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Post subject: First Bass and Amp Setup
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 7:32 am
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Well, I needed a bass/amp setup to lay bass tracks on home recordings. So I went to my local GC with their Labor Day Sale going on and picked up these guys, Squire Classic Vibe 60s Jazz Bass, and a Fender Rumble 75. I got all with the gig bag for $460 out the door. Did I do good since I'm primarily a guitar player?

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By bluesguitar65 at 2011-08-31

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By bluesguitar65 at 2011-08-31

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By bluesguitar65 at 2011-08-31

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Post subject: Re: First Bass and Amp Setup
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 10:04 am
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What do they retail for? did you get them on sale ? did you haggle ? G.C. is not my fav place for stuff,I worked there and dont approve of their sales tactics with damaged merchendice(they sell seconds).
These types of questions are best asked BEFORE you make the purchase,our opinion or suggestions are'nt helpfull after the fact you bought it.
Do you intend to keep using it ? are you skillfull in the set-up dept and know what to look for in a bass? they are different in more ways than just the number of strings,the neck is fatter and much more prone to temps and string tension etc...
If there's a specific problem occuring let us know,we can try to help or at least direct you in the right direction.
The new Squiers are much better made and really cant go wrong on the price,its the store that it was bought from TO ME IN MY OPINION(not anyone else's)is the biggest concern,they are shady so keep your receipt and the first sign of ANY problems with your bass or amp return it.
Keep us posted(next time put it in the SQUIER forum though) :mrgreen:

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Post subject: Re: First Bass and Amp Setup
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 10:38 am
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GC matched a labor day sale from MF of a purchase of $599 or more will have a $100 off. I also haggled a bit since I'm getting both bass and amp and a gig bag. :) Bass and amp are brand new and were still in the box. I'm not a bass player, just needed a bass to lay some bass tracks. I'm primarily a guitar player. I will intend on keeping the them and from what my bass player friends have commented, they said I made a great choice as far as price and value. Similar to what you've commented :) Yes, I always keep my recipt, specaily with GC's 30 day return policy.

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Post subject: Re: First Bass and Amp Setup
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 1:22 pm
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That was a really good deal if you were going to play in a garage band or jam with your friends. You got like 160 dollars off the going online price. Pretty good job!

If I had to record tracks I might have gotten a Tech 21 Bass Driver or similar device with an XLR output instead of an amp, or at least I would have gotten an amp with an XLR output on it. That is a decent amp tone wise for live stuff but the direct out on it is high impedance. I think you would have been happier with the direct xlr tone than the direct high impedance feed. I also would have gotten a P-Bass for recording since it is the most recorded bass of all time and usually has less noise in a studio environment.

That Squier Jazz looks nice. Squier has stepped it up the last few years. Tone woods are still kinda dubious though, but then again so is the wood in the Fender MIM Standards. If you compared that one to Fender Jazzes and it sounded pretty strong then you did fine. The only newer Squier Jazz I've tried was the fretless one about a year ago and the output level was anemic. I tried the 50's Classic Vibe P-Bass side by side with it and the Squier P-Bass was easily twice as loud if not louder.


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Post subject: Re: First Bass and Amp Setup
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 3:25 pm
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You did very well. I always haggled at Guitar Center and always got the price lowered.

Nothing better than getting a great rig at a great price!


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Post subject: Re: First Bass and Amp Setup
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 5:15 pm
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Thanks all! Now, I feel good I did good. I went with this amp as it would be a great amp to have for that casual jam at home. I have a direct box that I can use to plug the bass in directly to the board. Would that work as well as the Tech21?

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Post subject: Re: First Bass and Amp Setup
Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 2:51 pm
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Post subject: Re: First Bass and Amp Setup
Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2011 9:55 am
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You got 30 days to return both bass and amp,if the amp is not needed then bring it back,you wont bankrupt the company,if thre's a way to record the bass without it then why spend the money needlessly ? put it back in YOUR pocket.
Goodluck w/new bass,the few I played were made well/sounded decent but were heavy as all he!!,and thats coming from someone(me)with a Jazzbass that weighs in close to 13 lbs,I prefer to stand and play so I deal with it :cry: .

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Post subject: Re: First Bass and Amp Setup
Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 6:32 am
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pbassbob wrote:
It will work, but not quite like the Tech21....with a direct box, your only tone control will be the one on the bass. The Tech21 offerings (original SansAmp and VT Deluxe) let you dial in a world of tone (and variations), all the while functioning as a direct box.

Many players bypass the entire tone/EQ functions on their amps, choosing instead to use the Tech21 as a "front end", and then just amplifying that signal in a live rig...Geddy Lee (Rush) uses the rack mounted Tech21 RBI in that manner, for example.

You did indeed choose well, especially considering the ability to use the amp in a jam/collab session...if you continue to persue the bass, along with your guitar work, maybe down the road you can have a look at a SansAmp, which will then give you the best of both worlds!

Above all else....have fun, and enjoy exploring the low end! :mrgreen:


Bob, I still run my compressor and eq of my head. When I started the VT I put everything to nuetral / 0, even tone on my bass(es) I put to 0. When I got everything all set via the VT, I fine tuned it again by adding the eq, compressor, and tone of the bass. Is that a wrong way of doing it?

To go back on the OP, my best friend is a guitarist that plays bass on his current band. He uses a SansAmp for his guitar that he uses on his bass too. So you can get one for your guitar and it works on your bass too - IIRC this is the one he has: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/ ... 9000000000

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Post subject: Re: First Bass and Amp Setup
Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:27 am
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Man, I'm really getting some excellent advice and tips here. Thanks all! Yea, I got the Bass bug now and really discovered how fun and enjoyable it is to play bass. I may eventually get one of those Sanamp direct boxes.

Here is a really rough demo I made last night of me playing the bass, and surprised myself for actually keeping time using the fingers instead of a pick. Perhaps, I should switch over to bass?? :D

What do you all think as my first attempt on bass?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVmjh9aSx3w

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Post subject: Re: First Bass and Amp Setup
Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 4:05 pm
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bluesguitar65 wrote:
Man, I'm really getting some excellent advice and tips here. Thanks all! Yea, I got the Bass bug now and really discovered how fun and enjoyable it is to play bass. I may eventually get one of those Sanamp direct boxes.

Here is a really rough demo I made last night of me playing the bass, and surprised myself for actually keeping time using the fingers instead of a pick. Perhaps, I should switch over to bass?? :D

What do you all think as my first attempt on bass?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVmjh9aSx3w


purdy nice!! I sent you a friend req on Youtube - mine's Qeenoyasli.

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'89 Power Jazz Bass Special-BadAssIII, EMG P/J
Project PBass-EMG PX, Schaller BM Light Tuner
'05 Aerodyne JBass
'06 Spector Legend Custom Neck Through
VT Bass
Hartke TA5000 w/XL Cabs(210, 410, 115)


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Post subject: Re: First Bass and Amp Setup
Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 11:32 am
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pbassbob wrote:
PowerJazzBass wrote:
Bob, I still run my compressor and eq of my head. When I started the VT I put everything to nuetral / 0, even tone on my bass(es) I put to 0. When I got everything all set via the VT, I fine tuned it again by adding the eq, compressor, and tone of the bass. Is that a wrong way of doing it?


I'd think adding the amp EQ after the fact would be redundant....the VT is giving you all the EQ and variations you need. In my recording setup, I run the bass into the VT, which feeds into the Tascam directly...once I get the VT happy, the only tweaks I do are to vary the tone on the bass, if need be. I don't use a compressor at all, as I try to achieve dynamics with my right hand attack, and a compressor would effectively defeat that.

But....that's what's right, and what works for me....if you're pleased with the sound you're getting, then isn't that all that really matters? :mrgreen:


Actually if set correctly a compressor wouldn't get rid of dynamics with your right hand. If you set the threshold too low then that would be the case as all a compressor does is brings down the volume in your loud notes.

In a studio tracking setting to me a compressor is there as a safety net. Just in case the guy you are recording plays like Gary Willis (light touch/loud amp to compensate) when you're setting levels. Then get's Red Light Fever and turns into John Patitucci (Playing so hard that his right hand fingertips bleed) when tracking. Or situations where one section of a song is fingerstyle and another is slapped.

I guess my point about compression is if you have enough control with your technique you don't really need it but is good to have there in case. And it will only prevent your dynamics from getting too loud not too soft.

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Post subject: Re: First Bass and Amp Setup
Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 2:33 pm
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The beauty of SansAmp products, is, once you get one, it takes months to figure out just how diverse they are. When you finally think you've got it figured out, you'll stumble into a whole new realm. Great piece of equipment.


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Post subject: Re: First Bass and Amp Setup
Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:24 pm
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I still miss the days of chaos, just plugging in and trying to get it right for the room, which usually were acoustical nightmares. Yeah, we'd walk four miles to a gig in a foot of snow!

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Post subject: Re: First Bass and Amp Setup
Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 4:11 am
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oxfan wrote:
I still miss the days of chaos, just plugging in and trying to get it right for the room, which usually were acoustical nightmares. Yeah, we'd walk four miles to a gig in a foot of snow!

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That's why I also recommend a parametric or semi-parametric eq in any amplified instruments chain. It is a more accurate way to adjust your sound to a rooms given acoustic "Quirks", get rid of noise etc. The standard "Shelving" eq's that are in standard amps are ok but wont get rid of the exact offending frequencies. Graphics are also too non specific for this purpose too.

If you go rackmount it also can add a couple of more tubes to your signal chain which is a plus in my book.

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Rev J


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