thodrik

From memory, the parallel output is a straight output of the input signal so no speaker sim or EQ. It think it was designed this way so that you could run the parallel out to your amplifier and the normal output/XLR output to a mixing desk. 

In terms of the other outputs, when then pedal is on (red light on) you can't turn the speaker sim off but you will reduce the added effect by reducing the blend. When you turn the pedal off (red light off) the speaker sim and EQ are turned off and the pedal is essentially bypassed. 

You can turn the speaker sim off in pedals like the Sansamp VT Bass DI but not the Bass Driver, either V1 or V2.

I really love the V2 Bass Driver. The mids feature just gives the sound so much more character than the old v1. 

However, I would highly recommend running a Darkglass overdrive into a Bass Driver with both pedals set to low gain and with the Darkglass upper end boosts turn to 'off' to reduce the clank. I run a v1 Alpha Omega into the Sansamp and it sounds great. In fact I have generally found that a Bass Driver improves the sound of most linear non-preamp overdrives.

However, I totally get what the OP is getting at. I far prefer the sound of the Bass Driver or the VT Bass as an actual preamp compared to the B7K Ultra (though I haven't tried the Vintage Ultra which is probably more my thing). I still have a B3K which I have been using for 6/7 years but I have never been entirely sold on it. The old Aguilar Agro I had just had a lot more character, however the absence of a blend or EQ meant it needed an additional EQ. 

The Darkglass gear is good, however the marketing style is really off-putting to me, despite me running three Darkglass pedals on my board for the best part of 6-7 years!

Yepp, big heavy gear that used to cost a fortune new can be a bargain now owing to (a) how bloody impractical they are to move and (b) how little demand there is for them since portable modern gear came on the market.

Case in point: I got a mint Mesa Powerhouse 6x10 for £400. A complete bargain because they were about £1600+ new or a waste of money given how it is overkill for most gigs (okay, all gigs) and is so damn heavy? Kinda both. 
 

I will never sell it, which is a good thing since I probably wouldn’t be able to if I wanted to. However as a cheap bucket list ‘I’ve always wanted that’ purchase I don’t regret it. I have a soundproof garage so I do use it multiple times a week, definitely wouldn’t have bought it if I was still living in an upstairs flat!

[inserts ‘my current in ears/amp sim/FRFR speaker set up is superior to any traditional amp and cab set up I have owned’ comment]…

Seriously, I have been using a Mesa Walkabout 1x15 combo for 90% of my gigs since 2009. This was bought as my ‘portable’ rig when I joined a signed band. I also had a EBS Fafner (bought at the same time as the Mesa) and Peavey era Trace Elliot cabs (couldn’t afford the Mesa or EBS cabs..) as my big rig but really it was overkill for most gigs and I rarely used it. The Walkabout has pretty much handled most of my gigging needs, particularly with the development of modern PAs and tendency for guitarists to no longer use 100 watt Marshall half stacks.

I still love big amps and cabs but more as ‘cool luxury things’ than something that I actually need. I still own the Fafner and it is great even after 14 years of use. I also have a Trace Elliot V6 which I bought in 2013 to fix my ‘I need a valve amp’ wish.

I also finally bought my 2009 dream setup of a Mesa Big Block 750 and Powerhouse 6x10 over the course of 2017-2018. Utterly impractical in every sense but a tremendous piece of gear. This was essentially a ‘bucket list’ purchase and I only bought them because I found both items on the used market for a great price.

Going back to my first paragraph my next amp purchase will probably be a Helix or something similar. I can’t see myself needing another amp unless one of my main three amps break down. 

Had to go for Thunderball on discovering that Tom Jones at the time had no votes. 

I love the Bond films, so I find it very difficult to choose my favourite. Sam Smith's insipid effort is probably my least favourite.

However if the original Bond theme is included, on reflection that kinda has to be number one.

1 hour ago, warwickhunt said:

Tonight's trial set up and total gig rig... the pedal case btw contains all of my guitar/mic leads etc and the RCF310 is my 'safety net'!  

 

Happy Gigging!

Make Amps Great Again.

I am probably in the minority but my interest in old school bass amps from the 1970s through to the mid 2000s outweighs my interest in bass guitars. I am always far more likely to buy an amp or a cab than I am a bass guitar. 

My main interest areas are generally either heavy rock or old school blues where artists are generally sticking to the traditional amplification routes. 

Yes, with modern technology there is the ability to gig with in-ears and if I was gigging in a group that required me to use them then I definitely would and definitely would if I was in an international touring act, but I'm not. I am also aware that in a gigging scenario my amp is essentially just a personal monitor and the FOH is receiving a different signal altogether. However, in most scenarios I still prefer that to having in ears or using a EQ/DI pedal and using a wedge monitor. 

At this point I play music for pleasure and it brings me more pleasure to use an actual amp than in ears or amp modulations of the amps I already own. As a result I will generally use one unless requested otherwise. When I am paid for a gig though I generally do whatever is asked of me without fuss.

For context I am 36 and still able to lift stuff and my hearing is still good, my answer in 20 years time might well be fairly different! 
 

1 hour ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

The bass player from Meshuggah does something similar, he has his 5 string tuned in drop Bb, that is the low B string tuned half a step lower than regular standard tuning, but then has the next string tuned F, 1 half step higher than regular E tuning.

 

He does this so he can play an octave lower for those of their tracks that utilizes 1 half step down tuned 7 string guitars, and then for their tracks featuring 8 string guitar, instead of having an muddy inarticulate lower octave, he actually plays the same octave as the 8 string guitars, that is F, one half step higher than regular E tuning.

Yepp, I was aware that. No point trying to go as low as F on the bass with music that fast.

My five string Sadowsky is fitted with a strange range of 130, 95, 70, 50 and 32 strings. I tuned to Drop B (so B, F#, B, E, A), so it is technically 'tuning up' rather than tuning down. I have tried the same strings at standard B-G and found the strings to be a bit loose for my tastes.

For standard tuning, generally I find that a 100-40 set is about right, however I have always fancied trying a 90-30 set from some slaptastic stuff. 

Actually, just thinking, a two pickup model would be cool. You could space them apart for 60s and 70s Jazz Bass positions or move them together to create a dual JJ pickup like in a Warwick thumb. Even better if the body had indicative markings of '60s/70s/Musicman 'Sweet Spot' etc on the body.

5 hours ago, jd56hawk said:

Seriously?

Has potential but really needs a built in octave pedal, some go faster stripes to help you play faster and a suitcase handle on the flat edge to help with portability. 

Hmm, I had something similar with my old Mesa combo. I think it ended up being a faulty driver. I eventually replaced the driver. 

If you could identify which speaker that the distortion is coming from then that would be a start. 

Yep, definitely something wrong there. I have the same amp and it is loud as hell. Normally my passive Fender Precisions causes the Gain LED to start clipping just after 12 o'clock position. 

As Warwickhunt says above try other basses, cabs and cables to try and eliminate variables. 

From my understanding of the amp, I don't think that it will be a dodgey valve that will be causing all of the issues. The amp is designed in such a way that if the valve fails, then the amp should still operate but you will lose the drive function. Try turning the drive control to zero. 

Definitely needs a tech to have a look at it. However, it might be worth trying a new valve. The process of changing the valve is very easy. Simply buy a new 12AX7 valve, remove the top of the amp and remove the existing valve and place the new one in its place. If that doesn't solve the problem then you will at least have removed one of the variables. 

It seems that even with the volume set at zero there is a signal coming through the speakers. If you are just plugging the amp into the interface then just disconnect the cab.  The EBS heads do not need to be connected to a cab to be used as a preamp. 

Those cabinets are designed for loud stages and high volume applications. I don't think that making sure that the cabs are dead silent when the master volume is at zero and the stand by is turned off was a design consideration. 

So long as there is no audible distortion when the cab is connected and the volume is turned up then I would consider it to be an issue. 

Great set up!

I use a D’addario 120-50 set for D standard and drop C. The low D is no different in tension to a 110 tuned to E. Gives a tight low D.

Personally I find a 115 gauge fine for D but too light for anything below that. However I find a 55 and 75 too tight for the F and C strings for my personal tastes.

Edit: I also don’t use anything less than 130 gauge for a low B so I suppose it comes down to personal taste.

Pretty much as stated by @Baloney Balderdash above. Try a Musicman Stingray and Gibson EB3 one after another and the differences should appear fairly apparent!

Probably this. £229 at Andertons. Great upper fret access, lightweight and great looks. 

Probably a neck through Warwick or Spector Forte five string. Maybe one of the older neck through Vigiers.
 

Generally the list of bass related items I really want to try relates to amps and cabs though. Mesa 400+, Matamp GT200, Trace Elliot V8 and Bergantino NV 4x12 etc. I don’t need any of them I just kinda want to experience what they do in person.

12. Entered a local battle of the bands where the prize was the chance to open for Shed Seven or the Levellers or something like that (can’t remember exactly, but it was someone vaguely relevant in 1999). We won but couldn’t play the resulting gig because of our age.

Started playing in pubs doing 3 hour sessions of classic rock covers shortly after that. Probably wasn’t legal but I was getting paid and it was a decent earner until after I left school. I actually made more money doing that than when I was in a ‘signed’ band in my twenties. 

While you can, I would recommend trying a Vigier Excess. Massive rock beast that sits somewhere between a Rickenbacker, active Jazz bass and Precision. As of the end of the year there will also be no new Vigier basses. 

Also, you can't go wrong with a Spector or a Warwick Streamer. I would still like a Warwick Thumb. 

I don't think Fender actually do any 24 fret four strings at the moment. 

17 minutes ago, Old Man Riva said:

It sounds like an eminently sensible and practical way to try and improve the instrument!

 

I can't recall anybody I knew back then even giving a second thought to whether the (perceived) improvements they were doing to an instrument would affect future value. Swapping out the original nuts for a brass version ("more sustain") or installing a new Schaller bridge (with rolling saddles!) were done with a view that the instrument would be improved, which was the main consideration.

 

The first replacement p/ups I knew of were the cream coloured DiMarzios. Then came the active EMG p/ups, which caused quite a stir. You could have an active bass with relative ease. The battery was normally okay to squeeze under the control plate on a Jazz, but more difficult to do with a Precision, which is why the body was often routed to fit the battery.  

 

And the work that went into fitting a Floyd Rose to a Strat would these days probably be seen as sacrilege. I blame Eddie Van Halen!

I always liked the ‘install a jazz bass pickup in the bridge of a P bass’ mod

I have been tempted over the years of adding a better bridge and hotter pickups but never got round to it.

1 hour ago, Old Man Riva said:

Nice! I’m a sucker for white/cream p/ups - reminds me of the 70s DiMarzios that were the replacement p/up of choice at the time.

 

What’s the story with the pickguard? It looks like it’s been carefully modded rather than a clean-line break… 

In terms of the pickguard, it was like that when I got it as a 13 year old in 1999.

From what I can remember, one of the previous owners had been having major problems with the jack socket and was getting really fed up of having to take the whole pickguard off every time he/she wanted to access the jack socket. So he/she must have got a luthier to cut the pick guard into two to make it easier to access the jack socket without having to take the rest of the pickguard out. It is actually a pretty neat job and was probably by some kind of luthier in the London area as that is where the bass was bought by me. As it is, the jack socket was a bit dodgy when I got it. My brother (then 15) re-soldered the connection soon after I got it and has worked perfectly ever since. 

There is a bit of a gap between the pickguard pieces, so there is probably a good bit of sweat and moisture which seeps through the gap though the various gigs and rehearsals and being lugged around the country. It also devalues the bass, but as it has been my 'go to' bass since 1999, it frankly will never get sold by me. 

When I got the bass, it also included a replacement pickguard which may or may not have been a period correct replacement Fender pickguard or it could be the 1980s equivalent of a Stagg replacement. It is somewhere in my parent's attic and I haven't looked for it since about 2001.
 

14 minutes ago, asingardenof said:

Aren't Circle K a convenience store chain?

I think that they later changed their name to Kalium to avoid confusion. 

When your bass is over 40 years old and you haven’t cleaned it properly for 15…

Looking better now, though I probably should have taken a ‘before’ photo. Nitro finish on the neck is now disappearing faster than my hair…In both cases I have now taken a ‘let nature take its course’ approach. 
 

Plays great, sounds great. Tuned to C sharp standard. It hasn’t been tuned above D standard since 2010.