Smirfy

So the local branch of Santa's distribution network have suggested, in the face of my general ' bah humbugness' this year that I could be cheered up with the offer of something bass related for the big day ( either that or they want to get me something that will keep me occupied and out of the way!!) I have lost many hours to YouTube looking at drive and distortion pedals, to the point that I am now going round in circles. Ideally I want a drive pedal that can get from some very slight hair up to JJ Burnell/ Stranglers type tone- also think ' Live In Leeds' tone. A big thing for me is it must have a blend knob. Some of the video reviews of the Darkglass Alpha Omega ( or was it Vintage Ultra..I'm getting confused now) sounded like they may get me closeish. What do the Basschatters think?

On 23/11/2020 at 10:30, dmccombe7 said:

This was on another topic but i just couldn't find it.

This was the bass i queried before.

Any idea what it is or is it a hybrid bass put together at Neil's request.

I know he had a P bass with a MM fitted between P pick up and bridge but this looks like 2 humbucker style pick ups with either an early P neck or a Tele neck.

IIRC he has a Sandberg currently with  P and MM setup

2 hours ago, franzbassist said:

Looks like a classic 70s chop job to me, in the nicest possible way of course!

NM was my absolute favourite bass player when I was a lad and Whitesnake were still in their pre-hair phase: the Mark II lineup was a classic.  Not only was Neil a great player, adding wonderfully lyrical yet muscualr basslines to the records, but he always had great tone and was mixed nice and high on the records too.

Very eloquently put. I'm my defence I posted mine during a very long video linked pharmacology lecture during which it became apparent that the lecturer was extremely boring....🤣

Just dug out 'Trouble' and 'Ain't No Love' albums from when he was in Whitesnake. Took me back to my youth! Lovely lines and quite different from the pedalled root notes from alot of other blues rock bands at the time .

12 hours ago, jrixn1 said:

An update.  My Aguilar pickup arrived today and I put it in, and removed the Sandberg preamp.  It's loads better now.   Whether it's woody or not, who knows, but I am getting the classic P bass tone which I wasn't before.   I use Dunlop flats too btw, good choice.  I didn't shield the cavity as it turns out it's already shielded.

That's encouraging. I have my pits cap and other bits and pieces. Just waiting for the pup now, then I'll get to work! Yep 'woody' is obv a very subjective term, but if I can get close to that classic P tone I'll be a happy chap!

Have a look at some software called Transcribe. Allows you to slow down an MP3 or other sound file with out changing pitch, . You can loop sections etc too .Free trial for 30 days . I think the company is seventh string maybe. No affiliation, just been using this for the last few months. Of course you need some kind of interface to play your bass thru the PC. Hope that helps

Peace

S

Creamery 58...check

Cts 250ohm vintage taper pots ...check

Orange drop .047 cap Check

One amazingly built great feeling Sandberg VS4 that just needs a little help in the sound dept...check

Reckon I'm good to go!

👍😁

1 hour ago, fretmeister said:

Go passive as well. Use 250k pots. 500k are likely to be too bright.

 

This might be a bridge too far...it would leave an open hole in the pickguard that may give my OCD a hard time lol! I have actually already emailed Sandberg to see if they can do me a  2 hole scratchplate...they don't show them in their webshop but they do a passive VS4 so I guess they are available.

On 12/11/2020 at 20:00, Cuzzie said:

Creamery 58 P pickup

Quite simply the best Split coil pick up out there

I've taken a gamble ( or maybe not given your comment Cuzzie....) and ordered a 58 P. Handmade in the UK by a small independent company with a great reputation. About 6 weeks for delivery, I hope it's worth the wait!

Thank for the tips everyone. Dood, I can't really afford a cab change ATM, bit I'll bear it in mind. Re a pickup change, I wouldn't mind trying that, are you suggesting getting rid of the preamp and going all passive, or just swapping out the pup?.

Already got flats on, will try foam under the strings too.

Cheers all stay safe

Hi all,

I mainly lurk here and can generally find the answers to any question I may have by searching around. But this one eludes me.

I have a lovely Sandberg VS4 with the Sandberg branded P pickup, playing either into a Phil Jones Headphone amp or an RH 450 head into an Aguilar Gs112. I can' t find that woody P bass tone that I know and love. It is likely inexperience on my part, however any tips would be greatly appreciated. I have Dunlop flats, and am not averse to a pickup change if necessary. I know tone is in the fingers but players I'm feeling out over at the moment include George Porter Jr and Kevin Scott

Thanks for any help 😁👍

Hi all, thanks some good stuff here! I've watched that video a couple of times, and it seems that make sense. It's not exactly what NicktheBass was saying but having done some more research it seems that there is more than one answer to my original question and it looks like both answers are correct!!  Back to the he woodshed for me then! Thanks again

S

PS I noticed the image on the video wasn't CMajor too, so that's a breakthrough moment for me!!! ( Althought I didn't know what scale it was lol)

Hi all, I have made a return to bass after a long time away. I was always a rocker and was good enough to hold a spot in a gigging band, but sadly lacked any theory or real understanding of why what I was playing sounded good ( or not!). So given lockdowns and reduced social freedoms, I'm trying to start from scratch and trying to learn some stuff along the way. I have developed an appreciation for funk and also dipping my toe into jazz. I have started working on Scott Devices Jazz beginner series that deconstructs Autumn Leaves and looks at creating walking bass lines. So here's my beginner question... What is meant by scale position? Lets say I'm playing C major starting on the A string 3rd fret for 1 octave across the D and G string. What position is that? and where is the next position, or the previous? I can see that it is not to do with what finger you start with, or what fret you start from, so is it the first position that you can start playing the scale from the root note? That doesn't seem right to me either. I have googled and searched here but either I don't understand what I am reading, or I am seeing conflicting info. Any help gratefully received

Thanks

S

My understanding is that if you measure from the nut to the 12th fret and double it, the result is your scale length. On a related topic, I have read that it is good practice to only have the silk wrapped around the tuning peg and that having the thick part of the string wrapped around the peg can cause the string to break. In the case of fender style headstocks on 34 inch scale basses it seems that most long scale strings are too long, meaning the thick part of the string wraps around the post. Do people use medium scale length strings or are these too short?

Not meaning to hijack, I thought this was relevant here

Happy Christmas!!

Wishing everyone here a Merry Christmas!!. and for myself this year...a Sandberg VS4  gloss 3 tone sunburst with pearl dots!!! 7lb 8oz apparently! Really wanted the hardcore aged but couldn't justify the extra cost to myself. Hoping for delivery before the big day...pics of my actual bass taken from sellers website-I hope this is allowed

Hello world!! I have just signed up here, having been lurking for a few months. I 'played' bass many years ago in a few college bands and we even did a few gigs. I have now picked up the instrument again and am working on learning to play properly ( who knew that u didn't have to play root notes only!!????), and I'm also trying to learn a bit of theory along the way. I have always been a rock kind of bloke, but I have recently started listening to bands like Forq, Snarky Puppy and Vulfpeck, the bassists of which inspire me and infuriate me in equal measures! It's a slow process but I'm having fun! Gear wise I got a deal on a mid 2000s Warwick Corvette , a TC RH450 and an Aguilar GS112. And a pedal tuner. 

Thanks for letting me join, hope u r all having a great day!!