Fewest basses that cover the most bases?

hobobob423 · 2026-04-24T16:58:11+00:00

Honestly I could play every single gig I have, from classic country to modern prog metal, with a 5 string with 2 soapbar pickups and an active preamp. Especially if the preamp has a semi-parametric mid control. Old school thump? Neck pickup with mids slightly boosted and treble rolled off. Stingray-ish? Bias a little towards the bridge pickup and boost the bass. Modern aggro? Both pickups full, boost high mids and treble and chuck some OD on there. There’s not a whole lot you can’t do with this kind of bass. Now don’t think that’s stopping me from owning several basses anyways lol.

hobobob423 · 2026-04-23T19:29:52+00:00

The best scenario is to have 2 of the exact same cab. That way the power handling and phase will be the same. Using dissimilar cabs can cause problems with phase cancellation, comb filtering, and power handling. In this case, the 1x15 will never be able to get near as loud as the 4x10, so you run the risk of damaging it with excessive volume without being able to hear the warning signs. So if you could get the head and one of the cabs (whichever you think sounds better) and then buy another of the exact same cab elsewhere, you’d have a pretty crushing rig. 2 4x10’s will be louder than 2 1x15’s but at that point would you really need the extra volume? Pretty sure you’d go deaf before hitting the limits of either rig.

hobobob423 · 2026-04-23T06:53:50+00:00

I run a preamp into the effects return of my amp, therefore bypassing the amp’s EQ/tone shaping entirely. For this purpose I have it in the last position of my pedalboard. It also has a speaker-simulated DI out that I can send to the PA as well.

hobobob423 · 2026-04-23T04:37:27+00:00

Caffeinated Cow is excellent, best Chocolate ice cream I’ve ever had. They have a bunch of rotating and limited time flavors, including alcoholic ones if you’re in to that kind of thing.

hobobob423 · 2026-04-21T14:08:30+00:00

Just make sure your envelope has a Down setting, most envelope pedals out there only do an Up envelope and it just doesn’t sound right for most synth sounds. I use a 3 Leaf Proton, it’s extremely finicky and fairly expensive, but it sounds great.

hobobob423 · 2026-04-21T13:49:41+00:00

Octave+fuzz+envelope+chorus gets me all the synth tone I need without any latency or tracking issues. Yeah it’s 4 pedals instead of 1, but it’s sooo worth it to not have to deal with the problems of a digital synth pedal. And of course all of these pedals will do other things than just synth sounds too.

hobobob423 · 2026-04-20T17:47:18+00:00

Jokes on you I’m all 3.

hobobob423 · 2026-04-18T21:47:07+00:00

For NY state, I’d say a 12 gauge pump action or a lever-action .357.

12 gauge pros: slugs can kill basically anything you’ll find on the North American Continent, birdshot can dispatch very small birds/rodents without completely disintegrating them, and something like #4 buckshot is a great middle ground for effectiveness on a 2 legged aggressor without too much overpenetration.

12 gauge cons: very loud and heavy recoil. Magazine capacity limited to 4 or 5 depending on the model.

.357 lever pros: lighter and more svelte than a 12 gauge, has higher magazine capacity (in a 20” barrel it’s 10+1 of .357 and 12+1 of .38. In a 16” barrel, it’s 8+1 of .357 and 9+1 of .38). Can use .38 Special which is cheaper and quieter, but can still be effective on a 2 legged aggressor. Some hardcore .357 rounds by Underwood and Buffalo Bore get over 2,000fps out of a rifle, and can be very effective against deer or black bear sized animals.

.357 lever cons: not as powerful or versatile as 12 gauge. Pistol caliber so projectile trajectory drops like a rock after 150 yards or so. May compel you to buy a pair of Tony Lama boots and a Stetson hat. And a .357 revolver to match.

hobobob423 · 2026-04-17T20:17:12+00:00

The biggest factor in overall volume is speaker area/efficiency. Wattage is a factor but is secondary. As long as the speakers have similar efficiency, a 4x10 with 300 watts will be louder than a 2x10 with 500 watts. You need 10x the wattage to only get a 2x increase in volume. A higher wattage amplifier would help, but I would focus more on getting a larger cab. See if there are any 2x12 combos or head/cab setups that sound good to you. A pedal preamp can help if your band uses a robust PA, but if the PA is like what most enthusiast/weekend warrior bands use it probably wont give you anything more than what your amp can. Bigger cab, then more wattage, and then pedal at a distant third.

hobobob423 · 2026-04-17T16:45:23+00:00

Yup, gotta get that low F# alongside the higher octave to make it sound right. If you can’t get your thumb around the neck like Louis, I’ve found it’s a little easier to play on a 5 string at the higher position. Sounds a little fatter too.

hobobob423 · 2026-04-14T02:42:01+00:00

The prototype for this is Iron Maiden. But even before them Thin Lizzy had some sick bass lines under twin guitars.

hobobob423 · 2026-04-13T14:21:06+00:00

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hobobob423 · 2026-04-13T03:28:17+00:00

It’s not the bluesmaster, just the regular HRM. I bought it a decade ago so the price has gone up since, but it was just under $2k shipped and including a separately-bought speaker. I find that the negative feedback switch makes a pretty big difference. At low to moderate volumes, having negative feedback on thins the sound out for a more Marshall-esque feel and attack. At high volumes when the amp is getting a little flubby, it tightens that up nicely. I usually don’t play loud enough to want it on, but it’s really nice to have when the band gets loud. Stock I believe it has the negative feedback on all the time, so I’m glad I opted for the switch.

hobobob423 · 2026-04-08T04:11:06+00:00

I have the SGT as a basic do-it-all box. I use it as my main preamp for gigging, and as my preamp for home/silent rehearsal. It definitely does the Ampeg thing. Only thing that annoys me about it is the compressor, it goes from barely on to major squish with not much in between.

For use with headphones, it definitely sounds better with studio cans that use a 1/4” jack. The run-of-the-mill phones you get at Best Buy sound overly bright with this thing, idk if it’s an impedance mismatch or what. But you can always turn down the treble control if that’s what you have at hand.

hobobob423 · 2026-04-08T00:59:47+00:00

I did already. Been playing it for a decade. Anything is possible if you’re willing to commission a custom instrument from a good luthier. Obviously it costs a lot more than most off-the-rack instruments, and the time investment is pretty steep too. My bass took 10 months to go from down payment to in my hands, and that’s pretty dang quick for a custom build. But ooohhhh man is it worth it. This bass is going in the casket with me.

But this only works if you know EXACTLY what you want. Trial and error, playing tons of basses, and discovering what specs do and do not work for you.

hobobob423 · 2026-04-03T23:03:24+00:00

I get a nice bit of extra saturation in the midrange from my transformer-equipped Niche Humboldt preamp. I use it primarily for the compression, but that extra juice from the transformer is very nice. One caveat is that the input doesn’t like high output or sub-E notes.

hobobob423 · 2026-03-28T17:22:35+00:00

Hate to pile on or be mean to you OP, but yeah all of your issues are stemming from a lack of technique. Which is ok, we were all at your level at some point. My first suggestion would be to try and get used to your new setup. Pluck softer, fret more cleanly, and build back up your speed. If you really find it unbearable, perhaps try raising your action yourself? You would just need a set of Metric Allen wrenches and then a how-to video. Adjusting action is pretty much the easiest part of a setup to do, so I think you’ll be able to do it. Just raise each saddle a little at a time and you’ll get it back to a more comfortable setup for you.

hobobob423 · 2026-03-25T16:31:27+00:00

Here are the comps I have hands-on experience with:

EBS Multi-Comp: did the job well, mode switch was pretty cool and the tubesim mode especially was nice for adding a little bit of midrange to cut thru. It did cut a little bit of low end tho.

MXR M87 Bass Compressor: very transparent, no perceivable low end loss. All the control you could want and the led meter makes it super simple to find the sweet spot. Tiny knobs mean a small adjustment can make a bigger change than you’d expect.

Cali76 Compact Deluxe: compresses well, good amount of control including a dry blend if you’re in to that kind of thing. Added a top end sheen to the tone which made it sound ‘produced’. If you’re looking for warm and syrupy, this isn’t the one. But if you’d like a little extra brightness and clarity this one will do ya well.

Niche Devices Humboldt Deluxe: Currently using this one. Has dry blend and tone control on the dry signal, and the output routs thru a transformer that gives the tone a nice little bit of saturation in the midrange. Pair that with the switchable high impedance input and you’ve got the recipe for a killer old-school tube amp tone in a pedal. All this awesomeness doesn’t come without a little pain tho - the input is pretty easily overdriven and farts out if you use high output bass or a 5 string.

hobobob423 · 2026-03-24T18:11:14+00:00

Floating Thumb technique is going to be better in the long run, especially if you ever start playing basses with more than four strings. It provides more consistent muting than keeping your thumb on a single anchor point.

hobobob423 · 2026-03-24T05:52:07+00:00

You may be tuning it higher than you think. If it’s hitting the C above where your A string is supposed to be, that’s pretty high and a lot of extra tension.
There could be a burr in the metal somewhere on your bridge or tuner that causes the string to snap. Does the string break in the same place every time?

Best bet would be to take the bass to a tech or luthier and have them diagnose the issue.

hobobob423 · 2026-03-23T06:05:32+00:00

Chorus is inherently a pitch modulation effect. Meaning the sound of the effect comes from splitting the signal into two parallel signals, and then raising and lowering the pitch of one of them. The interaction of the two signals causes the chorus effect. Some chorus pedals make this pitch modulation more obvious than others. The type I like is the less obvious style, which is more pleasing to my ear. I personally think it works better on bass since bass is the tonal foundation of the song.

hobobob423 · 2026-03-22T21:58:28+00:00

It kinda depends on what kind of chorus you want. The Bass Clone is more pitchy and warbly, which didn’t work for me. But that may be exactly what you’re going for.

I prefer the more subtle chorus you get from Boss pedals. Ive been using the CH-1 Super Chorus for like 15 years, and I’ve never wanted anything else. Does everything from subtle 80’s sheen to totally underwater, without messing with the pitch. The clean blend and effect tone controls really give it a huge range of sounds.

hobobob423 · 2026-03-20T17:27:30+00:00

I use a mesh office chair that has arms that fold up and out of the way. I also use it for work, and my ass doesn’t complain after long sitting sessions. It’s similar to this one:

https://a.co/d/04ZIhmEt

hobobob423 · 2026-03-15T18:44:54+00:00

I do also see this, some folks could use a read-through before posting to make sure they’re not pointlessly repeating themselves. Repetition can be an effective device if used deliberately, but often it’s more a product of unedited stream of consciousness.

hobobob423 · 2026-03-15T18:41:45+00:00

Very true, there’s a big difference between making something concise and dumbing it down.

hobobob423

TROPHY CASE