Beer of the Bass

The only time I've noticed not having enough sustain is on a dead spot. Unfortunately flatwounds seem to bring them out in basses where I don't notice them with roundwounds.

As another Edinburgh bassist, I can only say "Wasnae me!".

I could see the appeal of an onboard pre-amp for players who need a specific EQ voicing to get their sound (as opposed to the usual tweaks for room acoustics etc), as it would enable them to apply that EQ right at the start of the signal chain even when running a DI straight from the bass. Although I imagine this could be a sound guys worst nightmare if not used with some restraint. There is also the risk of plugging an inherently mid scooped preamp into an amp which already has a similar voicing built in and ending up with that rumbly yet clacky mush we hear all too often!

I have a Klotz cable I bought in 1995 which has done many hundreds of gigs and rehearsals and is still fine, though a bit grubby looking. Come to think of it, I've only had one cable fail so far, a Warwick RockCable where the plastic insulator between the tip and ring cracked and broke, causing it to short out. I have lost a silly number of cables though!

A slightly off-topic query for the old-timers; A couple of posts have made the distinction between "covers bands" and "originals bands" and their ability to make a living playing live. I'd agree this is the case at present, but it strikes me that most bands from the 60s and earlier cut their teeth playing mostly covers and only increased the proportion of originals in their set once they had already developed a following, so that distinction didn't always exist. So I'm wondering when that "covers band" versus "originals band" division kicked in in the lower reaches of the live music circuit.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1340204712' post='1701007'] So, bands that broke through off the back of the internet? Arctic Monkeys? and - er ... [/quote] My missus-to-be (who was at college with them) points out that the Arctic Monkeys broke through mostly off the back of playing loads of tiny venues, both locally and up and down the country in the time honoured fashion, in addition to the internet following.

I'd like to see someone attempting to argue that Carol Kay or Joe Osborn aren't real bass players. These are people who helped define the conventions of the electric bass! Most of us have pinched at least one of their lines at some point, conciously or otherwise.

[quote name='phil.i.stein' timestamp='1339784821' post='1694434'] he's also a ... (no i can't say it) [/quote] transphobe? (Not trying to be ranty here! I was a big Pumpkins fan in my teens but hearing about his spat with Devi Ever put me off the guy somewhat.)

In terms of the OPs amp situation, I doubt you'd notice that a healthy 100 watt valve amp was less powerful than either of the 150 watt amps in your sig (the difference in SPL would be practically imperceptible), and with the valvey perceived loudness stuff going on it may even seem louder, especially if you enjoy a bit of grit in your sound.

This is quite well covered in the stickies at the top of the page. It would be wrong to state "[i]x[/i] valve watts = [i]y[/i] solid state watts" as watts are a measured unit with no room for subjective judgements. But, depending on your tonal preferences, a typical 100 watt rated valve amp will usually sound louder than a typical 100 watt rated solid state amp when both are set to their maximum usable output into the same cabs, due to the factors listed by Mr F above.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1339709188' post='1693301'] The hollow body bit mostly, which disapplies all the following statements as their significance are specific to hollow bodies. If my electric bass isn't plugged in, its an acoustic instrument, just a fairly quiet one, but I can play a tune to someone in the same room and they can hear it fine. [/quote] Ah, so it's a matter of semantics rather than actual disagreement. That could have been made somewhat clearer. Personally I feel that calling a solid bodied electric bass an acoustic instrument is a bit of a stretch, as they are seldom (I would say never, but there may be exceptions I am unaware of) used this way in public performance or recorded applications. I'd prefer to borrow a term from the keyboard world and call the electric bass an electro-mechanical instrument. I would agree however that the line between acoustic and electric instruments has been blurred by the prevalence of amplification.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1339708224' post='1693273'] The assumptions made about acoustic instruments. I know they are incorrect because I know what I'm making and the acoustic principles it is built around, and the assumptions don't apply. [/quote] Unless you can explain [i]why[/i] you consider each specific statement incorrect, that looks an awful lot like lazy condescension to the casual observer. Can you do that? I'm not trying to stir things here, I'm genuinely curious to see where you're coming from with this.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1339706534' post='1693233'] Whole bunch of incorrect assumptions there. [/quote] Which assumptions, and in what way do you consider them incorrect?

[quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1339679336' post='1692541'] Hmm, P pickup in a vaguely 'ray-ish position, on what looks to be a short scale? I bet it'd sound interesting with a DiMarzio Model P! [/quote] Go on, Lawrence, you know you want to! Imagine the looks of admiration when you pull that out for a gig.

[quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1339611690' post='1691549'] Hmm, thinking.. on a cab raised substantially off the floor you will unavoidably get some cancellation that'd typically affect the low mids - could it be that? Since it's a cancellation node EQ can't compensate for it but moving the cab close to the floor and tilting back would solve this. The ICEpower module in the tonehammer is capable (actually more powerful than that used in the Genz or GK MB500 even though they're rated similar outputs) so I'd be surprised if it didn't work well at 8 ohm. Yes, absolutely an F2b type pre in a micro would be great! I suppose the micros are aimed at people who like 'more' features in general. My reservations probably would concern both EQ and gain, but particularly the latter (I think the passive tonestack in the F2b/whatever Fender clone is actually pretty mid scooped anyway...). I am really tempted to switch my F1 for a Fusion if I can find an extra £200 somewhere! But I'd need to try it first as the F1 is great - be pretty interested to hear your MB200, gigging with it sometime soon? [/quote] Saturday 23rd at Nobles in Leith. If that's not too much of a thread derail!

[quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1339605730' post='1691379'] That's not really how it works... more that all (I think) of these micro valve hybrids, with the notable exception of the GK MB Fusion, are running 'starved plate' designs where the plate voltage is much lower than the design spec of the valves call for. It may distort, but it's not a 'true' reflection of the 'classic' valve sound of old studio or Fender/Ampeg preamps. It's the subtle harmonic enrichment before audible breakup in high voltage designs that gives that 'magic smooth sheen' to classic valve pres. I'd be very interested to know if any of the other designs use a high plate voltage but I doubt it, as it's more expensive to implement and they'd be able to make a big thing of it, as GK have rightly done. That's why I am really keen to try an MB Fusion! Just concerned that it'll have been voiced to give too much of the signature GK aggression. [/quote] I don't know how far the family resemblance goes between the MB Fusion and the other MB heads, but my MB200 definitely has a baked-in smile curve. A guy over on Talkbass did some measurements and found that the MB200 [i]can[/i] be set more or less flat, but with the Contour off, Treble and Bass at 10 o'clock and the high and low Mids at 2 o'clock and 1 o'clock respectively, not with the knobs centred. Or is your concern more to do with aggressiveness in terms of gain? I'd agree on the disappointment of starved-plate designs. Even though I'm a big fan of valve amps and gig with one whenever it's not too impractical, when I've tried hybrid heads which have the typical blendable valve stage for "drive", I've always preferred the sound without the valve stage blended in. I'm not sure why nobody has yet come out with a micro head with a simple Fender/Alembic/Hartke LH style clean valve preamp - I reckon a lot of players would be very happy if someone did.

The strings look like Thomastik Superflexibles from the colour of the silks - do they also have aluminium barrel-shaped ball ends with numerals on the end? Those are fairly high tension strings, so you could definitely find something softer feeling. The pickup looks a bit like one of these: [url="http://www.gollihurmusic.com/product/2435-KRIVO_HUMBUCKING_MAGNETIC_UPRIGHT_BASS_PICKUP_INCLUDES_FREE_JACK_MOUNT.html"]http://www.gollihurm...JACK_MOUNT.html[/url] I'm pretty sure it's not a Kent Armstrong magnetic, as those are slimmer without the offset poles.

Have you ever seen his Accordian Today magazine? It's made up mostly of plugs for WEM accordian products, with the occasional rambling cockney rant in between. He does indeed seem like a bit of a character. I reckon they should give him a Knighthood while he's still around!

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1339087894' post='1683497'] I would have put on the reply. Courier wouldn't lift stated item weight was too low. [/quote] That would probably have been an issue with courier pickup. I sent a cab by Yodel, having told them it weighed 30kg when I booked it. The guy turned up and complained that they're not meant to lift over 25KG single-handed (company H&S policy apparently, and fair enough IMO), so I ended up giving him a hand down to the van with it. I can imagine them taking the huff at a 50kg 4x10!

[quote name='Ed_S' timestamp='1338632437' post='1677362'] The DI100 is fine, but the DI20 is a couple of quid cheaper, lighter, smaller, still takes phantom power or a 9v battery, still metal cased, links out on both XLR and 1/4" jack when used as a splitter and is capable of stereo / dual mono when you don't need to link out. Very handy little box! [/quote] A friend of mine uses the DI20s when doing sound, and personally I don't like them very much. The switch arrangement for the link output can cause confusion on a dark stage and the ground lift doesn't seem to work in the expected way. We had ground loop hum using a DI20 which wouldn't go away even with the ground lift on, but dissapeared once we changed to a Samson DI and lifted the ground. I carry an old BSS AR116 myself, but I know sound guys will usually prefer to stick with their own boxes as that's one less variable for them.

One driver bands can indeed be a nightmare for out of town gigs. We end up with the situation where we don't fit in a car with our stuff, a standard van has one too few seats and most of our gigs don't pay enough to justify hiring a splitter van. I've never fancied bundling people in to the back of a transit van with the risk of being pulled over, getting points and so on, though I used to cheerfully squeeze in the back of them as a teen. Is anyone still daft enough to do this? A box trailer worked wonders for my old band, but not everyone can store one between gigs and I don't fancy trying to park one in a city.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1338238035' post='1671481'] Why? I like it. [/quote] I just think it sounds a bit rambling and unfocussed, like a few stock licks with noodly mince in between. I like what he's doing for the odd phrase or so, but I feel like it's the bass equivalent of singing in the shower. I love his stuff when he's really on it, but this performance just feels a bit erratic to me. This is all IMO, of course, but hey, you asked!

Definitely not his finest moment, and I say this as someone who likes much of Jaco's stuff.

Having heard these in person, they do sound very good, even alongside a drummer who is at the lively end of things. What did the finished weight end up as? I suspect that one of these may go a bit louder than my EA Wizzy 10 cab too. You just need to find a head that comes in blue now, or would that be vain?

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1338057027' post='1669161'] Once the UK receive the new USA made amps, trying one of these out. [/quote] The USA made GK amps have definitely reached Europe already, I'm not sure about the UK though. My MB200 bought from Thomann a fortnight ago is labelled US made. Personally I doubt there would be much difference in quality, but the USA label probably helps resale value if nothing else...