This might sound a bit silly...

[Bottle]

Howdy all

Having a quiet afternoon, and needed a bit of inspiration to get me playing bass. So I found a set of Hartke strings I got at the SE Bass Bash last year and decided to chuck 'em on the Squier. Bit of nut-modding later and Eh Voila - a lovely low A!!

Strings are Hartke bass strings - hex cored - 070/085/105/135

Intonation and action have been adjusted (and I've kept the old strings just in case I go back to DGCF :/)

Set up the full stack in the spare room, and, boy, does that rattle some windows!!!

I'm a happy bunny


HTH, Ian

[Telebass]

Keyboard players beware!

[velvetkevorkian]

Now you can form an awesome death metal band

[Bottle]

Hehehe - actually I play in a church P&W band, and I'm playing on the next few Sundays with my full stack (yep, that's a 4x10, 1x15 and a pair of 1x12's )

Well, I did it (1) to prove a point that the Squier P-special with the Jazz neck can take a thick B-string (and the bridge as well!!) and still sound good, and (2), because sometimes I miss having the low C/B to play on the four-string (even downtuned to DGCF), and those notes sound an awful lot better fretted than played open. So the low A I'm not too fussed about, but the rest can be right handy, and I've kept the tuning in fourths as well, so the standard patterns still work, albeit shifted up and down the neck.

Oh, and (3) thin G-strings are for chicks

HTH, Ian

[Bottle]

OK, so I've been using this setup for the last month or so - first impressions have been good (although, it's fair to say I miss playing my Ibanez - it's out on loan at the moment). The Squier has been gigged lots - Sunday mornings at church and Wednesday evenings at the funk jam. Think I can draw some conclusions now - glad I performed the experiment.

Firstly, the actual task of fitting the low B string really wasn't that difficult - just had to file out the nut slot a little on all four strings. Tuning and intonation is good (although not stellar). Action adjusted - I don't like mine super high nor fret-clangingly low, a sort-of medium height I guess

Secondly, needs some serious power in the rig to articulate the low A - just sounds a bit muddy through the 4x10 alone, in fact everything below the E (7th fret, Low A string) doesn't really have the definition I was perhaps looking for at the start of the exercise. Just wondering if it's the hardware or not (passive P/J bass, maybe could benefit from active electronics?) - pups could be the weak link in the chain.

Tried it all through just the 4x10 yesterday, was acceptable, but had the input gain, boost and master volume on 12 o'clock. Had a bit of trouble cutting through over an enthusiastic drummer, even with a lot of the bass rolled off. Played fingerstyle over both the P pup and J pup - got more 'growl' over the J, P just sounded darker, with more bass and low-mids. Sansamp out to the PA, but clean to the GK/4x10 backline. I'm going to try with the 4x10/1x15 combo through the x-over again, with the two 1x12 cabs positioned nearer to me to take the full-range output of the GK. Hopefully I can get some of the higher register string 'clank' through these with the bigger stack taking more of the low end and mids. I'll post up a piccie or a signal-chain layout just as soon as I can get them off my other PC.

I'm also open to any thoughts from other BC'ers who've gone down a similar route. One thing I am thinking about is maybe it's time to seriously look at 5-stringers again (caveat is I have relatively small hands, my old Ibanez 5-string ATK was too big 'n' heavy neck-wise - a Jazz 5 would be better?). Certainly was happy with the Squier tuned DGCF.

HTH, Ian

[Bilbo]

You've got a piccolo bass. I have a five string double bass that is strung EADGC so yours is just like it without the low E.

[markstuk]

Versus the LFO on my Motif..:-) No contest :-)

[quote name='Telebass' post='939528' date='Aug 29 2010, 06:59 PM']Keyboard players beware! [/quote]

[velvetkevorkian]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='976861' date='Oct 4 2010, 11:21 AM']You've got a piccolo bass. I have a five string double bass that is strung EADGC so yours is just like it without the low E.[/quote]
No he doesn't- it's an octave down from that (i.e. the bottom four strings of a BEADG five string set tuned down a tone).

[Bottle]

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='976897' date='Oct 4 2010, 11:47 AM']No he doesn't- it's an octave down from that (i.e. the bottom four strings of a BEADG five string set tuned down a tone).[/quote]
Yep, VK's on the money - I used a spare set of Hartke strings I got last year - the Low B string is down-tuned a whole tone. In fact all four strings are down-tuned a tone, keeping them all tuned in fourths still.

HTH, Ian

[sk8]

[quote name='Bottle' post='939554' date='Aug 29 2010, 07:51 PM']Hehehe - actually I play in a church P&W band, and I'm playing on the next few Sundays with my full stack (yep, that's a 4x10, 1x15 and a pair of 1x12's )[/quote]
That must be a big church

Even my Little Bastard is overkill at mine, as was the LM and 210 and Shuttle 3.0-10T

[Bottle]

[quote name='sk8' post='976951' date='Oct 4 2010, 12:22 PM']That must be a big church

Even my Little Bastard is overkill at mine, as was the LM and 210 and Shuttle 3.0-10T [/quote]
Well, it's not too small - maybe 250 seat fire limit. I haven't taken the full rig yet - just the 4x10 I've only really used the full stack outdoors a couple of months ago, but I've been testing the stack at home to get the right x-over settings It'll just be nice to have a little headroom

Downside is the sheer weight of the entire rig, 88lbs for the 4x10, maybe 60-ish for the 1x15 and somewhere around 25-30lbs for each of the 1x12s. My poor Polo struggles a bit with that all in the back, especially with an amp-rack in tow


Ian

[LawrenceH]

[quote name='Bottle' post='976845' date='Oct 4 2010, 11:12 AM']OK, so I've been using this setup for the last month or so - first impressions have been good (although, it's fair to say I miss playing my Ibanez - it's out on loan at the moment). The Squier has been gigged lots - Sunday mornings at church and Wednesday evenings at the funk jam. Think I can draw some conclusions now - glad I performed the experiment.[/quote]

Is the jam using Claudia's bass rig nowadays? I'm glad it's not still my little 12" combo, I think it would probably crumble to dust if you tried to play a low A through it!

[Bottle]

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='977052' date='Oct 4 2010, 01:32 PM']Is the jam using Claudia's bass rig nowadays? I'm glad it's not still my little 12" combo, I think it would probably crumble to dust if you tried to play a low A through it![/quote]
Hi Lawrence!

Yep, TE head into Ashdown 2x10 (IIRC). Have been taking my bass along (but not pushing the Low A ), and I've had a couple of goes on her Stingray. I think I prefer playing on something in standard tuning....lol and that 'Ray is a thing of beauty (so much so, I want one of my own, maybe a 2EQ 4HS)

Ian

[geoffbyrne]

I bought a lot of 3xpackets of 5er Hartke strings from Ebay - in all three packs the B was pretty dead.

G.

[Bottle]

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='977127' date='Oct 4 2010, 02:20 PM']I bought a lot of 3xpackets of 5er Hartke strings from Ebay - in all three packs the B was pretty dead.

G.[/quote]
Interesting.

I'll have a look at my other spare set and maybe try swapping the B-string over. I had three sets as well - gave one set away when I traded out my old 5-string Ibby. It certainly doesn't sound dull or lifeless in the hands of it's current owner, so maybe a few rogue strings got through.

If it's still a problem might go back to using Roto's, but wasn't all that impressed with them in the first place. Anyone have any string recommendations for a .135 B-string single (or a set .070 - .135)?

Ian

Edited October 4, 2010 by Bottle

[Mr. Foxen]

I have a bass strung for low A standard, bottom string is 0.145. Recorded with it on the Caricatures stuff. Taperwound I think is important, as the string thickness can choke things off some.

[Bottle]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='977330' date='Oct 4 2010, 04:36 PM']I have a bass strung for low A standard, bottom string is 0.145. Recorded with it on the Caricatures stuff. Taperwound I think is important, as the string thickness can choke things off some.[/quote]
Crikey - that's quite a thick string! I just happened to have the Hartke strings knocking about. Hex-cored, roundwounds IIRC. Bit of a bastard to get the B-string around the tuning peg, as the full thickness of the string went well past the nut, right up to the machine head. Other end at the bridge wasn't so bad, could get the string up over the saddle without too much effin' 'n' blinding

But I take on board your point about the thicker strings choking things off - maybe I'll have a look at a taper-wound string set (although I can't say I've seen any in shops in Cambridge - time to hit the internet, methinks)

Thanks guys

Ian

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='Bottle' post='977423' date='Oct 4 2010, 05:47 PM']But I take on board your point about the thicker strings choking things off - maybe I'll have a look at a taper-wound string set (although I can't say I've seen any in shops in Cambridge - time to hit the internet, methinks)[/quote]

I ordered them from Newtone Strings.

[Bilbo]

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='976897' date='Oct 4 2010, 11:47 AM']No he doesn't- it's an octave down from that (i.e. the bottom four strings of a BEADG five string set tuned down a tone).[/quote]

Got you. Must sound like a tractor reversing.

[Bottle]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='978022' date='Oct 5 2010, 09:55 AM']Got you. Must sound like a tractor reversing. [/quote]
Oh, you jest, sir!!!

Seriously, it can sound a little, well, 'agricultural' - that's what happens when you live on the edge of the Fens

Bit flabby in the lows, hence the earlier posts

Going to try swapping the detuned B-string on it. Another thought is that maybe the strings aren't suited to the kind of down-tuning I'm looking at - I could try tuning back up to BEAD and seeing how I get on. I just thought that with a 0.135 gauge B-string, that would work OK. TBH, the open A isn't much use, and I need some serious juice down low to make anything of it. Ooooh, maybe a 1x15 handling the lows and an 8x10 for the rest? Now, that's getting a wee bit silly (you would've thought that a 1x15, 4x10 and a pair of 1x12s would get the job done?)

Anyway, thanks for all the advice peeps!

Ian

[Bottle]

Right-O!!

Found some piccies + a diagram. A couple of the shots were from an outdoor gig I did a few months ago, back at the end of June, then a shot of the rig at the London 'bash the next day. Hasn't changed much, although I'm using a cross-over now and PS12s just handle the clean output of the GK head directly.



HTH, Ian

Edited October 5, 2010 by Bottle

[sk8]

i used to use this



Even on the outdoor memorial gig we do

[Bottle]

[quote name='sk8' post='978177' date='Oct 5 2010, 11:54 AM']i used to use this



Even on the outdoor memorial gig we do [/quote]
Hehehe....hmmmm...OK....guess I've got an 'overkill' rig

Had a chuckle when the guitarist turned up with just his guitar, EFX pedal and a 15w practice amp (yep, that's the one sitting in front of my rig). Good thing we had PA support....

Ian

Edited October 5, 2010 by Bottle

[Meenie]

Hi Bottle,

It sounds like you and me are in the same boat, maybe at different ends but definately the same vessel!

I am playing A,D,A,D,G for Beat the red light (they dont let us in churches!)

I was struggling with getting enough power for the lows and also lugging a ton of cabs about with me, my solution is on order as we speak...

1XBarefaced Big One cab
1x1k power amp
1xSansamp bass driver pre amp

I will let you know how it works when ive got it all delivered and tested out.


Cheers,

G.

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='976861' date='Oct 4 2010, 11:21 AM']You've got a piccolo bass.[/quote]
Wouldn't it be a [i]tenor[/i] bass if it was A-D-G-C (not the octave-down version, obviously)? I thought a [i]piccolo[/i] bass was a whole octave higher than standard.