pantherairsoft Posted October 30, 2010 Share Posted October 30, 2010 Hi guys, seriously thinking about moving from my Synth setup in stomp boxes and getting either the Roland V-Bass, Or the full VB-99 (plus extra floor controller when I can afford it). From the experience I've had with the V-Bass stuff it seems to do absolutely everything I use and all the sounds seem to be real good quality. I consider the synth tones on par with my MarkBass Super Synth (which I consider to be fantastic) and most other stuff sounds good as well. I have not had much experience with the Delay part of the V-Bass system, but I currently use a Boss DD-20 and will assume it has much the same capability. Only thing I'm not sure it would do is cover the job of my Boss SL-20 Slicer (Arpegiator)? This is what I'd be dropping… Any thoughts or opinions on my moment of madness? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 (edited) Oooh! I like that pedal just off to the top right of your board, next to the OC-2. Ped would be the chap to talk to about the VB-99 (not sure who else on here has one). Just been reading your "gear" thread, niice. But last month you said... [quote]I'm happy with everything on the board and can't see me changing much in the near future...[/quote] I suppose that's GAS for you! Edited October 31, 2010 by xgsjx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PURPOLARIS Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 [quote name='xgsjx' post='1007010' date='Oct 31 2010, 09:11 AM']Oooh! I like that pedal just off to the top right of your board, next to the OC-2. [/quote] Is that the one that makes a High Hat sound ? I've heard they're quite realistic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted October 31, 2010 Author Share Posted October 31, 2010 [quote name='PURPOLARIS' post='1007016' date='Oct 31 2010, 09:16 AM']Is that the one that makes a High Hat sound ? I've heard they're quite realistic [/quote] Ha! Yeah, You'd be surprised the use I get out of that. Its attached to a prosthetic shop dummy arm and when I hot the pedal the outstretched finger on the arm, pressed a low A on my synth so I can play bass and have a deep droning sound in the background. OK. That was a lie but the ideas cool! :-) Yeah, GAS is a swine. Actually I wouldn't change anything for other stomp boxes. But the board weighs a tone and is huge, The fact I could have (almost) all of it (some slightly more versatile even), in a tiny package, with the added benefit of midi sync to every effect is very appealing. I've dropped ped a message (think he has the V-Bass floor system, rather than the VB-99). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 The question is - are you prepared to butcher your basses to MIDIfy them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted October 31, 2010 Author Share Posted October 31, 2010 (edited) Well I've had a good look at the pick up, and from what I can see it will happily attach with double sided tape (aka Bernie Goodfellow Scratch Plate Magic). I also beleive (correct me if i'm wrong) that the control block (that the pickup connects to) just clamps to a bass anyway (by use of the end pin, or a range of other methods to suit the basses layout) and does not require and screwing on… Shep Edited October 31, 2010 by pantherairsoft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markstuk Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Yup, that's pretty much my understanding (and how our guitarist who has a VG99 has done it).. [quote name='pantherairsoft' post='1007070' date='Oct 31 2010, 10:17 AM']Well I've had a good look at the pick up, and from what I can see it will happily attach with double sided tape (aka Bernie Goodfellow Scratch Plate Magic). I also beleive (correct me if i'm wrong) that the control block (that the pickup connects to) just clamps to a bass anyway (by use of the end pin, or a range of other methods to suit the basses layout) and does not require and screwing on… Shep[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanOwens Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 The Bays really inspired me in getting into live electronica and their bass player uses the earlier V-Bass system that Ped uses; the sub from his system was HUGE. Also, the V-Bass is going to be more reliable than pitch-to-midi. I've considered doing it many times, too. I do like having a large board, but I take up so much space on stage at the mo. The VB99 would remedy this. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Hi Shep Probably easiest if I reply to your PM on here for others to see. I have the floor based version as already said in this thread. It's a great unit and since having it I haven't looked at anything else (OK I looked at the VB99 a bit..) The effects are something I haven't really used extensively, I mainly play clean through the unit using it as a pre-amp for my power amp. I use the bass modelling a lot though, mainly three or four sounds which model, extremely well, a MM, Jazz, P and Smith. I'm pretty sure the unit does delay, you tap the tempo or set the time on the unit. In fact, it definitely does. The reverbs are also excellent. The GK pickup is a bit of a problem, depending on the shape and size of your bass. First of all I had the unit clamped to my bass near the bridge with the 'brain' on the back of the bass, et voila: But after some scary few hours with literally a chisel and mallet I ended up installing it all inside the bass, like this: ...which is much neater. To be honest the clamp version was fine, it never got in the way but it meant I couldn't use my proper Vigier case because it had this lump on the back. I'm sure if you decide the Vbass is for you that you'll want to install it internally too, don't worry it's not too bad to install yourself. Cheers ped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 I have a V-Bass floor unit and a GK3-B pickup installed on one of my basses. It's a great unit but it's not without problems, and if you're like me at some point you will find yourself thinking - I cant' be arsed with this. The sticky tape idea is fine in theory, until it falls off in the middle of a gig. It will do this, the only question is when it will happen. If you're doing any kind of paid work and relying on the unit, it's unprofessional to think that you will get away with the sticky tape. It's also pretty difficult to get the pile of shims that need to sit under the GK3-B to the right height. This adjustment is much easier if the pickup is screwed to the body and sitting on a couple of springs. I clamped the controller on the front of my bass not the back like Ped did, which means it's easier to fit into cases. The V-Bass has a huge range of sounds, which means that it's really hard to get your head around picking a small number of useable sounds. The other challenge that I've faced is getting a consistent volume with all the effects and pre-sets - synth sounds seem to disappear in the mix, ditto things like the upright bass sounds, anything with distortion or boost leaps off the stage and you end up setting the gain to 25% or less just to keep a consistent volume across a set of patches. I do use the synth voices for a lot of the modern synthy stuff in our set. Prior to this I used a Korg G5 - I never tried the Markbass synths but the Korg was better than all the others on the market including the Akai for tracking. The V-bass tracks better, though I'm told that basses fitted with Graphtec Ghost saddles and Midi Expander track much better. I do use the amp and guitar modelling and some of the effects. Is it essential? Absolutely not. I'm finding more and more that instead of trying to use models for Precision, Jazz, Ovation (for Don't Stop...), Ricky, ... just find a decent sound from the on-board guitar pickups and the amp, and stick to it. No-one in the audience will notice the difference anyway. I've just bought a small Novation keyboard synth and am experimenting with the sounds, but I'm already pretty close to realising that (a) it's 100 times better to use a synth for synth sounds and a bass for bass sounds and ( if I'd spent the money on a synth instead, I could have bought a mini moog! Eventually this will replace the V-Bass and I will be free from the tyranny of only being able to play one bass. It's a really close call and for me it's been a painful learning point, but if you have any kind of ability on a keyboard you're better off to buy a keyboard synth and just use the bass to sound like a bass. Even if you haven't any keyboard skills it's probably still easier to learn how to play a keyboard (after all Depeche Mode managed it with no discernible talent) well enough to play synth basslines - OK we're not all Greg Phillinganes but it's a lot easier if you use both hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil.i.stein Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 [quote name='pete.young' post='1007962' date='Oct 31 2010, 10:35 PM']I have a V-Bass floor unit and a GK3-B pickup installed on one of my basses. It's a great unit but it's not without problems, and if you're like me at some point you will find yourself thinking - I cant' be arsed with this. The sticky tape idea is fine in theory, until it falls off in the middle of a gig. It will do this, the only question is when it will happen. If you're doing any kind of paid work and relying on the unit, it's unprofessional to think that you will get away with the sticky tape. It's also pretty difficult to get the pile of shims that need to sit under the GK3-B to the right height. This adjustment is much easier if the pickup is screwed to the body and sitting on a couple of springs. I clamped the controller on the front of my bass not the back like Ped did, which means it's easier to fit into cases. The V-Bass has a huge range of sounds, which means that it's really hard to get your head around picking a small number of useable sounds. The other challenge that I've faced is getting a consistent volume with all the effects and pre-sets - synth sounds seem to disappear in the mix, ditto things like the upright bass sounds, anything with distortion or boost leaps off the stage and you end up setting the gain to 25% or less just to keep a consistent volume across a set of patches. I do use the synth voices for a lot of the modern synthy stuff in our set. Prior to this I used a Korg G5 - I never tried the Markbass synths but the Korg was better than all the others on the market including the Akai for tracking. The V-bass tracks better, though I'm told that basses fitted with Graphtec Ghost saddles and Midi Expander track much better. I do use the amp and guitar modelling and some of the effects. Is it essential? Absolutely not. I'm finding more and more that instead of trying to use models for Precision, Jazz, Ovation (for Don't Stop...), Ricky, ... just find a decent sound from the on-board guitar pickups and the amp, and stick to it. No-one in the audience will notice the difference anyway. I've just bought a small Novation keyboard synth and am experimenting with the sounds, but I'm already pretty close to realising that (a) it's 100 times better to use a synth for synth sounds and a bass for bass sounds and ( if I'd spent the money on a synth instead, I could have bought a mini moog! Eventually this will replace the V-Bass and I will be free from the tyranny of only being able to play one bass. It's a really close call and for me it's been a painful learning point, but if you have any kind of ability on a keyboard you're better off to buy a keyboard synth and just use the bass to sound like a bass. Even if you haven't any keyboard skills it's probably still easier to learn how to play a keyboard (after all Depeche Mode managed it with no discernible talent) well enough to play synth basslines - OK we're not all Greg Phillinganes but it's a lot easier if you use both hands.[/quote] sheeeeiiiiit ! you just spoiled my gas. just as well, i can't afford it. ped's bass is damn sexy though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted November 1, 2010 Author Share Posted November 1, 2010 Cheers for you replies guys… I have done some looking around other sites and most views concerning the V-Bass floor system seem to mirror what you say. Its an amazing amp modeller and multi-effects, but with drawbacks. However the VB-99 seems to of ruled out a few issues. Obviously the attachment of the pickup etc still exists, but issues like mismatched volume has gone as you can set it to default to your clean line volume no matter what patches you use, unless you specifically programme specific patches to boost or cut (for solo purposes). By the sounds of it, as a Synth it is also the best one about with the exception of buying a keyboard synth. The VB-99 has the added benefit of having the hand-wavy control, the ribbon controller and 2 expression pedals, all of which can be programmed to effect different parts of each patch, which means there is more real time control of the sound than you know what to do with. I think what I've heard here and elsewhere over the past 24 hours has written the V-Bass floor system off for me. I shall be investigating the horrifically priced VB-99 though still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanOwens Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 [quote name='pantherairsoft' post='1008042' date='Nov 1 2010, 12:00 AM']horrifically priced[/quote] And therein lies my own issue. I've definitely spent that amount of gear on pedals and midi setup etc, but never in one go. I do hope you get a VB99, because I don't doubt it is suited for what you (we) do. Then I can live vicariously through your effects! Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 I guess it depends on weather you are a plug and play player or one who likes to fiddle. I am both, and that's why I love the Vbass - 99% of the time I'm pretty much bypassing it, using it as a pre, and the rest of the time I use the patches for great sims of certain basses. Granted, it took a while to get these spot on, but the unit is so powerful I put my faith in the fact that I COULD get what I wanted, I just had to find how to get it. Once I had them, I stored them, and use basically 8 patches in total, and haven't been near the settings of those since the day I finished them over a year ago. So, now it's truly plug 'n' play - and the best thing is that because it's a stereo output it sounds awesome through my IEMs and with my two channel power amp I can send the lows and highs to different cabs when using synths which sounds much better. Definitely one to try IMO, and I don't think the VB99 is much easier to use and though it may have a couple of benefits, I don't think they are worth the extra price tag. When I can get one for £500ish I may be tempted to change. I actually prefer the form factor of the floor unit anyway. To be honest, I'm really not into effects at all. I mainly bought this thing because I can now do a very good impression of other basses from my one instrument, and it doesn't hurt to have all these effects in the same box if I decide to mess about. It makes my rig and my setup much simpler. The only thing it's missing is an AUX input for practice, bit annoying having to use a mixer with it. Cheers V-ped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted November 3, 2010 Author Share Posted November 3, 2010 Cheers for all the feedback. I have made some enquiries and getting a unit to try anywhere seems to be a no. Those stores in the UK that do have one in, do not have an instrument with a midi pickup for demo'ing. I have even had a local store speak to the Roland rep that covers the Midlands and he does not have, and can not get access to a demo unit… As such I think this may of jut been ruled out. Its far to expensive to take a punt on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted November 3, 2010 Author Share Posted November 3, 2010 Just spoke to Roland directly. Been asked to send an email with all my techinical questions over and a technician will answer them for me. As for somewhere I can try one… 'Find someone that owns one' was the answer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 Hi mate If you collect and return I'll lend you my unit and bass to play with. I'll need it for the next few weeks but when i have a slot of a month or so with no bass requirement you can have a good old play with it. ...and my vbass! hooooo! ped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 [quote name='pantherairsoft' post='1011088' date='Nov 3 2010, 05:15 PM']As for somewhere I can try one… 'Find someone that owns one' was the answer! [/quote] Great offer from Ped, if I were you I'd snatch his hand off. Make sure you get that the right way round ;-) In the meantime, if you can get to the SE Bass Bash it looks like both Ped and I will be there, and I will bring my unit and bass so between us there should be an opportunity to do a bit of tinkering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted November 4, 2010 Author Share Posted November 4, 2010 Cheers guys. That's real kind of you. I'll see what I can do regarding the logistics of getting to the SE bass bash... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzaass Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 Theres also Guitar Nation coming up. there might be one on show there. I know I tried one at the London International Music Show last year. Too long ago to be able to comment. But I remember there was no problems with tracking. I think the pickup was factory fitted to a fender bass but I could be getting mixed up with a strat that was also on show Check this. Installation service but for Guitars [url="http://www.giggear.co.uk/p/Roland-GK-Kit-GT3-And-Installation/"]http://www.giggear.co.uk/p/Roland-GK-Kit-G...d-Installation/[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted November 10, 2010 Author Share Posted November 10, 2010 I managed to have a go with a V-Bass floor unit a couple of days ago... While it was very good, it is far more of an amp modelling/bass modelling (as ped claimed) system than a Synth. That said it is still bloody cool. I have decided to stick with the analogue stuff which in light of what I do, offer me a little more flexability (and I do like dancing on pedals ). I have therefore picked up a few items to complete the missing links and pledged not to buy anything else for some time! (see sig). Thanks for the offers to try out unit from members here though... That's why Basschat it so damn good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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