Show Us Your Rob Allen Basses Part III

[Joe Smithberger]

+1
The fdeck hpfIII is the other thing I use with my DB, and it does work well, just like KJ says,

+2 this is a great box with a RA and a great box for boomy churches

 

[morebassbaby]

Ha! You guys are great! Well therein lies the problem. Church=Volunteer Sound Guys who take the "control" aspect of their job very seriously. As far as the knowing things that would make our working environment easier and sound better...not so much and not very interested in others offering more educated perspective

 

[KJung]

Ha! You guys are great! Well therein lies the problem. Church=Volunteer Sound Guys who take the "control" aspect of their job very seriously. As far as the knowing things that would make our working environment easier and sound better...not so much and not very interested in others offering more educated perspective

I kinda figured that might be the case. Well, if the issue is a bit too much flub and boom, that nice little external hi pass can make the Rob Allen piezo loaded basses behave much more like 'regular' electrics at the board. Good luck!

 

[morebassbaby]

Thanks Ken. I'll have to pick one of these boxes up.

 

[KJung]

Thanks Ken. I'll have to pick one of these boxes up.

PS Beautiful LG5 in your avatar picture. I like that. I assume that is sonic blue (might be surf green)? Can't quite tell. Either way, looks wonderful! Aren't the A-C's the bomb. Still totally digging my harvest gold LM5.

 

[morebassbaby]

Nope Surf Green. It's so funny. I never thought of myself as a surf green bass guy and then I saw it gleaming at me, brand new, owned by someone else for a couple months and knew I had to have it! Not sure if it's true or not but the guy told me it was a 2008 Namm bass...and I know Jimmy had one that year, because I think I've seen pictures of Paul Turner playing that bass. Yeah I'm just so content with where my bass collection is at right now. Pretty much GAS-less. It's a nice place to be!

 

[KJung]

Nope Surf Green. It's so funny. I never thought of myself as a surf green bass guy and then I saw it gleaming at me, brand new, owned by someone else for a couple months and knew I had to have it! Not sure if it's true or not but the guy told me it was a 2008 Namm bass...and I know Jimmy had one that year, because I think I've seen pictures of Paul Turner playing that bass. Yeah I'm just so content with where my bass collection is at right now. Pretty much GAS-less. It's a nice place to be!

Nice. I had a similar surf green LG5 nitro that I bought used from Brian and the Low End Bass shop. It was owned by a collector or something, and still had the plastic on the guard. The LM fits my playing style a bit more, so another TBer (Joel) is rockin' it now. GREAT basses. That for my J, a Nordy P5 (sonic blue!), and the Mouse, and there you go!

 

[morebassbaby]

Yeah I got everything covered too. The Rob Allen is fitting surprisingly well in this rock band I'm in (probably outside of the norm of most people using a mouse in a more jazz-like context) and then a Namm Spector Bolt-on with Talkbasser MPU's wal-like pickups and an ACG Filter Pre, a one-off Lakland 55-94 made by Carl Pedigo (I've got the nut on that changed to E-High C), and my standard LG5. From traditional to modern, I can cop a pretty wide range of tones. Well I can never discount the ever-existing chance that there's another bass I absolutely gotta have, I feel like I can cover the wide gamut of musical contexts I'm in with minimal sonic overlap between basses, which was always my goal. And the Rob Allen and the LG5 specifically I just can't wait to grow old with!

 

[morebassbaby]

Also, for any interested, my band's website www.lastyearswinners.com has 3 songs on it that you can listen to, the last of which "Saying No" is my Deep Mouse plugged into a REDDI direct box straight to the board. Like I said maybe not a traditional context for a mouse but it works for me!

 

[77PBass]

With so many RA owners, why is there such a lack of demo's and playing examples of these great instruments on Youtube? I have some examples of my mouse bass and will post shortly. What say you RA brethren?

 

[tedw]

I had the same experience. I bought a VT pedal and it didn't click for me the first time. Some time later I had an Ampeg PF-350 and enjoyed it, then gave it to my son who was in need of a new amp and went back to my Clarus. I dug the VT out of the drawer and have been using it ever since. It does disguise some of the pure RA tone IMO, but the RA/VT combination is pretty darn cool.

Well, I just snagged a used one via Talkbass today, so we'll see how it works (or rather, I work with it) the second time around. I mainly have it in mind for the Solid 4, but maybe it will be a hit with the Deep and Mouse as well.

My 11 year old son is also very interested playing bass and takes to it quite well I'm hoping he sticks with it.

And... I too keep going back tot he Clarus. I would never sell it. It is just too cool in it's simplicity and effectiveness

 

[tedw]

Thanks! I'm just really happy that with this band I'm in, I get to use it almost 50% of the time. I've had something like 22 basses in my time playing bass and this is the #1 most complemented instrument I've ever played. Whatever it is, the mouse is outsiders vision of what a good bass should sound like. I'll take that!

First time I ever played a Rob Allen (MB-2 at Bass NW), I felt the same..."This is what bass is supposed to sound like." Though I enjoy a few other basses, the Mouse still feels like that to me.

 

[tedw]

While I obviously have a mouse and you a solid 4, in many ways we're in a similar situation. I play at my church too with a REDDI, but also a Puma 500 and a 12" cab. Everybody loves the bass, but the sound guys don't know how to eq it. It just comes out as a pile of thick mud and you loose all the nuance of getting in that mwah and those slides. Sad really because, I always feel like it would be a great venue to use that bass, but I just don't because they aren't really sure how to put it in mix. Oh well, I've got the other band for that, I suppose.

I'm fortunate to own a Mouse and Deep 5 as well as a Solid 4. I'm actually fortunate that our sound techs have almost always found a way to place my instruments prominently in the mix.

I played mostly the Mouse from 2008 to 2011 as leader of our choir's band. The techs always found a way to make it work. I think it helped that I sent a post-eq signal from my clarus (I cut the bass eq and applied the high-pass filter as well to manage the bottom end).

The particular challenge I've taken on is specifically focused on the Solid 4 and enhancing it's tone in a tube-
like way that fits in the mix well.

I used the Reddi for awhile with the Solid 4. On a recording project, the producer had me take it out because it was "too dark." In services, one tech LOVED the Reddi. But the department leader felt it contributed to boomniness, so I'm not using it at church anymore.

Based on all of this, I don't think the Reddi with the Mouse would ever fly at my church.

I'm sorry your Mouse has not worked at your church. I know that things can change quickly as techs come ipn an out. Getting them to apply a high-pass filter (or applying it via my pre-amp) can work wonders, I've found. Of course, a lot depends on the room, the sound system, the room, and the techs.

 

[tedw]

Yeah, I think you are wasting your time. You need to educate the sound guys. Get another bassist in and get them to play your bass. When you are happy with tone get the sound chaps to note the EQ.

This is your only chance as if it's anything like my church it's a different sound chap each week.

Davo

Ditto... Our lead sound tech graciously agreed to spend a couple of hours with me working through my eq and monitor issues. He documented the best settings for every step in the signal change, and now all the sound techs go by that. Made a huge difference and I'm happy with the results.

 

[tedw]

I use an LR Baggs paracoustic DI with uipright.
While I've not used one with an RA, "they're similar enough" that this might be of good use to you.
4 bands of eq, two of which are para-adjustable for frequency.
The phase rev is especially nice for DB, might not matter to you.
I usually trim some sub bass, and a little mids, and add a touch of presence and bright.
Very handy box:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

'

Thanks, Chef. That looks like a very nice DI for use with the Mouse and Deep 5.

Amazingly enough, our sound techs have gotten really good at eqing the Mouse and Deep 5, so I don't have much of a problem there.

The main challenge has been with the Solid 4 P bass, which is more of a traditional electric bass vs. the other Rob Allens.

So I don't think the LR Baggs unit solves my Solid 4 problem, but I'll definitely look into checking one out for the Mouse and Deep 5.

Thanks!

 

[tedw]

I use an LR Baggs paracoustic DI with uipright.
While I've not used one with an RA, "they're similar enough" that this might be of good use to you.
4 bands of eq, two of which are para-adjustable for frequency.
The phase rev is especially nice for DB, might not matter to you.
I usually trim some sub bass, and a little mids, and add a touch of presence and bright.
Very handy box:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

'

Chef - One question on the Para DI. The product website specs include "Low Cut Filter: Fixed, 12dB/oct. @ 35Hz." Does that mean that the low cut filter is always engaged or is it optional? Reviewing the product info, I couldn't find a switch for the low cut filter.

 

[tedw]

Very simple solution with the Mouse (or any other piezo driven instrument. The piezo pickup (even when buffered like the Rob Allen) puts out massive sub-bass, and also some unpleasant upper treble that can really sound bad through a full range PA (with subs, horns, etc.). The treble is easily fixed through the lo pass/treble roll-off on the back of the bass... dial that down half way.

For the low end, it is a hi passing issue (i.e., too much sub-bass, which is made worse by the subs in a front of house system. The little FDeck III variable hi pass is PERFECT for this issue. You can roll off everything (-12db) at around 45 hz, and all of a sudden, all that wonderful, woody complexity will emerge from the PA. The unit sold by TBer FDECK is a touch over $100, is extremely transparent, and almost a necessity (IMO) for that particular bass in your particular situation. (it also has a phase reverse switch).

Edit: Even cheaper and easier, just have your soundperson hi pass at 50hz. If they look at you like they don't know what you are talking about, see about getting them fired and getting someone who knows what they are doing

Interesting... I do believe the can credit use of the Clarus' "low cut filter" for how well the Mouse worked in our church from 2008 to 2011. Now, I think, but don't know for sure (I'll have to check) that the sound techs are applying a high-pass filter.

I have to admit that love electronic gizmos that actually work so I'm going to consider the FDeck 3

 

[tedw]

+1
The fdeck hpfIII is the other thing I use with my DB, and it does work well, just like KJ says,

Thanks. Both the FDeck and LR Baggs tools look really great.

 

[Chef]

I'm holding it my hand right now, and I don't see such a thing.

Chef - One question on the Para DI. The product website specs include "Low Cut Filter: Fixed, 12dB/oct. @ 35Hz." Does that mean that the low cut filter is always engaged or is it optional? Reviewing the product info, I couldn't find a switch for the low cut filter.

 

[tedw]

The Rob Allen is fitting surprisingly well in this rock band I'm in (probably outside of the norm of most people using a mouse in a more jazz-like context)

I'm with you 100% on the Mouse fitting well with rock as tas jazz. Our church does mostly comtemporary Christian rock (pretty much a classic rock feel), and Mouse works absolutely great in this setting.

And the Rob Allen and the LG5 specifically I just can't wait to grow old with!

Out of all the basses, I have ever played, this is exactly how I feel about the Mouse. At 58 years old, I'm on track with the "growing old" part, although I don't feel like it

Regardless, I know I'll be playing the Mouse for years to come, God willing.