What's Big Al done wrong?

[Jigster]

I detect a suitable degree of remorse within your statement, and the jury will take your comments into account BB.

[BB3000S]

[quote name='Jigster' post='1255785' date='Jun 3 2011, 07:39 PM']I detect a suitable degree of remorse within your statement, and the jury will take your comments into account BB. [/quote]
Haha, you're probably right.
What is it they say - Pain is so close to pleasure... ;)o

[Prime_BASS]

At the minute I'm GASing a lot for a lot of basses, as I'm unemployed and poor I can't really go out and buy anything, the big al remains unused as I use my stingray for the band stuff so ideally I need to hear it's sound when trying stuff out, so it only really gets used when I'm fooling around with crazy funk/jazz fusion crap in my room.

I can't quite put my finger on it, I do really like the big al it sounds huge and amazing no matter what I do with it, some really great sweet spot sounds. I think I just prefer the more vintage sound of the stingray and the fatter neck coupled with wider string spacing.

[bubinga5]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1254781' date='Jun 2 2011, 11:06 PM']I don't get this "it's too complicated". You just turn the knobs until you get a sound you like and then leave them alone. Easy.[/quote]i totally agree.. a preamp like a J East has the options for a reason.. if your fiddling with it, its because you dont know it... when you find your tone just leave it alone..and when you know it you will know how to adjust it to your preference

Edited June 4, 2011 by bubinga5

[JTUK]

[quote name='bubinga5' post='1256298' date='Jun 4 2011, 11:07 AM']i totally agree.. a preamp like a J East has the options for a reason.. if your fiddling with it, its because you dont know it... when you find your tone just leave it alone..and when you know it you will know how to adjust it to your preference[/quote]

kind of.... but you turn up on a gig and the sound needs a little tweaking, strings have just gone off or whatever and you just don't get the time in sound-check that you wanted and you are searching...
Now, the adjustment is never huge..or need be, and you can easily live with what you've got ... but that mid sweep is so powerful so I go centred and middle...the bass is boost only, AFAIR..but it doesn't matter as that is easy anyway.
It is the mid sweep that can throw you off...when all hell is breaking loose and you don't have time to twiddle.

I know where my default start is all the time... but rooms and stuff change...you really don't want multiple taps all over the place as well.

I rate the Retro and that is about as variable as I want it. If I need another sound completely, I'll use a another bass that can do it.

I have 3 basic sounds anyway.. finger-funk off the rear pup, full song fingers and slap, and you want to be able to go to all 3..IMO..with a flick of a switch and dial down the presence/tone on a jazz...ie mid solo, if you have to.

[Prime_BASS]

[quote name='JTUK' post='1256369' date='Jun 4 2011, 12:07 PM']kind of.... but you turn up on a gig and the sound needs a little tweaking, strings have just gone off or whatever and you just don't get the time in sound-check that you wanted and you are searching...
Now, the adjustment is never huge..or need be, and you can easily live with what you've got ... but that mid sweep is so powerful so I go centred and middle...the bass is boost only, AFAIR..but it doesn't matter as that is easy anyway.
It is the mid sweep that can throw you off...when all hell is breaking loose and you don't have time to twiddle.

I know where my default start is all the time... but rooms and stuff change...you really don't want multiple taps all over the place as well.

I rate the Retro and that is about as variable as I want it. If I need another sound completely, I'll use a another bass that can do it.

I have 3 basic sounds anyway.. finger-funk off the rear pup, full song fingers and slap, and you want to be able to go to all 3..IMO..with a flick of a switch and dial down the presence/tone on a jazz...ie mid solo, if you have to.[/quote]

I'd prefer to just one sound that covers all the bases.

[JTUK]

[quote name='Prime_BASS' post='1256382' date='Jun 4 2011, 12:20 PM']I'd prefer to just one sound that covers all the bases.[/quote]


ok..but stylistically pretty limited, IMO.

[Prime_BASS]

Fair point, however I don't think a lot of people will be disgruntled that I don't use a jazz bass with burpy mids while playing some strange progressive jazz, or that it's not woody and wooly and undefined when I Beatles-come together.

I have one setting for "my sound" then I change playing technique to fit in better with certain music styles, which in my opinion gives a dramatic enough change that's noticeable. And doesn't require fiddling.

By changing the setting for different sounds you are only limiting your own ability IMO.

All be it if I play reggae, and you solo the bass sound there will still be quie a bit of crispy high end but in a mix it would be negligible.

But I think we are diverting and getting lost. There is a difference in tweaking to gain a better on stage sound and totally changing the sound to fit in with what ever genres stereotypical sound.

I wouldn't say I never change the settings however usually it's a dial down on the bass knob on the bass in particularly boomy rooms.

[JTUK]

[quote name='Prime_BASS' post='1257569' date='Jun 5 2011, 06:30 PM']By changing the setting for different sounds you are only limiting your own ability IMO.[/quote]

Don't get this at all..... the exact opposite, IMO.


There is no way you can have a jaco-esque sound and technique going...with all the ghost notes and octave slur type notes
with a lot of basses. It is ALL technique but you need as much help from the bass as you can get
and rear pickup and tight hard sound at the bridge with top rolled off is the way to go.
That sound will likely stink for slap.

A P-bass sound is a million miles from it as is most twin pickups sounds...you need bridge soloed, presense rolled off and a bass boost,for starters...and that is without even starting on the technique.

[Prime_BASS]

I think I could have explained it better.

I'm not talking about impersonating a sound as identifiable as Jaco. I'm just simply stating that I prefer to use a bass that with simple playing technique changes can fit into a wide variety of mixes.

I dont need a lot of different precise settings to achieve different sounds as that kind of thing doesn't interest me, but things like technique do.

Anyway, I fear we have deviated off topic a little, lol.

The big al is a great bass and neck is a joy to play, for mahogany it's very light, however it does have a darker sound with deeper lows than my stingray which is quite bright and "bouncy" sounding.

[Vibrating G String]

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='1254797' date='Jun 2 2011, 03:18 PM']Because they are fugly beyond all imagining.[/quote]
That's how I used to think of jazz basses Now I love them though I doubt the Big Al will have the same future for me.

Every new Big Poppa promotion of a new color or whatever will have a big fanboy rush shortly followed by the eBay flood of those models. Currently on US eBay there are 15 Big Al's, most brand new. If you search for ones that sold there's 3. With EBMM if you can resist the marketing for a little while you can save a bunch of money.

[ficelles]

I was really confused by this thread, as to me "Big Al" is a singer from Torrington

But anyway having checked the instrument out I can only say:

1) too complicated

2) ugly

ficelles

Edited June 6, 2011 by ficelles

[Vibrating G String]

[quote name='ficelles' post='1257987' date='Jun 5 2011, 05:17 PM']I was really confused by this thread, as to me "Big Al" is a singer from Torrington [/quote]
It always reminds me of

[Prime_BASS]

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='1257984' date='Jun 6 2011, 01:00 AM']That's how I used to think of jazz basses Now I love them though I doubt the Big Al will have the same future for me.

Every new Big Poppa promotion of a new color or whatever will have a big fanboy rush shortly followed by the eBay flood of those models. Currently on US eBay there are 15 Big Al's, most brand new. If you search for ones that sold there's 3. With EBMM if you can resist the marketing for a little while you can save a bunch of money.[/quote]

Most are all from one "store" if you go into any music shop you'll see the same intruments on the wall for months.

[TPJ]

A lot of comments in this thread are from people who don't own one or haven't used a BA in anger. I find it hard to read comments like "I haven't tried one, but..." or "I played one for a few minutes in a store..." Sorry but to me that's just speculation. I can totally understand comments about the looks as they're not for everyone (even though they look better in the flesh), but to comment about how it "might sound" or "may be too complicated" with out using one in a band setting is not fair to the instrument. I'm not a complete fan but the bass covers a lot of ground and is quite straight forward to use, it just takes a little time to find the settings that are right for you.

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='ficelles' post='1257987' date='Jun 6 2011, 01:17 AM']I was really confused by this thread, as to me "Big Al" is a singer from Torrington

But anyway having checked the instrument out I can only say:

1) too complicated

2) ugly

ficelles[/quote]


+1 I assumed people had taken badly to the recent Cult Maniax reunion gigs....

[danhkr]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1254926' date='Jun 3 2011, 01:11 AM']Only cool people think they look good, fact.[/quote]

Correct.

All [i]I[/i] do is set it to sound similar to an active jazz or p. I knew for a fact before I bought mine that I would only use one or two settings and hardly touch the eq. It didn't and still doesn't bother me in the slightest because it's not a variax, it's a real EBMM guitar with top draw build quality and playability but totally different tonewise to Stingrays and Sterlings which is exactly what I was looking for. I also know that if a job/band cropped up that required something different, chances are the Big Al will cover it.

Maybe people are moving them on because they're finding that despite every setting sounding good, they end up only using a couple of different tones so perhaps subconsciously feel a bass like this is wasted on them? I've certainly seen no bad word said against the Big Al from any of the sellers.

[Chris2112]

EBMM aren't really the company to pioneer new things now. Just look at the success of the classic Rays!

Edited June 6, 2011 by Chris2112

[danhkr]

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1258628' date='Jun 6 2011, 05:10 PM']EBMM aren't really the company to pioneer new things now. Just look at the success of the classic Rays![/quote]

How do you mean?

[Buzz]

[quote name='neepheid' post='1255087' date='Jun 3 2011, 09:36 AM']It's simply because no-one ever buys anything on this forum, right Tim? [/quote]

[Musicman20]

All I know is for the price I paid, (ok Im still waiting, but hey ho) I think its a very cool, individual instrument with a DNA thats still Musicman.

Its like a P VS J VS Ray VS Sterling. I love the tone of the pickups just by themselves, just in passive.

I was looking for something different, versatile, and well made. I could have gone custom but I know they wouldnt have the same 'feel' as something made by a company I know, plus it would lose more should I ever sell it on.

It is yet another instrument with mixed reviews, like the Bongo.

If I compare it to a guitar, especially in the sunburst colour, its like the Fender Jazzmaster in terms of 'woah, whats going on here?!'.

Retro, but modern.

[LukeFRC]

it's kinda like
fender jaguar to the Jazz/ precision
to
big al to the stingray/sterling

in many ways better, more advanced, can do more things, covers multiple bases.... and something you could never see Leo Fender signing off on if he was still with the respective companies.
Not to say they arn't good.