Latest Posts

John Cassaro said:

Nothing better to do huh good for you

Click to expand...

Still makes no sense, re-read your post and if you don't understand why it doesn't make sense then nothing else is going to make a difference.

Ok all, I did a quick little recording with this device today on my lunch break. Holy wow, the difference is wild. I'm going to include links to an old recording I did with just bluetooth audio through my Jeep speakers and my phone microphone, and the new one from today with the recording device. Let me know what y'all think!

Old recording: Login to view embedded media New recording: Login to view embedded media

While working through the Hal Leonard Bass Method, I skimmed over some exercises. As a result, I feel I didn't get the most out of that book. A mistake I will not repeat

For this one, I arrived at the Blues in Bb (half-tone approach) and Ed suggests writing out the bass lines. So I ordered a notebook with blank sheet music.

It should arrive tomorrow. I'll sit down to transcribe what Ed recorded, and one or two ideas of my own. I guess this will slow down but also solidify the process in my head.

More to follow!

sunbeast said:

Personally I find the character of the DCX and Fifteen pretty different, but I do love them both- I feel like the DCX has more (and cleaner) low-end on tap and a more grindy upper character (although the Amp Out EQ of the Fifteen actually might challenge that, particularly if you aren’t using the DI). If you aren’t looking for a DI amp-sim and are looking for mostly dirty tones I think the DCX probably makes more sense. There are fantastic dirt tones in the Fifteen as well, but I feel like it’s bread & butter are the lower gain tones and the interactive nature of the EQ and Drive make drive tones touchier to dial in than the DCX for me. I also find the DCX tends to pop through a mix more for me, while the Fifteen sits in the mix more (probably a lot to do with its natural compression).

Click to expand...

I agree with your observation of the B-15 in general, at least for me. I like the low-volume, almost innocuous sound of the real B-15. At higher gain levels, not so much, even though some folks do. I myself don't think that's its strong point

Maybe try the Guitarfetish 5-string jazz pickups?

I like this book for learning all the notes on the fretboard. I know that you know the notes and you're connecting the dots on the page with those notes now. I think this book with different positions helps cement that.

Looking for correct fit tuners for an Allparts Jazz neck. Prefer lightweight tuners although I've got a set from a MIM Classic 50s P if they'd fit?

Any recommendations, particularly regarding fit of bushings, post hole size etc?

As you surmised that cap does not go from output to ground but rather from the +15V power supply to ground.

I did find a bad 10uF 50 V electrolytic in the signal path by tracing the signal till it stopped just before the output of the board. Probably didn't need the schematic for that but nice to have it. The schematic is for the B4 model BTW. Thanks for your replies.

31HZ said:

Just went through this thread to see if the RB has a Fender tonestack (flat = bass 0, mid 10, treble 0). Can anyone verify?

I love my RB but also have a "hole in the mids" issue that I will likely solve with a BWS EMC (one-band semi-para EQ) pedal. To be clear I also use it with a crossover pedal (John K's Cross-Mix) but no matter how I set the crossover I get a noticeable mid-scoop. Also, mine is an older 30v version that JohnK modded with a charge pump to run 9v, if that matters at all.

EDIT: Just found this post by @silky smoove:

"The manual is well-written in some areas, but the EQ section leaves a lot to be desired in terms of what's actually happening. While keeping the pedal as clean as possible I determined that with the bass and treble knobs set at 9 o'clock, and the mids knob set at 3 o'clock the Rusty Box was very nearly transparent in terms of frequency response. When level-matched using the volume knob it was almost impossible to tell when the circuit was engaged or disengaged if I switched it on and off with my eyes closed. Adding gain and thereby distortion to the tone changes the overall character, but using those EQ settings it resulted in a very neutral sounding addition of very pleasant dirt. It was in no way a clanky Shellac/Jesus Lizard machine at that setting, even with the gain knob cranked and the input set to Hi."

Click to expand...

It uses a Fender-ish tonestack (the mid is slightly modified from a typical Fender stack, and operates slightly more independently but still doesn’t have any “boost” capabilities), and yeah the same general rules apply as far as needing to boost the Mid all the way and cut both Bass and Treble to get the most neutral tones and the way the Treble tends to take over once pushed to noon or above. The clipping section then splits the signal into three separate frequency bands with their own clippers, but the remix of these is all fixed internally (I’ve seen some people misunderstand the tonestack as controlling this part of the circuit, but the tonestack definitely comes before the whole split and clipping part of the circuit). Depending on how you are pushing it the whole frequency balance can definitely change a bit compared to a typical Fender preamp due to this unique clipping architecture, but like a Fender preamp the EQ does change the gain that the clipping circuit sees so will change the character of the drive somewhat in conjunction with the Gain control.

Bob_Ross said:

Thread Drift: Would love to hear your impressions of the LP1! I've been intrigued by that company since they first appeared on the scene >25 years ago, but never had a chance to use an LP1 or LP2.

Click to expand...

Without a doubt the most advanced studio level looper ever created. I'm amazed with it being so old I'm still able to use it with my Mac Studio. I love it because I don't need a computer to use it.He has a new product called LoopPad and that looks cool.

I've got an Ampeg PF-500 that I play through a Hartke HD210 and a G-K NEO 115. I usually use the whole rig, but have used the amp with just the G-K for an acoustic high school stadium gig, and with just the Hartke for acoustic rehearsals. Both worked out just great, although if I wanted a generally brighter tone, I would use the Hartke cab.

Guiseppe said:

Another huge discovery: The UA LA-2A sounds great as #1 in my chain, I wasn't expecting/familiar with the LA-2A's coloring but it also sounds awesome I bet the $5,000 Universal Audio LA-2A would sound a lot better than their 'baby' Teletronix ($149).

Click to expand...

The Effectrode PC-2A is in between in price, well, much closer to the baby Teletronix, but sounds fantastic!

ColinR said:

It takes decades with normal playing and proper care to cause any significant damage to a fretless fingerboard made of ebony with round wound strings. Even then, it's an easy thing to take care of.

Click to expand...

Agreed, this is 20+ years of playing, plus the years the previous owner put in it (unknown). No worries about roundwounds therefore. My other bass (rosewood fingerboard) has also been going strong for years now.

I'm going for a light sanding of the fingerboard as a whole, instead of the one-spot repair btw. Thanks everyone who replied!

Login to view embedded media
Guitar / Drum / Bass cover with my cousin Deko Gimenez on Guitar and my brother Vini Azzarini on Drums!

I don't think you'll be disappointed...I had the white 50th anniversary, single P edition. I remember it being a great looking/feeling/playing bass...in regard to sound, it had excellent clarity and balance -- very solid when I used it in a full band mix. I passed it along in a trade deal along with a couple others to acquire a US NS-2, but it's one I've considered purchasing again...

Anyway, figured it's always good to read positive experiences...especially when the purchase has been made!

I totally keep mixing up the filter direction of the Amp Grinder.

shastaband said:

My 1994 Stingray and my 1996 Stingray both have the string retainer on the A and D strings. Don’t know when Ernie Ball started to do that. Pictures of new Stingrays on Sweetwater (not vintage or retro models) appear to have the string retainer in the same place, between the A and D strings.

Click to expand...

Ernie Ball has always done the A/D since day one.

Its Leo that did it the other way, but Ive had lots of preEB's and never had an issue as long as the A string had enough wraps, which also goes for any old Fender as well.

Richard Lindsey said:

The BB800 manual on their website says that using the Line In input bypasses the EQ and limiter but also that thermal limiting and shortcircuit protection remain active.

Click to expand...

This^^^
Shortly after I got the BB800 9-10 years ago I called with some questions about running a preamp/DI. Pat said you could go DI out of the preamp into the BB’s xlr input to bypass the onboard eq “but you’ll also bypass that nice limiter we made”. I don’t recall if he mentioned the thermal protection circuit.

I’ve always used the instrument input and have no real listening experience of xlr vs instrument inputs. As I said in a previous post this particular eq plays very nicely with a more traditional Fender or Ampeg type preamp so there’s never been reason to bypass it.

Personally, I don't mind the looks of the combo, I like the vintage vibe . I will also say I never personally loved the Tone Hammer sound, I actually sold a TH500 few years back. People say they take tweaking to dial in, I'm sure it's a very good amp. I just never quite connected with it. It was powerful though.

For those saying they like Fender Rumbles, I played a small festival not too long ago that had a fender rumble combo (forget which one), sitting on top of a 15" fender cab as an extra speaker as a backline. For an outdoor festival I was a little bummed to see a little combo amp, but to my surprise, it sounded great. More than loud enough with deep bass and a really warm sound.

The Micro VR has the classic Ampeg sound, but the single 2x10 just lacks deep low end, plain and simple. For most gigs or rehearsals with louder bands I bring my V4B Reissue and SVT 212AV, which has always been much louder than I've ever needed. Interestingly, despite the unanimous praise, I never found the 212AV to be as solid and punchy as the 410HE, but it's still a great cab and matches the horizontal width of the amp so it sits nicely. In my expeirence the 212AV also seems more placement/room dependent - sounds amazing in some rooms/positions and boomy or hollow in others. My 410HE always just kinda sounded great no matter what.

All that is to say, I do really like the Micro VR stack for quieter situations, especially how lightweight it is. With a gig bag, the entire rig can be brought inside in one trip. I'll probably stick with it as my small rig, but would still love to demo the Aguilar Combo in person to see if it's 2x10 implementation digs lower.

gln1955 said:

Its was cool that we could add things to our shopping list by telling Alexa and things like that. We dumped it after it became all too obvious it was listening in on conversations and sharing data.

Click to expand...

That was my mindset years ago. I finally gave up. It's unavoidable. I'm a tech guy, so in being such, I can't escape this stuff. All of my appliances are "smart" and connected to the intrawebz (except my microwave, and I'm sure that will change soon enough). Same with my car. It even constantly records from all four cameras. I have multiple other "smart" gadgets throughout the house, including five Alexa devices. Let's not even get started on cell phones and how they very literally know EVERYTHING about us anymore.

S-Bigbottom said:

I knew it was you. Nicely done.
My joke is that AI takes everything said online (our posts included) and if said enough states it as facts. Sometimes we have to convince it a bit.

Click to expand...

Gotcha. If AI takes my post, it won't know what to do with it! At least I tried to make my original post factually correct, with a little misuse of idioms taking them literally. Part of me would actually want the big tube amp and 4 or more 15" cabs, cause it would imposing on stage, but unfortunately I'm not currently in a band and my 1st gen Miata is too small to carry anything bigger than say a 1x12 cab. unless I do some crazy engineering.

There is a song I particularly like in early 70s reggae called "You don't know" by Bob Andy. I learned the bassline by ear and find it very good, but I don't know who happened to be the bassist. Simple, full of space, interesting rhythm, and melodic sound that complements the recording well. Haven't seen any mentions of the song or Bob Andy in general here, so maybe it would be a nice contribution, both for the Rastafari lifestyle and social commentary, and the iconic bassline that always feels really nice to play. Hope you enjoy!

Login to view embedded media

So I just come back from a rehearsal where I A/B'ed the Elite against the SH1, and I'm sad to say the SH1 won! The elite simply couldn't come close. especially with distortion.

Is there any plans of introducing the SHI1 preamp or more importantly the bite button to the Elite or should I just sell this? In the end I am left pretty disappointed by the whole thing, especially when I have been promised multiple times by Tech21 in comments of the posts that this will be able to get the SH1 sound.

Not to mention other things i found:
-Change preamp, and the EQ resets, so it makes it extremely difficult to keep the same EQ and just compare the preamps
-In performance mode, if you hit the same channel twice by accident it bypasses the pedal, who wants to bypass their rig during a show, I wish there was a way you could toggle that off.
-The tuner doesn't show Bb or A#, so that makes it fun when you have a 5 string and need to tune half a step down

And what is most disappointing is that this is a product I want to like, I am a happy owner of the original bass fly-rig and the SH1 has be the center of my rig since the day I got it back in 2019, dreaming of a product which combines those two pedals. Really hope that a future firmware update makes that a reality.

Just wanted to add that the Heartfield DR5 remains one of my favorites, if not my all time favorite bass.

Wide flat neck, easy to get low action, many different tones with that filter preamp.

Family photo at the studio. Disregard the obvious interloper...