WinterMute

I had an Aria precision copy for a long time as a kid, it wasn't a bad bass, and during the rehearsals and gigs it got beaten up a bit, the point was, every ding and scratch and mark were there because of something that happened and a lot of the time it was something i remembered. I can't understand what memories a sanding disc and a blowtorch impart.

If in doubt, search!! You know I looked at that thread earlier, but I didn;t make the connection.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Squier-reliced-Fretless-Vintage-60s_W0QQitemZ280345425992QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item280345425992&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A10%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1309%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50"]Ebay link[/url]

The original AKG D12 is excellent, but the newer "egg" D112 is nowhere near as good. EV RE20 is excellent. Beyer M88 maybe. Got very good results out of a Neumann TLM170, but it;s an expensive vocal mic. Standard set for me at the moment is an M88 in the drum, an RE20 on the sound hole and a Yamaha NS10 driver in a 10" tom-tom case as a sub bass mic. You shouldn't need a DI for any of these mics, as they are already mic level, just go to the mic input and adjust the level at the mic amp.

I've been using the Etymotic ER4p's without the in-ear moulds, they sound great and provide 70-80db of attenuation. The moulds are supposed to provide a better seal. The ER's push right into the ear canal, there's no way they are going to fall out. Pricey, but very good.

I recorded a band called Aftershock in the 90's, in fact my wife gave birth in one of their t-shirts!! Not the same band I'll warrant.

Just to add, the Geddy Lee turned up this morning, and the difference between it and the Squire is a lot more than I expected in terms of playability. The Geddy is the most comfortable bass I have ever played, hands down, and fast like you wouldn't believe...! The VMJ is still a very comfortable bass to play, and with it's new Wizard pups it sounds great, but it's not a patch on the Fender. Bugger, I gotta find me a Jaco signature now haven't I?

That white Ricky is bloody lovely mate! Very nice work.

I've just switched back to Jazz's from a Warwick 5 string Thumb, and I've doe exactly what you are thinking of, bought the "Jaco" looking fretless VMJ. I have small hands and I have to say the Jazz neck is by far the most comfortable neck I've found, I felt right at home on it almost straight away. Prior to getting into The 5 strings, I had Precisions and Wals, radically different neck profiles, neither of which I was completely happy with. I've also bought a Geddy Lee, which is supposedly as slim as they come for a Jazz.

Bought a pair of Wizard pickups from Dave, arrived in good order and in excellent time. Many thanks.

[quote name='51m0n' post='485044' date='May 11 2009, 01:35 PM']Don't get me started on overuse in mixing - I thought I was as bad as the next for that, until I heard a recent mix from a friends studio in which everything was so unbelievably squashed I couldn't tell where anything ended and anything else started. It was an amazing sound, but not nice IMO. I like to get the bass and drums sat together, and maybe a rhythm guitar or two with a couple of group comps, bass normally with the drums. But nothing too over the top, just a tad of 'glue'. Same for BVs, and Lead vox (seperate comps though). Limiting in tracking is important (esp on drums and bass) but I try and mix without a limiter anywhere - then master afterwards. I know people who just ram everything into the red on ProTools with the safe button engaged and say 'Ta-daaaa loudest best-est mix ever' - sounds like cr@p though![/quote] rofl No, don't get me started on over compression....! I've been mixing and recording in protools at -14db for several years, certainly since I started habitually using 88.2Khz 24 bit. My mastering engineer is Sean McGee at Abbey Road, he's always commenting on how much better for him it is to have mixes that aren't crushing the transients in the digital buss and already compressed to buggery. The masters I get from him are quite as loud as anything short of some "maxed to 11" pos, but they have space and depth and movement, qualities all but forgotten by modern production.

[quote name='51m0n' post='484967' date='May 11 2009, 12:17 PM']Other than the highlighted statement I think this is a great post. Unless you set a compressor to an unbelievable extreme then the statement:- [b]What compression really does is makes you lazy in the observance of your dynamic control, and it robs you of the ability to use volume as expression[/b] is hogwash IMO & IME both live and in the studio. You are saying here that no matter how light the touch a player could not make the result quieter if a compressor was on. That is not the case. With sensible/normal compression settings on a bass (even for fairly obvious or heavy compression) the player still has the ability to back off the volume from their fingers to below the threshold that the comp is set at. Since no one ever sets a threshold at -infinity db. It just is not done. Now anywhere below that threshold dynamic control is as if there were no compressor. Up to that threshold you have to back off by the ratio setting more than otherwise. In reality with any ratio I've ever used up to about 10:1 this is not even hard to do. It just takes a couple of minutes of playing around to find the required amount of gentleness to get the effect you are after. So you can in fact play with dynamics when you have a comp engaged, especially if its set to do some sensible levelling. Also the perceived loudness of a sound is not just as a result of its volume, but also its envelope and timbre and while a compressor has an effect on both, playing more gently will still have a huge effect on both even with a comp engaged. IMO & IME both live and in a studio.[/quote] Yeah, I guess thats what you get for playing rock and recording rock and metal for a living! There is a general inability to discern dynamics anyway, due to the over use of compressors in mixing, my point is that in the bassists I've seen who employ a compressor in a live rig they tend to do exactly what you suggest they don't, i.e. smash it flat with a very low threshold, tons of ratio and as much gain as the system will allow. Every note at exactly the same volume regardless of the input energy on the string. Guitarists do this all the time, although in my experience a guitarist will also know when to turn it off. Using a compressor the way you describe requires an understanding of the mechanics of the system, and some experience in using a compressor to enhance your sound, not merely bolster your level. Of course it's entirely possible to employ a compressor sensitively to support an instrument in an ensemble, it's done all the time, my point is that most players will stack one on the live rig and let it do the job that their ears and fingers should do, hence "lazy". Lots of players owe their sound to the compression effect to some degree, whether that is amp or effect compression, I wasn't suggesting every bass player who uses one is lazy.

[quote name='rslaing' post='484607' date='May 10 2009, 09:05 PM']Physical problems with your hands when playing bass, whether it be a narrow 4 string or an expansive 8,10 or more, is normally down to poor technique. Spend some money on a good tutor..................[/quote] In my case it's down to physiology, my wrist joints have been over developed and strengthened by years of martial arts, they don't have the radial angle movement needed for comfort on a long necked 5 string, the extension to the B string on the lower 5 frets or so just stretches the tendons and causes pressure on the nerves. It's just the way I'm built. I have no such issues on a 4 string bass.

[quote name='Golchen' post='484638' date='May 10 2009, 09:37 PM']I never really get what a compressor is for?? It sounds like it will magically improve my playing and if so I NEED one now![/quote] A compressor makes loud bits quieter and quiet bits louder, essentially compressing the dynamic range, or the difference between said loud and quiet bits. Once the loud bits are closer in volume to the quiet bits, you turn everything up (or down, natch...) to get the over all level. Compressors give an evened out loudness to a performance, so that despite how you play, everyone hears everything at a more even level. Used to extreme, compressors also have a tonal shaping aspect.

[quote name='Kongo' post='484321' date='May 10 2009, 02:18 PM']+1 Then you have the option of two basses. How did you injur yourself playing one? Was it your hands or techneque? I play a very broad 6-string and my hands cramp up on 4-string with thin necks.[/quote] I have small hands, and the span on a 5 or 6 string was making me stretch my left hand on the lower end of the neck, couple with the scale length of the Warwick and the angle of my wrist when playing the bottom of the neck was causing problems during gigs, long session and rehearsals, it never became a real problem as I moved into studio production before i did any real damage, but it bloody hurt at the time. I find the Squire jazz to be much easier to play for extended periods.

I'll limit a bassist on the recording phase, just to stop clipping, but otherwise will attempt to reproduce the sound he already has (unless it's crap). If the player has no dynamic control, I'll suggest a compressor on his rig, I'll use a dbx 160 usually, if he has a preferred unit, I'll play with that a little, again it;s what the guy sounds like that's important. Compressors in the mix are an entirely different proposition, often they are employed to "set" the instrument into the mix, not to alter the characteristic of the sound, however a Urei 1176 or a Joe Meek Opto will give a good warmth to the sound. Rupert Neve's 9098 compressor by AMEK is my weapon of choice for hardware, followd by an LA 2A or a Focusrite RED5. Plug-ins can be a pain, but the Sony Oxford Comp/lim is very good, as is the standard Digi Comp/lim 3, Guitar rig and Digi'd 13 are good for a bit of tine shaping too. I used to use the 160 live, it's essentially invisible, there a decent opto-compressor in the Line 6 110, which I use lightly now. What compression really does is makes you lazy in the observance of your dynamic control, and it robs you of the ability to use volume as expression. Now, if your in a balls to the wall metal band, that's irrelevant, and a compressor is essential for a skull crushing sound, if you're a slapper compression makes your technique a little more sloppy, as all those triplets will be audible regardless of whether you catch them. If your a jazzer, I'd think you'd want to be in control or every nuance of your playing, and automating the volume would be limiting your expression. I'm no jazzer though, and many jazz players I've recorded will compress at amp or pedal board. My name is Richard, I play rock, I use a compressor...

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='484389' date='May 10 2009, 05:02 PM']Have you got an offer from eBay/PayPal of 10% off your purchase price when you pay via PayPal?[/quote] Had one last month, used it on a new bridge for the Squire, it would have expired before this purchase anyway.

FWIW I've gone back to 4 strings after 20 odd years of a Warwick thumb 5, I found the extra extension for my small hands was causing tendon and carpal tunnel problems, (not massively, but after a couple of hours, it definitely hurt) I'm back with Jazz's now, and the only pain is in the fingers from all the extra playing I'm doing. However, I'd definitely recommend a 5 string and not a re-jigged 4, it's just easier, and a good 5 will end up replacing your 4 live if you need the extra extension.

[quote name='Protium' post='484297' date='May 10 2009, 01:31 PM']Ended on £485, gone to anyone here?[/quote] Yep, me in the end. Seen 'em go cheaper occasionally, but seen 'em go for more too, the cheapest price in the UK seems to be £620 from Peter Cook's without a case, so I reckon that's a good price.

Another vote for the Boss Bass Chorus (the old brown one). It doesn't muddy the bottom up like some choruses do. The EBS unit is also pretty damn good, and I've gotten great results out of a Roland Space Echo/chorus, but only in the studio.

Indeed it is mate, Squires doing fine, got some roundwounds on it, looking at some Wizards at some point and probably a better bridge, but I want to get the Geddy Lee sorted out first. I see your a bit of a martial artist too.

Not me mate, sorry, someone else with a William Gibson fetish...! You're the second person to mistake me for the other WinterMute today.

Have we met? Been using the name for many years at MacRumors where I'm a mod, and it's been in my email accounts for ever. William Gibson fans usually wave as they go by.