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Show Us Your Rob Allen Basses Part III

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#443
asbs said:
please, could you explain the fact that makes you playing more the 4 than the 5 ?
Click to expand...

A couple of reasons. A year or so ago I decided that I wanted to pick up 4-string again, after a decade + of nothing but 5s. Then at the beginning of this year I decided that I was going to completely retool my playing from the ground up, studying with Ant (and trying to get rid of 40+ years of bad habits). I had discovered that I could cover my gigs on a 4, and doing the ground-up was going to be a bit simpler on a 4. Since I use the RA to cover a lot of my jazz gigs, and most of those tunes were done on an upright, having a 4-string RA helps me think more along upright-style lines. In this case, less is more.

The other issue, though less of a big deal, is that my 5-string is 35" scale and I've gone to 34" for everything (except for a 33" scale E-C 5'er that will show up this summer).

My Deep 4 is damn near perfect. It is just a joy to play. My 5 is awesome, but a 5, with wider neck and another string, is more to handle. Certainly not a deal breaker and I have and will happily gig a 5-string. But for now I'm all about really getting a 4-string wired inside and out.
 
#445
Ok, I understand.

My first look on the RA was motived by the interest of thinking bass playing in other way, more as an up right.

But I was not totaly ready yet.
It sounds as the door is open for a mouse one day...

nostatic said:
A couple of reasons. A year or so ago I decided that I wanted to pick up 4-string again, after a decade + of nothing but 5s. Then at the beginning of this year I decided that I was going to completely retool my playing from the ground up, studying with Ant (and trying to get rid of 40+ years of bad habits). I had discovered that I could cover my gigs on a 4, and doing the ground-up was going to be a bit simpler on a 4. Since I use the RA to cover a lot of my jazz gigs, and most of those tunes were done on an upright, having a 4-string RA helps me think more along upright-style lines. In this case, less is more.

The other issue, though less of a big deal, is that my 5-string is 35" scale and I've gone to 34" for everything (except for a 33" scale E-C 5'er that will show up this summer).

My Deep 4 is damn near perfect. It is just a joy to play. My 5 is awesome, but a 5, with wider neck and another string, is more to handle. Certainly not a deal breaker and I have and will happily gig a 5-string. But for now I'm all about really getting a 4-string wired inside and out.
Click to expand...
 
#446
It's interesting, I've recently gone the same way. I got into 5ers almost imediatetely when I started playing bass. I came from piano and found it easier to play in one position using a 5 string. Also, early on, playing open strings was a bit counter intuitive, having always used my left hand actively playing bass on the piano. Fast forward twenty years and I ended up playing upright and getting a degree on that instrument. I found myself playing a church/gospel gig and wanting the low B, but in my rock band, I really never touched it. Now I use my 4 string RA (thanks Nostatic) and my recently purchased Lull M4V for the rock gig. I still love my MTD 5s, but I really play differently on a 4. It actually inspires some extra creativity in my lines and gets me thinking about more positional opportunities. The other day I played an easy gig for a singing class and tried playing entire songs using only one string, just to see what it would do to my lines. Sometimes less is more!

nostatic said:
A couple of reasons. A year or so ago I decided that I wanted to pick up 4-string again, after a decade + of nothing but 5s. Then at the beginning of this year I decided that I was going to completely retool my playing from the ground up, studying with Ant (and trying to get rid of 40+ years of bad habits). I had discovered that I could cover my gigs on a 4, and doing the ground-up was going to be a bit simpler on a 4. Since I use the RA to cover a lot of my jazz gigs, and most of those tunes were done on an upright, having a 4-string RA helps me think more along upright-style lines. In this case, less is more.

The other issue, though less of a big deal, is that my 5-string is 35" scale and I've gone to 34" for everything (except for a 33" scale E-C 5'er that will show up this summer).

My Deep 4 is damn near perfect. It is just a joy to play. My 5 is awesome, but a 5, with wider neck and another string, is more to handle. Certainly not a deal breaker and I have and will happily gig a 5-string. But for now I'm all about really getting a 4-string wired inside and out.
Click to expand...
 
#449
I've used an Acoustic Image Clarus for awhile and it's really great with my RAs. I just ordered an EA Micro, I expect it to be pretty similar but perhaps will have enough nuance to make it worth keeping both.
 
#450
In a particular band, I going to use 2 basses in the same set/gigs, Deep 5 and Ken Smith.
So very different eq.
I was wondering if the doubler would be the best option. (cause of the 2 chanels)
But I don't know if EA would not be a little bit "cold" for the Smith.
How guys do you manage the swap with RA and other basses without messsing around with eq ?
 
#453
I used to use a Paradriver that I'd click on with the RA - cut a bit of bass and add a bit of mids. These days I just don't worry too much about it. I maybe cut some bass on the RA if the room is boomy, but I'll generally eq the amp either for the RA and add some bass to the Fodera, or eq the amp for the Fodera and cut some bass on the RA. One reason I like the Deeps vs the other models - having the onboard bass eq is useful. It depends on the gig. If I'm primarily playing the RA I'll eq the amp for that and vice versa. Truth be told I don't deviate much from flat eq. And that was with SHuttle 9.0 (previous) and now with Aggie TH500/350.
 
#454
nostatic said:
I used to use a Paradriver that I'd click on with the RA - cut a bit of bass and add a bit of mids. These days I just don't worry too much about it. I maybe cut some bass on the RA if the room is boomy, but I'll generally eq the amp either for the RA and add some bass to the Fodera, or eq the amp for the Fodera and cut some bass on the RA. One reason I like the Deeps vs the other models - having the onboard bass eq is useful. It depends on the gig. If I'm primarily playing the RA I'll eq the amp for that and vice versa. Truth be told I don't deviate much from flat eq. And that was with SHuttle 9.0 (previous) and now with Aggie TH500/350.
Click to expand...

I tend to use a little amp EQ, mostly a gentle mid bump, but crank the heck out of the onboard preamps to make my basses really sound different from one another.
 
#455
asbs said:
In a particular band, I going to use 2 basses in the same set/gigs, Deep 5 and Ken Smith.
So very different eq.
I was wondering if the doubler would be the best option. (cause of the 2 chanels)
But I don't know if EA would not be a little bit "cold" for the Smith.
How guys do you manage the swap with RA and other basses without messsing around with eq ?
Click to expand...

I alway use an A/B switch with my rig to start. I currently am running through a GB Shuttlemax, which Can change enough settings to satisfy my needs without equing. You could also run a separate EQ into each side of an A/B pedal.
 
#456
donnercruz said:
I alway use an A/B switch with my rig to start. I currently am running through a GB Shuttlemax, which Can change enough settings to satisfy my needs without equing. You could also run a separate EQ into each side of an A/B pedal.
Click to expand...

I picked up a Radial Big Shot A/B a couple of months ago when I had a situation that required quick changes between my Mouse and Sadowsky. Worked great, didn't cost too much ($60-70).
 
#457
I haven't used my A/B box in years. At yesterday's gig I was close enough to my amp that I made a small eq tweak when switching basses but only during the 2nd set. 1st and 3rd sets I just set it up for the RA and called it good. I used the Sonic tuner to mute when I switch. In general with the RA, I add some mids (usually around 500hz give or take) and cut a bit of bass. That's it. But it depends on your technique and what bass you're swapping to. My Foderas are set up with fairly hot output so that isn't an issue. If you have a low output bass your biggest issue will be volume difference and/or preamp gain setting.

To me the easiest way to get a lot of control is to use some sort of eq pedal option. Depending on the bass you can also tweak there but a stomp can simplify things.

The other thing to think about is head/cabinet. I've found that some cabinets are better fits (depending on the room of course). Truth be told of any of my basses the RAs consistently sound the best regardless of the rest of the variables, but I also favor a mid-forward sound so my gear tends to reflect that. If you have a rig that is bass heavy, you could run into some issues with an RA as they have a *ton* of booty. There is no universal solution, as there are too many variables and players have different ears and fingers.
 
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