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Help me with my GAS!

panama

panama

May 26, 2009
1,070
185
Detroit
#1
In another thread I asked "zoom h1 vs h2" and decided on the H2.

But now I am having GAS for the Tascam GB-10 Guitard and Bass trainer.

gb10_user_rec_a.jpg


My dilemma is this - do I spend $150 on a piece of equipment that is for my band (no one has offered to chip in)

Or do I go all selfish and spend $150 on this trainer, which has intrigued me because I currently practice bass in my super cold Michigan basement with 1 earbud coming from my laptop and 1 earbud coming from my practice amp. This would allow me to move up into our library and practice there...nice and warm.

so...spend $150 of my own money on a piece of band equipment or spend $150 on something to help better my techniques?
 
#6
+1 to what D.Don said ha ha. But I have to admit I find myself constantly on this site just because the conversation and threads can be so interesting. I especially like the pictures of gear, rigs and basses. It's always cool to see what others are using and doing. I too have been suffering from a case of G.A.S, but I just bought a second bass, a Fender Highway 1 in the same color and look as my Fender Precision except the new one has a maple neck and my old on has a rosewood. I also have a pretty great rig now that works for everything I need it for now. But there always seems to be a bit of G.A.S that comes up whenever I see new stuff or get that interest feeling.
 
#8
What kind of band gear is it? Something needed for earning more cash with the band?

I dont get that bass trainer thingie, I got me a copy of the smallest ipod (cheap second hand) that I can load with practice songs, and a small cheap metronome that I have had in my drawers for ages.

If you seriously need something to amp up tha bass, metronome, practicing music, and fix the monitoring for your cans, this machine seems to be fairly competent to do all things you need.

Hard for us to tell you what to spend your 150 bucks on, I think its a lot of money for a "mixer" but I am cheap....

:D


D.Don
 
#9
This might help: I've been out of work for months, and I'm not the only one. Our economic scene is straight from the pit of Hell, and people are losing homes. Bills come in and don't get paid, they keep coming in. The republican-equalized Congress is doing as much NOTHING about it as they can manage (just the truth here), and if you have a bass, an amp, and a venue you are pretty fortunate.

If that doesn't solve your G.A.S. issue, then buy the thing.

Just trying to provide a little perspective...
 
#10
When I was in "covers mode", I bought the MP-BT (the predecessor the the GB-10 above).

It's great for doing just that: playing to recorded music. I'm not crazy about the effects they had (cr@p quality) but I only really used the speed-up/slow-down feature, and the mute/emphasize bass feature. The key shift function is cool if the original is drop-tuned but your band doesn't do it that way (or vice versa).

I'm glad they finally realized they can merge the two units (guitar unit and bass unit) into one single unit... Too bad I bought mine a couple years ago or I would have gotten this unit.

As for which to buy (if $ is burning a hole in your pocket), go with the GB-10. You will improve as a player, and will become a more valuable addition to your band.

The recorder is nice, but has limited benefits. Of course, I record every band practice we have on my laptop, but still, learning songs is MUCH easier with the trainer, and you don't have to be tied to a computer.
 
#11
D.Don said:
What kind of band gear is it? Something needed for earning more cash with the band?

I dont get that bass trainer thingie, I got me a copy of the smallest ipod (cheap second hand) that I can load with practice songs, and a small cheap metronome that I have had in my drawers for ages.

If you seriously need something to amp up tha bass, metronome, practicing music, and fix the monitoring for your cans, this machine seems to be fairly competent to do all things you need.

Hard for us to tell you what to spend your 150 bucks on, I think its a lot of money for a "mixer" but I am cheap....

:D


D.Don
Click to expand...

The band gear is the Zoom H2, which would be used for recording band practices. We're an original band, so being able to go back and review decent quality recordings would be helpful.

The trainer isn't just an mp3 player you play along with. You can plug an instrument cable into it and hear your bass through it along with the music. You can also slow down complicated songs without changing the pitch so you're hearing and learning every note. Additionally you can add effects, record your part over the mp3 to track your progress, and it has a tuner and metronome built in. I'd use this to pick songs to learn and well..learn them.
 
#12
Count Bassie said:
This might help: I've been out of work for months, and I'm not the only one. Our economic scene is straight from the pit of Hell, and people are losing homes. Bills come in and don't get paid, they keep coming in. The republican-equalized Congress is doing as much NOTHING about it as they can manage (just the truth here), and if you have a bass, an amp, and a venue you are pretty fortunate.

If that doesn't solve your G.A.S. issue, then buy the thing.

Just trying to provide a little perspective...
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to hear about your dire situation, but the financial situation of others isn't going to deter me from wanting or purchasing new gear. In fact you could argue that by being a consumer I am helping to stimulate the economy. More people buy stuff from guitar stores, more people are needed to man those guitar stores, demand for certain products go up and the manufacturers have to hire more works, and so on and so on.

Right now my family is living off of only my income by choice to have my wife stay at home and raise our daughter. Money is extremely tight, but my wife recognizes my love of music and we have an agreement that in order to buy a new piece of gear I must sell another. None of my gear is purchased using "new money"

Good luck with everything.
 
#13
panama said:
The trainer isn't just an mp3 player you play along with. You can plug an instrument cable into it and hear your bass through it along with the music. You can also slow down complicated songs without changing the pitch so you're hearing and learning every note. Additionally you can add effects, record your part over the mp3 to track your progress, and it has a tuner and metronome built in. I'd use this to pick songs to learn and well..learn them.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I got that.

GO with trainer if the money burns in your pocket, in the end if you are serious, you will have good use of it developing your skillz!

:)


D.Don
 
#14
Dekker said:
When I was in "covers mode", I bought the MP-BT (the predecessor the the GB-10 above).

It's great for doing just that: playing to recorded music. I'm not crazy about the effects they had (cr@p quality) but I only really used the speed-up/slow-down feature, and the mute/emphasize bass feature. The key shift function is cool if the original is drop-tuned but your band doesn't do it that way (or vice versa).

I'm glad they finally realized they can merge the two units (guitar unit and bass unit) into one single unit... Too bad I bought mine a couple years ago or I would have gotten this unit.

As for which to buy (if $ is burning a hole in your pocket), go with the GB-10. You will improve as a player, and will become a more valuable addition to your band.

The recorder is nice, but has limited benefits. Of course, I record every band practice we have on my laptop, but still, learning songs is MUCH easier with the trainer, and you don't have to be tied to a computer.
Click to expand...

That is the goal if I go with the GB-10. I want to improve as a player. There are many songs that I've always meant to sit down and learn, but my current practice situation doesn't really encourage it. I want to learn Kid Charlemagne and Bernadette and I think this will make them seem like less daunting songs. Also with the slow down feature it will allow me to work on my finger playing. I came from guitar, so the pick is my crutch. I can play just about anything with a pick, but my finger style is sloppy.

I have a laptop with audacity loaded on it and have considered bringing it to our practices, but whenever I record at high volume with it the clips like crazy. I think I need to play around and see if there are compressors and limiters I can use to make the recordings sound decent. Any thoughts on that?
 
#17
Hmm, problem is then, that you have really no way of limiting the signal, as it's most probably already too loud when converted from analogue to digital inside the computer...

Then you'll need to pad the mic on the puter, foam, or cloth or something.... and turn it away from the instruments/speakers, and put it on the other side of the room (mic away from the band setup).



D.Don
 
#19
I have the MP-BT1 and it's almost the best thing I have ever purchased. I can play/practice/whatever anywhere!

I keep it in my case whenever I leave and it has been amazing the amount of time it's been used - not to mention just the ease of practicing at home without anyone else having to listen to me.

Go buy it NOW!

And practice, practice, practice!
 

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