Roger2611

Finally got my 5 string back today...brought it because it had SGC electrics and guess what didn't work properly...yes the bloody electrics....anyway 2 months after taking the plunge I have finally got it back, all working, without the distortion that was plaguing the thing...first impressions...I am not sure about 18V actives....it just seems the slightest adjustment has a massive tonal effect...it's like I am scared to touch anything as the changes are that extreme...does that sound right for 18v electrics?

The B string feels so loose, it feels wrong as if the bass isn't built to feel like that, I guess thats what it should feel like, but to me I want to tune the whole guitar to a high B which no doubt defeats the object of a five string! can a 5 string be built, scale wise, to be a high 5 bass rather than low?

My friend in the shop that sorted the electrics tells me it serves me right for entering the dark side and messing with more than 4 strings is he right...am I dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight armed only with a flappy b string and dodgy electrics?

If I turn my back on it is it likely to go for me???

Scared now, advice needed!

Rog

Ooh ooh is it.....no it couldn't possibly be ....could it....but wait....ooh I am right excited now...please don't keep me in suspenders the good lady will only twang the elastic

I think audiences will hear missing parts of songs in their heads just because they remember the original version, we toyed with Madness Baggy Trousers for a while, we have no brass section, the guitarist played all the brass parts, after one gig a punter came up and acused us of playing to a backing track because he had heard the brass parts when we clearly didn't have a brass section...he totally refused to believe that the guitar played the right notes so he just heard it as the original brass parts.

And konw he wasn;t completely pished!

I use Fast Fret before and after every gig, works a treat

Just spotted it on Ebay and it's local to me....now where did I put those winning lottery numbers!

I guess I am a fairly recent convert to Basschat, I came here by recommendation and decided to stay, this is the first and only forum I actively visit and contribute to, I like OT and will contribute to quite a few of the threads but will stay out of threads that I consider are overly confrontational (Art or Entertainment springs to mind for some strange reason)

I recently posted about the homeless people evicted into the snow and had nothing but supportive and kind comments from my fellow Basschat members.

As a football fan of a lousy team (I guess that doesn't narrow it down too much!) I also looked recently at one of their forums, I spent five minutes looking at the bile and hatred spilling out of every other post, I shall not be returning anytime soon!

I have paid my £20....listed 1 item...nobody wanted it....no problem here, I sold it on Ebay and swallowed the huge fees, I would obviously sooner have sold it on here but that's the way it goes.

So thanks to the Mods and my fellow Basschat members I think this is a rather nice place to visit

My two biggest influences have got to be Pino and Bruce Foxton, and whilst the mix of both would probably be a bast**d child both continue to influence what and how I both play and create basslines, I can probably play most of what Foxton plays but I still lack the style he delivers, I can't (sadly) nail anything that Pino plays and probably never will, just because he is simply in a different world to me!

My point is....whilst the fact I can imitate Bruce and, to a point understand what he brings to the table....this inspires me to develop that understanding further and push my boundries, and whilst Pino still frustrates the hell out of me but...and a big but, I am going to get to a point where I can nail the No Parlez and Gary Numan era basslines and then I can bring a mix of both to my table...so if I understand the OP correctly...I do want to sound like my heros and when I can I will probably be bringing my own sounds to the table and when I do I doubt it will sound anything like either Bruce or Pino to anybody else but I will know where what got me to that position.

I swear by my Roland bass cube for home use but I don't think it has an aux input.....so my post is probably useless...doh!

I quite like the idea

I have recently gone over to the active bases, I started with the Precision lyte and added the Stingray soon after, I have found, especially in a gig situation that I can find the tone I need to cut through the mix out front and hear myself onstage, I have tried a set with both the Precision and the Jazz recently and have swapped back to the Stingray very quickly and now I have sorted the slight issue with hum from the actives affecting the Stageclix wireless system I cannot see me taking any of the passive basses out in the foreseeable future.

I tend to start with the bass eq flat and just make minor adjustments as and when needed

That's right put me off my diner!

The Mission, God Own Medicine
The Cult, Choice of Weapon (cracking album Gromit!)
Amy Macdonald. This is the Life and A Curious Thing

and a couple of compilations

Excellent....ordered one earlier this week and now this is posted! I guess that's bass player timing for you!

Why....what have you got......is it for sale.....I really need one...especially in that colour.....you get the picture?

Gary Numan, White Boys and Heros, Music for Chameleons, Pino at his finest IMHO

[quote name='LiamPodmore' timestamp='1365442782' post='2039720']
There's [url="http://www.stageclix.com/products/accessories"]this[/url] one from Stageclix (scroll down the page a little) though i expect you could easily get the same for quite a bit less in other places.

Liam
[/quote]Thanks for that, you may well have just saved me a small fortune

[quote name='LiamPodmore' timestamp='1365442355' post='2039710']
Is it the bug or the pack system? There's been a few things with the bug ones getting a bit of interference from being so close to the active circuitry, so they sell and extension cable and strap holder for them to get them further away.

Liam
[/quote]It is the Stageclix Jack system....I will look in to the possibility of an extension that will move it away from the actives

The Stageclix came highly recommended, I brought one, but, and it is a big but, it doesn't work with 3 of my 4 active basses, it produces a very unpleasent high pitched whine with all but the Stingray bass, the dealer who sold it to me is currently asking Stageclix for advice as it could be I just have a faulty one

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1365353832' post='2038433']
I just leave the same strings on for months once they have settled, the active treble pot on a ray can make any old strings sound fresh
[/quote]
Very true, but it's that acoustic thud of a dying set of strings that says..."excuse me...I think it's about time we were retired". At that point I know I have got to change them! The coated strings have been better and I will probably continue to use them as 6 to 8 gigs is stunning for me as I used to change them after every other gig!

[color=#0000CD][quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1365350992' post='2038357']
The tapered post does still apply pressure BigStu, I can't imagine the modern ebmm nut is causing it either so I'd say its either the strings or the truss rod. If my basses are on the stands they are normally a tad sharp but I leave them alone as by the time the first song is finished they have normally settled back to being in tune, if I had retuned they would of gone a bit flat.
[/quote][/color]
Thanks Pete, that is exactly whats happening, at the start of the night, I will tune up once everything is set up, it will then sit on its stand until just before we play, I tune up and I find it has gone a little sharp so after the first or second song I recheck it and yes it has gone slightly flat...it's then pretty stable through the rest of the half (just dropping a cent or 2 and I guess that can be attributed to how hard you play the bass on certain songs) I then tune up at the end of the first set, retune again just before we go back on and, low and behold, its dropped a little flat after the first couple of songs.

Thanks for all the comments all were very useful...interestingly, in god knows how many years of playing, I have actually never been told to tune up to the note rather than down to it...it makes perfect sense but it is something I never knew...so thanks for that little gem.

I will re-graphite the nut and check the way I wind the strings

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1365346610' post='2038289']
Particularly if it's got the oiled finish to the neck in my experience. My Stingray seems to be ultra sensitive to everything, it means I'm constantly tweaking the truss rod to keep the action vaguely consistent and the tuning needs to be checked pretty much before every song.

[/quote]
I have to agree with Rich the Stingray does seem more sensitive than any of my other basses but with all of the above advice applied hopefully it will be more stable than a stable thing now

Thank you

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1365337678' post='2038148']
I was in the old Bass Centre in Wapping once trying out the latest Trace Elliot arrival, the little BLX80.

Given its diminutive size and shape I was sitting down on top of it playing fairly quietly. There'd been a big delivery of Trace gear and I was surrounded by larger stacks of speakers which obscured the rest of the store.

I was also trying out a cheap Yamaha fretless and had a go at playing Wherever I Lay My Hat. I had a basic grasp of it but not exactly the world's greatest tone.

To my surprise someone the other side of the Trace wall of speakers started playing along and soloing over the top of me. I thought he was a bit 'good' and slowly stood up to look over the stack.

To my, even greater, surprise there was Pino with a little grin on his face

Needless to say my face flushed with embarrassment, I dropped back down and slunk away with the BLX in my hands to pay for it. As I walked past him he commented that he thought they were good little combos and that I'd made a good choice. I muttered a startled "thanks" and scuttled quietly away, lol.
[/quote]
Excellent

I went for the Skoda Octavia as the boot is so big I can get a Ford Focus in there

Most sound engineers will want pre as it gives them better control of the mix, with a decent sized PA I would tend to go pre out on the DI and ask the sound engineer to mike the cab to create a nice balance of both in the final mix

[quote name='arthurhenry' timestamp='1365338026' post='2038156']
How do you put the strings on? I pull, stretch and bend mine with all my strength, until they won't go out of tune. Then I leave them slightly sharp for a while, before checking intonation and then off I go. I've had one tuning problem in 26 years of gigs.
[/quote]
Yes I do try to stretch them as much as possible and leave them sharp after putting them on...I wonder if the coated strings could be creating the problem, it is the first time I have ever used them and it is the first set of strings I have put on this bass?

Hi guys and girls,

My main gigging bass is my 2008 Musicman Stingray HS, it sounds and plays fantastic but, I think it is really poor (considering the standard of the bass) at staying in tune and I can't fathom out why, I have covered the following areas:

It is currently strung with a set of Ernie ball 45 -105 coated strings, they have been on for about 2 months or 6 gigs, they are still sounding fairly fresh but are definately stretched in by now.

The strings all have 2 full winds around the string posts.

The bridge, the neck, the tuners, all screws are tight and stable.

Intonation is spot on, string heights are all good.

I can't think of anything else that could be affecting the tuning stabillity, I don't play it harder than any of the other basses....it is not dropping way out of tune but enough that I find I need to check and correct the tuning every other song whilst with the rest of my basses I will check the tuning halfway through the set....probably find it is still spot on and only ever need to do a minor retune prior to the start of the second set.

Any ideas?

Cheers
Rog