BASS
THE ARSENAL = BUY MORE GEAR | Gary Lunn
Photo by Cynthia Reed on Unsplash
I thought it might be time to share my latest gear with everyone . I ’ m not on the extreme cutting edge as far as crazy-sounding effect pedals go , but my focus is more on making my tone bigger , “ punchier ,” more solid , etc . Perhaps I can inspire you to do the same .
STRINGS New strings are great , but I am finding more and more that most guys prefer older strings . If that is not for you , just try changing the type of string you always use to one you have never tried . Each type of string plays , feels , and sounds different . If you use flat-wound strings , why not give round-wound a try ? Even the subtle differences between stainless steel and nickel wound strings can make things more interesting . They all sound different and feel different .
Using different gauged strings makes a difference as well . I use medium-light gauges on my ’ 65 Jazz Bass ( 45 , 65 , 85 , 105 ), and I restrung my ’ 71 Precision Bass with super light gauge Tomastik flat wound strings ( 43 , 65 , 80 , 95 ). It ’ s thinner sounding yet super funky ! It ’ s still very bright , even with flat wounds , but it really feels good to my ears ; it always finds a place in the track .
Do NOT boil your strings ! It ’ s WAY overrated , and the new life you get for doing it lasts for maybe an hour . Plus , it ’ s not good for your bass ’ s neck to take all the strings off at once . That causes a lot of stress on the neck of the bass and can sometimes take several days to recover from , so be sure to change your strings one at a time . Bass necks are very sensitive to extreme tension and temperature changes .
PEDALS I have always believed that “ less is more ” when it comes to the audio chain between the bass and the amp / DI ; pedals have to be pretty special for me to use them ! Pedals ( and strings ) influence how I play an instrument because it changes my sound , effect , or feel when I play . Each pedal almost always has “ true bypass ” that physically removes the pedal from the chain ( this aids with the lack of degradation of the bass sound ). Too many pedals in line at once can be quite noisy .
A new pedal is like an inspiration . This one is just a tuner , but no less important ! I remember that when I first got my Sonic Research ST- 300 strobe tuner , I had truly found the fastest , most responsive tuner out there . They have two sizes , but I bought the one that is in a
96 July 2023 Subscribe for Free ...