1976fenderhead

Starting to consider an additional bass... Currently have a MIA Fender Jazz Bass Deluxe (4 strings). What is out there that you can recommend that is passive or is switchable between passive and active, has 24 frets (minimum 22), and is high quality such as Fender, Music Man, Warwick and above? Might be 4 or 5 strings,haven't decided yet... I play with both fingers and pick, but mostly with pick and with lots of chords played on the D and G strings. A LOT, really! With the pick. Almost like a second guitar sometimes, with fuzz, etc, but frequencies have to be separated from the other distorted (real) guitar, so it can't get too trebly and it has to keep filling the low end. Not much slapping at all. Often tuned down a semitone on all strings or in drop-D. My type of sound is probably around Fender passive basses and Music Man. I like Warwick basses a lot sometimes when I hear others playing them but personally haven't played one myself that really impressed me... haven't done it in years either so I might change my mind if I do now... And the build is fantastic! Music Man Sterling seems interesting, so do many Warwick basses, but are they switchable to passive? What can you suggest? Thanks

[quote name='MananaMan' post='407199' date='Feb 12 2009, 12:47 AM']yeah, I used a Bass Juice for a few years. Good pedal, nice variety of sounds from it. Didn't know they got a beating from BC, can't really eplain why either, seems a perfectly good pedal, if a little pricey. I seem to remember it was another pedal before being licenced (how do you spell that? I've never had to before, and its really puzzling me...) to T-Rex?[/quote] Maybe you're talking about TC Electronic's Vintage pedals (Vintage Distortion in this case), which are the same as T-Rex's but come with a different casing and are a lot more expensive?

[quote name='sshorepunk' post='405953' date='Feb 11 2009, 07:54 AM']Noticed a few T-rex bass pedals becoming more numerous on evil bay, the chorus for example is fairly expensive, so has anyone tried any of these, or owned one Not looking to buy, just curious, as a search on this forum does not throw up any results, which is unusual as there are bass specific pedals in the range Tony[/quote] The Bass Juice is my distortion pedal of choice, after trying dozens. I'm using fuzz now though, so it's in a cabinet!

hmmm, how can you tell? Isn't it the inside of the pots that get moved? Can you make it from that picture?

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='394174' date='Jan 28 2009, 11:05 PM']sorry bud you're on about the delay trim (brown) I'm on about the 2 white ones. Here's mine as they are today. [attachment=19365:wah_innards.jpg][/quote] Oh right, sorry... what are those??? Unfortunately my board is at the place where I rehearse so I can't help...

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='393885' date='Jan 28 2009, 06:01 PM']Could some kind person post a pic of the inside of their Cry Baby please. More especially the white trim pots - I want to know what the unmolested factory setting is. Ta.[/quote] I've molested it so no point, but if I recall, the factory setting is 2 secs which is all the way to one side, and most people (me included) use 0 secs which is all the way to the other. There's only 1 pot as far as I remember...

[quote name='SG-Rossignol' post='392269' date='Jan 26 2009, 11:14 PM']hi can any one tell me what a 'bass chorus' pedal does and how it makes a bass sound? i would like to know if its a worthwhile investment for a rock/metal sound? thanks in advance! SG-Rossignol[/quote] It adds several voices of your bass to the original one and fluctuates their pitch at a chosen rate so that you can perceive them as a 'chorus' of basses (if they were all the same pitch it would just sound louder).

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='390643' date='Jan 24 2009, 08:32 PM']Mine doesn't do that.[/quote] Neither does mine. I use an active MIA Fender Jazz Deluxe.

I'm using Adam Hall myself, apart from one cable that I needed longer so I made it with Neutrik plugs and some left-over Van Damme cable I had lying around... I'd probably go for those Planet Waves now though, seem like a good option...

I make risers out of foam board (plenty of that lying around where I work). Works a treat and all you need is a scalpel and some glue :-)

[quote name='lateralus462' post='327652' date='Nov 12 2008, 03:46 PM']Tbh the sound I'm kind of trying to get close to is Tim Commerford's on Battle of Los Angeles - I think he uses a Wah pedal a fair bit on that album (I may be wrong though and be after something completely different!!!!!) like the verse sound on "Born as Ghosts""[/quote] He uses two 105Q nailed together. I have one and love it and use it a lot. Apart from that, only tried the Morley and didn't like it as much but can't remember why, was a long time ago... Definitely recommend the 105q. You can set the effect level and the q value. If you turn the latter up, it will both go further higher and lower (not just higher) on the filter, and trust me, there's plenty of lows there, waaay too much if you turn it all the way to the max. You can also set the delay between toe up and effect off between 0 and 2 secs I think, with a trim pot in the battery compartment. Most people set it at 0.

[quote name='Muse_Cubed' post='294419' date='Sep 29 2008, 11:34 AM']Actually, 46 & 2 sounds like flanger + detune setting on a Whammy. I was playing around with it and I'm pretty damn sure that's it.[/quote] Maybe, but I used to replicate that pretty well with a chorus if set on a strong setting... Why the whammy? I used to play that on the D and G strings and it sounded fine... Mind you, it was a long time ago so I may be talking nonsense...

[quote name='bobbass4k' post='294276' date='Sep 29 2008, 01:11 AM']which kyuss basslines would you say use distortion? (sorry to go off topic, but i'm a kyuss fanboy)[/quote] Will try to listen tonight and say names of some...

[quote name='thumbo' post='294331' date='Sep 29 2008, 09:22 AM']Is it a chorus pedal on quite a deep setting or a flanger pedal on a mellow setting that he uses for tunes like 46 & 2? I've never been able to figure that one out... sounds good either way though [/quote] Sounds usually like a chorus to me, but sometimes it's a bit flangey... not sure. Just remembered "My Friend of Misery" by Metallica ha a good chorus sound too... And Death From Above 1979 for distortion +wah at times, how could I forget :-)

[quote name='JJTee' post='293985' date='Sep 28 2008, 04:47 PM']Duff McKagen's use of chorus is pretty good with GnR. Slightly cheesy rock song, but I love the sound of his chorus-y bass line in You Could Be Mine: [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoJOl1C_1cQ"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoJOl1C_1cQ[/url][/quote] For wah and distortion: Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave Albums "Weight" and "The End of Silence" by Rollins Band For distortion: Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss For synth: Muse For filter: Red hot Chili Peppers Jamiroquai For chorus: Tool For everything: Anything with Les Claypool

[quote name='Merton' post='278239' date='Sep 5 2008, 10:13 PM']My gf is brilliant. First she says "don't sell that bass rig or bass, you'll regret it later" and then she says "what do you want for your birthday? I have no idea what to get you." So, I have an idea. Up to about £180 to spend apparently, and i fancy a synth pedal. I quite like the EHX Microsynth but wondered if there's anything else that's better for similar dosh? I have next to no clue here coz I don't spend enough time looking into them. I guess the Chunk Systems Octavius Squeezer isn't out yet and is out of my price league?[/quote] Man, I wish my gf could afford a £180 presie for me *sigh* Anyways if you missed it, you can check some samples I recorded of the EHX Bass Microsynth here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=26015"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=26015[/url]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='284871' date='Sep 16 2008, 11:34 AM']The reason I said this was because his amp is clipping, so the loudest peaks are affecting his amp. If he wants to reduce those peaks he would do better to get a limiter, an/or a compressor set to 0ms attack and infinite ratio. The he can set the threshold so than only the loudest peaks are limited, and it will stop the amp clipping. If he uses a compressor with a slower attack than 0 to do the same thing, then the attack portion of the note will always come through and will always be the loudest, and the "peakiest" and wont stop the amp clipping at these points. This "a compressor, in principle, makes loud bits quieter and quiet bits louder" is not neccessarily true when you correspond the dynamic response to time. Yes, you can use a compressor to make loud bits quieter and quiet bits louder, but the attack part of the note will still be avoiding any compression, and wont be made any quieter. If the compression is so great that the rest of the note is brought up to the same level as that of the attack part (i'd say it'd sound awful!) then the amp would constantly be clipping, although seeing as his perceived level will be louder, he can turn down the amp and it shouldn't clip. So basically, although your post makes sense, I think that a limiter could solve his problem, where a compressor wont.[/quote] Don't we both agree that a limiter or a compressor with 0ms attack and infinite ratio would solve his problem?

[quote name='cheddatom' post='284816' date='Sep 16 2008, 10:34 AM']A compressor will compress the attack if you set the attack time to 0 seconds - but then you might as well call it a limiter without the infinite ratio. The attack control on a compressor sets how quickly the compression kicks in, so if you have a slow attack time, or anything other than 0ms the first portion of the note will not be compressed. Unless again I am talking out of my arse? I thought I knew about this kind of stuff but maybe not?[/quote] yes, that's correct, but since in principle the attack is the loudest portion of a note, and a compressor, in principle, makes loud bits quieter and quiet bits louder, you will always be affecting attack to a certain degree, unless if you just want to bring the quiet bits up, which wouldn't be the case here. The way I see it, a compressor can do for the loud bits the same a limiter does, plus a compressor can enhance quiet bits and a limiter can't.

These Aphex pedals are infamous for their terrible switches that break all the time btw so that really may be it...

[quote name='cheddatom' post='284791' date='Sep 16 2008, 09:50 AM']If the clipping is caused by peaks in your playing, yes a limiter will help! The compressor probably doesn't help that much because it wont compress the attack - often the loudest portion of your notes.[/quote] er... since when doesn't a compressor compress the attack? That's kind of half of all it does...

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='284591' date='Sep 15 2008, 10:27 PM']Scored what I thought was a bargain priced Bass Xciter on the bay, but it suffers from crackles and loss of signal as the leads move. Its kinda ok stuck down on the board, but its still dodge to be hoping like that. Think its the classic board mount jacks problem. How hard is it to fix? Worth just openin and new jacks on it? I'm fairly experienced tinker and am liking what it does. Is it a case I'd have to do something like this eventually anyway if I wanted to use one? The dude is being cool about returning, but leaves me outta pocket one way post and with no pedal, vs. a bargain price pedal.[/quote] I had a similar problem with both my Aphex Punch Factory and my MXR Stereo Chorus. Was pretty convinced it was the jacks as I'd lose or regain signal when I moved the plugs. Turns out it was a broken switch both times. Now what does a broken switch have to do with moving plugs inside the jacks I have no idea, but that's what it was and a new switch solved it both times. Not saying it's definitely your case but thought it might be useful for you to know this other possibility... In my case first pedal was under the warranty so it was free to replace, the MXR was fixed by a tech in Denmark Street for a tenner.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='282345' date='Sep 12 2008, 09:08 AM']Why don't one of you run some white noise through a PD-7 and screen shot a frequency analyser? That would settle it.[/quote] That would be interesting. Would be fun to compare it to the ODB-3 too. I have no way of doing it though. No PD7, no ODB-3 and no way of sending white noise through a pedal and back to the audio interface...

[quote name='BassManKev' post='282013' date='Sep 11 2008, 05:13 PM']when i record i either go di out from amp, or through the zoom b2.1u's recording interface with trace elliot amp modelling. i think we just need to agree to disagree when it comes to distortions, i like the odb-3, you like the pd-7, okay? [/quote] It wasn't about taste at all, it was about, in this case, you saying that the PD-7 has too much hi-mids and sounds lo-fi. My PD-7 (back when I had one) never sounded like that regardless of what I was playing it through (and neither did the ODB-3 I had before for that matter) so I was guessing it was your amp making it sound like that... Since it shouldn't be your MM bass either, I guess it must be your ears then

[quote name='BassManKev' post='281918' date='Sep 11 2008, 03:22 PM']the amp i have is indeed only 130 watts, but is louder than most 200w amps. i aint just going off amp sound either, im going off recording too. i try alot of effects in music shops as well through full rigs [/quote] Loudness alone has little to do with it. Anyway, when I record using an amp simulator plugin or DI from the preamp stage of my amp (i.e. not direct from the bass), I get a sound from my effects that's closer to real life gig/rehearsing sound than if I use my rig at lower volume at home (it sounds farty and crappy like that). If you're recording and using amp D.I. or amp simulation, then I suppose you're at least getting something to compare against just playing through your amp... I've tried loads of effects through full rigs in music shops too, but some effects like distortion or compression you never really get a very clear perception of their quality unless you play them really loud and p*ss everybody off

[quote name='BassManKev' post='256488' date='Aug 6 2008, 05:10 PM']how though?? im guessing you use it with attack off, but all i get is a very dull fuzz sound with far too much high mids and just generally lofi sounding[/quote] Kev, do you still use a small combo, I think I recall you saying that at some point... Because the description you make of the sound of effects sometimes is completely different from what I get! I know if I lower the gain and bass a bit too much on my SWR 350x, or turn up the tweeter on my Triad cab, no distortion can ever sound good! If you're trying pedals with a small low wattage combo you're losing out on some good stuff and you'll be surprised what difference some serious air being pushed does as far as distortion goes!