Conan

I think that the "quest for the perfect tone" is the Holy Grail of bass playing. I'm not sure I've ever achieved it. There is always something not-quite-right... But if the band sounds good and the audience are responsive in a positive way - what the hell difference does it make? I use a range of tones for a range of different applications. Some I like better than others, but I'm not sure that I have one, overall favourite sound that I strive for. I like it simple - just bass and amp. Occasionally a bit of chorus or delay but that's about it. I'm not sure what I'm saying here, and whether I'm agreeing or disagreeing with the OP.... but just my thoughts on the matter! The end justifies the means.

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='812511' date='Apr 20 2010, 01:21 PM']So, do you name your basses and is there a story behind the name?[/quote] No. And, er, obviously no. Damn - I feel really boring now!

[quote name='SteveK' post='812424' date='Apr 20 2010, 12:10 PM']BTW there are many bands/FOH enginners that actually favour the [i]wall of sound[/i] approach.[/quote] True. And there are many musicians (including bass players!) who are far more bothered about what [i]they[/i] can hear of themselves (i.e. on-stage sound), than what the punters can hear! It's nice to enjoy your own sound, but surely it's more about the sound of the band as a whole and the experience of the audience?

[quote name='El Bajo' post='812266' date='Apr 20 2010, 09:43 AM']I find if I EQ my Markbass CMD 121H to how I like my bass to sound it just doesn't cut through, yet if I adjust it while the band is playing during sound check to get the levels right its sounds really good. However when I play the adjusted EQ without the band it sounds terrible on its own. Strange.[/quote] That's fairly common. Often the "sound in our head" works at low volume, but bring in other instruments and more volume and it just doesn't work. There is probably some very technical reason for this, to do with the way speakers work or how we perceive sound.... A good example of using different EQ frequencies can be found in some of Stanley Clarke's recorded material. He usually plays the "solo" bass with a very "middly" sound while someone else (live) plays the "bass" line with a much more scooped tone. Both instruments can be clearly heard because they are not competing with each other in the same frequency band... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccI8WgmcDLA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccI8WgmcDLA[/url]

Great advice from OG ^^^ A lot of sound guys are not musicians [i]per se[/i], so knowing the techno-geek stuff and talking to them in such terms can help with some of them. But yes - get to know them!

[quote name='theosd' post='812244' date='Apr 20 2010, 09:24 AM']I get the impression that EBMM basses... can be a bit too mid and top heavy to be really defined in the bottom end. IME they share a lot of frequencies with both the electric and acoustic guitars, and so their famous 'midrange punch', ultimately, was for nowt![/quote] That's interesting! My impression of the MM sound is that it is quite scooped in the mid-range, which might account for the bass players on that bill being a bit indistinct in a full-band mix? Just shows that everyone's ears are slightly different!

[quote name='bobpalt' post='812191' date='Apr 20 2010, 08:08 AM']No, it was Teddy Thompson, who is the son of Richard and Linda Thompson, so still an impressive lineage![/quote] Oh right! Cheers. Still, he bears an uncanny resemblance to DT!! Can't say I care too much for his voice though - especially singing in harmony...

Just out of interest, the young singer with a passing resemblance to Danny - and also called Thompson - is he Danny's son by any chance? It was weird hearing Green Gartside. His appearance may be middle-aged pirate, but his voice was just the same as it was in the 1980s!!

Just remembered another one. "Fools rush in" by Bow wow wow. Yes, I know all the notes, and can play it pretty accurately at about three-quarter speed.... but that's it! Just far too bloody fast - and how is he so accurate? Incredible - a real one off, Leroy Gorman!

[quote name='Phil Starr' post='811392' date='Apr 19 2010, 02:51 PM']This article may help but tracing down faults like this often take time. It could be anything from a dry joint finally starting to fail to a capacitor becoming leaky. Just make sure you give your repair man as many details as possible.[/quote] Cheers. I'd already eliminated the leads and guitars as sources of the problem. I am no electrician - so it's off to be serviced!! Just hope its not to expensive...

[quote name='chris_b' post='811224' date='Apr 19 2010, 12:26 PM']I'm assuming these guys are near you, but this recommendation was made in another topic: Barry Cameron (www.cameronelectronics.co.uk) or Jez Arkless in Bedlington: 01670 829891.[/quote] Cheers for that! Not sure where Barry is, but Bedlington is only a few miles up the road.

That's what I feared. Roughly how much would I be looking at for a full service? There's a local guy that I've used before who is good (and cheap!) but he doesn't have much experience with Ampeg gear... As I said, its a pretty old amp and not really worth all that much (maybe £250 tops) so maybe its time to cut my losses and upgrade to something more modern? I do like its sound though....

Anyone experienced similar problems on ANY amp? :wacko:

Hi all. I have a problem with my Ampeg SVT-200T solid-state amp head. The volume drops away to almost nothing, and the sound fed to the speakers is very distorted. The only thing that seems to sort it out (God knows why!) is if I whack the input volume/gain up full and play a loud note. That clears it for a while, but then the problem comes back after a certain period of time. The amp is probably about 20 years old as this model was only made for a limited period of time. I got it second-hand about four years ago, so I have no idea about whether it had any mechanical problems in the past. I have not gigged it regularly or played it at high volume in the time I have had it. Can anyone suggest what the problem might be? Or suggest a good amp tech in the north-east of England? I have heard that Ampeg's service charges are pretty steep... Thanks in advance for any responses.

[quote name='absentmindeduk' post='680152' date='Dec 10 2009, 01:42 PM']Does anyone know of an amp tech in Newcastle?[/quote] This reply is probably too late to be of any use, but John Gill at jxg guitars is good and very reasonable price-wise... [url="http://www.jxgguitars.com/"]http://www.jxgguitars.com/[/url]

I played TE gear for over 20 years, and I have to say that I have always been bemused by what people call "the TE sound". With either a 7, 11 or 12 band graphic they are very versatile amps and I wouldn't say that they had a "sound" at all! Anything from reggae thump to crystalline slappy tones, grind, fretless mwaah, middly honk... I could get it all out of one amp head! I'm not sure that their cabs were ever quite up to the same standard as the amps though, so maybe they are responsible for the negative vibe that some people seem to have? I found my TE gear to be reliable and robust. I never had any complaints about my tone - other than "turn it down"!! If you've never tried TE gear, and the prices are good - how can you go wrong? Best advice is to give it a try yourself. If you like what you see and hear, buy some!

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='807567' date='Apr 15 2010, 08:13 PM']Does mean one of your cabs is running at half power though.[/quote] Is that a bad thing? Or does it just mean that the two cabs will sound slightly different as the speakers are moving further in the 2x10 than they are in the 4x10?

[quote name='Prime_BASS' post='804601' date='Apr 13 2010, 09:52 AM']But yes assuming ohmage is matched and the 8x10 isn't rated too high it'll be fine.[/quote] I'm getting confused myself now... I thought that the "power handling rating" on a cabinet indicated how much output it could safely cope with without risk of damaging the speakers? As far as I am aware, no cab displays a "minimum power recommendation" in order to drive it efficiently! So, as I see it, a 575 watt amp (bearing in mind that there seems to be an opinion that Ashdown are fairly conservative with their output claims) into an 8x10 should work perfectly fine - although technically the cab is capable of handling even more output than that! Depends on your EQ settings to a certain extent I suppose, with more bass in your sound you may find that the speakers encounter problems earlier....

[quote name='martthebass' post='807577' date='Apr 15 2010, 08:21 PM']So I find myself thinking is it time to call it a day and revert back to hobbies I've neglected for some while.[/quote] To me, bass playing IS a hobby I've neglected for some while! When I was gigging regularly I neglected it even more! Even if I knew that I was never going to play in a band again I might sell my big amp/cabs, but I would never sell my basses. Somehow the thought of being without one for the first time in thirty years fills me with horror! I sometimes get it out and play with it while I'm watching TV.... or if I'm in company I'll get my bass out!!! (Just thought I'd say that before someone else did!). To me bass is a hobby first. Anything else is subsequent and less significant.

Worst one I can think of... Dream Theater's "Pull me Under". The daft ascending arpeggio bit about half-way in. What a stupid bass part! What is the point of having a bass player if all he does is play what the guitar plays but an octave lower?! But mainly coz I just can't play it fast enough....! :blush:

Rush - Hold your Fire

[quote name='davidmpires' post='806584' date='Apr 14 2010, 09:51 PM'].... the skin will tear apart and she will end up playing with raw flesh[/quote] You paint a beautiful picture my friend!! BTW, I didn't realise that Raw Flesh were looking for a new bass player...?

[quote name='JTUK' post='806888' date='Apr 15 2010, 10:04 AM']hmmmmmm I'm sorry.. you mean this guy ??[/quote] Well, they do say that less is more.... But that video is truly awful!!