Jazzmaster62

On 24/05/2019 at 10:53, Bassic_Science said:

My fellow low end enthusiasts, I call upon your collective wisdom to help me with my dilemma regarding strings.

I've been playing my lovely Squier VM 70's Jazz since 2005 which has undergone a lot of modifications to the point where only the body and neck are still original - the electronics, tuners, bridge all being replaced over time to make the beast into what it is today.

Now, enough about the bass itself and onto the real issue. Strings. Yes, strings. Another one of those threads.

My issue is that I've got hands that sweat like a deluge when I play and they kill roundwounds fast. Like ridiculously fast. As in I once put on a new set of Ernie Ball Slinky's, and they were dead after 2 hours of a band practice fast. So began my search for decent roundwounds that I could get good amount of life from. I've tried every brand I could get my hands on, from Rotosound, Ernie Balls, D'Addario, GHS, all the way to Dunlops. You name it, I've probably played the coated, non-coated, stainless steel, and nickel version of it. Ended up settling on D'Addario Nickels for a good while since they were the best bang for buck at the time. After my stint in the gigging scene of my youth, I discovered flatwounds, specifically TI Jazz Flats, and that changed the game. I had a string that could last a good long while and sounded better with time. But then the email came in, you know the one. The one titled: We need a bass player! And soon, before you know it, you're knee deep in it, and trying to find new excuses to tell your partner to justify buying gear that you may need (but in reality you really don't!). I soon realised that my TI flats were not up to snuff for the sound we needed. The band plays a lot of rock covers from Jefferson Airplane, the Who, Oasis, Steriophonics, Foo Fighters, the Pixies, (really a lot of '90s, to early '00s with the occasional '60s, '70s, '80s song thrown in the mix). They were ok for a time but they just lacked that edge you get from roundwounds. So I went back to my tried and true roundwounds of D'Addario Nickels (0.45 - 0.65 - 0.85 - 0.105).

And then the string killing hand sweat came back and has effectively killed them in a reasonable amount of time. So after showing my partner the cost of a new set of strings and explaining the issue in painstaking detail till her eyes glazed over, she asked the question after regaining consciousness of why not find a brighter flatwound that will last you a while?

So here I am, seeking your wisdom on some brighter flats. I've tried chromes, found them a bit stiff and definitely a higher tension that my nickels and TI flats. I hear everyone lately ranting about the new Ernie Ball Cobalts. But what about Rotosound Jazz Bass 77s? How are the tension on these two sets? What do they sound like a bit more settled in (in other words, after a few months of play, maybe even a year onward)? Is there another more modern sounding flat I am unaware of that is worth a look? Help me Basschat, you're not my only hope but hopefully you'll give it a try!

PS. Apologies about this long winded story which probably could have been summed up in less than 3 sentences. But if you made it this far, then good on you!

 

Ernie Ball Cobalts or GHS Pressurewounds are worth a shot. 

Games are harder to share on the internet than music too...

People say rock is dead just to be cool. Some idiot usually spouts it once a year... rock is not mainstream but that doesn't mean it's dead - far from it. 

Be aware that they might be a photo of tort, not swirled celluloid which is the good stuff. 

Steel. Because if it's too bright I can tame the treble. You can't get more brightness out of nickels. 

On 16/05/2019 at 09:11, markdavid said:

Hi all
I have a gig to prepare for in 9 days time with a band I have joined fairly recently and looking for some pointers on how to prepare.
Our singer booked the gig a few days ago, he knew we would have a lot to learn as due to various factors we can only rehearse once a week but the only reason we were able to get the gig is that the band that was booked for that day cancelled so I totally understand why he jumped on the opportunity.

So far we have around 26 songs 8 of which are originals the rest are covers, some of these songs we haven't even played together yet, I would estimate we are confident on probably half of the songs, looking for pointers on how to prepare, any tips for remembering the songs etc, even if we are far from perfect I would like to know that I did a job that was at least competent , thanks

Rehearse as much as possible with the band between now and the gig.

Practice the songs yourself as much as possible between now and the gig. 

But easy to read from a distance... 

Harmonics? 

Isn't it just a preamp like most DI pedals? 

Isn't this why we voted Brexit? 

Does anyone know what size screw is normally used to secure the thumb rest?

6 hours ago, Jus Lukin said:

Reality is clearly subjective...

customguitarboxes.com is the one not working. 

15 minutes ago, KiOgon said:

I've bought them from Guy Lewis, beautifuly hand made and very reasonable prices - UK. I think he's at customguitarboxes.com or similar.

Edit: Found this; https://www.flickr.com/photos/23213730@N03/albums/72157607882315310/with/2928990090/

 

That web address doesn't exist.

Where can you buy one? 

Does such a thing exist for bass? 

On 05/05/2019 at 08:58, dudewheresmybass said:

The orange burst is a total sleeper of a pedal. 

Fits beautifully into most of the bands I play with (with minimal tweaking)

for my money it is incredibly hard to beat at almost any price. 

 

Finally got to use my Orange Burst at war volume last night and wow! Really impressed at what it can do. Tons of bottom end still and a nice gain breakup when pushed. Best £20 I've ever spent. 

Class D! Oh no! It must sound terrible. 

Mr Bungle - California. Great album. 

For every Hendrix/Beatles/Who/Cream lover, there is a person who believes they are the worst act of all time. No change in 50 years! 

Just FYI we normally tune E standard to 440 pitch. 

Not sure how much difference this would make but a friend recently told me that his band now all own the same tuner so tuning will be more accurate in live situations.

I have owned a Pitchblack for years with no issues whilst my guitarist runs a TU-3.

Is there really any difference in the real world? 

On 28/01/2019 at 13:59, dannybuoy said:

The Mojomojo is quite dark so I could see how it wouldn't work for everyone. But I do feel it fits the description of 'warmer vintage style tone' very well. A bit like the Bearfoot Blueberry, it's quite dark and squishy sounding, not the best if you want to hear the clang of roundwound strings, but perfect for classic rock or RnB.

How much does the MojoMojo colour your sound? I play in a power trio and am after a 'warmer', more 'valvey' type of sound to fill out the room. I feel sometimes with OD pedals that they completely change your original tone - is this the case here? 

FYI - I use a Jazz bass with SS strings into a Markbass combo. 

Thanks for all the thoughts guys.

I've always gone pre EQ and let the sound guy do his thing. I very rarely use effects (actually never) except a touch of grit from an OD. 

On 02/05/2019 at 20:25, Ricky 4000 said:

 

Ooo, I just won a fleabay auction for one of those bad-boys, for my maximum bid of £15.05p.

(beat somebody who's maximum was £15.01p. If you're looking in, D***4 - sorry about that! 😃)

👍

Let us know how you get on!

Plenty of advice already on here if you do a search.