Bill Plays Bass

Tonehunt.org is the largest online repository for Neural AMP Modeler (NAM) guitar and bass amp, pedal and full captured rigs. NAM is the first (and only?) FREE and OPEN SOURCE guitar/bass amp modeler VST plugin available. It is insane for a free plugin and the community just keeps on growing. The website has gone from 2000+ amp, pedal and IR models to over 16,000 in just EIGHT MONTHS. Crazy! Among those are over 3400 guitar and bass cab impulse responses that can be used with ANY hardware or software IR loader.

Here's a great technique using you thumb and index finger to get convincing synthesizer like bass tones. It's good for that dance type bass stuff of course but it's good for so much more. Watch this demo of how to blend technique and effects like chorus and distortion to get a cutting synth tone in the mix that will fool almost everyone. I'm using a vintage MIJ Ibanez Roadstar 2 RB760 P+J electric bass on the precision pickup with the volume and tone full out. This one has Fender flatwound strings on it. The flats aren't necessary but they hide the telltale roundwound sound and also minimize string noise.

Ever wanted to know what's inside a vintage Fender P Bass from the early 1970's ? I open this one up to reveal all things 1971 Fender Precision Bass. We take a close look at the disassembly process from neck removal, to bridge, pickguard and finally pickup removal. This is the first time I've had it apart and have wondered for some time about the originality of all of the parts on the bass. You get to come along for the ride and find out as I do. Will the body be routed for 2 extra pickups under the pickguard? Stay tuned. There's a short demo playing the bass up front as well. I think the pickup sounds great!

The amount of people out there that ruin nice guitars through mods and paint jobs is staggering. Worse yet there is a whole industry of enterprising entrepreneurs trying to sell you incredibly hideous hackjobs as "custom guitars." Sit back for a few and be prepared to laugh with me at some of the worst the Internet has to offer.

I'll show you the fundamentals you need and guide you through step by step with technique tips as well as bass and string suggestions to maximize your chance for success. I walk through Victor Wooten's amazing double thumb triplet technique in this tutorial video. I've spent nearly 80 hours so far working on my dexterity and coordination to come to grips with this incredible technique and can show you how to get there faster with my lessons learned along the way.

This is a quick tutorial on how to get your fingered notes in tune when you play a lined fretless bass like this USA Peavey marked fretless. Your finger's position is critical for you to play the notes cleanly in tune. There are also some concerns around stretches and intonation instability. Once you understand how to intonate properly, you should be able to play chords or chordal passages in tune fairly easily.

The pots in my USA made Peavey TKO 115 S amp have become really noisy and staticy over time. I tried just working the knobs back and forth with some mild improvements but still the problem was bad. You can easily repair your own by using some quality contact cleaner. This works on any potentiometer so it's great to clean up the noisy pots on guitars, basses, amps, effects, stereos , you name it. The is a really easy DIY that's cheap and quick. Always disconnect the power plug if you are servicing powered equipment.

If chords don't sound in tune when your guitar or bass open strings are tuned correctly, you need to adjust your intonation. In this video I go over how to do it yourself. You'll need an accurate tuner, the correct tool to adjust the saddles and some patience. Doing this on the DIY is not that hard and it's fulfilling to know you've done it yourself. If it's seemed daunting to you, now's the time to learn how to do it.

Blast from the past! Me playing live using a made in Japan Ibanez RB 800 bass through a Hartke 210 combo. Sound is direct to FOH from the back of the amp. Crappy camcorder video and audio from a long, long time ago. The bass is the predecessor to the Soundgear 800, a bass that really put Ibanez basses on the map for many people. This shape and the ultra thin neck on it live on with Ibanez's newest SR models today.

Today we look at how to construct and tap both major and minor chord arpeggios on an electric bass. This lesson is fairly simplistic and just to give you a starting place to creating your own compositions on even a 4 sting bass.

Cut through the mix by changing your technique. I'll show you 3 ways that you can get a really aggressive, in your face tone with your fingers. In this demo I use an Ibanez Roadstar 2 RB630 Precision bass with a fresh set of D'addario XL roundwound bass strings. It's recorded direct into a Saffire 6 USB interface by way of a Zoom G1XOn guitar processor. The processor is setup to accentuate the mids, has a ton of compression and is using a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier simulator. These things were $70 and sound great for a punchy in your face sort of tone.

Quick overview and review of WolfPak's "Polyfoam Bass Case." It's a lightweight but strong cross between a bag style case and a hardshell case. Will it protect your investment? Is it worth the price?

Fried your Markbass speaker? Need a replacement or repair? Find out everything you need to know including how much $$$ it's going to set you back.

Highest non Custom Shop Jazz Bass vs the top MIM model. Fender American Select Jazz Bass vs. MIM Flea Signature Jazz Bass Demo of 2 high end basses for their classes. The 2013 Fender American Select Jazz Bass was the top model you could buy outside of the custom shop models. The Flea Signature Jazz Bass is the most expensive MIM bass ever offered. The 2 couldn't be more different. The Select has a very modern tone even is passive mode. The Flea Jazz goes all the way for the vintage vibe with old school reverse-winding tuners, soft spoken vintage style pickups. vintage size frets and the dual concentric tone knobs. Which bass will win? It's modern vs. vintage and bling vs. vintage vibe.

Bass clash of made in Japan Ibanez Titans! Which one do you like best? One of the most legendary basses in Ibanez lore, the neck thru Musician series MC924 locks combat with the more traditional Roadstar 2 RB650. Both basses are P+J configs and both are passive in this video. There are some really interesting things to compare like: Super P4 and J4 vs. Super P5 and J4 pickups Ash vs. basswood neck through vs. bolt on Cult classic favorite vs. one that is just catching on Heavy vs. light Good vs. Evil

It's the heavyweight Ibanez beast from the East vs. Fender Zone from down Mexico way... Here's yet another bass comparison. Both are 24 fret P+J basses but after that almost everything is different. Neck type, composition, pickups, fretboards, body materials, etc. Which one will come out on top? Do you prefer the 2004 MIM Fender Active Zone Bass Deluxe or instead so you like the classic neck through 1982 MIJ Ibanez Musician MC924 4 string bass ? Like this demo? Plenty more are to come!

It's a battle of the 80's! Fender vs. Ibanez, USA vs. Japan. Who will win? Here's a side by side comparison of the same licks on 2 really nice basses. We have the premium 1983 Fender USA Precision Bass Elite II with it's awesome bridge, crazy P+P pickups and a preamp you can't adjust against a super sweet classic MIJ 1987 Roadstar II RB650 P+J passive bass. Will the Super P4 pickup be superior or is TWO split coils in the same bass enough to triumph. Only the bass Gods know...

Time for some Ibanez on Ibanez crime. Who comes out on top? YOU decide! Video 856 in a series of 42 comparing 2 completely different basses, because I can :) This video might help answer the following questions? Are Ibanez basses any good? Are the 80's RB Roadstar 2 series MIJ basses really all that? Can a cheap active bass beat out a nicer passive one? Is the pickguard on an Ibanez TMB 130 really THAT ugly (yup!) Why would you buy a bass made in Indonesia? Does basswood suck as a tone wood ? How many chucks would a would chuck chuck if he were drunk?

I put each of these basses up against each other in tone combat. Both are demo'd through a Zoom G1XOn guitar processor recorded direct to PC. This video will answer all of your questions like: Do red basses sound better? Is mahogany really something you should build a bass from? Are active electronics all that or is passive king? What does a Yamaha BBG4 bass sound like? Are Ibanez basses any good? Would you really want to own a bass made in Indonesia or Taiwan? How many hotdogs can a person eat in 5 minutes ? Any many more!

1990's Yamaha BB G4 bass demo. These are GREAT basses. The pickups sound great paired together or solo'd. The rear pickup gets that classic pronounced mids tone when you back off of the volume control and the front pickup does a pretty convincing imitation of a Fender P Bass. The bass has a narrow, Fender Jazz like neck. The body is alder with a flamed maple veneer. It has 2 single coil pickups with the traditional volume / volume / tone controls but has 24 frets. Great classic bass for little $$$ Bass is recorded direct for sound quality using my Zoom G1X0n "Brite Bass" patch.

Can you name all of the cover tunes played? I risk life and limb to battle with a Fender Squier 20th Anniversary Precision Bass that needs a new neck. How will this one sound? Is it fat and punchy or does it instead sound thin and nasal? Listen in to the demo to find out!

Human stupidity knows no bounds. Join me as I fight the criminal acts of this bass's previous owner... This bass has a completely avoidable but really annoying string buzz. Join me as I get to the bottom of this mystery on an 80's Japan Ibanez Roadstar II RB650 bass.

This is one of those impressive sounding things that could be intimidating when you are just starting out. This one though is actually pretty easy and I show you how to do it. Follow along with me as I demonstrate this slap groove. It has the obligatory thumb, pop, hammer-ons, pull-offs and some other wrinkles common to most slap bass lines. Using an 80's Ibanez RB630 bass on this one through a Zoom G1Xon guitar processor.

Quick video walk through of how to diagnose and fix the problem. In this case the bass buzzes loudly when not touching the strings and then buzzes even louder when you touch the strings, bridge or knobs. I explain how to troubleshoot with a multimeter and then fix with some soldering to the output jack.

Good features overview followed by various pick, fingerstyle and slapped riffs. 1990 (?) Fender Precision Bass Lyte demo. Really sweet bass in a gorgeous pearl red color. Features P+J pickups, active bass and treble and a high mass bridge. As the name implies, these are really easy on the back with a small contoured body made of something really lightweight. The audio with the Zoom G1XOn is a bit distorted. I created the patch to be just on the edge of breakup with a passive bass and this one just has too much output. Need to make an active version that's harder to clip on these high output basses. Overall I think this is a really nice MIJ Fender good for traditional stuff as well as more in your face tones.