Project Vista Sonic (rut row, JIO's at it again!)

[JIO]

I like that greenburst...

Wonder if Wild Dog is anything like the preamp on my Meazzi - very bright (harsh, really) like a high pass filter and presumably meant to mimic a 6 string bass type of tone.

Judging by what has been written about it you may be correct - more of a guitar effect that is less effective on a bass. As someone who enjoys experimenting with strange sounds, I can imagine combining it with a fuzz pedal and/or tremolo for something cool.

The early effects lead to some distinctive songs - maybe playing the Wild Dog setting will cause green static ...

 

[farace]

Wild Dog has no bottom end to it.

 

[Dynacord]

Judging by what has been written about it you may be correct - more of a guitar effect that is less effective on a bass. As someone who enjoys experimenting with strange sounds, I can imagine combining it with a fuzz pedal and/or tremolo for something cool.

The early effects lead to some distinctive songs - maybe playing the Wild Dog setting will cause green static ...

Wow, that's wild. I had to double check that there wasn't an electric sitar...

Lo-fi does have its place.

BTW on that Meazzi pre-amp (which actually can be interesting blended with the passive neck pickup to varying degrees), I'm in several Facebook groups devoted to Italian guitars and one guy has a Meazzi guitar with the same pre-amp but from 1959. Assuming that's legit, I can't imagine anyone else had them in production that early (but could be wrong).

 

[Fender_Bender]

According to what I've read - the Vista Sonic basses were commonly red with black burst, but I agree that the green-burst was what set Burns apart. Having just done my Scarab Deluxe Bass in that colour - it's a looker!

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What brand of lipsticks did you use there?. I’ve always loved the look of lipsticks but by reputation they’re rather underpowered.

 

[micguy]

A California man was believed to have caused a major seismic event today after he inadvertently engaged the “Wild Dog” setting on his newly acquired bass guitar.

Details at eleven.

I'd be more worried about engaging it in Florida - enough weird stuff goes on there without "Wild Dog" in the mix, and whatever you do down there, you end up in the news. I think somewhere in the desert, with nobody around for miles, except for a friend with an ambulance standing by, is the place to try that. Either that, or at Burning Man.

 

[farace]

I think you guys are ascribing some mystical powers to Wild Dog that are unwarranted. If I can piece together a way to do a quick recording, I'll try to demonstrate the tone of each of the four positions, and then you'll see just how suckworthy Wild Dog is.

 

[JIO]

What brand of lipsticks did you use there?. I’ve always loved the look of lipsticks but by reputation they’re rather underpowered.

They are 'Yesteryear' LP2 Dano-centric lipstick pu's with "aged magnets" @ 7.4k ohms that I got through AllParts. They should be high output as most LS Pu's are in the 4k ohm range but they too are fairly low output. (?) Funny thing is that the original late '60s Dano pu's are high-output. I'm not sure what is going on and am open to opinions related.

 

[JIO]

I think you guys are ascribing some mystical powers to Wild Dog that are unwarranted. If I can piece together a way to do a quick recording, I'll try to demonstrate the tone of each of the four positions, and then you'll see just how suckworthy Wild Dog is.

I don't doubt what you say is true - it's more that the setting alludes to being "wild" Maybe it's better for "effect" - like, "if you don't stop burying my bass in the mix - I'll throw the Wild Dog switch!"

 

[farace]

I don't doubt what you say is true - it's more that the setting alludes to being "wild" Maybe it's better for "effect" - like, "if you don't stop burying my bass in the mix - I'll throw the Wild Dog switch!"

I'll admit that sometimes the worst tones solo are what will sit best in the mix. Not sure Wild Dog is one of those, but I'll keep my mind open.

 

[micguy]

I think you guys are ascribing some mystical powers to Wild Dog that are unwarranted. If I can piece together a way to do a quick recording, I'll try to demonstrate the tone of each of the four positions, and then you'll see just how suckworthy Wild Dog is.

Please don't wreck the mythical powers we're ascribing to "Wild Dog" by showing us...the truth. We can't handle the truth. We don't want the truth. We want to wallow in our own little deluded fantasy.

 

[Fender_Bender]

They are 'Yesteryear' LP2 Dano-centric lipstick pu's with "aged magnets" @ 7.4k ohms that I got through AllParts. They should be high output as most LS Pu's are in the 4k ohm range but they too are fairly low output. (?) Funny thing is that the original late '60s Dano pu's are high-output. I'm not sure what is going on and am open to opinions related.

Afaik, the Dano’s were a little longer and beefier with flat ends instead of rounded ends. What Ive read was that when SRV had a custom instrument made for him with lipsticks, that he specified original Dano's to be used. Last time I checked, Kent Armstrong was the only guy making them as they were made but they are not cheap.

 

[farace]

Please don't wreck the mythical powers we're ascribing to "Wild Dog" by showing us...the truth. We can't handle the truth. We don't want the truth. We want to wallow in our own little deluded fantasy.

It's never kind to be shown behind the curtain! No worries, for me to actually get around to posting a sound clip, I'd have to 1) find my 1/4" to USB cable, 2) make it interface with GarageBand or Audacity, or whatever, 3) dig the bass out of the closet, 4) actually sit down and record something, and 5) figure out where to host it. I'm still trying to get all the paperwork together to do my taxes, so this could take awhile.

Another thing I should do, just for my own benefit, is compare the Wild Dog tone on the Ampeg/Burns guitar to the choke switch tone on my '65 Jaguar (which is a useful sound for playing Iggy Pop's "The Passenger" but not much else). Might be interesting.

 

[TerribleTim68]

I think you guys are ascribing some mystical powers to Wild Dog that are unwarranted. If I can piece together a way to do a quick recording, I'll try to demonstrate the tone of each of the four positions, and then you'll see just how suckworthy Wild Dog is.

Guitarist: "So what kind of tone does it have?"
@farace: "Oh, it goes full suck dude...."

 

[JimmyM]

It's never kind to be shown behind the curtain! No worries, for me to actually get around to posting a sound clip, I'd have to 1) find my 1/4" to USB cable, 2) make it interface with GarageBand or Audacity, or whatever, 3) dig the bass out of the closet, 4) actually sit down and record something, and 5) figure out where to host it. I'm still trying to get all the paperwork together to do my taxes, so this could take awhile.

Another thing I should do, just for my own benefit, is compare the Wild Dog tone on the Ampeg/Burns guitar to the choke switch tone on my '65 Jaguar (which is a useful sound for playing Iggy Pop's "The Passenger" but not much else). Might be interesting.

You dodged a bullet there, Bob. Just found this recording on Youtube...Wild Dog setting is first:



Has an irritatingly pingy quality to it, not hideous, possibly useful if being pingy and irritating is what you're looking for. If I had it, I'd keep it locked on contra bass, which is last.

 

[farace]

You dodged a bullet there, Bob. Just found this recording on Youtube...Wild Dog setting is first:



Has an irritatingly pingy quality to it, not hideous, possibly useful if being pingy and irritating is what you're looking for. If I had it, I'd keep it locked on contra bass, which is last.

I will have to listen to this later, as I have no sound on my computer at work (not even system beeps!). But yeah, it gets me off the hook.

I once started figuring out how many possible combinations of three split pickups there are, and I think it was more than 24. To waste one position of a four-position switch on Wild Dog showed a bit of negligence, I think.

 

[TerribleTim68]

...possibly useful if being pingy and irritating is what you're looking for...

I actually know some people like this.

 

[JIO]

You dodged a bullet there, Bob. Just found this recording on Youtube...Wild Dog setting is first:



Has an irritatingly pingy quality to it, not hideous, possibly useful if being pingy and irritating is what you're looking for. If I had it, I'd keep it locked on contra bass, which is last.

I imagine Wild Dog would have sounded better w/o so much fret-buzzing. The "Bass" and "Treble"settings both sounded anemic, especially the Treble. The bass looked brand new/cool - so yah, sounds like Contra Bass will be the default setting.

 

[JIO]

I actually know some people like this.

good one!

 

[JIO]

Afaik, the Dano’s were a little longer and beefier with flat ends instead of rounded ends. What Ive read was that when SRV had a custom instrument made for him with lipsticks, that he specified original Dano's to be used. Last time I checked, Kent Armstrong was the only guy making them as they were made but they are not cheap.

The lip-stick base-plate depends on which Dano model it was for. On some, the pu attaches/adjusts from the back of the body and the base plate is shaped with stilted legs. Ones like on my Coral and Silvertone attach/are adjusted at the pg and have a flat base-plate. The Dano lip-sticks themselves are all the same length and diameter. Tele/Strat guitar style lip-sticks are smaller AFAIK.

 

[JIO]

I'll admit that sometimes the worst tones solo are what will sit best in the mix. Not sure Wild Dog is one of those, but I'll keep my mind open.

From listening to the vid, the turn-off for me is the output drop of the Treble, Bass and Wild Dog settings. Or if you look at it differently, the over-boost of output at the Contra Bass setting. If each setting was meant to be useable while performing, they should all have equal output and vary only considering their tone setting. So, Wild Dog = odd phase tone, Bass = lower, Treble = brighter, and Contra Bass = darker/woodier? The Contra Bass setting could be considered a "bass boost" but if you had the gain set for the other 3, a switch to Contra Bass mid-song could blow the speaker.

As much as I love Phil Kubicki's Ex-Factor preamp - I never use the passive settings because of the major output drop from the 2 active settings. He even has mention of it in his pamphlet on the bass - in it he cautions against mid-song switching from passive to active for that same reason. (surge of output/damaging speakers) I compare it to another of my favorite active/passive pre-amps, the G&L L2000. All setting are consistently gauged in output, with only a slight rise engaging the 'boost' setting. Active to passive stays at a similar output/volume - just alters the tone accordingly. I've switched between active to passive, and active to boost on the fly with no major output surge problems.