4000

I thought that looked like the one that was in The Gallery briefly. I pondered a tad too long and it went. 
 

GLWTS! 

1 hour ago, ezbass said:

Indeed. This has descended into the bass equivalent of ‘my dad’s bigger than your dad’ territory.

 

 

 

Internet Forums. Nuff said. 😁 

1 hour ago, Misdee said:

I totally agree. I was just trying to say that the BDDI adds a very definite character to the sound, some (not me) would say a bit too much.

 

I use mine primarily for recording. To be honest, I can't understand why so many people use the Bass Driver and similar preamps through an amp. Why not just buy an amp you like the sound of in the first place? I suppose if it makes the sound better then fair enough, and with so many bass players using distortion nowadays ( it wasn't always that way, I remember when most bass players were trying to get as clean a signal as possible) at least with a BDDI you can  rely on a bit of fuzz with plenty of bottom end.

 

Whatever you want to use it for, I think the BDDI is excellent value for money. To me it sounds as good in its own way as much more expensive competition and it's very nicely made. 

I remember all through the ‘80s being completely unable to use any sort of drive in studios, they just wouldn’t have it. 😂

Try different ones and see what you think. 😉 

Minty pickguard on sonic blue is always my preference. 

5 hours ago, FDC484950 said:

…except the Joe Dart that was the point of the demo - very little fret buzz throughout. I’d disagree that it’s simply a case of turning up the gain.  I’ve often come across very low output basses and they just lack something - turning up the gain and/or master volume doesn’t always fix it.

I think this is just a matter of preference. I tend to prefer lower output single coils. I’m not typically a fan of high output pickups or many (most?) actives.

FWIW, the comments about the Dart II not having enough beef just reflect my own experiences when playing Jazz basses. Of course YMMV, and many people’s often does. 😉😂

Also FWIW I don’t find Vulfpeck interesting on any level. 

I actually thought that it sounded better than the other Jazzes, if a bit ‘nosier’ (not as twangy, which I would normally prefer). I usually think he gets a poor sound whatever he plays but I thought that was ok. 
 

Totally agree with Fretmeister about turning the amp up. Lower powered pickups can have their own tonal advantages. 

11 hours ago, Misdee said:

The thing about the BDDI in its various guises is that it has a (very) distinct sonic personality. It's not trying to be neutral or transparent. It's aim is to impart itself on your tone. And as with most things that are distinctive, some people will love it and some people will be less enthusiastic.

 

I've tried all sorts of preamps in all sorts of price ranges and I end up coming back to the BDDI  precisely because it is so stylised in it's tone. I like that it's idiosyncratic and occasionally difficult to work with. That's preferable to being bland.

But you can use something entirely different and not sound bland. You don’t have to use a BDDI. 😉

8 hours ago, 40hz said:

I've experimented with all gauges over the years, settling on 40-95.

 

IMO, gauge makes zero difference to tone. My 35-95's were just as powerful and bassy as a standard 45-105 set. 

 

You could get a slightly twangier tone if needed, due to the pliability of them, but IMO, Wrap material, core construction, etc, are the real sources of tonal differences. 

IME it typically makes a big difference. Not necessarily better or worse either way, just different. But you can always compensate to some degree with eq. 

3 hours ago, BassAdder27 said:

This only works if you have perfect frets and no high spots 

I’d be aiming for a relatively straight neck before adjusting the saddles though. 😉

17 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

 

I've used the dUg for recording and it's a tremendous thing.  Because of the pandemic I've only used it a couple of times in a band situation and can wholly understand the reference to it being odd sonically.  I did roll off the chunk considerably, which in effect caused the pedal to lose some of the inherent characteristic; I suppose it's all about sitting in the mix and owning your frequency...I have an old band thing that's in the process of resurrecting itself at the moment and while I'd love to use it in that, the guitarist is very heavy and I know the bass would just get lost.

I didn’t try it for recording and I wish I had. 

Chris Squire:

With a nod to Enwistle as well, and Leigh Gorman of Bow Wow Wow:

There are loads of others of course, and I’ll always have a soft spot for this bloke 😉:

59 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

 

I remember the first time I plugged in the BDDI, it really was an 'Oh, my, freaking, god, there's the tone.'  My journey went from that to a racked RPI (I hung onto the BDDI at that point as it was easier to use that for recording).  Sold the RPI in the belief that the VTBass rack was going to be better for me than the RPI...I gigged it once and didn't like it one bit, it didn't suit me one bit.  Sold that and bought another RPI which I then moved along when the Geddy Lee rack unit came out (this was not a happy time).

 

I bought a VTBass DI to add a bit of colour to a dual channel set up and sold that along before going back to my BDDI.  I just carry one of the GED 2112 DI boxes and a dUg now.  The Geddy is like the BDDI with squirt of steroids.  The dUg is just off the scale...fantastic thing.

I’ve tried a dUg at rehearsal. It sounded tremendous on its own, but as soon as the band kicked in I found it got lost, whatever I did. But then my band is a bit of an oddity sonically, being all-acoustic except for me. Context is everything and the acoustic guitars take up a lot of room sonically. 

I’ve seen plenty of basses where the grub screws move over time. None of them had low tension flats. Used to happen with my old P Bass. 

I’ve just checked and Zender actually used 35-90, so an old interview says. 

21 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

Assuming everything is well with your bass, I'd say it's nigh on impossible to not get a decent tone out of a BDDI; I did have issue with the VTBass DI and the VTBass rack (too ponky).

 

 

 

I had a BDDI (v1) and didn’t really get on with it. I found it a bit fizzy and struggled with the mids (my old Rics have a natural mid-scoop to start with), although it may just have been me. I replaced it with a VTBass DI and am much happier; I’m aiming more for a Roger Glover Machinehead type of thing though. I really want to try a Leeds. 

On 08/07/2022 at 09:15, Clarky said:

Cliff Burton and Mark King - to name two players from very different genres - used really light gauge strings (35-95 IIRC) and noone ever accused them of having a weak bass sound.

MK actually uses 30-90, or did in his heyday. Stuart Zender also used 35-95 in Jamiroquai. Wonderful tone IMO. 
 

Had to be said though that changing string manufacturer or type will often also make a huge difference, it’s not just string gauge that does. 

Like BRX and also speaking as a songwriter, I’d sooner get somewhere in a project of my own, playing bass or otherwise.  But playing for someone else then for the simple joy of playing bass, Zero 7, early Seal or Hawkwind circa Space Ritual. For the joy of being onstage with artists that I love and simply contributing, then Sandy Denny, followed by Kate Bush, Fleetwood Mac/ Stevie Nicks, Genesis, ABBA and First Aid Kit.  

8 hours ago, Kev said:

A 9lb NT Thumb would make this the lightest I've come across, if accurate that's pretty special!  I've never had one under 10lb from any era.

 

Someone must grab this soon.

I’ve played a few around the 9lb mark over the years. In fact I’ve played a couple that were probably under that. 

2 hours ago, EBS_freak said:

To be fair, she’s not really at her peak is she? Some of these songs are a right solid sing.

Also, I (a) can’t imagine her ears are anything like they used to be (mine certainly aren’t and I’m 20 years younger; it only gets worse. My mum, in her ‘80s, is deaf as a post) and (b) it doesn’t matter how good you are if you can’t hear yourself properly. 
 

But regardless, it really was dreadful. 

Just watched Robert Plant and Alison Kraus. I may be in the minority but I thought it was a breathtaking set, easily one of my highlights. They completely blew me away. 

44 minutes ago, Cliff Edge said:

If she dropped the rather silly and not very attractive backing singers and just concentrated on singing instead of trying to be sexy I might have paid more attention. But I switched her off when she finally realised she’d forgotten to plug her guitar in. 
All that bumping and grinding on stage is getting rather tiresome and outdated. If you want to watch dancing watch Strictly. 

Er, what? Billie didn’t have any backing singers and certainly wasn’t trying to be sexy. Are we talking about the same person? Do you mean Olivia Rodrigo? 
 

This is Billie Eilish:

22 hours ago, Bigguy2017 said:

First Aid Kit were good - and she had a nice collection of Mustang basses  😉

Easily my favourite band of the last couple of decades or so. Every time I’ve seen them - including in Halifax, the night before Glastonbury - they’ve been stellar. 
 

As for the “BC out of touch” thing, I’m 58 and think Billie Eilish is fantastic and utterly smashed it. 😉 Saw her a week ago at the O2 and she smashed it there too. One of the best gigs I’ve seen in over 40 years of gig going. 

23 hours ago, joe_geezer said:

He uses the regular woods but not maple, I think it's oak that he used instead but don't quote me on that

I doubt it’s oak, oak is typically extremely heavy! They usually use mahogany for the body wings. 

21 hours ago, joe_geezer said:

Yea, i asked John to make it with light woods & it's a really nice weight. 

I’d be interested to know how much it weighs as I’d still like another before I pop my clogs, if the weight was right. Did you just get lighter pieces of mahogany or is it different woods, e.g. swamp ash?