The Reggae Thread

[BoomTing]

  On 03/05/2021 at 22:38, SumOne said:

I'm due some new strings, currently have 5 string steel roundwounds 40-128 and thinking of getting Nickel and heavier gauge (45-130), mostly as D and G sound a bit thin. Or possibly I'd go for roundwound but I occasionally play funk/slap so ideally want something that can still do that (but most of the time it's for Reggae). Any particular recommendations? 

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If You just want to up the D & G Daddario do (roundwound) 45 65 80 100 not sure what the 5th is but they do a set. For Flats it maybe best to run another Bass. You can swap & change but the windings can damage if you keep taking them on & off.

It's nice to be able to swap basses for different sound/feel. But for many years I only used rounds with no issues.

Edited May 4, 2021 by BoomTing

[BoomTing]

Looking out My window At another crap dull rainy day I slipped into a parallel universe and dreamed of this...

 

[taunton-hobbit]

 

[SumOne]

  On 04/05/2021 at 10:20, BoomTing said:

If You just want to up the D & G Daddario do 45 65 80 100 not sure what the 5th is but they do a set. For Flats it maybe best to run another Bass. You can swap & change but the windings can damage if you keep taking them on & off.

It's nice to be able to swap basses for different sound/feel. But for many years I only used rounds with no issues.

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Nice one, yeah I think I'll stop doing things half-arsed and go the roundwound route as almost all of my playing is Reggae and I like higher tension strings. Trying to play Dub/Reggae and Funk/Slap on the same Bass with the same strings and setup is probably too much of a compromise given that and ideal slap setup will have the opposite things to the ideal Reggae setup. 

I'd forgotten that I had an old 4 string pack of Adagio Flatwound Nickel strings so put them on the higher strings just now and remembered why I'd stopped using them -  I like the lack of string squeaks and the tighter tension but they are brighter and more mid-focussed than my old steel roundwounds so it seems that roundwounds aren't all automatically good for Reggae, I think they were quite cheap though.  I'll probably try the  D'Addario Flatwound Chromes next.

[Reggaebass]

Love this Bassline 

 

[BoomTing]

  On 04/05/2021 at 11:53, SumOne said:

I'll probably try the  D'Addario Flatwound Chromes next.

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If You look & listen to the Robbie Shakespeare youtube a few pages ago it looks like He is using Chromes on some of the Basses pictured -- The sound is definitely Flatwounds

[Reggaebass]

  On 04/05/2021 at 11:53, SumOne said:

Adagio Flatwound Nickel strings

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I’ve had a set of those on a jazz for about 6 or 7 years, they did take a while to break in , probably about 6 weeks on and off, then they really mellowed and are even better now, I think I paid about £10 for them, bargain 🙂

Edited May 4, 2021 by Reggaebass

[BoomTing]

 

[jazzyvee]

Thanks reggaebass. I use D'addario Pro steels 45 - 130 and use them for everything including reggae, funk and slap and can get what i need from them. I did really like the sound of the D'addario NYXL strings which again are great strings and have a more mellow tone but bright enough for slapping etc. My fingers don't seem to get on with nickel strings so i don't use them regularly. I have one bass that i use mainly for reggae and would love to try an even heavier gauge string set but as I have a brass nut and saddles i don't want to open them up and find they don't suit me so i stick with the pro steels as they can go deep and mellow, punchy and i still keep note clarity.

if it's any help, i spoke with Aston Barrett and he uses Fender Flats.

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by jazzyvee

[Reggaebass]

  On 04/05/2021 at 18:23, jazzyvee said:

Thanks reggaebass. I use D'addario Pro steels 45 - 130 and use them for everything including reggae, funk and slap and can get what i need from them. I did really like the sound of the D'addario NYXL strings which again are great strings and have a more mellow tone but bright enough for slapping etc. My fingers don't seem to get on with nickel strings so i don't use them regularly. I have one bass that i use mainly for reggae and would love to try an even heavier gauge string set but as I have a brass nut and saddles i don't want to open them up and find they don't suit me so i stick with the pro steels as they can go deep and mellow, punchy and i still keep note clarity.

if it's any help, i spoke with Aston Barrett and he uses Fender Flats.

 

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Thanks very much jazzy👍 , I know we spoke about strings a while back, but I couldn’t remember what you used 

[SumOne]

  On 04/05/2021 at 18:23, jazzyvee said:

Thanks reggaebass. I use D'addario Pro steels 45 - 130 and use them for everything including reggae, funk and slap and can get what i need from them. I did really like the sound of the D'addario NYXL strings which again are great strings and have a more mellow tone but bright enough for slapping etc. My fingers don't seem to get on with nickel strings so i don't use them regularly. I have one bass that i use mainly for reggae and would love to try an even heavier gauge string set but as I have a brass nut and saddles i don't want to open them up and find they don't suit me so i stick with the pro steels as they can go deep and mellow, punchy and i still keep note clarity.

if it's any help, i spoke with Aston Barrett and he uses Fender Flats.

 

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Nice one. I ordered some La Bella Deep Talkin' Bass flats earlier today as they seem to have pretty much unanimous praise, if they don't do it for me (I'm guessing they will be good for Reggae but not so good for slap) then I'll give the D'addario Pro Steels a go. 

[tthiggins]

  On 03/05/2021 at 22:38, SumOne said:

I'm due some new strings, currently have 5 string steel roundwounds 40-128 and thinking of getting Nickel and heavier gauge (45-130), mostly as D and G sound a bit thin. Or possibly I'd go for roundwound but I occasionally play funk/slap so ideally want something that can still do that (but most of the time it's for Reggae). Any particular recommendations? 

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I use Warwick red label Nickel rounds as they're cheap and good i.m.o.

But i use new fresh ones for funk and old worn in ones for reggae .

[SumOne]

This was usually my opening tune in a DJ set. The first minute builds up energy really well  (the vocal A side does an annoying thing of all vocal on the left, everything else on the right.... I guess recording in stereo was a novelty!) 

 

[taunton-hobbit]

^ ^ ^  Just wire the output lines together ?

(s'all I ever did, my current mixer is a Denon DNX500, set to mono).

😎

 

[SumOne]

 

[jazzyvee]

  On 04/05/2021 at 18:56, tthiggins said:

I use Warwick red label Nickel rounds as they're cheap and good i.m.o.

But i use new fresh ones for funk and old worn in ones for reggae .

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I tend to re-string my reggae bass with used strings from other basses that I am putting new strings on. They are a bit more mellow in tone then and they usually last about a year before I change them again.  Works well, recycling is good. 🙂

[jazzyvee]

  On 04/05/2021 at 18:43, SumOne said:

Nice one. I ordered some La Bella Deep Talkin' Bass flats earlier today as they seem to have pretty much unanimous praise, if they don't do it for me (I'm guessing they will be good for Reggae but not so good for slap) then I'll give the D'addario Pro Steels a go. 

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I tried some Labella Deep talking flats but the black nylon coated ones for a few reggae gigs but didn't like the tone I was getting from them. They are now on my acoustic bass guitar which seems a better match. I'm not averse to flats but at the moment I prefer rounds maybe I will try them again in the future but just plain flats not coated.

[ezbass]

  On 05/05/2021 at 09:05, jazzyvee said:

I tried some Labella Deep talking flats but the black nylon coated ones for a few reggae gigs but didn't like the tone I was getting from them. They are now on my acoustic bass guitar which seems a better match. I'm not averse to flats but at the moment I prefer rounds maybe I will try them again in the future but just plain flats not coated.

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Black nylon coated LaBellas do seem very suited to acoustic, piezo equipped basses. When the time comes, try some EB Cobalt flats if you want to retain a chunk of roundwound tone (hopefully the QC issues reported a while back will have passed). Fender flats seem good too, having bought a Mustang with these already fitted, they seem to fit nicely with my cod Family Man efforts.

[Reggaebass]

I’ve got 2 jazzes with D’addario tapewounds, they are well worn in , they give a nice warm tone , which suits me but if you’re looking for highs they wouldn’t be good 

[SumOne]

This morning Peter Tosh 'Equal rights' is getting played loud while I 'work from home'. Such a good album, this tune is beautiful and powerful:

 

[Bean9seventy]

  On 01/05/2021 at 09:34, SumOne said:

Yeah they're all good. Burnin' is next on the vinyl shopping list. 

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they grew decent carrots in those times ,, not only good for eyesight ,, good for hearing ,& much more , now known globally as municipal health carrots ,, pity they still refuse "outright to give camberwell a blue plaque for herbs & vegetables ,, when they are thought of as pioneering heroes (world wide) ,, Bob Marley one the 1st to single-handedly charge up a room without using electricity

[Bassybert]

  On 05/05/2021 at 09:42, SumOne said:

This morning Peter Tosh 'Equal rights' is getting played loud while I 'work from home'. Such a good album, this tune is beautiful and powerful:

 

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That is one quality tune. Peter Tosh was incredible.

Bless up.

[Reggaebass]

Old style ☝️

 

[taunton-hobbit]

 

[Reggaebass]

1978 , nice Bassline