BigRedX

Unless you have a good acoustic space in which to record you bass I would avoid using mics, and if you can't guarantee phase alignment of multiple signals go for a single DI. If you already have a DI sound that you like and that sits comfortably in the band mix as is that would be great, but otherwise I would go with DI'ing directly from the bass with as little processing as possible on the recorded sound. That way you don't end up with a baked-in tone that you are struggling to change as the mix progresses. Get a really good performance with full-range tone recorded and then tweak it in the mix to sit properly with the rest of the band instruments. I would also seriously consider booking some time at a decent studio to do the final mixing. You will be surprised how much quicker and better even a half-way decent engineer is at getting a good sound compared with the majority of home recordings. I have 40 experience of home recording, but I've sold up all my "studio" because I have come to the realisation that I will never be as good as anyone who can actually make a living at running a recording studio. Unless the band is after vastly different sounds on each song, once your mix engineer has got one track right the rest pretty much fall into place with just minor tweaks.

@TheGreek Do you have a space already set aside for this project? If so what size is it, where in the building is it located and who are your neighbours?

You should also post this in the "DIY Electronics & Studio Design" section of the SOS forums. However as has been said here already there is a difference between sound proofing and acoustic treatment. If you need to stop sounds getting out of the studio (as well as preventing unwanted external noises getting in) you need mass and isolation. This generally means building a room within the existing structure and physically isolating from the walls ceiling and floor as far as possible. You also need to seal all the air gaps but still have some way of ventilating the space. Generally it's a whole set of compromises. Start by telling us exactly what the studio is going to be used for. Recording? Rehearsing? Full bands with drum kits? Electronic sources only? How noisy is the outside environment around this studio building/space?

In that situation, so long as both your bases fit in the case it really doesn't matter which one you get. The cheapest will do the job just as well.

And that's the problem. It's a grind. And add to that, the fact that none of the music I play is actually written down and none of the bands I have ever played in over the past 45 years have used written musical notation to convey their ideas, the incentive for me to learn to read is minimal. There are so many other musical activities that I could more usefully be doing, that reading is far too low on the list.

I think that might be the biggest stumbling block for most people. I can read music in the same way as I can read a few foreign languages, with context and a dictionary I can work my through it. I know what all the notes are and the timing divisions and all the commonly used symbols, but expect me to be able to play faster than a bar a minute and its just not going to happen for anything other than the simplest of pieces.

Whichever EQ module in my Helix that gives the correct sound.

That is fantastic as usual.

Don't know where you got that from - according to Bruce Johnson's page on the Ampeg AEB-1 and AUB-1 there were over a thousand made. They are still pretty rare. The Bass Gallery had one of the Johnson copies in several years ago and very nice it was too. If I had been playing 4-sting basses I might well have bought it.

This. Are there any? I couldn't see them.

The Eastwood is a copy in the very loosest sense only. Essentially (like all Eastwood instruments) it's a parts bin bass with a body designed by someone who saw a blurry photograph of the Ampeg AEB once. Put the two side by side and you can easily see that they have nothing in common and it won't sound anything like the Ampeg either. The Bruce Johnson versions are far more authentic.

Does it have MIDI?

Brilliant. I would great if you could make it. Come and say "Hi" we'll have a range of merch available too including new T-shirts with the forthcoming album cover design.

No it's to do with the Trade Union rather than the Customs Union. If the UK leaves the EU it will become a separate trade market which means that suppliers that have a European distribution agreement with manufacturers will no longer be able to sell products to the UK that have a dedicated UK distributor for them.

Also bear in mind that locking off the vibrato system so that it can't move will change the sound of the guitar.

And if the UK leaves the EU, you won't be able to do that either.

Which will save you the tax on about £18.00 of the total value...

Split frets were used on the Vox Organ Guitar in the 1960s.

Actually there is a reduction in tension. The G string on a bass tends to have the second highest tension (after the D) and the B will have by far the lowest tension, so if you do need to make any truss rod adjustments you will need to slacken it off.

Was it a Music Man bass by any chance?

Sometimes it will depend upon the make of the bass. Many US manufacturers don't want US shops undercutting their official retail channels in the UK, so their agreement to supply outlets like Sweetwater will prohibit them from selling their instruments outside of the US.

Doesn't work with open strings according to the web site (one of the few bits of information it actually does give). So really not an option for me as a lot of my bass style is built around open string drones, and alternating open and fretted string riffs. Also: Quite what counts as an appropriate instrument isn't mentioned, in fact over all the web site is far too light on actual information to tempt me. I have asked for more details but I am yet to receive a reply...

So you play in a band with no guitarist?

Have you linked to the right auction? All I can see is a very battered instrument, possibly home-made by someone who saw a photo of a P-Bass once. 😉

Fender used to make a version of the Stratocaster with a fixed bridge. Is that still an option?