• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

A great new effect I discovered

#21
TheMutt said:
interesting... looks like just a pickup selector. But what the heck is that handle thing below the bridge for?
Click to expand...
Hmmm... after further digging it's called an "opti grab" which is little more than a wonky looking anchor that Nikki uses to anchor his pinky to when playing with a pick so as not to anchor to the bridge (which I can assume is floating) and throw the bass out of tune...

So end of story is that it's a pinky rest...
 
#22
JimmyM said:
i went through my switch phase in 1982. got 'em all. coil splitting, phase splitting, even had a pickup selector. within 2 months i had it all removed except for the pickup selector. had it removed a year later.

too bad there wasn't a talkbass back then. i could have told you all about it.
Click to expand...
So... what you're telling me is that soon enough you're going to gut all your basses of their knobs too, and then run them all:
pickup(s) -> pickup selector switch (as applicable) -> between 1 and 0 knobs -> output
:D
 
#23
interesting... looks like just a pickup selector. But what the heck is that handle thing below the bridge for?
Click to expand...
That thing is just a strain relief for the cord I think. And the switch is a mute switch apparently, just on or off. I think most of the time Nikky was too sh**faced to care about any tone knobs :-)
 
#24
I play with knobs quite a bit. I generally like my volume cranked but the tone to be between 5 and 10 depending on which P I'm playing at the time and on my T-40.. Whooo! Tweaking galore. That weird ass coil tap thing they have going on makes for endless tweaking. Right now I have my bridge pup on 10 vol and 6 tone (6/7 of full) and the bridge on 7 with its tone at 10 (coil tapped to single). Found that the T-40 neck hum doesn't cut through as well as a P so I have to make up for it w/ the bridge pup... Weird bass, but I'm digging it for sure.
 
#25
TheMutt said:
So... what you're telling me is that soon enough you're going to gut all your basses of their knobs too, and then run them all:
pickup(s) -> pickup selector switch (as applicable) -> between 1 and 0 knobs -> output
:D
Click to expand...
actually, next i'm going to try playing the amp and cab and using the bass to amplify the sound.
 
#26
I find that a 100K tone pot has a very useable natural taper - especially when you are using it to adjust the highs when using fuzz.

I had a Jerry Jones baritone that I tried the 100k pot. the taper was great - but i lost a bit of overall punch from the lipstick pickups due to the total resistance shifting from 250K (500k volume and tone) to 83.33K (500K volume and 100K tone)

SO

If you have a jazz bass and don't find much use for the individual volume controls - maybe you'd like to add a pickup select switch instead, then strongly consider a 500K volume pot and a 100K tone pot.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

plus the overall resistance will be 83.33K - which is standard for a jazz bass (and a strat too.)
 
#29
It's sad but this all too often does come as a revelation to bass players. Not enough of them are experienced at playing through a cranked tube amp and just rolling back their volume/tone when they want it clean. Pedals through solid state amps just don't sound half as good or give you the same affect on the song.

You might call them guitards, but I don't have to constantly explain to them where I'm rolling my volume knob up and down on my recordings for them to understand what's going on.
 
#30
I usually role down the tone knob on my PBass for getting fuzzy tones with the Microtubes... Is also very useful if a particular pedal lacks or has to much of something, to be able to regulate and compensate with the bass :D.

Best Regards

Doug.
 
#32
TheMutt said:
interesting... looks like just a pickup selector. But what the heck is that handle thing below the bridge for?
Click to expand...

Actually, I'd like to point out that it's simply an on and off toggle. Also I agree with the whole knob trend, I've noticed I can roll off the volume quite a bit before there's actually a considerable loss in volume and it cleans up an overdriven sound quite nicely, and generally is preferable since you probably won't be using a super clean tone in a loud context. But I can still turn it back up when I need to get that drive back. I think that may be the benefit of there always being that weird jump in volume on volume knobs at some point int turning them. Another point for tone without pedals is which finger you pluck with, where, and how hard you pluck. I can get a huge difference between playing walking and switching to my thumb for less of an attack and it gives me something more similar to a bowed sound.
 
#33
Guys, I gotta say something here.

I was having a pretty crappy morning before I stumbled upon this thread. Now, I can't stop laughing. I even clapped my hands at a few of these comments. People are coming by my desk asking what's so funny. This is Hall of Fame stuff.

Thanks, everyone...
 
#34
Mark Olson said:
It's sad but this all too often does come as a revelation to bass players. Not enough of them are experienced at playing through a cranked tube amp and just rolling back their volume/tone when they want it clean. Pedals through solid state amps just don't sound half as good or give you the same affect on the song.

You might call them guitards, but I don't have to constantly explain to them where I'm rolling my volume knob up and down on my recordings for them to understand what's going on.
Click to expand...

Put more succinctly, "Use your knobs, don't be one."
 
#36
TheMutt said:
What next? Switches? :hiding:
Click to expand...

Yes! That why I have this:

54844_l.jpg


here is a family pic:

Picture%20005.png


I like being able to dial in what I need from the bass itself. The Jag and EB-3 allow me to do that. Knobs, switches, controls... love em.
 
#40
moose23 said:
Is that an Agile EB3? Longscale?
Click to expand...

No, it is a 1974 Artia EB-3. It is a lawsuit copy, and the only way I could afford a "vintage" bass. It is short scale. Made by Matsumoto/FujiGen... and it is somewhat likely that it was made in the same factory as the Jag... although about 30 years apart.

That EB-3 is passive, but the pups are very hot. They are louder than the Jag in active mode. It also has a weird wiring issue where if you turn one of the pickup volume knobs all the way down, both pups shut off. I don't mind it, it is sort of quirky and interesting. Getting back to the original topic... if I "EQ" the EB-3 from the volume/tone knobs. I can get it pretty distorted or very clean sounding just doing that.

While the Jag is my workhorse, the Artia EB-3 is my favorite.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back