My Dirt Bender - Another Jounal

Speaking of that. I did all the required cable work and have my board up and running again, took it to rehearsal and was pleasantly surprised!


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Running the signal chain of Doom2 + PX-101 + Mini Chorus yields a fat synth that is super touch sensitive. I set the output so high it engages the comp more or less immediately, so I can use dynamics to direct the filter sweep without bouncing around volume wise.
In the nether regions of the board, there still is a Fuzzrocious BDPG and an Xotic BB Bass Preamp, as well as the C4 Synth, which I did not take off yet to do some more A/B comparison before waving it good bye.

I want to get the flea sound

Why do people say this? They sound exactly like a stingray
As someone who currently owns both, they really don’t. Similar? Absolutely. But they behave differently and the high end is very different. A lot of the reason former, non-StingRay folks play Specials is because the new preamp does a very different thing.

The Sushi Box FX Secret Society

I see your point but you could also make the argument that if you can't hear and feel the compression, do you even need it?

A meter helps if you're shooting for a certain amount of gain reduction or to check when you create spikes and adjust your technique. Like a learning tool.

When I learned the basics of mixing audio, a meter was useful but ultimately I realized I had a hard time understanding and hearing what attack, release and knee were doing despite the visual aid.

Once I started using a dyna comp knockoff on my guitar, which only has compression and gain knobs and no meter, it became obvious was compression was doing to my dynamics and tone.
Personally I hear better with my ears than my eyes.
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Bass Direct shipping nightmare for Bruce Thomas Profile Bass solar flare finish!

Did you say the bass was placed in a plastic covering within the gig bag? If so, were the tuners within, or without, of said plastic covering?
Also, another take on the paint damage: could, potentially, the broken off and ruined tuner heads have played a part in said paint damage.
I'm practicing to be an investigator ;)

1967 GIBSON EB3 BASS

You got plenty of good advice - along with a ton of humour - in the other thread. I'm not quite sure what kind of new information are you looking for with this one.

I wouldn't take a Gibson without a serial number for free, let alone at their asking price.

Your money your call.
Thanks, I think you summed it up. Without the serial number I can't justify the price, no matter how it sounds. I will look elsewhere.

The Sushi Box FX Secret Society

I see your point but you could also make the argument that if you can't hear and feel the compression, do you even need it?

A meter helps if you're shooting for a certain amount of gain reduction or to check when you create spikes and adjust your technique. Like a learning tool.

When I learned the basics of mixing audio, a meter was useful but ultimately I realized I had a hard time understanding and hearing what attack, release and knee were doing despite the visual aid.

Once I started using a dyna comp knockoff on my guitar, which only has compression and gain knobs and no meter, it became obvious was compression was doing to my dynamics and tone.
Do I need compression? No, but I prefer it because it reduces the dynamic range of my playing so it’s more consistent (as is sort of the point) and yes I am actually shooting for a certain amount of gain reduction (somewhere actually doing something and not squashing every note I play). Good metering allows me to very quickly try different playing styles (fingerstyle, slap, pick) when I set the compressor up and make sure it’s actually compressing the signal to the degree I want and at the point I want in terms of the where the threshold is for it to kick in and how much it gets reduced after that (so I can set the ratio). I’m mostly using a Cali76 BC V2 which has a HPF and parallel compression, so it’s even more helpful to see what the compressor is doing because those features, while they help things sound better, make it harder for me at least to know what the compressor is actually doing because they are largely intended to reduce/obscure the impact of what the compressor is doing— particularly on the attack.

I find it’s a lot easier for me set compressor pedals for guitars because I don’t have to worry about a disproportionate amount of content in the lower EQ frequencies constantly pushing the signal over the threshold.

You should also be able to mix music without metering, and some would prefer to, but the more tracks you have going on, the more metering can help you to localize where a problem is if there is one. I find that metering can help the same way in a long pedal signal chain where the compressor, again for me, is generally the first non tuner pedal in queue. YMMV.
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American Vintage II 1960, American Professional II, or Mod Shop. What say you?

I'm biased as I own an American Pro II and it's my #1. Maybe #1A depending on the day but that's just me. Amazing quality, feel and sounds from mine. The V-mods are very dynamic for P bass pickups. Tone on, they've got that bell like chime and lend itself to a piano sound. Tone off,( where I play my Ps 99% of the time) has that vintage thump you're looking for. Mines still rocking the same ( very dead ) rounds it came with but I have a set of Flats on hold that I'd imagine would help with that vibe even further.

As for the other options, The American Vintage line is more of a specific model and while they're great at capturing that time and essence, they can be limiting in play and features. For instance the pickups may only get you a vintage sound but not able to dial in modern sounds. The old profile neck may be too wide a nut width for some to play comfortably. The option to string through both body and bridge on the AM PRO II. Or in my opinion the #1 reason I won't buy a mod shop, is the contoured heel cuts by the neck allowing you to access the upper register alot more efficiently. It's one of those features you didn't know you needed or wanted until you play it but its something as simple as that, it makes you play better.

I've pondered the idea and created many Mod shop schematics over the years but the price / quality / features / resale value all really keep me from spending an extra $1000( Mod shop $2200 vs used AM PRO II $1200 ) on a cool paint job. I admit I really want the full rosewood 1963c neck they offer on the Mod shop as that is the same neck found on the AM PRO II, however it doesn't have the neck heel contour so it seems rather pointless to spend more money on a lesser instrument for me. Not to mention the bad stories you hear about people receiving what they didn't order because Fender didn't have the parts but failed to communicate that to the buyer and with their " NO RETURN " policy coupled with an instant 30% loss on resale it's a very big gamble for many.

The AM Pro II is cheaper and has more features making this an easy choice in my opinion. I'm all for saving money and getting a good deal. Not sure the color/fretboard you're going for but here's some links on Reverb for a better price. Good Luck in your search.







Edit: Links added.
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1067 Gibson EB3 Bass

I would be more worried about the serial number than the condition. Old basses can be very well cared for, or badly neglected and underplayed, thus sustaining little cosmetic damage.

Perhaps Bassvaarken can offer some insight?
Thank you, it's a very valid point, I have a bass I bought new in 1978 and it's in excellent condition because I look after it.

Fender Bassman Pedals

I tried today both the comp and the driver, with some mixed/ interesting results. The compressor worked nicely, adding some body to the sound. It's not a transparent compressor though, it ads some weight to upper mids, (?). It was on for all of the evening and first in line. I had all the knobs fairly low, maybe I should try the pad switch next day.
I put the Driver before the compressor but after a couple of songs I placed it after it. This pedal needs some tweaking time and I didn't want to focus on the pedal all the time we were playing but here are some observations; the blend knob also ads a lot of bass/low mids. It makes the bass sound fat, but it can also be too much and start to sound boomy. I thought it was just a blend knob but it's the clean blend. The manual says unity gain is around 8, adding a few db of boost at 10.
This is playing through a PB into an Ampeg- The pedal has a lot of gain on tap, it's a distortion pedal for the most part of its range although low gain is also there. It also has a pad switch so I should also try it next day. I ended up lowering the blend and adding some moderate distortion. But the way the blend knob interacted with the bottom frequencies puzzled me a bit.

In short, they both stay in the pedalboard for now, but more experimentation is needed. The fuzz arrived after I had left for rehearsal, so it has not been opened yet.

Suggestions for bass multi-effects pedals controlled by IOS app via bluetooth

This is not an easy one.
Most effects units are tuned to be set up once and then used on stage without the need of consumer electronics.
I think you can buy a (third party?) app for the Fractal Audio Axe FX III that allows bluetooth connection (once you bought a dongle and put it into the unit) and tweaks through an iOs device on the fly.

My Dirt Bender - Another Jounal

I’ve enabled Mr. Murdoque enough, I believe, so I will direct this out to the fellow cork sniffers: does anyone have experience with Jam Pedals? They have a 20% off BF deal right now. They are Europe-based I believe but are doing free international shipping right now as well.
Waterfall Bass is a great chorus but that’s all the experience I have with them. Great build quality too. Most of their pedals are well liked.

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