Let's talk about gear nerding. Although it is widely known that I am a nerd in general, I am actually a bit of a (slightly broke these days) bass nerd too.

I'd love to hear what local people think about stuff they use, stuff they no longer use, strings, tubes, pedals, what's impressed you lately, what your preferences are and why, etc. I know that there are other forums on the net for this type of thing, but I thought it would be cool to hear from people who I might actually see and hear one of these days.

I'll start one off about my recent bass string findings. For a while I've been experimenting with different strings. Bass strings are mad expensive ($20-30 for 5-string sets) and they kill me when they get old- they can loose a bit of the bounce that I need for really fast slapping, and sometimes even volume too. I usually give my strings a second life by soaking them in denatured alcohol (this cleans the deposits out of the metal) for a while.

After trying just about every brand of steel strings out there (except for Elixirs)-different types of Rotosounds, D'Addrio (sp), DR High Beams, DR Lo-Riders, Blue Steel, and probably a few others- my two favorites ended up being DR Hi Beams and Blue Steel strings. These both have great bright tone for what I do, but the Blue Steel's dont seem to stay bright for much longer than a week. I mainly use DR Hi Beams these days.

hey dT. whats the story on Sansamp Bass DI driver box. i am seeing some mixed reviews on this thing?

do you (or other bass players) record direct? whats in the direct (no mic) chain for big and clean (non-distorted) bass tone?

thanks

gear nerd central

Hey GFX,
That Sansamp Bass Driver DI box is killer! Our bassplayer uses one and he can get soooo many sweet tones out of that thing. I wish they made one for guitar. Also I've been recording direct through that thing and it is really clean! See if you can get one off of Ebay or something.

B

I'm dying to try some new gear out and update my sound some.

Strings: On my Warwick (Thumb Bolt-On 5 w/ piezo bridge) I only use the Warwick Black Label strings that it came from the factory with. They're tough to find, but why mess with perfection?

I'm dying to try out one of those Aguilar GS412s. I've been using a GS410 and GS115 for a long time but the idea of only having one big, wheeled cab is very appealing. Plus it handles 1200W!

I'm still using the same ADA MB-1 preamp I've been using for 12 years. I use a Raven Labs pre for my upright bass, but the ADA's tubes are just too nice sounding!

Anyone have any luck with the BBE BMax-T? I've been wanting to try that guy out.

Sansamp BDDI-

The features on it are "Blend" (turns your original signal into digital tube emulation), Bass/Treble, "Presence" (not sure how it works, but I love it to death), and "Drive" (adds a little bit of grit/OD to the tone).

I use this pedal to get a sharper and tighter tone for aggressive stuff (when the guitars are all high-gain) and slapping. A lot of people use it for sort of authentic sounding tube OD, but I prefer clean tone.

When I record direct, I attach the line out to my compressor, which is the last thing in my chain. I add a bunch of midrange on my amp head, so I prefer to DI out from there. The trouble with the Sansamp BDDI is that it has no midrange control. If you want to boost midrange, you have to cut the bass/treble and raise the overall level on it.

thanks!

strings: GHS Bass Boomers mediums
cables: George L's
bass: Japenese Fender Pbass with Bartollini pups
amp: Ampeg SVT3 Pro
cab: Ampeg Classic 810
pedals: Fulltone Bassdriver, Fulltone FatBoost, Guyatone MD3

quote:

cables: George L's

I've heard a lot of horror stories re: these cables breaking. Have you experienced any problems?

no problems at all.
these are great cables.
if the ends short out or whatever, you can just cut the cord shorter and reapply the ends. brilliant!

Are you using the connector cables, the instrument cables, or both? Most of the problems seemed to be with instrument cables because of the stress put upon them.

quote:

Originally posted by Jefus:

Anyone have any luck with the BBE BMax-T? I've been wanting to try that guy out.

Last time I talked to Arty, I think he was using a BBE BMax as a pre.

Just curious Jeff, do you use a compressor?

i have an old BBE 401 that i use quite a bit for DI on bass recording. it is quite useful. fatty low end.

Lessee, here...

Guitars:
Gibson Les Paul XR-1 w/Duncans
Gibson Les Paul Standard Limited Edition
G&L Fullerton w/Duncan (and a sticker that says "Fucker" in Fender-esque script)
Kramer Pacer Imperial
ESP LTD B-305 bass (for sale)

Amps:
Budda Superdrive 80 halfstack
Gibson Hawk amp

Pedals:
BOSS TU-2, GE-7, RV-5, some old chorus
Budda Bud-Wah

Strings:
Dean Markley Blue Steel 11s

Picks:
Jim Dunlop Jazz III (red)

Cables:
many brands at this time

quote:

Originally posted by dr.thunda:
Just curious Jeff, do you use a compressor?

Not much, maybe a touch on some sounds, but the problem (beauty?) of the MB-1 is that it kind of compresses everything. I don't use it at all on the upright.

ok..............
Guitars:
4 Fender teles MIJ

Strings:
dean markleys 11-52

Pedals: in order
boss tu-2,
keeley compressor,
fulltone OCD,
z vex fuzz factory,
voodoo labs overdrive (not the sparkle drive) mxr phase 90 (modded to script specs)
line 6 DL4
mosaic electronics analog delay with sonic switch.

Cables:
george l's and spectraflex

Amps:
FENDER 65 ri deluxe reverb or deville 410

Picks:
dunlops the little green tortex jazz picks

thats just what i use live. we have way more stuff than that!

as for the george l's, they ARE great! no problems at all!
-Rube

What about drums? We can be gear nerds too:
1961 Ludwig Down Beat drum set in white marine pearl (20" bass, 12" rack, 14" floor, 14"x4" snare). 22" 1960's Paiste Formula 602 ride, 18" Sabian Hand Hammered med-thin crash, 14" 1960's K Zildjian Istanbul hi hats.

No, drummers don't count.

the only piece of gear that i have that's worth braggin about is my '78 SG (which practically plays itself) all other guitars (even SGs) i have played are garbage compaired to this one. The 70s SGs are my favorite for many reasons.

I bought it from a dude in LA who is a close friend of Steve Jones (sex pistols) it has been on many albums including one by "the nothings" where it was played by steve jones. it was also stolen by jones and sold for heroin at some point in the late 80's and bought back from the pond shop by the previous owner who I bought it from.

it has unbelieveable sustain, great crunch, controlable feedback and plays like butter.