Baloney Balderdash

In the cheap end Cort Action Jr. :

Yes you can! As Bill suggested, if you use this a lot and like going that low, maybe get a crossover filter (cutting out the ultra low end from the signal fed to your bass cab and feeding it to a subwoofer instead) and a subwoofer, which are designed to handle those ultra low frequencies. Also if you are feeling pressure in your ears it's time to wear earplugs, or if you already do get some that dampens the sound level even more.

Have you actually listened to those tracks (I mean the isolated bass tracks on YouTube)? Of course I have no way to know the authenticity of them, and they could also be live tracks, but the horriblyness of them is very real, and it seem consistent on the ones I have been able to find. Now listen to isolated bass tracks by someone like John Entwistle and it's a whole other deal, those sound absolutely awesome. Also making something work doesn't mean that it couldn't be better, I guess it just speaks of how small a role bass plays in Queen tracks, as said imagine Freddie Murcry doing a similar sloppy job and the tracks would have been unlistenable. And I am not talking about them not being perfect, I am talking about them being right out horrible, there's a big difference.

Just listened to some of those isolated tracks you are talking about, and not to talk bad about John Deacon, but I am just flabbergasted with how right out terrible that sounded, first of all it just didn't sound good, as the actual tone of the bass, sounded like a wet fart, next the intonation was way off in many of the isolated bass tracks I heard, like no one bothered setting it at all before recording, or at any point for that matter, and lastly they were all a pure slop fest, inconsistent in every possible way, dynamics jumped up and down and were all over, not just the different sections, which could be explained by song dynamics, but between single notes, really often not hitting notes clean, extremely sloppy slides, and really bad timing too, which clearly couldn't just be the natural flow of the songs, were talking about a serious tempo slur, especially when he was playing several fast notes in a row, almost like he stumbled over his own fingers every time he attempted to do so. If it was me playing that bass I would feel very bad about it and demand a retake, or even ask if I could come back and do my takes another day (I assume they didn't actually had a very limited studio budget that wouldn't allow for this), cause that day I clearly just didn't seem to be able to play bass properly. I know this sounds harsh and seems like I am just putting John Deacon down for the sake of it, but it's really just that I am honestly shocked by what I heard and how consistently bad it was between the 5 tracks of isolated bass I heard. 1 track like that could be excused, but at this point I am getting the impression that he simply was just not a very skilled bass player, but just got lucky being in a very successful band and that non of the other or their record company seemed to mind, imagine if Freddie Mercury's vocals had been this sloppy and poorly produced/mixed. I know, it sounds fine in the mix, but in my opinion that is despite how carelessly it was played and produced/mixed, not because of the people responsible for it, mainly John Deacon as he was the one playing it (and I guess you could argue that the producer/mixing guy actually did a good job, making something so badly played actually work), did a good job. Sorry for going off topic too, I am just genuinely in shock.

Sisters! Brothers! Small Boats Of Fire Are Falling From The Sky! (by Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra)

There really isn't such a thing as professional or amateur instruments , only professional and amateur players.

As I wrote in my last reply in this topic I temporarily dropped the EHX Black Finger, tube driven optical compressor, that acted as sort of a tube preamp stage in my setup, more so than a compressor really, becuase the tubes in it went bad, but, while I still think it is an amazing pedal, I have now decided to drop it permanently, after getting lowly Art Tube MP Project Series (which I replaced the crappy cheap stock chinese tube in with an EHX 12AX7EH tube). Now while this tube preamp actually is a step above the cheapest tube preamp Art offers, it still utilizes a straved tube plate circuit and is a bit under half the price of what the EHX Black Finger costed from new when it was still in production, however I really love what it does to my tone, and I've read up on it and actually starved tube plate circuits is supposed to result in the tubes coloring your tone more than tubes run at proper high voltage, rather than less as it is commonly believed, just in a much more nonlinear way, meaning that they will break up earlier and produce more uneven harmonics. I've managed to find a blog with someone claiming they measured the actual plate voltage of this Art preamp, and they claim it is 70V, which, while being nowhere near anything like the 200 to 300V voltage that would be considered a proper tube plate voltage, would still be higher than most other straved plate tube circuits on the market. Whatever that means in practical terms I have no idea of, but replacing the cheap stock Chinese tube with a proper quality Rusian made one made a huge difference tone wise, and the effect this preamp has on my tone, as the last device in my chain before the amp, is incredible. It adds a really nice touch of rich warm tube flavor and slight compression that sort of rounds off the upper most sharp edge of my tone, eliminating any harshness, but while still retaining the bite and zing of it. This is a full thorough walk through of all the always on pedals in my signal chain that technically could be considered "tone" pedals (used for my ampless setup for my 4 string 28,6" scale Ibanez Mikro Bass, tuned to G1 standard tuning, as in 3 half steps above regular E standard 4 string bass tuning, equipped with a DiMarzio Model P P pickup wired directly to the output jack socket, and run through an always on 1 octave up effect mixed with clean signal, giving an effect similar to an 8 string "octave" bass with pairs of respectively bass and octave strings) : TC Electronic SpectraComp (always on, fully customizable, 3 band, compressor, with my own customized toneprint) ->> Boss LS-2 [A+B Mix <-> Bypass] (parallel effect loops mixer/switch) ->> ={ [Loop A Send] ->> [Loop A Return] ->||<- [Loop B Send] ->> Joyo Orange Juice (always on, relatively low gain, Orange amp style, overdrive, with the Tone control at noon, and the Voice control at about 2 O'clock (which would mean an about +4dB pre gain stage boost of a quite broad curve around an 800Hz center frequency), that is always mixed with the clean signal from parallel effects [Loop A] at an about 60% Orange Juice/40% clean signal ratio) ->> [Loop B Return] }=>> Zoom G1 Four (exclusively used as an always on EQ, utilizing five 1 band fully parametric equalizers to fine tune the tone, using following settings: Frq: 63Hz Q: 3.6 +1.5dB /-/ Frq: 200Hz Q: 2.6 +1dB /-/ Frq: 250Hz Q: 2.1 +1.5dB /-/ Frq: 400Hz Q: 1.5 +2dB /-/ Frq: 1khz Q: 3.1 +2dB) ->> Behringer BEQ700 Bass Graphic Equalizer (always on, using the following settings: 50Hz ~+1dB /-/ 120Hz ~+1dB /-/ 400Hz ~+1dB /-/ 800Hz ~+2dB, and the 4.5kHz band cut about -1dB and 10kHz band cut about -15dB) ->> Art Tube MP Project Series (tube preamp)

One of the best and most beautiful songs ever written :

Low from "Things We Lost in the Fire" :

Syd Barrett :

I don't think his tone is really all that special and unique (though I do really like it and thinks it sounds awesome in the context), and to me it is even pretty obvious that it comes from a P Bass, sounds very much like most mildly overdriven/distorted P Bases equipped with steel roundwound strings played with a pick and an EQ leaning towards the upper mids/lower treble frequency region would. To me, while maybe not being the traditional P Bass tone for pop and more mellow types/genres of music, but still being a fairly common kind of P Bass tone (or at least something somewhat around that ballpark) in punk and similar types of more aggressive music, it's definitely an undeniable and unmistakably P Bass tone. And if I was going for that kind of tone my first thought would be to use a P Bass, since they, equipped with roundwound strings and played with a pick, got that very specific kind of raunchy/unpolished, sort of griddy/dirty bite and snap to them, which to my knowledge is pretty unique to P Basses and similar basses with a P style middle position pickup (a Rickenbacker for instance in comparison in that same kind of setup/context would produce a slightly thinner, less snappy and more clanky, but also somewhat more polite, less raunchy, kind of tone, not having quite the same bold/"rude"/careless sort of rough "in your face" edge to it). Ironically it is that very same somewhat dirty/unpolished character unique to P pickups that gives such a warm, round, thumpy fat tone to a P Bass equipped with flatwound strings, when playing non aggressive finger style, and using a more bass focused EQ.

Proco Turbo Rat (or clone, for example the excellent Mooer Black Secret, or really cheap but non the less great and particularly great for bass the Mosky Black Rat, in Turbo mode) + Boss LS-2 (for clean blend). Or for much more options and incredible tweak-ability, almost guaranteed to be capable of just the right high gain bass distortion that you hear in your head, the Source Audio Aftershock (capable of blending 2 different distortion or overdrive effects in parallel or stacking them in series from an impressive list of models + clean blend, as well as a really extensive EQ section (for each distortion/overdrive effect used, clean signal, pre/post, you name it). Don't judge it on being digital, I guarantee you or anyone else won't be able to tell the difference, really high quality modeling, just watch the YouTube videos featuring it). Edit!!! : Sorry, didn't read your OP properly through, neither of my suggestions would really work if you insist on keeping your nano pedal board, but I would still recommend you to at least look into the Source Audio Aftershock bass distortion and consider weather it might be worth it, you should be able to fit it on your nano pedal board if you scrap one of the pedals currently on it, or eventual just use your Diamond compressor as a single pedal detached from your pedal board that you then would just place beside the board and connect to the other pedals like that and then let the Aftershock take it's current place on the board.

The Cure :

Is a cheap, lightweight, minimum 200W, powered, full range, flat response cab, with a flat response at max. 50Hz, and ideally with some kind of control over the high frequency tweeter as well, too much to ask for? I would think yes, by far most likely, but I am open for suggestions of something that at least somewhat approximates that.

I use my Zoom G1 Four exclusively as an always on equalizer, utikizing a patch of 5 of the 1 band fully parametric equalizer model. I also own and use a Zoom G1Xon that I use exclusively for my reverb effects, having 4 different reverb patches set up, consisting of following : a very subtle, always on, main plate reverb :-: a more prominent plate + hall reverb :-: a thick lush plate + hall + tape delay reverb :-: and finally an extremely thick and lush reverb pad used with volume swells consisting of plate + hall + tape delay reverb Finally I also own a Zoom MS-70CDR multi stomp pedal, but unfortuanately it is faulty, sometimes randomly not actually adding the effects of the active patch or to random degrees sucking the tone of my signal, though other times functioning exactly as it should, both tried re-installing the firmware and re-set it to factory settings, but unfortunately not helping the issue. I wouldn't ever use any of the Zoom digital multi effects for dirt effects or amp modeling but beside that I think they actually do a wonderful job with most of the featured modulation, delay and reverb effects. Zoom came a long way from the absolute horrible digital multi effects they came out with in the 90's, to such a degree that I personally prefer the current and previous generation of Zoom effects to the corresponding more expensive Boss digital multi effects.

Been working on my amp-less setup for a while (for my 4 string 28,6" scale Ibanez Mikro Bass, tuned to G1 standard tuning, as in 3 half steps above regular E standard 4 string bass tuning, equipped with a DiMarzio Model P P pickup wired directly to the output jack socket, and run through an always on 1 octave up effect mixed with clean signal, giving an effect similar to an 8 string "octave" bass with pairs of respectively bass and octave strings), and I think it finally has reached it's final form with the arrival of the Art Tube MP Project Series tube preamp that I ordered from Thomann last Friday night. I did however replace the "hand picked premium selected" ( ...yeah, right... ) cheap Chinese stock tube, which had a prominent exquisite thin fizzy and harsh top tire Chinese premium crapiest of all crap tonal quality to it (which I suppose must have been the parameters Art instructed their official "tube hand-picker" in chief to aim for), with a proper quality Russian made EHX 12AX7EH preamp tube, which made a huge difference. So the tube in this preamp is definitely no cheap gimmick (don't quite understand the reasoning behind Art choosing to save a fairly minimal amount of production bucks by equipping this preamp with a horrible sounding tube from factory though, as it definitely doesn't give the customers the right impression of the overall actual quality of the unit). Though I am perfectly aware that this is in the cheaper end of tube preamps on the market, and that it utilizes a starved tube plate circuit, however I've read in a blog somewhere, written by someone who actually measured the tube plate voltage of this preamp, that it still runs at about 70V, which, while quite a bit more than most other starved tube circuits on the market, still is a long way up to the about 200 to 300V that, as far as I know, usually is considered the optimal plate voltage to run preamp tubes at. Non the less it does a great job at adding a really nice touch of rich warm tube flavor and slight compression, just taking the upmost sharp edge of my bass signal (not to be confused with tone sucking), sort of rounding off the harshness of my signal in a really beautiful way, while still retaining the bite and zing of it. This is how the Art Tube MP Project Series tube preamp looks : This is the specs sheet : And here's how my always on amp-less setup looks in it's entirety on written form : TC Electronic SpectraComp (always on, fully customizable, 3 band, compressor) ->> Boss LS-2 [A+B Mix <-> Bypass] (parallel effect loops mixer/switch) ->> ={ [Loop A Send] ->> [Loop A Return] ->||<- [Loop B Send] ->> Joyo Orange Juice (always on, relatively low gain, Orange amp style, overdrive, that is always mixed with the clean signal from parallel effects [Loop A] at an about 60% Orange Juice/40% clean signal ratio) ->> [Loop B Return] }=>> Zoom G1 Four (exclusively used as an always on EQ, utilizing five 1 band fully parametric equalizers to fine tune the tone by boosting the 63Hz, 200Hz, 250Hz, 400Hz, and 1khz frequency bands +1 to +2 dB) ->> Behringer BEQ700 Bass Graphic Equalizer (always on, with the 50Hz, 120Hz, 400Hz, and 800Hz band boosted ever so slightly (~ +1 to +2 dB), and the 4.5kHz and 10kHz band cut repsectively about -5dB and -15dB) ->> Art Tube MP Project Series (tube preamp) ->> [ Either : ->> headphones preamp ->> headphones (for home practice) /Or/ ->> mixer/poweramp ->> PA speaker/full range cabinet (for band rehearsals/jamming/gigging) ]

I actually once owned the 60W 1969 version of the B-15S. Got it cheap, for what equals just about 300£ from a second hand music gear shop in the mid 90's (including the original flip top cabinet). Was one hell of a great amp, and I regret much being stupid enough to let go of it again, after it having served me well for over 10 years, even if I these days actually really prefers the tone I get from solid state amps. Still I wouldn't mind getting one again, or the newer still in production Ampeg PF-50T, or even just the PF-20T, for that matter, if I ever get that kind of money to spare again. Just to have that kind of tone in my arsenal.

That could actually work, yes. But, yeah, definitely not worth it.

Seems to me like you might be missing the context. That solution would still have the issue by the transition from the fretless part right after the headstock to the first fret on the upper part of the neck towards the bridge, don't see how this solves the issue of that transition. Beside I am not getting worked up by the person suggesting it, we all suggests some stupid things from time to time without thinking things properly through, but I am just honestly puzzled why that person would still insist on being right after being explained how his suggestion wouldn't work and why.

I don't get how you refuse to accept some quite simple and basic principles of physics and common sense. I really honestly don't. Doctor J already explained perfectly well why what you suggests wouldn't work and how you can test it yourself if you for some reason are unable to visualize the issues it would result in. But whatever, as long as you don't try to talk anyone into actually doing it and succeeds I guess no harm is done, so let's just leave it at that.

At this point I have hard time believing you are not joking.... Seriously?.... It's all most on the same level as in don't understanding why a time machine would be so complicated to build when you can just turn the time on your watch backwards. Answer me this, how does frets work, how come a tone is produced when you press a finger behind one of them, and what happens if your string action is too low? It's really really basic physics to the point where it's really more of just being common sense.