Recent content by mbene085

I bought a Neotech "super bass" strap. Their model names/numbers can be quite confusing, it took me quite a while to figure out which one I was actually ordering. The model number was 5601002, and I got it from Amazon. This is my first time buying a wide neoprene strap, but it is quite a heavy...

Well, if it has a 2-band EQ, that wouldn't be a passive model. You can run two pickups through any control configuration you like...pickup selector, volume for each, master volume with blend knob, pickup selector with volume for each, pickup selector with master volume and blend... The...

I also had to buy my SWB Pro blind since there are none to be found here in Canada. The strap button placement is marginally better than an Alembic SCS model, but I agree that the short horn does make it a little more prone to neck dive than I would like. The tradeoff is that this body shape...

I'm actually saving up right now for a Mensinger Cazpar 6p. They're one of the only 30" scale 6-strings (with 17-19mm string spacing) that I've ever found. I play a Bass VI as well, but the string spacing on that is like 10.5mm so it's very different technique-wise.

I've got a set of Alembic J pickups with their filter preamp that I picked up used. I've been loving my SWB Pro, but I just have to see how it sounds with some Alembics. Worst case is that I pull them out and resell. Best case is that it becomes the working man's Stanley Clarke model ;)

I'm actually not surprised to hear that. To be clear, I wasn't suggesting that I felt I got less bass for the money with the Pro. I just wanted to emphasize that the base model SWB is a particularly great value. I love my Pro to bits and will be in the first batch of preorders for the 5-string...

I just received an SWB-pro in walnut yesterday. What a fantastic instrument. Within minutes of picking it up, I was writing new stuff on it - which is my test for a good instrument. If it inspires you to play or think just a little differently and starts inspiring new music, it's a keeper. I...

This. It's not about a blanket approach; every song's different. For me, it's not so much about whether it's "doable" because of gender, but sometimes a song is just too personal to pull off authentically regardless of gender. There are a whole lot of women who could not pull off Ani DiFranco's...

Yeah, that's frankly one of the most insane devices I have ever seen. Someone went to the trouble to design, build, and sell something that is capable of straight-up destroying property and killing people. Electrical fires are no joke. Even with the typical 220v-to-110v stepdown devices I have...

It's more about tuning to the same pitch and maintaining similar tension by changing gauge. How can one prove mathematically how tone is perceived? I play everything from 34" bass to 15" ukuleles. I have acoustic instruments from some pretty talented luthiers. Speak to anyone who builds...

It has to do with how far the harmonics are spaced from each other. Essentially, a longer scale has harmonics that are spaced farther from each other, and this increases the perceived brightness and complexity. Since you didn't like my example mixing string types, look within the same instrument...

Exactly. Longer strings have more harmonics. A shorter scale length emphasizes the fundamental tone more. Think of a piano playing a low E, then a J bass, then a Mistang bass, and then a Kala Ubass. You're shifting from the most complex harmonics (piano) to the fewest (Ubass) as you shorten the...

I just picked up a Mikro yesterday! Holy crap is that ever a fun little instrument. I had no idea a 28.6" bass could actually work. What strings are you using on it? I'm thinking of going with something stainless, maybe some Lo-riders.

Why is United Airlines not on this list?

So, I went to a local music store to audition the Helix, and decided I'd indulge my curiosity about the Mikro bass. I'm a short-scale guy on guitar and bass, and I've been playing a Bass VI as my main instrument in my current band, with a Chowny SWB Pro on order to satisfy my 4-string itch. But...