Dood

Choose a decent sounding 5 string, then up the gauge of the B string. Am I the only person who thought this? - Or, if it is STILL a problem them get someone like Newtone to custom make higher tension strings? D'Addario offer some truly awesome tension/gauge resources and I would highly recommend checking those out. D'Addario also offer a wide range of off the shelf strings that can be interchanged to meet your needs of..err... un-floppiness. To put it in to context, I have a 34" scale bass that is tuned down to F# below B. Yup, if you think a B is floppy then try a bad set up at that tuning lol. So, the instrument is a premium custom. The way to get that note sounding AND tension? I use a 183 gauge custom wound string. Another tone down for an octave below a four string, a 190 at the ready.

[quote name='Maude' timestamp='1470669800' post='3107505'] Yep, I use the X3 Live and you can have two totally independent signal paths with separate amp/cab sims and effects on each routed through whatever you want to wherever you want. [/quote] Oh crickey! Yes I forgot I used to use one of those too! Oh my word.. So many toys!!!

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1470663596' post='3107442'] My solution uses rackmount gear. [color=#0000ff][b]Bass --> DI box --> XLR balanced signal --> Bass pre-amp --> Power amp channel #1 --> Bass cab #1[/b][/color] [color=#0000ff][b]AND[/b][/color] [color=#0000ff][b]Bass --> DI box --> 1/4" unbalanced signal --> Pedal board --> Power amp channel #2 --> Bass cab #2[/b][/color] For the avoidance of doubt, that's only ONE bass and ONE DI box, using that DI box as my signal splitter. Obviously the DI box can be on the pedal board without actually being part of that signal chain. Note that the bass pre-amp does not have to be a rackmounted Demeter or Avalon unit ... it could just as easily be a Sansamp or a Dave Hall pedal. I'm lucky enough to have some very good quality kit, so the only really weak parts of the entire chain are the cables, especially the patches. Having said which, I'm not exactly recording [i]Dark Side Of The Moon[/i] so I doubt anyone (including me) would ever notice. [/quote] Ah! yes, you've just reminded me! For a while I ran A Sansamp for the cleans and an MXR M80 for the dirts. Instead of using a DI box to split, I used the Parallel Out on either the M80 or BDDI. Both signals were then treated separately and then mixed back together using a TC Nova Dynamics pedal. Again, I didn't use separate amps and cabs but the above would certainly be a clean solution. I like the flexibility of it all though. If nothing else, if it sounds good, then it IS good - and it's fun

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1470661806' post='3107418'] What the OP is proposing isn't bi-amping but two channel operation. [/quote] Correct, 'dual parallel', as (for the most part) both paths get a full range signal and the are not split in to LF and HF components. Although sometimes the edges of definition do get a bit blurred: My drive path has all of the low end shaved off to stop it from getting stodgy and naturally, to mimic the roll off of a guitar speaker, the top end rolls off too. Which is sort of band-pass, which sort of happens in three way PA! My modulations where possible have no low end in them but my octave favours low mids and low... - The OP mentioned wanting more top end for certain effects too which although is only top boost, of course favours HF content over LF. - I mean, I'm just splitting hairs really lol, Bi-Amp has a specific definition and like you, I don't like using the phrase 'Kettle lead' lol - So yeah, I know what you mean!

Hey Dunc! Well, For many years I have ran dual signal paths. More dual-parallel rather than Bi-Amp as I sent two full range signals out to cabinets rather than having one cabinet especially for hi and the other for low. There are so many different ways to do it once the signal has split, but for my latest band thing, I have massively downsized, which sounds like it's something that could work for you too. I originally started splitting my signal at the start of the chain so I could have a separate drive path with effects and a clean path with other effects, but then later I set all the effects to come in after the clean and driven signals were remixed (to simplify). My current solution is working very well for me and is a way of getting around needing separate amps and cabs when space is limited. My current (much shrunk) path looks like this: Bass > TC Electronic G-System (pedals in loops) > Power amplifier > Cabinet(s) The G-System is awesome. It really is. It is my 'central hub' for being able to control a multitude of effects but it also allows insertion of external pedals and signal paths that can all be switched by MIDI, or in this case, TC's dedicated controller. The 'brain' section that can be removed from the pedal board controller sits in my rack case with the amplifier and pedals. In my rack I also have a digital programmable 24 band stereo EQ. It's a half rack so takes up no space really. This is essentially the bit that 'shapes' all of the drive and clean sounds being two channel - an EQ for each path if I need). I may put TC's Spectracomp in there too and that can be switched in and out of the path when needed. I have to say though, the bit that I think will work for you is that I started off using a Boss LS-2 that allows me to run two parallel loops of signal path, but I have changed that for an EBS Billy Sheehan Signature Drive. Not only a brilliant bass drive pedal (my fave) but it has two effects loops on it. One for post drive effects and the other for clean effects. What this could mean for you is that instead of doing all of your 'audio mixing' using two amps etc etc, do all the audio processing earlier in the signal path. The two sounds are mixed back together before being sent off to the next device. In my case this is back in to the G-System's processor where I can add all the crazy stuff - chorus, delay, phase, octave, pitch, harmoniser, reverb, filters etc etc.. I use a QSC stereo power amp. It's a lightweight one and nominally chucks out about 1200W per channel I think. I'm just using the one cab at the moment, but should money allow, I WILL get another Barefaced Big Twin II and run that as well. Mono is absolutely fine, but there's nothing like messing about in the right setting with a full shimmering stereo set up with sounds bouncing around the room! (Not to be mistaken with overbearing noises from cheap effects boxes lol!!) - on the subject of crossovers etc, the power amp I have does have a whole bunch of DSP on board and is very capable of Bi-Amping as well but as I say, it's not really what I go for. I hope this helps - I love tinkering and it's a lot of fun! Onstage, my back line doesn't look remotely out of place as everything is hidden from view. I've never been very good with leads and pedals everywhere you see!

Love these! Great fun! - I've only played on one briefly, but it's something I'd love to have on the guitar stand to mess about on!

Upstaged by a moggy! - Humphrey rocks! - His face at around 8.19 heh heh! - Great review, I've never had a chance to try one of these so nice to hear what range of tones are available from it. Thank you.

If your on board electronics are all EMG, maybe this a go: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=191917878998&globalID=EBAY-GB EMG electronics will happily take 27v, so this 24v mod could be just the ticket!

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1470414818' post='3105885'] I think the NG2 would be close, the bridge pickup looks like it's in the right position, it's bolt-on, but another one I'd like to give a go [/quote] It's in the right position - also if you lift the pickguard you'll see that the NG2 & the Combustion (starting from when the NG was released) both use the same body so you can move the 'front' pickup in to jazz position to see what that sounds like - routes for both basses are under the plate! Cool eh!!

A very smooth transaction with Richard, great comms, prompt payment, yup all the good stuff we like on BassChat

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1470225452' post='3104217'] Does such a thing exist off the peg? 5 string Single H, or at least 1 H in the MM spot through neck 35" I figure a Stingray neck through is probably the closest, but is 34" - anything else out there? [/quote] I'm pretty sure Shuker Guitars have done one (or more). A custom build is a great way forward!

[quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1469982852' post='3102451'] Oh I get that but my board can change weekly depending on what pedals I have coming or think of using again [/quote] Indeed mine too! Certain effects I will always keep - Octave, Chorus, Flange, Phase, Reverb, Delay, Wah, Pitch Shift, Detune etc etc, so the G System provides that without having 30+ pedals to do those jobs. The loops then mean that the stuff which the G-System can't do at least can be controlled as a program patch. One button push to reconfigure, as I'm not in to leaning down to change settings mid song. - I'm about to add a Zoom MS60B that I can now control via MIDI too, which is going to give me access to even more daft noises with the option of remotely 'true bypass'ing to take it out of the path when I don't need. Ultimately, each to their own and what they need - we all do stuff differently, but it's cool to share

I always thought the point of having a pedal board was just that - chop and change all the time. Easy to remove connections and non-permanent hardware mounting makes it the perfect system for chopping and changing. I've dabbled with pedal boards but I've never really stuck to it. The closest I can get is that I use a TC G-System for all of the usual suspects, but it has four switchable loops on board that allow me to insert any effects not on the G-System depending on gig. I also love it as it has an integrated power supply too, so the only thing at my feet is the controller. The brain, pedals, amp and power are all stowed away in a rack. Perfect for me but I can see how that wouldn't be ideal for everyone. Below is a picture of the brain removed from the pedal board. It fixes to the board, or you install it in a gig rack. Best of both worlds maybe?