krispn

I was using an ADAM at rehearsal last night and the clean sound on it is huge!

Solid approach!

Some of my favourite tunes have a completely different section during the solo so while thats not much use if you already have a bunch of songs or are playing covers it’s worth it thinking about when writing new material. As most folk will have said working on the basic tone and figuring out how the guitar can compliment the bass (if we’re providing a solid low/low mid the guitarist should really be adding to our foundation…if it’s something the band feels is a worthwhile endeavour) can be a really useful way to spend a practice session. If you and the guitarist have eq pedals it’s a great way to try and compliment or cover a wider spectrum between you both so if the solo kicks in you already have a solid foundation. It might be that you don’t need to do too much and having an alternative guitar ‘solo sound’ might make more sense than the bass always having to ‘fill in’ for the missing rhythm guitar. Some mild overdrive or dirtying the tone up a bit can do wonders for the overall weight of the bass with the band in general and while the bass may sound more aggressive than you’re all familiar with it might come a bit more alive when playing together - I’ve found this as I’ve recently joined a new band and I’m playing with more drive than I ever have as my basically always sound. I used the phrase elsewhere on BC recently but the dirt ‘dissolves’ into the mix (like a tasty tonal stock pot) and does it’s job without being noticeable ‘heavy’ or indeed “salty” Using a clean blend can help achieve the ’weight’ too and adds an extra layer or dimension to add information across the spectrum. Might be worth looking at EQ, drive and clean blend as a first step and working with the band to think how solo sections can be filled out between you, (some tonal changes) locking in with the drummer on a slightly different section, pattern or groove or just good old fashions screaming filth and power😀

A compressor doesn’t have to kill all dynamics and ultimately it will depend of how you want the bass to sound. Will the Spark be providing an always on sound and you want the comp to work a certain way with it for example push the amp a bit more with the compressors output gain or do you want to get a very even and consistent tone playing with a pick for example. Using the comp and Spark for gain staging could be fun too. Luckily you already have the pedals and it’s a simple cable swap to try it out. The Spark is a great wee pedal and while not all compression pedals are made equal you should be able to get a range of results between swapping them about and messing with the gain levels etc. I have a Spark and a comp on my pedal board but I’m trying out a different unit at rehearsal tonight otherwise I might have had a play with their order form my normal set up. Lets us know how you get on.

The 201 and the 404 are both good choice. I have both on two different basses. The 201 will be similar to your 734 bridge from memory.

In clean mode the spark can be an effective 2 band EQ option as it’s voiced a bit higher in the bass frequency than most bass specific pedals (I think it’s in and around 80Hz-100Hz instead of the more usual 40Hz) which in turn likely places it high than most folks amp Bass control. The treble can get bright but that can be set to taste/style. The mid setting in conjunction with the gain and level is a great place to push the very usable mid frequencies and begin to dirty things up especially in a mix with other instruments. Fat setting is at quite as pleasing to my ear but that will again depend on the bass/style etc. As ever it’s easier to try these things yourself depending on your bass, amp and how dirty you want things to sound. It might be a bit of a balancing act between your amps input and and how much you want to push it or how much you want coming from the Spark. The bass control does a good job off adding back some lows (without being too low so as to get flubby). My settings are similar to Supernaut’s above but I mix it up.

Oh yeah I understand but if the tone you heard was bang on the sound you were after the easiest way to get that sound would be with the same gear. I just sold a Red Witch Zeus which is a octave/fuzz and it can do a great synth like tones. If I were buying a fuzz for that synthy thing the Doom2 would be top of my list.

Or just get a Fuzzistor if they’re still being made?

Cheers fellas

had a look but only saw the Model for ipad and iphone Thanks for that. I think I might need a Lightning-usb3

Is it available to run on mac or just ipad/iphone If i could add it to Logic as a plug in that could be really handy - I don't mind the ipad version but I like to have physical keys as I'm still a little clumsy without a real target... plus I have the notes written on my keyboard which helps me a lot **Actually if there was a way to hook the keyboard to my ipad that would be even better. Are any such interfaces available which would allow me to use my little Novation keyboard to my ipad? I should really google myself but I'm out and about just now. I'll do a proper search later!

Cali76TX and I think there’s one for sale on here 😉😉

I think it’s the same with the Spark. It’s voiced in a way which aids the bass but by not being a bass specific EQ boost (which is usually way down at about 40Hz) its likely more naturally voiced for guitar and set in and about 80-100Hz which is much more forgiving but has enough make up bass in the EQ to keep the lows in a place which still works. I did a little basic snooping via my DAW and that’s what I was finding.

Most gear purchases after the essentials are vanity, curiosity or a combination of both. I’ve owned some high end gear and it’s always been used at gigs so while it might have prestige status it’s also been bought for its attributes. I’m under no illusion that the crowd have little idea what a bass is let along the signal chain I’m using. I’ve had more than one “Why am I playing an ££££ bass/amp when a squier would do in this sh*t hole” type moment. That’s not to say folk can’t enjoy their nice high end stuff at home and many of us have gigging gear and Sunday best gear (err I don’t but I’ve read the accounts). I’ve just been in a position where I’ve been able to buy some nice kit but it was the only kit I then owned as I had to shift everthing else to afford it 😀 but it’s usually been gig specific. I’ve done some local circuit original gigs where I’ve used cheapie basses and on one cringeworthy occasion a new to me squier cut out at sound check and the other bands bassist offered me his bass… it was a Wal! I was petrified of damaging it and literally didn’t move for the whole set! Times like that I wished everyone took crap on the road! I also thought the perception of me would have been one of I didn’t care about kit or gear not in a lack of knowledge but as a general he couldn’t give a f*** which is certainly not the case and that I didn’t have the basic common sense to make sure it worked pre gig. A comment above said “I’ve no interest in your gear so don’t be so interested in mine” (paraphrasing) yet the whole basis of the thread is to show what gear we got, if it was a hit or a miss and importantly why to inform others and, I presume, how/where we use it and if it’s fit for purpose. For me the real test is on a gig. Can I get it to do what I want or was the marketing just that. I hope my explanations above are helpful. I meant to say I nabbed a bass too, a BB424x. It’s a good bass for the money, needs a touch of eq to even it out a bit for my tastes but it’s maybe I’m more used to my P bass which doesn’t need a lot of additional eq whereas the BB has a lot of lows. While not a traditional sounding P it does have its own sound and it’s been nabbed as much for the 80’s look as the sound but I have eq option across the signal chain if needed. I’ve been enjoying playing it live at volume and I’ve had no issues ‘taming it’ or coaxing what I need out of ir. I do prefer a PJ and while my cheapie jazz was great the PJ feels more at home with what I’m going for plus if it was good enough for Tony in No Doubt (I know it’s not the same model but…)! As others have said I tend to buy gear for a particular gig and once that stops being a thing I know I’ll keep my trusty P bass ahead of anything else. I have another pedal or two incoming that might replace the stomp but I really need to try them out side by side before deciding. These days I need a very simple but tweak-able signal chain and if I can get it all in one box that’s perfect. The stomp does that of course and works but I fancy trying something else. hijack over as you were.

Ueah I have been messing with some of the UAD stuff and the iPad app. I’d I were to gig with an acrual synth my keyboard player assures me he has heaps of stuff he could bring along for me. He’s really rather dead on but for home practice I think the plug in would be great for nailing those classic sounds. Logic ain’t bad and I’ve a couple of workable sounds for now too.