Beer of the Bass

[quote name='petebassist' timestamp='1447174964' post='2905552'] I love the sound of the bass on the theforgottenworks sample tracks - what did you use for 'tangle' in terms of bass, pickup, recording method etc? That's a great tone. [/quote] Cheers! It's my old German/Bohemian flatbacked bass with Spirocore Mittels. We just used the internal stereo mics on a Tascam DR40 for this recording, quite close to the bass at about the height of the end of the fingerboard. (I hope Paul S doesn't mind the digression!)

LaBella do a set which have been around for a long time. I've not tried them myself (as they're reputed to be challenging to bow) but Ron Carter and Buster Williams both use them. From the sound of those two, I'd expect them to be at the bright and growly end of things.

You can lose some acoustic volume and projection if you take it really low so it depends how much of a priority that is to you, but a good player will still pull out a full tone that way even if it's less loud. For certain styles and sounds (NHOP etc.) a low setup does seem to be the convention, and if that's what you're going for it would be silly to battle on with anything else. Adjusters are the way forward, as you can play around until you find the optimum height for your own playing, and go back if you feel you've taken it too far. For myself, I like what would probably count as a medium action, currently 7-10mm with Spiro Mittels, but I have friends who like to jam unamplified and I'm not doing anything that's especially ambitious technically - I'm not much of a soloist. I would certainly take it a bit lower if my bread and butter was amplified jazz gigs where I was required to solo regularly.

The band I play guitar in have just released our debut album, which we had a launch gig for last night. We've been playing for several years but somehow I still feel like a bassist moonlighting on guitar! Bass and mixing on this recording is by LawrenceH, sometime of this parish. Here it is, enjoy! [url="http://newurbanfrontier.bandcamp.com/"]http://newurbanfrontier.bandcamp.com/[/url]

If you want something cheap and simple, these aren't bad. I like mine better than the Revolution Solo II pickup I had. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/J-tone-Big-double-Bass-Pick-up-/200613316399?hash=item2eb57c472f:m:mMv8R28HOczqgXmXPBsADZw"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/J-tone-Big-double-Bass-Pick-up-/200613316399?hash=item2eb57c472f:m:mMv8R28HOczqgXmXPBsADZw[/url]

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1446752230' post='2902132'] Does dying whilst getting flaky and astronomically over-rated since count? Syd Barrett. [/quote] I feel like Barrett deserves a sort of respect for [i]not[/i] staging a comeback in his later years. I mean, he did his thing for as long as it worked and then lived out the rest of his life quietly pottering around Cambridge not seeking any recognition. There's a certain dignity in that IMO.

I don't think my passive, bolt-on five string with Jazz pickups sounds significantly different from a four string Jazz.

It gets stranger and stranger; it seems to be the creation of whoever runs this website. I haven't even listened to any of the songs yet and I'm already thoroughly baffled. [url="http://wooftunes.com/"]http://wooftunes.com/[/url]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1446669428' post='2901404'] I have nothing against them and of course would love a fraction of the success they've had, but there's something about their songs that's missing for me. Too formulaic. They do it well, though. But then I'm probably a bit old to be in their target audience... I think they are lacking an element of good old rock 'n roll 'danger' for want of a better word - they're just too [i]nice[/i]. Where are the drugs, the girls, the trashed cars and hotel rooms, the guns? [/quote] I could understand Dave Grohl being less enamored of those bits of the rock n'roll mythology after Kurt Cobain went the way he did. I mean, once you've seen that lifestyle reach its logical conclusion, what is left? I suspect Grohl is a lot happier with becoming middle-aged than if he hadn't got there!

I've experimented with stick-on piezo pickups on a solid body, and they just don't produce anything musical. I think unless the piezo is right under the saddle, it won't get enough of the string vibration and will pick up all the unwanted mechanical noises more than the actual notes played. I could just about imagine using this in some sort of avant-garde noise context, but not for anything more conventional sounding.

The choice will depend on how large your cab is and what porting (if any) it has. A cheap 10" that I can vouch for as sounding fine is the Faital 10FE200. It's not a heavy-duty driver, but with your modest needs that might be OK. The 4 ohm version is more suited to ported cabs and the 8 ohm version to sealed cabs. But otherwise, it may indeed be better value to find a used 4x10 cab.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1446570348' post='2900440'] I would like one heavy string as a drain unblocker. [/quote] I unblocked my bathroom sink with a roundwound 0.130" B string the other week. It was surprisingly effective!

[quote name='Turnaround' timestamp='1446488031' post='2899786'] I don't know that forum, will definitely check it out though and have a look on YouTube for examples of your Hohner being played. [/quote] This would be a good example of the Pianet N. It's thinner than the Wurly but has an interesting crispness to the attack when played hard. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3MX1ypMd78"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3MX1ypMd78[/url]

Alas I don't own one, but it's definitely on the bucket list for me as they're lovely instruments and definitely a whole different experience than playing a digital emulation. I make do with an old Hohner Pianet N which has its own charms (especially for fans of 70's British prog bands) and has some of the same quirks with its flat metal reeds and electrostatic pickup. Have you found the Electric Piano Forum? It's not the liveliest of forums but would could be a good source of information. [url="http://ep-forum.com/epforum/smf/"]http://ep-forum.com/epforum/smf/[/url]

I was talking about this with some of my band at the weekend, as we were listening to this album in the car. The vocals start at 7 minutes into a 13 minute track! Can anyone beat that? [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAWC8gxDpcE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAWC8gxDpcE[/url]

If you've only recently started playing, I'd be hesitant to commit to a fixed height endpin as there is a strong possibility that the height you settle on in the long run might not be the height you have it at now. I know I certainly tried different endpin lengths as I practiced different techniques and developed my posture. I like the option of shortening it to play on a stool too. I'd be more inclined to upgrade your whole endpin assembly to a higher quality one which won't slip, then look at the wooden ones further down the line. On my own bass I have a steel tube type endpin like the one just below the wooden endpins on the page you linked. It has never slipped and has the benefit of being completely adjustable rather than in steps. Usefully, it will also hold a 5/8" hardwood dowel, allowing me to try different materials with minimal expense. I found that a walnut dowel does improve the bottom end and projection somewhat, though the steel tube has a little more brightness and definition.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1446210700' post='2897757'] LIke him or not, Berlin is a monster player who can indeed hold a groove. Whilst he may not be known as a groove player... you only have to listen a tad to know he has that as well. He was well known and well used in the NY session scene and you don't do that if all you have is pyro [/quote] Absolutely, but he does like to rant about the tendency to focus on "groove", and that's what I was semi-jokingly referring to. He's a monster player and his approach and dedication to education deserves respect, even if his music is rarely my cup of tea. Best forget I brought it up...

[quote name='herbass' timestamp='1446194537' post='2897565'] I found the above true with both nyman and pops rosins. However, I bought a tub of kolstein soft about three years ago and it quickly became my favourit for sound, grab and longevity alike. I still use the same bit, although I may be a bit compulsive with putting the lid back on. I had to put it in the fridge once before using it on a hot summer day touring the states. Not much of a problem in the UK... [/quote] So far I've only used Nyman, but as it's probably time for a new tub it might be worth trying the Kolstein.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1446199624' post='2897612'] A piece of paper does not impart the secrets of groove or how to be a useful member of a rhythm section. [/quote] Ooh, Jeff Berlin would be frothing at you for that one! Though TBH I'm pretty sure I'd have more fun going to see your band than his...

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1446119264' post='2897011'] As I have an Eminence Beta 12a here, I measured its response in this very same cab. I have to say, it looks rather good. [/quote] Interesting that you should bring up the Beta 12a, as I picked one up recently that was going very cheaply used. When I get around to it I intend to try it in something close to the cab design being developed here and see it sounds. I have a GK MB200 at the moment and intend to mess around with low powered valve amps at some point in the future, so it may be that the Beta will do a decent job for my needs (and if not, I'm not out by much if I try the Beyma later). Certainly people seem to enjoy them in those TKS cabs, assuming that's what they use.

Aren't the old EV drivers known for being pretty efficient themselves? I'd still be inclined to try it with the Barefaced though, just to hear how it sounded. The B15n may behave a bit differently with a 4-ohm cab than with the intended 8 ohms.

Just to help square things up with what we're hearing on the recordings, can you remember which cab had the healthy one?

If nothing else, it makes me feel a bit better about my own bass building efforts!

I'm obviously a bit out of the loop on this stuff, as when I'm looking to buy gear being sold privately I won't usually consider approaching the seller unless I'm in a position to turn up in person with the asking price in cash, unless the advert explicitly offers postage. Sometimes sellers have kindly offered to drop things off if they're local and in certain circumstances I've offered the same when selling. But lately when advertising things for sale I've had a lot of potential buyers with what seems like a mammoth sense of entitlement, where I'm expected to deliver the item to them without compensation for less than the asking price and they seem offended when I decline to do this. I tend to price things at the low end of market value to begin with, so there comes a point where that just doesn't feel worth doing.

[quote name='scojack' timestamp='1445955485' post='2895678'] How does an expensive bass with the same string length have a 'less floppy B string' than a cheaper model ??!? [/quote] I've never quite understood that idea either. The tone of the B string can be clearer on a well made bass with a stiff neck (I've heard it myself when swapping necks on the same bass) but the tension of the string won't change.