redstriper

[quote name='lanark' post='569971' date='Aug 15 2009, 03:07 PM']Are flatwounds the way to go? Will they make a drastic difference?[/quote] Yes to both questions - you will love flats and never go back to rounds IMO. I prefer the feel of the ordinary flats to the black nylon ones and my favourites for a smooth db type sound are GHS precisions. You can get them from the US on ebay for about £20 including delivery.

Excellent review.

This post makes me sad - it's a sign of the times that we are all spoilt with too much money and choice. You will never be happy so long as you are trapped in the cycle of spending money on tools rather than getting down to the job in hand, (playing bass in this case). My advice is this - get a bass you can live with and keep it for years, learn to deal with it despite it's shortcomings, show it who's boss, master it and get what you want from it instead of wasting time buying and selling basses because they're not quite right. Certainly get it set up and adjusted to suit you, but don't just give up on it because you can - your perfect bass will find you when you stop looking and it will be right under your nose. "Bass players call from all over, wanting to know what type of equipment I use, what type of bass, what kind of strings-- things like that. I'll tell them, but that's not what's important; it's the feel. The strings don't make the sound, it's the feel. It's all in here, in the heart." - James Jamerson, 1979 I've posted this vid twice before, but it's as relavent to this post as any other -

[quote name='Mr.T' post='562408' date='Aug 6 2009, 11:46 PM']One advantage of having a bigger glass than is needed (half full), is that more can be added.... = Headroom. On the subject of perfection... I am sure that a Honda (In the eyes + mind of an engineer) is closer to 'perfection' than the Custom bike in my avatar, but guess what....!!![/quote] Nicely put Mr T.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='558773' date='Aug 2 2009, 09:53 PM']Everyone always says to me "lovely feel"[/quote] blimey.

[quote name='Fraktal' post='562310' date='Aug 6 2009, 09:56 PM']Actually I used corn oil since it was much slippery than the talc and lasted longer (stinky as hell, though, but you cant use mineral oils with silicone rubber). Did they improve the strings somehow? I never heard of Ashbory strings that didnt need some kind of lubricant.[/quote] There are some new alternative strings available which are quite different to the originals. They are much stronger and don't need lubrication but you can use silicone spray. Read about them on the Ashbory forum [url="http://www.largesound.net/bass/index.php/topic,653.0.html"]here[/url].

[quote name='charic' post='562348' date='Aug 6 2009, 10:37 PM']You wont be as drunk?[/quote] I must admit, that might help - I'll try it now and report back.

But how will smaller glasses help my bass sound ?

Feel is not an intellectual thing for me at all, it's a spiritual vibration. Over the years I have learned to relax and allow it to flow, rather than actively trying to bring it on. It's almost like meditation and when I'm in the zone, the music flows through me like I'm channeling it from a higher place. It was scary when I first found the zone and many musicians back away from it when they feel it because it's beyond their normal way of working. But if a group of musicians allow that feel to grow between them, they can create magic and if the audience picks up on the feel it will be extra special, like a natural mystic flowing through the air. I'm only really interested in music that has that feel and you can't learn or teach it - you just open the door and let it in.

[quote name='51m0n' post='562117' date='Aug 6 2009, 05:51 PM']There is much to be said for a good look at popular opinion though, otherwise you wouldnt be on this forum.[/quote] I'm only here to tell everyone else to ignore each other

The Berg 115 is only the best 115 you can buy if you like it yourself - I don't. I haven't tried a Compact, but I have a lighter 115 that sounds great to me, so I don't need to. Forget the science and popular opinion and use your ears!

The only way to know if a particular amp and speaker(s) suit you is to try them, (preferably at a gig or at least a full band practise). If you are looking to replace something that you are already happy with, then exhaustive side by side comparisons are the best way to find out if you can get your sound from any new kit. A long guitar cable is useful, so you can hear the sound at different distances and angles from the rig. It doesn't matter what the specifications are on paper or what make, weight, size or combination of products you use so long as you are happy with the sound and the logistics of moving and working the gear. This forum is useful to get an idea of other people's experiences and opinions, but there is no substitute for trying stuff for yourself because we all hear and feel differently and have our own undefinable ideas of the perfect tone. This is not science and much as we might want spec sheets to hold all the answers, they don't - as in life, the essence is invisible. I realise I've probably just stated the obvious, but it's surprising how easily we can be seduced by other people's opinions especially when backed up by science. Only when we are happy with our gear can we relax and produce the music in our hearts - who feels it knows it.

[quote name='grumble' post='561629' date='Aug 6 2009, 12:16 AM']are they 'fun' to play ?[/quote] Oh yes and addictive, but they can be infuriating too Beware buying a new one from the states on ebay - I've heard that there are some poor quality ones doing the rounds on there. I would advise buying a new from [url="http://www.largesound.net/"]here[/url] or waiting for a used one to come up.

[quote name='Fraktal' post='561275' date='Aug 5 2009, 04:48 PM']I had an Ashbory and loved its tone, but in the end I had to sell it because I couldnt get used to the extremely short scale. Just a few inches more would have been perfect because intonation is a big concern when playing the tiny bass. Are those wood models commercial? Would be nice to order a custom "XL scale" in case those arent already, cos I see those string knots dont have much string left, at least the Rickenfaker.[/quote] It is hard to intonate accurately on the fretless Ashbory and it really makes you appreciate the effort it must take to play violin. Worth it if you can be bothered to stick with it though, the tone is huge - very deep and smooth despite the size and light weight. Here's another home made longer scale Ashbory, the second clip is with new strings which don't need talc and come in different lengths and gauges, they are the same strings as on the U-Bass in my previous youtube link which is a 21 inch scale available with or without frets. The two Ash's in the original pic were made by Mike Taverner in York and I'm not sure if he makes them to order or not. You can contact him via the Ashbory forum [url="http://www.largesound.net/"]here[/url]. I played an Ashbory exclusively last year at lots of gigs and festivals, but it was hard work especially on a dark stage and I never got over needing to look at the fretboard almost constantly. It was good for me though and I look forward to trying a fretted U-Bass when they arrive in the UK. All the tracks currently on my band's [url="http://myspace.com/redstriper"]myspace[/url] were recorded with the Ashbory.

[quote name='paul h' post='560334' date='Aug 4 2009, 04:25 PM']Want one. U-Bass that is.[/quote] Same here - UK distributor is Sutherland Trading, they should land sometime later this month. Contact [email protected] for more details.

Here's another home made baby based on the Ashbory - [attachment=30253:rubber_b..._for_web.jpg]

The main lesson to come out of this tale of woe is not to sell your old rig until you are completely happy with the new one, especially if you loved the sound of the old one. No two rigs sound the same, but the LM2 is the closest I found to the tone of my old TE and it's louder. Compact style lightweight neo cabs are fantastic IMO and I wouldn't go back to the old heavy cabs in a hurry. Two 15s are ideal, I just use one for small gigs and take both for bigger ones. There is more than enough volume for stage monitoring and FOH at any pub type gig, with the DI into a PA for large halls. It took a while for me to get used to the new set up after the Trace while I spent ages fiddling with eq to try and get the same old sound. Now I don't touch the eq because I can get my sound just with the filters, but that may not be so easy for other tone types. I tried a lot of amps and cabs before settling on the LM2 and two 15s and I've still got the old TE as a back up, but it hasn't left the house in the past year. My new sound isn't quite as meaty as the old one, but it's a worthwhile compromise for me and I've come to prefer the tighter more controlled sound. Mr T's problem is tricky and I wish him all the best in finding a solution - I think it may be a simple matter of adding another cab.

Mr T - your band must be seriously loud. You need another cab, but it doesn't have to be expensive. Try any other 8 ohm cabs you already have paired with the compact, don't worry about matching drivers - if it works, who cares? You will get more volume and the top cab will be closer to your ears and the LM2 should be loud enough through 2 cabs. I have used an LM2 with a compact type 15" cab paired with an Ashdown mag 15 or 2x10 and found both set ups work fine with plenty of volume and my band isn't exactly quiet.

Sorry to hear about your problems Mr T. It's no fun when you can't get your sound right, especially when you had it before spending loadsa dough on new toys. Alex is so right when he talks about words being insufficient in explaining sound and there is often an element of compromise when looking for your perfect tone. When you described your sound as smooth, warm and deep, I imagined a similar sound to mine. After reading your eq settings on the TE amp, I realise your idea of deep is very different to mine and that you like a more middly sound that I would not get on with at all. The LM2 and eminence 15" neo cabs work great for my reggae sound because I don't want much middle or treble, just deep bass. For your rock sound, you like a lot more mid and treble which is almost the opposite of my sound. I would recommend cutting the eq that you don't like rather than boosting too much and don't use the filters on the LM2 at all. Don't give up on the lightweight route, it took a while for me to find my sound on the LM2, but that's because I was trying too hard and Alex's neo cabs should be easily capable of matching your old set up. The LM2 through the big one might be the best compromise.

[quote name='thedontcarebear' post='544637' date='Jul 19 2009, 12:45 PM']I didn't know where to put this, but anyway, I am sick of never hearing the bass on stage, I bought a kickback combo recently as I thought that would solve the issue, but it doesn't really, most venues I play won't put the bass through the monitors, and if they do, it's not much. So, I guess it must be my sound, it's a lot worse when the guitarist uses his mesa instead of his engl, must be something to do with the frequencies we use clashing. Anyone got any idea of what to boost or cut? I want a funky but versatile sound, as our set is quite mixed.[/quote] Sorry if I'm missing something, but why don't you just turn up the volume? You might need a more powerful amp and/or more cab(s), but you should be able to get the sound you like at the volume you need without compromising the tone.

I find the rotosounds too rough in feel and too rich in tone for my taste, but they are the most similar in tone to the TIs that I have found. I haven't tried pyramids or labellas, but I would highly recommend GHS 3050s for a very smooth feel and an old skool mellow tone similar to a double bass.

The Fenders are very similar to the GHSs, I like them too.

GHS 3050s are perfect for reggae on my jazz bass, very pure, smooth and deep but that might not be the sound you're after and I've never played them with a pick. You can get them on ebay delivered from the US for under £20.00. TIs are much richer sounding and they are lower tension, not really my thing but lots of people love them.