Rusco

On 18/04/2024 at 21:39, Mediocre Polymath said:

Just to expand on my previous post. A big part of my job these days is research and fact-checking (and supervising others who do the same), so I've been coming up against the AI authorship problem quite a lot lately.

 

I'm not claiming to be an expert AI-witchfinder, but I've edited millions of words of published material over the course of my career, and I've seen the breadth (and depths) of how people write. Stuff that isn't written by people at all tends to have a certain something that feels, er, off, to me. It's hard to put that vague hunch into words, but there are a few aspects that I'd highlight.

 

The main thing is Large Language Models aren't able (at least at the moment) to write in a way that assumes a particular level of pre-existing knowledge in their audience. So, they always start with with the absolute basics – stuff that, in a lot of cases, no-one would bother to mention if they were talking to reasonably informed adults.

 

To give an example from the linked website, ask yourself, would a person writing a review of a particular model of Rickenbacker bass (for other bass players, you'd assume) feel the need to start by saying "The Rickenbacker 4003 is a renowned four-string electric bass guitar known for its distinctive design and unique tonal characteristics"? Or start a piece about Jaco with, "Jaco Pastorius (1951-1987) was an influential American jazz bassist, composer, and bandleader."?

 

That's how you'd start your presentation to the class if, for some bizarre reason, your middle-school teacher had told you to do a book report on the Rickenbacker 4003, or Jaco Pastorius.

 

Those sentences also illustrate something else about AI writing – the waffle. Chat GPT is incredibly wordy, and often writes with a strange sort of pseudo-conversational tone that feels out of place in more formal, nominally print-ready contexts. Every sentence is full of filler phrases, adjectives and vague descriptive passages that don't actually contain any additional information.

 

To go back to the book report analogy, it reads like your middle school teacher told you to do a 1000-word book report on the Rickenbacker 4003, and you only had 600 words worth of material. The overall impression is of someone vamping to fill space on a subject they don't really know or understand.

That's a good summery. I've used ChatGPT and recently more Google Vertex and both broadly do what you've said.

They are great at giving you a quick running start and a foundation to build upon but I wouldn't be using their output as anything close to a final version, where the audience has a level of knowledge.

What are people’s experiences with delivery now they’re three issues in?

Mine:

Issue 1 - arrived on time.

Issue 2 - didn’t, emailed them and Dan responded promptly, apologised, sent a link to their online version and sorted the hard copy which duly arrived.

Issue 3 - nothing, emailed them multi times and nothing.

Strings - nothing so far.

Hopefully only teething problems but it’s not a great start. I’ll probably cancel.

On 16/02/2024 at 21:02, Chienmortbb said:

Until you put them through a Markbass Cab. Any colour you like, except flat.

Interesting.. I've always found my CMD121 + NY121 pretty transparent with the Eq flat and the filters off, compared to the various Fender's, Ashdown's and Line6's I've used or owned anyway.

9 hours ago, Obrienp said:

I use a WL-20 with a MB III. I have not noticed any issues but I have never tried to turn the gain up to clipping level. As a matter of interest, what is the benefit of having the gain so high? Doesn’t it distort?

Its the Mark Bass recommended way of setting although I don’t normally run it that high myself. I guess its calibrating the range to ensure bass at max goes up to just clipping but not beyond. Even with bass and gain at max it never clips when using the WL-20 🧐

From Mark Bass:

‘Set your bass volume on full, and start with the gain and master controls off.Play your bass at your hardest level, and turn up the gain until the blue clip light starts illuminating’

It's easy to set the gain to clip (blue led) using a cable but not if I switch to the Boss wireless, the blue led never comes on no matter the gain setting.. even at max / 5 o'clock.

Has anyone else had this or know why?

Thinking there's probably an easy explanation and one that I should really already know!

Cheers.

On 19/12/2023 at 11:55, Rayman said:

So embarrassingly, after 40yrs of using combos, I have a question. Proof that you're never too old to learn...

 

I just can't keep lugging my Ashdown ABM combo around anymore. We live in an upstairs flat, and it's getting impossible to hump it up and down the stairs.

 

So I'm looking to move to separates, a lightweight head and 1 or 2 cabs instead.

 

How does the Ohm thing work?  Can I use a 500W rated head with a 300W cab? 

 

Thanks for your assistance

 

 

Sounds like the well loved Markbass CMP121 combo + NY121 cab would be a perfect size/weight/volume/flexibility fit.... it's not very Ashdown-y though.

Thanks all for the replies and suggestions 👍🏻

I need to add an additional mini pedal to my Nano+ board which I think I can, just, do if I can find slimmer patch cables.

The pedals currently on board are 4x TC minis and a Sansamp BDDIv2

I've been looking at RockBoard or EBS Flat Patch cables but I don't know anyone who's used them and it they really will save over a standard type pancake.

Any thoughts?

Cheers.

Value based / value add pricing is a whole topic in itself.

You're factoring in desirability, demand and availability + alternative options and value to the individual (plus pricing can influences all those too)

As a place to start you could try looking at previously sold pricing (as mentioned above) and then possibly pick the mode value to stop the extremes at each end skewing it, like the collection only prices.

Thanks for the replies, that's very helpful.

I'd tried it with the Spectracomp off, which didn't seem to help, so will try it first in the chain before and then maybe after the Poly Tune and see how it gets on. 

Cheers.

On 22/07/2023 at 12:28, PatrolOfStroll said:

Good afternoon everybody!

Yesterday, I took delivery of my first physical effects unit, and it's the venerable, dare I say LEGENDARY, SansAmp Bass Driver DI (v2). Playing around with it using phantom power, I'm extremely pleased. It's every bit as good as people say, to me, and I immediately feel that "impossible to get a bad sound out of it" quality that people ascribe to it. I can get such a huge range of tones out of it by playing with the knobs, and the way that such different sounds are almost never unpleasant to me feels outright magical. It's unbelievably satisfying to find spots in the Drive knob's range where I can get a distinct difference in dirt between using fingers and using pick. I definitely think I made the right choice, between this little box of tricks and a multi-FX unit. I almost pulled the trigger on a Boss GT-1000CORE, and though that seems to be an extremely good unit, I'm glad I went this way instead. I love the simplicity and versatility of this thing and I think I would've got lost in menus and parameters on something more complicated; I would've had a much harder time truly "sculpting" a good sound.

Anyway, now that I'm situated with it and very pleased with the sound, I'm beginning to consider the other effects I may use with it once I'm a few more paycheques into my new work! I don't want a super heavy pedal set-up. I don't have a strong urge for more out-there effects, nor some of the classics of bass like touch wah or synth pedals. When I've played around with delay on bass, so far I've found it gets very messy and oppressive very quickly, and so I don't feel a draw to delay like I would if I was on six-string. I've found myself enjoying reverb most at rather subtle settings, and I realised that the settings I liked are so subtle that I can more-or-less forgo them in the name of money and future pedalboard space. I'm picturing a PT Nano board, or maybe a Nano+ at a stretch.

So, basically, what I have in mind for sounds I'd enjoy playing with is as follows:

- A tuner, probably the Pitchblack X Mini or a Polytune 3 Mini;

- An octaver or pitch-shifter of some description, an OC-5 or an EHX Pitch Fork look like good shouts;

- Fuzz, I have my eye on the EQD Hizumitas, since it looks great, has a tone filter that's calibrated in a way that seems very usable for bass, and based on demos I listen to, seems to sound great for bass in practice, too.

These can (and probably should) go in front of the BDDI no problem. But, it leaves one major favourite effect of mine in a tough spot! Like so many others, I LOVE a good bass chorus tone. And, I know this is a common dilemma, but using the XLR out from the BDDI precludes using a chorus in the "correct" conventional position of coming after a preamp (which is also the recommended approach listed by Tech 21, of course).

So, this is all a long-winded way of getting to my ultimate question! Does anybody here know of any demos that are out there that showcase the sounds of a chorus effect placed BEFORE a BDDI? This seems to be a common solution to the dilemma, to just put it in this less ideal spot and deal with it. But I haven't been able to find any examples to hear how this compromise sounds. Ideally, I'd like to hear a direct comparison of the same chorus on either side of the BDDI, but just being able to hear the sound of a chorus before would be extremely helpful, too.

The other obvious solution would be to just use 1/4" Out from the BDDI into a chorus, and have a separate DI box afterwards, rather than using the BDDI's XLR. It incurs a little more cost and potentially a little more board space. Though, for the timebeing, I'm not even going to be using any setup somewhere where I should expect I will truly need DI Out... but I get a bit neurotic about wanting my setup to be "complete"!

Rambling over. Thanks for reading, friends. Feel free to chime in if you have any experience of your own even if it's not with a demo example at hand, I'll be thankful for any sort of help and opining.

I recently bought a BDDI too, wish I done it before, a great and icon pedal! I also put together a small PT Nano + based board which includes a TC Corona Chorus mini.

My chain is PolyTune mini -> Spectra Comp -> SubNUp mini -> Moorer FOG -> Corona Chorus mini -> BDDI.. even with all the mini pedals it's a very tight fit. I may change the order, I'm having issues with the FOG but that's another thread.

BDDI had to go last so everything came out of the XLR. I played around with positioning before fixing the board down and found no obvious compromises and could always dial in a chorus sound, and any other, I liked (subjective I know). I actually preferred the BDDI last as it gave a unified effect over all of the others. I don't know of any demos but that was my experience and all good.

4 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

Do you mean the Bass MuRF?

 

Have you followed the setup procedure in the manual?

Thanks.

No it's the less illustrious Mooer Fog, the small green fuzz pedal

I bought this for the few Muse tracks we do but I'm struggling to get it to trigger unless I really twang the strings hard.

I've tried active (Stingray, Tanglewater) and passive (P, J, BB) with no noticeable difference and tried the knobs in every conceivable combination.

It's after a Poly Tune mini 3 and Spectra comp in my chain and before a TC sub, TC chorus and S/A BDDI.

Its seems to get a lot of love for what it does and as a cheap Woolly Mammoth clone so assuming its user error rather than the pedal.

Before I dismantling the pedal board (it's tightly packed and tie wrapped) - I'd be interested to hear where people are placing this in their chain and the settings they use?

Many thanks! 🙂

7 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

Some joker in Egypt managed to put 1,000,000 miles on his taxicab. Mercedes gave him a new one to put his one in their museum.

Probably like when Trigger got 17 years out of the same broom 🙂

To the OP - a NY121 fits in a Jaguar XFS boot if that helps... but only very just, getting in the hole is the problem. Back seat is fine

Oops sorry posted in error

On 04/02/2023 at 14:53, mcnach said:

 

 

I've got the Hustle Drive and it's a great overdrive for bass.

The Valeton Tube Refiner is also a favourite of mine but it's geared more towards low/mid gain sounds compared to the Hustle Drive.

 

 

Thanks. Quite a lot of positive comments on the Hustle Drive so I’ve gone ahead and ordered one to try! 

11 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

Mooer Hustle Drive is a great OCD clone, which works great for bass, the One Control Hookers Green Bass Machine is amazing too, and I would consider a Mosky Black Rat too, which is a RAT clone, and maybe would come closest to what you are looking for , in Turbo Mode at low gain it can do an overdrive thing, but at the same time get quite fuzzy on high gain settings.

 

The Joyo JF-309 Ironman Boogie Master, which is an all analog emulation of a Mesa Boogie type drive might be worth considering as well, it at least is a darker type drive and has a really wide range of gain, actually all the way down from perfectly clean, over just on the verge of breakup tube amp like grid, over low gain overdrive and then all the way up to an upper medium gain, but quite massive sounding, distortion.

 

Can't speak of the Cog 66 Mini, as I am not familiar with it.

 

Thanks for explanations and suggestions. I wasn’t aware of the Mosky or Joyo so will also take a look at those. Cheers. 

Looking for a mini overdrive pedal for a mini 'grab and go' music night/open mic pedal board. It will go with a TC Spectracomp, Corona Chorus mini and a tbc octave (prob a sub n up) 

Something that can give a bit of Sansamp through to heavier Muse when flat out. 

I'm realistic, I know it's going to be a compromise and the Muse end will be a best effort for an OD, that's fine. It's just for fun nights not gigging or recording.

Google has thrown up Moorer Hustle Drive, Hookers Green Bass Machine and Cog 66 mini.

Must be a mini but any thoughts on those or any other suggestions?

Cheers!

I paid heading towards £3K (I can't remember exactly how much) for a new Stingray Special when they launched. That was an aspirational bass and one I'll never sell so worth that much to me, but probably not in strict £ terms, dunno.

I'd stretch the budget for something unique or special like a YoB vintage Fender but honestly looking at what you can buy for £1500 I think anything over that is diminishing returns (for me) as a pure instrument... and my playing simply isn't good enough to exploit any differences 😂

On 05/11/2022 at 11:30, Sparky Mark said:

Decreasing the lo mid control reduces boxiness on Markbass amps; try that first to various degrees, it may get you into the warm sound without boom the band is used to. The CMD121P on its own might work too, adding the NY121P cab increases the low end output a lot which might be too much if the band were used to a 210 combo?

I've found that sometimes small amps being driven moderately sound better that more powerful systems barely breaking sweat. 

Thank you, that’s helpful I’ll try it.

On 05/11/2022 at 12:51, jezzaboy said:

This might be daft or been suggested earlier but can`t you borrow their usual bassist amp to do the gig?

Thanks, it’s not daft but I guess I just prefer using my own gear. If all else fails though!

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll cover my MB with silver cloth, stick a Fender badge on and tell them it's the same, job done lol

Ok so I had a chance to meet and talk with their normal bassist. Very good player but elderly hence why they'll have guests. By chance I also heard a chap playing a Rumble over the weekend and was impressed with the sound. 

Their bassist uses an AM Std Jazz, it's a Rumble v3 500 and he says they mean a deep (but not bass heavy boom), warm, tight sound with slight drive. They've not heard my (or any) MB but I'm not sure that's the native sounds I'm getting.

Anyway, I'm clearer on the sound they are after, thanks to their current bassist, rather then just 'like a Rumble' but when I try on my MB it tends to sound boxy. Defo going to need some careful eq work for sure.

Strange request I know... but I'll be occasionally playing with a band who are used to (and like) a Rumble 500 and have asked if I can provide the same sound.

I have a CMD121P + NY121 and want to try and get at least in the same ballpark if I can.

I'm not going to buy a Rumble (a solution, but expensive one), my expectations are realistic and I know it's a niche request - but throwing it our there, has anyone tried this with any success?

I've twiddled with all the knobs (best so far is bass, lower mids and treble at 12 o'clock, high mids at 11 o'clock plus some added VLE) and tried with a P, J and Stingray with limited success.

Cheers.

American P Bass Special (not the deluxe one) is exactly this. They're not currently in production but you occasionally see then second hand. 

I have a sunburst one and they're worth trying out if you can find one. Cheaper than the equivalent American Standard P of the same time period. I think they were the Highway One evolution. 

Hi all - old thread alert but I'm the OP so hopefully it's allowed 🙂

After all the kind suggestions and advice I thought I'd come back and tell you what I did.  After a lot of procrastinating I finally bought LaBella DTB Flats to try. They're not the cheapest but thinking they have the history and are a good place to start. First impressions... flats feel strange! After getting used to them I really like them and they certainly give a warmer thump over the stock Fender P strings they replaced. OK they clearly aren't going to work for all genres but I have round wound strung basses for that.

I think I'm a convert to the world of flats!

You've played one bass for a while which gives you a good starting reference, or should I say baseline? 🙂, for what you like. If you can get to a big music shop and try a bunch in your price range you'll get an idea if you prefer how others feel.. you might love the Ibby skinny neck but equally might find it too skinny and uncomfortable compared to what you're used to, don't know until you try! An afternoon playing around in a music shop is also good fun although can be expensive.

I think I'd try and hunt out a second hand Yamaha BB414 or BB424. Great sounding, well made basses, middle of the road-ish on neck size etc and if you want to move it on I doubt you'd lose much if any on it. Good luck hunting.