basexperience

The final word should go to the bass, really

So - here's the final instalment. I got a parcel of complete build shots which included all the shots they've just uploaded to Facebook: The bass is beautiful and now she's coming over here... and I'll pick her up on Sunday. [url="http://basexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/rikkers-build-part-5-final-stretch.html"]http://basexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/rikkers-build-part-5-final-stretch.html[/url] I love that video of the wiring god, cracks me up!

The guys at Rikkers have a wicked sense of humour: Here's Jacco, God Of Wiring, really pulling out the stops to meet the weekend's deadline! [url="http://youtu.be/bKjFxx80K-M"]http://youtu.be/bKjFxx80K-M[/url]

... And again, with the attachment :-) You can see the little switches on the SwitchBuckers: they're ebony pickups to keep with the fretboard.

Woohoo! Pickups!

I have another update on the fabulous Rikkers bass to share - this brings us up to date! In this post I discuss the inlay - and how we had a sudden change of approach, and how technology saved the day, with a little help from Ferdinand Rikkers and his engraving skills. http://basexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/rikkers-build-part-4-bass-emerges-and.html

The youtube link I linked in the blog post about hand tools shows Ferdinand carving a guitar heel the same way: beautiful work.

Thanks! I've really enjoyed the process: it's engaging, and you learn a lot (I've learned a lot about tonewoods).

I thought it might be cool to stick a teaser picture on here too - this is the first glimpse I got of the woods which would be the face of the bass :-)

- http://basexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/rikkers-build-part-1-choosing-components.html - how we discussed what the bass would be made of, the options etc - http://basexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/rikkers-build-part-2-hearing-about.html - some great shots of the early build: the first glimpse of the olive wood top, covers the neck being glued, and the early gluing of the wings and top. - http://basexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/rikkers-build-part-3-hand-carving-back.html - Mr Rikkers has fun with hand tools! I'm really looking forward to next Sunday now: Rikkers were kind enough to get me a guest pass to LBGS 2015, so in addition to saving money (and worry) on having the bass shipped, I saved on admission to the show!

I'm definitely coming, because the perfectly lovely Ferdinand Rikkers says he'll pay for my ticket so I can pick up the 5 string Olive top Bodyline he's building for me! (I am literally spending time looking at pictures of the one from last year). What nice guys, eh? I like the lineup this year, actually - a lot of bassists I cut technique teeth on (Sheehan, Hamm, King). Is there any more news on that daft "pay for a seat" thing in the shows?

Well, I did it - I commissioned a bass! Slightly giddy. Scuse me while I grab something. I'm documenting over on my blog with the first chapter - engaging with the process - at [url="http://basexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/commissioning-bass-engaging-with-builder.html"]http://basexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/commissioning-bass-engaging-with-builder.html[/url] Next chapter coming soon: "how we chose the top using technology and a little innovation"! I'll keep the updates and Q&As on this thread so this will be the place I have the whole story, so to speak. I have pics of the process so far, including some really nice ones of the build. BTW the Rikkers guys are great: Ferdinand really knows his stuff. And that bass, though... this is the LBGS one - mine will have [i][b]some [/b][/i]differences... and the top is an absolute stunner.

My word, she's gorgeous!

Also - thanks for the replies guys, there are some wicked ideas here to look at. Food for GAS!

Stereo is useful when you're filling keyboard parts on *some* of your strings and holding bass down at the same time on others - and I do this onstage for some songs!!!

Aha! The stereo returns are interesting - I could work a way with an A/B switch and plug all three outputs in... Hmmm Also - there's no issue defining where the bass comes from, each patch you create on the GR55 contains all the details, and when it runs the normal bass pickups both sides can essentially just output a mono signal - no need for stereo in patches you don't need it on. It's when you want to thicken up the sound: then it's handy, or a blend patch like the one I have for "let me entertain you" where I've got the top 3 strings of the 6 string doing a piano patch, the B and A strings are muted and the E string is pitch shifted up a semitone to an F: open E string plus chords on top 3 strings gives you bass and keyboard parts for the intro and middle sections! That's what I mean about flexibility - the power to fill in just enough, then the flip switch on that patch just punches out the piano and modelled bass and flips to the direct pickups, properly balanced for the rest of the song. It works really well!

I should add that I use mono bass sounds as well as stereo instrument patches, plus delays can be useful. muse-esque wall of sound helps thicken out 3-pieces... The possibilities are endless. The GR55 does have a separate mono out for the bass signal on it's own, as well as the stereo out, and you can configure what gets pushed out of there, but I'm interested in a simple through-chain. I'm thinking a stereo EQ rack into a markbass poweramp might do... Any thoughts?

I've got a GR55 with stereo outputs - I use some patches on songs which include stereo instruments, and I'd like to experiment with stereo onstage. I've thought about using a poweramp (eg a markbass) and the GR55's onboard preamps. The onboard electronics on the 6 string are OBP-3 so there's lots of tonal shaping onboard for the native sounds. Thing is, the closest I've seen to what I'd like is the Markbass stereo multiamp, but it's mono in. Does anyone do a full stereo chain head or preamp?

I'd also like to stick my hand up for no 5 pound seat tickets. Ta!

I'd like to see a time limit for testing basses, say maybe 15 mins max. Last year I sat watching this guy beat the crap out of a precision copy with his thumb, nothing but high volume, bad slap, and I really wanted to test a bass at that stand. In the end I walked away. Standardize the limit with a time clock for each exhibitor and make the policy clear. Straight and simple.

One or two: - drummer had seizure during set (poor guy) - forgot where my funky bass solo was for 4 bars out of 8 (turned into 12) ;-) - amp had internal disconnection, flashed multicolour lights everywhere and died - different amp ran so hot during sound check it unsoldered the power stage from the transformer (I'm not kidding!!) - had to drive for 2 hours to get stand-in amp (not markbass either!) - completely forgot how volume pedal on foot controller was set for half a song, frantically checking all volumes apart from the damn pedal I'm pretty sure there's loads more... Btw you guys are cracking me up, this is the best topic I've read for ages.

I'd swap out the amp head (current a WarwickPro Bass IX) for a full stereo poweramp and ditch any preamp stage on the amp entirely, relying on the GR55 and the Bass Pod instead. Then I'd have the option of full stereo onstage.