Osiris

Having given this some thought, the honest answers to this are, IMO, it depends and it's something of a compromise. Because of what compression does and how it works there are several variables at play so it's almost impossible to give some specific settings that will work for you or anyone else. Realistically we're talking helpful guidelines rather precise settings. It depends. Depending on what style of compression you're looking will have a significant impact on your settings. Something fast and modern sounding to keep the transients in check, for example, requires pretty much opposing settings, certainly for attack and release but you may also want to adjust the threshold and ratio etc, to a gentle smoothing with a slower attack. So if you we're thinking of using the former with a plectrum and the latter for fingers, then you're going to struggle with a single unit without changing the settings every time you change technique. This is why I mentioned it's something of a compromise. Assuming you want to stick with the Cali 76 - and why not, it's a great compressor - you'll need to play around and hopefully find settings that work with both fingers and plectrum. A good place to start would be to play exclusively one technique and dial in precisely what settings work for that. Make a note of them. Then do the same for the other technique and make a note of those settings. Then dial in settings that are somewhere in the middle of the two. It may not be as precise as each lot of individual settings but it may prove an acceptable compromise between the two. If that doesn't work another option is to get another compressor and switch between them but there's obviously cost, power requirements etc. to consider. Or a multi fx that means you can switch between settings quickly and easily. I appreciate that this probably isn't the answer you were hoping for but having spent many years nerding around with compressors, there isn't a one size fits all load of settings, it's figuring out what works for you. You said you're keen to learn more about compression so I'd suggest keep reading, try different settings, differences that may seem imperceptible when messing around at home can have a noticeable affect on how the bass feels in the mix - and it is as much about feel as it is control. I think I've said this in other posts about compression but you're more likely to get more objective information about compression from sound engineering sites rather than bass specific sites like this one where the subject tends to be more decisive 😀

That was pretty much my experience of it, it keeps the lows and mids intact and rolls off the higher frequencies which is why some folks describe it as sounding dark. But the high end roll off stops it from sounding fizzy or brittle. It's been a while since I played through one but it worked great on bass for a thick sounding drive sound. It's more on the vintage side of things but in my opinion that works better in non-metal musical contexts than clanky scooped modern drive sounds.

Just met up with Ainsley to complete a trade. All was good and he's a great guy to deal with.

@SumOne what about something like the Genzler Re/Q pedal? You could dial in the punky tone with the 5 band EQ and then use the low pass filter dialled right back for the reggae sound. Both sounds on a single, analogue pedal. Oh, and I know a guy *cough* who may be about to list one, boxed and in excellent condition *cough*. PM me if you're interested and I'll pass the message on to him... It's definitely not me though... Err...

Including the wooden leg and milky eye?

I dated your nan for a while too and always made her dress up as Liberace.

Yet another one here who succumbed to peer pressure and bought some flats despite having tried them several times over the years and never getting on with them as I had that nagging doubt that I must be missing something. A special shout out goes to La Bella flats. You've no doubt heard the cliché about how some new piece of gear 'lifts the blanket off the speaker' in terms of the wonders it does for your tone. Well, the La Bellas added that blanket to my speakers. Not a thin cotton sheet either, a full on 18 tog winter duvet. Then another. And another. Then half a dozen more. Just an indistinct dull thud with no note information. And for context, I'm not a big fan of bright bass sounds, I don't like that glassy high end tone that slappers use, but I like enough upper mid and treble to be able to distinguish pitch. And this was on an MEC equipped Warwick which I find to be pretty bright sounding pickups.

Toobs. Since when did the word valve suddenly become pronounced toob? For example, "man I hate those shi**y little modern class D amps, gimme somethin' with toobs in" What are you talking about you gibbering idiot, you're from Wantage, not bleedin' Idaho.

Turdburst actually refers to those finished where cruddy browns that face into slightly less cruddy browns or sometimes orange and yellow for some inexplicable reason. But let's not split hairs as they're equally appalling. Antigua burst is more like a snapshot of an engorged bubo exploding.

Amen to that brother. The loosest of Satans' stools and about as appetising. Absolutely, as if each isn't hideous enough on its own the effect is multiplied exponentially when the 2 are combined. But hey, if someone wants to play something that looks like the inside of a nappy with a big plastic scab stuck over the top who am I to stop them? Which leads me onto... Pickguard. Since when did this become a thing? It's a bloody scratch plate, always has been and always will be so why are da yoof and kewl kidz all calling them pickguards now? See also plectrums. Why are they now called picks? Why wasn't I consulted on any of this? Stingrays. Why? It's a bit like a bass but with an insufferable overbearing nasal midrange that obliterates everything that makes our beloved instrument sound so pleasant.

I've got the mk1 model with the Gotoh machine heads and it's an excellent bass for the money. I regularly gig it alongside the other 2 mentioned above, both of which would cost you 6-8 times as much, and to be fair to the HB it easily holds its own. It's hard to quantify the respective pickup outputs when you can't blend them - the single biggest gripe with the mk1 model - but it doesn't bother me in the slightest. On mine I've lowered the bridge pickup a touch to give an approximate 60:40 blend of neck to bridge and treat it as the fundamental sound of the bass. (I really like those Roswell pickups too, excellent full range tone for a budget pickup). Being used to single pickup basses this works perfectly for my needs. Even with the bridge pickup sunk a little you can still clearly hear it affecting the tone so on my bass at least the bridge pickup doesn't appear to have a weak output. But at the price point I wouldn't be at all surprised to find a degree of variability in terms of hardware. Maybe I was lucky and got a good one 🤷. I have been eyeing up the mk2, especially in burgundy mist, but the general consensus seems to be the newer budget machine heads and new pickups are a bit crap in comparison to the mk1. But if you're thinking of moving yours on by all means drop me a message 😀

Yes, I had alluded to that in an earlier post although the body edge still looks quite angular but a couple of the guys above has said it's not as bad as it looks in terms of playing comfort. But with JMJ and a Sandberg shorty I fancy something with a bride pickup - even though it's something I only use sparingly - just for some tonal variation. Although the Sandberg and JMJ sound nothing alike despite both being P configuration. Oh, and I have a Harley Benton P/J Mustang too so really it's just a very tenuous excuse for another bass!

That's great, just what I needed to know, thank you... Or not as it's back on the shopping list now

That's great, thanks for the detailed reply. But please keep me updated on how you get on as and when you play a full gig with it.

Thanks, I was thinking more along these lines but I see where you're coming from.

How do you find it to play regarding the forearm against the body binding? I've been tempted to buy one a couple of times over the years but hate binding on body edges. Years ago I had an Aerodyne jass bass which was brilliant... Except that after a 2 hour gig it felt like you'd sawn through your forearm and your hand was about to fall off. OK, exaggerating a little comedic effect but my forearm and hand would be tingling with pins and needles if not actually numb. I persevered with the bass for a couple of years because I loved everything else about it but it eventually had to go. Is it the same with the U5? Does the binding have a sharp edge or is it rounded off to some degree? Does this affect your playing position? I see there's a newer (2023?) version of the mint green one that comes without the binding but the body edges still look pretty angular. I think Andertons are the only place in the UK that stocks them and I don't have time for a 200 mile round trip to try one on the off chance it's more comfortable than the Aerodyne.

Just received another pedal from Chris, it was a good price and he kept me informed every step of the way.

Thank you, young Francis Honestly, with an Ampeg V4 and a Sansamp, I think you probably already have more than enough compression in your signal chain without adding an additional pedal. My guess - obviously based on nothing more than an assumption based on your gear - is that it's an EQ issue rather than a compression one. The inherent Sansamp sound is a massive mid scoop which while sounding great on its own tends to make anything above the E string difficult to hear in the mix, at least that's been my experience wherever I've tried it over the years. Try dialing back the blend control to under 50% to make the mid rich tone of the Precision more prevalent. And the Ampeg tone, especially if you have the low boost button engaged, also cuts a big chunk of the low minds which usually translate as the bass frequencies you hear in the mix. So if you use that, try switching it off. It might not sound so pleasing on its own but will help you hear the bass clearer in the mix. And again, with the Ampeg and a Sansamp, I'm guessing you have enough drive for a natural drive sound, especially when trying the above suggestions to counteract the mid scoop of both.

Just received a pedal from Paddy, great Comms (especially about his dodgy teeth 🤣) and the pedal was a bargain price in immaculate condition and expertly packed. Can't ask for more than that!