Count Bassy

Thanks for all your thoughts so far chaps. I'm not at all set on buying new, in fact, on principal, I was assuming that I'd be buying second hand! I haven't got a specific budget in mind - it's not so much what I can afford, but how much my level of ability/activity justifies. £200 would not be a problem £600 would be too much. It would be so much easier to justify if the band was gigging regularly and earning small amounts of money. The ideas you've suggested gives me something to think about, both performance wise and whow much I'll need to spend, so thanks. Clive

Thanks for all your thoughts chaps. I'm awaiting some info from the supplier, who is actually talking to Bartolini's about it, and will let you all know the outcome. Hopefully I should be sorted in a few weeks. Re the Ibanez Pickup in the GWB35, I can't really judge if it's any good or not, as I have nothing to compare it with - I've always stuck with the stock pickups (and electrics) on my basses until now. Is this the start of a new GAS avenue? In an ideal world I guess I'd upgrade the electrics first and then decide if I want to change the pickup as well, but as I'll be ordering from the States I might as well get it all in one go and save postage. This will also give me the chance to do an A/B comparison on the two pickups and see what the difference is (and report back here). Any have any specific thoughts on putting a 'Neck wound' pickup in the bridge position? Thanks again, Clive

[quote name='pantherairsoft' post='912381' date='Aug 2 2010, 12:15 AM']EBS Neoline 212. Best cab ever. Light. 600w. Amazing tweeter. Sounds fantastic. 4ohm. Problem solved![/quote] Thanks for your quick reply. I'm sure that they're great, but just looked them up and 'ouch' - £800 worth of ouch (new), and the aquilar 'equivalent' is £700. They're probably worth every penny, but I don't have that many pennies at the moment.

I recently bought a Marshall DBS7400, but don't yet have proper bass cabs to use with it. I've played it through one of my PA Cabs (15" + 8" + Tweeter) and the sound is montrous, even though its an 8ohm cab and the amp is designed to deliver its 400Watts into 2 ohm. Anyway, I seem to really like the sound of 12" cabs (more than 10s and more than 15s), and have been looking around for something suitable. There was a Marshall 4x12 cab going (7412), but this was montrously heavy (74 KG - almost 11 Stone!) and even then was only 4 ohm so still not getting the max out of the amp. So what I'm ideally looking for is a 2 x12" 4 ohm cab, able to take 200 - 300 watts continuous, with very high peak capability (The DBS 7400 can peak at 4000W into 2 ohm) Then I want another one exactly the same so that I can have one on its own, or 2 stacked to give me a 2 ohm 4x12 4-600 watt continuous rig, according to the requirements on the night. I'm guessing that two 2x12s would be a lot easier to handle than one 4 x12, and would also allow me to phase my expenditure. Also being 2x12's it wouldn't have to be lightweight stuff and hence might be cheaper. Marshall themselves used to do '7212' cab, 400W at 4 ohm, wighing in at 32Kg each, so a couple of these might be ideal, but I've never seen one for sale. Anyone got any suggestions (I haven't got a huge budget) Thanks in advance Clive.

Well, I've been in self imposed exile from you lot since March 4th. I have been lurking though and while occassionally tempted I have managed not to post and thus saved myself an awful lot of time. However, I now have a decision to make and these pages seem the obvious place to pick brains, so I've allowed myself back in for a while. Anyway: I have a GWB35 and am on the point of upgrading the pick up and preamp (I've talked about this before, but now it's going to happen). Probably going for a Bartolini NTBTG 918 preamp, or even the prewired loom for this (HR2.2AP). The logic for this choice, which is not nessecarily sound, is that it's one that Ibanez use in the GWB1005, and if it's good anough for Gary Willis.... Also it's a preamp that allows adjustable overall gain (many don't it seems), so I can match the output to some of my other basses. Probably also going for a Bartolini BC5BC pickup. Again the logic for this is not particularly sound (but I've got to start somewhere), but is basically that Bartolini they make the pickups for the GWB1005 (I know that it's not this pickup), and it's the only one of theirs that will fit my existing route. And so to my specific question. The BC5BC comes in neck and bridge variants. The route on the GWB is pretty well in the classic Jazz bridge pickup, which might suggest using the bridge variant, but I'm guessing that the neck pickup, even in this position would give a bit of a rounder/richer tone. So which do I go for? Anyone got any experience of this particular upgrade?, or any comments in general on my plans? Thanks in advance for your thoughts. Clive

Bought a John East BTB01 off Wil. Quick delivery and well packed. Lots of communication. Not convinced that this is the right preamp for me, but Wil's conduct has been impeccable (even offered to take it back), and I'd willingly deal with him again. Clive

Dear all, This place (Basschat) is a great resource and full of great, knowledgable, and helpful people. When I started coming here it was like an Aladdin's cave of information: I heard of basses and bass players that I'd never heard of before (e.g. Jaco Pastorious - not that I'm a fan), and an awful lot about string types, setting up, playing tips, etc etc etc. It still is that Aladdin's cave, but I now find that most of the topics coming up, bass related ones at least, have been covered several times before in my time here, so my learning curve has dropped off somewhat. The problem is that,despite this, I still come here several times a day, checking for updated threads etc. To come to the point, I have come to to the realisation that I spend far far too long on basschat (my wife agrees). It's probably fair to say that I spend more time on BassChat than I do playing bass, which seems a bit perverse and surely the wrong way round? So, does anyone out there have any tips on how to wean yourself off it? I realise that this is actually a silly question as people who have sucessfully done so will not be here reading this thread in the first place. Does anyone else out there have the same concerns about how long they spend here? If so what have thay done about it. If there are others then perhaps we should form a "BassChataholic" selfhelp group?, but then six months later we'd need a "BassChataholic selfhelp group" selfhelp group, and so on and so on. Anyway, I am seriously going to try to cut down (and possibly cut out) the time I spend here, so you'll be seeing/hearing less of me (cue sighs of relief all round), but before I go I'd like to thank you all for what I've learned (including some cracking jokes) and the fellowship etc over the years. You have a great thing going on here, long may it continue. I'm not confident of success so I'll say 'au revoir' rather than 'adieu'. Regards to you all Clive AKA Count Bassy (without orchestra)

[quote name='7string' post='762406' date='Mar 2 2010, 11:45 PM']you can play anything on a fretless that you can on a fretted.[/quote] Except, for me, if playing two notes a distance apart (fretwise) your range is effectively increased on the fretted because you don't have to stretch quite as far. ie you only have to stretch say 3 1/2 frets instead of 4.

Just a word of warning - there are (or were) no spare parts available for the MP3 version. I had one of these and managed to crack the screen (both the plastic cover and the LCD unit itself) - I put it in my trouser pocket and walked into a newall post. Totally my fault, but was dissapointed that I could not buy a spare for what must be the most vunerable part of the whole thing. Tascam did make some amends by selling me a new one at wholesale price, but it still seems a shame that spares are not available. Does anybody out there have a MP3-BT1 that has failed for other reasons? so we could do 'cut and shunt' * job with them. * pronounce with care!

Throwing my Fender Musicmaster bass amp in the skip because it had a hum that I (and the local shop) couldn't get rid of.

[quote name='Low End Bee' post='758389' date='Feb 26 2010, 05:04 PM']Sharing drums (minus snare & tinware) and the bass amp makes sense on a multi band night for quicker change overs. But I'd expect to ask/be asked first. I'd expct guitarists to bring their own amps though.[/quote] +1 but with the addition that if guitarists can be persuaded to share amps as well then that make the change over even quicker. I have this very problem next weekend - I'm trying to get the schedule together for a charity bash. We've got two support bands, a guitarist/singer and the headliners (us) and the timing is tight. The five minute changers are helped by the fact that the two support bands have agreed to share guitar amps as well (they are sort of familiar with each other, which helps). Fortunately we are both organising and headlining it, so if it overruns then we take the hit and cut our set. Obviously from an organising point of view it would be easier to have fewer acts, but of course each band brings its own followers and so means more money for the charity (Leukemia Research) Personally I'll lend my kit to most people and let people have a go, but then its not expensive stuff so I don't feel the need to be precious about it. I must admit that I'm a bit more wary with my anglo concertina (not so much because its worth a lot more, but because it is more easily damaged), but even then am happy to let most people have a (supervised) go.

[quote name='Commando Jack' post='756993' date='Feb 25 2010, 12:51 PM']This isn't entirely true - if a cymbal is hit the wrong way it is possible that it will crack. Hitting the edge with a perpendicular stick (usually because the cymbal is too high) can easily crack a cymbal. Other incorrect setups can put more stress on the cymbal, shortening its lifespan (e.g. tilting the cymbal at extreme angles etc...).[/quote] In my post I did say 'It's unlikely' and you say 'It's possible', so I don't actually see any disagreement between us. It can be 'unlikely but possible'. However as you say, and I hadn't actually considered this, incorrect mounting could/would shorten the life expectancy' cos you'd end up hitting it in a more stressful way. I would still have thought however, and may be wrong, that the older/more used the cymbal the more likely it is to fail if hit incorrectly, simply due to fatigue and work hardening. Any full blown metalurgists out there to give a technical view on this? Is there a 'Cymbalchat' anywhere?

[quote name='Paul_C' post='756626' date='Feb 24 2010, 11:21 PM']. . . do you know, I'm now convinced you must be the most knowledgeable man on the planet as regards cymbals - I shall make sure to put all my cymbal-related questions your way in the future, and refer anyone who might ask me anything about cymbals to you, so you can share your wisdom with them too. Thank you for your insights on the subject. *bows deeply*[/quote] Yor welcome

[quote name='Doddy' post='756080' date='Feb 24 2010, 01:52 PM']If you play them correctly though,they can last for years.I play with people who regularly use cymbals that are 30 or 40 years old,and sound great.[/quote] That's a fair point, but its also unlikely that a new (Non faulty) cymbal would break however hard you hit it with a drum stick (assuming he did use a drum stick and not a mike stand or something!).

[quote name='TRadford' post='755575' date='Feb 23 2010, 10:04 PM']When I was in a band as drummer, the guitarist thought he'd try his Dave Grohl imprerssion on my drums and used my 10" splash as a crash cymbal. Result: a £150 metal frisbee. Another time at one of our gigs, the support band were using my kit. (I wasnt happy about this, but was pushed into it) Come to our set, my favourite £300 crash cymbal is split right down to the bell. How he manged it, I have no idea. No apology or offer to replace it, just walked off. Bastard.[/quote] To be fair to the bloke the crash was probably going to split pretty soon anyway, and he wasn't necessarily abusing it, so you could hardly expect him to replace it with a new one. Unfortunately, by their nature (i.e. they're made of metal and you hit them) cymbals have a limited life. This doesn't excuse his just walking off without an apology or discussion however.

[quote name='noisedude' post='749949' date='Feb 18 2010, 04:41 PM']You guys are great. I'm drowning in work right now so I might not be advancing too far on this before Easter. The Urge is one I definitely was interested in ...... not seen the Hagstrom yet though. And Bronco/Mustang and Epi/Gibbo go on my list too, though I like 'odd' things (read "I want to be different so I can snootily espouse clichés .... because I apparently never stopped being a teenager") so the others might be more up my street. As for a 32" 5-string, that could well be the guitar of my dreams. So I need to find out more about Landing. Thanks for the kind offers from my fellow Yorkshire dwellers, if I don't take you up on them before then, perhaps a chance encounter at an upcoming Bass Bash could be in order? Nik[/quote] As someone just said, the Urge Mk1 is actually 32" (sadly the Urge Mk2 was 34"). I have a Mexican and a USA one and they are both brilliant. Obviously the USA one has a few more bells and whistles, extra pickup, nicer tuners etc etc. but in terms of fundamental playability there is very little to choose between them. I'd thoroughly recommend either of them. And they both come up on Ebay from time to time (not often). Both of mine came from there.The Mex was about £350 (Which I think was probably over the odds, but I was desperate one). The USA one was about £600, which was probably about right).

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='739465' date='Feb 8 2010, 10:00 PM']see ive played with compressors a wee bit, I'll be honest and say I've never seen a use for them for me. this may be due to the random way I use my right hand but ive never seen what they add to my sound, often when using them i get annoyed with something changing the way the notes open out. maybe i'm talking rubbish here feel free to educate me what use they should have![/quote] I agree too. Using a compressor, to me, just seems to take control away from your fingers.

If your paying £50 each for two three meter cables then you could buy a 100M roll of Klotz/Van-damme instrument cable for £70 and have about 10 Neutrik gold plated connectors with the change. A few tools and some heat shrink and you're away. 5 cables of whatever length you want, almost certainly cable left over, all for £100. If you want 'directional' cable then you could use microphone (admitedly more expensive) using the two cores for the signal and earthing the screen at one end (the amp end) only. Or indeed you could use triaxial cable (more expensive again) However, if you're like a Gorilla when it comes to soldering then perhaps not such a good idea. In the realms of industrial controls etc the general philosophy on screening has changed dramatically over the last 15 years or so. It used to follow the 'earth at one end' philosophy, to avoid earth loops, based on most interference being 50Hz mains hum. However the main source of interference these days are higher frequency, e.g. switch mode power supplies, inverter motor drives, computer equipment mobile phones and, for us Musos, Class D amps. I.e. frequecies from 20KHz up to the Gigahertz. Because of this the generally accepted best practice these days (for industrial applications) is to screen at both ends, in fact to bond screens to earth wherever possible, and to use screened shells on all connectors - the idea being to form an uninterrupted Faraday cage around everything. Being screened at one end only can come into its own still at lower frequencies, but then it is quite common to use a twin screened cable with the outer screen earthed at both ends and the inner screen earthed at one end.

[quote name='2x18' post='749905' date='Feb 18 2010, 04:01 PM']Hi Im in Leeds and I have a couple of short scale 30" ( Landing L1 and Mustang Hybrid ) and a couple of Medium scales 32" ( Vantage Japan VS series and a Japan Squier P-Bass ) that you are welcome to come and try out! Will.[/quote] Landing are one of the few people who seem to make a 32" five string, so I'd be interested what you think of your Landing even though I know its a 30" 4 string.

[quote name='gabson' post='737811' date='Feb 7 2010, 02:13 AM']spray mount some kitchen foil into the cavity for the cheapest option![/quote] Problem is that aluminium is only half as conductive as copper, tends to tear, and is a pig to solder to. I would say go with the copper foil, and try to get the stuff with the conductive adhesive.

[quote name='OldGit' post='629054' date='Oct 17 2009, 08:20 PM'] [/quote] A version of The Caerphilly March if I'm not mistaken.

[quote name='walbassist' post='734977' date='Feb 4 2010, 01:03 PM']How about one of these bad boys! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4tozjpRL0c"]Kala U Bass[/url][/quote] I want one! (but there's almost 400 reasons why I can't)

I've got an old Westone Quantum for this very same purpose, although it's so good that I'm tempted to us it for gigs as well. It's a bit like the hohner cricket bat, but: Passive, 32" scale, Headless (but takes single ball end strings), 38" overall length. Two pickups with a tremendous sound. The body is more sculpted than the Hohner and (IMO) looks much nicer. Pictures and a bit of info here: [url="http://www.westone.info/quantum.html"]http://www.westone.info/quantum.html[/url] I've got the black one which I think looks a lot nicer than the red. Should pick one up on E-bay for £150 ish.

[quote name='Marky L' post='733756' date='Feb 3 2010, 09:09 AM']Yeah, under a pseudonym. [/quote] Fair enough - as long as you get the royalties!