I can't believe he can use a .125 for the low G#. I use the same bass as him, and I need a .135 to even get enough tension on the low G# for my tuner to be able to pick it up. And even then, it still feels like it barely has enough tension to stay seated in the nut and the bridge saddle. lol
@@howler9171dude I use a 165T daddario for a B and a 135 for D standard. I like the tension real tight so the string stays more or less in one spot. When they’re nice and tight I can hit it hard and not worry about inconsistencies. And the fundamental of the notes hit so much harder in the sub
@@stevenhirsekorn3444 I'm in a band playing in drop C now and I use a .125 on the bottom. It's pretty much perfect I've gone back to using 4-strings now but I still buy 5 string sets and ditch the fourth string. It actually works pretty well and has balanced tension across the neck. Standard string sets in standard tuning are super unbalanced and twist the hell out of people's necks. The high strings are usually around 50 pounds of tension and the bottom strings are around 30. Going 125-85-65-45 for C-G-C-F gives me an even 40 pounds on each string. My bass plays better than it ever has and it shows in the songs. If I ever wanted to go back to using 5-ers and keep the balanced tension thing going, I'd need a .165 on the bottom for an A. If I wanted to go G-C-G-C-F probably a .175 but I don't even know if anyone makes those
Most excellent, good sir thank you! Very light Low B however everyone is different so all is cool. I have a 145 on my B that gets a little floppy when down to A.
Awesome love the in depth look at Alex's instruments. I'm luck enough to own two of his signature models and I love them to death. I was curious what his solution to the tone capsule set was I have a spector legend with that preamp and opted for a stacked volume knob set up. By my basses definitely don't see the amount of work his do. Thanks again can't wait for the next 3 installments.
Hey Scooter, just wondering what tool you use for string action, is it from stew Mac? Thanks for all the quality gear videos, it’s helped with learning how to maintain my own gear.
Great bass! I wanna do the exact Samen Setup 1 volume and the DG TC with the SD Hammer S. Pickups... do you have a wiring diagram for this? Im a sucker in figure it out how to do it.... btw, i love your videos ;)
It seems pretty simple just follow the 2 volume pot install but instead hardwire both pickups to one volume pot then send the lead from that to the Tone Capsule.. Doing this with my spector 4 string soon.
Alex Cotton - Funny you should say that. I'll be posting some Hate Eternal content next week in conjunction with the release of their new album, "Upon Desolate Sands". Stay tuned...
Alex is an even better bass player than what you see him to in C.C. he could easily be a session player for any type of music you wanted . Including Lou Graham style .
Many players are awesome musicians outside of their main gigs. That's why they are taken to be part in high ranking bands, even people that you don't see to be any special, as some dudes from the 80s hard rock or metal scene, like Danger Danger, they came from berklee and the bass player is a sesion musician🤷♂️
@@Hellion73 I don't want to sound arrogant but yet I have listened to Danger Danger as well. First 2 albums were amazing . Andy Timmons is one of the best axemen in the game and very few know it . Also music took over my life since 1995 . I've performed in multiple bands . All to say a lot of people will surprise you . So you're right .
You do really nice, good looking work Scooter. Super job on the battery box, I guess they figure the plastic won’t break because that’s all you can get. I like your way of connecting the pots together with hard line, I usually make a brass plate the same size as the interior and use it for a ground but that takes time. I have a quick question about the preamp pots. When you opened the pack it was a bit hard to see but the pots looked like those smaller potentiometers that, well, I’ve had issues with them in the past. I was just wondering how hardened the preamp circuitry was. So many developers are using the screw-in connectors now, if they don’t have any blue locktite on them, I put a little bit on the screw connectors. Can’t wait for the next videos, love seeing real tour guitars!
Buddy Martin - Thanks very much for the kind remarks. Alex has many fans who are interested in his tools. And I'm happy to hold back the curtain a bit and let them see. I truly wish that ESP would make their nice metal battery holders more available to the public. They are really nice, but hard to find and expensive. That solid wire ground bus is my favorite method for that task. It works well and is very reliable. I feel more confident in the Tone Capsule screw terminal than other solderless connection methods I have worked with.
99% of them are plastic. Which means they are fragile. Which means they WILL break. So, just pickup one. If you do not have experience with a router, it's best left to a professional.
brossachiott - Sorry for the delay in responding. Here is the response from Mr Alex Webster : " I started using the Darkglass Tone Capsule in 2015. Also, if anyone is interested, when I started working with Seymour Duncan on my signature pickups I had the Tone Capsule in mind, and wanted to be sure they would work great together (which they do, in my opinion). I have a Spector Tone Pump in my blue Spector Euro 5 (which is technically the 2nd Spector I've owned, in the 90's I had an "SSD" Euro 4 string that I sold, maybe in 2001 or around then). I think I bought the blue Spector in 2002 or 2003. I used that blue Spector for a lot of recording: with CC it's on "The Wretched Spawn", "Kill" (at least I'm pretty sure it's on "Kill", can't remember with complete certainty), "Evisceration Plague", and "A Skeletal Domain", and it's also the bass I've used for all of the Blotted Science recordings and for the Conquering Dystopia album as well. I've also used it for a few guest recordings with other artists like Jerry Outlaw and Nader Sadek. So even though I don't use the Tone Pump live it's actually made a lot of appearances on recordings I've done."
Black Magic. 🤘😎. Not really. I use an industrial 3M double stick which is generally utilized by sign companies to adhere signs to outdoor fixtures. What this means is that it isn't going anywhere.
Hey Scooter, did you ever work on one of Pat's old B.C. Rich guitars, the neck had apparently broken off and was glued back on? Just wondering if that was your work or somewhere else in Tampa.
Joe Jane - Pat was planning on having me work on that guitar, but we never got around to it. As I recall it was sent back to BC Rich to be repaired and they either never got around to it or Pat didn't like it when it returned. I don't recall which.
I may fill in, they are. And yes, from there you could hook up the pickups as provided in the instructions of the BTS (2x Volume & BTS, or the whole system)
Lord Kickass - well, firstly the radius is that of the frets, not the body. Second, like any woodworking that requires a curve, you get out the protractor and get it done. What you have to understand primarily is that in my videos I show what I do but not necessarily how I do it.
@Grandville guitars What is the purpose for the speed ramp? Is it just for a place to rest the thumb or does it serve some other purpose? Im thinking maybe it helps the strings to not hit the pick- ups, cause its might be just a little taller than the pick ups? I sometimes have that problem cause of playing with a pick when I attack the strings hard it causes the stings to hit the pick -ups. So i lowered them abit. I got a new Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass; that i have to have a proper setup on it. Thanks for the videos. Cheers
Charles Baker - Thanks for the kind remarks. As mentioned in one of the clips, the speed ramp is mostly there for thumb support in more positions than just the two pickups. It's "Granville", BTW.
He is an awesome bass player
9:51 it's, it's coming OOOUUT!!
Just look at that beauty! Anyone would wanna play after seeing this bass 😍
I love that Alex uses "light" strings for A and G# tunings.
Probably because it helps his gallop techniques.
I can't believe he can use a .125 for the low G#. I use the same bass as him, and I need a .135 to even get enough tension on the low G# for my tuner to be able to pick it up. And even then, it still feels like it barely has enough tension to stay seated in the nut and the bridge saddle. lol
@@howler9171 there are many elements for this to work, good pre amp, pickups, length of the scale, strings material...
@@howler9171dude I use a 165T daddario for a B and a 135 for D standard. I like the tension real tight so the string stays more or less in one spot. When they’re nice and tight I can hit it hard and not worry about inconsistencies. And the fundamental of the notes hit so much harder in the sub
@@stevenhirsekorn3444 I'm in a band playing in drop C now and I use a .125 on the bottom. It's pretty much perfect I've gone back to using 4-strings now but I still buy 5 string sets and ditch the fourth string. It actually works pretty well and has balanced tension across the neck. Standard string sets in standard tuning are super unbalanced and twist the hell out of people's necks. The high strings are usually around 50 pounds of tension and the bottom strings are around 30. Going 125-85-65-45 for C-G-C-F gives me an even 40 pounds on each string. My bass plays better than it ever has and it shows in the songs.
If I ever wanted to go back to using 5-ers and keep the balanced tension thing going, I'd need a .165 on the bottom for an A. If I wanted to go G-C-G-C-F probably a .175 but I don't even know if anyone makes those
Most excellent, good sir thank you! Very light Low B however everyone is different so all is cool. I have a 145 on my B that gets a little floppy when down to A.
Are you playing a Spector?
Incredible bass setup.
THANKYOU FOR THIS!!!
It's my pleasure. Glad you like it. Stand by...more to come.
geat!!! I think it's very useful video for bass players))) will be waiting for other parts!
Awesome love the in depth look at Alex's instruments. I'm luck enough to own two of his signature models and I love them to death. I was curious what his solution to the tone capsule set was I have a spector legend with that preamp and opted for a stacked volume knob set up. By my basses definitely don't see the amount of work his do. Thanks again can't wait for the next 3 installments.
Now that’s how you start a video
I’m not even bassist, but wow these are some killer basses
Yes! Finally some more CC instruments!
These setup videos are awesome! would love to see more when the new cannibal record comes out
Can't think of a better way to introduce this video.
Thanks for the video! Liked the setup insights. Can you by any chance tell if this 0.05" action was the same on the last fret as it was on the 12th?
Thanks for watching. That was six years ago, but likely it got higher as you go up.
Hey Scooter, just wondering what tool you use for string action, is it from stew Mac? Thanks for all the quality gear videos, it’s helped with learning how to maintain my own gear.
I use the Stewart MacDonald Action gauge with a capo installed OVER the first fret. Not behind it.
Great bass! I wanna do the exact Samen Setup 1 volume and the DG TC with the SD Hammer S. Pickups... do you have a wiring diagram for this? Im a sucker in figure it out how to do it.... btw, i love your videos ;)
It seems pretty simple just follow the 2 volume pot install but instead hardwire both pickups to one volume pot then send the lead from that to the Tone Capsule.. Doing this with my spector 4 string soon.
Hey scooter, from what I understand you also work on the ironbirds used by Erik Rutan. Any chance we can see them on the bench someday?
Alex Cotton - Funny you should say that. I'll be posting some Hate Eternal content next week in conjunction with the release of their new album, "Upon Desolate Sands". Stay tuned...
Alex is an even better bass player than what you see him to in C.C. he could easily be a session player for any type of music you wanted . Including Lou Graham style .
Many players are awesome musicians outside of their main gigs. That's why they are taken to be part in high ranking bands, even people that you don't see to be any special, as some dudes from the 80s hard rock or metal scene, like Danger Danger, they came from berklee and the bass player is a sesion musician🤷♂️
@@Hellion73 I don't want to sound arrogant but yet I have listened to Danger Danger as well. First 2 albums were amazing . Andy Timmons is one of the best axemen in the game and very few know it . Also music took over my life since 1995 . I've performed in multiple bands . All to say a lot of people will surprise you . So you're right .
You do really nice, good looking work Scooter. Super job on the battery box, I guess they figure the plastic won’t break because that’s all you can get. I like your way of connecting the pots together with hard line, I usually make a brass plate the same size as the interior and use it for a ground but that takes time. I have a quick question about the preamp pots. When you opened the pack it was a bit hard to see but the pots looked like those smaller potentiometers that, well, I’ve had issues with them in the past. I was just wondering how hardened the preamp circuitry was. So many developers are using the screw-in connectors now, if they don’t have any blue locktite on them, I put a little bit on the screw connectors. Can’t wait for the next videos, love seeing real tour guitars!
Buddy Martin - Thanks very much for the kind remarks. Alex has many fans who are interested in his tools. And I'm happy to hold back the curtain a bit and let them see. I truly wish that ESP would make their nice metal battery holders more available to the public. They are really nice, but hard to find and expensive. That solid wire ground bus is my favorite method for that task. It works well and is very reliable. I feel more confident in the Tone Capsule screw terminal than other solderless connection methods I have worked with.
Thanks so much, this is all great to know!
Hi I have a Spector Rebop 5 and I am wanting to install a double battery box which brand and size would be good for a spector
99% of them are plastic. Which means they are fragile. Which means they WILL break. So, just pickup one. If you do not have experience with a router, it's best left to a professional.
Hey Scooter, thx for that video ! Do you know when has Alex started using Darkglass capsule preamp ? Has he ever used the original Spector Tonepump ?
brossachiott - Sorry for the delay in responding.
Here is the response from Mr Alex Webster :
" I started using the Darkglass Tone Capsule in 2015.
Also, if anyone is interested, when I started working with Seymour Duncan on my signature pickups I had the Tone Capsule in mind, and wanted to be sure they would work great together (which they do, in my opinion).
I have a Spector Tone Pump in my blue Spector Euro 5 (which is technically the 2nd Spector I've owned, in the 90's I had an "SSD" Euro 4 string that I sold, maybe in 2001 or around then). I think I bought the blue Spector in 2002 or 2003. I used that blue Spector for a lot of recording: with CC it's on "The Wretched Spawn", "Kill" (at least I'm pretty sure it's on "Kill", can't remember with complete certainty), "Evisceration Plague", and "A Skeletal Domain", and it's also the bass I've used for all of the Blotted Science recordings and for the Conquering Dystopia album as well. I've also used it for a few guest recordings with other artists like Jerry Outlaw and Nader Sadek. So even though I don't use the Tone Pump live it's actually made a lot of appearances on recordings I've done."
@@GranvilleGuitars Wow ! Thank you VERY much for that great answer !
Now I guess I'll have to grab a Tone capsule and a set of Hammer Smashed Bass ;)
How are the ramps secured on the basses? I don't see any screws or adhesive.
Black Magic. 🤘😎. Not really.
I use an industrial 3M double stick which is generally utilized by sign companies to adhere signs to outdoor fixtures.
What this means is that it isn't going anywhere.
@@GranvilleGuitars Or attach small architectural details on high-rise buildings. It's incredible stuff.
So the ramp is permanently attached?
@@sethnicholls7861 no it can be removed without damaging the finish on the bass to repair the speed ramp if need be.
What is tonewood of the wing of bass?
Alder or maple?
Hey Scooter, did you ever work on one of Pat's old B.C. Rich guitars, the neck had apparently broken off and was glued back on? Just wondering if that was your work or somewhere else in Tampa.
Joe Jane - Pat was planning on having me work on that guitar, but we never got around to it. As I recall it was sent back to BC Rich to be repaired and they either never got around to it or Pat didn't like it when it returned. I don't recall which.
3:58 "I'll do the fingering"
Exelent
memo Chazarreta - Thanks very much for tuning in...
Hey Scooter, are the Hammer Smashed Bass set Quik-Connect like EMG and would they work with the EMG preamps like a BTS etc?
I may fill in, they are. And yes, from there you could hook up the pickups as provided in the instructions of the BTS (2x Volume & BTS, or the whole system)
Hey will you be setting up Rob and Pat's guitars aswell?
Silly question Scooter why capo for the string action?
Aaron Mifsud - This is done to remove the nut as a factor when adjusting action height.
why 18 volts? It is the amp that really deals with the final output power
Fernando Ramoa - 18 volts provides higher headroom and a more lively feel. Don't knock it until you've tried it.
How did you measure the radius of the body and then apply it into making the speed ramp?
Lord Kickass - well, firstly the radius is that of the frets, not the body.
Second, like any woodworking that requires a curve, you get out the protractor and get it done.
What you have to understand primarily is that in my videos I show what I do but not necessarily how I do it.
@Grandville guitars What is the purpose for the speed ramp? Is it just for a place to rest the thumb or does it serve some other purpose? Im thinking maybe it helps the strings to not hit the pick- ups, cause its might be just a little taller than the pick ups? I sometimes have that problem cause of playing with a pick when I attack the strings hard it causes the stings to hit the pick -ups. So i lowered them abit. I got a new Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass; that i have to have a proper setup on it. Thanks for the videos. Cheers
Charles Baker - Thanks for the kind remarks. As mentioned in one of the clips, the speed ramp is mostly there for thumb support in more positions than just the two pickups. It's "Granville", BTW.
Song in the intro???
Joseph - Code Of The Slashers from Red Before Black.
@@GranvilleGuitars Thank you man!
125 -45... Hmmmmmmmm
A terrific bass player..very technical..yet playing on a band where the bass barely sounds. And live..even less. Paradox.
Have you ever actually listened to Cannibal Corpse? You can always hear the bass.