velvetkevorkian

Why not file the relevant slot on your current nut? If that doesn't solve it you could then look at replacing it.

Is your action very low?

They pop up pretty frequently on the TalkBass classifieds.

Sounds like lift music to me. I think this is one of those genres that you probably have to see in person to 'get'. As ever though, YMMV.

I've not listened to a lot of Janek's work (mainly Youtube stuff) so correct me if I'm wrong, but is his scatting (is that a word? It is now) not part of his soloing process, and not really meant as part of the performance per se? Can you hear it on record when there's not a camera mic pointed at him? I've tried it once or twice and it does genuinely make me sound a bit more melodic (not that that's difficult ) because your brain dictates the notes not your fingers. I'm too self conscious to do it in public though, as well as too rubbish at jazz.

[quote name='mcgraham' post='888820' date='Jul 7 2010, 06:54 PM']I'd be interested to hear that. I've often wondered about virtuoso instrumentalists whether they can apply their instrumental dedication to singing as another discipline.[/quote] The only one that springs to mind for me is Billy Sheehan (although maybe "virtuoso" is pushing it a bit)- he sang on 'Cosmic Troubadour'. Let's just say I'd rather listen to his bass playing...

Or price!

I always quite fancied a Zephyr 6 actually...

They're nice, but ridiculously overpriced in this country compared to how they're priced in the US- even more so than usual.

I will when I can afford it, since I tried to tweak mine on the fly and made a bit of a mess of it!

I guess he's thinking because the 4th of C major is an F natural, which could clash with the F# of the key signature. If he's playing a Cmaj7 chord that's not the case though. I can't see it making a big difference to the tonality just tell him its a passing note if he tries to argue. Remember, theory is descriptive, not prescriptive. Its a way of describing what you're doing, not restricting what you can do. Ultimately, if it sounds good, it is good!

Not as easy to tweak a DB's string height on the fly...

The short answer is yes, it can be done. If everything sends and receives MIDI messages you can set them up so they respond to the correct signal. You can also get devices like the Switchblade which are basically MIDI controlled patchbays, which allow you to connect non MIDI capable gear in whatever order (although obviously you wouldn't be able to change parameters on the individual pedals this way).

Lots of great stuff indeed. A lot of hours have gone into each of those!

+1! I turned them off completely, but it would be nice not to have to. Maybe removing IMG tags from sigs would help? Or there's a feature I've seen elsewhere where each user's signature is only shown once per page.

Falafel.

[quote name='JTUK' post='881055' date='Jun 29 2010, 03:34 PM']Keep the cabs and get a car. All this schepping around without your own transport is nuts. I wouldn't compromise a cab just for size if it didn't do the job I wanted it to.[/quote] That's just not feasible for some people, I'm afraid. Sometimes a compromise is necessary

And they have a lovely slick feel!

I use Elixirs on all my basses- I hate buggering about with strings so I just stick them on and leave them- the ones I have at the moment have been on about a year or so and still sound great. Fortunately I like the sound as well!

[quote name='4 Strings' post='880881' date='Jun 29 2010, 12:56 PM']That's great, thanks. Can you remember the difference in tone between the two? My only experience was of a student performance once and he had a piezo. It sounded very thin, it was all there, nice and crisp, but didn't give that lovely body in the sound. I suggested to use a mic (which the sound guy humbly did!) as well as the piezo and it made the world of difference. May have been a cheap piezo unit. We pointed the mic roughly at the F hole, as you suggest. The room is quite dead but I like the idea of the 4-5 feet away. A violinist once suggested this for his violin (well, 3 ft!). He said it allowed the harmonics to form without picking up too much scratching, which you wouldn't otherwise hear unless you put your ear to the strings. Not sure about the harmonics bit, but I trusted him, did mean absolute silence though as the gain goes up![/quote] The mic at the f-hole was pretty much all bass, while the while the distance mic gave the notes more definition IIRC. He played some bowed stuff as well which would probably have been all rumble with just the mic on the f-hole.

I have this setup (albeit on four knobs rather than two) on my Peavey 5 strings and I really like it. Being able to keep the definition of the bridge pup while still getting clarity and punch is great.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='880810' date='Jun 29 2010, 11:52 AM']Unless you've have rampant GAS and a need to buy every weird design of bass going like me then the only real reason is to improve on what you already have. It sounds like your current bass is pretty much what you want, so what you need to is make a list of the things that you are not quite happy about with your current bass. Not things you think you might like but things you KNOW would improve the looks, feel, and sound. I'd be interested to know exactly what improvements you think your current bass NEEDS.[/quote] As usual, BigRedX hits the nail on the head. Is "Custom shop magic" really an improvement you can quantify or is it just a way of rationalising more basses?

Works fine for me.

I did a recording a few years ago of my friend on double bass, on which I used a kick drum mic near one of the F-holes and an SM-58 type pointed at the end of the fingerboard from maybe 4 or 5 feet, which you can mix to taste. That gave an acceptable mix of thump and air, given the circumstances.

Just to add to this, I got an email from Bassline today advising that the book in question is now on sale at the link above for a mere ten of your Earth pounds- bargain, given its normally 25 quid.