thegummy

8 hours ago, xgsjx said:

How very dare you assume that person's gender!  😂

It's good to see a video where the camera shows the bassist more than any other musician.  Most usually focus on the guitarist playing sod all when there's a good bass groove.

Makes me think of a Deep Purple tour video where Ritchie Blackmore throws a bottle at the camera man for filming Ian Gillan playing some bongos during a guitar solo.

Since you have the answer now I'm just going to make a general point about Reaper:

With most software I'd advise to start with a blank page and learn what it does rather than trying to get it to fit what you did in another system.

But the great thing about Reaper is that it's so customisable that you can make it do the actions you're used to the way you're used to.

It's the single word I'd use to describe what makes Reaper my favourite DAW - customisable.

I can recommend the best free vsts I found when I get on my computer (I actually use paid ones mostly now but there are good ones).

Just letting you know also that Reaper is not inferior to Cubase. It's different and each DAW has strengths and weaknesses but don't let the extremely fair price of Reaper make you think it's not as good as more expensive ones. I started on Cubase way back when VSTs were just a new thing and stayed with it for quite a while, and it is good, but I switched to Reaper about 5 years ago and I love it.

The compressor that comes with Reaper is actually very powerful, sounds good and can be controlled to do pretty much anything one can do with a compressor. You might actually find that to be a disadvantage though as there is just so much to choose from.

Whereas one of my favourite compressors - the LA2A - is pretty much the opposite, it has one knob and it basically is just "how much compression". The rest is all done automatically and it sounds amazing. It's much easier to turn one knob till it sounds good than tweak 12 different parameters till it sounds good.

There's a free compressor from Klanhelm which is of the fewer controls variety and it sounds good.

In general it's definitely good advice to just find a few effects you like and stick to those. Maybe 1 compressor, 1 or 2 EQs and so on. One can get lost trying out free VSTs. While there are a good few very good free ones, there are tons of ones I find are just clutter.

I'll post again tomorrow with a few of the top notch plugins to save you trawling through the masses.

If you're open to cheap, rather than free, I recommend Slate Drums and find it to be a lot better than any free drum VST I've tried.

1 hour ago, Delberthot said:

Would I be right in thinking that the basses that are suffering changes due to the change in temperature are out on stands near a window or door?

I'm just thinking that a bass in a hard case or even a gig bag shouldn't shift unless you leave it out in the sun or cold for a long period of time. I've left basses in a car in the middle of summer and when I unzipped one of the bags to check, the bass still felt cool to touch

All the basses and guitars are on a rack stand (not in cases) but it's not near a window or a door.

Coincidentally I was just this minute reading an old forum thread that I had Googled and it briefly got side tracked in to the "age old debate" about whether to keep basses in cases or on a stand lol.

I'm very big on the stand option. I have a friend who was once trying to learn guitar and he kept it stored away in a case and I told him he'd play it much more if it was just sitting out or on a stand. E.g. If I'm waiting for something to load on my computer or even just watching a programme I'll often grab a bass and play for a bit. I think I'd be less likely to if they weren't sitting there catching my eye and available to grab.

5 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said:

The Schecter, I am sure, will be dual rod.

 

Forgot to mention it's the Diamond J (not to be confused with Diamond J Plus) if anyone knows if that is dual rod or not

On 18/06/2020 at 10:30, Frantic said:

As you can see/hear in my video, the volume difference between active and passive is marginal. The pickup itself has quite a high output. In the video when switching between active and passive I only had to roll off the volume a tiny bit to make both sounds equally loud, but also depends on the setting of the EQ while active. You could try and have a bypass switch installed like I did. However, this is an early 80s model. I am not sure if they significantly changed the pickup since then. It worked perfect for my bass.

So on your bass did you have the passive switch added but didn't change the pickup or do anything else electronically to compensate for volume?

On 18/06/2020 at 11:41, fretmeister said:

The Joe Dart is passive, and there is a new limited signature that is as well - but with dummy controls.

I have no idea if the pickup itself is changed at all - or whether it has the dummy coil on it that some models do.

I know the Joe Dart bass is passive (love him) but I assumed, or at least suspected, that they used a different pickup that was a lot hotter than they'd use with their active basses.

To be honest I don't dislike the sound of my bass as it is in any way, it's just that I have only ever used the EQ because it's there but prefer to have it set flat so it seems a bit redundant having an active bass (and having to worry about battery life) when I don't use any of the activeness.

On 18/06/2020 at 08:14, Andyjr1515 said:

No - actually, Fender Bi-flex is a single rod.  They block the nut from screwing right out which means that when you 'loosen' beyond the rod being straight, it then starts bending the other way.

So yes, you would expect those to also be affected more than other types - but there can be other variables.  It may use a different steel for the rod or the necks maybe naturally stiffer (I presume the Fenders are maple - the Sterling?) - and I'm sure there are others!

Is the Schecter actually the Fender system or do they just use the term?  I would have thought that would have used a two-rod system but I might be wrong.  What model is it?

Yes, keep us all informed...useful info whatever the outcome

All the basses are maple necks with maple fretboards.

The Schecter specs use the term "2-way" adjustable truss rod - no idea if that's the same as Fender's bi-flex, the two-rod setup you mentioned or something else still.

Let's hope I post back in a few months and say it hasn't happened again so can put it down to the weather fluctuations!

5 hours ago, miles'tone said:

I think this is a more realistic photo of the actual shade:

How come the pickguard practically looks black?

I'd like to make my Stingray passive since I wouldn't miss the EQ at all and it's a minor annoyance having to unplug it after each play to save batteries.

I'd have thought it would be too quiet to be useful when bypassed though - how do you make it loud enough without the preamp?

16 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

I think that the unusual flex in temperature and humidity lately is more the issue than any inherent problem with your bass.

I'm pretty certain that the Sub4 has a 'traditional' single rod trussrod.  There is nothing at all wrong with that, but single rod trussrods are impacted more by temperature change and humidity change than the more modern (but heavier) double-bar rods.

With the single bar, if it gets warmer, the bar expands and if it gets more humid, the exposed timber that the nut presses against changes shape which affects the amount of pull.  That can both be pulling in the same direction or in opposite directions depending on the actual weather.  

In recent weeks and in the UK, though, I suspect that the temperature change would have caused the bigger impact.  If I'm right (and assuming you tuned to pitch in both cases), then when it was warm your relief got bigger and when it was cool your relief got tighter? 

I think in the UK, humidity changes are less pronounced (it's very humid or it's very very humid or it's raining ) but we have had unusually wide changes in temperature recently and - if your house is anything like ours - it has been enough to affect the temperature in the house too.

And why is a double-bar rod not affected as much?  Because the bend of the rod is determined by the difference in length of the two rods (or rod and bar in some designs).  So if one bar expands, then the other bar is going to expand as well and curve remains largely unaffected.   So if your other basses have two-bar rods, then yes, they won't have been affected in the same way.

Leastways, that's my guess.  

 

Really appreciate this post mate - very informative.

When you say "double bar rods" are you referring to bi-flex truss rods or something else?

If you do mean bi-flex then that could explain why my 6 string guitars haven't been affected as they're American Strats with bi-flex truss rods. My Schecter bass also has that and my 50s Precision re-issue doesn't but the neck is significantly more chunky than the Stingray.

I do hope it has been the recent weather fluctuation (I can't remember which direction corresponded with which temperature) because, as you point out, it's not common to have them here so would mean having to adjust it less often.

If I remember I'll post back on this thread in a few months with an update to say if it has happened again etc. - just in case any potential Ray 4 buyers find it during research.

There have been a few unusually hot days lately so could be that.

I'm actually wondering if the truss rod wheel that's so easy to adjust could also be more likely to move on its own? Maybe not.

Have several other basses and a few guitars and never noticed such big changes in such a short time until this one.

49 minutes ago, pineweasel said:

Does the Ray 34 have the oil & wax neck finish? This does leave the wood more exposed to humidity changes than a poly coat. I’ve noticed it with my own Stingray. 

The specs say the neck has a "satin finish" but it feels and looks like bare wood to me. I doubt it is though, I believe them when they say they use a satin finish but it must be quite thin - maybe that has something to do with it?

P.S. not being pedantic at all and I obviously knew what you were asking but just to clarify for the avoidance of any confusion, it's the Ray 4 that I have and am referring to

1 hour ago, Nebadon2000 said:

I had same problem with 2018 SBMM Stingray 34QM. Constantly adjusting neck relief; Bass was in climate controlled environment at all times. 

After a few months it did get longer between adjustments; once or twice a month as opposed to once or twice a week.

That's a bit worrying, thanks for sharing.

If I only had basses I might wonder if the fact it has the skinniest neck of all my basses is the reason behind this but I also have guitars and they're just as skinny (though shorter).

As a silver lining, Stingrays have the most convenient truss rod access I've ever seen, just turn the wheel while everything's still on. I dread to think if my 50s reissue P had this problem I'd constantly be having to dismantle the entire bass!

15 hours ago, songofthewind said:

If you mean the Sterling SUB Ray 4, I have one, and experience no problems with the neck or truss rod.

It's the same model but they've renamed it and taken the "SUB" part out so it's just called the Ray 4 now. I'm not sure if they've changed anything about the actual bass; I don't think they have.

Have you had it quite a while without any problems?

I wonder if I should ask for a swap if it's just this specific one that's prone to the neck bowing and "unbowing".

I have a Sterling Ray 4 (from the range previously known as the Sterling SUB) and it seems to be quite susceptible to the neck's relief shifting. I generally play it most days, at least for a short time but a few times now I've picked it up and the neck has either bowed so the action became too high or, just now, the neck seems to have straightened as the action is too low and the strings are buzzing on the frets.

Has anyone else noticed this problem with this particular model? I've never had this happen with any other instruments I have, I've had them maybe very slightly change over many months and need the truss rod adjusting but not as frequently or as much as this.

It's the only budget instrument I've bought; is there possibly something about the neck that allows it to be so cheap but also makes it less stable?

It is also the only MM style bass I've had though it seems unlikely it could be an inherent problem with the design with it being such a popular classic bass and with the standard ones costing quite a bit.

Any similar (or contrary) experiences with these basses?

Very cool. I'd never heard of these so after reading your post I googled and had a read of the website and a look at some of the basses and I was expecting them to be a couple of grand each so was surprised to see the great prices. I'm not sure about the headstock shape and I'm annoyingly picky about things like that (put me off G&L and Sire for example).

Re: Guy Pratt himself, I don't think I've heard anyone else mention it for this reason but his playing on Gilmour's "Rattle That Lock" album is some of my favourite sounding bass.

16 hours ago, krispn said:

I never set mine up with any switching but by coil tap do you mean series/parallel as this will reduce the output depending on which setting it’s on. Check out some You Tube videos on it for more info. 

The p pick up fitted in standard size ‘Fender’ cases and I bought it to fit into a bass as opposed to buying a Schecter bass which had it fitted as standard. 

The Diamond J model with the J style Monstertone pickups have a coil tap on the tone knob as standard so if you pull it up it removes some of the winds of wire from the circuit which makes it lower output. I guess the P version just doesn't have that feature.

Good to know that at least the P version conforms to the standard size of pickups. Hopefully a good indication mine does too, although I know that J pickups in general can vary a bit in sizing.

Thanks again!

Thanks for the reply mate.

Did your P version have a coil tap?

That lowers the output (not sure if it lowers it to vintage level but it does lower it significantly) but obviously doesn't change the pole piece size or magnet type so not sure how close it could get.

Did you happen to replace the pickup at any point? Just wondering if they are the same size as standard after market pickups.

Cheers.

The only Jazz I've ever had (and was actually my first bass) is a Schecter Diamond J which has Monstertone II pickups.

Has anyone had or played these and also had "normal" Fender Jazz pickups and could comment on if the Schecter ones sound like regular J pickups?

And do they sound more like that in full or tapped mode?

Reason I ask is purely because I want to know if I've experienced the authentic J sound as, if not, I would want to. Same as if I didn't have any J (or P or MM) I'd want to get one to experience that classic sound, I have often wondered if I am getting the typical J sound experience.

Cheers.

That is lovely!

If anyone didn't like it I'd do a Public Enemy cover on it "yo they sayin my bass is too black man! I don't understand what they sayin but little do they know they can get a slap fo that!"

My 330 quid Schecter is at least as high quality as any Fender I've played so I'd be surprised if a higher end Schecter wasn't better than an American Performer.

I think across the range, the American Performer spot is the worst value Fender instruments. Its existence is based on a common delusion where a lot of people think "made in America" is a plus point. So the instruments cost more because of the labour costs but aren't actually any better than they'd be if they were made in Mexico or Asia.

The Professional and up also have higher labour costs but at least they are also higher spec than the lower cost Fender models.

So stunning!

If only I had the money I'd seriously consider driving down from Scotland for that.

That's very nice (and I'm a Schecter fan too).

What model is it? Haven't seen that colour before.

5 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

If you want to understand the theory, it's probably just as important to understand where the notes are in the key the song is in as well as where they are in the chord.

So, playing a D over a G chord in the key of C. So the 'D' is the 5 of the G chord, but the II interval of the key.

I agree - both are useful to study.

Would welcome any transcriptions in that fashion too if anyone knew any.

It's actually a lot easier to that than the chordal way though because for large sections of the song, if not the whole song, the same notes are always going to be the same scale degree whereas with the chords it changes often.

2 hours ago, dodge_bass said:

No - I think you're very wrong actually in your last sentence above - it's the process of working this stuff out (exactly in the manner you describe) that does develop your ability to understand music further. Let me give you an example - by working through a walking bass line in a jazz standard using this method you get an exact understanding of how the bass player who played it thought about harmony / approached it / played it over (in this case) a given progression. If you want to sound like Ray Brown / Jaco / Jamerson / whoever you're into to you need to do this. 

What I'm saying is that the actual process of doing this (rather than getting a programme / 'resource' to do it for you) is that process that *will* develop your understanding of harmony / chords tones / genre specific approaches to chords / progressions and a knowledge of how individual bass players sound like they do. 

As you note it's slow and takes time to do it yourself - because you're having to think about it (= you're learning a new skill). The more you do it the quicker you'll get at hearing / analysing music on the spot which is a serious development of your musical ability. 

We'll just have to agree to disagree then.