Jazzjames

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1477788286' post='3164494'] I use a pair of Chocolate Thunder (basically brown) DB112s with an AG500 head in a matching box. The head box is standard 19" rack width and is slightly wider than the DB112 cabs so if your power amp and pre-amp are standard rack size then there will be about a half inch overhang each side of your cabs. [/quote] Good info, thanks. I can live with that.

[quote name='deanovw' timestamp='1477782440' post='3164485'] I used Zilla cabs. Spot on quality, service and price. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/deanovw/13918928_10154414877110844_1424623082_o_zpsxhjuxjtz.jpg [/quote] Thanks Dino!

[attachment=231074:13355475_1824120941160326_2029227194_n.jpg] I'm after a little advice. Tomorrow I'm going to buy a power amplifier from another Basschatter as the first step to creating my no-compromise amplifier setup. The power amp comes with a cheap Thomann soft case, but I eventually want to get a 3u or 4u case to house the power amp and preamp. The regular flight cases that are ubiquitous are a bit boring to look at, and I've seen a couple of people with cases that match their cabs' colour/cover material. Who can make me one of these? I use Aguilar DB112 cabs, and it would be great to have a case of the same width as these, and that would match them aesthetically. Possible? The pictures are for inspiration! Thanks for your advice. James

Willie Weeks on Little Ghetto Boy - Donny Hathaway. Totally outragous playing. Anthony Jackson on Clouds - Chaka Khan. He is the master of taming those low notes and making them punch. For execution and intent he's the man. Jaco Pastorius on Havona - Weather Report. I mean, he tears that one a new one! Ray Brown on Night Train - Oscar Peterson. Great feel, note choice, and a super solo! He really made the bass sing. Ron Carter on Passion Dance - McCoy Tyner. Specifically the first few bars of the piano solo. What a hook up with Elvin. Swings like crazy.

I've played all of these cabs (not with a streamliner, sorry) and I went with 2xDB112s. Easy to move around as they are easy to move when you do one at a time, whereas the other cabs are big, heavy and bulky. Fine if you've always got friends about to help... I really like the sound of my DB112s, I've grown very attached to them. I think you should just try and demo all these cabs out with your setup, and then you'll know for sure.

[color=#333333][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif][size=3]"The Thumb" by Wes Montgomery, as played by John Patitucci.[/size][/font][/color] [color=#333333][font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif][size=3]Transcribed and played by James Morgan. Please visit jamesmorganbass.com to view the notation. Enjoy![/size][/font][/color] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlittIKwbik&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=Jazzbassjames

It never ceases to amuse when someone asks to play my bass, and they do, and then they seem disappointed by the tone the get from it. Surprise surprise, tone comes from the player, not the instrument! I'm alright with other bassists having a go, as long as they're respectful. Random people, no.

Go with a GK amp if you're going to use GK speakers. The other heads, whilst I'm sure good, could disagree with the cab you have.

The best thing to do would be to have a lesson with a teacher. They could assess what's going on and talk with you about tonal goals and the music itself. Well intented suggestions can be miscontrued and even detrimental. It's hard without seeing and hearing you play! I think conventionally an arch in the fingers is preferable most of the time, because your grip is stronger and more precise. However guys like Danny Mo Morris play mostly with the first finger and use the others as a mute to get that motown thumpy sound, and therefore plays with flatter fingers. It works for him, but that's in conjunction with a different technique.

Turn the gain up, drive down, and you'll get a more quick sound that may result in more punch. I think (generally) it's better to stay within one brand for both speakers and amps- they're designed and tested together after all. I can tell you that my tonehammer hits just fine with my DB112 cabs. Punchy, present, fat, clear, it's a great rig that's easy to move around. Good luck solving your problem!

[quote name='Marty Forrer' timestamp='1474324690' post='3137213'] What it sounds like to you on stage is largely irrelevant. What it sounds like out in the audience is what counts. A 30ft lead or a wireless is the only test for a cab, so you can hear what the audience is hearing. [/quote] I can see your point of view but.... For me my cabs are there to move some air behind me, and the PA system is what supplies the audience with bass. Agreed in smaller venues the rig has to do both, but if it doesnt sound good where I am, then I won't play well!

Bareknuckle '57 P. Look no further. Proper hand made vintage pickup, but not mass produced stuff like a couple of the suggestions above. You won't be disappointed. From Cornwall too!

Bass -> USB interface e.g. Focusrite iSolo -> Logic on your computer. Then you can use iTunes or whatever and EQ out the bass on the original track, and play your own lines without clashing with what's on the record.

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1472300606' post='3120158'] IMO investing a pair of floor standers is a much better bet than adding a subwoofer - IME even budget floor standers sound much better than quite an expensive subwoofer + shelf/satellite speakers setup. [/quote] Yup.

He's not in my top 5, but his book really is worth a read. It's not about bass, about music generally and really is great.

Everything mentioned above will help, but a lot of these (great) suggestions deal with the symptoms not the cause. I find if I am well prepared for the gig- I'm in good physical shape practice-wise, and I know the music well, then I'm unlikely to experience nerves. Having done these things I know I am as prepared as I can be for whatever happens on stage, and I'm better equipped to deal with something unexpected than if I'm buried in a chart or struggling to keep up with the changes. One final word, if it does all go wrong, noone dies. It's (only) music and the best musicians also make mistakes!

The 3020i is a lovely little amp. Get some bigger hifi speakers if you want more low end.

Hi! Furst things first, flats have a usable life that far exceeds that of rounds, so try ignore the initial cost. I really like chromes, which you mentioned already. They take a little while (a few days) to really settle in but they stay pretty bright. Check out michael league (snarky puppy) playing on one of his precision basses for an idea of the tone. He gets a pretty bright sound out of them. I had the 5 string set, they worked well. The other option for me would be the thomastik infeld flats. Much darker sounding but they play harmonics really well. They sound and feel great to me. Check out Pino Palladino with John Mayer trio for a sound idea. They are low tension, which can feel a bit odd at first if you're used to higher tension strings, but they respond very musically and I'm still on my first set after 5 years, so they last. I wouldn't even consider another string on my 4 string p bass, they sound great. It's all personal preference though, and different strings will interact with different basses in different ways. You can read up as much as you like a try and predict what will happen, but it will only be a prediction. Good luck!

It's not possible to say for all makes whether they will be higher tension than another roundwound string, but here's a good guide: http://www.bassplayer.com/gear/1164/flat-world-a-roundup-of-flatwound-strings/57888 This may be helpful.

Have you seen this? http://thebassgallery.com/index.php/bass/avbp5.html

In my personal experience, if you can get your hands on a Genz Benz shuttle 3.0-10T, that's a much better compact combo than the GK. The GK was good back in the day, but it's a heavy little thing that doesn't sound great in comparison to the Genz Benz. That's what I'd do if I were looking for a small combo for double bass. I had one for years and it was awesome, I regret selling it. Sorry if you didn't want other options... I just never got along with the GK, and I've practised with them and gigged them hundreds of times.

Jaco James Jamerson Pino Palladino Willie Weeks John Patitucci

+1 for the super long d'addarios. Here's a list of all common strings and their scale lengths. http://www.bassstringsonline.com/Bass-String-Lengths-by-Manufacturer_ep_47-1.html

I tried flipping the wires on the J pickup but I still prefer it how it was, even though you can't use them together.

The problem was indeed the pickups were out of phase. However, I recorded a line with the bass (P pup only) in the out of phase wiring config, then again having flipped the wires, and I prefer the out of phase configuration. Please note I had the J pickup rolled entirely off, but the P soloed had a slightly warmer sound with this way of wiring it up. Why, I have no idea. With both pickups on, it obviously sounds terrible, but I only ever use the P pup anyhow, so why not!