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Show Us Your Rob Allen Basses Part III

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#4
BigBeatNut said:
Bryan, it would be good if the number 2 thread had a post in it that linked to this one. I can't add a link because the thread is closed, could you oblige ?

Andy
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It has one. The last post in the thread links to this thread.
 
#7
nostatic said:
The FEA is always on. I can live without it, but frankly every bass I have sounds better with the FEA on.
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That's interesting. Tried a dual comp once (nothing as sophisticated as the FEA) and didn't get on with it so never tried one again. The FEA gear has attracted my attention once before though, so I'm now interested. Care to share more of the settings with us ? Just a photo of the FEA as you run it would be enough to give me an idea of the ratio, attack and release settings you find useful for each side.

Thanks, Andy
 
#9
Roughly the typical settings. Attack and release fairly quick. What is nice is that I can tweak levels for low and high from the pedal. The general idea is to cross over around 150-200hz and hit that with about 3:1 or 4:1 ratio at about 75% of max threshold (only squishing the higher peaks). It tightens up the low end on the RA without really needing to eq.

fea1.jpg
 
#10
Right. Looks like fairly subtle differences between the high and low side ... thanks for that.

The attractive thing about that comp for me (up until this conversation) was the indicator for when compression is happening ... I hadn't really thought of the dual band as much of a benefit so the FEA looked like overkill ... I may have to reconsider :)
 
#11
Just to follow up on my B-15 comment from the last thread, I know it's a cliche that the B-15 is arguably the best amp ever made, but it really is a Swiss Army Knife. A P bass (which the S4 clearly gets its lineage from) sounds amazing through one, and I find that the B-15 has been a great companion to my D4 as well.

Another suggestion is a Polytone. At big band rehearsals I tend to take an old Polytone, and while it's solid state, it also does well with both a P bass and the D4. Polytones are old workhorses for upright players, so it stands to reason it'd work for the D4 as I've found it to be.

The B-15 really just adds just enough warmth and magic. The Polytone is a touch more "clinical".

And for the record, my B-15 is a B-15N. I haven't played the D4 through my B-18 yet as the head is being brought back up to spec, but I contend it would work as well.

I talked to Rob on Friday. He called me to talk about the neck for my new Deep 4 before he sent it off to be glossed. (Yes, I'm having it glossed a la the Solid 4 ... so shoot me! I prefer my necks like that.) He was checking because it's the biggest neck he can build, and probably bigger than either of my other two basses. He's made. So if you think Rob just uses a single template - you're wrong there! I'm guessing it'll be between my current (and soon to be sold) D4 and the Takamine TB10, giving it more of a hybrid P/upright experience.
 
#13
I'm intrigued by the Ibanez Ashula "hybrid". It has 4 fretted strings (E-G) and 2 fretless strings (D and G, same octave as the the fretted D and G.). The videos of the bass in action show a lot of creative potential.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Thinking that a hybrid 4/2 string MB2 would be cool. Probably not a lot of electronic complexity--I'd hope to have it run with a split bridge and two channels of piezo.
 
#15
richnota said:
I'm intrigued by the Ibanez Ashula "hybrid". It has 4 fretted strings (E-G) and 2 fretless strings (D and G, same octave as the the fretted D and G.). The videos of the bass in action show a lot of creative potential.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Thinking that a hybrid 4/2 string MB2 would be cool. Probably not a lot of electronic complexity--I'd hope to have it run with a split bridge and two channels of piezo.
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Meh. The Ibanez is an OK idea.

He did something similar here Invalid Link Removed - see the 8 string fretted/fretless hybrid. It has two output jacks, and it gave me an idea what mine will look like with two jacks.

If I wanted both in one bass, I'd just get a dual necked RA.
 
#19
richnota said:
now THAT is an interesting idea. The doubleneck RA MB2 works quite well. This one belongs to a talkbass member (i forgot his name for the second time)
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If I ever did a double neck, it would be half fretted Solid 4 and half Deep 4 with the bodies molded together. That would mean a thicker Solid 4 of course. It's an interesting concept, but I've got enough fretted and fretless basses already to last a lifetime and more.
 
#20
richnota said:
The doubleneck RA MB2 works quite well. This one belongs to a talkbass member (i forgot his name for the second time)
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I'm struggling to understand the rationale behind that one. I'd have expected a gross difference between the two necks like 4/5 string or fretted/fretless.

Is it the fingerboard/neck woods that make such a difference between necks, or the brand of strings ?

Andy
 
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