u/bijibijmak

Before applying any of the fixes recommended here, try fixing the intonation of your E string. And by that I mean make sure that your open string and your 12th fret are both in tune and if not adjust your saddle on the bridge. It’s the easiest and cheapest fix before changing strings or amps

Try fixing your intonation. My low B was muddy until I fixed the intonation and it opened up.

Thump and pluck takes advantage of the clank. So basically funk.

This! And play plugged in. Don’t do what I did of just playing the bass without hearing the chain. Your tone is a big part of your playing and there’s a lot of skill involved in muting unwanted sound too.

Go with the Aria Pro II CLB, Cliff Burton signature edition. It’s glossy black and is the most badass looking thing ever. Classy yet mean. The pickup is very hot and it cuts through the mix like hot knife through butter.

Fun fact, Steve Harris plays finger style and grows his nails a bit. And not surprisingly, his tone sounds like he plays with a pick.

You might have gotten food poisoning at the same time. ☹️

Not for me. This is strange. I had nausea and generally felt bad with Ozempic but Mounjaro has been fine overall.

And of course some times silence is the best thing you can do.

Try a wide pick and hold it with two fingers and a thumb. Then play further up the strings for a thicker tone and closer to the bridge for a tighter sound. Don’t limit yourself to one place. As a bass player you need to change where you strike often. Just check Jaco for a good example of that.

Don’t know my scale but when I fixed my low B intonation, it was like getting a new bass. Before I would avoid that string because it had almost no sustain and the notes sounded dead. But after it was as good as the other strings. So I’d say, check your intonation first.

It’s not the room it self but the commute there during the winter. Even when wearing thick gloves and using heated steering my fingers could get stiff enough to not be fluid anymore.

Ooh interesting! I should give it a try. Hope it doesn’t pick up grease though.

Not the documentation, for sure.

bASS

Yeah my go to is hot water but it only works for a few minutes. Problem usually is the drive to rehearsal in the winter. Even though I wear gloves and use the heated steering wheel, the fingers still get stiff enough not to be fluid enough.

Useful skill for making PCB traces.

I dunno man. 11€/month for what they’re offering is not that cheap.

For a short while I joined a band and did a couple of gigs with them. The first few sessions I spent time with the guitarists to learn where they were playing. I also recorded a videos of it. Then at home I’d listen to the songs and try to figure out the rest. It worked surprisingly well and helps you with listening properly.

I’ve been having the same issue and I need to compete with two loud guitars, a louder drummer, and a singer on large PAs all in a small room. And recently I’ve managed to pierce through the mix. Here is what I did:
- Got a new bass. Aria Pro II. These basses naturally have boosted mids (500Hz). But you can also boost your mids in other ways like a preamp which is very useful.
- Reduced my lows (below 60-80hz). These are the frequencies that makes everything shake but don’t deliver much definition in your tone.
- I added a compressor in the beginning of my chain and turned on the compressor on the amp. This one helped a lot! Compressors tighten the whole sound and you get consistent sound no matter how hard you play so you don’t accidentally drown the whole room with a sonic boom 😆
- And finally, I find that I can in a way “isolate” my bass for myself during practice by wearing in ear noise cancellation plug (meant for live music) AND wear heavy earmuffs on top.

Hope this helps! Let us know how it goes.

Not really. The pick up position is adjusted and the bass is new. It’s just how the D strings “sounds” louder than E when you’re playing octaves. Somewhat of a perception thing.

I recently added a compressor to the chain and turned on the compressor in the amp as well (end of the chain) and it has been a game changer for live rehearsals. We play Maiden, Metallica and the such where there are fast and hard notes. Now my bass easily cuts through the mix, there aren’t random loud notes, things are tighter, and the best part is that the volume between strings is balanced. If you’re gonna get a compressor notice that there are different ones for bass and guitar. In my experience, MXP guitar compressor sounds nice and crunchy but also cuts some of your low end.

The bass line on the Call of Ktulu is a beast (you can hear if you listen to enhanced or isolated versions) and I always thought it would be difficult. But I’m very proud that with just one pass I got most of it and even the tone sounded nice!

Thank you! A real hero 🦸