Since I got my bass at Xmas, my music has really come on for it.

For the present, you can stick syn basses up your proverbial.

The bass guitar sound I'm getting is quite raw, has errors, isn't always quite in time, and sounds much the same tone regardless of the track. Compared to synth it's quite unacceptable with all these flaws.

But it sounds fantastic

Every note sounds naturally different, with a different squeeze, a different nail nibble, always different.

This adds so much to the music.

By contrast, synth music can get so stale sounding. But adding real bass peps up the whole thing. And bass is (relatively speaking) so easy to play.

I think maybe I want a Strat next

yeah it is a bit easy to sound pretty good, unless you want to go crazy.

I admit it adds a punch to music that a synth can't. Same goes for a guitar rhythm track as well.

glad you're having fun.

-dw

Hey there, Kev,

I didn't know you are a bassist. We could have talked about that the last time we spoke on the phone.
I've been a bassist 19 years of my 34. My newest baby is the limited edition, Geddy Lee Signature bass.
It is an amazing instrument. Great look and feel and the sound is 100% Geddy

see pic on next post

no, next is filing off those frets :p

frank ... that is such a beautiful looking guitar

Here is more info and another pic.

The Limited Edition Geddy Lee Jazz Bass has an alder body; a 70's Jazz Bass maple neck with 34" scale length; a maple fretboard with black binding, block inlays, and 20 frets; vintage style machine heads; '62 U.S. Jazz Bass pickups; BadAss(TM) II bridge; white/black/white pickguard; volume, volume, and master tone controls; chrome plated nickel hardware; Bakelite knobs; and Fender/Schaller® strap locks.

kevvvvv wrote:

Since I got my bass at Xmas, my music has really come on for it. For the present, you can stick syn basses up your proverbial. The bass guitar sound I'm getting is quite raw, has errors, isn't always quite in time, and sounds much the same tone regardless of the track. Compared to synth it's quite unacceptable with all these flaws. But it sounds fantastic Every note sounds naturally different, with a different squeeze, a different nail nibble, always different. This adds so much to the music. By contrast, synth music can get so stale sounding. But adding real bass peps up the whole thing. And bass is (relatively speaking) so easy to play. I think maybe I want a Strat next

For my it totally depends on the tune and the
situation (what other sounds I use, the mood of the track etc.) - I've been a bassplayer in various
band for about six or seven years and I own
all in all six basses but I still love
to use a lot of synthbasslines for my tunes.
Sometimes I mix it with e-bass and sometimes
I only use the one and sometimes the other -
anyway: the most important thing is that it feels
right for you

b.t.w.: I thought Geddy Lee uses only Wal since '84

you could write a bass line and then have Melodyne create a midi track for it and convert it to a synth bass for a bit of vitural realism. Maybe I'll give it a try soon.

cheers

dw

b.t.w.: I thought Geddy Lee uses only Wal since '84

He stoped using that after HOLD YOUR FIRE I belive.
This bass is what he used on Moving Pictures and now it's the bass he always playes. Check the new DVD etc

Of course, his is the real deal and it's beat to s**t LOL

I have a 79 4001 Rick as well and etc etc

- maybe he stopped using Wal in recent years
but from 'Power Windows' throughout the 90's he
was swearing on it.

No doubt. I have a friend who had one made for him in Texas. It's a sweet bass.
Now, I just to have to get use to the wide fret width on this Fender...

FYI -This bass will be apart of a future BELA D release.

I just checked it and I was wrong - he started using Fender again in 95:

"When the band recorded Power Windows, Geddy used a British-made Wal bass. At first, he didn’t use this live, opting for the Steinberger instead, but soon his black Wal would be used live. Along with a red Wal that was made later, he would use the brand for several years in the studio and onstage.

Geddy also began using larger 76-key controllers onstage to play or trigger what were now, more and more being loaded offstage into Akai-made samplers, which would record old sounds and “events” from their past songs.

The advent of programmable sequencers was a major addition to the Rush sound. They allowed the band to trigger keyboard passages, while they continued to play their regular instruments.



Geddy performing on his red Wal bass.
As the years go on, and technology became more sophisticated, keyboard parts and even background vocals would no longer need to be played from the stage, or even an offstage synthesizer. They simply could be recorded onto a sample and triggered from the foot of any one of the three musicians.

For the Roll the Bones tour, Ged changed his amplifier setup to Gallien-Krueger.

Because of the aforementioned sophistication of sound sampling, Geddy’s keyboard rig was now very streamlined. He seemed to enjoy the freedom that this provided, and didn’t feel like he was such a slave to the keyboards, anymore.



On the Counterparts tour, Geddy returned to his Fender Jazz Bass.
An even further step back to the basics came for the Counterparts tour, when Geddy started using his old Fender Jazz Bass again. He would have several different Jazz basses made for the Test For Echo tour, and for amplification he was using the Trace-Elliot amps and cabinets he had acquired prior to the Counterparts tour."
[/quote]

Bela D Media wrote:

No doubt. I have a friend who had one made for him in Texas. It's a sweet bass. Now, I just to have to get use to the wide fret width on this Fender... FYI -This bass will be apart of a future BELA D release.

- I know how you feel - I once changed from
a Steinberger copy (made by Hohner) to an Ibanez
ATK (which is as big a beast as a Stingray )

But after a while I felt very comfortable with it -
it's more like playing a real instrument compared
to all those 'hifi'-basses (which I nonetheless like as well)

Kevvvvv.....welcome to The Dark Side (or should I say, "The Deep Side").

Heh, like xoxos said: if you're following one of the standard paths, the next phase of the disease will be the desire to go fretless (once I got my hands on a fretless and played with it, I couldn't be satisfied until I bought one for myself).

Glad to see you're enjoying youself!

My own babies (Fender Jazz Bass Special fretless, Fender Strat, Hartke fretted....soon to be joined by a Chapman Stick):

TEll you guys what I'll post a pic of one of the first fender p's here in the next day or two. My friend's grandfather passed and he got the gear. SLab body, nocaster p-bass (51-53 we will know the fifteenth in PITT PA)ampeg's, fenders. Everything a professional country musician would've had back in the day and just happens to have one of the first p bass. Oh and btw it's like nothing("Ebass) I've ever played before. GEtting hard to find soft/Roundwounds these days. Oh yeah he thinks he's going to sell it in Pa that day too for 15000 us. Not bad for a basement find. I wish he'd give it to me after all I am the bassist in his band. Oh well I might as well let someone see it before it goes to a private collection.

basses are wonderful things arent they?

unfortunately, after many years of bass playing i became uninspired and lost the "spark". so, in search of new inspiration, my synth addiction began. however, i've always lamented how little i've played bass since then. especially since its the only instrument i can actually play well.

oddly, i've played guitar on more tracks over the last few years than i've played bass.

one issue i had for years was that i couldnt seem to get a recorded bass tone that would 1. have a tone i liked...and 2. sit properly in my synth tracks. i eventually solved that problem but unfortunately my bass playing didnt exactly jump back into action after that.

these days im am playing bass much more often but still no where near as often as i feel i should be. im not sure whats holding me back.

anyone have any suggestions on ways i might be able to inspire my bass playing again? specifically, ways that will integrate with my synth compositions.

thanks,
-ugo

ps...my bass rig currently consists of:

MusicMan Stingray 5 (maple/ash) tuned BEADA
Peavey Cirrus 5 Fretless (pau fero/redwood/alder) tuned BEADG
Tune Yoshihiro Naruse Signature 8 String (ebony/koa/mahogany) tuned CGCG
"Frankenstein" spare parts fretless acoustic bass tuned EADG
Eden Metro combo amp
Genz Benz 15" cab (which i havent used since i moved into an apartment)
EBS Unichorus
Dunlop Bass Wah
Electrix Filter Queen (used for other things too but originally bought for bass)

xoxos wrote:

no, next is filing off those frets :p

ack!
imho, thats not the best way to perform a fretless conversion.

the way i recommend is to carefully pull the frets out, clean the fret slots, inlay strips of wood, then sand and oil.

-ugo

I found out something strange about my own bass-playing:

Every time that friends come to me to record a track
with me and I just do the production, maybe help a bit
with the arrangement and add some keys AND play the bass-guitar I am much more satisfied with my bass-playing than on my own tunes and I haven't yet found out what's really the reason for it but I guess it has something to do with role-changing. - Then I am primarily the bass-player and not the composer/arranger who also plays the instruments just because there's no one there to do the job properly

ugo wrote:

ps...my bass rig currently consists of: [...] Electrix Filter Queen (used for other things too but originally bought for bass)

Going for that Hoover sound huh?

Doug, apologizing for the sucky pun.

ugo wrote:

xoxos wrote: no, next is filing off those frets :p ack! imho, thats not the best way to perform a fretless conversion. the way i recommend is to carefully pull the frets out, clean the fret slots, inlay strips of wood, then sand and oil. -ugo

...or maybe just get one ready made.

I found out something strange about my own bass-playing:

Every time that friends come to me to record a track
with me and I just do the production, maybe help a bit
with the arrangement and add some keys AND play the bass-guitar I am much more satisfied with my bass-playing than on my own tunes and I haven't yet found out what's really the reason for it but I guess it has something to do with role-changing. - Then I am primarily the bass-player and not the composer/arranger who also plays the instruments just because there's no one there to do the job properly

har

Quote:

the next phase of the disease will be the desire to go fretless

Funny you should mention fretless, but ...

Naw .. truth is, I'm still building my finger pads, and getting some arm muscle. My playing is shit compared to a pro, but having been a muso for years, it seems so much easier to pick up another instrument and get a half-decent sound.

Bass is such a bloody delightful instrument. It makes me feel soooo happy playing it

ugo wrote:

basses are wonderful things arent they? unfortunately, after many years of bass playing i became uninspired and lost the "spark". so, in search of new inspiration, my synth addiction began. however, i've always lamented how little i've played bass since then. especially since its the only instrument i can actually play well. oddly, i've played guitar on more tracks over the last few years than i've played bass. one issue i had for years was that i couldnt seem to get a recorded bass tone that would 1. have a tone i liked...and 2. sit properly in my synth tracks. i eventually solved that problem but unfortunately my bass playing didnt exactly jump back into action after that. these days im am playing bass much more often but still no where near as often as i feel i should be. im not sure whats holding me back. anyone have any suggestions on ways i might be able to inspire my bass playing again? specifically, ways that will integrate with my synth compositions. thanks, -ugo

Interestingly, I've been in a very similar kind of dilemma myself in the recent past. I started out primarily as a keyboardist/guitarist who then switched to playing nothing but fretless bass in a band for about 12 years.
I then got sick of playing live and starting focusing on my own music again, which brought me around to playing mainly keyboards/synths again for a while (especially once I got into software-based music), mainly covering the bass parts on the synths (having both keyboard and real bass playing experience seemed to make that work out well)...for the most part playing "real" bass wasn't quite as interesting to me at that point.
But these days I've now come around to an interesting point in my life where I'm now being called on to play guitar more often than anything, and a bit of real bass once again.
(I'm also trying to force myself to get my piano/keyboard playing chops back in shape too, but that's a different story)

One thing that really seemed to kill my desire to record with my real basses was that I wasn't very happy with the tone I was getting (all DI, having gotten rid of my amps some years ago when I stopped playing live gigs).
What really helped to re-inspire me again was when I got a SansAmp Bass Driver DI...suddenly I was getting a nice, ballsy tone with almost SVT-style weight; that really got me wanting to do it more again, and had me suddenly imaging all kinds of places in my music that I could use it again.
Another thing that's helped was my finally breaking down and buying a bass with frets...I was a fretless-only guy for many years and loved it, but I started finding my options a little limited. So getting a second bass with frets really seemed to help me too.

The final thing that's been really re-establishing my interest in fingers-on-steel-strings bass playing is my current obsession with finally getting a Chapman Stick soon, which I've been jonesing for for decades. The fact that it has a completely different playing technique and tuning structure is what really fascinates me...I'm really thinking it'll help break me out of some stylistic ruts I've been finding myself falling into with the standard basses, and since the Stick isn't just a bass, hopefully that'll get me thinking in all kinds of new directions as well.

wow ... interesting story, h

kevvvvv wrote:

Bass is such a bloody delightful instrument. It makes me feel soooo happy playing it

Yes indeed! Bass playing can be a wonderfully visceral, hit-you-in-the-guts kind of pleasure.

JJ Burnell rulez!

Quote:

The final thing that's been really re-establishing my interest in fingers-on-steel-strings bass playing is my current obsession with finally getting a Chapman Stick soon, which I've been jonesing for for decades. The fact that it has a completely different playing technique and tuning structure is what really fascinates me...I'm really thinking it'll help break me out of some stylistic ruts I've been finding myself falling into with the standard basses, and since the Stick isn't just a bass, hopefully that'll get me thinking in all kinds of new directions as well.

for some years the Stick was something like my final goal - the reason that I never bought one was a mixture of 'I can't afford it' and 'I don't yet dare it' -but I think for me it should be something like
a natural thing as I love all the three of them: playing the piano, playing the bass and playing the guitar, and the Stick is somewhere between those three instruments - maybe on day I'll manage to get one

ugo wrote:

one issue i had for years was that i couldnt seem to get a recorded bass tone that would 1. have a tone i liked...and 2. sit properly in my synth tracks. i eventually solved that problem but unfortunately my bass playing didnt exactly jump back into action after that. these days im am playing bass much more often but still no where near as often as i feel i should be. im not sure whats holding me back. anyone have any suggestions on ways i might be able to inspire my bass playing again? specifically, ways that will integrate with my synth compositions.

get ahold of a good outboard processor/modeller amp and plug the bass into that first before going into the computer. That's what I do with my "Dreibelbass" (a freakish mishmash of parts consisting of a 70's Japanese P-bass body, Cort factory second neck, SD Vintage P-bass and Jazz pickups, Schaller bridge and tuners, Moto pickguard and a couple of electronics schemes had from the pages of Guitar Player magazine in the 1980s). I use my Line 6 POD 2, which has a Fender Bassman model included with it. There's also the Bass POD, but a few years ago I got terrific results with a Tech21 SansAmp Classic pedal.

kevvvvv wrote:

The bass guitar sound I'm getting is quite raw, has errors, isn't always quite in time, and sounds much the same tone regardless of the track. Compared to synth it's quite unacceptable with all these flaws. But it sounds fantastic Every note sounds naturally different, with a different squeeze, a different nail nibble, always different. This adds so much to the music. By contrast, synth music can get so stale sounding. But adding real bass peps up the whole thing. And bass is (relatively speaking) so easy to play.

Welcome to the brother/sisterhood; the proverbial few, proud(?), and sometimes stepped on.

I've been a bassist myself for more years than I care to admit here and I find the 3 flavors of bass(acoustic/electric/synth) all have their place, depending on the style of the music, natch.

Given that your background with bass was mostly with synths until now, I think that you have an interesting perspective here. My take on synth basses was quite the opposite, having come from a rock/metal background with experience in electric bass only.

I agree, nice bass you have there, Frank. I have a 72(?) Precision somewhere around here, but it's in need of a neck.

Har wrote:

is my current obsession with finally getting a Chapman Stick soon,

i've thought about getting one for years but, as intriguing as they are, my hand independance stinks so i question whether it would be a worthwhile investment for me.

i was never all that good of a tapper....it took me years to pull off linus and lucy and even then i sucked at it. my keyboard playing is just as bad (thank god for sequencers.)

still, the tone and general idea of the instrument interests me.

-ugo

jens wrote:

Quote: The final thing that's been really re-establishing my interest in fingers-on-steel-strings bass playing is my current obsession with finally getting a Chapman Stick soon, which I've been jonesing for for decades. The fact that it has a completely different playing technique and tuning structure is what really fascinates me...I'm really thinking it'll help break me out of some stylistic ruts I've been finding myself falling into with the standard basses, and since the Stick isn't just a bass, hopefully that'll get me thinking in all kinds of new directions as well. for some years the Stick was something like my final goal - the reason that I never bought one was a mixture of 'I can't afford it' and 'I don't yet dare it' -but I think for me it should be something like a natural thing as I love all the three of them: playing the piano, playing the bass and playing the guitar, and the Stick is somewhere between those three instruments - maybe on day I'll manage to get one

Yep, that exactly what I've been thinking: since I'm a keyboardist/bassist/guitarist...the Stick sounds a lot like a natural progression for me, especially as I've heard that sometimes keyboardists tend to take to it a little more easily than guitarists or bassists (who sometimes aren't used to the idea of both hands playing separate parts). Here's hoping I'm right.

BTW, for those who'd like to see the "two simultanious parts on a Stick" concept really taken far, you might like to check out this 10 minute online solo live performance video by Greg Howard, who's quite the monster on the instrument.
Starts out kinda free-form/jazzy....and then about halfway into it takes off into the stratosphere, going off into almost Tangerine Dream-ish pseudo-sequenced soundscaping using delays, and at one point playing a spacy distorted solo over the top with his right hand while the left hand pins down the bass arpeggios. Fun stuff, and gets away from the common misconception that the Stick is mainly a bass-centric instrument.

http://www.eyeoncville.com/005/005vid04.htm

(there's also some good close-ups that give a good visual of the playing techniques involved)

dreibel wrote:

get ahold of a good outboard processor/modeller amp and plug the bass into that first before going into the computer.

i dont have a problem with my recorded tone any more. i solved that problem about a year or so ago.

i've never been particularly interested in bass amp modelers because i wasnt looking for a variety of amp tones. all i really wanted was the tone i already had...just recorded and mixed properly. i figured if i could get my recorded tone close enough, i could get it the rest of the way through computer tweaking.

after trying several products and reading up on tons of stuff, my final solution ended up being in my posession all along...

what i do is run a direct line out of my eden bass head into my microwave XT's audio in. turn the XT's oscillators all the way down...but...here's the trick...switch them to unisono to boost the input signals volume to up a strong level. (otherwise its way too quiet.) from there i route the signal from the XT's extra outs into my audio card.

i stumbled into this combo when messing with running my bass through the filters. it never sounded good until, for some unknown reason, i decided to switch to unisono (which is not documented to do anything to the external audio signal, but it sure does.)

all of a sudden...there was my long lost bass tone.

using the XT as a preamp brings back all the tone and textural details that i was loosing, without changing the sound into anything other than what i felt should have been there from the beginning. (unlike what an amp modeler would have done.)

of course, i also get the added bonus of using the XT's filters and effects if i want to but the best part really is just that i finally have the ability to capture the sound of my basses through my eden.

now the tone is there...all i've got to do is play something...and therein lies my current problem.

-ugo

Har wrote:

jens wrote: Quote: The final thing that's been really re-establishing my interest in fingers-on-steel-strings bass playing is my current obsession with finally getting a Chapman Stick soon, which I've been jonesing for for decades. The fact that it has a completely different playing technique and tuning structure is what really fascinates me...I'm really thinking it'll help break me out of some stylistic ruts I've been finding myself falling into with the standard basses, and since the Stick isn't just a bass, hopefully that'll get me thinking in all kinds of new directions as well. for some years the Stick was something like my final goal - the reason that I never bought one was a mixture of 'I can't afford it' and 'I don't yet dare it' -but I think for me it should be something like a natural thing as I love all the three of them: playing the piano, playing the bass and playing the guitar, and the Stick is somewhere between those three instruments - maybe on day I'll manage to get one Yep, that exactly what I've been thinking: since I'm a keyboardist/bassist/guitarist...the Stick sounds a lot like a natural progression for me, especially as I've heard that sometimes keyboardists tend to take to it a little more easily than guitarists or bassists (who sometimes aren't used to the idea of both hands playing separate parts). Here's hoping I'm right. BTW, for those who'd like to see the "two simultanious parts on a Stick" concept really taken far, you might like to check out this 10 minute online solo live performance video by Greg Howard, who's quite the monster on the instrument. Starts out kinda free-form/jazzy....and then about halfway into it takes off into the stratosphere, going off into almost Tangerine Dream-ish pseudo-sequenced soundscaping using delays, and at one point playing a spacy distorted solo over the top with his right hand while the left hand pins down the bass arpeggios. Fun stuff, and gets away from the common misconception that the Stick is mainly a bass-centric instrument. http://www.eyeoncville.com/005/005vid04.htm (there's also some good close-ups that give a good visual of the playing techniques involved)

- wow - that's an amazingly impressive video, isn't it - it brought a big grin
on my face, especially when he turned on the delay
- and then the part with the distorted solo/clean bassline

b.t.w.: There is a german stick player, Michael Gosh,
he recorded his own stuff with the Stick, but
he also plays (played?) Police covers in the streets,
where he plays Stings basslines and Andy Summers guitar-licks and sings to it

- I didn't manage to find a link though

jens wrote:

b.t.w.: There is a german stick player, Michael Gosh, he recorded his own stuff with the Stick, but he also plays (played?) Police covers in the streets, where he plays Stings basslines and Andy Summers guitar-licks and sings to it - I didn't manage to find a link though

Just found this about him on the Stick website:

http://www.stick.com/videoscds/gosh.html

jep, that's him...