds and consider the power of different members of the band placing their notes in different places around the beat, playing with different amounts of swing or shuffle, and varied accenting. It struck me that Estelle's band were trying to recreate the cut and pasted feel of sample laden modern r&b and therefore the tensions and resolutions in the groove structure made total sense. And even if their groove intentions were not totally fulfilled that does not prohibit the music from happening - decades of successful, innovative but arguably messy yet moving music has shown that. Alex