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#1
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
Hi All, Haven't been 'round in a while. Good to see some of the regulars still here. I've gotten involved with a Rock-a-billly Country Gospel Blues Blue Grass Trad old time kind of outfit! The best bit is the singer has a big stick with bells on it to shake at the audience, nothing like a bit of voodoo to get their attention. Anyway the bass in the band is taken care of by a tea chest and broom handle affair, so I'm wondering what's the best way to go about this in the studio. What mic's where? Should I try a PZM? Is there any way I can tweek the chest to make it sound better, isolation pads or something? Will I cut a hole in it? Wood a nail in the broom handle work better on the box? Any suggestions, tea chest links etc would be most welcome.. Thanks |
#2
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
studiorat wrote:
Hi All, Haven't been 'round in a while. Good to see some of the regulars still here. I've gotten involved with a Rock-a-billly Country Gospel Blues Blue Grass Trad old time kind of outfit! The best bit is the singer has a big stick with bells on it to shake at the audience, nothing like a bit of voodoo to get their attention. Anyway the bass in the band is taken care of by a tea chest and broom handle affair, so I'm wondering what's the best way to go about this in the studio. What mic's where? Should I try a PZM? Is there any way I can tweek the chest to make it sound better, isolation pads or something? Will I cut a hole in it? Wood a nail in the broom handle work better on the box? What does it do? Does it just go thump, thump, thump? If so, an SM-57 wrapped in a towel and shoved under the bridge might be just the thing. It's the Bluegrass Bass Sound. The PZM is a very overrated thing and isn't much use when leakage is an issue, as it will be here. The real question is what you want from it.. odds are they really just want a dull thump out of it and that's what will fit best in the mix anyway. You could mike the strings with a 441 and get a bit more definition to the bass sound but that may not be what the style wants. Any suggestions, tea chest links etc would be most welcome.. I like www.boh.com.my, especially the Palas Afternoon. But all their single estate teas are good. --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
#3
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
Scott Dorsey wrote:
studiorat wrote: Hi All, Haven't been 'round in a while. Good to see some of the regulars still here. I've gotten involved with a Rock-a-billly Country Gospel Blues Blue Grass Trad old time kind of outfit! The best bit is the singer has a big stick with bells on it to shake at the audience, nothing like a bit of voodoo to get their attention. Anyway the bass in the band is taken care of by a tea chest and broom handle affair, so I'm wondering what's the best way to go about this in the studio. What mic's where? Should I try a PZM? Is there any way I can tweek the chest to make it sound better, isolation pads or something? Will I cut a hole in it? Wood a nail in the broom handle work better on the box? What does it do? Does it just go thump, thump, thump? If so, an SM-57 wrapped in a towel and shoved under the bridge might be just the thing. It's the Bluegrass Bass Sound. The PZM is a very overrated thing and isn't much use when leakage is an issue, as it will be here. The real question is what you want from it.. odds are they really just want a dull thump out of it and that's what will fit best in the mix anyway. You could mike the strings with a 441 and get a bit more definition to the bass sound but that may not be what the style wants. Any suggestions, tea chest links etc would be most welcome.. I like www.boh.com.my, especially the Palas Afternoon. But all their single estate teas are good. --scott Strings, bridge?! Did you ever see a tea chest bass? It has one string and no bridge - and yes it does just go thump thump. It has no definition, and a cardioid mic a couple of feet above the top of the box pointing down will do nicely. Tailor the sound with big doses of eq later to get something nice sounding. d |
#4
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
Don Pearce wrote:
Strings, bridge?! Did you ever see a tea chest bass? It has one string and no bridge - and yes it does just go thump thump. It has no definition, and a cardioid mic a couple of feet above the top of the box pointing down will do nicely. Tailor the sound with big doses of eq later to get something nice sounding. No bridge? Where do you put the beer bottle, then? --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
#5
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
Scott Dorsey wrote:
Don Pearce wrote: Strings, bridge?! Did you ever see a tea chest bass? It has one string and no bridge - and yes it does just go thump thump. It has no definition, and a cardioid mic a couple of feet above the top of the box pointing down will do nicely. Tailor the sound with big doses of eq later to get something nice sounding. No bridge? Where do you put the beer bottle, then? --scott No bottle - just a keg and some plastic tubing. d |
#6
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
studiorat wrote:
Hi All, Haven't been 'round in a while. Good to see some of the regulars still here. I've gotten involved with a Rock-a-billly Country Gospel Blues Blue Grass Trad old time kind of outfit! The best bit is the singer has a big stick with bells on it to shake at the audience, nothing like a bit of voodoo to get their attention. Anyway the bass in the band is taken care of by a tea chest and broom handle affair, so I'm wondering what's the best way to go about this in the studio. What mic's where? Should I try a PZM? Is there any way I can tweek the chest to make it sound better, isolation pads or something? Will I cut a hole in it? Wood a nail in the broom handle work better on the box? Any suggestions, tea chest links etc would be most welcome.. Thanks I have no clue what is a "tea chest bass", but the description sounds like a variation on the washtub bass. I recorded the Piney Creek Weasels who used a washtub bass, and while I took the main instruments and vocals via a pair of U87's in Blumlein with the band around them in a tight circle, just like they played when they were standing around playing, with a spot mic for a couple of soft vocals, and a tiny Countryman omni on the washtub. Sounded great, according to the band, me, and a fine review they got in some bluegrass publication, the name of which I forget. -- ha shut up and play your guitar |
#7
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
Don Pearce wrote:
Scott Dorsey wrote: studiorat wrote: Hi All, Haven't been 'round in a while. Good to see some of the regulars still here. I've gotten involved with a Rock-a-billly Country Gospel Blues Blue Grass Trad old time kind of outfit! The best bit is the singer has a big stick with bells on it to shake at the audience, nothing like a bit of voodoo to get their attention. Anyway the bass in the band is taken care of by a tea chest and broom handle affair, so I'm wondering what's the best way to go about this in the studio. What mic's where? Should I try a PZM? Is there any way I can tweek the chest to make it sound better, isolation pads or something? Will I cut a hole in it? Wood a nail in the broom handle work better on the box? What does it do? Does it just go thump, thump, thump? If so, an SM-57 wrapped in a towel and shoved under the bridge might be just the thing. It's the Bluegrass Bass Sound. The PZM is a very overrated thing and isn't much use when leakage is an issue, as it will be here. The real question is what you want from it.. odds are they really just want a dull thump out of it and that's what will fit best in the mix anyway. You could mike the strings with a 441 and get a bit more definition to the bass sound but that may not be what the style wants. Any suggestions, tea chest links etc would be most welcome.. I like www.boh.com.my, especially the Palas Afternoon. But all their single estate teas are good. --scott Strings, bridge?! Did you ever see a tea chest bass? It has one string and no bridge - and yes it does just go thump thump. It has no definition, and a cardioid mic a couple of feet above the top of the box pointing down will do nicely. Tailor the sound with big doses of eq later to get something nice sounding. Many years ago I helped out with a recording of a UK folk band that had a one-string tea chest bass (and a washboard, concertina and even a spoons player!) We went through the entire mic cupboard testing the sound of each one before finally settling on something as simple as a SM57 placed, as the OP says, a couple of feet above the top of the box. Fix it up in the EQ and throw in a bit of reverb (if required) and away you go. -- Larry Green |
#8
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
Hey,
hank alrich wrote: I have no clue what is a "tea chest bass", but the description sounds like a variation on the washtub bass. Found this tea chest bass player on wikipedia *g*: http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...Guenther. jpg Boris |
#9
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
Boris Lau wrote:
Found this tea chest bass player on wikipedia *g*: A tea chest with a sound hole? Given the mic and the position, I'll bet it was pretty tubby. Looks like there's another mic above it on a boom, maybe an SM57. But, yeah, it's a variation on the washtub bass. I've recorded a few of those and find that the metal tubs always sound more like a jazz bass (usually the context) than the wooden tubs, but the wooden ones look nicer. Most tend to be pretty carelessly made and work more as a prop than a musical instrument, but a few players - the late Fritz Richmond for one - really studied the instrument. Between his playing technique and the construction of his instruments, he managed to both get good tone and look like a washtub bass player. Fritz had a glove with a teflon "fret" which he slid along the string rather than getting notes simply by changing tension. -- If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers ) |
#10
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
Boris Lau wrote:
Hey, hank alrich wrote: I have no clue what is a "tea chest bass", but the description sounds like a variation on the washtub bass. Found this tea chest bass player on wikipedia *g*: http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...uwaentzt_Guent her.jpg Boris Thank you! Yeah, like a washtub bass, but fancier. It has right-angle corners and stuff. g So much depends on the player, and while washtubs are much alike, I'd imagine teachests to have greater tone variety possibilities. I've known folks who could actually play real and clearly discernable bass parts on the washtub bass. -- ha shut up and play your guitar |
#11
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
hank alrich wrote:
So much depends on the player, and while washtubs are much alike, I'd imagine teachests to have greater tone variety possibilities. I've known folks who could actually play real and clearly discernable bass parts on the washtub bass. See, I always thought of the tea-chest bass as being a much higher tech thing, with a couple strings stretched across a crate with a beer bottle (or an SM-57) jammed behind them as a bridge. One of the guys from Rant and Roar has something that looks like a real bass, made out of rough pine framing material. It doesn't sound half bad, really. And it has a pretty wide range. --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
#12
Posted to rec.audio.pro
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
Scott Dorsey wrote:
One of the guys from Rant and Roar has something that looks like a real bass, made out of rough pine framing material. Here's one made from a cardboard box that doesn't sound bad either, but I'll bet that's mostly in the hands of the player. Got a pickup, too, and less than $100. http://www.edencompanies.com/bogdon/ -- If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers ) |
#13
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
On Oct 23, 1:12*pm, studiorat wrote:
Hi All, Haven't been 'round in a while. Good to see some of the regulars still here. I've gotten involved with a Rock-a-billly Country Gospel Blues Blue Grass Trad old time kind of outfit! *The best bit is the singer has a big stick with bells on it to shake at the audience, nothing like a bit of voodoo to get their attention. Anyway the bass in the band is taken care of by a tea chest and broom handle affair, so I'm wondering what's the best way to go about this in the studio. What mic's where? Should I try a PZM? Is there any way I can tweek the chest to make it sound better, isolation pads or something? Will I cut a hole in it? Wood a nail in the broom handle work better on the box? Any suggestions, tea chest links etc would be most welcome.. Thanks Researching tea chest bass, I happened upon this very nice video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGcUaXxuaU8 |
#14
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
What do ya know. I always just assumed a tea chest bass was an blue grass instrument and American, I didn't know it was English. From the skiffle bands of yore. I suppose they drink more tea. Anyway, I'd really like to be getting a little more note to the sound than just thump thump thump, but I guess that's up to the player. There seems to be two schools of playing the guys who use a fixed pole and "fret" the notes and those who change the tension of the string using the pole. I found an article on the sound on sound magazine web site, they used a 5" speaker over a small hole they cut in the top of the box and soldered a plug onto that. I guess I'll try that with a 57 for safety and maybe a condensor on the string and see what happens... http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun0...iosos_0607.htm Tea Chest lesson - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUs4xxhoQKs |
#15
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
Oh Yeah one more thing. They Creak like a mo-fo. |
#16
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
In article ,
studiorat wrote: Oh Yeah one more thing. They Creak like a mo-fo. Is this good or bad? Do you want to accentuate or eliminate the creaking? --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
#17
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Tea Chest Bass! What to do?
A bad thing I reckon. It would be ok now and again but there's too much of it and over a few songs I think it would get very tiring. We'll be overdubbing I reckon for at least one of the songs out of the 4 we are doing it's slow and I'd like to use the bass to have a bit of sustain and carry the band a bit more for that one. I'd love to stick in a baritone guitar maybe instead of a bass for that one and use the perc part of the sound of the TC bass. I dunno yet. I'm going to try a little loud speaker on the thing anyway sounds like fun! |
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