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[quote name='Oscar South' post='180991' date='Apr 20 2008, 12:56 PM']even tuning with the fifth and seventh fret harmonics, so you're tuning to identical overtones? can you elaborate on this because its interesting.[/quote] Only just seen this - let me try a quick version: When you do the 5th & 7th fret harmonic thing, you're tuning the strings to a ratio of 4:3, a perfect 4th harmonic. 5th fret harmonic = 1/4 string = 4x frequency (2 octaves) 7th fret harmonic = 1/3 string = 3x frequency (octave + major 5th) However, on an [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_temperament"]equal temperament[/url] (ET) instrument like the bass, for the ratios to add up correctly over the strings, each string needs to be 5 ET semitones apart. That is close to a perfect 4th, but not exactly the same, in terms of the frequency ratio between the strings: Harmonics: 4:3 = 1.3333 ... = 4.98 semitones * 5 semitones: 2^(5/12) = 1.3348 ... Say you have a 6-string bass, so you do that 5 times (B1 -> C3 = 25 semitones), and compare results: Harmonics: (4/3)^5 = 4.214 = 24.9 semitones * 25 semitones: 2^(25/12)= 4.238 The error in ratios is about 0.5%, which might not sound like much, but if you convert the harmonics figure back to semitones, it comes to about 24.9 semitones*. If you follow the harmonics method exactly, the High C will be about 1/10 semitone [i]flat[/i], which is definitely audible. The error might not be much per string, but it compounds, like interest on a mortgage. On a 7-string (30 semitones), the error climbs to 0.12 semitones. ps: maybe the extreme example of a theoretical 13-string bass would help: Intervals = 12 x 5 = 60 semitones = 5 octaves between low and 5 strings. 60 semitones = 2^(60/12) = 32 = 2^5 = exactly 5 octaves harmonics: (4/3)^12 = 31.7 = 59.765 semitones*. "quick version", eh? * to convert frequency ratios back to ET semitones, the formula looks like this: 12* log2(f), where "log2" is the "base 2 logarithm of f" = 12*log(f) / log(2)

[quote name='charic' post='205431' date='May 24 2008, 10:34 AM']Why has this not been used as a weapon lol.[/quote] It would be a bit difficult to aim. Bass frequencies are notoriously non-directional, so protecting the "good guys" would be a serious challenge.

I don't have one, but I know I wouldn't mind one of these [url="http://www.cc.rim.or.jp/~tune/"]Tune[/url] TWXT models: They do 4-, 5-, 6- and 8-string basses with tremolo. If you wonder what an 8-string with whammy sounds like ask [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=19iekoushoY"]Narucho[/url] for a demo.

Well. Arbiter has announced that it has taken over distribution of Schecter and Spector: [url="http://www.mi-pro.co.uk/news/29507/Arbiter-announces-new-lines-for-music-fair"]details[/url].

I'm sure I remember reading a John Patitucci interview in which he mentioned the superglue, but he also mentioned some kind of "instant skin" product from a pharmacy. I think he meant something like [url="http://newskinproducts.com/"]New-Skin[/url], which the maker says works for musicians.

I can't say I'm that interested in joining a union of imaginary bass players... maybe if it was real bass players?

[quote name='Ham fisted Bass' post='201720' date='May 18 2008, 08:06 PM']Can anyone explain (or point me at a thread) how Geddy Lee does the 'in ear' monitoring thing?[/quote] Have a look [url="http://www.bassplayer.com/article/northern-warrior/Aug-07/30528"]here[/url], the sidebar has a full breakdown of his current touring rig. The main components are the [url="http://www.tech21nyc.com/rpm.html"]SansAmp RPM[/url] and Palmer Speaker Simulators. Weirdly, Geddy still has a couple of Trace Elliot amps in his rack though I have no idea where that signal might go. They all use wireless monitoring, handled from a monitor desk - dunno what they use.

[quote name='Dr.Dave' post='201107' date='May 17 2008, 04:25 PM']For me (duck's to avoid missiles) Jack Bruce - at just about every stage of his career.[/quote] But was it, though, relative to what was available at the time? There's a reason why he liked short-scale instruments like the Gibson EB-3 and the Fender Bass VI... Otherwise, I'm sure there are guys with rubbish instruments at home, but when it comes to live playing, a rubbish instrument would be a bit risky, IMHO. Let the guitarists muck around with such stuff.

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='200816' date='May 16 2008, 11:51 PM']Spot the odd one out? [/quote] I can see two non-Fenders there, if that's what you mean..? [spoiler]the two Sadowskys at the left[/spoiler]

[quote name='beerdragon' post='200717' date='May 16 2008, 08:56 PM']I always thought T bone burnett did the music for O brother. [/quote]He [i]produced[/i] it, but there were a lot of different musicians on there, and Ralph Stanley was one of them. I just read that Stanley's version of "O, Death" for the movie won him a Grammy award, "Best Male Country Vocal Performance". Ah niver knew thar was such uh fing!

If I win the lottery, I might have a word with [url="http://www.chrislarkinguitars.com/"]Chris Larkin[/url] to see what he can do, but to answer the original question, I would still like Tune Bass Maniac to make me a signature bass, perhaps based on the [url="http://www.cc.rim.or.jp/~tune/tune/twx-through.neck/twx-through,neck,series.htm"]TWX Through-Neck[/url] in Chestnut. Mmmm. Whoever makes it, I want a 35" (or 36"?) 6-string with some custom electronics: - Single MM-size humbucker in "sweet spot", with coil tap/phase switch - piezo saddles to 13-pin out, + mix - using something like a [url="http://www.rmcpickup.com/polydrivei.html"]RMC Poly-Drive IB[/url] system. I think I'd have a lot of fun putting the spec together, and seeing and hearing the results, which is (I think) part of the idea of a signature bass. It's about more than "getting the job done"!

[quote name='thinman' post='199297' date='May 15 2008, 09:00 AM']I understand the science bit - it's more the application. If you can drown out an unamplified drummer then what's the point? Demolition, internal organ damage? Won't your band sound terrible? I know some very flat cabs need a fair bit more power but 1kW!!? I think burpster's closing comment may be nearer the truth. Marketing men know us blokes too well.[/quote] At least bass amp marketing is honest compared to the marketing you get with e.g. car stereos. The RMS figure is the one that matters, not "peak music power", whatever the heck that is. I also agree with the need for headroom, and the components last longer if they are run underpowered. (Heat is the #1 killer of transistors.) Did any of you see that Mythbusters episode where one of the guys stood in a circle of Meyer Sound PA speakers and got blasted with subsonic frequencies? They were testing the "brown note" myth. SPLs were over 150dB, but he felt nothing, though I felt sorry for any elephants in a ten mile radius.

It's also an unavoidable fact of human hearing, which is less sensitive at low frequencies. To get a given perceived sound level, you need more RMS power the lower you go. That extra power is not wasted in the amp, it goes towards carrying the bass signal further. If the amp was just wasting hundreds of watts as heat, it would need much bigger fans! There's an article about SPL and power, [url="http://www.usmotors.com/products/ProFacts/sound_power_and_sound_pressure.htm"]here[/url].

Well, Gene Watson and Ralph Stanley are real country musicians, and Stanley did appear on the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack, singing [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoIebIKNS4s"]"O Death"[/url]. But I have no idea what that "Harmony H" bass is...

I was interested in the SWR MoBass a few years ago, so this name sounds familiar... I wonder how tightly those modules are secured? Don't want the EQ dropping out - literally!

[url="http://waltons.ie/waltonsshop/index.php?cPath=60_62&sort=2a&filter_id=27"]Waltons[/url] in Dublin still has them, though I'm not sure if the Euro/Pound exchange rate is that competitive vs. the USA.

[quote name='pjbass' post='198385' date='May 13 2008, 11:35 PM']Yeah definitely the ghost notes lilt the bassline. I found this video helpful to learn from: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwwncfsPogw"]Rio[/url] Its loads of fun to play[/quote] I like his version... but after the "floating thumb" thread his right wrist position gives me the willies. Unless he learns to straighten it, he could be heading for some carpal tunnel problems...

Another possibility available to you is to build your own, using Warmoth parts. They do Fender-shaped "Deluxe 5" [url="http://www.warmoth.com/bass/bodies/deluxe5.cfm"]bodies[/url] and [url="http://www.warmoth.com/bass/necks/necks.cfm?fuseaction=includes_deluxe5"]necks[/url]. Normally 22-frets, but with 24 as a custom option. One potential problem I see, however, is that the longer fretboard might make it impossible to adjust the truss rod?

[quote name='mcgraham' post='197964' date='May 13 2008, 01:57 PM']Making sense?[/quote] I get that from the video, but if it means using the thumb only for muting, then no thanks. For accurate fingering, I need a constant reference of my hand position relative to the strings - up/down and high/low - and that's what my thumb provides when it's touching a string by the tip. It's a tiny, quick movement to get it over the string and I have flexibility in how I time that (I observe), hence my reluctance to call it "anchored". So I do see what he's saying, and I don't need an explanation, I just think it's wrong for me.

[quote name='bremen' post='197975' date='May 13 2008, 02:09 PM']No, if house earth isn't veryvery close to Earth earth, there's a problem.[/quote] Sure, that too - there's no contradiction there, nor am I contradicting other advice given here e.g. use a RCD. My point is that, assuming the wiring is good, the amp is probably at house earth (because of the extension), while the garden is at garden earth, and the two might be different. Yes, I know it's weird, but it happens! I'm not saying that IS the problem here, but if you check all the earthing in the house and the amp, and the shocks still happen, this will be a possible explanation. An earth leakage detector would trip, but an RCD might not, because it detects whether there's leakage from the live wires, and in that case there isn't any. In an outdoor stage situation, everything needs to be grounded e.g. read [url="http://www.ratsound.com/cblog/archives/282-Day-402-June-29th-Munich-Show-Day-All-things-Are-Inter-Connected-or-Sometimes-Not-Part-2.html"]this[/url] for an example of when even grounding the stage and the generators wasn't enough, and a creative solution was needed.

[quote name='markyboy2106' post='197977' date='May 13 2008, 02:10 PM']To what extent does that added neck length impact on the body shape - I'd never thought of it that way before?[/quote] I'm assuming that you'd want access to those extra 4 frets, if so the cutaway will be longer, and/or the neck sit further out from the body, or other subtle shape changes. I'm not entirely sure, since I'm not one of those purists either!

The fact that you're out in the garden on an extension may also have something to do with it. Even if the bass is properly earthed, via the amp, well... it's a bit odd to explain but, basically, Earth is not necessarily Earth. The Earth point in your house might be at a different potential to the Earth you're sitting on in the garden, depending on e.g. power lines running nearby. Touching the house Earth to the local Earth could lead to a shock. If you have a multimeter, and you've verified that the amp and extensions are earthed (as noted by others), try measuring the AC voltage between the strings and the chair or ground. . But, I thought strings did not need to be earthed in an active bass? I know EMG tell you [b]not[/b] to re-attach the bridge earth wire when upgrading to their active pickups. If you were running an extension out to a shed, for example, you'd want to have a physical earth point in the ground under the shed, and not rely on the house earth...

That Fender looks similar to what Sadowsky does, or [url="http://www.mikelull.com/"]Mike Lull[/url]: I suppose a purist might object to the change in shape that the extra frets mandate.

This thread has been confusing me a little, because this "new technique" look a lot like the way I've been playing for 20 years now. My first good bass, the Hohner B2V, is a 5-string with pickups that are nearly flush with the body, and I could never rest my thumb on them. So I rested my thumb on the B string, and moved my hand to reach the higher strings. Now I have that bass tuned EADGC, and the Tune 4-string with the very long J-style pickups. When I bought that last year, there was a comment from someone here that those pickups would be a problem because they wouldn't make good thumbrests, but I didn't get it, because I haven't been resting my thumb on the pickups all along. I've just had a closer look at what I'm doing, and seem to be mixing it up: I'll stretch my fingers up 1, 2 or occasionally 3 strings for the odd note, without the thumb moving. However, if I'm staying on the higher strings, it moves up, not necessarily straight away, but sometimes at the same time as a position change on the fretting hand. The idea that some folks are keeping their fingers on the pickup/rest/ramp at all times, and stretching their fingers to reach every string, is just weird! Here's Gary Willis explaining what he does: he thinks it's a bad idea, because it leads to playing with a bent wrist, and could lead to tendon problems. In the examples, he seems to be using a floating thumb too. Edit: am I mis-interpreting what "floating thumb" means? My thumb hooks to a specific string as I move it, but I wouldn't have thought of calling it "anchored", since I don't put force on it when playing. It's a reference point for my hand position, which assists with muting too. If Todd meant that his thumb just rests on the strings, not using them as a reference, then that's something I fail to see the point of. In Todd's video that's how it looks, thumb flat: IMHO that's going a bit too far, and I prefer what Gary was doing: the ergonomic benefits from the straight wrist are there too.

[quote name='woodenshirt' post='179520' date='Apr 18 2008, 09:26 AM']2. Really long fingers - the span from tip of thumb to tip of little finger is 24cm (17cm from Index to little), so I don't really need me pinky.[/quote] Never thought to measure my hands that way before, so I got the ruler out: I'm about 1cm less than you on both measurements without stretching. Still use the pinkie a lot, though.