Wolverinebass

They might work, maybe not. The comments about evelope filters is definitely true. I use a Digitech 2120 and that's a guitar processor. It works like a dream for bass as well, so try some stuff out. The worst that can happen is it sounds pants.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1234164' date='May 17 2011, 12:20 PM']Not sure if you know what you want anyway. You seem to have basses to cover a lot of ranges in music and one or two are very focused and almost limiting..not that that in itself is that bad, possibly.. but until you grow into a
style your thinking will not have much shape to it.

A jazz is a workhorse that can cover anything with a bit of imagination.. but you need to really rate it as a bass and just because it has Fender on it doesn't make it any good.

I wouldn't worry about direction until you get some. Maybe your upcoming gig will help ...as hopefully, that is the point.[/quote]

I agree totally. Until you know roughly what you want to sound like, it's a bit difficult to say. I chose the basses I've got as I know exactly what I want to sound like. In truth I probably stumbled into it.

Plus the comment about a Jazz is right on. One of my mates got a Jazz and whilst the sound of passive basses doesn't work that well for me, I thought it was fantastic and very versatile. He then sold it and bought 4 Danelectros. Never did figure out the logic of that.

Billbo's comments about telling the difference between basses is true to an extent, but it's reasonably easy to tell maybe not what make they are (which I think is a bit difficult sometimes), but the different sound when used with the same amp settings.

Just depends what you want out of it. Something that sounds distinctive may not be what you want at all if you like a precision type sound, you won't really get it from an active bass. Besides, they won't make you better anyway unless the neck is easier to play. I'd tend to stick to what you like.

You could spend squillions on a bells and whistles bass, but it could prove rather frustrating if it doesn't work for you and you don't get on with it.

Not sure if this is the right place to put this in, but here goes.

Is anyone going to see The Black Ships on Thursday 2nd June at Kings College Student Union? It's Nick McCabe and Simon Jones' new band (formerly of the Verve). It's sort of like the tonto psychedelic jams that the Verve used to do in their better days, but it's not necessarily to everyone's tastes.

Sadly, all of my mates have pled poverty or aren't really interested in that type of music. If there are any BCer's who are going and fancy meeting up with a fellow bassist, let me know.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1228790' date='May 12 2011, 01:38 PM']As far as getting at the guy for using a 15 string,it's worth bearing in mind that John Paul Jones
especially Tom Petersson have used a 12 string bass for years. Jauqo's bass is the same thing,just
a 5 string version. Allen Woody (Allman Bros.,Govt. Mule) used to use a Modulus 18 string!![/quote]

To be fair though, JPJ uses a 12 string bass that's a 6 string with octaves rather than a 4 string with 2 octave strings per fundamental which is what Tom Petersson and Doug Pinnick use. Just to up the pedant value. A 15 string like this bloke is playing is a 5 string in triples if that makes sense. Interesting playing, but I fail to see the point other than it'd be rather difficult to use it in the way he is.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion on the merits of insanely stringed basses though. I like the multi stringed versions personally, but I'm sure that there are many on this forum who would regard even a 5 string bass as being wrong. Not my point of view, but just an observation.

Myself and my guitarist went to see King's X at the Electric Ballroom in Camden and got a few things signed. Doug was a very nice bloke and the only gripe that I had from the gig about the band was that he only played the 12 string on 1 song. Come on!! I certainly counted at least 6 songs that were played on a 12 when they were recorded and he played them on the Schecter. On a certain level, it was slightly disappointing.

However, it did put me in the mood to get a 12 string. Pity that they are so amazingly rare and virtually never come up on Ebay. Bummer.

I remember I had to get my Buzzard fixed and Rob told me that there would be a new kingbass and then something with a large body similar to the buzzard. That was in 2007. So clearly he's got a lot on. Plus developing new instruments must take ages. I just wished it was something totally mental and brutal sounding. An explorer shaped all graphite?

The Chris Wolstenholme thing sounds interesting, but if it's just a graphite skin, I wouldn't be interested. Sure it'd still be great though. I certainly thought your 5 string graphite S2 was very, very impressive.

On a personal level, I wished they'd make more all graphite instruments. The constant volume of different Kingbasses has now started to grate a bit on me. I mean, how many models do you need? Naturally they're brilliant instruments, but do we really need 7 different versions when the options are all there anyway?

Don't get me wrong here, my buzzard is the best instrument I'll ever play and status make fantasitc cakes so to speak, but I'd be holding out to see what Rob's new B1 is going to be like.

This looks very interesting. What are the final specs going to be and dare one ask what might the damage be for one of these puppies?

My current GAS list:

Hamer Chaparral 12 string bass

Or alternatively, get someone to build me a 12 string to my own spec which would probably cost more than the deficit.

Silddx's bass looks magnificent!! I can see why you would only need that one!!

Yamaha looks lovely as well. I'd be going for the black, but it's just personal taste.

[quote name='Clarky' post='1208070' date='Apr 22 2011, 10:49 AM']Why don't Tech 21 wake up and smell the coffee and make a small Class D amp with a Sansamp EQ section? They have one of the strongest brand names for DI/EQ and yet insist only on applying this to pedals or relatively heavy (>20lb) 'old school' type amps[/quote]

I'd sooo have that. Give me the PSA 1.1 with a digital power section and I'm there!!

I used that 4x10 MB pictured in the post above at a rehearsal a few months ago. In a word - rubbish. I just could not (no matter how much fiddling I tried) get a decent sound out of it. If I can't get a good sound out of an amp with a Buzzard after 5 minutes (generally 30 seconds suffices), then something is generally wrong. I then switched to my Alembic. Same again. The one thing I would agree with posters is that it is very loud. But when you can't get a decent sound out the damn thing, it kind of defeats the purpose.

I'd never use Marshall stuff as every experience I've ever had with them has been wholly negative. If this is the make you want, then I'm hoping it'll work better for you than for me.

I've been playing 8 string bass for a year or so and am seriously thinking about stepping up to 12 string bass. Plus as one is a Kings X/Doug Pinnick fan I've always fancied it.

Now, I appreciate that there aren't many 12 strings on the market and most are not manufactured in the UK or even the EU for that matter. The question is, is there anyone on this forum got one and if so, what do you think of it? Why did you go for say a Hamer or a Dean or whatever you've got?

Now I appreciate, that there are a lot of folk who think that even a 5 string is sacrelige (I don't subscribe to that view myself), but I'm quite interested in folk's views.

This has of course nothing to do with meeting Doug Pinnick after Kings X's gig in Camden last week...

I've never found guitarists who mainly only play chords worth dealing with. In a trio format, space has to be given and taken in equal parts by all the members. Sometimes I'd go bonkers, sometimes the rest of the band. To fill all the space all the time is futile and in many ways fatiguing on the audience. It just doesn't work in practice and in a way becomes a kind of onslaught that just isn't that good.

In regards to your question. Try playing to the vocal (if there is one) and ignore everything else. That's more often than not how I learn a song or solidify the part I'm working on. Quite often I just completely ignore the drum patterns for a while and then come back to them for some push and pull. Or I might focus on the guitar if it's quite complex. Just an example. By comparing what you're doing with the pattern/melody of each, you'll get something that more often that not will be pretty decent. Leaning more toward one will probably give you some reasonably differing results as well.

Everyone's different though and I'm sure that you'll find something that works for you.

[quote name='gafbass02' post='1191453' date='Apr 7 2011, 09:54 AM']It's when I see a guy that can blatantly hardly play and not that interested in bass making a living as a bass player that I get pretty fed up. Feels like I've spent years learning my craft and my instrument for nothing. Shoulda spent more on haircuts and practicing tickling a (inevitably) p bass or Rick with a plectrum while staring at my feet.[/quote]


Tell me about it. That sums my attitude up exactly. I accept that there will always be someone that can do something better than you. Such is life. Like Doddy, that just makes me practice more and try new things to improve my playing. But when people who can barely play make squillions when there are others on this forum who would wipe the floor with them and have put years or even decades into learning to play well, I feel physically sick and begin to wonder why the hell I ever bothered.

That's a bummer. Everyone's had them. I had one where I looked down at my hands thinking that the song sounded all wrong. A song I wrote I hasten to add. I had the most hideous mental blank for at least 20 seconds where I just continued playing what I was doing. Afterwards this was commented on by the band at the bar. Like I was in some sort of trance when I was playing. Naturally I didn't mention that I didn't have slightest idea in hell what I was doing. The odd thing was that apparently I played the right notes as I listened to the gig the next day. To this day I have not got the slightest clue what happened.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I think I'll start off at 1mm and see how that goes. Grab a few and see what works for me. I guess trial and error in this case will be the order of the day.

I'm not intending to switch to pick playing exclusively by any means, I just think that it's a good thing to be able to do properly. Am sure I'll have to endure insults from my guitarist mates for a while until I get reasonably decent at it.

Drummer problems? Tell me about it. About 18 months ago the band I was in lost our drummer as he moved up to Sheffield. Fantastic guy and an amazingly talented drummer. We tried for (I kid ye not!!) a year to find someone who was even decent. Not a hope in hell. In London. My brother said "so what you're saying is that in a city like London with the population of Scotland you can't find someone even remotely decent?!!"

The final straw was when I saw an ad on Gumtree which was for an available drummer. I clicked it open and read it. The influences were all there and I thought this might be worth a go. However, getting to the bottom of it, it said (this isn't a joke either), "I've been playing for 4 months - PAID WORK ONLY."

I felt physically sick. Look anywhere these days and all of them say that. Paid work only. Funny thing was how most were only just okay and didn't really stand out as anything special or great.

After trying lots of different techniques over the years, I've began to think that I'm missing out on having any pick technique. I found one at a rehearsal about 3 years ago and at the weekend, I was fiddling about on my 8 string and my fingers were getting a bit chewed so I thought I'd give it a go. Whilst the tone wasn't really that different, I figure it'd be a good alternative to turning my plucking fingers into cheese when I'm playing in a hot room.

It was quite a thick pick (2mm Dunlop) and whilst it was great for an 8 string, I tried it on a 4 and it just felt too stiff to get any sort of motion going, so I assume that more flexibility or a lighter guage is needed? Doing 8ths was just impossible. I appreciate that there are many different types and materials and whatnot, but what would seasoned pick players recommend to get the best from both worlds in terms of flexibility/tone and ease of playing?

Grateful for any suggestions.

I really wanted a Kilo. When it was announced. Three years ago. After asking when it was going to come out every so often I just gave up waiting and got loads of rack gear. Whilst I'm sure it'll be a great amp, the fact that they kept it off the shelves for in effect 2 years whilst they re-designed it and apparently made it lighter seems a bit mental to me. Some of the buttons seemed to have moved but that's about it. It's going to be heavy regardless as Hartke haven't done the whole Class D amp thing that mostly everyone else has and fair play to that.

Like Dood, I'm a gizmo sort of person and frankly in the interim, I've accumulated so much stuff, I'll never need to get a Kilo as what I've got really works for me. Will still have to try one though....

You know Gareth, I wondered about the fact he's been guided by the foundation. If the money was going to the foundation you could almost say fair enough, but I bet it isn't.

Also, Chris - I mentioned the same thing to Rob - couldn't you just keep the moulds and wait for the license to run out? No. They would have been sued even for that apparently.

It's beyond any level of stupidity. If you're going to get a Spyder, get an Alembic one. The warwick buzzard is inferior in every way to the Status one. Yes, I've played both.

To shed some light on this whole Buzzard thing. I took my bass to Status about 3 years ago to get it fixed (after the bass centre made a mess of something) and had a nice chat to Rob afterwards. He was rather upset (I'm being euphemistic) at Chris Entwistle whom he said he'd spoken with a few days after John died and who assured him that Status buzzards would still be able to be made. The rest is history. Warwick threatened to sue Status back to the stone age and Rob had to destroy all the moulds. That was in about mid 2008 so that was almost 3 years after the whole thing happened as I got my buzzard (the last one) in September 2005.

As for the insidious suggestion that "John would love them," I beg to differ. When did he ever play anything other than top instruments with every single bell and whistle you could possibly imagine on them? Discount pre 1975 periods.

It does look suspiciously like Chris is doing this for the money. I would have thought that extending an olive branch to Rob with this might have been the way to go, but what do I know. I'm sure Rob's got enough going on with all his other new basses this year.

Regarding Doddy's thought that the Wickershams at Alembic might have something to say about Dean ripping off their design in such a garish way, I'd hope that he's right. They've even ripped off the "only 25 to be made" from when Alembic re-issued a cut down version of the Spyder in 2003 (25 four strings and 25 eight strings were made). On the other hand, the body shape was first done by Gibson wasn't it? I don't know if that's right though or if that would make any difference as I'm not a lawyer...

Shameless, shameless cash in.

I agree with Chris. A parametric crossover is a must on all amps like this. Even the largest Trace Elliots have one though I think they fumbled the ball by making it fixed at 220Hz. That was a mistake. I use a crossover myself and I'd never have it set lower than at least 500Hz if I was adding fx.

In relation to the Kilo, they've had this announced for 3 years if I remember correctly. The product page hasn't been updated since it was announced then. I was planning on grabbing one myself, but then after a couple of emails to Hartke, I just got sick of waiting about for it to be released and got insane amounts of rack stuff instead.

From what I understand they re-designed it to make it lighter hence the gap between the LH series and this. On the other hand, does that really take 3 years? The sad thing is I really like Hartke stuff and I've went elsewhere now. I'd bet that the joke will be that after all that time to take the weight out of it, it'll probably still weigh 20kg!!

The difference between the 1 and 1.1 is that the 1.1 has twice as many locations to save and has an on/off button, as well as the "afterburner" zone on the input gain which is a lo cut/high boost function.

I gave serious thought to buying Mr Foxen's, but what put me off was that it was 110V, had it not been I would have bitten his hand off for it. Changing out the transformer sounded too problematic so I just saved up and got one new.

Mr Foxen is quite correct as well that they don't come up that often either because not that many people have them or that nobody wants to sell them. I watched Ebay for 4 months and there wasn't one that went for less than £290 whch was more than I was going to pay for one 2nd hand.

Well, they're not cheap. You won't find one for less than £500 if you're going for new. 2nd hand maybe £290 if you're lucky. There aren't really that many sold on ebay.

Depends what you want to use it for really. If you want loads of different types of distortion then that's great. If you only want say one or 2 then it's just total overkill.

The midi switching is covered in the manual. It's not that difficult to work out if you sit down with it.

If you want to preserve the clean sound of your amp, put the PSA in the loop. There are 2 bypass channels on it so you can remove it from the signal chain if you wish to.