BigRedX

Like a lot of instruments they make a lot more sense when they are actually being played rather than being viewed in isolation... That me BTW for those of you who are relatively new to Basschat...

They're great!

And I find myself wondering when someone posts a photo of a Fender P or J bass (or copy of one whether it be high or low end) which attracts lots of admiring replies, what exactly makes this particular instrument any different, and worthy of special attention, from any of the other hundreds of P or J basses that get posted (or indeed any different to the hundreds of P and J basses hung on the walls of shops waiting to be sold). I'm sure if it's your P or J bass then it is special to you, but that AFAICS is it.

That's because they are Burns Tri-Sonic pickups (hence the name of the bass). IIRC the guitar and bass versions are exactly the same electronically, just the covers for the guitar version have 6 indentations on the top and bass version have 4.

A very battered second-hand example of that was my very first bass guitar, and chosen in preference to a new Grant or Columbus P or J copy partly because it was about £15 cheaper but more importantly because ti me it had something a bit more interesting about it.

Piano, can be loud (the clue is in the instrument's full name) and have a considerable bass content which will need proper sound proofing to keep it in check, particularly if the properties share any walls etc.

I have honestly never been into the idea that for a certain sound a certain bass is required. I've just wanted something that sounds like a "bass guitar" and besides IME most of the sound comes from how you play it and how you treat the electronic signal it produces rather than the actual instrument itself. Also I've been told that most of the "P-Bass sound" comes from the type and position of the pickup, so anything with the appropriate pickup in the right pace should get you close enough in the band mix.

I think it very much depends on how important music (whatever else it is that "changed your life") is to you. Music has very much been the driving force in my life and many of the things that I got involved with in other parts of my life have come directly from my musical activities. I would have been unlikely to end up the job that I do now if it hadn't been for the fact that I learnt to design and print in order to produce posters, t-shirts, packaging for records/cassettes in order to further my musical activities. I really do have an "album that changed my life". It's not very well known or even particularly well played or recorded, but the fact that it exists and that I owned a copy completely influenced everything I did in the 80s and since then.

Not me. When I bought my first bass (A Burns Sonic) in 1981, I did try a couple of the Grant and Columbus P and J copies, but they were harder to play, more expensive, and probably most important of all they looked boring.

It's this actual one from Gus Guitars which I had refinished in Candy Apple Red.

First gig since December 2019, and a last minute addition to the HRH Goth line-up for Sunday's Leeds gig. Two mega 6-hour rehearsals to get up to speed after having not played as a band for 18 months. Nice big stage, great sound and a decent-sized audience considering that we were on at two in the afternoon and main attraction for the weekend (Fields Of The Nephilim) were on the previous night. Here's a few photos...

For my take on the ugly bass just imagine that I have posted photos of every single bass that Fender have ever made. Not only are they ugly but they are also boring.

I've just ordered four 5-string sets from Thomann 2x Warwick 40301M Black Label and 2x Warwick 40300 ML Black Label and the whole lot comes to just over £100 with shipping. When I consider that my previous string of choice (LaBella Steels) were over £40 a set, I'm perfectly happy to pay the shipping costs.

Is the problem that he just needs different sounds for each song, or is it that he is aways making adjustments because a change of venue means the guitar sounds different due the room acoustics? If it's the first a good programmable multi-effects unit should sort out the problem, although if he also relies on his amp as part of his sound, he'll need something that supports 4-cable wiring which may rule out some of the more affordable offerings. If it's the second then unfortunately there is nothing he can do, other than to stop being quite so precious about his sound.

Scrap all that. We've been offered and have accepted a last minute slot at HRH Goth in Leeds on Sunday (yes in 3 days time). Mega rehearsal tonight for us all to get back up to speed, followed by another mega rehearsal next week for the "acoustic" gig (supporting Mark Burgess of The Chameleons).

You prefer the sound of one bass over another superficially similar one.

Having barely played during the pandemic except for writing and recording a song with the other band, it turns out that In Isolation's first gig since the end of 2019 is to be an "acoustic" set, with the following week a normal gig. So not only have I got to remember how to play all the songs again, but I've also got to learn and remember completely different versions for the acoustic gig. Wish me luck.

To the OP: how doe the audience hear your bass sound? From the rig or from the PA?

There was a venue we used to play in my Dad Rock band and the biggest improvement we could make to the FoH sound would be to draw the curtains that covered the floor the ceiling windows all the way down one side of the room. Just playing with EQ, you are going to have to accept the fact that no matter what you do you are making the sound worse in some other part of the room.

But you can't fix a poor acoustic space with EQ. If you could, studios wouldn't expensive acoustic treatment to the ceilings and walls and could get away with simply slapping a 31 band graphic across the monitor feeds. Room acoustics are a mixture of time and frequency domain issues and EQ is just a frequency domain solution. Sure you can use EQ to fix a problem at a given listening position, but your are just as likely to make the sound much worse in other parts of the room. EQ is a compromise solution only, and at some point you will have to live with the fact that it can only do so much towards fixing a poor acoustic space. You may get just as good results by repositioning the speakers to change the location of the sum and difference nodes caused by sound being reflected from the various surfaces in the room.

Every festival I've played in the last 15 years - especially those where good quality backline has been supplied, the monitors have been more than up to the job. Most of the time as soon as I've stepped away from being directly in front of the bass rig I've been able to hear more of "me" in the monitors than from the rig. Unless you play at levels where the backline is seriously interfering with the FoH sound, it's for show only.

I wouldn't bother with the backline at all. Bass into the Helix. Helix DI'd into the PA. Bass sound from the Helix in the FoH and Monitors. Job done.

If you want a custom graphite neck, I'd talk to Simon Farmer at Gus Guitars. IIRC he does all the graphite necks for the Enfield basses.

The other thing to consider is what the rest of the band are expecting in terms of bass parts. If there's lots of octave/unison riffing using open strings then you are going to need to match the tuning of the guitars. However having a standard tuned bass with the down-tuned guitars may allow you to come up with some more interesting/less conventional ideas if you don't have to slavishly follow the guitar riffs. On the few occasions I've played with down/drop tuned bands I've stuck in standard tuning on my 5-string with out any problems.

Firstly what exactly is "drop C#"? On the guitar "drop D" is standard tuning with the low E string retuned down to D. So do you mean: 1. Standard tuning with just the E string down to C#? (C# A D G) 2. All strings tuned down a tone and the E string down to C#? (C# G C F) 3. Everything tuned down 3 semi-tones? (C# F# B E) Then what sort of a feel do you want for the strings? And what sort of sound are you after? A lot of the time with down-tuned bands that slack feel of loose strings is exactly what is needed to give the right sound. Other times you just want lower notes than standard tuning but still the standard feel to the strings. All these things will influence what is the right advice for the OP.