Doddy

Maybe try changing the order of your pedals. I'd keep the Sansamp first for tone shaping, followed by the Dapper. Octaves and filters like strong signals, and I think they work best near the front of the chain. I like putting my drive pedals going  from low to high gain, so I'd probably go Darkglass>Boss>EHX. 

2 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

 

You still need a trs to trs cable to connect the amp to the DI box. May as well just buy a trs to XLR cable and save the expense of a box...

No, because you'd run a DI box before the amp. Plus you can buy a decent DI for not a lot of money, so it's not a big expense if you don't want it to be, and it'll be far more reliable in the long run.

3 hours ago, paul_5 said:

Erm, a DI box is a cable adapter… 😄

But it's not a small jack style adapter that is more likely to get lost or damaged. I don't trust those kinds of adapters.

I'd be tempted to just buy a DI box. I think it's a more solid option than using cable adapters

The thing with pedals is that they react differently depending your other gear.  They will always sound different through headphones than through an amp, and they will even react differently with different amps. You really need to take a bit of time and get used to how they work with your rig. 

What pedals are you using and what order do you put them in? Pedals can sound different depending on where you put them in your signal chain, especially if you are stacking them rather than using one at a time.

What about checking out the transcription threads posted in the forum? There are tons of great melodic ideas in there.

1 hour ago, uk_lefty said:

Used to play this in my band. According to a few years of market research, you sir, are the only person outside that covers band and the Spin Doctors who knows this song! 

Nah, the Spin Doctors are frigging awesome. They're still one of my favourite bands. And Mark White has a ridiculous good slap technique.

I'm another Skoda Octavia driver.  I can get 2 1x12 cabs, my amp, a 2 or 3 accessory cases, instrument, mic, and music stands, suitbag, Gruv Gear Club Bag, and 2 basses in quality gig bags (iGig and Reunion Blues) , all in the boot and out of sight. 

On 12/09/2021 at 19:27, peteb said:

I liked the HD112s - they sounded great, but I decided that I really needed a one cab / lightweight option (I also have an old Berg HS410 with ceramic speakers). 

I've got an old HS410, that I got from Bass Direct before Mark had the shop. I don't gig it much anymore because its heavy, and I keep thinking that I should get rid of it for something more lightweight, but it just sounds so much better than any other cab I've ever played. 

I think everyone has moments in their life that make a huge impact and changes their course. Why can't it be music?

I'd only been playing bass for a few months, when I was taken to see Marcus Miller in concert. The next day I went to the local record store and ordered all of Marcus' solo albums, I started to learn to slap, and I got my Jazz Bass later that year.  That concert blew me away, and made me realise that that was what I wanted to do, and I got my act together and really studying and playing the bass seriously after that.

50 minutes ago, Jakester said:

 

I think the Weds thing has been slightly blown out of proportion - the reason for rejection was "split loyalties", rather than unavailability, suggesting that they wouldn't take anyone with commitments to another band. 

But if you'd have said yes to their rehearsal schedule, then the "split loyalties" quote probably wouldn't have come up.  If they have their pre arranged band schedule, they want someone who can fit in with that.

I don't really see an issue here.

1 hour ago, Jakester said:

 

I'd already told them I play in another band. She said they rehearse on Wednesday nights, did that work. I said possibly, though the other band I play with also do Weds eves when we're rehearsing so I may have to do alternates. 

 

 If you start talking about alternating weeks with other bands, then a lot of people aren't going to go for it because they want weekly rehearsals.

Personally, I'd have either said "Yes" then spoken to your current band about possibly moving your rehearsals, or mentioned to the new band that Wednesday is awkward and is another rehearsal day viable.  

I find it interesting that Fender keep introducing new finishes, rather than keep classic finishes like Sonic Blue, Fiesta Red, Shell Pink etc.  It seems that most of the people who are buying high end Fender style bassees are going for these types of finishes, and I think Fender are missing out.  

Donny Hathaway Live.

Willie Weeks put's on a masterclass during that albums, and plays one of the best bass solos ever.

Fantastic player, and was really nice when I briefly met him. 

Such a shame that he's been suffering with dementia for a few years now.

4 hours ago, OliverBlackman said:

The thing I don’t get is why these chain stores all sell more or less the same stuff. PMT, Andertons, GAK, Guitar Guitar - there’s not much that they individually specialise in. Yet the independent stores that have a niche seem to get by - albeit with much lower overheads.

The thing is, sites Basschat is a microcosm of the bass world. The vast majority of players, especially at the beginner to intermediate levels, are familar with Fender and Gibson and they are still seen as being the instruments to buy. So they will buy a Squier or Epiphone to start, and progress to Fender and Gibson.

A lot of people aren't aware of brands like Sadowsky, Lakland, and Sandberg.

At this point, I'm generally really uninspired when I'm looking at the bass section in most music shops, and I'm rarely interested in picking up an instrument unless it's something pretty special. I've played Fenders in shops that were probably nicer than my Jazz but I've had mine since it was new back in '95, and it just feels comfortable to me now. Other than that, most shops don't usually stock anything that compares to either my F Bass, Roscoe, Tobias, or Shuker.

2 hours ago, Ray said:

 but I never used to care much about my tone when practicing. Why do I care now? 😖

Because your tone is one of the most important and unique aspects of playing your instrument.

Personally, I'd hold out for a used OC2 or an Octabvre.  The OC2 is the classic octave sound, and the Octabvre adds the versatility of having a seperate footswitch to solo the sub. The MXR vintage should come close, as it was cloned from one of Janek Gwizdala's old OC2s.

I like the EBS Octabass too. It's got a smoother tone than the OC2, but it's not quite as cool.

I'm not a big fan of digital octave pedals. I find them too clean and they don't have the glitches that are part of the charm of an analog pedal. 

I think it's a Yamaha RBX 760a

2 hours ago, NJE said:

 

Is it not great in down sweep mode, or is just a slight preference to the Seamoon?

There's nothing wrong with the down sweep on the EMMA, I just really like it's upward sweep. It's that classic, quacky filter sound.

The Seamoon only does a down sweep, but it just does it so well. It's that great sound that Neil Jason used to use a lot.

The Discumbobulator is one of my most used pedals. I love it. It plays nicely with my basses and sounds killer after an octave pedal. I've got a load of filters but this is my go to.

I only ever use it in it's upward sweep mode. For a killer down sweep filter, I love the Seamoon Funk Machine.

4 hours ago, Rich said:

  I'd need half a dozen separate stomps to get the sounds I use my one teensy Zoom for, and I simply CBA to carry that much kit around when the punters won't notice the difference anyway  

 

Fair enough. The punters might not notice, but I will, and usually so will the person paying.

3 hours ago, geoham said:

Each to their own. You are absolutley correct that it is can be easier to tweak the sound of individual pedals on the fly, and that they'll often sound better than a multi-fx - though this is less true today than it was in the past. 

 

However - they're not necessarily far easier to use. To give a real life example, I use the Sansamp model on my Helix. I have it programmed differently within different patches though. I use it with the treble cranked but not too much drive in a patch I use for Sledgehammer. I also use it with lots of drive a general purpose patch. To acheive this with individual pedals, I'm either needing to buy the same pedal more than once - or try and adjust them mid set. With my Helix, it's just one pedal to press.

 

There's also things like split paths, switching multiple pedals on/off at once that make life easier on a multi-effects. Yes, you can acheive this in the analogue world, just not very easily. Not to mention the fuss of patch cables and powering a bunch of individual pedals - along with the associated noise it can bring.

 

However, what I will definitely concede is that to get the best from a multi effects is that you need to spend time with it - understanding how it works and programming it to suit your needs. The built in presets are rarely what you want. You can't just drop it in like you would an individual pedal and expect it to sound good. For this reason, a multi-effects really isn't for everyone.

 

George

I've used multi effects before, and I always found that no matter how long I spent programming patches, I always needed to do little tweaks when I got on a gig. I find it so much easier to just bend down and tweak a knob.

The big thing for me though, is that I'm just not a massive fan of the drives and octaves on most multi effects. 

12 minutes ago, 4000 said:

 My usual response these days to the interminable “but it tastes good” comment is, “Babies. I bet babies taste great. Tried eating one of those? I bet they’re delicious.” It occasionally gets the point across. Where it doesn’t, there’s always the mention of sex and travel, or hospital food. 😉

Wouldn't a better answer just be something like "Not to me", and leave it at that? 

I'm not vegetarian or anything, and I have a bunch of leather products (straps, gigbag, shoes, jacket) but who really cares if someone else choose to eat meat or own leather, or not?

Anyway, those Couch straps look nice. It's just a shame that their coolest straps aren't any wider.

10 minutes ago, geoham said:

If you need to have many different sounds - for example in a covers band - then a multi-effects will often be a better choice than lots of different pedals. There are a few reasons for this - cost, simplicity/size of setup and simplicity of switching between sounds. Also, this type of rig lends itself well to a amp-free, low-stage volume in-ear setup - popular with wedding bands and the like. 

 

Even in a situation like that, I'd rather have a bunch of decent individual pedals than a multi effects. Yes, a multi will generally be a cheaper way of getting the sounds, but I've always preferred the sound of standalone pedals and find them far easier to use, especially on the fly.

If you're going without an amp, it's easy to put a decent DI box at the end of your pedal chain, so that's not a big deal really.

47 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Uh oh. You said the “T” word 😂.

 

Joking aside, the tone bit of it is complicated when you throw in playing style, strings, bass and amp. For me, the cab needs to shift air, be reasonably light and be able to handle lows really well. Barefaced ticks all the boxes for me and I’ve put quite a few different amps through it. That said, I think us bass players are spoilt for choice. 

I didn't think that tone was a bad word?

I need my cabs to be able to handle anything I throw at them, from a flatwound strung Precision to an active 6 string, heavy effects usage (especially octaver), and even double bass and Moog bass.  If my signal path starts with quality gear, and don't want the final part of the chain to negatively affect it. 

I also prefer the sound of an actual bass amp and cab, over the current full range/flat response trend.