I understand that … but the feeling of having done something terrifying is pretty good, right ?
about the tone, it might just be because when you play with your amp you don’t wear headphones and so you hear much louder the acoustic sound coming from the bass. and it’s mostly the raw metallic attack sound and the scraping noise when you move your fingers on the strings.
but @howard is right too and in any case it’s worth trying to correct/change the tone with the EQ : those things are here precisely for this purpose
… or you might just like better the tone of your little Vox thing overall, at some point it’s a matter of taste and that’s perfectly fine. I would be curious to try to do a proper studio record with one of those little headphone amps, I’m almost sure it’s possible to get a pretty nice tone.
The first one is the hardest Chapeau for taking the plunge… playing covers and recording yourself is a good training, a humbling experience, and a good way to get feedback!
I haven’t had much focus on that… still not decided on what I would cover… and still haven’t successfully EQ’ed the bass out of an existing recording… and… need to focus on our studio session…
You guys are the best. I was playing through a Rumble 15 and I didn’t think it would make a big difference but between that and tweaks with the bass got a better sound (I think) for the song. I think it’s a little better. If any of you remember my story, I took piano lessons as a kid and did everything wrong. Didn’t practice, never used a metronome, never did covers (i was going to write the best songs), wasted everyone’s time and money (had a nice Fender Rhodes, still have the Ampeg V4 which will now be my bass amp if I ever play outside the house). Now that I’m older, I don’t want to take up the bass to waste my time, I want to do this. I know video is one of the keys to growth. Thanks again for all the input.
Round 2 Handle with Care - YouTube
When I was 14 my parents (with some help from my brother), got me a used Fender Rhodes piano and the V4. It’s really a bass amp, but it did its job with the Rhodes. A few years back the Rhodes was collecting dust in my basement and I sold it cheap to a kid who was starting a studio. I was going to sell the V4 once, but it didn’t work out. The head still cranks. My cabinet is a bit old, but still works. And now I’m playing bass, so it’s making a comeback. I got it 43 years ago!!
if I remember the bass version is the V4B, but it works in any case which cab do you have ? I absolutly love the Ampeg 8x10, as long as I don’t have to move it …
My CAB has 4 X 12" which is why they said it was a bass amp (the head could be used for anything I suppose). I have to clean it off and plug in. It’s a bear to move.
not so hard to play, but the first times I played it I really had to count to match these five three-steps (+1 so in fact 4x3+1x4) blocks with the 4/4 signature. by the way I really love how it sounds. the full tab is here for those who might be interested.
Another winner @terb! I remember my teenage kids listening to the STP’s (and that song) many times back in the ‘90’s. I also remember yelling at them to “Turn that $h1t DOWN!”… So, thanks for the memories my friend!!
Actually I loved how you incorporated the album cover in the beginning - really helped fill in that long intro section of “no bass”… I did like the song, and it must have been somewhat of a change for you from what you typically cover, however I am loving the diversity of style. I can see where the timing in this piece would be a bit of a challenge - however to me, it’s what actually makes the bass line of the song quite interesting, and now that I listen to the song as a bass player, I don’t wanna “Turn that $h1t DOWN!”… In fact, I actually turned it UP! Which brings me to a bit of a critical point… I really had a little trouble hearing “Greenie” shine through as much as I really wanted to. The tone and timing (from what I could hear) were great, I just needed a little more volume or a tad bit more gain on the bass line… but then again, I’m a bit on the deaf side so it could just be me… Other than that, cool shirt dude,… and I always love seeing that black hat!
I’m trying to do cover in a relatively wide panel of styles (staying in what I like, of course). in the case of this song, even if it’s pretty easy listening and radio complient, the main riff is still pretty much stoner/grunge ! and man, this riff …
yeah in fact I think the bass track is pretty present but as it’s very close to the guitar line, it’s not easy to ear where starts and stops each instrument. also I used a glue compressor to integrate neatly my bass line into the mix, I think it sounds better overall but, yes, the downside is that we don’t ear the bass line “separated” from the original mix.
it’s an interesting question indeed : in the case of a bass cover, should we mix for the song, or for the bass line ? I always mix for the song but I’m not pretending I’m right.
I can see your point in mixing for the song @terb… More of a studio type finished product, which I believe is your ultimate goal. For me, it’s the bass line… In fact, I typically record and mix my bass lines so that they show more prevalence in the final mix - especially when covering later “Rock” songs where the guitar player is constantly walking on and playing over the bass line riffs… (I’m actually working on one such now)…
Oh man, I used to listen to that whole Core album by STP all the way through back in high school. Still have my old CD from back then too, and was playing it in my car a few weeks ago, again all the way through. STP is still touring, as there was supposed to be a show in my city, but it was cancelled, I think one of the band members had an illness or injury.
Very impressive, @terb! I like especially how you have memorized the whole tune (lots of bits and pieces there) and how you play the entire song - nice!
Do I need to point out that I wasn’t aware of this song before?
it’s not that hard in fact, almost everything is counter-intuitive in this bass line but once you get it, it’s fine
also as I’m here I will post a picture of Robert DeLeo , the bass player of Stone Temple Pilots. I’m pretty sure some of you could like his pre-57 style Precision with a P/J pickup configuration (the P being a split-coil so a 57/current style one) :
