Dispelling myths and old wives[middle aged men] tails.

[Mudfuzz]

I agree... actually I find the whole lets all use the same sized/shaped boxes a little unfun. I love all the old funky shit they use to, I loved that EHX use to MAKE their own boxes, that when you pick it up, when you look at it, when you step on it it WAS a EHX.... now... they are like every one else... because of a bunch of whiny forum rats that can't handle dealing with shit. I don't care what size a pedal is. I don't care if it hard to power. I don't care if it is true bypass or buffered. I don't care where the fucking jacks are. All I care about is "do I like how it sounds" nothing else. If I like it I will deal with what ever issues I have to. Bunch of fucking pussies all of them.

[metalmariachi]

Tubes…

That 6L6GCs are the same as 7027s and you can use 6L6GCs in an Ampeg V series amp.

One look at a tube chart and you will notice 7027s can handle 100 more plate volts and higher current draw. Ampegs run 7027s at voltages that are max or higher than the max voltages for 6L6GCs.

Fender amps are the ones heard on old blues and Rock records. Maybe western swing, but the guys in Chicago used Valco and Gibson amps in the Chess sessions.

Watch the old films, Chuck Berry is playing through a Gibson, Little Richards’s guitar player has a tweed Magnatone on stage.

How many watts do you need to play live? A B-15 will hang with the guitar players and drummers in most real life small club situations. A V4-B through the right cabinet will be as loud (or louder) as a marshal stack.
Note: In a street full of clubs (about 20 back in the day) with loud live bands, I got a noise violation because they could hear me 2 blocks away, it was called in by the club next door because I was also louder than their band.

Ever notice that the guys recommending 500 and higher watt ss amps all use a DI?

I could rant all night LOL

MM

[one bad monkey]

Amp size always makes me shake my head. I gig - regularly - with either a Phil Jones Bass Briefcase or Suitcase. Every soundguy I have met will poo-poo the amps because the speakers are so small, only to eat their words when they hear them. They seem to forget that studio monitors can have some amazing bass response, as can headphones. So, why not small speakers in a bass cabinet?

I can easily gig with an amp that's 100w, but then again, my context is different from yours. In a theatre environment, a 100w bass amp that's next to a string section with overhead mics is probably plenty (especially with a DI out). In my rock band, using the bigger amp (300w) helps a little more.

In regards to slap playing, I think Mark King, Victor Wooten and Flea have created a generation that thinks that slap bass involves a gigantic flurry of fast notes, reminiscent of a sewing machine.

And all the Warwick bashing... I may have to run and change my avatar...

[bigchiefbc]

Amp size always makes me shake my head. I gig - regularly - with either a Phil Jones Bass Briefcase or Suitcase. Every soundguy I have met will poo-poo the amps because the speakers are so small, only to eat their words when they hear them. They seem to forget that studio monitors can have some amazing bass response, as can headphones. So, why not small speakers in a bass cabinet?

I can easily gig with an amp that's 100w, but then again, my context is different from yours. In a theatre environment, a 100w bass amp that's next to a string section with overhead mics is probably plenty (especially with a DI out). In my rock band, using the bigger amp (300w) helps a little more.

In regards to slap playing, I think Mark King, Victor Wooten and Flea have created a generation that thinks that slap bass involves a gigantic flurry of fast notes, reminiscent of a sewing machine.

And all the Warwick bashing... I may have to run and change my avatar...

Fucking Victor Wooten

I'm not dissing his skills, but I blame him completely for now every demo of an envelope filter being 5 minutes of a guy going "BITBEDEBOPBITBEDEBOPBITBEDEBOPBITBEDEBOPBITBEDEBOPBITBEDEBOPBITBEDEBOPBITBEDEBOP" as fast as they can. God forbid you actually let a note ring out to hear how the sweep of the filter sounds.

Sorry, now this is devolving into the rage thread.

As for dispelling myths - When I hear bassists say that EVERY FUCKING PEDAL "cuts my lows". Oy vey. 90% of pedals don't cut out your lows. Most of them (especially distortions and fuzzes) are actually cutting out your mids, not your lows buddy. Your bass disappears in the mix because the heart of your sound just got scooped out. Believe me, the lows are still there. But lows are not what cuts through the mix.

[jrmy]

But lows are not what cuts through the mix.

THIS. A MILLION TIMES THIS! And not just in application to effects. In application TO EVERYDAMNTHING!!!!

[bigchiefbc]

But lows are not what cuts through the mix.

THIS. A MILLION TIMES THIS! And not just in application to effects. In application TO EVERYDAMNTHING!!!!

No, its not just with effects. I'll never forget the epiphany I had when I first realized how to cut through the mix in my college band. I walked over and looked at my guitarist's amp settings, and found that he had the lows and highs cranked, and the mids most of the way down. So I said to myself, "OK fine, he can take the lows and highs, and I'll take all the mids". I turned down my lows and highs a bit, cranked my mids, and then a choir of angels began singing. Magically, now everyone could hear me.

[Bassus Sanguinis]

Active bass with fuzz are just OVERKILL! If You can place a clean boost before teh effects chain WHY should the bass preamp not work with the fuzzes? They work just fine, with a few exceptions. Unlike I often hear, Fuzzhugger ABSynth, for example works just fine, whereas the Groundswell tends to make choking sounds and come out a half bar late before You roll down some volume. Beats the shit out of my wits but that makes sense, right?

[Mudfuzz]

As for dispelling myths - When I hear bassists say that EVERY FUCKING PEDAL "cuts my lows". Oy vey. 90% of pedals don't cut out your lows. Most of them (especially distortions and fuzzes) are actually cutting out your mids, not your lows buddy. Your bass disappears in the mix because the heart of your sound just got scooped out. Believe me, the lows are still there. But lows are not what cuts through the mix.

This^! I can't remember how many times I've read "this pedal cuts lows" only to try it and go "huh.... what the fuck are they doing wrong, this thing is fine....." Take the NYC muff, granted not the best of muffs but I didn't have any problem getting lows out of the thing I can say the same for many pedals. Now I agree on the mid thing too in a way... but I like to use low mids and LOWS to punch through and dig under the mix My "tone" is in the reggae old school soul vein, which is all about mass butt shaking mass

[culturejam]

Audiophile mystical mojo really gets me fired up.

Especially as it has now bled over into the guitar/bass world.

These douchebags are exactly who I'm talking about:
http://www.asterope.com


Let me break it down this way: If you are hearing an actual, real difference in sound between any two cables, power supply cords, speakers, whatever, then that difference HAS to be measurable and repeatable. If what you are hearing cannot be measured with the appropriate equipment, then you are experiencing psycho-acoustics. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just that you're the only one that can hear it, and it's all in your head.

So that's why I wont' spend more than about $25 on a cable. And there's no way in hell you can convince me that an AC power cord is going to make my amp sound better.

Electrons don't care if you spent a lot of money on cable, and they can't be polished.


Oh, and a lot of what I said above also applies to mojo components in pedals. They aren't going to make the pedal sound worse (in most cases), but it's mostly wasted money unless you really like how they *look*.

[Bellyheart]

I don't believe scoop is the best sound. A lot of studio engineers are taught this and I think any setting is the best, with the acception of scooped being the least.

[aen]

Myth: Batman can fly.

FALSE. He can glide. Having a cape does not mean you can fly.


I think you guys covered the bass myths pretty well. Except...

"A Mustang bass is a student/not-real bass"
FALSE. Use an amp, motherfucker. I will punch your dick off with my mustang bass through a workingman 1x15" combo.

"We're going to DI the bass"
Oh, no you're not, christian acoustic soundguy. In fact, we brought a mic, because we want the audience to hear the bass amp, because that is how we make our music. (I actually tell soundguys our DI is broken on the amp)


Ugh, ok, soundguy rant. Why do the ones who have no fucking clue always work my gigs? Whenever we set up we turn up to our minimum volume. Yeah, it's loud. We'll probably fill the room with our AMPLIFIED electric instrument sounds. Then, inevitably, the Acoustic Christian Soundguy will ask us all to turn down. Well, sorry dude, we can't turn the cymbals down, so we need our amps about here. If they are too loud for your soundboard (Can't really imagine that) DONT MIC THEM. We have the watts to fill this room. We also have onboard EQs, and plenty of experience, so our sound comes out of the amps "ready for the listener"
So just mic the kick drum, give me two DI's for the electronics, and give me a fucking 58 to scream into and we'll kill this fucking show.

[Gunner Recall]

There are still people who play guitar on ILF.

[jrmy]

So just mic the kick drum, give me two DI's for the electronics, and give me a fucking 58 to scream into and we'll kill this fucking show.

Aen speaks truth. Soundguys, if you didn't already know this shit, LISTEN TO HIM.

Oh, and as an aside to the hypothetical soundguy: yes, I know that my bass sound gets all distorted when I step on that pedal. It's a fuzz pedal. That's what it does.

[culturejam]

There are still people who play guitar on ILF.

[theavondon]

There are still people who play guitar on ILF.

Doubt it.