LawrenceH

Speaking as someone who doesn't really go for this sort of thing, I've had this playing in the background for several tracks now and am finding it very listenable - nicely constructed songs, arrangements and recordings, good job!

[quote name='son of frog' post='1206668' date='Apr 21 2011, 02:56 AM']Is there any preference for long lasting strings that maintain that punchy crisp sound for longer? I will upload a Video or sound demo later today, keep in mind that they were changed about midday friday, so its only been about 5 / 6 days.[/quote] Bit late to the party here but it really sounds to me like you had a duff set here if they went off that quick. I used to use EB hybrids all the time and although they go off quite quick with playing, just left strung up on the bass they stay bright for longer than a week. I've got a set on my 70s RI jazz that I put on a few months ago, but I've hardly played it in that time and the strings (fast-fretted) are still suprisingly zingy, nowhere near dead yet.

Don't worry, mine has so far sounded great through a Markbass F1, crappy Laney rehearsal amp, mediocre Trace boxer, and even passable through a Peavey at a gig where everyone else running through that amp sounded even worse (next to nothing above about 300Hz I think!). I'm sure an SVT wouldn't hurt though...

[quote name='Machines' post='1237912' date='May 20 2011, 11:00 AM']I wouldn't mutilate your Jazz by having it rerouted - it won't make it more valuable. I think you'd be better of selling it and getting the Aerodyne you really want.[/quote] Does the 2008 model require rerouting, or is it one where there's a large route anyway? However, I do agree that modding probably isn't the answer. I recently got hold of an aerodyne and can't stop raving about it! It's not just the fact that it's PJ, it's also the most acoustically resonant bass I've ever owned, and the ceramic pickups are really fat sounding. It has the best solo bridge sound I've ever had, taking the P out of the equation completely.

Out moonlighting as a sound engineer I've got to say I've seen good, versatile functions bands die on their arses just because the audience aren't up for it. It's amazing how far from appropriate some bookings will be.

[quote name='Dave Vader' post='1237039' date='May 19 2011, 04:11 PM']Real poly sealer stripping sadly can't be done any other way. [/quote] Except my way - using a poweful hairdryer and a paint scraper. Takes off the outer poly on a Fender and most of the sealer too

I'd guess that a p pickup in that position is going to sound something like a fattened jazz bass bridge soloed with perhaps a hint of Stingray on those top strings. Probably a pretty cool sound!

I have to say my Aerodyne is the best sounding bass I have ever owned, BBOT or not. I upgraded the bridge on a Jap 75RI but I don't see the need on this one, it's a damn tight funky sound anyway. I think an upgrade will be tricky to find though, sorry!

[quote name='derrenleepoole' post='1234540' date='May 17 2011, 04:42 PM']Just wondering, could anyone recommend a good 10" speaker that is better voiced for electric upright bass? I'm thinking of redoing [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=134712&st=0&p=1221776&#entry1221776"]this[/url] project cabinet as bought off Lemmywinks (which in turn came from another BC-er). Any thoughts at all?[/quote] I'll see if I can beat the rush...I can't see a picture, so is the cab ported, if so do you know the tuning frequency and approximate internal dimensions? Without that info its hard/impossible to make reliable suggestions. And what driver is in there already, and what's wrong with the current voicing?

I found this interview quite interesting actually [url="http://www.scena.org/lsm/sm12-8/sm12-8_marsalis_en.html"]http://www.scena.org/lsm/sm12-8/sm12-8_marsalis_en.html[/url] My personal favourite quote 'Nowadays, you see, you have guys who have been playing jazz since they were 12 years old and, all of a sudden, around 30, they start to try and play funk. They think that because there are far fewer notes, and the harmony is much simpler, it will be a walk in the park. But it turns out to be a disaster and only gets worse, a really pathetic slide.'

None of this actually matters that much when we're talking about music though, career success in music doesn't come from degree qualifications. If people learn something when studying you hear it in their playing, not on a piece of paper.

[quote name='henry norton' post='1230486' date='May 13 2011, 09:57 PM']Here's a picture of the big slab of maple it started out as plus a pic of the neck with 2 way rod installed and fingerboard machined and matched ready to glue up. I've done a bit more but haven't taken any more pictures so watch out for the next episode.[/quote] Are you making a Sue Ryder-style headstock there?

Talking about compensating for any difference using treble controls is missing the point that resonance alters sound in a [b]time-dependent[/b] fashion. Pickup position, type and equalisation settings are all constants that don't vary with note decay. That's why we can't use fixed filters to make a bass guitar sound just like a trumpet, the envelope characteristics are totally different. And this is where strings, their fixings (nut, frets, bridge) and the wood employed must all have an impact. My subjective impression playing (and having done a lot of messing around on synthesisers in the past), is that the decay characteristics of a maple fretboard tend to be a bit different to rosewood, with an extended early sustain in the upper-mids. I'd guess that we perceive them as brighter because that period lasts longer, rather than being louder per se.

In every generation there's always someone who goes on about how much harder it was in their day, then uses selective evidence to show it whilst conveniently forgetting how much they learned later on in their professional lives, rather than when they were actually students. Of course there're plenty of people who coast through, but he's completely ignoring the ones who do work hard and will be the next generation of stars in their chosen field. What I've learned from this video is that Branford Marsalis has a bit of an attitude problem to teaching. Incidentally, it reminds me of the unequivocal generalisations made by (I think) Wynton Marsalis about what music did and didn't constitute jazz. By his definition, pretty much anything that moved beyond Kind of Blue wasn't jazz, as far as I could tell.

A lot of the difference between different ss amps, is just because different manufacturers will set the clip light to come on at different points. Some amps it comes on well before actual clipping, others it runs very close. Obviously with a valve pre it's a bit different. In this case, if the amp and cab are loud enough with the 'ray then it's almost certainly a case of getting the gain structure sorted rather than needing to replace either of them. Use your ears, crank it up and if it sounds clean then it's all good.

Hey Rob! Another Edinburgh resident here (lovely city, though my heart will be forever Devonian!). I'd love to know where there's some good jams happening.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1225145' date='May 9 2011, 02:37 PM']But,on a 34" scale instrument a string has to be a specific tension over that distance to produce the desired pitch. If the tension is increased,the pitch will change. Going from your example,yes you have to press the string down further if you use a higher action,but the tension of the string(assuming you keep the string gauge the same) will have to be the same.[/quote] But the pitch DOES change when you fret the string, we just adjust the intonation to compensate. Doh! Forgot to press reply for a bit, by the time I had 4 Strings had beaten me to it, but much better. So +1 to all that

Well, gigged the aerodyne for the first time last night at a funk jam and WOW! It's the 'jazz' bass sound I've lusted after for all these years (and the P one too!). Basswood and ceramic PJ pups FTW. Now, how do I go about getting the neck bound so it looks as funky as it sounds?

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='1223967' date='May 8 2011, 10:59 AM']A lot of bodies have sloppy neck pup routs, Squier just rout a big rectangle nowadays and i've seen USA Fenders that are even worse. Once the pickup is in it's not as noticeable i don't think, my old Jaco copy was like that.[/quote] Wooden pickguard? That could be pretty sweet. Lovely neck wood there, if it plays ok that's a bargain!

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1222996' date='May 7 2011, 11:19 AM']This could of course be down to the Aerodyne guy using the Jazz pickup as well however.[/quote] That'd make a pretty effing huge difference yes!

Functions band I worked with used multiple agents who used to provide the bulk of their bookings - you need to be on the books with several really they are all phenomenally lazy at least in the south west of England. More recently though they picked up a lot of work through the website, it needs to be run well though which doesn't mean tedious vanity pics and profiles and does mean targeting the google rankings with well-chosen RELEVANT (can't emphasise that enough) key words and good copy. Word of mouth still played an important role, so business cards with the website/email on for gigs were handy. Adverts in specialist wedding magazines do work, I don't know if there is a corporate equivalent. Pub gigs I think it's mainly word of mouth really and it does take a bit of time. I don't know if those chain pubs that put music on work any differently though, or even if any of those are still going actually!

I was never convinced by the wood on cheaper basses and unlike some I find the Squier Classic Vibe basses to be pretty weak tonally - how much is the wood I don't know, but I find if I like a bass acoustically then I normally like it plugged in. However...I recently picked up a Jap Aerodyne that is basswood, and it has become my go-to instrument! It's by far the most acoustically resonant instrument I have (compared to two alder and one ash jazz) with a lovely warm characterful midrange, given that I'm talking unplugged. Add to that the plugged in sound is immense. Deep, detailed, warm, grindy - it's all there, the old 'jazz bass on steroids' cliche despite the P neck pickup. It uses ceramic pickups and together with the basswood body this is really giving me food for thought about what components can make a good bass. I've no idea how consistent basswood is from one instrument to another but this one is evidence that it definitely can be awesome! I wasn't going to keep it originally but it's going nowhere. Re the Squier CVs, if they sound acoustically as good as my Aerodyne they must be some utter pish pickups to make them sound that average plugged in.

[quote name='mcnach' post='1217642' date='May 2 2011, 03:25 PM']That black p-bass was Back to body stripping... I haven't done much lately. But I tried the hairdryer trick. And it does work!!! Unfortunately my hairdryer is not very good and it overheats quickly, cutting out until it cools down again. I tried to borrow a good one but I was denied its use once it transpired what I wanted it for It does take a little bit of practice to get it right, to know when it's warm enough etc. Here's my first attempt on the front of the body (on an area that will be covered by a pickguard). The bottom area was where I started. I scratched a bit the wood... but on the top area I got the hang of it and was able to remove nice chunks without damaging the wood underneath. It'll all be sanded afterwards, but the less damage, the better, eh? This is going to take some time, but it's not hard and the result is clean. Although the curved bits are going to be tough...[/quote] Good stuff! Looking at your pics I think the fact I used the hairdryer straight onto the poly without stripping that layer off probably helped me - the thick black poly would get nice and hot and totally f*** the sealer layer underneath melting it off nicely, looks to be a bit tougher when you've only got the sealer left. Actually, thinking back, the few areas that the sealer was left on with mine did prove somewhat annoying. Look forward to seeing how this progresses.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1218733' date='May 3 2011, 03:51 PM']Some of the tricks above might help but sustain defines a bass so should be one of the first things you look for when buying... A 10 sec note shouldn't be hard to obtain on a decent resonant bass, IMO, at all..[/quote] 10 seconds?! I'm not sure I've ever let a note sustain for 10 whole seconds (on bass at least - keys, oh yes)

[quote name='The Bass Doc' post='1218287' date='May 3 2011, 07:49 AM']A load of epoxy would certainly help but you still have the 'visuals' to contend with and side dots not being in the ideal place.[/quote] That bothers me not at all! My current lined fretless has side centre dots/fretboard dots, never found it to be an issue. Thanks for answering my question