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Post subject: Re: To Cover or Not to Cover
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 11:45 am
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Unless you bring a backup bass to your gigs....don't do it. If you break a string during a set you will be cursing and bitching trying to change the string fast.

Personally I find they get in the away. I use the entire area from the heel of the neck to the bridge for different tones. I mainly play over the bridge PU, and on my '72 Jazz the cover would be right over it.

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Post subject: Re: To Cover or Not to Cover
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:12 pm
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To each their peach!


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Post subject: Re: To Cover or Not to Cover
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:25 pm
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Good one Rev J.. I remember when "Take off" (From the Doug & Bob MacKenzie comedy album) was released back in December 1980....it got a lot of air play(in Canada)...... there's a part at the beginning of the song where Doug & Bob are talking to Geddy, they're getting ready to record the song...they thank Geddy for coming down to add vocals & Geddy replies ......Hey No problem Ten Bucks is Ten Bucks...($10.00)....it kills me every time I hear it. :lol:

The Closer to Heart video was from the Tsunami relief telethon back in Feb 2005... it was shown on CBC.......equally good.

Thanks,
Rev J


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Post subject: Re: To Cover or Not to Cover
Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 8:09 am
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Yes, I was looking at it last night and realized that changing a string would be impossible. I have a backup, my 78 Rickenbacker 4001s, but I hate lugging two basses to a gig.

Also, I'd be covering up some beautiful wood (it's a sunburst). I'll keep the cover in the event that I change my mind, but for now, I've decided to leave it off.

Thanks to everybody for your responses.

Now you hosers, go and have some beer and backbacon, eh?


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Post subject: Re: To Cover or Not to Cover
Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 8:34 am
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Good day to you EH!! & Thanks....


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Post subject: Re: To Cover or Not to Cover
Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 1:27 pm
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bassclef wrote:
Unless you bring a backup bass to your gigs....don't do it. If you break a string during a set you will be cursing and bitching trying to change the string fast.

Personally I find they get in the away. I use the entire area from the heel of the neck to the bridge for different tones. I mainly play over the bridge PU, and on my '72 Jazz the cover would be right over it.


One should always but always bring a backup instrument to gigs! Also always take a backup power amp or at least some sort of compact direct out device you can patch to the PA if the worst happens to the amp. That is if the PA is beefy enough. There are direct out devices that don't cost a lot and will drop right into the gig bag. Compact power amps in the under $300 range are proliferating these days too. The Behringer BDI21 emulator pedal is the cheapest backup I know of. While not the most durable thing in the world it works great patched into a decent PA via the XLR out. Just don't stomp on that plastic button very often! http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/BDI21.aspx


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Post subject: Re: To Cover or Not to Cover
Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 8:56 pm
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How about the MXR M 80 bass DI as a back up device? I've owned one for almost a year & I love it & it's built like a tank.............I was also surprized while reading Bassplayer magazine a couple of months ago, there was an article on essential items you should always have in your gig bag & the MXR M80 Bass DI was one of the items.... :)
Average retail price is $139.00 Check it out.. http://www.jimdunlop.com/product/m80-bass-di
& to echo what Brother Dave said ....Always bring a second Bass to a Gig, it may be cumbersome to carry around 2 Basses but if you ever have an issue with your Bass during a performance you'll be glad you brought a back up. :)


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Post subject: Re: To Cover or Not to Cover
Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 9:46 pm
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James Coderre wrote:
How about the MXR M 80 bass DI as a back up device? I've owned one for almost a year & I love it & it's built like a tank.............I was also surprized while reading Bassplayer magazine a couple of months ago, there was an article on essential items you should always have in your gig bag & the MXR M80 Bass DI was one of the items.... :)
Average retail price is $139.00 Check it out.. http://www.jimdunlop.com/product/m80-bass-di
& to echo what Brother Dave said ....Always bring a second Bass to a Gig, it may be cumbersome to carry around 2 Basses but if you ever have an issue with your Bass during a performance you'll be glad you brought a back up. :)


Never used the MXR box myself. I use the Tech 21 NYC Bass Driver Deluxe out and the Behringer at home. It looks like a well made thing, but I like the Tech 21 a whole lot and I'm not likely to buy the MXR box unless the Tech 21 breaks, however so far it has been flawless.

As far as cumbersome, Fender makes a DOUBLE bass gig bag listed as Model 0991592006. It is the Deluxe trimmed one. Very handy for taking 2 basses at once. I've used the same one for about 4 years now. No problems at all!


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Post subject: Re: To Cover or Not to Cover
Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 10:18 pm
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The Tech 21 NYC Bass driver deluxe is a nice unit, I've never tried the Behringer BDI21 so I can't comment on it but if you give it the thumbs up it must be a good unit.
A double gig bag is a great Idea.


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Post subject: Re: To Cover or Not to Cover
Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 11:03 pm
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:arrow: When I was a younger rock star, I brought every bass I owned to every gig - a 1976 Fender Precision. Never once let me down. Was never wealthy enough to own more than one amp at a time. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: To Cover or Not to Cover
Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 12:19 am
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James Coderre wrote:
...I've never tried the Behringer BDI21 so I can't comment on it but if you give it the thumbs up it must be a good unit...


It works, it's small and it's about $40. It is the cheapest backup/amp emulator I know about. Of course without an adequate PA it is a paperweight. The Tech 21 Bass Amp Driver is way better but of course costs like 5 times as much. All these things, the MXR, various Line 6 Bass Pods, the Tech 21's, and so forth do about the same thing but in different ways and at different levels.

Only if you need a backup system and want one for really cheap would I recommend the BDI21. Don't expect it to be everything that the more expensive units are because it isn't. But it is very OK for $40. Build quality isn't real strong, the battery clip on mine broke at the very first battery change. Part of the clip came off on the battery terminals. I've changed a lot of batteries and never saw that before. Off to Radio Shack for new clips and....there I fixed it. It also has no dedicated midrange control. I wrote a review about the BDI21 on Amazon and gave it THREE stars out of five. My review copied from Amazon follows:

"This device works. Here's what it does. You plug an electric bass into the pedal's instrument input and then you can plug a second standard instrument cable into the pedal's high impedance output jack and then plug that one into a bass amp. You also can connect it to a low impedance microphone preamp via the 200 Ohm low impedance XLR jack out. You can use just the high-impedance output or just the XLR output or you can use them both simultaneously. When the "footswitch" is off it functions transparently with no tonal modification at all just like a direct box. When the "footswitch" is on an LED light activates and the tonal boost and tube emulation functions are on. I put "footswitch" in quotes because I use fingers to push it, but leave it on all the time for my personal purpose. When you insert a plug into the instrument input jack the unit powers on, so if running on battery be sure to unplug the input when not actually using it.

Some other functional comments about it. It runs on 9 volt batteries or a 9-volt power supply. I used batteries for a while but switched to an ac adapter. Battery life isn't super but satisfactory. Still if using it a lot, I suggest using an AC adapter. When the battery starts going it sounds awful, but you could put it into bypass mode to finish the set. Also when the "footswitch" is off and the LED is not lit, this thing functions as a straight XLR ouput direct box for anything you plug into it. You could patch the output of an acoustic electric guitar or the output of an electric guitar pedal board to it and use that to feed a mixer for recording direct which is a very handy feature for the home recording hobbyist! The amp emulation and tone controls are wrong for anything other than electric bass, so just use it as a direct box with the tone/emulation circuit off for anything except bass.

The controls are all rotary knobs except the Ground-Lift switch which is a slide switch. The controls left to right, top row to second row are: DRIVE, TREBLE, BASS, LEVEL, PRESENCE, GROUND LIFT SLIDE SWITCH and BLEND.

Taking each control one at a time to understand what they do is important because they are not all logically placed. The DRIVE knob adjusts the amount of gain similar to cranking the input stage control of the tube preamp and here is where you can get something like the tonal thickness (or edge) of overdriven tube tone. Basically this part of the circuit injects variable harmonics and some of the more pleasing distortion out there for this purpose. There is no ACTIVE/PASSIVE pad switch or extra active input jack on this pedal so if you have an active bass then you will not have to turn the drive knob up the drive as much to get the tone you want. The TREBLE knob is a + or - 12db boost and cut of upper frequency tones. The BASS knob is a + or - 12db boost and cut of the lower frequencies. 12 o'clock is flat (or zero db boost or cut) on both the treble and bass knobs. The LEVEL knob is the master volume control and all it does is control the output volume with no tonal coloration. The PRESENCE knob boosts the upper frequency range harmonic content for more attack in your tone. The Presence knob isn't a midrange control, but does boost the upper mids. The GROUND LIFT switch only effects the XLR output jack should be left "OFF" unless you hook it up and there is hum. Then you can turn the Ground Lift "ON" and it might help eliminate it. However it is better from a safety standpoint to remedy this by eliminating the electrical ground loop conflict that is causing the hum. The BLEND knob controls the amount of tube emulation injected into the pedal's output with all the way to the left being none, 12 o'clock being 50% and all the way clockwise being 100%.

CONS: Very little bass gear, or anything else, is "PERFECT" these days. Behringer gear has more build issues in general across most of their product line because using Chinese parts and labor is how they keep costs down. Designed in Germany but built in China means you get Chinese components and Chinese build quality while the specs look pretty enticing. For example at the first battery change the battery clip self-destructed as part of the clip's terminal stayed stuck to the battery having pulled completely out of the clip. This was a Duracell battery, the standard for pedal batteries. Went to Radio Shack and got replacement battery clips and fixed it with a new clip by soldering wires from the new clip to the stripped wires cut away from the old clip and taping up the solder joint. I've never used this as a stompbox because the switch looks like it will break if you lean on it hard. Construction is all plastic. The casing is very durable but based on previous experience with plastic switches on stomp boxes I know not to use my size 13-D foot on it. The Treble and Presence knobs on mine will generate hiss and noise when set very high which may not be noticeable at all on a vintage type bass amp with no tweeter but becomes glaring when using a full range amp and cabinet or when using the XLR output for recording or a PA feed. Basically I set the Treble and Presence to the point where I hear hiss start, then back off until it goes completely away because that is the functional limit. Hiss is no issue in bypass mode because the preamp is off. The jacks, other than the XLR, are the plastic box jacks that are soldered direct to the circuit board of the pedal, These type jacks are noted for causing problems, especially after rough use so take it easy with them and they should last a very long time. This unit lacks any dedicated MIDRANGE knob but the Presence knob does seem to boost upper mids and treble simultaneously. Some people who use this pedal as a stage-tool use it as a solo or "scoop" switch for slap & tap solos so the presence, bass and treble boost are basically all you need for a solo switch anyway.

PROS: First and foremost the price is almost too good to be true when you consider the price for anything else with similar features, but keep in mind that it has durability issues so be gentle with it and it will last indefinitely. This isn't a Tech 21 NYC Bass Driver by any means, but works in a similar fashion to one. I have a Tech 21 Bass Driver Deluxe that I use at gigs. The Tech 21 sounds better but costs about eight times what the Behringer cost. I use the Behringer at home and save that wear on my pedal board at home. If I didn't have the Tech 21 unit I might take this unit to gigs, but it probably will last way longer the way I keep it setup at home all the time. I especially like this unit when used with small rehearsal/practice type combos. Many of these smaller combos have passive type tone circuits that basically are at flat when the tone is cranked wide open and this device really makes these little amps sound more serious. Part of the beauty of an active bass is the tone boost capability you don't get in a passive bass and if you have a passive bass this can make it sound more like an active bass with the treble and bass boost in front of the amp. It is also useful for boosting a signal in front of a longer cable run to the backline, say anything over about 18 feet. For recording the XLR direct out is very useful and the XLR direct out can also be used to feed the PA at a gig if your amp doesn't have a XLR direct out.

How I use this device: I have my bass guitar plugged into the input and use the XLR output to connect it to a microphone mixer. The output from microphone mixer is patched into a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz soundcard in an XP computer. I can then record using the computer's recording software, practice solo or I can play along to recorded music using headphones. With headphones I can play as loud as I want anytime that I want without disturbing anyone. Most computer speakers are very inadequate for electric bass, so I recommend headphones instead of your typical desktop computer speakers. You can buy better computer speakers that are capable, but they will cost about the same or actually more than a decent bass guitar practice combo amp. Quality headphones cost far less than quality powered computer speakers that are bass guitar capable.

Having owned this pedal for about 4 years and knowing what I know about it, I would buy it again. I would strongly recommend it as a home recording/practice tool but my recommendation as a stage tool is not as strong. For home use it is fine. You can use it at gigs but I'd be saving up "gig bones" to buy something more durable with better performance.


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Post subject: Re: To Cover or Not to Cover
Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 6:48 am
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Thanks Dave very informative....the Behringer seems to works in a similar fashion to the MXR M80 Bass DI.


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Post subject: Re: To Cover or Not to Cover
Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 4:44 pm
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Don't cover that bridge my friend,
pass it over to me.
You've been holding on to it
and I sure would like a hit.


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Post subject: Re: To Cover or Not to Cover
Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 7:00 pm
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Covers always seem to get in the way for me. I do love the look though.

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`12 Ric 4003 Fireglo


MB cmd 102p & 410hr
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Post subject: Re: To Cover or Not to Cover
Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 7:05 pm
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James Coderre wrote:
Thanks Dave very informative....the Behringer seems to works in a similar fashion to the MXR M80 Bass DI.

The MXR M80 is an awesome pedal...and built like a tank. I used one for about 3 years, and treated it like a red-headed step child....and it still loved me. :lol: :twisted:

_________________
`12 Select Jazz bass
`06/08 American Std Jazz-blizzard prl
`12 Ric 4003 Fireglo


MB cmd 102p & 410hr
MB LM Tube 800

http://i853.photobucket.com/albums/ab92/RaginRog/0164b2a08afb2dac99b8f82fcd6ac8c6_zps7f4874d4.jpg


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