Musical Geekiness!

[RootedPhoenix]

We had a really nice chat about basses and guitars going on in one of the threads in the Sucky Customers section (http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ad.php?t=43968), so I thought I'd start this thread so it could continue.

I am a terrible music geek, and will probably never tire of talking about it. I took music theory almost ten years ago. I own roughly half a bazillion CDs and I seem to have this obsession with wind instruments lately. I sing, but I don't think I count as a musical instrument, lol.

My musical instrument collection at the moment includes:

- a nylon acoustic guitar
- a hollow body electric guitar
- small army of Native American flutes
- a plastic soprano recorder
- a slide whistle (it called to me, I guess. )
- electric piano (88 keys, yay!)
- synthesizer (lots of voices)

Like I said before, I'm always up for hearing more about basses and guitars .

[pacman]

I'm a music geek/enthusiast too and I like talking about instruments and music. My bass just came back from a basic fixing (nut adjusting, fret positioning (they had come out from their slots a bit), truss rod adjusting) and I just ordered a new one. I'm excited what the Harley Benton is going to be...

The other instruments I have here are
- nylon acoustic guitar
- Yamaha electric bass (5-string, model RBX-765A, 12 years old)
- soprano, alto and tenor recorders of which the tenor is wood, other are plastic
- Yamaha trumpet (10 years old)
- electric piano
- clarinet (It's really my little sister's )
- flute

I think I'll be happy with the HB too when it comes through.

BTW, Birdsong says on their website that the B string is put with some "double string through body" technique (http://www.birdsongguitars.com/5string.htm) and it with that would get the tension it needs to sound beautiful.

I'm very nervous here already... And it was like 2 am when I ordered it so it's going to take at least a couple weeks before I have the new bass here.

ETA: I think I'll at least try tuning the new 4-string like the 4 lowest in a 5-string. Maybe I'll need to get a thicker string set but they can be bought from any little mom-and-pop music store here.

[Angry_Hippie]

Rooted thanks for moving this to off-topic. It is great to have a place to be music geeky.

On to the requisite list of gear.

* Seagull S6+ acoustic tuned a whole step down with a custom set of balanced elixir strings.
* Kala baritone ukulele (currently in normal baritone uke tuning, just like 4 high strings on guitar) sometimes change strings and tune it like a non-reentrant tenor ukulele (4 high strings on guitar capo-ed at the 5th or 7th (old school uke people tune a step higher for more volume)
* SX 4-string J-bass copy (shockingly stock, I bought it to change EVERYTHING on it and ended up loving it stock)
* Dean 4 string acoustic bass guitar (stock except for elixir bronze strings)
* Johnson all solid wood mandolin, came to me shiny plasticy black, I stripped the finish using aircraft remover, refinished it with a very thin single coat of lacquer, replaced the cheaper tuners, and now a $120 mandolin gets mistaken for a vintage gibson based on sound before people see it.
* 1990's gretsch single cutaway single pickup syncromatic electric guitar (got at a pawn shop for next to nothing, it is currently in pieces as a project guitar that might get its own off topic thread if I start working on it again soon)
* Penny-whistle
* Egg shakers
* Capo's for everything with strings (capo on ukulele and mandolin is way underrated, on bass it is useful for setup purposes only)

Thank you SO MUCH for mentioning Birdsong and pointing to their website. I see how they increased the tension on the B string. If you played both through the body and top-loading bridge basses you'll notice that on the through the body the strings feel tighter even though they are tuned to the same notes. On the Birdsong body you will see their are two holes in the body for the B string. I'm guessing that right after the bridge saddle the string goes through the body under and back up the other hole to be anchored in the bridge. So the B string has traveled through the body twice to make more tension than just traveling through the body once. Creative and cool, I never would of though of that solution. Hopefully they are also increasing tension at the headstock by either having it angle down sharply or using multiple string trees. They admit that it isn't exactly the same as a full scale 5 tension wise but it is does make the B very useable.

As far as tuning a 4 as low as a 5 string. It's even easier than looking for a heavy 4 string set. Buy your favorite 5 string set, ignore the high string in the pack and just use the rest. Depending on your bass you might need to have the nut filed to fit the heavier strings (not always the case), and you must likely will need to adjust your bridge and truss rod.

[pacman]

Yeah, and I've got a spare 5-string set waiting here somewhere so I think I'll just forget the G string () and use the rest of it.

I'm using just ordinary roundwound nickel strings with the bass now, but am looking for a flatwound set just to try it and listen to the sound world the strings create.

[RootedPhoenix]

Rooted thanks for moving this to off-topic. It is great to have a place to be music geeky.

You're welcome.

This thread will keep me from gushing all over the poor souls who have no idea what I'm saying. I'm glad to have somewhere to put it. lol

* Capo's for everything with strings (capo on ukulele and mandolin is way underrated, on bass it is useful for setup purposes only)

I never thought of using a capo on a mandolin or ukulele. Although now that I looked them both up, capos would be nifty.

Capos on guitar are absolute lifesavers for me. There are keys I'd never be able to play in otherwise. (I blame my skills mostly for this , but my short fingers have their limits.)

Note to self: don't look up mandolins anymore. You'll only want one.

Kidding, of course. Must be my short fingers wanting a smaller instrument.

[Gawdzillers]

YES.
I am a guitar nerd (playing some My Bloody Valentine right now), and I approve of this thread.

[Angry_Hippie]

grrrr you now have "Glider" stuck in my head. I love MBV (really I do) but sometimes it can sound like whales and dolphins having intercourse (which isn't a bad thing).

I love capos, besides being a way to make certain keys easier, I like the different tonal textures caused by using open chord shapes more often. I hate when people call them "cheater bars". People who do that usually play tons of A and E bar shapes or power chords that sounds boring to me really fast (I do have a penchant for power chords with open strings ringing beneath them, but it only sounds right on certain places on the neck). Capo-ing is great for 2nd guitar parts if both players happen to know nothing more than the chords to a song (such as player one play un-capoed in A and player two plays key of G at with a capo on the 2nd fret). Same thing works on mandolin and ukulele quite well (the moveable chord shapes are really easy on both so most people don't think of capo-ing them).

To the poster who is now tempted with the idea of a mandolin go for it. Most of the cheap ones I've seen are actually very usable. Its a fun texture to play with and most guitar players catch on really, really quick (I like to think of it as guitar upside down and backwards, easier than it sounds really). I think multiple instruments helps new ideas develop.

I'm really a big fan of simplification lately. I think limitation helps breed creativity. I play my baritone ukulele to death, because it's like guitar minus two strings. I find not having those two bass strings makes me find new ways to play the same song (I play a lot of The Cure on ukulele). I'm also a four string bass guy, I like the narrower neck and I like having to position shift more and for the music I play (folky style) I haven't really found a need for the B (other people can rock the hell out of 5 strings and it is a really cool thing). I want a short scale 4 because I find the shorter neck somehow makes me more melodic (I'm currently a round-wound player who plays with fingers, but I want to be a flat-wound bass player who plays with a pick). Flat-wounds sound more plain (less of the higher harmonic overtones) to me and they aren't as dynamic with changing tonal colors (they don't respond to different touches as obviously as round-wounds to me). I think that thumpy plainness on a short scale would make me more melodic and busier on bass. I love the thomastik infield flat-wounds, they are a little pricy but oh so cool.

Gosh, I'm so bored hoping for work to call me in, it makes me ramble on like Led Zepplin.

[pacman]

Heh, I'm a hard rock player that wants to have the oomph in the bass caused by the B string. I love the low B - it makes everything resonate with it AH, if you want to check out the Thomann webstore, go for it! They ship worldwide and they have a flat shipping rate of 30€ (about $35-40) for parcels up to 31kg. http://www.thomann.de/gb/

Ow. We just had our weekly practice session that lasted for 4½ hours. My strings are brand new roundwounds... My left hand fingers hurt! Oh well, it's normal. I play with a pick, so luckily the right-hand fingers are not affected... Much. The index finger's nail touched the strings a bit but it doesn't hurt at least.

[Wade]

Yay RootedPhoenix for starting the new thread!

I guess for a "proper" introduction:

1) Epiphone Zakk Wylde Bull's Eye Les Paul
2) Epiphone Les Paul Studio (faded cherry finish)
3) Fender 75-watt tube head
4) Sunn 4-12 cab with Eminence speakers
5) Raven 12" 25-watt practice amp
6) Crybaby Wah, Boss DS-1 for the tube amp, Danelectro Fab Metal for the practice amp, Boss Super Chorus, Fender tuner
7) Yamaha PSR-293 keyboard
8) Digitech JamMan
9) Zoom MRS-4 recorder

I AM A MUSIC GEEK AND PROUD OF IT!!!

[pacman]

Wade, you are a guitar player I guess? My amp gear is a 15" 120W Hartke kickback and Boss ME-50B multi-effect-board. So I guess I'm a bit of a newbie with all this new stuff (all those Les Pauls and everything )

Sorry for the advertising in my previous post btw.

[Wade]

Dude, Pac Man, don't sweat it. Seriously, I have a one-track mind when it comes to guitars. Could be blogging about the intricacies of chewing gum and then someone mentions guitars the entire thread goes to hell.

Also, I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with anything on my previous thread.

Hartke does make a damned good amp. They experimented with guitar amps a few years ago, but didn't seem to compete well with the mainstays like Marshall and Peavey, so they returned to focus primarily on the bass line.

Exactly how long have you been playing? What are your influences?

[pacman]

Ummm... I started with the classical guitar when I was 7. Since then, the change to the bass guitar happened about 8 years ago - but I had a 5 year non-playing period before I started again and bought my present bass and amp almost 2 years ago.

I don't know about influences... I like Dream Theater, Toto, Van Halen, Metallica, and various other bands and their bass lines. And if I may say we've got some good music in Finland too - Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, Nightwish... The list goes on. So, I guess, melodic metal/hard rock of some kind with a bit of progressive touch in it.

Gah, our first gig is April 3rd... I'm excited, I get to climb to stage after 8 years again

[draggar]

Right now I only have my clarinet and oboe, neither of which have been played in over 15 years but i would love to get a tenor sax and maybe start playing again.

[Wade]

That's cool, Draggar. You should totally pick it back up!

Pac Man - you'll have to let us know how the gig goes. I myself am hopefully on the brink of completing a new project's lineup so we can start rehearsing (oy).

[wraiths_crono]

I am a multi instrument person

Primes: drum kit
but a ive-been-had guitar
a trumpet
oh and a banjo!