Grand Designs
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Posts posted by Grand Designs
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QUOTE (Crockettsonny84 @ Apr 12 2009, 03:45 PM) QUOTE (CygnusX-1Bk2 @ Mar 17 2009, 08:32 PM) QUOTE (ozzy85 @ Mar 16 2009, 04:48 PM) A Jazz bass doesn't have as much serious low end thump as some other basses. Part of it has to do with the inline pickups, kinda like a Fender Stratocaster... A bass with the Fender Precision style pickups will kick out a more deep bass sound... This makes no sense. I think you mean a "Single Coil" pickup as opposed to "inline." A Precision pickup is a split coil pickup. The split design reduces hum, like a humbucker. The position of the pickup on the body (and the pickup windings) determine the sonic quality. A bridge position pickup (on any instrument) will always be brighter sounding because the harmonic activity is concentrated near the bridge and the nut, thus the "neck" position pickups will be warmer and rounder. A P bass has no bridge pickup. Roll off the volume on a J's bridge pickup and voila... instant P bass tone.
Exactly. If you play any songs that were recorded with a Precision Bass, it is really easy to mask the tone by turning off the bridge pickup completely. If you turn off the neck pickup and turn the bridge full on, you'll get a Music Man stingray esque sound. When both the pickups are full on with full tone, the sound isnt as muddy as the neck pickup but isnt as bitey as the bridge pickup; thus, a sort of half/half sound comes into play. This sound is the "quintessential" Jazz Bass sound. IMO, I find that if you put the Bridge pickup full on and turn down the neck pickup 1/4 turn, you can get a pretty good Rickenbacker sort of sound with the top end bite while retaining a good amount of low end. If you take the Bridge pickup and turn it down 1/4 turn and leave the Neck pickup at full you can get a more defined Precision Bass tone without the overdriven muddiness. Keep it that way and turn down the tone, voila! you have a good mid-70's Jazz Tone that can be used in virtually any of the records of that era
I find the jazz basses to sound their best with the neck pickup on full, and the bridge pickup off completely. Regardless of what everyone else says, my ears tell me that's how Geddy's been running his with all neck pickup since at least the R30 time frame - not with both pickups at full volume. If he uses any bridge pickup at all, it's just a little. If you watch Geddy play, he plays directly over the neck pickup about 90% of the time. That tells me that the neck pickup is the driving element of his bass sound.
I would like to try wiring a jazz bass in stereo just to see how it would sound. Has anyone else tried this?
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QUOTE (Cygnalschick @ Mar 16 2009, 12:07 AM) Everytime I plug in to jam w/ other people, I have a problem getting good low end all over the bass. It seems like the low E string is the only one that gives me a good bass sound. As far as settings go, I usually have the bass turned up about 3 quarters of the way, and the treble maybe a little less than halfway. Does anyone else have this problem? Or does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix this problem??
Thanks a bunch
I used to have a Geddy Lee bass, then realized that after about a yeah that I hated it. The neck wouldn't stay set, and all the pickups picked up was the awful clanking noise of the strings hitting the frets - not the sound of the bass. I actually traded that bass off for a 2 by 10 Ampeg not long after I got my 4003.
I plan on getting another Fender Jazz one of these days. I'll get the 75' re-issue. Being that they are made in America, and not Japan, they are much sturdier than the Geddy Lee, plus they sound better. I would say that the 75' re-issue is more consistent with Geddy's 72' than his "signature bass" that he actually doesn't play live. That sould tell you something right there.
I had to at least try one out, you know? I give it a 5 out of 10.
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A fellow youtube bass player asked me to make a demo video of the SansAmp RPM since I have one. So I did, which makes me the first person to make a demo video of this great device.
I want to share it with you all since I think I mastered Geddy's Rickenbacker sound from the Exit...Stage Left DVD (I play my 1980 4001 on the video, by the way). Those of you who have this device, but haven't quite got it to work the way you want it to work, as well as those who are interested in the RPM, but are unsure, should find this helpful.
So here it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOHCC2HsPlg...re=channel_page
Bear in mind that I'm really not playing too special. The purpose of the video is to showcase the distortion characteristics of the RPM - not my playing. I don't claim to be this AWESOME BASS PLAYER; however, I am proud of the sound I do get from my setup and would like to share it with everyone.
Enjoy!
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I bet that youtube won't last too much longer, just because of all the bootleg material, and stuff that you're all talking about.
Nothing that's GOOD ever lasts.
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QUOTE (rushringleader @ Mar 12 2009, 07:12 PM) Not trying to impress anyone at all but my friend recorded this rough jam, I record a rough bass line, and made some rough drums. Get the theme? lol anyhow here it is. Thoughts and recommendations are appreciated
http://www.zshare.net/audio/5694986867faa457/Pretty cool. So what do you record with? Is there a type of program you have, or do you have one of those CD burning recorders that are similar to a 8 track? The guitar sounds direct.
Anyways, I'd be interested in something like a Pro Tools, but not Pro Tools (too expensive and too technical for my needs) to put on my comoputer.
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QUOTE (CygnusX-1Bk2 @ Mar 12 2009, 06:35 PM) Well, Geddy's signal path is split at least 3 ways before getting to the FOH. The extra low end comes from his processing. What I hear mostly is the "snappy" (crappy) distorted upper mid range. Ever since he's gone to the Di only system it's been like that. Plus their stage volume is lop sided because of it too. It's not smooth like the Moving Pictures recordings of his J.
I am not a fan of the SansAmp by itself either. I have only used it in conjunction with real amps, and never for bass. If the RPM is what gives Geddy that crappy distortion then I am staying away from that too. Bass->Amp/preamp is all you need for a good tone.
I also have a Ric, but rarely use it. Not quite as versatile as a Fender. I actually prefer my Mexican J to the Geddy. Never buy the most expensive Fender. It's a Fender!I hear what you're saying about Geddy using the DI only setup. Even I don't quite understand why he perfers it, but I do like those heavy distortion sounds that he gets from it. I would like to see him go back to real cabinets to get that Moving Pictures smooth jass bass sound.
As for my experience with the RPM, the key is to set the bass, mid, mid-shift, and treble according to the manuel's "overdriven bass" setting. Then set the drive to a position that you find desireable (I set my drive between 1 and 2 o' clock).
Once that's all set, PLAY AROUND WITH THE BLEND KNOB. I usually have mine set between 1 and 2 o' clock just like my drive knob. This blends the distortion level with your amp's natural sound. Think of the blend as a distortion/preamp intensity volume. I then run all of this into the Bass Driver DI to clean up the nasty overtones and fret noise, and give it a little bit of compression.
The DI's settings are everything at 12 o' clock, except the drive. I set it at zero. I'll then play with the presence knob until I find the right range of clarity that doesn't comprimise the filtering action that I use it for in the first place. I also set the line switch to output.
The manuel likes to suggest that you set the blend at 100%, but I find that it's just way too staticy and noisy. Plus it makes the bass's action not feel as tigh and controlable. Having a second amp available to run clean for your lows will make the RPM's distortion sound better as well. The two amps will harmonize off of eachother. This is like what you were saying in regards to Geddy splitting his signal 3 ways.
This setup with my Ricks has suited me well so far. I can get pretty damn close to that Exit...Stage Left kind of sound. With the mids scooped out on the distorted end, I can get those nice "crackly" effects that Ricks put out. I do like to run the Rick in mono and play with the RPM set for fuzz sounds. I haven't yet played a Fender Jazz through this. I haven't really had it that long.
That's a little bit about the RPM from my perspective. You would just have to plug in and play through my setup to fully understand it. Either you'd love it, or hate it.
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QUOTE (CygnusX-1Bk2 @ Mar 12 2009, 02:53 PM) QUOTE (Grand Designs @ Mar 11 2009, 06:48 PM) QUOTE (apetersvt @ Mar 11 2009, 02:51 PM) I'm a not-so-good guitar player and have thought about getting a relatively cheap bass (such as a Squire Jazz) to mess around with.
Could I use my guitar amp for the bass, or should I get a bass amp? What is the differences between a guitar amp and a bass amp?If you want a bass amp that is affordable, AND good, get an Ampeg BA-115. They're a 100 watt combo amp with a built-in 15'' driver. My favorite feature of this line of amps is the 5 position style selector.
The style selector basically changes the tonal character of the amp. Seeing that you have a jazz bass, my favorite thing to do is to run the bass, mid, and treble on the amp all in the same position (style selector on 4). Then take the jazz bass and turn the bridge pickup all the way down, so that it's all neck pickup you are hearing.
You'll get a real hollowed-out, classic Fender sound by doing that. Some say that Geddy runs his neck and bridge pickups turned up all the way, but my ears tell me that he uses mostly neck pickup with MAYBE a little bridge pickup added.
Hopefully this will give you some sort of idea as to which bass amp will suit you.......that is if you plan on getting one soon!
I have a Geddy model and I can attest that the sound I get with both pickups fully on (all knobs fully open, including the tone knob) is almost exactly like what Geddy has. Add a little amp emulated top with some bite and you are there.
Also the guy who started the thread may be more interested in a smaller bass amp than a 100 watt Ampeg. I have an equivalent amp, but for a guy starting out a $100 Fender will get the job done.
Yeah, I agree with you about the Fender amp. I was just suggesting the Ampeg because it's still a good amp to play through as you progress. He would have it around a little longer, you know?
As for the jazz bass sound, I used to have a Geddy Lee, but I ended up selling it about 5 months after getting my 4003 that I searched and searched for. I seemed to be able to replicate Geddy's R30/Snakes & Arrows Live sound by just using the neck pickup.
On that DVD/CD, it just seems to me that his neck pickup is the dominant factor in his sound. But that's just me.
Back to the Geddy Lee bass, I had bad luck with it. All that would come through my amp was the awful clanking noises of the strings hitting the frets, mostly occuring when using my SansAmp Bass Driver DI set on the "fat tube" setting. Plus, the neck would periodically bow on my; thus, making my action really stiff.
Of course, at that time I was playing that bass through just a single Ampeg 1 by 15 (BA-115 to be exact) using only the SansAmp DI (which I think is a HIGHLY overated unit just used by itself. After I got my Rick, I sold the Geddy Lee in order to get another Ampeg, that way I could use the RICK-O-SOUND function. Then I got a SansAmp RPM model, which can perform the distortion functions that the Bass Driver can't. I still use the DI in conjunction with the RPM (my description of how the Bass Driver functions with the RPM is located in the "Tell Us About Your Rig" if you'd be interested).
Anyways, the moral of that story is that I've never got to play the Geddy Lee, or any other jazz bass, bi-amped with the RPM/DI combination as the preamp. If I do get another Fender, I'll definitely get the American 75' jazz bass. Those are awesome! I played one at Guitar Center.
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QUOTE (DallasRUSHian @ Feb 15 2009, 11:48 PM) Have y'all seen this yet?
http://www.moogmusic.com/taurus/?section=p...roduct_id=21299That's awesome, but DAMN!!!......only 1,000 made? What is the musical instrument industry coming to? You can't really get cool stuff like Tarus Pedals these days. Even worse, is all these companies who stood as symbols for America (Fender) selling out to Mexico and Japan.
An Ampeg. Oh my! I didn't find out until only a few months ago that they sold out there ENTIRE line to Vietnam. Yeah, I have a SVT cabinet that made in "The 'Nam," but that was because it was practically brand new AND the dude was only asking $200 for it.
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I'm fairly new here, so I guess I'll tell you all about what I have.
BASSES:
1) 2007 Rickenbacker 4003, Jetglo
2) 1980 Rickenbacker 4001, White (now yellow
)PREAMPS:
1) SansAmp RPM (for distortion and fuzz sounds.
)2) SansAmp Bass Driver DI (coupled with the RPM to add compression, filter out the clanking noises, and to restore depth that is lost due to the RPM's suggested overdriven bass setting
)3) Acoustic 200 watt solid-state head (I use this to run my VIETNAMESE Ampeg 1 by 15'' SVT cabinet (Hey. It serves it's purpose, AND it was cheap.
)AMPS/CABINETS:
1) 220 watt Ampeg BA-210 (2 by 10) for the distorted highs. (ANERICAN MADE BABY!!!
)2) 400 watt Ampeg SVT 1 by 15 for the uneffected lows. (made in VIET-f*ckin-NAM
)I usually run my Rcks in stereo whenever I want that "Exit...Stage Left" type of sound, but sometimes I run them mono whenever I want to play using fuzzed-out distortion. I run both cabinets fuzzed whenever I do that, except I leave my mids scoooped out on the 2 by 10.
I get a sound that kind of resembles John Entwistle's Alembic "Oxplorer" bass. Just listen to the My Generation bass solo on Live At Kilburn, and that will give youa good idea of how it sounds!
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QUOTE (apetersvt @ Mar 11 2009, 02:51 PM) I'm a not-so-good guitar player and have thought about getting a relatively cheap bass (such as a Squire Jazz) to mess around with.
Could I use my guitar amp for the bass, or should I get a bass amp? What is the differences between a guitar amp and a bass amp?If you want a bass amp that is affordable, AND good, get an Ampeg BA-115. They're a 100 watt combo amp with a built-in 15'' driver. My favorite feature of this line of amps is the 5 position style selector.
The style selector basically changes the tonal character of the amp. Seeing that you have a jazz bass, my favorite thing to do is to run the bass, mid, and treble on the amp all in the same position (style selector on 4). Then take the jazz bass and turn the bridge pickup all the way down, so that it's all neck pickup you are hearing.
You'll get a real hollowed-out, classic Fender sound by doing that. Some say that Geddy runs his neck and bridge pickups turned up all the way, but my ears tell me that he uses mostly neck pickup with MAYBE a little bridge pickup added.
Hopefully this will give you some sort of idea as to which bass amp will suit you.......that is if you plan on getting one soon!
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QUOTE (neilpeart_gal @ Jan 22 2005, 08:29 AM) Female Rush fans.....we're everywhere, we're everywhere! And we ROCK!!!!!! 
AAAHHHH! I guarentee it!
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Mt fave is Exit Stage Left. It was the first Rush that I ever heard, in fact YYZ was the first song that I heard. My friends and I were all percussionists in the high school band and we were on a trip to the Kauffman's Parade in Pittsburgh, PA when I heard it. One of them had his portable CD player and told me, "Yeah!! listen to this shit!" After listening, I've been hooked since!
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It defenitely is for sure! I never imagined that Rush had this many female fans. I had a girl one time look at me like I was wierd for listening to Rush. I left a local bar with her and I happened to have Exit Stage Left in the CD player and she lokked at me an was like," What the hell are you listening to?" I explained that it was Rush and she was like OOOOOKAAAAYYYYY. Just thought I'd share that with you all.
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I have my 2 Gibson SG's that I play through a Marshall MG15. When I have the chourus effect on, I can get kind of close to his sound, in comparison to Xanadu from Exit.... Stage Left. I never realized that Alex played his SG doubleneck on that song, until I saw a version of the Stage Left video, which sadly remains unreleased(I'm fortunate to actually have that entire performance). So I guess that works out good for me to capture that particular Alex sound.
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My favorite Bonzo period was 77'. Between audio/video bootlegs and photos from the 77' tour, I would have to say that Bonzo was at his prime. Those stainless-steel Ludwigs he started playing at that time just looked and sounded intense! Bonzo was also a real fat ass at that time too, which just made him look mean as hell. He always had a pair of mirrored cop shades on with a wife-beater shirt or a fake tuxedo looking outfit he'd always wear.
The geddy bass.....
in Making Modern Music
Posted
Except for the fact that his knobs are all the way up...
The reason he plays over the neck pickup is because he rests his thumb on it.
Yeah, that photo does prove it. I still think the jazz bass sounds at it's best with only the neck pickup on (I hate the sound of the bridge pickup). I like the hollowed-out effect that the neck pickup creates. I just wonder how Geddy manages to still get that effect with both pickups maxed out, running the bass in mono. If only I could plug into his setup for 10 minutes.