Al Krow Posted July 30, 2019 Author Share Posted July 30, 2019 5 minutes ago, krispn said: I’m using a bit more grit for more songs just to mix it up and defo prefer the roundwounds with a touch of dirt over the flats. +1 ^^ Defo starting to feel that the pure 'P' setting is too easily lost in the mix for me. PJ (which dear old dannyboy has been espousing for the last decade or longer, probably ever since BBs were invented in fact) seems to be increasingly where I'm landing, but maybe a P plus a touch (or more) of dirt could be the way to go, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 3 minutes ago, Al Krow said: Here you go Tyler...our discussion prompted me to see what I could get for 'peace of mind' and without needlessly discarding perfectly usable 9V batteries (or spending ££s on a passive / active 'upgrade'). Well this 'bit of tat' which cost less than £3 from Amazon including P&P seems to be just the ticket! (They suggest swapping out when power is < 6V). At that price, I’m tempted to get one for the gig bag! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted July 30, 2019 Author Share Posted July 30, 2019 4 minutes ago, CameronJ said: At that price, I’m tempted to get one for the gig bag! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Battery-Tester-Checker-BT-168D/dp/B07F1RKV1K/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=bt-168d&qid=1564482524&s=electronics&sr=1-7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 13 minutes ago, Al Krow said: +1 ^^ Defo starting to feel that the pure 'P' setting is too easily lost in the mix for me. PJ (which dear old dannyboy has been espousing for the last decade or longer, probably ever since BBs were invented in fact) seems to be increasingly where I'm landing, but maybe a P plus a touch (or more) of dirt could be the way to go, too. P getting lost in the mix = a poor pick up or bad EQ. P’s have pretty much been there from the dawn of time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krispn Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 10 minutes ago, Al Krow said: +1 ^^ Defo starting to feel that the pure 'P' setting is too easily lost in the mix for me. PJ (which dear old dannyboy has been espousing for the last decade or longer, probably ever since BBs were invented in fact) seems to be increasingly where I'm landing, but maybe a P plus a touch (or more) of dirt could be the way to go, too. I didn’t mention getting lost in the mix or at least I don’t think I did? First rule of hearing yourself on the gig get a sound you like before putting in ear plugs make sure everyone can hear you and is getting what they need then pop in the ear plugs and carry on knowing that the band and stage sound is working. If things sound muddy with ear plugs pop them out every few songs for a listen. Considering the P bass has been the reference electric bass tone for decades it might be some other factors which are making it sound lost in the mix. Respect the low end, keep the mids where they need to be for your band and respect the mix! I’d be interested to know what way you get to your sound live. I know you prefer bass and amp and no effects on the gig other than drive from the amp. Are you getting your core tone set up with ear plugs in or playing a few numbers first to check how every is sounding? What’s other peoples routine for the first few tunes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted July 30, 2019 Author Share Posted July 30, 2019 (edited) 19 minutes ago, Al Krow said: Defo starting to feel that the pure 'P' setting is too easily lost in the mix for me. i.e. the way I like it = personal to me (no complaints from the band or the audience). A bit of grit is sweet. Edited July 30, 2019 by Al Krow 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 1 minute ago, krispn said: What’s other peoples routine for the first few tunes? I put in my ear plugs before the drummer starts setting up, and don't take them out until the keyboardist has turned off his amp. Your advice to "pop them out every few songs for a listen" sounds like a great way to get tinitus. S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krispn Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 What can I say I like to hear the band from time to time and enjoy a bit of volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 33 minutes ago, krispn said: I recently put some roundwounds back onto some of my basses and it nice to have that different tonality to the bass having been quite happy with and familiar with the flats. I do like flats and still have one bass with them but it’s been good to gig roundwounds- even if I did have the tone backed off by about 60% It’s worth swapping back and forth, or it is for anyway, me just to keep the tones fresh. I’m using a bit more grit for more songs just to mix it up and defo prefer the roundwounds with a touch of dirt over the flats. I keep a set of Chromes handy, and did have a set of TI's until recently. I agree, its nice to get a different tone and feel sometimes, but i always seem to go back to rounds. I too am using a bit more dirt/grit these days and rounds seem to suit this better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted July 30, 2019 Author Share Posted July 30, 2019 (edited) 10 minutes ago, krispn said: What can I say I like to hear the band from time to time and enjoy a bit of volume. No ear plugs for sound check. But then I'm a bit of an old wuss on this and tend to follow the S.P. way, although I'll occasionally take one ear plug out to have a listen mid set following your previous suggestions on this. Just a couple of follow up thoughts: Personally - if I can't hear the bass (even with ear plugs in), frankly I don't enjoy the gig. Turning up the mids is fine up to a point, but too much and I think we would all agree it sounds crap. Adding a bit of grit cuts through the mix equally well IMO and the overall bass tone can be a better one than overbearing mids. Edited July 30, 2019 by Al Krow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrixn1 Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 33 minutes ago, Al Krow said: +1 ^^ Defo starting to feel that the pure 'P' setting is too easily lost in the mix for me. PJ (which dear old dannyboy has been espousing for the last decade or longer, probably ever since BBs were invented in fact) seems to be increasingly where I'm landing, but maybe a P plus a touch (or more) of dirt could be the way to go, too. I'm generally in the "P bass with flats" camp I'm not sure I'm ever "lost in the mix" - I don't really want to "cut through" for the style of music/my playing. Having said that, I have been experimenting with blending in some J particularly if there are bad room acoustics. Sounds better to me to slightly favour either one pickup or the other, i.e. as long as it's not both pickups on full. I couldn't have done this on my previous BB which had a selector switch, instead of now having a blend knob (or two volumes). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 9 minutes ago, Al Krow said: i.e. the way I like it = personal to me (no complaints from the band or the audience). A bit of grit is sweet. I can definitely get lost in the mix with a P bass . Maybe not so much 'lost' more loss of prencence. Low end always heard but i like to hear the notes clearly a lot of the time, and mud can prevent this. Obviously as AK says, its a personal thing a lot of the time, but if you are uncomfortable with your sound its harder to enjoy playing IME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 2 minutes ago, jrixn1 said: I have been experimenting with blending in some J particularly if there are bad room acoustics. Since getting my P34 this has been a revelation for me. Instead of boosting the top end (for example) i love that i can add in a bit of the bridge pup and sound a bit clearer. I have had PJ's in the past but never really had much luck with blending pups. The tone got very weak. Not so with the P34 though and im surprised at how often i use a bit of the bridge pup dialled in. In fact with both on full even my pick playing can sound a bit funky (in a good way lol). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted July 30, 2019 Author Share Posted July 30, 2019 Hah! You boys are starting to make me feel a bit hasty in being very content with my BB 1025, with its selector switch, and my recent thinking that I should move my BB P35 on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 23 minutes ago, Al Krow said: Hah! You boys are starting to make me feel a bit hasty in being very content with my BB 1025, with its selector switch, and my recent thinking that I should move my BB P35 on... Im more than happy with the switch on my 425. Maybe its the different pups but i prefer the both pups on tone that i get with the 425 better than the P34. Obviously less variation but a good solid tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 As well as the pickups, I'd expect a sound difference due to the blend pot too. You might get different loading on the pickups with each connected to their own pot (a blend pot is just two regular pots stacked together) vs a single volume pot. Also, not all blend pots are equal - at the middle position some blend pots are 100% of both sides, but this isn't always the case. Love my BB1025X in the middle position though, sounds most unlike any other PJ I've encountered. I think the fact the J is proper meaty has a lot do with it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, dannybuoy said: Love my BB1025X in the middle position though, sounds most unlike any other PJ I've encountered. I think the fact the J is proper meaty has a lot do with it! Thats how i feel about my 425. The bridge pup is more than powerful enough to work on its own. Not so much the bridge pup in the P34 though. Edited July 30, 2019 by dave_bass5 typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted July 30, 2019 Author Share Posted July 30, 2019 A quick word of thanks to @Dad3353 for just now 'refreshing' the first 8 pages of this thread, which were posted before the site upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javi_bassist Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 About a year ago I bought a really sexy Yamaha BB735a in sunburst. It is my first 5 string and it's one of my favourite basses of all time. Really comfortable and awesome sounding. I find the bridge pickup a little weak to use it on its own, but mixed with the neck pickup or just the neck... So good. Then, since what I used the most are my 4 string basses, last week I bought a used Yamaha BB734a in black. Just as good as my 735. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted July 31, 2019 Author Share Posted July 31, 2019 7 minutes ago, javi_bassist said: I bought a used Yamaha BB734a in black. Just as good as my 735. Not if you're trying to play a low B, C, D or Eb in the middle of a song 😂 But, more seriously, congrats - there are a lot of very happy 734a / 735a users on this thread. You do realise you are now required to post some pictures of your 734/5 twins don't you? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted July 31, 2019 Author Share Posted July 31, 2019 21 hours ago, jrixn1 said: I'm generally in the "P bass with flats" camp John - what have you landed on as your preferred flats? FWIW - I'm finding the original 'stock' nickel D'Addario EXL170-5 work a treat as rounds and don't break the bank; dB recently mentioned getting a double pack for £40 iirc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MoJo Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 21 hours ago, dannybuoy said: Love my BB1025X in the middle position though, sounds most unlike any other PJ I've encountered. I think the fact the J is proper meaty has a lot do with it! I believe you're right. The BB414/5, BB424/5 and BB1024's that I've owned have a tone that doesn't get lost in the mix when using both pickups and the bridge pickup can be solo'd without it sounding thin and weedy. Other P/J's I've experienced don't possess that quality. I have heard Tony Franklin say that when he was looking for a bridge pickup for his P-bass, he went for the hottest pickup available at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrixn1 Posted July 31, 2019 Share Posted July 31, 2019 1 hour ago, Al Krow said: John - what have you landed on as your preferred flats? FWIW - I'm finding the original 'stock' nickel D'Addario EXL170-5 work a treat as rounds and don't break the bank; dB recently mentioned getting a double pack for £40 iirc. I've got Dunlops. I think their underlying character is quite a dark flat, but the 735A allows to coax many tones out of them. Good price at £35 and they'll last for years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted July 31, 2019 Author Share Posted July 31, 2019 6 minutes ago, jrixn1 said: I've got Dunlops. I think their underlying character is quite a dark flat, but the 735A allows to coax many tones out of them. Good price at £35 and they'll last for years. Interesting comment about the Dunlops being naturally dark. The 735A has a very broad tonal palette with its active / passive combination. Just wondering whether something brighter may work better with a purely passive BB? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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