Newbie question

[subopposite]

Will getting a new bass produce more noise...be louder through your bass amp setup than an old junky bass.

My thought was better pickups or something would give you a cleaner louder signal.

BTW, my old bass is a 1970 something bass that you would not know.

So in esssence, would getting a new name brand bass put out more.

I was thinking of an Ibanez left-handed SR300L, the new SR300DX from what I can tell.

I know that it takes 9V batteries, so it must do something my old bass doesn't. Ha ha!

 

[Rusty the Scoob]

In general, active basses (ones that take batteries or some other power source) do have a higher output than passive ones. There are plenty of exceptions to this of course, so you'll really just have to compare them side by side.

The other advantage to most active systems is that they produce a clearer, cleaner tone so you can be heard through the band without necessarily being louder. Switching to your bridge pickup can help with this as well.

 

[Drewbacca]

my old bass is a 1970 something bass that you would not know.

I garuantee you if it exists, someone here on TB probably knows it.

More amp wattage= louder.

IMHO i think that a mediocre bass played through a good amp will sound a lot better than a good bass played through a mediocre amp. (another thing I learned here)

The active bass you were looking at that takes a 9v basically has a preamp built into the bass that lets you change your tone using the knobs on you bass without walking over to your amp's EQ.

 

[cdef]

As for electronics, there are basically two kinds of basses: passive ones (like yours, apparently) where the strength of the outgoing signal depends on the pickup design, and active ones with an onboard preamplifier, mostly battery-powered, that can both boost the signal from the pickup and provide tone adjustment in advance of the actual amp's preamp section.

If your pickup has low output but you like your bass otherwise, you could try a preamp unit such as the SansAmp, which will give you the benefits of an active system without changing your instrument.

 

[RickenBoogie]

Some newer basses will most likely have a hotter output than what you have, even passive basses. But I agree that a good amp is a must. New strings and a set up on your old bass, and you will notice a difference.

 

[subopposite]

Thanks people. I do have a passive bass right now. I have been wondering what the difference between active and passive is and now I know. Thanks.

My bass is a Westwood. It is a reddish mahogany colored bass. The amp that I have is a combo amp. It is an Ampeg BA-115. That made a huge difference in the sound of this bass and no tweeter humming on mine at all. I also bought new D'addario strings. I think they are semi-wounds or whatnot and they are a fatter size, so they actually barely fit on my bass. That made a difference too, but less of a difference.

Between those 2 things the notes out of the bass actually do sound good, and is loud enough to practice with my drummer with, but our guitar player likes to full blast it at all times typically. We have been talking to him about his issue and how it takes away from everything.

I was thinking I might as well get another bass anyhow as mine is ancient and get a left-handed one since I am left-handed and maybe it would make me heard a little bit more with just an overall much better bass.

I can't imagine the bass I have now being very expensive or of high quality at all.

 

[Stumbo]

1)... but our guitar player likes to full blast it at all times typically.

If you get a bigger amp, the guitard will turn up more. Obviously he likes drowning you out and is not concerned with the overall sound of the group.

So the while the guitar is blasting, the drummer is pounding, lil ol' you is left to figure out what to do.

Your solution is to spend your hard earned cash on some rig that may or may not cut through the noise that your band members are producing.

Obviously, the guitard is the problem.

2) We have been talking to him about his issue and how it takes away from everything.

Time to stop talking. The guitard is not only ruining your rehearsals but also your hearing. Either he's going to be in the "band" and stop playing a semi-solo gig or not.

Here's what I would do:

Reduce the drummers volume:

1) get some sound board from your local hardware store. It usually comes in 4'x8' sheets. They can cut it in half at the store, usually. So you have 2 4x4 sheets. Set the drummer up in the corner of your rehearsal space. Hang some blankets or carpet on the walls behind the drummer. Next put up the sound board creating a box around the drummer. You can use some duct tape to create a "hinge" for the sound board so it won't fall over.

2) Raise the bass amp so it's at ear level. Set it up right next to the drummer so he hears you well and so you can lock in with him.

3) After you get 1 & 2 done, then you and the drummer do a sound check and get to a comfortable rehearsal volume.

4) Then do a sound check with the guitard, with him starting at a very low volume and start increasing until you and the drummer agree that his volume is okay. The guitard has no vote. If he "needs" to hear himself better at the volume you choose, raise his speaker box to ear level so he can stand right next to it. After he gets his tone adjusted and the volume is still satisfactory to you and the drummer, by agreement, he is not to turn up the volume.

Note: if he has a tube amp and want the saturated power tube distortion, he can get an attenuator (power soak) http://cgi.ebay.com/THD-4-ohm-Hot-P...ryZ43375QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem to get his tone with volume still set just right for rehearsal. Or a tube emulator http://cgi.ebay.com/VOLUME-BOX-Atte...ryZ10171QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


5) Do a full rehearsal like this and see how it goes. If the guitard goes back to his old ways, you and the drummer (by previous agreement) stop playing until he turns down. Either it's a "band" or not.

This is the age old story of LGS (lead guitar syndrome) overshadowing any sense of reasoning or logic.

Good luck.

btw, you should be wearing ear plugs, no matter if it's a rehearsal or a gig.

If you really want to go beyond a newbie, I suggest studying the following threads:

Best musical advice:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=434246

If I only knew then what I know now....
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=429034

Hearing loss and ear plugs:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=445683

Good luck! (and don't back down).

 

[subopposite]

Ha ha! Funny post, but true. Actually, we have been getting on him some and he has turned it down some. The drummer and I actually can hear each other reasonably well, but the guitar is louder than both of us and without any direction.

Were all new to it and these things will happen. Were all good friends that decided to have a little fun messing with some instruments.

We will keep tightening our leach until he stops pulling or chokes himself out.

The worst part is none of us are good, but the guitar is easily the weakest link. He is just starting to get some direction as in not just hitting this string than that string. We have been showing him things to do and then he works on it, instead of letting him run loose, because he runs loose.

Typically, the drummer and I just match each other and if the guitar figures it out....good, and if not, well then he just hits whatever strings he hits.

I certainly do not follow the guitar as there is nothing to follow yet.