Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

[monsterthompson]

Those Herman Miller chairs are nice. My work-from-home office space transitions to my music space after work. I would need one without an arm rest, but that one is a nice chair!

The Aeron has an arm option that lets you get them far enough out of the way to play bass. It’s not ideal but it works. The Embody works if you turn almost 45 degrees. Not ideal, but workable. The arms do come off but not quickly. This is going to be more of a mixing and synth patching chair. I did a bunch of patching on the modular tonight and it was pretty darn good. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow with a few hours of work.

Unfortunately I’ve got a broken toe/foot so my standing desk situation is off limits for a while.

 

[hieronymous]

Happy Birthday Bob Moog! I actually missed it - he was born in NYC and it was already May 24 by the time I posted in Pacific Daylight Time - but I should have got started when I saw the "free Moog apps" post a couple of days ago (which I took advantage of). It was fun though - no Moog keys used but lots of my other Moog gear - MF-101 Lo-Pass Filter, MF-104 Analog Delay, CP-251 Control Processor, & Sirin. CP-251 was controlling the filter cutoff on the MF-101, then ran that through the MF-104. Sirin was overdubbed afterwards.

 

[monsterthompson]

So the new chair is too comfortable. I was up too late sampling for my next Frankenstein track, and I wasn’t bothered by sitting and clicking a while.

 

[JES]

So, this is a new gear update, but also a callback to the discussion of "resonance" a few pages back. One advantage to living around the corner from a luthier is being able to bring home an instrument in progress to try it out over the weekend. I asked if they wanted a deposit and he just replied "nope; you want it finished right?"

Anyway, I got to play (and oops, sweat on) it over the weekend. I was blown away by how alive it felt in my hands compared to my Touch Guitar. Don't get me wrong, that's a very nice instrument. But this one is acoustically louder and I just feel the vibration more. Oddly, it doesn't conform to what some people were saying about resonance above: the neck has some hollow areas to reduce weight, and the body is semi-hollow with a different top (sycamore over ash).

Also: it weighs less than 8 pounds, so the goal of the project was met. I can really tell the difference too between this and a 10-pound instrument. I am already contemplating a second one, headless this time.

Now I'm wondering if I'm going to mess it all up by finishing it. The shop wants to do nitro, so I am thinking I will just trust them. Plus I am really grooving on a black-red-pink/fuchsia body idea.

PS -- Pardon the quilt -- my late aunt made it and it doesn't quite match our decor, but is very comfy and reminds us of her.

 

[steubig]

So, this is a new gear update, but also a callback to the discussion of "resonance" a few pages back. One advantage to living around the corner from a luthier is being able to bring home an instrument in progress to try it out over the weekend. I asked if they wanted a deposit and he just replied "nope; you want it finished right?"

View attachment 4279103

Anyway, I got to play (and oops, sweat on) it over the weekend. I was blown away by how alive it felt in my hands compared to my Touch Guitar. Don't get me wrong, that's a very nice instrument. But this one is acoustically louder and I just feel the vibration more. Oddly, it doesn't conform to what some people were saying about resonance above: the neck has some hollow areas to reduce weight, and the body is semi-hollow with a different top (sycamore over ash).

Also: it weighs less than 8 pounds, so the goal of the project was met. I can really tell the difference too between this and a 10-pound instrument. I am already contemplating a second one, headless this time.

Now I'm wondering if I'm going to mess it all up by finishing it. The shop wants to do nitro, so I am thinking I will just trust them. Plus I am really grooving on a black-red-pink/fuchsia body idea.

PS -- Pardon the quilt -- my late aunt made it and it doesn't quite match our decor, but is very comfy and reminds us of her.

i ike the quilt.

glad the instrument works for you. it’ll be interesting to see if the finish changes things. maybe record it before and after?

if you go headless, i bet it takes at least a pound off the weight.

 

[steubig]

which reminds me, @lordradish, updates on the mini bass? recordings of the pickups?

 

[emjazz]

So, this is a new gear update, but also a callback to the discussion of "resonance" a few pages back. One advantage to living around the corner from a luthier is being able to bring home an instrument in progress to try it out over the weekend. I asked if they wanted a deposit and he just replied "nope; you want it finished right?"

View attachment 4279103

Anyway, I got to play (and oops, sweat on) it over the weekend. I was blown away by how alive it felt in my hands compared to my Touch Guitar. Don't get me wrong, that's a very nice instrument. But this one is acoustically louder and I just feel the vibration more. Oddly, it doesn't conform to what some people were saying about resonance above: the neck has some hollow areas to reduce weight, and the body is semi-hollow with a different top (sycamore over ash).

Also: it weighs less than 8 pounds, so the goal of the project was met. I can really tell the difference too between this and a 10-pound instrument. I am already contemplating a second one, headless this time.

Now I'm wondering if I'm going to mess it all up by finishing it. The shop wants to do nitro, so I am thinking I will just trust them. Plus I am really grooving on a black-red-pink/fuchsia body idea.

PS -- Pardon the quilt -- my late aunt made it and it doesn't quite match our decor, but is very comfy and reminds us of her.

That is stunning (also love the quilt).....I'm also curious as to how the finish will change it sound wise.

 

[monsterthompson]

So, this is a new gear update, but also a callback to the discussion of "resonance" a few pages back. One advantage to living around the corner from a luthier is being able to bring home an instrument in progress to try it out over the weekend. I asked if they wanted a deposit and he just replied "nope; you want it finished right?"

View attachment 4279103

Anyway, I got to play (and oops, sweat on) it over the weekend. I was blown away by how alive it felt in my hands compared to my Touch Guitar. Don't get me wrong, that's a very nice instrument. But this one is acoustically louder and I just feel the vibration more. Oddly, it doesn't conform to what some people were saying about resonance above: the neck has some hollow areas to reduce weight, and the body is semi-hollow with a different top (sycamore over ash).

Also: it weighs less than 8 pounds, so the goal of the project was met. I can really tell the difference too between this and a 10-pound instrument. I am already contemplating a second one, headless this time.

Now I'm wondering if I'm going to mess it all up by finishing it. The shop wants to do nitro, so I am thinking I will just trust them. Plus I am really grooving on a black-red-pink/fuchsia body idea.

PS -- Pardon the quilt -- my late aunt made it and it doesn't quite match our decor, but is very comfy and reminds us of her.

Looks lovely.

 

[Passinwind]

Cool!

I was able to get three: "Model D", "Model 15", "Filtatron"...

am I missing any?

Animoog — says my device isn't good enough. It's an iPhone 12.

I already had the Model D from another free promo, hoovered the rest last night.

I've been crazy busy with new electronics builds lately, hope to check back in here with some actual music sooner than later though.

 

[JES]

i ike the quilt.

glad the instrument works for you. it’ll be interesting to see if the finish changes things. maybe record it before and after?

if you go headless, i bet it takes at least a pound off the weight.

Good idea. I will just record a few notes straight with no processing and see.

 

[Feral Feline]

Must be nice, JES, most people who suggest I go headless aren't talking about my bass...


@Passinwind Wait! what? "some actual music"... Music? Ohhh right, the other end to the means of gear, not the gear-end that is to have gear.

 

[JES]

Good idea. I will just record a few notes straight with no processing and see.

and then I realized: the pickup is wired straight to the output jack right now. I’m betting the load from the 250k volume pot will make more of a difference.

 

[emjazz]

and then I realized: the pickup is wired straight to the output jack right now. I’m betting the load from the 250k volume pot will make more of a difference.

If you like how it sounds now then keep it wired straight to the jack and use a volume pedal.

 

[lordradish]

which reminds me, @lordradish, updates on the mini bass? recordings of the pickups?

Oh, yeah. I've been so busy lately, I haven't even been checking in here like I usually do, which doesn't happen too often. Last thing I remember was the metal/pro wrestling thread. I'm sure @monsterthompson has probably bought five more modules and @ugly_bassplayer has punched a few walls in the time since then.

Some thoughts... the Zen Blade sounds awesome. I'm definitely thinking about replacing my dual coils in the CB with these. I ended up tuning it ADGCFBb, with regular 6 string bass strings, lowest being a 126. If I want to go to F#, I'd have to go with a lighter string. It's still taking some time getting used to the tuning, if I'm just jamming around, it's fine, but if I read a chart, I get all messed up. It doesn't help that I also recently changed the other 6'er to EADGCF, and my fives are still tuned conventionally. He has some custom ones arriving that will play in the EADGCF low bass range. I think the low E is a .192!!! Not sure if I'm gonna go for that, as I like using this to practice chordal and harmonic things, which then translate nicely over to the other 6.

I haven't had a chance to record it, yet, but I'm hoping to. A lot of it so far has been late-night couch bass sessions, but I plan on using it with my synth duo. it'll be easy to just sling over my back when I'm not using it, and it won't get in the way of the keys. I'm also just gonna try to play it through the board a lot more.

The fingerboard is flat, and the carved-out back part of the neck is taking some time to get used to, as it's also somewhat flat and it's harder to pivot the thumb. I often find myself mashing my thumb in a bit too hard and it hurts after a while.

I will definitely get some recordings up as soon as I make some. I haven't been playing as much since the weather's gotten nice, as I'm usually outdoors and by the time playtime comes around, I'm ready to crash. Plus I probably played 3-4 hours a week, 5 nights a week over the winter, so I'm just a bit creatively tapped out, right now. I hate when that happens.

I should also say that the lutheir, Maurizio, was great to work with. Patient with the billion questions/changes, and always quick to respond. If I ever take the 6 string fretless plunge, I may have him do it.

You can see the back, here...

 

[steubig]

and then I realized: the pickup is wired straight to the output jack right now. I’m betting the load from the 250k volume pot will make more of a difference.

direct to the jack can be really cool.

if you really *need* tone controls, you can always make a small pedal enclosure with a p bass circuit in it.

 

[monsterthompson]

I have no idea what this is, but I want to remember to listen to it tomorrow.

 

[monsterthompson]

...and this

 

[JES]

If you like how it sounds now then keep it wired straight to the jack and use a volume pedal.

Actually, in this case I think it needs the pot (insert joke here).

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

...and this

Sampler food!!!!

 

[steubig]

...and this

bet it sounds amazing in the room.