Ajoten

I have this crisis every year or so re wondering what the point is, playing bass, when always overlooked and undermixed etc. Or whether my expectations are a bit unreal. So tell me this: the band finished this album, but I almost threw in the towel when thought my er carefully crafted bassin' treated as - dunno - extension of drum kit? Few extra strings of a guitar? Instead of having equal billing with other instruments. 

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/fGTX1

Do YOU think the bass is loud/clear enough? And do YOU think it sounds similar volume/clarity vs other people's output these days*? (It is mastered btw). Coz rest of band thought on the verge of being too prominent tbh. So I on the verge of giving up.

*My take? Everyone's bass unfairly nudged down in mixes. Always. With the exception of Esperanza Spalding, whose producers nail it.

Oh, imagine being able to hear oneself clearly enough in a live situation to know that one's intonation is out! What joy!

1 hour ago, Lo-E said:

...You should be playing exactly on the dots...

This is what I thought/expected, however my finger is thicker than the dot. The harmonics, for example, are directly above the dot, but this means that the "leading edge" of my finger has to be where the dot is. Not the middle of the finger. If that makes sense.

I'm not quite sure of the best way of practising the fretless. I obviously as a beginner am looking at the dot markers on the (unlined) neck, but I need to be very careful with finger placement, as it needs to be just behind the dot rather than on it, as it one's finger edge that has to be in the right place. That's kinda fine as one has a basis for remembering. But if somebody advised you NOT to look at the neck, how on earth do you orient yourself? There are no clues, it all feels the same. Perhaps, as with fretted (for me anyway), you learn to play properly whilst looking and only when competent do you risk darkness...? 

Obviously people do learn to play violins and cellos etc. But I don't know if simply playing something correctly repeatedly is all muscle memory is, or whether I have to THINK about what I'm doing... whether associating a note with a visual clue of some sort, perhaps trying to remember the neck width for particular notes. Can you learn sitting down and nail it instantly stood up with heights and angles not quite in the same place? Not sure. Guidance welcome!

Aha, just stumbled across this thread after cobbling together all the solo bass things I recorded while trapped in the house over the last 18 months...

Nothing particular polished, but was an interesting exercise.

5 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

I'd suggest seeking the advice of a physio or osteopath before resorting to more extreme measures such as surgery or heavy duty drugs. Many (admittedly not all, but it's worth trying less invasive options first) such issues can be helped by changing the way we play, alleviating strain, not putting joints at awkward angles and so on. Playing an instrument can put a lot of strain on hands, backs, etc, especially if people are self-taught and have picked up bad habits.

I imagine - no expert obviously - that these tactics might avoid injury but not treat them. My physio suggested that you need to reset with rest/whatever and get back to a pain-free situation before resuming things, otherwise any movement is going to prolong the inflammation. (Note that steroid injections can reduce your immunity, apparently, so a tad unwise currently.)

With regards to rest... I've just been diagnosed with De Quervain's in the (favoured) right hand and have been told "rest" means do not pick anything up for at least 6 weeks. Am braced up and been advised not to drive, ride bike, play bass etc, have to use left hand for shaving, toothbrushing, @rse wiping etc. Wear slip-on shoes... eat food with easy-to-open packaging. Really really frustrating. In fact the physio said, tell the band I'll be out for 3 months.

Fortunately it's not a money-making venture and the others sympathetic to a sabbatical, but I don't know at what stage it's unfair stopping the others pursuing their hobby.

Thanks! 

I'll have to measure them myself then 😉

@Reggaebass... string-thru?

On 13/04/2021 at 13:12, BreadBin said:

A photo of the ball ends might help 👍

E = red (smoother than looks!)

A = blue

G = white

D = red

Requires a lot more muscle to play than had hoped, will put some tapes on when I've sussed the winding length.

Looking at pics online... reckon you're right.

Does that mean they'll chewn up my fretless?

Sadly the thing isn't to hand for pics of far end... but are Jazz flats really that er not flat?!

Are they even a set? The E and the A look roundwound, D and G flats.

This all explains why I had an unnaturally lustful reaction to this ad the other week!

https://reverb.com/uk/item/38055091-vintage-1981-odyssey-b500-b500ws-semi-acoustic-neck-thru-body-bass-guitar

Want want want want.

On 13/03/2019 at 08:44, FlatEric said:

Very similar to the model I have except different tuners and TRC. Interstingly the nut seems to be of bone and not brass. Another one I had not seen before - that vill go on ze lizt. . . Pike!

Forward thinking on Atilla's part - start from the north, as opposed to London? Just thought it was ironic that the renewed intrest in this was started on the "Grants are pants" thread!

You couldn't make it up!!

Getting a bit lost now, but please explain what the bass with this AA logo is? 

See this thread I started years back:

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/aa-basses.183473/?amp=1281340863

What's the string spacing at the bridge? And - out of interest - what does this ramp thingy do?

Yes, but that requires expenditure. I have a distortion pedal... I don't have one that is blendable.

Excellent, thanks 

My amp has a balance control on the fx loop enabling you to mix your wet and dry signals. While I understand what this is supposed to do, if I wanted to keep the dry signal at its original volume in order not to sacrifice bass when I engage a distortion pedal (on the assumption that's not a no-no for this loop malarkey), would a 12 o'clock setting do this? Or is that going to be 50 wet/50 dry volume? Or am I misunderstanding something?

(I guess an associated question is whether pedals with a blend knob on full have all the wet and all the dry?)

To be fair it's not Ibanez using the word "professional" in this context, that's from punters, although obviously they do use a Japanese-models-are-the-real-thing strategy.

I always buy based on my hands and ears and hope I'd not allow marketers to pull the wool over my eyes, but this is my observation: My lower-mid-range (?) Ibanez SR is superb. I find it nicer to play than any of the superior Fenders I tried in an actual shop tuther day, and I can't be the only one. Yet I've never seen anyone playing an Ibanez SR at gigs/festivals/on telly*, and I bet they shift them in their thousands (and I bet their Prestige ones are awesome).

That's only loosely connected with my post here, and to be honest I don't know what point I'm making, if any. 

*Or a Washburn, Peavey, Schecter etc.

I was reading a thread about how in terms of the SR range, Ibanez consider any model with a number over SR1000 to be pro grade.

What does that mean? And how do I compare that to other brands? Is any Warwick that isn't a Rockbass pro level? Is any Mexican Fender not pro? Is any instrument under £1000 or other arbitrary price still not pro?

Yesyesyes, I know that "what you do with it" is the important thing... but wtvr, it sounds like there's a threshold between inferior and what you'd rock up with to your West End pit gig or Van Morrison recording session etc.

Ibanez SR505.

I slipped on the ice a year ago (bass was a month old 😑) and landed on my back. Had the bass on my back too. It broke a pot but there were no other problems - and it has been perfectly fine for a year. 

Just took it into the shop to get looked at, and obviously it worked nicely <rolls eyes>. Therefore if they don't find something wrong I'm just going to sit waiting for it all to happen again, mid-gig probably.

Fair point. And I do regret not thinking of the whole passive bypass malarkey when choosing the instrument...

Midway through rehearsal last night my bass went all fuzzy/distorted. After changing a battery, lead, and amp there was no change. I'm assuming it's an EQ issue - the bass did take a knock and broke the treble pot connections, but that didn't affect anything else and it's been fine for over a year.

Can preamps just "go"? If so, can they be fixed or is replacement the only option?

Thx!