robocorpse

[quote name='NJE' post='1144326' date='Feb 28 2011, 11:47 AM']Cheers for that, just starting to read about the whole true bypass thing. I am looking at a pedal without so I guess I would be using battery up. I only really want it for a couple of songs and i dont really want to get into power supplies etc. Might have to fork out a bit more for a true bypass maybe.[/quote] Given the choice between forking out for true bypass, or a low-middle price PSU, I'd go the PSU route. TIP: old SEGA MEGADRIVE power supplies are 9V 1A and the plug is the correct size and polarity to run Boss pedals... "2 quid, take 50 pee?, oh alright, a pound" from your local boot sale.

Was in Bass Cellar the other day. The tall guy is indeed an utter cock, but he had mispriced something, so I bought it and staggered it to the cab rank with a big fat grin on my face having just saved 300 quid...

[quote name='icastle' post='1142342' date='Feb 26 2011, 02:08 PM']But wait! I have a cunning plan.... Why not use a 10W 8Ω loudspeaker across a jack plug and leave it plugged in all the time...[/quote] I was replying to OPs earlier comment: "So I can run it without a cab? That would be convenient." No need to be so condescending...

What about wiring a 10 watt 8 ohm resistor across a jack plug and leaving it plugged in all the time unless you have a speaker connected? that way if you do accidentally unplug the headphones, there is no chance of running the output TR unloaded.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='1139705' date='Feb 24 2011, 10:46 AM']Total balls. Have you heard the bass tone of the guy from Karnivool? He uses one. Quite often people bring this pedal up and say it's only capable of weak fizzy distortion. It has a clean blend, and EQ to boost the low, and cut the highs, and it has a gain control, which is useless past 10 o'clock. It's perfect for a big bottomed growly boost! It's not good at fuzz, but it's great at OD.[/quote] Hence "Bass OVERDRIVE"... BTW, although its not a fuzz, if you want the Greg Lake "Barbarian" sound, this pedal nails it really well.

[quote name='buff' post='1135315' date='Feb 21 2011, 12:09 PM']Ok, the output from the pick up in my jack casady bass is according to epiphone 6K. but im finding despite the fact its meant to be a good pick up, it's very wooly and lacking any bite.[/quote] You are never going to get bright and zingy sounds from that bass in a hundred years. Unfortunately, a semi acoustic with centrally placed pickup ain't going to have "bite" no matter what pickup you fit. If its a major issue for you, and you can live without the cool factor of the JC bass, I'd look at something with a solid body.

Oh you git , I missed the end of that auction and would have probably outbid ya. Oh well, next time...

[quote name='AttitudeCastle' post='1135847' date='Feb 21 2011, 05:27 PM']Robocorpse you really use the Fuzz factory on bass? I've never found it great for bass, and the constant howls suit guitar better, i'd love too hear how you use it![/quote] Plug the Status S2 in, and play chords through it. Sounds like a massive polysynth. Mmmmm

He's also using a very toppy bass sound to start with, you can hear it poking through all the effects.

[quote name='MythSte' post='1135404' date='Feb 21 2011, 01:13 PM']Personally, I dont think your ever going to get a good modern slap sound from a P bass. You'd be better suited with a Jazz or a Stingray [/quote] +1

Grit = a touch of growly grindy stuff, think Geddy Lee. Overdrive = starts at "grit" and goes up to "fairly raucous" Distortion = Bees having a fight in a discarded Stella can, difficult to use convincingly on bass. Fuzz = Breaking the signal up to the point of degeneration and gappiness by excessive overdrive.

I use loads of distortion and fuzz and have tried a lot of pedals. The best results I have had for adding grit without sacrificing tone are the overdrives with a proper "mix" knob that actually lets uncoloured signal through with the overdriven (rather than just ON or OFF and leaving it up to the setting of the "drive" knob) Boss and DOD both make really good bass overdrives, available S/H off ebay for under 50 quid. They are equally good at adding grit, but are different if you want LOTS of overdrive, the Dod is more "American" sounding, the Boss is more middly. If you want to go further, a Sansamp Bass Driver is a really nice grit machine, and has DI output as well as effected and parallel clean, but that will cost you closer to 100 used. However, it does mean you can go straight into the PA without losing much of your sound, and saves lugging your stack around on some gigs. I currently use DOD and Sansamp together, with a Boss FZ5 for the nuclear meltdown stuff, and I seem to have all bases covered for what I am doing. I prefer the Zvex Fuzz Factory for the mad stuff, but I don't like gigging it, as I have already broken 2 knobs off it

OK own up, whos the lucky bugger who just scored it for 132 quid because my bloody phone rang and I missed my bid? AAAAARGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[quote name='SteveK' post='1133368' date='Feb 19 2011, 02:01 PM']Why? I totally understand why a guitarist would use such a tuning. But why a bass player? He won't be playing open power chords...will he? The same notes are available, he just has to reach them in an unorthodox fashion, which would make study bloody hard work.[/quote] On the other hand, it makes it a lot easier if all the strung instruments are playing in the same tuning and same positions so showing each other stuff is easier, especially if the band aren't all seasoned pros with 20 years of theory behind them, which is most of them. Cast your mind back to the level of someone who has only been playing a year or 2 and is trying to work out songs with a guitarist in drop tuning, and look at it from their point of view.

[quote name='SteveK' post='1133160' date='Feb 19 2011, 10:42 AM']I understand the need for drop tuning, but I can't figure what advantage there is for C# G# C# F# tuning.[/quote] Its a guitarists technique that the bassist has to follow to make it easier on the ensemble. If you tune down a 6 stringer and drop the low E another 2 semitones, you have an open powerchord in ridiculously low tuning, and thousands of metal bands use this technique, many through laziness, but it has become a style in its own right, as a load of the more floppy-haired type metalcore bands discovered Major 9ths a while ago, and its easier to play these on a guitar with the low E dropped 2 semitones...

Lemmy. Love him or hate him, he is absolutely unique. Played the bass like a guitar because he had never picked up a bass in his life and suddenly he was given a last minute gig with Hawkwind when the bassist never showed up and Dave Brock said that he knew someone who was there who could do it. 5 years later he left Hawkwind and formed Motorhead. The rest is history, and Lemmy (to this day) mostly plays chords halfway up the neck, through an overdriven Marshall so it sounds like an unbelievably fat, downtuned guitar.

Electronics grade solder has flux built in, no need for extra flux, its just as important to make sure the metal surfaces are clean before you start. Scotchbrite pads are good for this (nick one off the missus, or 99p for 3 in Tesco), and finish off with a quick wipe of IPA or meths on a tissue or cotton bud to degrease it. Don't touch any metal area you are soldering with your fingers after this point or you'll grease it again. Some cheap connectors have horrid plating that takes ages to get solder to adhere to without abrading it back to base metal, so stick to decent parts like Neutrik and Switchcraft. There is zero point paying double for the silver-loaded stuff at this level if you are just making up leads with OFC cable, a tiny bit of silver alloy in one joint will make no difference whatsoever against the hundreds of non-silver joints in every pedal, amp and factory-made cable you have in your rig. The eco friendly "Lead Free" solder is a pain in the arse as it has a higher melting point than traditional 60/40 and some smaller irons have difficulty with it on anything other than very small connections, so its no good for pots etc unless you have a decent iron of at least 20w with good heat recovery like a Weller PU, or you'll cook the plastic spindles while you wait for it to heat the joint sufficiently. That said, its getting hard to find 60/40 tin/lead solder now. The key to good lead making is tidiness of the preparation, exact cuts, careful removal of insulation so you don't lose or damage strands, neatness and order and no straggly ends or blobby solder. And a decent iron too. Antex XS25 is a good starting point, or a used Weller TCP series. Something between 20-50w with easily swappable tips. Under 20w and you'll have a hard time soldering anything bigger than a centre conductor, over 50w and you'll cook everything and won't be able to get fine tips. I think thats covered it?