Harris' Bass Rig... Hey Wanda...

[NoEffenPicks]

Was just looking at some pics on the IMOC and saw this... Don't know what the rig in the backround is but I recognize some of the gear in there....

Ever since the late 80s I've used a Trace Elliot as my preamp sound shaping and have had a distinctly Harris sound to my rig...

hmmm...

...And I wonder why I love it!

 

[spideyjg]

I loved the Geddy Lee live sound in the Power Windows era where he had Trace amps and the Wal basses. I've been able to dial in a very similar sound with my L2K and it is killer.

Now Geddy uses no cabinets and Tech 21 Sansamp stuff. Sounds great on the Test for Echo CD but I have hated his live sound the last few tours. uke:
I got a Sansamp bass driver and it is the most expensive paperweight I ever bought.

You got a Trace pre and a Hartke head? Are you using only the power amp section only of the Hartke? Is that an Alesis effects thang between the tuner and the BBE?

Jim

 

[NoEffenPicks]

I actually use both for sound shaping, but I feel the Trace is a key ingredient in my sound. That pic is a little old, I traded out the effects in that pic for a Midiverb III unit that I got for cheap. I basically only wanted a little chorus effect here and there for perhaps an instrumental song or something.

Love my rig, now I just need a band!

 

[spideyjg]

Love my rig, now I just need a band!

I hear you man. I love this setup. Each cabinet is off a separate channel of the QSC so I can feed the 2X10 or the 2X12 more or less volume to fine tune the room.

I have far too much stuff to not be in a band. Guess I'm an optimist.

Jim

 

[MiniMurray]

I hear you man. I love this setup. Each cabinet is off a separate channel of the QSC so I can feed the 2X10 or the 2X12 more or less volume to fine tune the room.

wow - that's an awesome way to control your signal and tone - i was checking out jaye fouchers eq the other day and she has a custom 4x12 w/ half greenbacks/ half vintage 30z. i wonder if that would work in a live situation or just studio - do you seperately mic each woofer and then see what cuts the best?

looks like steve is running his eq mostly flat and boosting the highs - similar to yours chris \m/

 

[spideyjg]

wow - that's an awesome way to control your signal and tone - i was checking out jaye fouchers eq the other day and she has a custom 4x12 w/ half greenbacks/ half vintage 30z. i wonder if that would work in a live situation or just studio - do you seperately mic each woofer and then see what cuts the best?

Well actually I quit the band I was in so the whole ball of wax never got a full workout. However the 2X12 is a bit more midrangy and the 2X10 has more bottom end. I think they balance each other quite well and just as you are thinking either could be mic'd depending the situation. The few times I used it feeding more to one or the other made a big difference in the sound. Due to circumstances with the custom builder, a friend if mine, the 2X12 cost me $150. I'm not crazy enough to get rid of it since replacing it would cost far more.

In an open back cabinet the different speakers wouldn't have potential issues like in a sealed or tuned cabinet where all kinds of complicated physics is involved. Just an educated guess but if watched your ohms values with a speaker cab like Jaye has you could mic a greenback or vintage 30 sound from the differing speakers if you wanted it. standing in front the sound would be a blend of the 2 sets but via the mic, if placed correct for the FOH, it could be more specific. Ask Metal Lord his thoughts, I could be way out in left field but he will know better.

Jim

 

[NoEffenPicks]

I do something similar with my Hartke. I run the Trace as a bonafide preamp. Shaping the signal I feed the Hartke. I then run the Hartke in biamp mode and can precisely control what I feed to my 4 10" Aluminum cones, and the low signal I send the paper coned single 15". For stage volume and during practices, I have spot-on Steve Harris sound.

Ironically, I don't mike on stage but run XLR straight out of the Hartke (post EQ'd) and the sound I've heard coming through the PA matches what I hear on stage, so I'm pleased with that as well. Finally, I have tone control on my bass itself.

I always run my bass with the pickup selector in the middle position, blending my bridge pickup (either a P or a J, depeding on the instrument), with the middle P pickups. That way I get good bright sound from the bridge, and nice full bodied mid and low end from the middle (neck) pickup.

Finally, on my custom made Harris tribute bass, I have an EMG enhancer on it as well as a 6-way Varitone (both of which are rarely used) and a set of EMGs... On my other basses (restored vintage BC Rich basses) I have the full on vintage BCR circuits which have dual sound coil taps and out-of-phase switching, 6-way Varitones, as well as boosters... Most of which are not used SO much, although I tend to run the middle (neck) pickup in parallel to clean up the thundering low end.

Everyone still with me here!?????

 

[Steph Harris]

Was just looking at some pics on the IMOC and saw this... Don't know what the rig in the backround is but I recognize some of the gear in there....

Ever since the late 80s I've used a Trace Elliot as my preamp sound shaping and have had a distinctly Harris sound to my rig...

hmmm...


...And I wonder why I love it![/QUOTE

That's really cool. I just replaced all my gear ~ I think it sounds better than what I had. I'd still like to hear you play sometime ~maybe with another Maiden tribute band. That would be fun!

 

[spideyjg]

Ironically, I don't mike on stage but run XLR straight out of the Hartke (post EQ'd) and the sound I've heard coming through the PA matches what I hear on stage, so I'm pleased with that as well. Finally, I have tone control on my bass itself.

I could never comprehend we spend so much time and effort getting out sound right with the amp, speakers etc and then some soundman just wants to hand you a DI box to bypass all your tweaking to get the FOH sound. I prefer mic'd but DI post EQ should be fine as well.

One of the reasons I love the L-2000 is I can tweak the bejesus out of the sound onboard. Between the pickup selection, the series/parallel, the tone knobs, and technique I can take any amp set flat and get pretty damn close to what I want. EQ is to fine tune it. Take that Mr soundman.

On my other basses (restored vintage BC Rich basses) I have the full on vintage BCR circuits which have dual sound coil taps and out-of-phase switching, 6-way Varitones, as well as boosters... Most of which are not used SO much, although I tend to run the middle (neck) pickup in parallel to clean up the thundering low end.

Everyone still with me here!?????

Someday if we have a SoCal get together I'd like to sit with one of those BC Rich dual split coils and see what all that stuff did. I have never laid my hands on one of those old BC Rich basses. They go $1500- $2000 for those ones with eleventeen knobs and switches.

I have my bridge pickups set a bit higher so when switched in I get a bit more bridge signal. Like 'em as close as possible without the strings hitting the pole pieces.

Jim

 

[NoEffenPicks]

For practices I mainly use this bass these days

This was one of my restoration projects I completed last year. It plays like complete butter. I've played every damn bass they carry at guitar center (from the 200 dollar models, to the 3000 dollar models) and I think they ALL play like complete crap. I've never found any bass that plays better than a well setup vintage BC Rich. And I've been playing them since about 1985!

Of course, in a Maiden tribute, I HAVE to play my self-made Steve Harris-signed P-Bass (in my sig pic)... That plays pretty damn sweet as well, but since it has a sig on the headstock, I prefer to break it out only when necessary.

Wanda, anytime I'd love to sit down and swap bass licks and dial in sounds... Or if you gals have a practice and Wanda can't attend, I could always fill in. I'm ALWAYS jonesing to play some Maiden!

This is a little out of date, and not the BEST audio to hear my bass sound, but what the hell... Enjoy!

http://members.aol.com/latentimageent/wrath1.mov

 

[spideyjg]

Was there a generation of BC Rich with a bridge humbucker?
Most of the ones I have seen had dual split coils and I've seen one with a blade bridge pickup or dual cream colored buckers. Never saw a MM style bucker.

I have heard often that those old handmade BC Rich basses are killer.

Jim

 

[NoEffenPicks]

That particular bass was modified before I owned it to a MM pickup. They didn't do a perfect routing job, so when I was restoring it, I cleaned it up a bit, and fixed it up... It actually had l7 broken off strap pin screws sticking out of it from some idiot who clearly didn't know what he was doing... but I digress...

Vintage BCRs usually had split dual P pickups. Sometimes they'd put a Bill Lawrence humbucker in the bridge and sometimes both. So there was no hard fast rule. They'll all great though!

 

[Metallicat180]

NoEffenPicks - cool vid!! You look very natural and comfortable with a bass. Excellent playing from everyone!!

 

[+VictimOfTheNight+]

Was just looking at some pics on the IMOC and saw this... Don't know what the rig in the backround is but I recognize some of the gear in there....

Ever since the late 80s I've used a Trace Elliot as my preamp sound shaping and have had a distinctly Harris sound to my rig...

hmmm...

...And I wonder why I love it!

Ahhhrgh, sorry for the invasion but... I'm so envious, it would be better to be blind!!! .....