Daede Speaks

An Unexpected Development: The Gretsch

2011-01-11T10:41:00.003-05:00

Over the weekend, I was in Guitar Center trying to demo some pedals, since tax season is coming up and I'll have some cash to burn. While I was there, I saw this bright orange Gretsch bass sitting amongst the basses with a price tag on it that just couldn't be right (normally, you can't touch a Gretsch bass for less than $1800 and they average $2700. This one was new for $800). I drove home as fast as I could get away with and hit the interwebs to look this baby up.

Nothing.
Nothing on Gretsch's website.
Nothing on Guitar Center's website.
Nothing on Google (WTF?!?)...

...except one tiny little 2-page thread on TalkBass about it.

According to the guys on TB, this bass was produced in very limited quantity (between 75 and 250 or so) in Korea by Gretsch specifically for a Guitar Center promo. Once built, they were shipped one-to-a-store to several (but nowhere close to all) Guitar Center locations across the US. This is what's called a 'doorbuster tactic', as the existence of this oddity of a bass is supposed to get you into your local GC where a sales associate can promptly raid your pocket.

Considering the very limited run of this bass together with the fact that I've always wanted a Gretsch but could never afford one, I just could not in good conscience leave this thing sitting all lonely-like in Guitar Center. I worked a little magic and made $800 appear out of thin air, went to GC, and bought it. I might not be getting any pedals at tax time like I had planned, but I don't think I'll mind much. Besides, who needs pedals when you can create the tones this beauty puts out?

Seriously, if you're reading this and there's one of these at your local GC, GO BUY IT. You will NOT be disappointed! Literally overnight, this has become my 'go to' bass.

The Squier Project: Fingerboard Phase Complete

2010-12-31T02:27:00.002-05:00

So, I ordered a set of roman numeral Mother-of-Pearl/Abalone vinyl inlay decals from Creative Cuts. When they arrived, I sanded the fingerboard, placed the inlays, let them set and masked off the rest of the neck.

When I started the project, I was using Minwax Clear Gloss spray-on finish. The first thing I did was put on far too-thick coats, which resulted in bubbles that didn't auto-level and severe gathering at the edges of the inlays.

After about 3 hours of sanding and backpedaling, I started applying much thinner coats, tack-sanding between them. After 24 coats and I can't even estimate how much sanding with 1500grit sandpaper and 0000 steel wool, I still had buzz at several frets on the A and D strings because the inlays (even sanded to their actual surface) were still raised above the rest of the fingerboard.

At this point, I decided to rethink my strategy. I headed to the hardware store and bought a can of brush-on Minwax Clear Gloss Polyurethane, a few foam brushes, an X-Acto knife, and some painters tape. I taped off the neck, again, and then went through the process of masking off each of the inlays. Once that was done, I put a fairly thick coat of poly down with a 2" foam brush, waited for it to level some, then smoothed/evened the finish out again with the 2" brush (pooling poly is easier to deal with after it's set for 20 minutes, you can get it to spread evenly and stay in place across a mildly radius'd surface).

About six hours later, I lightly sanded the entire fingerboard smooth with 0000 steel wool and applied another coat of poly, this one not quite as thick. Before it could dry too much, I pulled up the painters tape from the inlays, so I wouldn't have to fight with them once everything had dried. Once everything HAD dried, I did what I thought was enough sanding, put the axe back together, restrung it, and gave it a try. CATASTROPHE. The exact same buzz was present that I experienced earlier. I was just about to rip the decals off altogether and call it quits, when my friend Samantha talked me into doing a little more sanding.

I'm not sure about a little more sanding... ...I think I sanded for 2-3 hours with 1500grit sandpaper and 0000 steel wool (then another 40 minutes buffing with a silk shirt), but it worked! The guitar now looks and sounds absolutely amazing! Once the strings are tuned up properly there is no buzz at all, and the tone is warm, rich, and full of 'mwah'.

There's a lot of talk on talkbass.com about using an Epoxy system over Polyurethane because it dries much harder. I opted for polyurethane specifically because it dries a little softer. I was hoping that the slightly softer fingerboard would add some warmth and 'mwah', since the fingerboard was plastic and sounded like plastic (not that it was a bad sound..Quite the contrary, it sounded pretty good, especially when the gloss was sanded off). The poly had the desired effect, and the tones are much fuller and richer now than they were before I started this project.

I'm very pleased with how this phase of the project has turned out, and I can't wait to start on the custom pickguard :)

The Squier Project Continues

2010-12-24T01:14:00.001-05:00

So, the Squier has been here for a while, and has started to undergo some significant changes. It's had a BadAss Bass II bridge on it for about a week, now. What a great upgrade! For such meh tuners, the sustain has improved considerably, and the differences in tone and resonance are like night and day from the flimsy Squier bridge.

When I got it, I ultimately decided against sanding the fingerboard. That decision has been repealed. I decided to order some Mother-of-Pearl/Black Pearl (could be Abalone, couldn't tell from the pictures (but they sure do look good)) Roman Numeral Block inlays for it. They're actually vinyl, and I got to thinking that regardless of how thin they are, that's going to mess with a fretless during slides (and, aren't slides the whole reason we go fretless? C'mon, I play bass, too; you can be honest ;)).

The solution is pretty simple: Polyurethane. I was cleaning the neck on my Geddy when it dawned on me; There has to be over 500 coats of polyurethane on that maple fingerboard. That's a big part of what makes it feel so fast. Polyurethane would also eliminate any unnatural rises on the fingerboard after a 1/32inch coat, as well as protect the inlays and preserve their color and appeal forever. Well, the Geddy sounds AMAZING... ...So, what's good for the goose is good for the gander, right?

Time to find out! The first step is pretty obvious. I don't want to lay these inlays down over a gloss black fingerboard with scuffs here and there and string-wear marks on it. The only thing I never really liked about this axe was the appearance of the fingerboard, so this works out famously. Some 400grit sandpaper, some tack-cloth, some air duster, a lot of patience, even more attention to detail, and a Philips screwdriver later and I've got something to be rather proud of. The sanded fingerboard gives a matte look that looks a LOT more like real Ebony. At least while there's no polyurethane on it, it seems to have something of a warmer sound, too... ...Just a little more 'mwah', if you will :)

The next step, of course, will come when the inlays get in. The inlays I'm using will have I, III, V, VII, IX, XII, XV, XVII, & XIX in either Black Pearl or Abalone (can't tell from the picture, myself, what do you think?) set inside Mother-of-Pearl blocks at the respective frets. Once placed in, they will keep their transfer tape while I apply enough polyurethane to bring the surface of the fingerboard level with the inlays. At that point, I'll remove the transfer tape and start applying polyurethane over the entire surface of the fingerboard (sanding and cleaning between all coats, of course, with 800-1000grit sandpaper and tack cloth until the entire fingerboard is level, smooth, and between 1/32inch and 1/16inch higher than it was when I started.

The end result should be a beautiful, smooth surface that plays fast as hell and now has gorgeous inlays. At some point in time, when I've done a LOT more research on shaping necks, I'll shape the neck and give it a satin finish. I have plans for the body and headstock that will stay secret for now. Baby steps and all that... ...I'll post pictures of it when the inlays are in and the neck is properly glossed and back on the guitar. Stay tuned!

The Fretless Is In

2010-12-14T02:47:00.001-05:00

I ordered it Wednesday, and it arrived on Friday. A quick trip to the local music store gave it a set of flat-wound Fender Lights, and a bad-ass bright yellow strap with "POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS" woven into it in huge black letters.

Once I got it set up properly and strung up with a set of decent flat-wounds, it came to life in a big way. The Duncan Designed pickups are deep, rich, and offer a wide range of tonal options through individual volume pots and a master tone control. For such a shabby bridge (really, Squier, eww. How could you sign off on that bridge?), the sustain is around 40 seconds if you pluck the e string just less than hard enough to pull it out of tune. By way of comparison, plucking the Geddy half as hard results in around 2 minutes of sustain. All-in-all, it's a great guitar for the price, and I'd recommend it to anyone. The days of avoiding Squier like the black plague are finally gone :)

When I get around to it, I plan to upgrade the bridge to a Leo Quan BadAss Bass II and change the string spacing (whoever grooves saddles at the Squier Indonesia shop should schedule an eye exam). I also plan to upgrade the tuners on it to the ones on the Geddy when I upgrade the Geddy's tuners to HipShot Precision tuners. I was originally going to craft a clear lexan pickguard for it like I have on the Geddy, but the sunburst has really grown on me, and I think I'll leave it like it is. I quite fancy this guitar. I'm really impressed with what I got for the money. Go Squier!

Incoming: Squier Vintage Modified Fretless Jazz Bass

2010-12-07T01:23:00.001-05:00

This past weekend I managed to make it up to Guitar Center. I went in with the intention of playing 4 or 5 fretless basses, and got to actually play one. The only fretless bass in the place was an Indonesian-crafted Squier Vintage Modified Fretless jazz.

My very first bass was a Squier P-Bass I bought from a pawn shop, and I hated it. It hurt my hands to play, sounded flat, had no real tone control to speak of, went out of tune constantly, and hissed. As a result of this, I have avoided Squier like the plague since I've gotten back into music. Playing this bass was a real slap in my shit-talker.

What an AMAZING instrument! I mean, you get what you pay for. But, sometimes you get more! Sure, this bass has cheap tuners, a tin-foil bridge with chrome-plated saddles, and may or may not come with fret buzz because the inlaid position markers have not been properly filed down. It also boasts deep, rich, full-sounding Duncan Designs JB101 passive pickups, a remarkably fast neck for the price, one of the most durable fingerboards on the market, and a small, lightweight, attractive body.

It's not going to take long to turn this into an exceptional instrument. The first thing I plan to do is take a 1000-grain sandpaper and gently sand down the fingerboard. Not only will this eliminate any fret buzz from improperly cut inlays, but it will also give the fingerboard a genuine ebony look and a slightly softened sound (I think it increases mwah). Next, I plan to install a pickguard just like the one on my Geddy (complete with lexan control panel), a Leo Quan BadAss Bass II bridge, D'Addario Chromes flatwound strings, and HipShot precision tuners. I also plan to drill through the body once the BadAss Bass II is installed, and throw in a set of HipShot ferrules for multiple stringing options. After a couple months of playing, I'll decide whether or not I want to do any filing on the neck and nut. I have to say: my Geddy has me pretty spoiled :)

All in all, I'm very excited to be bringing this new bass into my home, and I can't wait to see how we get along. If we manage to get along half as well as the Geddy and I do, I'll consider the endeavor a roaring success.

Sometimes You Gotta Let It Slide

2010-12-01T23:03:00.000-05:00

So, recently I've been playing with a Dunlop Pyrex slide, trying to see what range of sound I can get out of it, and how it can be applied to the music I want to play. I can't help but notice there aren't a lot of bass players fond of using a slide, and I think that's a shame. The sound is deep, and gives what you're playing a country-bluesy feeling. Depending on your attack, you can range your slide technique from a whispering hum to the sound of a dozen bright little springs, snapping sharply in turn.

Lately, I've been playing Gnarls Barkley's Gone Daddy Gone, The B-52's Rock Lobster, Gorillaz' On Melancholy Hill, and a solo I've been working on with the Dunlop slide, and I've been getting some really good feedback from it :) I'll post a couple videos soon.

A Modern Day Warrior, Mean Mean Bass Line

2010-11-30T21:09:00.001-05:00

When I started playing a few months ago, I would have never thought I'd be ready to take on a Rush song at this point. But here I sit, about 2/3 of the way through Tom Sawyer :) Geddy Lee is truly one of the greatest bass players in the history of rock. The fact that he manages to sing, play bass AND play keyboard in this song is testament enough to his greatness :) I'll post a video of me covering Tom Sawyer when I feel I've got it down well enough to warrant recording.

Gnarls Barkley: Transformer & Gone Daddy Gone

2010-11-30T00:05:00.000-05:00

I've been playing with some Gnarls Barkley songs for some time, now. While they're generally simple to learn, they're not quite so easy to get the timing and feeling right on. The Live @ Abbey Road version of Transformer has no bass tab, so I've been figuring it out by ear. I don't have a fretless or an upright, so the actual bass line is out of my reach, but I think I've managed to put together something that sounds pretty good. I'm playing Gone Daddy Gone with a slide, and I really like how it's turning out. I'll post videos of both of these songs, soon.

The SUDDEN Influence of Led Zeppelin

2010-11-29T23:24:00.003-05:00

I consider myself to be something of a music buff, so as much as I'd like to make an excuse for never sitting down and actually listening to some Led Zeppelin, I just can't. I am happy to say, however, that the situation has been rectified. Upon hearing me say I didn't have much exposure to Zep, my good friend Sam came over and had me sit through 25 or so of her favorite songs about a month ago. I have to say, I was blown away...

All the Led Zeppelin I had heard on the radio was either very folksy or just good rock. The trip Sam took me on was very different, and very very bluesy. We started with When the Levee Breaks and wound our way through a lot of amazing music, both popular and obscure (or as obscure as you can get when dealing with Led Zeppelin), ending on her favorite (and I have to say, I think it's mine as well), Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You. By the time it was all said and done, I was excited and inspired, and at the same time discouraged and intimidated. On the one hand, this is EXACTLY the music I want to play: Blues with a nice electric/rock feel to it. On the other hand, how does one go about trying to stack up to John Paul Jones? We're talking about one of the best bass players to have ever lived, if not the very best.

Well, it took a couple weeks, but I think I've managed to work my way through their entire catalog. With the help of a couple of friends, I've crafted a list of Led Zeppelin songs that I will be learning over the coming months.

Without further adieu, here they are:

Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You
You Shook Me
Dazed and Confused
Whole Lotta Love
Gallows Pole
Black Dog
When the Levee Breaks
What Is and What Should Never Be

I have no idea how long it's going to take me to learn these songs, but I plan to start on at least three of them in earnest this week. I swear, I just keep shaking my head wondering how in the hell I managed to make it 35 years without getting a good earful of Led Zeppelin....

Gorillaz: Incoming

2010-11-29T19:28:00.003-05:00

Over the next few days, I'm going to post several videos of me covering various Gorillaz songs that I love. I consider the Gorillaz to be one of my primary musical influences. The first song I ever learned to play straight through (though I don't consider it complex enough to count for much) was Stylo. I had it down about 2 days after I got my bass, when I still had no understanding of how music works.

Here's a list of what I'll be covering:

Dirty Harry - Great bass line, very challenging slides at the end during Rakim's verse
Feel Good Inc. - Another great bass line. Murdoc plays it 3 or 4 different ways during the video, I've got two of them down pretty good. As Murdoc would say, it's good enough for Jazz :)
Clint Eastwood - Very simple bass line, great song. This is the one that put Gorillaz on the map
Stylo - Amazing song. I'm really liking Plastic Beach. Simple bass line, I may funk it up some
On Melancholy Hill - I play this with a slide for a little added dynamics. This is the first song I was ever able to play and sing at the same time :)

So, yeah, expect to see some Gorillaz covers in the near future.

Sublime - April 29th 1992 Bass Cover

2010-11-29T19:01:00.002-05:00

This is by far my favorite Sublime song. I was incredibly happy when I got it down proper. Since then, I've started fucking with it, and this is where I'm at, now. I think it sounds pretty damn good, and I get a lot of good comments on it. Enjoy :)

Toadies - Possum Kingdom Bass Cover

2010-11-29T18:57:00.002-05:00

This is pretty much the first song of any complexity I learned to play all the way through. While fairly simple, the song features a constantly shifting time signature that'll throw you off quickly if you're not paying attention.

Great White - House of Broken Love Bass Cover

2010-11-29T18:49:00.003-05:00

I'd been practicing this song for a few weeks when I recorded this. All in all, I'm happy with my progress on the bass. This song has a lot of soul and it comes across well. Goddamn, I love this guitar!

The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black Bass Cover

2010-11-29T18:46:00.003-05:00

This was recorded about two days after initially learning the song. Fairly easy song to learn and a timeless classic by The Stones. Enjoy :)