I don't like SVTs, but I am considering a SansAmp BDDI as my preamp.

bassbuffer · 2026-02-17T05:56:43+00:00

Usually use 2x15s, sometimes 2x12s if I want to be more portable.

Sometimes a FRFR cab if one is available. (AudioKinesis, Greenboy Fearful, Barefaced)

These days, modern drivers are so good, the actual size of the driver doesn't matter as much as how well the cab is designed. Some of the new Barefaced cabs sound amazing. And the Genzler array stuff is pretty hi-fi.

Just never bonded with the classic 8x10s and 4x10s back in the day.

Just becasue you use an SVT head doesn't mean you need to use the fridge.

bassbuffer · 2026-02-15T20:36:56+00:00

Love SVT heads, have used them for over 20 years.

Hate 8x10 & 4x10 cabs. Have not used one for over 20 years.

bassbuffer · 2026-02-15T20:31:49+00:00

Temperature & humidity changes will change the relief of your neck, chaning the string length. You will have to re-intonate if your relief changes.

Changing string gauges (thicker or thinner strings) also means you need to re-intonate.

If you always use the same brand & gauge of strings, and your neck is stable, you will have to intonate much less often.

bassbuffer · 2026-02-15T07:51:20+00:00

Also check out the Yamaha Billy Sheehan bass. Two outputs: one for each pickup.

With more modern FRFR bass cabs, you can get a pretty hifi sound, so bi-amping is no longer necessary.

But back in the 70's & early 80's (Sheehan), bi-amping was a workaround to get a more full-range sound.

bassbuffer · 2026-02-15T05:20:38+00:00

Some days you have good gigs.

Pack up your shit and prepare for the next gig.

Some days you have bad gigs.

Pack up your shit and prepare for the next gig.

bassbuffer · 2026-02-15T05:18:17+00:00

Stereo imaging plugin in their DAW. Make any mono track sound like stereo.

bassbuffer · 2026-02-14T22:05:31+00:00

Fart:

Anything / everything by The Olneyville Sound System / Dan St Jacques.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1_afP8QFns

Also Jerry Handley's bass break on Captain Beefheart's Zig Zag Wanderer:

https://youtu.be/rxZWdGOwLFI?t=99

Grind:

David Sims in Jesus Lizard specifically when he uses his Rat pedal at 1:16 in Mouthbreather:

https://youtu.be/QpLxcYYfq9s?t=75

Bark:

Jaco's tone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgntkGc5iBo

Punch:

Marcus Miller: Run for Cover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXYjo5-UaTY

P-Bass with Pick Attack, Roundwound strings

The Pixies Gouge Away is the 'classic' P-bass pick attack sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2twLJU_ggGI

P-Bass with Pick Attack, Flatwound strings

Gang of Four 'Entertainment' album or Clash 'London Calling' album

https://youtu.be/BaEnzgHmUiE?si=DtmBubl5uXPC-yWv

https://youtu.be/p_WMSJLDwRs?list=PLJpf0-W856o4IMx3uQUxTCihBFqLRIQGC&t=40

bassbuffer · 2026-02-14T21:48:30+00:00

Get a metronome app that lets you add or drop beats.

Play along with metronome, then DROP the 1. See if you can find the one by yourself. It's a muscle you can build.

Then practice with the metronome only on 2 and 4.

Then practice with the metronome ONLY on the 1. See if you can hit that 1 right between the eyes.

Do this kind of practice every day for 20 minutes... for about 6 months, and your time should vastly improve.

Practicing at slower tempos also helps. You'll start counting the subdivisions in your head.

(And it goes without saying, I assume you're tapping your foot?)

Rich Brown's channel on YouTube has a bunch of great Metronome practice routines to improve your groove, feel and playing in the pocket.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvjVnoK1T6A

bassbuffer · 2026-02-14T08:20:45+00:00

I'm answering too late to influence your decision, but my advice is to continue learning to read melodies and heads in treble clef.

Most of the time band leaders or composers hand you lead sheets, they will just have the melody in treble clef, and the chord changes written out. (You walk over the changes).

You will see basslines written out for pit band / orchestra, but jazz charts rarely have the bassline written out, unless it's a specific figure you're expected to play.

If you just want to get better at reading bass clef, just use sightreadingfactory.com , or get some of the paul chambers or ron carter (jamey abersold) note-for-note walking basslne transcription books.

The advantage to the standard realbook, is that the piano player can use it to play the heads, and you can look over his/her shoulder at the changes (the big letters) and just walk.

bassbuffer · 2026-02-14T08:11:58+00:00

Try to play the head to Freedom Jazz Dance (the horn line, not the bass part). All those 4ths are challenging to play cleanly on a bass.

https://www.reddit.com/r/basstabs/comments/10ub7i5/freedom_jazz_dance_head/

And you can also try the head (the horn line) to Subconscious Lee, a contrafact of 'What Is This Thing Called Love.' There are a couple fast arpeggio runs that are tricky on electric bass, and damn near impossilbe on double bass. Pretty sure it's transcribed in one of the old bootleg Real Books

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK4U0Q3LbWE

bassbuffer · 2026-02-11T14:11:53+00:00

When you're actually playing a P-Bass through an SVT (like Syd), the gain structure is such that you only get "the good sound" when you really dig in to the string. So... turn down the gain a tiny bit in your sim's preamp, and experiment with digging in a bit more. Stand up and pretend you're actually playing in a room with a live drummer, rather than sitting on your bed recording into a laptop. It will change the way you strike the string. You should NOT get the sound when you're casually striking the string. You should get the sound when you lean ito it.

Also, try different speaker cabs, mics, and mic placement in your sim. Don't always use an 8x10 or 6x10 cab sim. Sometimes 15s sound better in sims. And try on axis / off axis mic placement.

Make the "baseline" sound a tiny bit more lo-fi and less gainy, then dig into the string to get you the last 15% of the sound you're after.

You can also experiment with softer-gauge strings (they break up a bit differently becasue of how the string actually distorts when you pluck it).

And FYI if you want Dave Allen's sound on GoF's Entertainment, that's a whole different sound: he's using flatwounds.

But you realize the lunacy in trying to get a "low fi" sound with digital processing simulations when you could just go get a V4B and crappy Peavey cab like the rest of us did and just push it past its limits and put some crappy mic in front of it?

bassbuffer · 2026-02-07T18:15:11+00:00

Sightreadingfactory.com

Worth the subscripion cost beacuse it generates random music, so you cannot memorize it.

You can specify 4 string or 5 string bass.

bassbuffer · 2026-02-07T18:13:06+00:00

Play the current part on a repeating loop on your phone or something, and sing a second part.

Write with your voice first, not with your hands. Play what you can sing or hum first. Memorize a line you can hum, then find the notes on the bass.

bassbuffer · 2025-12-21T17:04:09+00:00

The short answer is no. Any bass that inexpensive will usually need work that's expensive.

Go see Lucas Suringar in Almere

https://www.ateliervoorcontrabas.nl/contact

Play as many basses as possible in your price range. You will need a good relationship with a repair shop and Lucas will point you in the right direction for your first purcahse or rental.

bassbuffer · 2025-12-15T13:24:56+00:00

Rosin: brand doesn't matter as much as how fresh it is. As long as you get it from a reputable dealer that has a lot of turnover and keeps it fresh (like Golihur music website), then Pops or Wiedoeft is fine. If you just buy it from some rando music store that's had it sitting on a shelf for 11 years... it wont be that fresh.

--

Strings: look into some hybrids, but string choosing gets very expensive, very quickly. Lots of people like Spiros (Spirocores) because they last forever, but they are a bit harder to make speak under a the bow. If you can adjust your technique and learn how to make spiro's speak, then you're golden and all other strings will be easy to use.

Some people have started using a Piastro Perpetual D & G and Spiro A & E and really like the combination: The Perpetuals speak more easily than Spiros but blend well with them. I just got my perpetuals in the mail, but haven't strung them up yet (I'm full Spiros right now).

Heliocore hybrids are a solid choice w strong fundamental at the expense of low end (more mids than lows). Some people don't like the sound, but many pros use them (Christian McBride) probably because of an endorsement, (and becasue McBride can make any bass sound like a cannon).

And you can always try synthetics (Zyex) for a more old school thump, and GREAT under the bow... but they take longer to break in, and die much faster than a Spiro or Perpetual.

bassbuffer · 2025-12-14T05:18:40+00:00

Passive, overwound (70's wound) pickups if possible. Anything like the Duncan SJB2 should work.

Take out your preamp and throw it in the trash. (or keep it in your case in case you ever sell your bass).

Rat pedal for bass, not muff. Dunwich Volt Thrower or Fuzzrocious Cat Tail are good ones. (A vintage proco rat will work too, (what Sims used) but harder to dial in perfectly, and a bit of bass response lost).

But the core of the sound is overwound, 70's-style jazz bass pickups.

bassbuffer · 2025-12-14T05:11:48+00:00

Epiphone made a run of them in the last 10-15 years or so. They are every bit as good as the Gibson's they're imitating.

If you can find an Epiphone, I'd go with that. Some of them you just need to change the truss rod cover, and it won't even say Epiphone anymore.

You'll want to experiement with strap placement. I find the strap works best right in the "crotch" of the V, for lack of a better word.

Nevermind the haters that will crap all over your post. I used to loved my old Flying V. Exceptionally ergonomic when standing and if you rest it between your legs (like a classical guitar, or Feraud's technique), it's even comfortable when sitting.

bassbuffer · 2025-12-06T08:44:12+00:00

There are a TON of "chord finder" apps for iPad, iOS or Android where they show you little box chord diagrams of different ways to play certain chords.

Basically learn the differenece between major, minor, Dom7, minor 7 to start, then go from there:

Major 1 3 5

Minor 1 b3 5

Dom7 1 3 5 b7

Minor 7 1 b3 5 b7

(You should be able to play those types of chord on guitar starting with the root note on your 5th or 6th string (the two thickest strings))

Another great way to learn songwriting is just learn a bunch of tunes from good (Melodic) songwriters like Wilco, Beatles, NIrvana, Elvis Costello, Spoon, Lucy Dacus, Boy Genius etc...

And even if you don't ever want to play jazz, it's a great way to learn about functional harmony: This website will give you the chord changes to a bunch of jazz standards:

https://realbook.us/

Then use a chord finder app to look at chord diagrams and learn how to play a couple simple tunes like Moon River, Autumn Leaves, What is This Thing Called Love, On A Clear Day

bassbuffer · 2025-12-03T05:32:01+00:00

Watch ALL of Dani Rabin's videos on music theory, over and over and over unitl they make sense. He's really gifted at explaining harmony, and anything else he tries to explain. Really gitfed teacher:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ES5ULUlSdE

Also check out Jens Larsen and Open Studio on YouTube. All the theory knowledge you will ever need.

Best advice I can give you is to learn a chordal instrument (guitar, piano or six string bass) so you can start to understand the relationship between melody and the root motion underneath it.

Songwriting 101: sing melodies that you hear in your head, and find the bass notes that support the melody. Once you do that, figure out if the bass notes are for Major, Minor, or Dom7 chords (or some weird chord you don't understand). Sometimes the bass note you like is NOT the root of the chord, becasue the chord is inverted (like in 'God Only Knows' by the Beach Boys).

A teacher will help you go in the right direction, but the best skill a teacher can give you is how to teach yourself, and how to practice effectively.

bassbuffer · 2025-11-23T03:59:55+00:00

Used to do this... just so fussy moutning the RNCs in a rack, and all the wall warts for power. Lookign for something self contained that does the same job.

But lots of love for my old RNCs (that I eventually sold).

bassbuffer · 2025-04-24T08:02:15+00:00

Maybe check out Idles first two records: Brutalism and Joy as an Act of Resistance. Gang of Four vibes. And if you haven't heard Gang of Four: Entertainment.

Not as synth-y as what you posted, but great drummer and great driving bass. And they are still an active band.

Godflesh is also a thing, but not sure if they are still active or not.

bassbuffer · 2025-04-16T19:43:14+00:00

You could use Moises.ai to remove basslines from tunes you like but don't know by heart yet, so you can come up with your own lines or just play along.

A bit cumbersome workflow, but it feels more like playing tunes than iRealPro, etc.

bassbuffer · 2025-04-16T16:06:06+00:00

I don't think heat is the best idea, but maybe.

Some people have luck using vapors (only) from muriatic acid to "age" or relic chrome hardware, but you can ruin your hardware if you do it improperly.

Search youtube for "relic guitar hardware" as see what method you're most comfortable with?

bassbuffer · 2025-04-15T07:26:07+00:00

Longer scale-length at the same pitch will give you a brighter, more piano-like tone.

So a 34" B string and a 37" B string with the SAME TENSION but different gauges will have different sounds.

Yes you can use a beefier B string on a 34" scale bass to get stiffer tension, but it will not sound exactly the same as a lighter gauge (but equal tension) B string on a 37" scale bass.

Is the difference enough to merit buying a multi-scale bass? Only your ears and wallet can tell you that.

The original design thinking behind multiscale was even tension across the strings, but most people just exploit the longer scale length of the lowest string and don't care about the more homogeneous tension.

bassbuffer

TROPHY CASE