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Best Solution to Play Bass Without Disturbing Others?

#22
sugarbear said:
practice without anything. No amp. No headphones. Just you, your bass, and your fingers. When I was in college, I would go out in the hallway, (I would always be up before my roomates), and just sit there and practice with no amp or anything. I even had bought a Bass Rockman to use, but did'nt like the sound, and just started playing without anything. It made me really listen to what I was playing, and not concentrate on the sound coming out of the amp. I was focused on my fingers, and the sound they were making. It got me very attuned to how I was playing the instrument. Not saying you should'nt be in tune with your amp and getting a good sound from that. Just saying its good to just hear how your playing the instrument without amplification. The cleaner you play unamplified, the cleaner and tighter you sound with an amp..... Just my 2 cents...
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this is worth more than 2 cents. this is a few bucks worth of knowledge here :)
 
#24
The real key is to prevent others from disturbing you.

I suggest:
BoobyTrapPSA.jpg
 
#26
PatTheAnchor said:
They don't directly sell on that website anymore... Are they out of business or making a new model??? :eyebrow:

And I forget where I read this here on TB, but a lot of people somehow said plugging in headphones to your amp is bad... and a lot of these "RIP" comments about doing that. Anyone care to rebuff this if it's true or not? sorry for the threadjack.
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Looks like Earwig has gone belly-up. Guess I'd recommend Cafe Walter
http://www.bassnw.com/New Effects Units/cafe_walter_HA1.htm or aforementioned Pandora. :p

Don't plug a set of headphones into anything except a dedicated headphone output. BTW, a small Mackie mixer, like a 1202 works fine for headphone practice, too.
 
#27
Dub56 said:
I have a bit of a problem:confused:

I need a way to play my basses privately and quietly (in a dorm, for example) and I'm pretty picky about my tone. I'm not expecting it to me the same as fully amplified, but I want it to sound pretty decent.

I have tried the following:

1.) I bought a pair of nice Audio Technica studio headphones, but they crackled and distorted just like the $30 dollar headphones I already have.

2.) I have a Line6 Guitarport I found for really cheap, and I could use that on my laptop, but it isn't the best bass software and I would still need some sort of headphones.

My main amp is too large, so what I'm most likely going to do is buy a small practice amp and possibly some nice headphones (If I can find some that suit my purpose).

Anyway, what would you suggest? Practice amp? If so, what brand/model? Headphones? If so, what brand/model?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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your sound and chops will improve so much, man. You have to dig in to hear yourself, so your strength will improve, and every little clink and buzz sticks out like a sore thumb, so that will improve as well. Also, you will find ways to make the bass play at it's optimum level - you will find the acoustic idiosyncracies of your bass(es), and find ways to optimize the sound. The electric bass IS an acoustic instrument, it is just a very quiet one - tone production is just as important on this instrument as on any other.

Also, by depriving yourself of amplification, when you actually get to play with one it is such a treat, you will be inspired to play better.

No kidding here - this stuff works. I do all my technical practice, and a lot of improvisatory stuff and tunes without plugging into anything. Several hours a day, unplugged. And it generally doesn't bother anybody, and you can practice anywhere (at the beach, in the forest, etc.)

Try it for a month or two and see if your sound and chops don't improve dramatically.

Cheers,
Cameron
 
#29
Regarding headphones distorting: I found this as well, and tried 6 different headphones before finding ones that didn't distort. The secret, it turned out, is to find headphones that have a high Impedance. Mine are 65 ohms, and handle a signal from a 250 watt amp without distorting. Average headphones seem to be about 15 ohms or so. Hope this helps.
 
#31
Bassflute said:
there's no reason for that not to work. You can still hear and feel the instrument.
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Yes, but depends on what sort of noise I'm competing with. My ultra low action fretli and light touch don't produce significant unplugged volume, which more or less WILL force me to compensate with a heavier technique, which I don't use. Furthermore, it's hard to hear the subtleties of my intonation as well or defined.
 
#36
spade2you said:
Does not work for those of us who practice the Gary Willis technique of light touch.
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I'd be willing to bet that my technique is about as light as his any day.
Most guys who pick up my bass make it do nothing but buzz and rattle.
I play with a VERY light touch, yet still don't use an amp most of the time to practice.

And on a fretless.........I can say almost 100%, that I never used an amp to practice with.
 
#39
BurningSkies said:
I also have a Pandora and really like it for practicing. I tend to run my laptop through it for music to practice with and I have a decent set of senheiser headphones that I use with it.
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I've been using an old Pandora P3XB with whatever headphones. I use the aux insert to inject an iTunes mix and go to town. Plus the pandora has wacky sounds and effects that help fight the odd fits of boredom.

However, according to my wife, I breath in time and utter Keith Jarrett-esque moan/singing sounds when I play. So I guess I still bother somebody:p

I heartily endorse playing unplugged also. You really do get closer to your instrument and your own sound. In fact, I practice unplugged much more than with the pandora. When i get on an amp I feel like I have more dynamic control.
 

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