| Author | Message | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 2380 Registered: 10-2003 |
So this happened: https://scarysharkface.smugmug.com/photos/i-MQhkHk8/0/XL/i-MQhkHk8-XL.jpg Leading my stable of basses to look like this: https://scarysharkface.smugmug.com/photos/i-hrg6d5m/0/XL/i-hrg6d5m-XL.jpg John | ||
| ed_zeppelin
Member Username: ed_zeppelin Post Number: 78 Registered: 2-2010 |
Bass porn! I knew if I hung around long enough ... Oh my. A Gorgeous Series II, a P-Bass, an Ibenhad SD GR 5-string with the Charlie Hunter/Novak thing goin' on and a Music Man 5-string (that seems to have too many knobs). The Novak fanned fret thing is really interesting. It's one of the few ideas that's made me immediately think; "hey, that's a great idea!" You get the benefits of the longer scale right where you need it, and the clarity of the shorter scale on the upper register. That must sound AWESOME. I went to the Dallas Guitar Show with a friend, a true Texan. He wasn't going to spend a dime. After he handed over the cash for his SECOND guitar, he shook the seller's hand and said; "you have no idea how much my wife hates you." That's how I feel, looking at that thing. *Stuart Townsend must feel like that a lot. Yeah, I covet. My palms itch. That's as close to an ideal arsenal as I've ever seen. The only problem you face, as far as I'm concerned, is trying to put one down once you've "locked in" with it. You know what I mean? Especially with a good drummer. Holy cow. This illness started when my dad bought a '62 P-bass for me when I was 9 years old, because everybody in my family plays an instrument so the ol' man was sick of me battering away at the cutlery. It was either bass or drums, and I think even he had to admit I wasn't dumb enough to be a drummer. So I'm familiar with P-basses, but I have never replaced that one when some scumbag stole it in Seattle. He might as well have reached into my rib cage and tore my heart out. I like playing other people's, though. Hey, speaking of Novak, take a look at this: http://www.truetemperament.com/ How about that? That's different, making your OCD work for you. Note that the biggest "squiggle" is on the G String, third fret. So both Novak and True Temperament are approaching nearly identical issues of scaling and temperament in two radically different ways. Note that the bridge for the the acoustic is dead straight. On the electrics, the saddles are in standard intonation positions. (I did hundreds of original Floyd Rose setups, where you had to lock everything down to make even the most minor adjustment, and if it was off you had to take the whole damn thing apart again. So I have an eye for that kind of thing.)  Notice that they all vaguely follow the Novak thing anyway (I think one of the most charming things about Gibsons with stop tailpieces are never really in tune. Teles with "log" saddles, either.) So the answer is between the two approaches: a Novak approach to scaling by fanning the frets, correcting temperament with minor adjustments in the frets. (Plus, it would look really cool.) You're a genius, I tell ya. After all, the more you split the difference, the more effective each approach is at solving the other's problem at the same time. I'm assuming from your act of shameless bass porn that you are a man of exquisite tastes. Bravo, sir. You have no idea how much my wife hates you PS: Carvin!  That was @2004(?) Gotta get some new pics. *Stuart Townsend is Charlize Theron's boyfriend | ||
| neyman
Intermediate Member Username: neyman Post Number: 143 Registered: 7-2002 |
Too many brandys and all my fretboards begin to look like that. | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 1723 Registered: 2-2011 |
Nice collection John! As a recent convert to 5's as well, welcome to the club! Ed, I have never seen the True Temperment frets, thanks for sharing! It looks weird but obviously it works! | ||
| ed_zeppelin
Member Username: ed_zeppelin Post Number: 79 Registered: 2-2010 |
This taught me everything I know: http://www.spinaltapfan.com/articles/guitarworld2.html       | ||
| hieronymous
Senior Member Username: hieronymous Post Number: 1560 Registered: 1-2005 |
That fanned-fret Ibanez bass is cool! I remember when they released those. I like the SR bass line, interesting how it goes from entry level to hand-built in Japan. I have an SR506, it has that really shallow but wide neck profile (I'm terrible at talking about this stuff in a technical way) - it sounds great - nice lows, sparkly highs - but doesn't really match my style. I would love to Alembicize it! How do you like the pickups/electronics in yours? And how's that bass rig? | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 2381 Registered: 10-2003 |
The Carvin head with the TC cabinets has been working well for me. I like the way it all sounds and I can move it all by myself. The Ibanez bass strikes me as sounding more like the Alembic and less like the Lakland, if that makes sense. It's very much *there* in your face, for lack of a better description. I think the center frequency of the highs control is lower than I'd prefer, but I've played it in two different venues now and mostly have just left it flat or rolled-off a bit of upper-mids. As for that true-temperament business, I'm sticking with Bach's practical solution. There's much to be said for being able to intonate in several keys. John | ||
| ed_zeppelin
Member Username: ed_zeppelin Post Number: 82 Registered: 2-2010 |
>>> I think the center frequency of the highs control is lower than I'd prefer, but I've played it in two different venues now and mostly have just left it flat or rolled-off a bit of upper-mids. <<< I've discovered that I can mess around with midrange settings for hours, but it don't mean squat until you're playing with a drummer. One of the few things from "The Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook" that sunk in was that 250-500k is problematic because it's the range shared by most of the instruments in a band/orchestra. I happened to be tuning up once while the drummer was tuning his bass drum (those guys never use a tuner, y'know) and when he bonked it with his knuckle, it was vaguely between actual notes. So I just held the tuner up so he could see it. That stupidly simple act made an astonishing difference to everything: the rhythm section, the band, the funk, whatever. But where I really noticed it was in my carefully chosen mid settings. They sounded awful. So I readjusted on the fly. What a piece o' cake. A slight nudge and there it was, after all that time. It turns out that tuning in your sound is a lot easier if you tune the drummer first. | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 2384 Registered: 10-2003 |
I was being chastised in the studio years back for pulling my low G out of tune while we were tracking. Turned out that the floor tom was tuned to a very sharp low G. Vindicated, I was. ;) In most situations, bringing 250 hz down a few db does wonders for the clarity of the sound system. It's the magic frequency. And yes, mixing with EQ makes everything better. That's why I use flatwounds on the bass so much. John | ||
| ed_zeppelin
Member Username: ed_zeppelin Post Number: 83 Registered: 2-2010 |
Hey, me too! One of my favorite things about my Series 1 is that strings are so easy to pop on and off. I keep different sets handy depending on the gig. In fact, one set is unknown brand black tapewounds of unknown vintage that I found. I just love the thud. They're barely musical, they're so dead. Perfect for bouncy stuff. I've got a set of Maxima golds I've been hoarding for two decades or so (they stopped making them for a while) really warm sound, very nice for big ballads because they're almost like playing arco, they have such smooth sustain. And of course, a zingy new set of cheapie ten-dollar Carvin/GHS roundwounds. (I used to buy 'em in bulk from Carvin, now they only sell sets). Hell, when I started playing bass, we used to boil them in milk. I kid you not. | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 2385 Registered: 10-2003 |
I've been using Fender flats on the Alembic most of the time, but at the moment I've got a D'Addario Pro-Steels fetish, so it's strung with those, with a .040 first string. I've been using the D'Addario nickle wounds on the fretless Lakland, same gauge. I think I'm going to switch to Pro-Steels there as well. I *think* the Ibanez came with Elixers, but I can't find any definitive information on it. They're heavier than I prefer at .045, but man that bass sounds great. I've got a couple of sets of Pro-Steels on order from bassstringsonline.com for it, using a long-scale 4-string set and a single extra-long .125 B. The Fender Precision has Fender flatwounds. It's perfect in that it sounds the way it sounds, and nothing's going to change that. John | ||
| cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 1938 Registered: 10-2006 |
Milk? Really?? I've known guys who boiled them in water or alcohol, but milk's a new one on me. Huh. Peter | ||
| ed_zeppelin
Member Username: ed_zeppelin Post Number: 84 Registered: 2-2010 |
Yup, milk. Horrible idea. It was 1972, I was 15 and some meathead said; "boil them in milk." (I was very gullable) Never did that again. | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 4460 Registered: 5-2009 |
Boiling alcohol can result in catastrophic results, in particular on an open flame gas stove top . | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 2387 Registered: 10-2003 |
My son tells me the best thing is to just take them off the bass coil/uncoil them a time or two and reinstall. There was a Stephen Stills interview in Guitar Player Magazine back in the late '70s where he said he cooked his bass strings in barbeque sauce. I wonder how many people tried that after the interview was published? Probably quite a few. John | ||
| keith_h
Senior Member Username: keith_h Post Number: 2272 Registered: 2-2005 |
The big question, did the style or brand of sauce make a difference in the results? Did he use an NC style for blue grass and Memphis style for Memphis Soul? Keith | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 2388 Registered: 10-2003 |
:D | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 4466 Registered: 5-2009 |
If you want to clean your bass strings rather then replace them , this method will work . Coil them individually and place them in a container that will hold fluids. Pour in enough denatured alcohol to cover them and let them soak for a few hours with a tight lid on the container. After a few hours remove them and uncoil them and individually scrub them down with an old tooth brush or the such and wipe them off with a clean rag. Let them dry completely over night and wipe them down again before reinstallation on to the instrument. Done. Keep this entire operation away from fire and flame and do not smoke while you are doing this ! Sonic Regards , Wolf | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 2389 Registered: 10-2003 |
I am fortunate to be at a point in my life where it's no big deal to simply order new ones from www.bassstringsonline.com , but the alcohol/noflame procedure is good to know. How long does the refresh last? Is it comparable to new strings, or maybe a gig or two? Of course, just keeping them clean on the instrument is the best way to prolong their life. Thanks, John | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 4467 Registered: 5-2009 |
Hello John , I also just put on a new set these days because cleaning does not restore the strings to " New Again". The fret ware ,loss of harmonics and other attributes of dead strings remains . This cleaning can make them just a little brighter again in my experience. Sometimes however I like well worn strings for certain applications because of the stretched out touch , tension wise. Wolf | ||
| ed_zeppelin
Member Username: ed_zeppelin Post Number: 88 Registered: 2-2010 |
>>> Keep this entire operation away from fire and flame and do not smoke while you are doing this ! <<<< Where's the fun in that? It's like the old saying; "build a fire for someone, and they'll be warm for the night. Set them on fire, and they'll be warm for the rest of their life." | ||
| cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 1940 Registered: 10-2006 |
I remember such an article, John, but I recall it as Harvey Brooks, and just rubbing them, not cooking them. Or was it Harvey Mandel & guitar strings? Not everything from then is completely clear........ (now I suppose I have get up to the attic to look through all my old GPs to see if I still have it). Peter | ||
| fc_spoiler
Senior Member Username: fc_spoiler Post Number: 1781 Registered: 5-2006 |
I use a stainless steel tube filled with methylated spirit for reviving the strings. I sweat extremely during gigs (though it gets better with the new led light rigs) and strings are deader than dead after each gig… When they come out the tube (overnight) they feel/sound like new. I can do this revival trick +/- 5 times before the strings need to be replaced. Note: Boiling strings destroys them instantly… Works great with Alembics because you don’t need to pull the strings through a little hole to remove them from the bass :-) This is the tube: (30 mm diameter)     | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 4468 Registered: 5-2009 |
Flip , I like that ! The power of " Spiritus " Handig ! Wolf | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 2441 Registered: 9-2002 |
Fanned frets? This guy went for them: http://www.dingwallguitars.com/basses/lee-sklar-signature-bass/ Joey | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 2392 Registered: 10-2003 |
A wee clip from Saturday's gig.. https://scarysharkface.smugmug.com/MUSIC/John/Miscellaneous-Bass/n-4BSBb/i-LrMg9BQ/A John (Message edited by 811952 on September 14, 2015) (Message edited by 811952 on September 14, 2015) (Message edited by 811952 on September 14, 2015) | ||
| dfung60
Senior Member Username: dfung60 Post Number: 617 Registered: 5-2002 |
Probably not very productive to the conversation, but Charlize Theron isn't with Stuart Townsend anymore, she's with Sean Penn (Larry Wilmore, gimme a WHUUUT?) . If she leaves him for me, I'll be sure to post pictures... You may all return to cleaning your strings now. David Fung | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 2393 Registered: 10-2003 |
And the fans fret.. ;) John | ||
| groovelines
Senior Member Username: groovelines Post Number: 800 Registered: 4-2003 |
Alright John, enough teasing. Where's the rest of it? |
