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Post by nomatic on Feb 18, 2019 6:04:37 GMT -6
Most active preamps sound bad on a track especially with liberal Eq boosts and cuts.... Exceptions are a bit of boost in the low end with the Sadowsky circuit or the Alien audio basses. For the most part passive basses for recording and active live for me. A J or P ends up on most tracks unless its a indy rock thingy then I deploy the 65 Epi with old flats or one of several cheap hollow bodies....
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Post by Ward on Feb 18, 2019 10:53:31 GMT -6
John K, what is it that your bass is lacking? Yes, this. Can you point to what you would like to get from your bass sound (from otyhers' examples) and what you are using now . . . the entire sound chain please?
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Post by Ward on Feb 18, 2019 10:56:39 GMT -6
Also, try some D'Addario ENR 71 or 72 strings.
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Post by johneppstein on Feb 18, 2019 12:39:00 GMT -6
Most active preamps sound bad on a track especially with liberal Eq boosts and cuts.... Exceptions are a bit of boost in the low end with the Sadowsky circuit or the Alien audio basses. For the most part passive basses for recording and active live for me. A J or P ends up on most tracks unless its a indy rock thingy then I deploy the 65 Epi with old flats or one of several cheap hollow bodies.... Which 65 Epi? Solid or hollow?
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Post by johneppstein on Feb 18, 2019 12:45:10 GMT -6
And I just bought those because I didn’t want to wait. I’m not a good waiter Well, I won't be hiring you when (If) I open a restaurant then.
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Post by notneeson on Feb 18, 2019 13:01:00 GMT -6
And I just bought those because I didn’t want to wait. I’m not a good waiter Well, I won't be hiring you when (If) I open a restaurant then. Not losing enough money in the studio biz?
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Post by Tbone81 on Feb 18, 2019 13:12:38 GMT -6
When you guys express your dislike for active basses are you meaning active pups or active electronics/preamp, or both?
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Post by notneeson on Feb 18, 2019 13:44:51 GMT -6
Stingray’s can be great for recording, I believe they’re active. It’s just a very specific sound.
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Post by nomatic on Feb 18, 2019 14:30:17 GMT -6
Most active preamps sound bad on a track especially with liberal Eq boosts and cuts.... Exceptions are a bit of boost in the low end with the Sadowsky circuit or the Alien audio basses. For the most part passive basses for recording and active live for me. A J or P ends up on most tracks unless its a indy rock thingy then I deploy the 65 Epi with old flats or one of several cheap hollow bodies.... Which 65 Epi? Solid or hollow? solid..... 65 Batwing with one mudbucker in the neck position
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Post by johneppstein on Feb 18, 2019 17:07:52 GMT -6
When you guys express your dislike for active basses are you meaning active pups or active electronics/preamp, or both? Well, it's two somewhat different issues.
The short answer would be both, but that could be misleading because it's for different reasons and there are (different) exceptions to both. For example, I generally dislike EMGs, but some other active pickups don't bother me as much. And I dislike most active electronics but some of the Bartolini modules arte quite good in the right hands. I almost universally despise typical off the shelf "active basses" which are really passive with really cheap active electrtonics tacked on.
One of the things I like the least is the potential for many users to screw up a recorded signal almost beyond repair. That would be an active electronics thing. What sopunds good to the player who is only listening to himself (and maybe the drummer) is often totally inmappropriate for a mix and sometimes you can't get rid of the baked in problems completely.
What I often don't like about active pickups is that they can be just too clean. They lack the warmth and soul of e.g. a good vintage Precision. Or the growling balls and/or BOING! of a Ric. Passives seem to me to have more personality.
I really, really, REALLY dislike the off the shelf active Fenders.
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Post by johneppstein on Feb 18, 2019 17:09:40 GMT -6
Which 65 Epi? Solid or hollow? solid..... 65 Batwing with one mudbucker in the neck position And the Thunderbird style neck. I love those. Only problem with 'em is that they're really fragile.
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Post by lcr on Feb 18, 2019 18:32:46 GMT -6
I have the active pre amp Fender thingy in my PJ that has a 1/4 in the P and Dimarzio in the J. I dont mind a SLIGHT tweak of the eq when recording, or just leave it flat. Never heard it stock with the preamp, bought it used. Pushing the mid can be very cool when needed.
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Post by lcr on Feb 18, 2019 18:33:13 GMT -6
You tracked anything after the tweaks John K?
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Post by johneppstein on Feb 18, 2019 20:21:55 GMT -6
I have the active pre amp Fender thingy in my PJ that has a 1/4 in the P and Dimarzio in the J. I dont mind a SLIGHT tweak of the eq when recording, or just leave it flat. Never heard it stock with the preamp, bought it used. Pushing the mid can be very cool when needed. One of the reasons I particularly dislike that particular set of active electonics is that I've seen a number of them fail at inmopportune times and AFAIK Fender's support for them is poor to nonexistant. They're really not very well made. As a former service tech I tend to dislike things with poor technical support.
But if yours works well for you, fine, I hope it continues to function without problems. Many, if not most people I've encountered with those have lacked the sense/taste to be sparing with their use of the EQ, which is when they really become probematic sonically in recording. That doesn't sound like you.
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Post by lcr on Feb 18, 2019 21:31:52 GMT -6
Lol, you just reminded me... I had to replace a pot yrs ago, I think the stacked one?
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Post by nomatic on Feb 19, 2019 7:24:07 GMT -6
solid..... 65 Batwing with one mudbucker in the neck position And the Thunderbird style neck. I love those. Only problem with 'em is that they're really fragile. It never leaves the studio!
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Post by svart on Feb 19, 2019 7:53:26 GMT -6
I really think the plain fender american pickups sound pretty good. They are what they are, and I think if you're going for the fender sound, that's pretty much the pinnacle.
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Post by Johnkenn on Feb 19, 2019 9:12:35 GMT -6
This really cleared up a lot of issues for me - all strings are balanced and no flab on the bottom. Attack is better. I’m sure there might be better ones, but I’m just glad changing them out to anything cleared those issues up.
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Post by svart on Feb 19, 2019 13:01:51 GMT -6
I sorta went through the thread but did I miss where we discussed strings?
New strings on a session are almost mandatory for brightness and detail and punch..
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Post by sirthought on Feb 19, 2019 13:12:57 GMT -6
I sorta went through the thread but did I miss where we discussed strings? New strings on a session are almost mandatory for brightness and detail and punch.. Interesting. I get why you might say that, but I play bass and I don't really like the sound of my strings until about six months in. A year is really sounding great to me. It takes me at least a month of regular playing to feel like the string is broken in. I sometimes don't change strings for several years. LOL Just wipe them down after playing. Guitar I could change them once a week if I played everyday. Bass is a complete different story. I always keep one with rounds and one with flats.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Feb 19, 2019 13:32:20 GMT -6
I sorta went through the thread but did I miss where we discussed strings? New strings on a session are almost mandatory for brightness and detail and punch.. How's this for brightness and detail and punch... http://instagram.com/p/BtrjfkHBJcb Love this setup for punk / rock stuff. Fender FSR 66 Jazz > 1982 Mesa D-180 > Ampeg 7x10. Throaty as hell.
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Post by jasontodd on Feb 19, 2019 13:37:28 GMT -6
Thought I’d post here to get a little more traction...any suggestions? Going to start with this to see if I can get a better bass sound. Two words - LINDY FRALIN. Amazing pickups. His reproductions of pre-CBS Fender pickups are spot on and you can call up the company and discuss your needs and tastes with them and they'll help you order just what you need.
Fralin's quality and service beat anything Fender has done this century hands down. A bit pricey but worth every penny.
Gonna agree with John here. The Fralins are great.
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Post by svart on Feb 19, 2019 13:37:57 GMT -6
I sorta went through the thread but did I miss where we discussed strings? New strings on a session are almost mandatory for brightness and detail and punch.. Interesting. I get why you might say that, but I play bass and I don't really like the sound of my strings until about six months in. A year is really sounding great to me. It takes me at least a month of regular playing to feel like the string is broken in. I sometimes don't change strings for several years. LOL Just wipe them down after playing. Guitar I could change them once a week if I played everyday. Bass is a complete different story. I always keep one with rounds and one with flats. I generally don't change my strings too often, but at least every few months. I read somewhere that some band was changing bass strings per day during recording to keep them bright and punchy.
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Post by svart on Feb 19, 2019 13:39:01 GMT -6
I sorta went through the thread but did I miss where we discussed strings? New strings on a session are almost mandatory for brightness and detail and punch.. How's this for brightness and detail and punch... http://instagr.am/p/BtrjfkHBJcb Love this setup for punk / rock stuff. Fender FSR 66 Jazz > 1982 Mesa D-180 > Ampeg 7x10. Throaty as hell. Sounds good to me. I'd like to hear that in a mix.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Feb 19, 2019 13:47:08 GMT -6
Sounds good to me. I'd like to hear that in a mix. I'll post it once it's mixed.
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