Beer of the Bass

I feel like tele bridge pickups are one of those things that can be kind of obnoxious playing by yourself at home, but often exactly right in a band context. A lot of my favourite instrument sounds have this property...

Thinking about it, haven't there been a few cases where manufacturers have used a proprietary power module, run into reliability issues and discontinued support of them after a short while? That would make me lean slightly towards amps using ICEpower or modules from other large, established makers just because they're likely to be more of a known quantity and have continued parts availability.

As much as I'm enjoying the valve amp and coloured speakers approach for bass guitar (OK, it's not very logical but it's fun and fits the vibe of my band), I would think seriously about something like this for double bass amplification if I had the gigs to justify it.

If you're going used, I'd rather go for a steel core string like the Spiros too, as they tend to stand up to being taken on and off better. Some synthetic strings don't take well to that.

Bootsy has always been pretty good at getting his complex fx chain to work with the music! Sometimes by having synth bass in the mix too, but it works...

This will depend on income etc, but in any situation where a 100 watt valve amp was loud enough I'd prefer that to a 300 watt version because it will be so much less expensive when it's time for new power valves.

Peacock's family have now confirmed his passing to NPR, so that seems to provide some certainty. RIP Gary... https://www.npr.org/2020/09/07/910054995/gary-peacock-a-jazz-bassist-always-ahead-of-his-time-dies-at-85?fbclid=IwAR0iLTeNEif5ouHru8fsX5uHUVYV5VnDEDMSqRpoKOny9zL6-JhCZ-gqpLQ&t=1599501388367

Though DeJohnette apparently did post that and then deleted it once the hoax rumours started circulating, which is why it's not there now.

I'm less certain - the source for the claims that it's a hoax appears to be a particularly dodgy looking website where much of the content looks bot-generated. It carries word for word identical "death hoax" stories on multiple celebrities.

Effects do require some extra thought and preparation to work well live. I don't use more than occasional fuzz and a Mutron clone that pops up even less frquently, but even with those it's noticeable that what sounds great through a bass rig during rehearsals doesn't always play well live when you bring a DI into the equation. I don't take this to mean I shouldn't use them, just that there's a slight learning curve to really get them working well.

I think Ampeg's UK distribution is changing since the company changed hands, so it may be a case of Polar wanting to shift their existing stocks, similar to the deals a lot of us got on the PF50T and PF20T heads.

The one reservation I have with the Stentor 1950 is that the examples I've tried have been rather small proportioned for a 3/4, and personally I'd prefer a little larger. I have always wondered what kind of size the "4/4" version is, but I've never seen one in the flesh.

An 8x10“ with just a pair of side handles, no tilt-back castors and bar handle? It looks like good value, but I suspect not that many will end up being moved around and gigged!

I think they stopped making them, but Sadowsky Black Label flatwounds also had similar mid thickness to TI Jazz flats, but in a much higher tension, stiffer feeling string. The D'Addario Chromes, Ernie Ball and Fender flats I've also used don't have that same midrange character.

On the flute chat, are we talking about the sustained portion of the note, or the whole note from start to finish? I feel with flutes and whistles, a lot of the identifiable character is in the transient at the beginning of the note, so it could be possible to have a sustained tone close to a sinewave but still contain the complexity that makes the instrument recognisable. From experience, it's surprisingly hard to make a convincing flute patch using a sinewave oscillator on a synth...

Price is a big consideration for me, all my valve amps have been unfashionable off-brands and often bought needing work, except the Ampeg PF50T which I bought on Kenny's half price clearance and it was still the largest amount I've ever spent on an amp. And the compactness and weight of it definitely made it more appealing, since I'd already had heavier heads and found I often left them at home.

Interesting approach! I had wondered about using an external power amp if I ever needed to get louder with my Ampeg PF50T, but in practice it's been fine for me so far, and it might be that I'd look at a bigger cab first. I do know that through the 8x10" in one rehearsal space we used, it had a fair bit more oomph than my two 12"s.

I'm surprised there aren't more small form-factor, less than 200 watt valve amps with modern appointments like DIs etc, rather than large wood-cased heads intended to sit on massive cabs. It seems like they'd fill a niche for a lot of bassists.

My Ampeg PF50T is proving really useful for the kind of gigs I do, and importantly when the sound guy appears with their XLR cable it has good DI outputs that do get some ampy character across. Stage volume is enough for me with one or two reasonably efficient 12"s, and in a padded bag it's easy to move around. When I had a much larger and heavier old Carlsbro 100 watter with no DI outs, I ended up using my Gallien Krueger MB200 for a lot of gigs out of convenience, but the GK hasn't been out on a gig since I got the Ampeg.

I play German bow, purely because there was one with the bass I borrowed as a teenager and I've stuck with it. It seems classical players in the UK most often play French bow, but a jazz player doing the old "last note of a ballad" arco or practicing with the bow for intonation might go either way.

It's common on aliexpress and similar sites to use photos of the original guitars in the listings but ship copies that only loosely resemble them. But I'd be surprised if this site even went to the lengths of shipping anything.

In amps where the signal path is that way, setting the gain somewhere below clipping and using the master volume for stage volume adjustment would get you a consistent and predictable level from the DI out, while maxing the master and using the gain for volume control would vary it as you adjusted stage volume.

I always feel like I'm lucky for actually enjoying the Spirocore sound. Finding the right gut or gutlike strings and then keeping them stable and long-lasting seems like a minefield! Though I'd still be curious to give it a go if I had space for a second bass some time...

I've been thinking about dabbling with some more diatonic harmonica since I've been getting into Chromatic in the last few months. Though the one diatonic I have I find quite uncomfortable and not that easy to play compared to my chromatics. It's a Hohner Blues Harp I've had around since the 90s, so maybe I need to try something with a different style comb like a Special 20 or Seydel Session to see if those feel friendlier.

Ooh, some interesting chromatics there! And are you playing them with that mic and amp setup? It always seems like not many chromatic players take that approach - I seem to see folk with modern less coloured dynamic mics into the PA.