V-Bass, was Re: brotherhood of the bass

[burnett@pobox.com]

On Fri, 2 May 2003, Alex Stahl wrote:

burnett@pobox.com wrote:
> >Have you tried the Roland V-Bass? I'm using a GK-2-equipped Chapman 
>Stick
> >(and an Eagle 6-string fretless bass I installed the GK-2B that came 
>with
> >the V-Bass as my backup instrument) to drive a Roland V-Bass. Since the
> >V-Bass is related to the VG-8/88s, there's no MIDI conversion/tracking
> >issues as there are with the GR-30/GR-33 family. If you haven't tried 
>one,
> >it might be worth your time to check out one.
> 
> I just mentioned, I have a V-Bass on my electric upright and really 
> like it. I didn't know you could put the pickup on a Stick. (have an 
> old one of those too). If you wouldn't mind sharing a little more 
> info about how you got that set up, I'd really appreciate it.

Alex:

Of course: I sent my Chapman Stick to Emmet Chapman and he installed it 
for me :). There's a narrow groove he routed into the Stick body just 
below the jack end of the diagonal pickup case. The groove is horizontal 
(that is, perpendicular to the strings). The setup's sort of tricky 
because of the close tolerances I'm told.

Stick Enterprises has a page about the modified GK-2AH and its 
installation, complete with some good photos, at 

http://www.stick.com/instruments/midi/gk2a/

that will answer more of your questions than I can. 

When I walked into a Mars Music that had a Roland V-Bass system on 
display, the only adjustment I had to make to the V-Bass was to set its 
sensing from four strings to six :). 

I tend to run the output from the Stick pickups and the output from the 
V-Bass into a small mixer, or an even smaller Whirlwind ABY switchbox, in 
order to allow me to more easily mute one or the other. If you have any 
other questions, please ask, although possibly off-list as this is 
diverging from looping.

I had a local tech install the GK-2B pickup on an Eagle (sort of uncommon, 
not high end, Swedish maker) 6-string fretless bass so I'd have a backup 
GK-equipped instrument to use with the V-Bass or GR-30 - the Eagle got it 
because the other basses I have are either not designed for the GKs 
(Ashbory reissue rubberband, Zeta upright) or are notrepeatnot getting 
drilled (original Ampeg Scroll bass). 

[obLoop: used both a Headrush and a Repeater in my show last night, 
although not at the same time - just didn't work out that way.]
 
best,
Steve Burnett
Subscape Annex
http://www.subscapeannex.com/