alexclaber

Interesting - like if a folk singer's daughter turned to the dark side and Black Sabbath. You were right about the gurning! I presume your style has developed round your technique so you really focus on playing the essential notes as twiddly stuff is technically more challenging - I'm forever fighting the battle against excess notes but I seem to be losing... Big sound, lots of atmosphere. Very cool to have played Glastonbury, I must do that someday!

Alex

I used to slap like that. Used to practise Metallica stuff too. In fact my Mum used to holler at me in a similar manner - ah, it's like going back in time... My strap shortened over the years and my slap technique became more conventional, though I often like to slap further back towards the bridge a la Larry Graham (who I shall proclaim as The slap bassist to listen to, no unnecessary twiddles or flash there!)

Alex

I am perplexed... You are raving about the sound of this rig but it sounded like mush on-stage during the gig? Doesn't sound that great to me!

Alex

I'd just use whatever feels right to you, unless you're in a really precise tribute act I don't need a need to copy the tones of the original tunes. I think this post on the Low Down Lowdown from Ed Friedland sums it up pretty well:

"To my way of thinking, the difference between a P and J bass goes way beyond the physical. Yes, P bass - fatter neck (usually), split pickup, chunkier tone, less highs. J bass - slimmer neck, easier to play, dual pickups, more note definition, more high frequency.

But... I think P or J bass is a lifestyle choice as well. Committing to the P means taking on a set of preferences, and inherent parameters. You can't or at least shouldn't try to play a P bass like a Jazz. That would be missing the point. The P bass is a fat, chunky-butt animal that likes to take up space. It demands a high level of attention to what you play, because every note hurts - or helps. There ain't no takin' it back with a P bass. You better mean it, or be very good at making it work. You can play fast on a P, but it's not nimble like a Jackrabbit, more like a Grizzly doing 60mph to catch something to eat. Slap on a P? Sure, it's chunkfunk, think Boz Scaggs "Lowdown". The pop on a P is not as sharp as a J. It's like getting sliced with a serrated steak knife. Ouch! Use only when you gots to cut through some tough meat. Classic P guys... Jamerson, Rainey, Rocco, Bob Glaub.

The J is a sleeker machine. Being a Jazz guy means having a little more wiggle room. It takes up less space in the mix, so you can get more active without squashing people. With great power comes great responsibility. Just because you CAN move around, does that mean you should? And if so - how to, how much, and why? The J is a bit skinnier, so you have to learn how to use that texture to fill it up, and how to play it fat when it needs to be fat. Soloing? Sure. Slap? You bet. Passive it cuts like a well honed Buck knife. Active with a good pre amp, more like a barbers razor. Classic J guys... Jerry Jemmot, Larry Graham, Jaco, Marcus...

Some people make a choice early on and stick with it. Their entire style is built around that early decision, whether it was conscious or not. You may know some of these people. Players that would no sooner pick up the other axe than they would deliberately eat rotten food. There's honor in this I think, it certainly makes your life simpler when it's Friday night and you're trying to decide which bass to put in the bag.

I think it behooves (love that word) a professional bassist to have both and spend time cultivating the characteristics of each instrument. You need to make each one speak it's native language. There are some gigs that just naturally call for one or another. Not to say you couldn't switch around. You learn alot about the nature of the P and J when you try to make one do what the other does naturally."

Alex

Radio 4 rules. Yeah, I'm rock n' roll.

Alex

Come on BBC, sort out your streaming, this is killing me! The video has progressed sufficiently far for me to comment on your impressive hair...

Alex

[quote name='Oxblood' post='22821' date='Jun 25 2007, 01:16 AM']It's the famous inverse square law - y'know, the one that says that in order to produce twice as much SPL you need four times as much power. As you've heard for yourself, 17 Watts can make a whole lot of of noise - and if you wanted to make twice as much noise, you'd need 68 Watts. Four times louder would require 272 Watts ...and so on.[/quote]

It's even worse than that! Twice the SPL (i.e. +10dB) requires ten times the power.

My first bass amp was a Traynor Bassmate YBA-2B combo, which had a dual 12AX7 preamp, dual EL84 power amp, and a 15" speaker in small sealed cab. Just like this:



A mere 15W or so but sounded a ton louder. However with the stock cab it wasn't loud enough to keep up with a drummer if you wanted a clean sound. I'd love to hear it through an OmniTop 212, I think that would be a seriously righteous (and LOUD) sound! (The OmniTop12 has less bass extension that the Omni10 but is usefully more sensitive and that reduced bass extension sounds more vintage).

Alex

[quote name='chris_b' post='22597' date='Jun 24 2007, 11:04 AM']Well, I don't know if I've got a "Friday afternoon" Ritter but it was the top of the range when I brought it, at bout £70, and is now ripping apart along several seams. Looks like a flawed design to me.[/quote]

I bought a Ritter which fell apart immediately - fabric split at the seams. They send a replacement - fabric split at the seams again and the zip pull snapped. They sent me their top model, I've had it some time now but the fabric started suffering after very little time. It's so damn big though that I take my bass loose and keep a simple raincover gigbag in my general stuff tote bag.

Alex

Very professional - tight playing and arrangements, good backing vocals. Am impressed! Need to get our backing vocals that good...

Alex

[quote name='chris_b' post='22935' date='Jun 25 2007, 12:35 PM']If you like the sound I'd keep this rig and find some way of raising the front of the top cab. Maybe something 2" x 2"? Wood, rigid foam etc, in order to angle the cab towards you. Just make sure the amp doesn't slide off the back!![/quote]

I agree. There's nothing special about tiltback/wedge combos that you can't achieve with a well place bit of dense foam (my preference) or wood. Leave one cab at home, turn the other vertical and stick something under the front edge to tilt it back. Try some velcro or nonstick rubber to keep the amp in place (I rely on my rack's edges catching on the stacking corners).

Alex

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='20752' date='Jun 20 2007, 01:42 PM']I don't think it was panned too far wide, just too much to the left, maybe u should move the right one in a bit closer next time?[/quote]

Ah, I'm glad it wasn't just me hearing that!

The 2488 is currently with our guitarist as he puts his parts on. Will update once it's back...

Alex

[quote name='slaphappygarry' post='22700' date='Jun 24 2007, 06:04 PM']Ill look closer into the c02. I have never really used the samson mics but there is something about them that seems a little cheap.

edit: £64 quid a pair?! No, i don't think these are gonna sound that great or last....[/quote]

I thought they were cheap but I didn't realise they were that cheap! You can hear them contributing the bulk of the drum sound on my recording thread. If I could do it again I'd probably buy a matched pair of AKG 414s or something like that instead of pair of C1000s for overheads and a JM47 for vocals.

Alex

The Rode NT4 looks particularly fine, though not sure if that's within budget.

I have a pair of C1000s but they're not the sweetest sounding mics. We used some tiny cheap Samsons as XY overheads for a our recent recording and I was impressed with them.

Alex

[quote name='Hamster' post='22208' date='Jun 22 2007, 11:28 PM']He doesn't - it's his aspiration to [/quote]

Thank you. I do think that's a really nice size and layout for a venue. I shall keep writing songs, playing bass, singing, and doing all the other stuff required to get original music happening, and if I produce anything good enough and have a stroke of luck too, you may see me there!

My point which MB1 keeps missing was that I abhor mediocrity and Bassist gave me a funny vibe about that. Yes, we bassists tend to be understated creatures playing an understated role but that doesn't mean we should view ourselves with the same undervalued view the layman does - you won't find a single top producer that doesn't appreciate the value of our role and we should all aspire to be the best we can - and that doesn't mean becoming a virtuoso, it means becoming as true to ourselves as possible.

Alex

That really is very cunning!

Alex

[quote name='MB1' post='22009' date='Jun 22 2007, 05:26 PM']MB1.
ooooh sorry! pardon me!
How did that george michael gig at wembley go the other night?[/quote]

Aspiration and current reality are two very different things! (Not that I have ever aspired to play bass for George Michael - me and my own band selling out places like the Brixton Academy is FAR more appealing...)

Anyway, I've often felt that AC/DC are like the ultimate pub rock band and there is nothing average about them - if every bassist had time and feel like Cliff Williams the world would groove a lot harder.

Competent, I like - because in the process of striving for competence you'll find brilliance and originality if it's there. Average, I don't, it's just dull.

Alex

[quote name='AdamWoodBass' post='21954' date='Jun 22 2007, 03:30 PM']Woooooooooooah! Thats funky as sh*t man! Love it![/quote]

Exactly.

Alex

BGM is SO much better than Bassist magazine ever was. Much more diverse content and not written as though everyone reading it aspires to be an average pub rocker (not that being a GREAT pub rocker is bad thing by any means).

Alex

[quote name='AdamWoodBass' post='21926' date='Jun 22 2007, 02:43 PM']I really love my warwick...[/quote]

I think that says it all!

Alex

[quote name='kjb' post='21507' date='Jun 21 2007, 06:23 PM']I'm using an Epifani 3x10 cab, but was thinking of getting an Acme low B-2.[/quote]

It's the magic of a 3-way design and a really good crossover that sets the Acmes apart. I tried the UL310 a while back and thought it was a great cab but it just didn't have the midrange resolution I'm used to.

[quote name='kjb' post='21507' date='Jun 21 2007, 06:23 PM']Where did you get your Avalon from, the cheapest that I've seen it was £375 from Ebay.

The FMR RNP is £380 from here [url="http://www.audioagencyeurope.com/fmr_audio.html"]http://www.audioagencyeurope.com/fmr_audio.html[/url][/quote]

Actually I think when I first compared the prices the U5 was cheaper and the RNP possibly more expensive, I know Avalon's prices have gone up recently. I bought the Avalon in the US because my brother flies back and forth all the time. Looking at the RNP again, something else that bothered me was the 6dB steps in gain - my power amp has fairly coarse steps too and that could possibly leave me in a no-mans' land of gain. The U5 is in 3dB steps which works really well. Don't forget to figure in the relevant rack mounting kits, they are not cheap!

Alex

[quote name='RIM Basses' post='21614' date='Jun 21 2007, 09:52 PM']You guys are pure tech heads! enjoy the new gear.[/quote]

Says the man that gets excited about coil winding machines and pin routers!

Alex

Played a fun gig last night, just your typical somewhat dodgy rock music kind of pub - minimal PA (really sound bloke in charge though, which makes such a difference) - we were the second of three bands, being preceded by a rather good 6th form blues-ish band (rather like the early Stones 45 years later), and followed up by a reggae-esque outfit. The audience consisted almostly entirely of the first band's friends - ah, the joys of underage drinking... A pleasant change from the usual!

Caught our set on video, pretty decent sound all things considered!

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJGAN9B5Hys"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJGAN9B5Hys[/url]

(That's the first part of four, should you be gagging for more...)

Alex

P.S. First time I'd used the Avalon U5 - it's fat.

I've used it for drum programming and keyboard parts on very rough demos on Cubase though that was about seven years ago and also for songwriting, whilst commuting, on a QY70 portable sequencer, sequencing bass, drums and keys. I've gradually moved away from it as my demos have become more and more stripped back, to often just the bass and vocal, and then it's up to the band how they fill the gaps.

Alex

[quote name='kjb' post='21497' date='Jun 21 2007, 05:58 PM']I'm a big fan of Anthony Jackson sound and I've seen the U5 recommended with reference to him, even though he uses the more expensive Millenia preamps.[/quote]

Yes, it's an amazing 'bargain basement' alternative. The Millenia preamps are heinously expensive and the one he uses is rather short on features for a bass - and the fully balanced signal path completely wasted.

What are you doing for the cabs? I can't think of a better way of getting that studio sound on a budget than Acmes - but if you can afford it I highly recommend the Meyer Sound gear, it really is very very very nice, though it's also rather big and heavy.

[quote name='kjb' post='21499' date='Jun 21 2007, 06:02 PM']There's also this that I was thinking of getting, as an alternative to the Avalon.

[url="http://www.fmraudio.com/RNP8380.htm"]http://www.fmraudio.com/RNP8380.htm[/url][/quote]

I considered that too. The lack of balanced XLR outs did it in for me, plus it's more expensive and far more fragile (in appearance at least). The separate mic and line level XLR outs on the U5 is a very nice feature, which is hard to find on high-end DIs and mic preamps.

Alex

[quote name='kjb' post='21484' date='Jun 21 2007, 05:31 PM']I just find the noise that they make really irritating.

I'm currently using an Eden traveller head, I've been practising for about 6 hours so far today, and it's superb, the fan never comes on, it runs cool.

I'm getting an Avalon U5 preamp, and I'm after a power amp to go with it.[/quote]

Good choice on the preamp - my U5 did its first gig last night and it was decidedly awesome!

Personally I think that if you're looking at rackmount power amps then the fan noise will be inaudible in live situations. For practising at home could you use the Eden as your power unit, running the Avalon into the FX return.

One option is to get a tech to add a fan defeat switch to a normal power amp - at low volumes the fan really isn't required and any quality power amp will shut down if it gets too hot before damage occurs.

Alex