Bass Gear Advice

[SaggyBalls]

Okay...I've spec'd out a bass and amp to work towards but I am trying to figure out how to address the issue of tools:

you know...compressors, limiters, EQ, filters...effects...

it's not totally imprtant to get my arsenal built up in short order but I wanted to start this thread for some suggestions about affordable, durable, usable gear.

I was thinking (groan) multi-effects. I've heard some of the new Boss gear and I like its durability and flexibility but i've been iffy about multi-effects units.

I also checked out the behrnger v-amp setup and that looks useful.

I also can't forget about just getting a few key items, but I have a feeling I'd get 3 or 4 pieces of gear and that'd be the same price as an entire multi unit...i'd get more for the money without the necessity of getting a pedalboard/case or have to set up and tear down, unplug, wear out and beat up pedals going in and out of a bag or guitar case.

I'll be playing my thin sounding aluminum necked headless kramer until I can get my hands on an Ibanez BTB 5 string. If you know of a better bass for $700 let me know. I need something solid and phat. That's a phat bass, albeit heavy.

And as far as an amp, I think I'm going to go the behringer route. A 2x10 combo with a 450 watt head for around $500 - it's within my budget, is giggable, and doesn't really sound all too bad.

I know it's behringer, but until I get on my way to make a living from gigging I can't really justify spending twice that on a more serious piece of gear.

I want to get usable , good sounding tools for a decent price. versatility.

[Deeps]

I have this

IT's a solid unit that I very little complaints about, but it is a little pricy.

Those 2 pedal multi-effect processor have nothing on this unit.

L & M will let you finance it.

It has a little noise when you use the compressors, but nothing too over bearing.

The effect are of great quality...it has a built in wah and sweepy octave thing and the ability to store your favourite settings.

As for a $700 bass.

You should be able to find a used solid 5 string that might be more solid than the Ibanez 5.

Mind you I can't stand Ibanez 5 strings because the strings are too close together and I find their electronics to be sub standard.

Check www.kickinthehead.com for used gear.

It's pretty good for this kind of stuff.

Hope this helps.

Edited October 6, 2005 by Guest

[snarfmaster C]

hi beats!

"I want to get usable , good sounding tools for a decent price. versatility. "

me too.

i don't have any advice, but i'll be watchin this post too...

good luck, and good rockin

[richbass]

Price is the biggest factor obviously. Let me tell you from my experiences that practicality is just as important. You don't want heavy ass gear because chances are your going to have to lug it around.

You get what you pay for, and with musical gear it is important that you don't sacrifice your sound because of price. With that in mind, scrounge up come extra money so you don't have to buy new gear down the line. That's not always possible but just keep that in mind, when your shit is fucked up and you wonder why. You can get lucky but don't count on it. You want brand new shit with a warranty just in case.

For me I think as long as you have a great amp, with some great pickups you'll be fine. Ideally a great bass would also be nice, but those will run you a fair price.

I run an 86' Squier Jazz bass with active EMG pickups. Now I got lucky at L&M with this one because it sounds so great through anything. Back when I used to have money I got myself a Mesa Boogie Walkabout 350 watt head. Now the speakers don't even really matter but it definitely helps. I run a 4x10 yorkville which is heavy as fuck, barely a one man job (non practical) and a used 1x15 that I just recently found out can support my amp alone. Good for a small rig. I got myself into a Boss Bass Syth, and in time with plenty of toying with will get you funkifying the world!

Other pedals are electro harmonix, which I haven't heard anthing good about them, and the space balls. Look for an envelope filter those sound great I can get a sound reminiscent of that on the syth. Only problem is you have to know your settings well if you want to change effects during a show. Kind of a pain in the ass.

Anyways sorry for blabbing, but you gotta love the gear! So to you I say good luck and I'll be dreaming of my quantum 5.................soon to be mine..............

[SaggyBalls]

well phishfart, thanks for the advice. i wanted to get a walkabout and the combo cab (1x12) and the 1x15 extension speaker but then i found that behringer amp for more than 50% off the price of the walkabout rig.

a 2x10 bass combo is big enough yet small enough to gig with in the city without a car (yay cabs)

and as far as effects to use, I know what I like...

hey deeps - how long is the loop on the me-50b?? I am totally keeping the rc-20xl in the back of my mind but I'm not focused on a looper just yet.

a synth is really just tone generation with filters, so if you don't add any tone generation to your signal but still use the filters you essentially have an envelope filter. that's why I kept my electro harmonix bass micro synth.

if you like your synth tones, I beg of you - get a mod unit. phaser sounds best with synth. you'll really really hear your tone open up and if you can get a phaser where you can notch the setting you can really get your tone to sit in the spectrum so specifically. i used to have an EH worm pedal and although it sounded like crap with wear, you could notch the modulation and it had phaser, tremolo, vibrato, and mod.wah - which is essentially like having a wah pedal left on. another great tool to get tone to come out right.

(you're welcome in advance)

as far as my choice in basses, I haven't played a bass that feels and plays as solid as that ibanex 5 string within the next $400 with the features (18V active electronics, matte hardware, flame maple top, individual bridges for each string (and chunky at that too))...I really need a bass with push and punch and this has both and a lot more. the strings are widely spaced and the thing is a monster. looks awesome. the only person i've ever seen play one was the bassist from red shag carpet - his is the deluxe model a(likely built in japan) and about twice as expensive - the one i want has a bolt on neck and his is a neck-thru. beauty bass for sure. cool band too.

I know I want some basses that'll run me a huge bill at a music store. I'll be saving up for a dingwall or a mike lull or a warwick or a fender (or G&L) but really I'm just curious about tone tools.

I wans thinking about those boss multi effects and was thinking that I'd get pretty much wnatever I'd want with a gt-6b and the me-50b in its effects loop, but that might be too much. I had a chain of wah>octave>synth>2 envelope filters> mod> volume> delay/loop and I learned that knowing how to set your gear is important when it comes to bass tone. It's hard to keep the sound defined and dynamic. Compression, EQ, and texture are more important to me than synth but I know that I have a filter already...I'm less into toys and more into tools.

a nice transparent limiter would really help for slap, a fat compressor would really help me dig into a rockin' bassline, EQ can help me even out frequency response issues...

now that being said, good tone into a good amp sounds incredible, but flexibility is always nice too. I know that I'll be able to sound good for now but when I have the money to spend i don't want to regret spending my money. I've heard a lot about the boss multi effects but was wondering if any other companies made units that sounded and gigged as well.

[Deeps]

The ME-50's loop sample is only about 3-5 seconds, but I've done some wacky shit with it once I started layering and such. Not easy to get a solid phrase on though ;-(.

EQs are super important. The ME-50 has 1 low, 2 mids, and 1 high dial which really has the ability to boost a signal and bring the true tone of the bass out.

It's also useful if you ever go straight into a board b/c you have control over everything from volume to bottom end.

It has a phaser, flanger, fretless, drive, and several tap tempo or preset delays settings. It's a good toy and also a solid tool.

It's a wicked easy set up too.

Good luck and thanks for the phaser/synth tip, I'll be after that soon-like.

Basses and bassists and cabs and toys and rhythm section knowledge facking rule.

I love talking this stuff.

Do you pick or use your fingers.

Where's Bassie on this discussion?

Deeps

[Davey Boy 2.0]

my advice would be- don't sell all your gear before you move out west, coz you're just gonna have to buy it all over again

[peipunk]

Nobody's mentioned the most important gadget of all: a metronome.

Edited October 7, 2005 by Guest

[richbass]

when i bought my walkabout, they didn't even have the cab where you slide it in the back I'm lookin to get one for convenience purposes. I want to get myself a boomerang, heard it has the longest loop, but not sure if it's for bass also. Anywho good luck with your gear findings!

[Deeps]

[color:purple]Yah I cal mine Paul....he's a drummer with good meter.

Sorry I'm not a practicer I believe playing in bands is the only way to the pocket, short of this....metronomage I suppose, but it's still just a reasonably drawn facsimile of the pocket.

[jayr]

If you are looking for gear that won't break your budget I recommend www.americanmusicalsupply.com It is an american company but the beauty of this is that you can do monthly payments on your credit card. Anything over $250 is 3 monthly payments and over $1000 is 5 monthly payments and you get the gear right away (3 business days) but you pay one payment and shipping at first. Now the american dollar is pretty crappy right now so the exchange isn't that much at all. I've personnaly ordered over 10 guitars a couple amps and a bass through them in the last year and never had a problem. Also be sure to check the DENT & SCRATCH pages for super good deals on stuff with a little scratch on the back or other minimal cosmetic defects.

[peipunk]

[color:purple]Yah I cal mine Paul....he's a drummer with good meter.

Sorry I'm not a practicer I believe playing in bands is the only way to the pocket, short of this....metronomage I suppose, but it's still just a reasonably drawn facsimile of the pocket.

Well, cheers man, no offense, but I think you're wrong in the "reasonably drawn facsimile" thing. If you can groove with a metronome, you can groove with anyone. I had a night watchman job for a week between road trips and I brought a metronome along for the ride....I've felt the difference in my hands ever since. Seriously, I couldn't believe it. Different drummers each have their own thing, some guys are a little on top of the beat, some guys are a little behind. Getting to know one guy inside out is all good for a band setting, but I really believe practicing with a metronome (or drum machine) is the best way to take your playing to the next level. That's just me though!

Sorry for the discussion outside of gear, just trying to contribute!

As for gear, Beats, what kind of gigs do you see yourself doing? Do you have something lined up already?? I've never seen anybody list "effects pedals needed" in a "bass player wanted" ad. My point is, if you're trying to put together a versatile, gig worthy rig, money would be far wiser spent on bass and amp before effects. Depends on what you're doing, though.

Hey phishfart, I got a Quantum 5 laying around that ain't doing anything ....

Edited October 7, 2005 by Guest

[Deeps]

Yeah sorry my comment was kind of bratty....I really don't have the patience for this though...really not how I learn or someting.

I know a couple of guys who swear by the metronome approach and I can't really get into it.

I don't go to the gym either though I'm more of a like to play a game to stay in shape.

Constantly avoiding monotony is my thing I guess.

We should post pics of our rigs in this thread...it's fun to see what others are playing through and on.

Deeps

[bradm]

Constantly avoiding monotony is my thing I guess.

You mean you avoid monotony all the time? You do nothing but avoid monotony? Doesn't that get boring after a while?

Aloha,

Brad

[Deeps]

You fucker....why I oughta ... son of a ... I'm bored of fighting being bored it's boring.

[SaggyBalls]

davey boy - i already moved out west. It's nice out there.

punk - i'll be sure to get a metronome. i've wanted to get a decent one for a long time and it always gets forgotten.

I'm at the stage in the game where I'm just getting an amp but I want to have some tools such as EQ, Compressor/Limiter, Filters, and mod (and delays/loops) when the time comes through.

I expect to be playing mostly with musicians that want good tone so the effects are really for me.

I'll be buying a giggable amp, but it's not anywhere near pro gear.

I figure when I can afford to spend the money and I'm playing more music with other people I'll go out and get some tools.

phishfart - get a look at the boss rc-20 - it's under $500 and you can undo, have 16 minutes worth of time (so i gather) and you can quantize without a pitch change.

[bradm]

Beats: thatpatguy has a little Boss drum machine, about the size of a paperback book, that he bought as a metronome, but it also has a bunch of programmable beat patterns. IIRC, he said he got it for $40 at a pawn shop. It sounds like a good machine for a guitarist to recommend to a bassist if only the guitarist could remember the model of machine that the other bassist (who's also a baritone saxophonist) had, so he could recommend it to the bassist...

Aloha,

Brad

[SaggyBalls]

actually, that's a much better thing than a metronome, but most drum machines don't have internal speakers and it's nice to have that snappy little click on your knee when you're pushing mass quantities of air.

i'll have to get a metronome AND a drum machine.

i bet it was a little dr.rhythm

[SaggyBalls]

hey punk - don't sell your fender. the quantum is a great bass but just don't sell that jazz bass.

I'm personally not a huge fan of Modulus tone overall, but I know how great they sound and how much players love to play them. the only modulus I've played and liked was their huge beastly Genesis basses.

http://www.modulusguitars.com/v2/products/genesisbass/index.html

Don't get me wrong - If one came around that I could afford and it was a deal (I read that as 'opportunity') then I'd love to lay it down on a sweet well made graphite necked bass guitar.

but honestly, when it comes down to choice of instrument it's got to be personal.

I loved my fender but just got rid of it. they're classic and I'm sure you understand. When it comes to newer basses I want to have something that's generally less common. Thumbs are pretty common as days go by (she hugs me so nice. she likes my belly and with her I can play all night. first time i played a thumb i played for 8 hours straight and it felt like a workout on my forearm instead of overworking my wrist and tendons), I played a mike lull I could get all the sweet fat hi-fi tone I've ever heard (yay canadian luthiers), and I more recently played a sweet dingwall bass.

http://www.dingwallguitars.com/html/products.html

they use the novax fanned fret system...the idea is to vary fret spacing relative to string diameter to allow for even tone and no dead spots on the neck. I only got to play it through a nemesis combo amp (the squier of eden) - it sounded great but i could only play it when i DIDN'T look at the neck as they're all fanned out instead of spaced out evenly. it's more exponential spacing - 2d instead of on one axis.

felt amazing. yay canadian luthiers.

I also played a lado that was sweet this past week. I'm sure Boogieknight can attest to this (and giggles as well - but the guy may be biased)

and deeps - "Sorry I'm not a practicer I believe playing in bands is the only way to the pocket, short of this....metronomage I suppose, but it's still just a reasonably drawn facsimile of the pocket. "

the pocket has to be solid. a metronome is solid. drummers drift. then you drift, all the while thinking you're still in 'the pocket'

I know I've done it. a lot. it's led me to think that I was faking it. when you're strapped in you've gotta own it right? the bassman has to be solid in every way.

I can't fake it anymore. i'd rather sit out for a song.

I'm glad that I've tried a lot of gear in the past and kept my eyes open when i have because i've learned what I need and why I want what I want. I'm getting tired of dancing around on pedals when i should be dancing around the stage.

thanks for the advice folks. If you have any more ideas and advice I'd love to keep this discussion going.

I'm also thinkign about you thoughts on aural exciters, multi-band compression, octave generators, pre amps/DIs, tuners, cables, hard shell pedalboard cases, flight cases for gear, gig bags, miscellaneous gear (nickel and dimeys)...pretty much anything you're questioning, have any testimonials, or even bad things to say about gear, setups, problems, issues, and hassles you've had or are having

it just seems like there're a lot of bassists around here. glad we can feel it.

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

(Ok I'm not a bassist but) I find my Line 6 loop sampler makes a great organic metronome - lock in a figure, and then leave it running and sampling while playing over the groove, with a really slow decay. While you get stuck with your mistakes for a long time, it does force you into a broad frame that you have to parse out to make it work, and can at the same time make subtle changes.

I'm not sure I've adequately explained that.

[SaggyBalls]

When I had my DL4 I found that I hated hearing my flubs so looping really made me improve, but the 14 second sample time was quite limiting...my phrases were often times never as long as I'd like to have developed.

it was pretty cool but when i wind up sampling I'll probably get the rc-20xl.

I really found that playing one long 2 part phrase really added layers to my phrases and opened me up to a lot of great ideas.

it was a great thing to have but solitude and electronics made me go a bit bonkers.

[bradm]

it was a great thing to have but solitude and electronics made me go a bit bonkers.

Here I sit, alone in a house with

• three computers
  
• one ADSL modem
  
• one TV set
  
• one VCR/DVD player
  
• three electric guitars
  
• three guitar amps
  
• one set of guitar effects (tuner, digital delay, phaser, overdrive, auto-wah, compressor)
  
• one DAT recorder
  
• two MD recorders
  
• one Creative Nomad JB3 hard drive recorder
  
• one home stereo (turntable, CD player, cassette deck, tuner, amp, speakers)
  

Bonkers? Not yet, but I can see it from here...

Aloha,

Brad

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

That sounds like a recipe for complete madness - be careful! .