EMG456

Excellent, chaps - that's what I needed to know. Ta.

Hi all.

I've been involved in home recording on and off since the advent of the first portastudios - I know, i'm that old!

I haven't done much for the past 10 years or so but am just about to get moving again.

My question for you - is it still standard practise to use a bit of external compression/ limiting before going into the audio interface or do today's 24 bit interfaces have enough headroom that we can avoid that and still get good signal/ noise ratio without any danger of clipping?

Up to now I've always recorded stuff into the desk with an old Drawmer compressor inserted on the channel and then sent to the interface input. I've just bought a MOTU Ultralite interface and it looks as if I might be able to just go straight into that and apply dynamics later - is that how most folks work now?

I'm sounding like such a relic I'm making myself laugh here!

Cheers

Ed

Another vote for the Boss LS-2.

It will do exactly what you want and lots of other applications too. A very useful little box.

Just bought a virtually brand new Genz Benz Shuttle Max 12.2 from John.

Communications were exemplary - candid and honest- and gave me confidence to proceed.

Super easy transaction and swift delivery.

Highly recommended.

PM'd.

As we get older, our worn out bodies tend to have less 'headroom' to push beyond our normal levels of effort.

Happened to me at the weekend. A combination of slightly higher action than I normally use on a recently restored bass, slightly dead strings and the excitement of playing with a good drummer (we are usually a three piece acoustic folky outfit) meant I overcooked it about two thirds of the way through the night. My right hand middle finger decided to snap shut and not come back again. Finished the song using my thumb. Then lots of hydration, up the volume on the amp and lay back in terms of both strength of hits and general busyness of playing got me back on track within a couple of songs.

Do not be afraid of lighter strings/ lighter touch- contrary to popular misconceptions, your tone will be every bit as strong as before and possibly even more alive.

Also try experimenting with strap height if you are playing standing up. The angles we hold our limbs at can have quite an effect on the circulation and a little adjustment could have a big impact.

Hope you find a way.

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1459932540' post='3020883']
Original recording of Mustang Sally was probably cut using Pre CBS Fenders by the way
[/quote]

Which at the time were expensive, aspirational and cutting edge instruments.

Oh, and they were generally brand new and very shiny but that's a different thread altogether!

How did I miss this when it happened? I'm in a state of shock.

One of my major influences during my formative years as a player.

I guess tonight I'll be digging out the Musicman...

RIP Louis - one of a kind.

Not that I'm last minute or anything, but just got my ticket! See y'all Sunday.

Amazing that 35 years on all the same old prejudices are still around.

For anyone who has never played one, a Steinberger L series bass is probably just about the zenith in bass guitar design. Ned Steinberger took a step back and designed out almost every functional shortcoming that the "traditional" bass guitar had. Poor physical balance, uneven tonal response, dead spots, inaccurate and unstable tuning, sensitivity to climatic changes - all gone in one fell swoop. As a secondary benefit, these are about the most compact full scale basses you will find.

Oh, and no shortcomings on the sound either, in fact the Steinberger has the uncanny ability to be heard clearly in a mix even when the actual level is way down.

I like all sorts of basses and am in the fortunate position of owning a selection of excellent instruments that I enjoy playing but if the dreaded house fire was to occur and I only had time to save one of them, it would be my trusty old L2. It's been with me for over 35 years and is quite frankly, the only bass I really *need*.

Oh, and while I'm at it, the Chapman Stick is a pretty cool instrument as well. Check out some Kevin Keith stuff for bass-centric but also properly funky two handed Stick playing - like this!

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkgoF_orWuI[/media]

Beautiful bass - I have a 6 from '98 which looks almost identical.

Good luck with the sale.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1456058101' post='2984889']
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEOlTZGuLKM&list=RDfEOlTZGuLKM#t=10[/media]
[/quote]|

I will never tire of watching/ listening to that clip. Absolute brilliance!

[quote name='sblueplanet' timestamp='1453592502' post='2960963']
I wonder if any decent luthier could perform the same trick and shorten a Steinberger by two frets?
[/quote]

I'm not sure what the construction would be in there- eg is the neck hollow or solid?

If you're lusting after a short scale Steinberger, I would suggest a more cautious and economical approach- a capo at the 2nd fret. Or the first fret if you want a kind of medium scale.
If you like it, you could then mask the position dots with black stickers and stick on new white ones in the now correct positions. All easily reversible to put the bass back to stock configuration and as a bonus still able to use standard double ball strings.

[quote name='cybertect' timestamp='1453196264' post='2957208']


Apparently something like that - from [i]Guitar Player[/i] mag 1983
[/quote]

Excellent! Thanks for that.

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1453049669' post='2955940']
Certainly the minimalist solution - but even without a head-stock, that tiny body probably means neck-dive.
[/quote]

L series basses have a strap pivot mounted at the centre of gravity of the bass- no neck dive ever.

Wyman's bass must have been a stock L2 with the end of the neck cut off- there were no short scale moulds.

After all the jokes I've had to endure over the years, it somewhat amuses me to think that there was a Steiny made which actually was "sawn off"

Ed

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1452333252' post='2948886']
a Dynacord BS412 115 combo
[/quote]

Ah... The amazing Dynacord combo brilliant amp!

For me, 70s- early 80s was mainly the Aria SB 1000 through the Acoustic 370/ 301 setup- effortless sound but not effortless carrying up flights of stairs!
Replaced mid 80s with the 300w Trace head coupled with two Traynor 15/ horn PA bins- loud, full range hifi, ideal for the Steinberger L2. The rig went early 2000s but of course the Steiny will only leave when I do!!

He was the inventor of re-invention. A sad day but one also to celebrate the legacy of one of the most amazing songwriting back catalogues ever.

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1451437969' post='2940546']


Don't be daft, all Gibson basses are awful. Are you new around here?
[/quote]

Yeah, I'm sorry- quite ridiculous! Don't know what came over me... Won't happen again.

Not an owner but also interested party.

Finally played one a couple of weeks ago in GuitarGuitar's acoustic shop in Glasgow.

Only through an acoustic guitar amp. Sounded terrific up around E on the G string but got progressively thinner as you dropped down through the pitches - I suspect this could simply be the limitations of the amp and through a full range bass rig it would have been good.

Action was very high for an electric player but could be adjusted to suit. Beautifully made and finished and very useable horizontally. Didn't try vertically as they didn't have the end pin handy.

Partially why I am interested would be for bowing but I'm lead to believe that the body is not cutaway enough at the waist to allow easy bowing of the E or G strings - perhaps an owner could comment?

If you are or could get near one of their other shops I'm sure they would ship it to that branch for you to try.

Ed

The RD Artist is a slap monster - actually, a tone monster in general.

The "money" bass was nice and would do you fine.

And the current EB bass is also nice and versatile,

All long scale, I believe.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1451339724' post='2939745']
If you go for the gun case then be careful at train stations .
[/quote]


Yep- spent half an hour with customs trying to get home from Bahrein with them once - dread to think what it's like now!

In the 80s I toured with two of them topped and tailed in an adapted keyboard flightcase.

These days if I'm taking one to a gig and travelling by car, it goes into a Ritter gig bag- not as good as the original Steinberger bags but ok-ish.

Reunion Blues used to make excellent leather Steinberger bags - they may still have the patterns and be able to do a special or as you mentioned, a rifle or shotgun case.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Steinberger!

Ed

Somewhat bemused by the fact that this is still here... is it because the refinish and the black pickup covers makes it look a bit different from the classic "woody" and cream look of the '70s Curlees? If that's so, this bass would be so easy to restore - just take the laquer off the body and oil it to a natural satin finish. Buy cream pickup covers for a few quid and there you go. Instant 1970s!

I sold my Curlee to help fund a major bass purchase back in the 80s and when the purchaser offered it up for sale in the early 2000s, it came back home, and will only leave when I leave!

In case anybody doesn't know, it's a medium scale bass - about 32" scale length and the excellent DiMarzio model P is positioned right about where a Music Man Stingray would have it's pickup if the 'Ray was that scale. This gives a very punchy and tight sound coupled with great playability.

Incidentally, Scott Beckwith of US short scale bass specialists Birdsong Guitars has acquired the intellectual property and entire inventory of what was left when SD Curlee went out of business. So you can now buy a brand new US made Curlee again - it'll cost you a lot more than this one! Here's his website with an SD Curlee history page. [url="http://www.birdsongguitars.com/brands/#/sdcurlee/"]http://www.birdsongg...nds/#/sdcurlee/[/url]

Somebody buy this - you won't regret it!

Good luck with the sale.

It's not something that I would be likely to use myself but I have to say that I was well entertained by the clip of Mr Claypool playing his.

Is the pith helmet and goggles for health and safety reasons?

Good luck with the sale.

Flateric you have exactly the one I'd like to find, with the chequered binding and Bartolinis in- beautiful!

In the very early 80s I worked in Grant Music in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Jimmy Grant liked importing and selling nice and unusual gear and he brought a few Odesseys over so there will be a handful scattered around the central belt in Scotland. Keep looking!

Ed