iD Entity Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 I had a couple questions niggling the back of my mind that have always just sat there: 1) Anyone see a reason for thumb rests to be [i]below[/i] the strings of a bass? Ex [attachment=131848:65 John jazz body.jpg] 2) What is the point of a ground lift switch? Couldn't the pedal or amp be made already ground lifted permanently? 3) What is the best bass for metal? *whistles innocently* Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr M Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Welcome to BC! 1) Another of Leo Fender's inventions, he envisaged the player gripping the rest with their fingers, and playing with their thumb. Also, it was originally called a 'tug bar' (snigger.) 2) Using non-earthed equipment can be really quite dangerous. Particularly when you're talking about the kind of voltages present in amps, you want them to be earthed unless you really have no other choice. 3) A Precision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 1) As above, its a finger rest when its below the strings, most people took them off anyway but in the 60s the thumb picking style the tug bar was intended for was popular with people who had migrated from guitar. 2) As above, you should not use unearthed equipment. The ground lift (or earth lift) is generally only employed when there is an 'earth loop' - i.e. the line is earthed separately at both ends which can cause a mains hum to be introduced. Therefore it is generally only acceptable to use an earth lift when there are effectively two earths, so you're lifting one of them - or breaking the loop. 3) Anything that corrodes or oxidises easily is informally regarded as a base metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iconic Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 1. thumb rest for lefties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iD Entity Posted April 5, 2013 Author Share Posted April 5, 2013 (edited) 1) ahh... Took me a few to get how that finger grip would work, but if you're playing with your thumb... that could make sense. I used to think leftie actually *cough*, except too many basses had it that were also stringed for right hand players, so figured something else was going on. 2) The ground things makes sense... I understood the purpose, but not what you're losing by engaging it. Cheers for the insights! Edited April 5, 2013 by iD Entity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 (edited) 1) What the other guys said. 2) A ground lift disconnects the signal earth but leaves the safety earth in the mains cable connected. Thus when you connect to another bit of kit, both devices are earthed for safety, but there is no earth connection on the signal lead to cause an earth loop [someone post a diagram?] 3) Anything black that looks like it's been made from parts of a dead alien. In the 80s, red and black 'magma' effect was also acceptable. Doesn't matter what it sounds like as your eardrums will already have imploded. Edited April 5, 2013 by JapanAxe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprocketflup Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 While there is a thread going for little things that we cant figure out, can someone please explain the purpose of a ramp, coz I cant get my head round them? Also, Why Does it Hurt When I Pee? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myke Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 (edited) [quote name='sprocketflup' timestamp='1365198638' post='2036779'] While there is a thread going for little things that we cant figure out, can someone please explain the purpose of a ramp, coz I cant get my head round them? [/quote] Ramps are so it feels like your playing with your thumb rested on a pickup. Even when your not Edit: Spelllling Edited April 5, 2013 by Myke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rOB Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 great thread idea. Why is it that guitar amps are usually mic'd whilst bass amps are usually DI'd? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myke Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 [quote name='rOB' timestamp='1365202135' post='2036829'] great thread idea. Why is it that guitar amps are usually mic'd whilst bass amps are usually DI'd? [/quote] In which situation? Live or Studio? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rOB Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 [quote name='Myke' timestamp='1365202302' post='2036831'] In which situation? Live or Studio? [/quote] Sorry - live. Any ideas? Is it just that its generally considered "a good thing" to hear the speaker distortion as well as the amp distortion in a guitar amp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myke Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 (edited) [quote name='rOB' timestamp='1365202654' post='2036839'] Sorry - live. Any ideas? Is it just that its generally considered "a good thing" to hear the speaker distortion as well as the amp distortion in a guitar amp? [/quote] My only thought is that with a DI the sound is clean, no matter the amp setting (I may well be wrong) so to hear the distortion you'd have to be mic'd? Just to clarify. This is a guitar amp i'm talking about Edited April 5, 2013 by Myke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Vincent Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 [quote name='rOB' timestamp='1365202135' post='2036829'] great thread idea. Why is it that guitar amps are usually mic'd whilst bass amps are usually DI'd? [/quote] You can shove an SM57 in front of a guitar amp,but with lower bass frequency you're getting into more specialist - and therefore more expensive - microphones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Vincent Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 [quote name='sprocketflup' timestamp='1365198638' post='2036779'] While there is a thread going for little things that we cant figure out, can someone please explain the purpose of a ramp, coz I cant get my head round them? Also, Why Does it Hurt When I Pee? [/quote] You're squeezing too tightly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iD Entity Posted April 6, 2013 Author Share Posted April 6, 2013 My guess with DI vs Mic vs DI/Mic might be as simple as what people agree sound best in the mix. Probably what makes finding an answer to this one pretty difficult... everyone's got their own experiences, and depends entirely from one rig to the next. I just watched a Meshuggah gear vid actually, and the guitars and bass are all di'd! No cabs. Actually their live set up is nuts with geekdome, worth checking out. For the ramp, actually check out this Billy Sheehan video. He talks about "playing on the pickup", and the idea of the ramp is exactly the same. Fast forward to 2:25 =) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CAGinmT9Po And to JapanAxe, the idea of melding body parts of a dead alien to create a bass for metal would be pretty, er... metal \m/, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rOB Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 [quote name='Myke' timestamp='1365202975' post='2036842'] My only thought is that with a DI the sound is clean, no matter the amp setting (I may well be wrong) so to hear the distortion you'd have to be mic'd? [/quote] [quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1365203802' post='2036852'] You can shove an SM57 in front of a guitar amp,but with lower bass frequency you're getting into more specialist - and therefore more expensive - microphones.[/quote] [quote name='iD Entity' timestamp='1365211741' post='2036896'] My guess with DI vs Mic vs DI/Mic might be as simple as what people agree sound best in the mix. Probably what makes finding an answer to this one pretty difficult... everyone's got their own experiences, and depends entirely from one rig to the next. I just watched a Meshuggah gear vid actually, and the guitars and bass are all di'd! No cabs. Actually their live set up is nuts with geekdome, worth checking out. [/quote] Thanks everyone, that probably covers it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 [quote name='sprocketflup' timestamp='1365198638' post='2036779'] While there is a thread going for little things that we cant figure out, can someone please explain the purpose of a ramp, coz I cant get my head round them? Also, Why Does it Hurt When I Pee? [/quote] Franks Zappa answers that question on track 7 of Joes Garage- Why does it hurt when I pea?, Answer "I got it from the toilet seat!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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