hot bongo!

[oli@bass]

Volume knob with detent at -9dB

why not a center detent on the volume knob pops?

I would like that a lot, however not a "center", but maybe the position where you're left with 6dB of additional gain (or 9dB... yeah, 9 is better). It would provide a starting point for gain adjustments of the signal chain...

 

[KennethB]

Hope all you lurkers read this!

IMHO: There's no need for a detent of any kind on the volume knob. It just takes trying it a bit to find what settings that works for you.

 

[jaylegroove]

IMHO: There's no need for a detent of any kind on the volume knob. It just takes trying it a bit to find what settings that works for you.

+1

 

[roburado]

cThis will take some time getting used to but you will notice a ton more definition and tone. When you pick harder you are applying NATURAL COMPRESSION. THe secret is that if you want that as an effect...it is still there..just roll the vol back a little and play harder.

The beauty of an active bass is that it is kind of alive..You dont have to strangle it and if you dont you will notice that it is capable of so much more expression....it will react much stronger to picking position...... play a little closer to the bridge for more attack play towards the neck for big round sound Letting your bass work for you along with the increased response with open up a whole lot more for you.

Thanks, BP. I've been kind of noticing these things while trying out EBMM basses. Thanks for articulating something that I kind of understood on a non-verbal level.

In addition to reacting to pickup position, it seems that how you pick/pluck/whatever you want to call it also comes through very, very well with EBMMs. (Markbass also helps a lot too. ) Extremely expressive instruments.

 

[tkarter]

This thread should be the sticky that ends all the my EB sounds like crap posts ever.

Well unless you don't listen.

I think I learned a couple of years ago when BP said the same thing.


tk

 

[AnthonyD]

This is awesome!

I love being schooled by the Master!

I too, generally played full-on most of the time. This whole "gain-staging" thing takes a lot of thought, but good thought. There is lots of value in learning these principles and understanding the interdependencies.

I spent time today with my Bongo at ½ - ¾ volume while making appropriate adjustments to my amp to ensure I still shook the walls - opens up a whole new way of expression and leaves the possibilities available to me at the tips of my fingers and right there on the instrument.

Thanks BP - this is quality time and an excellent example of forum value - there be better bass players as a direct result.

EBMM makes better basses... And makes better bass players...

I like it!

 

[Big Poppa]

thanks anthony

 

[jamesattard]

should i add that i confirm all of the above - i have set the 'gain control' to 50% or maybe slightly less, and now i can boost more volume from the amp/preamp without losing definition! thanks a lot Big Poppa, you're the man.

PS: This also applies to those ppl who think that Boss GT-6B sucks because it distorts their signal - if you give it a decent level input signal, the result is a nice clean signal

 

[jaylegroove]

This thread should be the sticky that ends all the my EB sounds like crap posts ever.

Totally agreed

 

[Ken Baker]

no other comments or recognition of enlightenment?

This subject comes up occasionally on another board I frequent. My stock response is that by turning down the instrument's controls - volume and EQ - you open up a whole world of tones that you probably didn't know existed.

I've always played with a light touch as a baseline. Why? Because it give me a great deal of control over the instrument. I can control the volume of the bass with my right hand. I can also control the timbre with my right hand.

And rarely have I played ANY bass - active or passive - with the volume control dimed. Part of it is personal preference; I don't care for the tone this produces. The other part is what a lot of you have found; the bass becomes less controllable to me. A fraction of an ounce more pressure with my light touch equals a too-large increase in sound. Look at the pickups as generators because that's what they really are. A 10% increase in finger pressure at a lower volume level produces less of a voltage increase than if the pickup is dimed.

Finally, I let the amplifier do the work. Once set for a given set of circumstances, I shouldn't have to reach for the amp. At least not for volume, because I have that in my hands and the instrument.

Ken...

 

[oddjob]

I was a volumed "dimed" played until I got my MarkBass and kept clipping it. It became a necessity to throttle down and in the process... tone emerged - go figure. Now I have 2 killer rigs and basses to match and some of the best tone in the city. Thanks for all the help BP! I think this is where I make the analogy about light coming down from the heavens and smacking me upside the head.

Seriously, BP, I liked the comment about assuming all bassist know about this. I think the lot of us were brought up on "more" is "more" not on "less is more." To compete with our 6 stringed friend we had to open it all up (much like they do since their stuff is passive). None of this occured to me earlier (and I've been playing with actives since '86). I think that, like TK said this needs to be streamed down and become a sticky... I think the word needs to get out there.

 

[Steamthief]

I tried turning down the volume/gain on my SR4 to about 50%, and the sound is a lot better! It sounds more "open", if that makes sense, and the articulation is much better as well.

Also, many complain about the "weak" D and G, but I've found that the amp's settings have a heckuva lot more to do with this than any inherent flaw with the bass and/or pickup. I've also noticed that not cranking the volume knob helps with string-to-string volume balance, too.

+1 on making a sticky discussing the finer points of getting the most out of an active pre-amp. This thread has helped me in finding my Ray's true potential!

 

[adouglas]

Tried it, like it, still experimenting.

I moved the volume knob on the shaft so that the set screw is straight up (facing me) at 50%. That way I have a reference. I also seated the knob a bit deeper to give it some friction.

And I didn't bend it in the process! Ain't you proud of me?

 

[Ken Baker]

...I also seated the knob a bit deeper to give it some friction.

If the bottom of the knob is bearing on the body, it would likely wear into it eventually. With that thought in mind, perhaps a thin nylon washer under the knob would be better. It would provide a little thrust resistance yet remain somewhat slickery.

OTOH, I just work with the set screw visual method that you detailed and it has always served me well.

Ken...

 

[mynan]

using up all of your instruments natural headroom to make up for dynamics is robbing you of all the little nuances of your basses wide eq......

I have to admit that the thought of not having the volume dimed was going to be a mental hurdle for me. I'm not afraid to make adjustments while playing, but I like to have pretty specific starting points so that if I start making adjustments and get too far off-base I have a happy place to return to.

Sooooo...I found a volume setting that I like at about 60% and put a drop of whiteout on the volume knob pointing directly at the corner of the neck humbucker.

 

[adouglas]

This is a Bongo, and the knob cannot touch the body because the electronics are mounted from the rear, through very large (approx. 1 inch) holes. It bears on the threaded part of the pot.

If the bottom of the knob is bearing on the body, it would likely wear into it eventually. With that thought in mind, perhaps a thin nylon washer under the knob would be better. It would provide a little thrust resistance yet remain somewhat slickery.

OTOH, I just work with the set screw visual method that you detailed and it has always served me well.

Ken...

 

[oli@bass]

Went experimental and tried not to dime the volume at the gig tonight.
Worked beautifully! And I was even able to dial in more volume on a solo spot...

 

[mynan]

I did the same thing this morning. Worked great, exept for the couple of times that I habitually dimed the volume when first picking up my bass. A few heads turned.

 

[nicjimbass]

I tried it at practice the other night, and I had to adjust my EQ and compression to compensate for teh change in tone. I definitely like it, but I'm used to the sound of the volume being dimed, so it's an adjustment. I will say one thing, my Bongo sounded HUGE and less choked than it did before. That's enough of a reason to try it IMO.

 

[Baird]

I play a HH Bongo 5 live along with an old P bass strung with flats for a few Blues/Reggae songs.

The Bongo is MUCH louder than the P bass.

My Solution? EB Volume Pedal. This way I can change my volume on the fly and not touch my amp. Plus, this thing is friggin' indestructable. It is built better than a Morley imo. Also, all of my basses are turned to 10 on the volume knob except the Bongo which is usually at only 7 or 8.

I don't have to change any settings on my Ampeg head, Sansamp or any of my other stuff when I change basses either.