bobbass4k

I agree with that far more than their 25 best bassists thing, some very good choices there (Matt Freeman) but Geezer Butler? Not exactluy unsung, he was on the 25 greatest list.

[quote name='redstriper' post='1064146' date='Dec 19 2010, 10:55 PM']I have to be happy with my tone to play anything really worthwhile.[/quote] Yup. I agree that room acoustics and equipment and all manner of things influence your tone. Something as seemingly benign as the length of cable from bass to amp makes a difference. I think reaching for one singular "perfect" tone is a little misguided. But you should always try and get at least [b]a[/b] sound you're happy with everytime you play. Maybe others are different but if I'm thinking "gah, that open A sounds a bit weak" then I'm not playing as well as I could be, because I'm going to avoid playing it or be thniking about it constantly. There a thousand different factors that affect your tone, stuff as silly as the ambient air temperature and the number of windows in the room, if you aim for one particular tone, you're not going to get it most of the time, but aim for a tone you're comfortable with.

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1063973' date='Dec 19 2010, 08:48 PM']Yes, I must admit I have seen a fair share of cases where a bassist has used effects which have served only to highlight how bad they are. I've seen some particularly brutal mistakes with delay units, particularly where the delay sound is out of time or when huge glaring mistakes are repeated back fresh through the delay unit. Good grief! User discretion is advised! [/quote] Exactly, some efefcts actually require better playing than normal. As you said, cock up with delay and you've actually cocked up 4 or 5 times. Some fuzz's are really sensitive and require perfectly even touch, some analog octavers need to be played in a very specific way. I really don't get how people see effects only cover up lack of talent or skill.

Never liked Bass Guitarist, indifferent to Bass Player, prefer Bassist. I also hate "Plays the Bass" too, not sure why, just hate "the" in that context, "Plays bass" is fine, just hate "The Bass" for some reason. Maybe I'm weird.

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1063149' date='Dec 19 2010, 01:10 AM']Muse was just the kind of rubbish I was thinking of when I was considering how bad the over use of effects can be. Mind you, I suppose switching off the effects there wouldn't make it any better! IMO.[/quote] Which is fair enough, I absolutely despise Mark King's playing with an almost religious ferverence (You can slap really fast. We get it.). Adding layers of synth processors and ocatvers wouldn't change that for me. But I think a lot of people do dismiss effects using bassists out of hand, mostly because they think effects exist just to cover up lack of talent, which I find very frustrating.

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1063119' date='Dec 19 2010, 12:34 AM']but I certainly think that less is more with effects.[/quote] That really depends entirely on the music, this for example: Is I think one of the greatest basslines ever written, it just wouldn't be the same without all the effects.

If you don't feel the need for effects then you don't need them probably. Occasionaly people have a completely wrong idea about what they'll sound like so when they hear them used well it's an epiphany. I don't have 14 pedals because I wanted to buy them and then had to find a use for them, I wanted my bass distorted so it would sound heavy and aggressive, I wanted the sound a filter a makes for a funky synthy sound, I wanted the sound of delay for texture and ambience etc. Basically I wanted the sounds so had to buy the pedals to produce them. If you don't want the sounds then I'd say you're not missing out.

Mogwai seem to have a gift for depression Those are the most immediate ones of the top of me head. Oh and this of course Something a tad different:

[quote name='steve-soar' post='1058931' date='Dec 14 2010, 08:14 PM']A faint whiff of King Crimson there.[/quote] King Crimson you say?:

[quote name='bubinga5' post='1058920' date='Dec 14 2010, 08:05 PM']right now...This.. what a wonderful song... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDYAXKM828U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDYAXKM828U[/url][/quote] Did anybody else read the title and expect this?:

In a math rock mood:

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1058079' date='Dec 14 2010, 12:14 AM']If you leave it in the same room, just let it warm up with the room when you are back. The risky bits are taking it from a cold place to a warm moist place, and condensation forming on it, then you have water and electric. Avoid that by giving it time to acclimatise. The other is taking a hot tube amp into a cold wind, like a rapid clear out from a gig, when a cold blast of wind can shatter your valves through thermal shock.[/quote] Cheers dude, I was wondering whether it would be you or umph first I might drape a precautionary sheet over it in case just in case it does get moist in here but I figured it was just a case of making sure the valves had a chane to warm up slowly.

I'll be leaving my amp (Simms Watts PA 100, all tube) down here for a month while I go back home for xmas . My radiator will be off and it gets mighty chilly in here. My main concern is if the tubes get really cold they might crack when I start using the amp again. Is there anything I can do preventatively? Or would I just have to make sure to acclimatize them gradually before using it? This is my first tube amp if you can't tell.

That's actually pretty good, and the vocals are very impressive. Probably better than Katy Perry's to be honest, I can't decide if she's actually singing in that register and it's just ridiculously autotuned or if it's shifted up an octave, I'd definitely pursue the singing if you aren't already.

I think a good bassist should be fluent in fingers and pick, fingers purists are just as bad to me as people who only play with a pick. It may just be me, but they're completely different techniques and sound. If I pick up a pick and just noodle, I play completely different stuff than if I noodle with fingers. I'm finding myself playing with a pick more and more lately, a big part of it too is feel. For fast, chuggy rock on one or two strings I much prefer a pick, it just feels better, I feel more free to rock out a bit, I can wave my picking hand around like an idiot and it feels more energetic. For slow, groovy stuff, or stuff that requires a lot of right hand movement, fingers are the only way to go. My pick of choice is Dunlop JazzIII, the black ones. I prefer the feel of tortex but the sound of nylon can't be beat for me.

Pitch shifting should go after tuner, and try dist before wah/filters.

Just got the proper board wired up:

[quote name='1976fenderhead' post='1052236' date='Dec 8 2010, 11:00 PM']Wow man, good to know it arrived ok and you're that happy with it [/quote] I was just about to PM you actually, yea it arrived today, absolutely loving it cheers. [quote name='Gunsfreddy2003' post='1052265' date='Dec 8 2010, 11:37 PM']What is the Slap Bass pedal?[/quote] Weird is what it is. It's sort of a compressor with a drive control. The drive is really crisp and clanky. It basically turns any bass into a jazz with new roundwounds on. It perfectly preserves dynamics (hence I assume why they called it the slap bass), it's very weird, I've never come across another pedal like it. I recorded some samples that I think are somewhere on the net, I'll have a looksee for them.

All my dirt pedals and the OC-2 and GR thrown in for good measure. I'm trying to decide which ones to get rid of. Ath moment I'm thinking Mastotron and CP, the UF-01 just does everything they can and more.

If the mid pot eliminated it the I'd say it's a certain frequency of interference, there's a billion things it could be, somebody else's amp, a PA speaker, even something as anal as the wattage of lightbulb they were using. If it happens again go through possible noise sources one by one (anything electrical is a possible noise source), try playing elsewhere in the room, turn off every bit of electrical equipment one by one etc. You could just reshield (or indeed shield) the control cavity, but I know I'd want to find out what was doing it.

I've got a second hand Simms-Watts at the mo and it's and it's probably the best amp I've had. It doesn't really do dirty to be honest (not what I'd call dirty anyway) but the tone is just sextacular. I'd definitely be looking at old PA amps if you're on a budget, I've played an Ampeg SVT and I definitely prefer my Simms-Watts.

[quote name='harvey1-8' post='1034210' date='Nov 23 2010, 06:49 PM']I think bobbass4k on here uses a Rat, he'd be able to give you more info.[/quote] Ooh, I got a mention, sweet. I do indeed use a Turbo Rat, at the moment it's my main distortion. I absolutely love it, I think the distortion "character" (that sounded less poncy in my head...) is perfect for a bass distortion. It's not transparent like an Overdrive, the only real distinction in sound you'll get is between fingers and a pick (which is actually a big difference). But it's not as full on as a fuzz. I use a blender with it, but I wouldn't say it's necaserry, it depends what kind of sound you want. Max (silentfly) does bass mods to the Turbo Rat. I'll try and record some clips when I get the time.

OC-2 > Fuzz > Filter. That does plug in baby spot on for me. No idea how wolstenholme does it (I would assume the deep impact is in there somehwere). But he definietly uses and ocatver and distortion in the chorus when the synthy sound drops out, admittedly 95% of a pub audience won't notice, but if you want to do it absolutely spot on it's something to remember.

Unagreaable non-pop