Beer of the Bass

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1445347961' post='2890739'] With a spectrum analysis on the source files, I was surprised to learn that the noticeable difference is that A has a peak at 400Hz that B doesn't have, and is much stronger around 3khz. B is 6db down at those frequencies. Other than that they are very similar. Obviously these aren't perfect samples but there were some other samples from both, and it is borne out in those too. [/quote] I think it may be that 400Hz content that I like less about the first recording - it sounds sort of boxy to my ears.

There's a Fender Custom Shop P-Bass which has the mute mechanism from a Jaguar guitar installed, and Jaguar mute kits are quite easily obtainable. I've seen threads about this over on that other bass forum: [url="http://www.talkbass.com/threads/installing-a-jaguar-mute-on-a-p-bass.1021488/"]http://www.talkbass.com/threads/installing-a-jaguar-mute-on-a-p-bass.1021488/[/url] It looks quite neat but you do have to drill holes.

I like recording B better out of those two.

[quote]Some guys need to find the perfect compressor just as badly as some gals need to perfect a new scale. There is no right or wrong way to develop, just be yourself.[/quote] Ah, if only this interview had been available when basschat had the notorious compressor thread!

I suspect this will not be the last time this is listed. He'll find some spurious reason not to go through with the sale and then relist it, I reckon.

It looks like it's a little cheaper straight from the author. Perhaps I'll check it out myself at some point. [url="http://www.tylerbasses.co.uk/page4.html"]http://www.tylerbasses.co.uk/page4.html[/url]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1445014954' post='2888225'] What was that about..? They were sometimes in black bin liners, too. Quite often accompanied by a knotted old dobbie full of spongle. Why did the nation dispose of their unwanted bongo mags under hedges in the 70s? Obviously not as concerned about recycling back then, I suppose. [/quote] It went on well into the 80s, at least in our neighbourhood. There were little stashes of them dotted around the patch of trees we used to play in, and no-one knew who put them there...

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1445013470' post='2888203'] Hipshot got it badly wrong with the Ric bridge, I'm almost tempted to say it was designed by an infiltrator from Ric. If I get another Ric it's going to be wearing a BBOT [/quote] Isn't the spacing on a BBOT way off Rickenbacker spacing? I'd be tempted to go with something like a Schaller roller bridge (for the adjustable spacing) with a Geddy-style surround (maybe made from mirror acrylic) so that it looks good from a few feet away and hides the routing.

[quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1444995328' post='2887959'] I wonder if it will sound as good as this fine Kay guitar from the 1970s (ass advertised in the Gratton catologue)... [/quote] I had one of those for a little while, it was a fun charity shop find. The effects were awful, except for the Fuzz which was crude but useable. The best "feature" was entirely accidental - by lodging the effects bypass switch halfway between on and off it would connect the input and outputs together, causing howling feedback noises which could be modulated with the controls.

[quote name='Number6' timestamp='1444921933' post='2887384'] Seasick Steve is a luthier.....or at least i prefer his less than pretentious creations for his instruments which don't look like grandfather clocks on straps. [/quote] I dunno, you could argue that for a wealthy and successful artist like Seasick Steve to keep up his hobo shtick and backyard lash-up instruments is actually kind of pretentious, or at least an affectation. I certainly felt like that when seeing him sing "Never met a rich man that I liked" with his friend John-Paul Jones on bass, who is on the Times rich list. The original blues guys would tend to go out and get themselves fantastic tailored suits and ostentatious instruments once they made some money!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1444982758' post='2887776'] Eminence, I believe. Not sure of the specifics. [/quote] Yes, the quoted specs for the cab match the Beta 12 quite closely so I'd be interested to find out whether it's the stock Beta 12 or a tweaked OEM version. It's a respectable driver, a little less capable than some of the state-of-the-art stuff though that would make sense if they're going for the particular sort of colouration it has which lots of bassists like.

Out of curiosity, has anyone had a peek inside their S112 to see what driver they're using? I'm curious to see if Stevie's guess elsewhere on the forum is correct!

I've not seen them in the flesh, but Matamp look like they've kept up the quality. The newer ones look very well built indeed.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1444558854' post='2884011'] IME having a single saddle for each pair of strings makes an 8-string bass unplayable due to tuning issues above the 7th fret. [/quote] Isn't that one of these Schallers on there? It does look like an oddly thought out bass though. I hope it's not really one-piece pine (softwood for an 8-string neck?), and who plays an eight string bass guitar in upright position?

I think I've said this before, but someone really needs to start an MDP fan page on facebook, both to further appreciation of his, erm, unique work and to make the job of the mods on here a little easier. There are some real gems among his other listings at the moment, but I presume that this may not be the place to bring them up.

Is that a really, really bad attempt at an epoxied fretless fingerboard where they've got carried away and epoxied on the bolt-on neck too, with big globs of extra epoxy dribbled about all over the bass? I would hesitate even to use it in a wood stove - those epoxy fumes are nasty!

It's kind of a cool time capsule; it's obviously spent most of the 80's in anarcho-punk bands, strings and all.

I very much doubt that your Markbass uses 600 watts of power when running at low volume or idling. That energy has to go somewhere, so if it was using 600 watts of power and only putting out 10 watts to the speaker when playing at low volume, it would have to be dissipating the other 590 watts as heat. Unless it gets very, very hot indeed I don't think that could be the case.

I think that would be the right orientation, as on a standard P90/Humbucker magnet the poles are the two long edges.

I had a valve amp where the bottom end felt a little too loose at volume, and I had good results with reducing the value of the cathode bypass caps in the preamp just enough to roll off some of the sub-100Hz stuff, which tightened it right up. If you wanted to get fancy you could even put a switch in.

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1444075075' post='2880148'] I spent a good 10 minutes wondering why the bassist was not in shot. He is making a sublime noise with his left hand. [/quote] His left hand bass is great, it has a really nice feel to it. I can't help but feel that his chord voicings on the Rhodes are a little on the sparse side though, which I guess is inevitable with only one hand free.

I bought a Squier P-bass neck from Dunc. He let me know what was going on with delivery and the packaging was very thorough. It turns out to be a nice neck too, so I'm more than happy with that.

The Boss RE20 does sound very good in the demos - I'll have to go and try one out. I had a Roland RE201 a few years ago which I really, really regret selling, and it seems like the RE20 captures a fair bit of that sound.

That's a very impressive finish job on the sides! The bridge looks very close to the original too. I've got to ask, how does it sound?

The Wampler does sound good in the demos, though would be a touch more than I was hoping to spend. Some of the Catalinbread pedals look great too. I think GuitarGuitar in Edinburgh have quite a few of those in stock, so I should really pop round and try some things. It's interesting, most of the BBD analogue delays I've heard are too dark sounding for what I have in mind, so digital of some sort would appear to be the way. A tape echo can be quite bright, just not in a clean sounding way. Adjusting to a pedal might be tricky, as I've got into the habit of putting the Melos on top of my amp and turning round to tweak the knobs regularly. That's a bit harder to do with something on the floor! I might have to look at using some sort of loop switching pedal with it so that I can still do that.