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Tech Tips

inSync Tech Tips cover over 3,800 music and audio topics spanning 15 years of technological development. Look here to find answers to your tech questions, cool tips and tools for making music, and more.

Bass Tech Tips

Feb 9 2011, 12:00 AM

Making the Most Out of Mishaps

At a recent recording session, the upright bass player was also using an amplifier to make his instrument louder. We had a condenser mic on the bass itself and a dynamic mic on the amp. Unfortunately, the bass player moved his bass away from the instrument mic, which ended up basically... Read more »
Jan 7 2011, 12:00 AM

Cool Tool: Scratch Pads

With the holidays past, many of us are cradling brand-new guitars and basses received as gifts (either from others or from ourselves)! Unless your new axe is a "relic," you're probably going to want to keep it safe from getting banged up as much as you can. One of the big causes of scratches on... Read more »
Dec 28 2010, 12:00 AM

Low Humidity in the Winter

It's not just low humidity that causes problems in the cold winter months. The dramatic temperature changes as a guitar or bass is taken from a warm house or studio into a cold car then into another warm destination can wreak havoc on the instrument's finish. What happens is that the wooden... Read more »
Dec 2 2010, 12:00 AM

Straps & Lacquer

We've mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating occasionally to ensure the message gets out. Certain guitar and bass straps do not get along well with certain types of finishes, particularly nitrocellulose lacquer. To keep your instrument looking its best, remove the strap when you're not... Read more »
Sep 28 2010, 12:00 AM

Finding the Optimal Pickup Height

There is definitely a "sweet spot" in terms of proximity to the strings for a guitar or bass's pickup height. This was made abundantly clear to the inSync Tech Tip of the Day crew when we were at the PRS Experience 2010 open house at Paul Reed Smith Guitars. Guitarist extraordinaire David... Read more »
Aug 2 2010, 12:00 AM

Bass String Length

Q: On my new bass, the part of the strings that are wrapped with thread is resting on the bridge. Is this correct? A: No, generally, you don't want the wrapped part of the string to be resting on the bridge or the nut of the bass. The wrap will affect the string's tone, dynamics, and sustain... Read more »
May 21 2010, 12:00 AM

Using Auralex GRAMMA and Great Gramma

Trying to control the amount of "boominess" on stage from bass guitar, kick drum, big guitar amps, synth basses, and the like? Call your Gramma! The Auralex GRAMMA and Great GRAMMA (the Great Gramma is sized for bigger rigs, up to 300lbs.)4, that is. These two units are isolation platforms... Read more »
Dec 9 2009, 12:00 AM

Cool Tool Alert

Guitar and bass players who use wireless systems face a disturbing issue: what the heck do you do with the transmitter? Usually there's a clip that will sorta attach it to your strap or belt, but we have a better solution, the Levy's MM4! The MM4 holds your wireless transmitter securely in... Read more »
Sep 25 2009, 12:00 AM

Guitarists, Bassists: Are you sure you’re hearing your tone?

The question may sound silly, but it should be a legit concern. You've spent time picking out your axe, your amp, and choice stompboxes — but one common problem may be keeping your tone from truly shining. So here's the big question: Is your amp sitting directly on the floor? True, the... Read more »
Sep 11 2009, 12:00 AM

Proper Lighting

Cleaning, polishing, or buffing a guitar or bass finish to restore its shine or to remove scratches? The best light we've found for examining the surface is indirect sunlight. We don't know why, but haze, swirling, tiny scratches, fingerprints, and other finish problems seem to show up better... Read more »
Aug 12 2009, 12:00 AM

Guitar Star?

Q: I read on a site that, to control noise and hum from a single-coil guitar, I should rewire it with star grounding. Is this true? A: Star grounding is a scheme where each component is connected directly to a central ground point. Since each item only has one path to ground, the possibility... Read more »
Jun 9 2009, 12:00 AM

Save It All

With today's input-laden DAW systems, there's no reason not capture as much information during a session as you can — though you may never need the extra tracks, it's sure nice to have them around as safeties, as references, or as additional options during editing and mixdown. Examples... Read more »
Jun 8 2009, 12:00 AM

Cool Tool Alert

Who wants to waste time changing strings? All that tedious cranking of tuners...if you've got better things to do with you time, check out this little beauty from Ernie Ball: the PowerPeg, a motorized peg winder that is said to reduce the time required to change strings by up to 70 percent. The... Read more »
May 26 2009, 12:00 AM

Easy Adjustments and Mic Placement

Deciding on the best place for a microphone on an electric guitar or bass cabinet can be numbingly boring for a player - having to repeat a lick over and over while the engineer tries to find the best spot. If you're both the player and the engineer, it can be even more difficult, trying to be... Read more »
Apr 23 2009, 12:00 AM

Soldering The Ground

If you do any work at all involving the internal electronics in guitars or basses, sooner or later you'll probably need to solder a ground connection to the back of a potentiometer (volume or tone control). This procedure should help: 1. Sand or scrape the metal surface of the back of the pot... Read more »
Mar 20 2009, 12:00 AM

Nut Slot Depth

Q: There is a lot of material above the strings on my guitar where they pass through the nut. Should they be buried in the nut like this? A: Opinions vary, but many techs recommend that, after cutting the nut slots to the proper depth, the excess material at the top of the nut be removed so... Read more »
Jan 26 2009, 12:00 AM

Tuning Stability

For the best guitar or bass tuning stability, always tune the string UP to pitch. This reduces problems with slack that can result if you tune down to pitch. If the string is tuned higher than the target pitch or if you overshoot the target pitch when tuning up, drop the pitch of the string... Read more »
Jan 23 2009, 12:00 AM

It’s That Time of Year

In many parts of the country, winter can be one of the worst seasons for the well being of musical instruments made of wood, which, of course, includes most acoustic and electric guitars and basses. Winter generally results in very low humidity levels, a problem that can be exacerbated by... Read more »
Jan 7 2009, 12:00 AM

Preventing Checking

Winter is a hazardous time for guitar and bass finishes - if your instrument lives anywhere that the temperature varies substantially, and your instrument is subjected to those changes - such as when being transported in a cold vehicle on the way to a warm gig - then it is in danger of... Read more »
Dec 26 2008, 12:00 AM

Viva la (Jazz Bass) Resistance

Q: A while back, you gave guitar players the correct DC resistance of Stratocaster pickups. For us bass players, what would be the correct DC resistance for a set of vintage late-1960s Fender Jazz Bass pickups? A: For a late-'60s or early-'70s Jazz Bass, the bridge pickup should read somewhere... Read more »

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