How to practise Bass while travelling

[activebass]

you need a 1/8mm double male to plug the amPhones into your phone or laptop....then you can listen with only the amphones and not the double set up...

Hi,

it would only work with my laptop.

The bass goes into the Mic in on the laptop which I currently already do to record some ideas I get when playing. I could then plug my earphones or the amPhones into the laptop - the amPhones cable actually terminates in a 3.5mm headphone jack. Vox sells it with an additional adaptor 3.5mm to 1/4" adaptor so it can be plugged into the bass.

The thing is, I don't always want to be sitting at the desk where my laptop is to play.

 

[activebass]

I take a full size bass with me. Most of my travel is driving so it's easy enough to put it in my car and take it with me. If I were doing more air travel I would buy a Steinberger. I need to practice with a full size bass to gain anything.



Get an interface like an Apogee Jam, download JamUp XT, and you can play your bass through your smart phone as well. The sound quality is much better than most expect (some use it for gigging and recording) and it's very easy to use.

Thanks for the tip! I wasn't aware of the Apogee Jam and will look into it.

 

[FretNoMore]

That Status Streamline 5-string looks really nice ... hey, Santa, I've been really good, promise!

 

[jmcorn]

Acoustic bass works for me.

 

[JACink]

Well that's one alternative
I think I would be too lazy to reassamble necks and re-string, but if I had to stay for extended periods I ight do that too.... or get a Steinberger as what others have suggested (and which I did not consider)

I agree with the restringing being a pain! I am currently looking for a quickload bridge so I don't have to remove the strings, just loosen them.

 

[activebass]

For the people taking the neck off and putting it on repeatedly...

Have you had helicoils or some other fitting inserted in your basses so you're not stressing the wood around the screw holes again and again?

FF

PS: My preferred travel bass would be Kala for portability, but for a full-scale travel I'd go with a Status Graphite Streamline...

Wow....that is a sweet looking bass!
Looks expensive too. I've always wanted a status bass.
Maybe one for the future.

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[grey area]

i travel through asia every year( i am in thailand at the moment)and so i keep a few cruddy basses and amps along the route. unfortunatly my cruddy fernandes ( my bangkok bass)is prolly the best playing and sounding bass i own and its the least exotic and cheapest. i use a korg PXR4 for practice on the move.i cant afford to lose my callouses(spebbing mistale)

 

[Kmonk]

I just use this. Much easier, holds 1,000 songs, has built in tuner, effects, amp modeling, allows you to speed up or slow down songs without changing pitch or change pitch without changing speed, you can loop parts of songs that are giving you trouble, allows you to organize playlists and it has a built in recorder.

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[thirtyhz]

When I was a consultant I would stay at the same hotel(s), during the week, for several weeks to months. So I would bring a cheaper bass and leave it there. It would get locked up in a special area they had for frequent guests. Never had a loss or damage so worked out ok.

 

[DonaldR]

I'm using a Line6 Toneport GX, very small usb guitar interface. Starts Pod Farm on the laptop and play backing tracks on iTunes or Songsterr. Line 6 bass models sound incredible thru in-ear monitors, as much fun as playing my main rig.

 

[activebass]

i travel through asia every year( i am in thailand at the moment)and so i keep a few cruddy basses and amps along the route. unfortunatly my cruddy fernandes ( my bangkok bass)is prolly the best playing and sounding bass i own and its the least exotic and cheapest. i use a korg PXR4 for practice on the move.i cant afford to lose my callouses(spebbing mistale)View attachment 381794

I travel every week to Thailand! And stay at the same SPG hotel every time I do.... maybe i should ask them if I can have the same arrangement with them.
I also used to own a Fernandes APB-90M. It got stolen but i loved that bass.

 

[activebass]

I just use this. Much easier, holds 1,000 songs, has built in tuner, effects, amp modeling, allows you to speed up or slow down songs without changing pitch or change pitch without changing speed, you can loop parts of songs that are giving you trouble, allows you to organize playlists and it has a built in recorder.

Where has this device been all my life?!
This is an awesome practise device. Will definitely check it out. Thanks!

 

[Hedgehog_SBM]

Wow - that Status Streamline looks (and sounds) gorgeous. It is very expensive though. I'd be a bit worried that it might be damaged in transit.

I've been using the Hofner Shorty for travel, which you can get for less that $200. Simple headphones, headphone amp, and patch cable is all you need. Add any decent smartphone jammed with a few 1,000 MP3's and you have a ton of tracks to play to - and of course if you have the laptop, you have the recording studio and mixer to boot.

See these threads for more real-world detail about the Hofner Shorty:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/hofner-shorty-bass-air-travel-any-comments-998439/

and

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/hofner-shorty-goes-flying-1032795/

Best of luck!

 

[Setebos]

Hi,

This is what I used to use.

 

[StayLow]

I've been using this wee thing, as I don't like wearing headphones when practicing plus it comes in hand as a speakerphone and to rock your MP3's.

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Costs about $55 on Amazon if you get the non-Bluetooth version, sounds alright and far better than nothing. Could probably get away with on-tour hotel room jamming with a light acoustic guitar/percussion player and certainly with an electric player that's not plugged in. Get a 1/4" mono to 1/8" stereo cable to plug directly into it.

Add a Korg Pandora Mini and you've got tuner, metronome, and effects. An old used Korg Bass Ampworks would do the trick too, but it has no onboard tuner or metronome.

PJB Bass Buddy is great, and doubles as a functional amp if you need to jam someplace where there's a cab.

Those of you doing carry-on in a gigbag, have you ever been balked? Any different experience if travelling international? They put it in the clothes closet, not in an overhead compartment correct? Thanks.

 

[SactoBass]

Whenever I wanna practice playing my bass while traveling, I roll down the window to give the neck and headstock enough room, and I use my left knee to guide the steering wheel while my bass is in my lap. I really don't notice the swerving much, and I just ignore all of the beeping horns from the other drivers.

 

[Showdown]

I usually make a couple of business trips a year - but they are long trips, about a month each. That is a long time without practicing, but dragging a long scale bass around with me and through customs just doesn't seem like a good idea. When the Kala Ubass first came out I bought one and took it on one trip, and it was nice. But it is still a pain to drag around airports. I like to only have a backpack as a carry on.

So I just don't take it and don't play while I'm gone, except for occasional trips to a music store. And in Seoul, where I usually go, it is a 20 minute cab or subway ride to a music store (although it is a good one, the Nakwon Musical Instrument Arcade with 200 music stores in one mall).

I generally don't lose any chops while I'm gone, but the first rehearsal after I get back my fingers can get sore.

 

[Temcat]

How's the intonation on your SUB?

 

[malthumb]

I've been using this wee thing, as I don't like wearing headphones when practicing plus it comes in hand as a speakerphone and to rock your MP3's.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Costs about $55 on Amazon if you get the non-Bluetooth version, sounds alright and far better than nothing. Could probably get away with on-tour hotel room jamming with a light acoustic guitar/percussion player and certainly with an electric player that's not plugged in. Get a 1/4" mono to 1/8" stereo cable to plug directly into it.

Add a Korg Pandora Mini and you've got tuner, metronome, and effects. An old used Korg Bass Ampworks would do the trick too, but it has no onboard tuner or metronome.

PJB Bass Buddy is great, and doubles as a functional amp if you need to jam someplace where there's a cab.

Those of you doing carry-on in a gigbag, have you ever been balked? Any different experience if travelling international? They put it in the clothes closet, not in an overhead compartment correct? Thanks.

Whenever I've used a common gig bag (Road Gear or Fender, for example) I have had no issues. Typically I am not the only one flying with a guitar or bass. On domestic flights I have had a mix of putting in the overhead on planes with a large enough overhead and putting in the coat closet. When I fly international it has been even less of an issue because the planes (and bins and closets) are larger.

As I stated earlier in this thread, the ONLY time I have had an issue was flying Detroit to LA with a rectangular hard sided gig bag. It is the same size and appearance of a hard case and the airline wanted to treat it like on. Lucky for me, one of the attendants picked up on how much I was stressing over it and unbeknownst to me put it in the coat closet. Since they told me they would check it, I got off the plane without retrieving it and headed straight to baggage claim. After about an hour and a half I eventually found it at the airlines customer service office. Needless to say, I no longer fly with that case.

 

[SeanNeedham]

This thread is giving me too many ideas, as every so often I do get dragged off for time to go on assignments in places... Also it'd be a good thing for the rare times I get chance to go for a barbecue in summer with friends out here, as someone always drags along an acoustic, and someone else a bit of percussion.

I've been on this forum less than a month and am already starting to run through the "what if" in the head...!