Belt, case, guitar cable

The life of a musician is not sitting in flip-flops in front of the TV, it is not the so-called warm dumplings. While playing, you must be aware that it will be an eternal journey. Sometimes it will be limited to one city, to one country, but it can turn into long tours around Europe and even around the world. And now, as if someone asked you the question “What one thing would you take on a tour around the world?” the answer would be simple: bass guitar !! What if you could take 5 more things apart from the bass guitar?

Unfortunately, to the surprise of many people, this set did not have enough space for a bass amplifier and bass guitar effects. That’s what the backline company is for, to provide you and your teammates with the right amps and cubes for such a large venture. You will take all the items listed below with your bass guitar, and having them and choosing the right one will solve many of your problems. The list is as follows:

• Tuner

• Metronome

• Strap

• Cable

• Carrying case

In previous posts I touched on the topic of the tuner and metronome, today I will deal with the other three accessories from the list above.

Belt

In 2007, as part of the first edition of Bass Days Poland, each participant to the admission ticket could choose a gift. Among the many gadgets that were very attractive to any bass player were leather wide straps for the bass guitar. I chose one. After wearing it to the bass, my perception of the comfort of the game changed dramatically. Suddenly I didn’t feel any load on my left arm. The weight of the bass was distributed over most of my body. Then I realized that the strap is a very important accessory for every bass player and its proper selection can have a great impact on the correct posture, and thus the absence of pain in the back and elbow.

When buying a guitar strap, it is worth paying attention to:

• Belt width – the wider the better

• The material from which it is made – I use a leather belt myself, as do most of my colleagues, but there are many well-made material belts that will also work professionally.

I do not recommend the cheapest straps (including nylon straps), they will work well with acoustic and classic guitars, but they are not good for bass. The bass is simply much heavier and after playing for an hour we will feel its weight on the shoulder. Remember that once a well-bought belt is used, it stays for years – unless you lose it 😉

Examples of models:

• Akmuz PES-3 – price PLN 35

• Gewa 531089 Fire & Stone – price PLN 59

• Akmuz PES-8 – price PLN 65

• Neotech 8222262 Slimline Strap Tan Leather – cena 120 zł

• Gibson Fatboy Strap Black – PLN 399

Cable (jack-jack)

In my opinion, the jack-jack cable is one of the most important things that must be included in the assortment of every bass player. The cable is very important for one simple reason – it is the conductor of the sound you just extracted from the bass. Its quality determines whether it will continue in the state it came out of the bass guitar. As in the case of a tuner or a metronome, you can afford to buy a basic, cheaper model, in the case of a cable, I recommend buying the best one we can afford at the moment. A good cable will serve us for many years, and the poor quality cable may cause us many problems in the future. How do you recognize a good guitar cable?

Here it is necessary to say more with which plugs you should not choose guitar cables with. All cables with flooded plugs that cannot be unscrewed are avoided. They break very quickly and cannot be repaired without a new plug.

Cables

The guitar cable consists of four / five layers. Each of them should have the appropriate thickness, so thin cables indicate the use of inferior components. Poor quality of a cable affects changes in the signal passing through it, generating noise and interference in the signal, and its service life. A good guitar cable has an outer diameter of about 6mm.

For my part, I recommend, for example, custom-made cables from Neutrik and Klotz components. I have about 50 microphone and instrument cables and after 2 years of use I have not had any failure. Such cables can be ordered, among others at muzyczny.pl

Examples of models (3m):

• Red′s – price PLN 23

• Fender California – price PLN 27

• 4Audio GT1075 – price PLN 46

• DiMarzio – price PLN 120 (I highly recommend!)

• David Laboga PERFECTION – dinner zł128

• Klotz TM-R0600 Funk Master – price PLN 135 (6 m)

• Mogami Reference – price PLN 270 (worth the price)

Case

I did not notice… when returning from the concert, the equipment was on the back of the bus. Column, amplifier, pedalboard and two basses. One in a soft, good-quality cover, the other in a transport box. I missed something and at one point, hearing the impact on the back of the bus, I saw a column lying down with a bass in a soft cover underneath it: / Tiredness, no grip, I gave my body somewhere without securing the equipment well. Fortunately, the visit to the violin maker took place without major losses, and the bass returned to its usable condition – but it could have ended much worse. The reason for this situation – wrongly selected guitar case and mistakes made while packing the car. In that case, what does the choice of a case, cover, bass case depend on?

Ask yourself a few questions:

• How expensive is your instrument?

• How do you move with the instrument? (by car, team bus, on foot, by tram, by train, etc.)

• Does the instrument accompany you throughout your day? For example, you go to school, then you go to music school, or you go to a rehearsal.

• How often do you carry the instrument around? (once a week? several times a week? every day?)

• How many additional things do you carry with the bass (including cables, tuner, metronome, sheet music, spare strings, effects)

TYPE 1 – music is your passion (of course, just like everyone else), you have bass up to PLN 1000, you mainly keep it at home, but once every two weeks you will go and play with your band mates.

Cover – a basic soft cover. If your bass adventure continues then think about investing in something better.

TYPE 2 – music is your passion, you carry a bass with you a few times a week, to rehearsals, to show off to girls and friends, to lessons. You ride the bus or walk. You always have a set of several accessories with you.

Cover – reinforced cover with braces, with several pockets to fit the tuner, metronome, sheet music, cable.

TYPE 3 – you drive your own car, sometimes you will go to a rehearsal or concert. You have an instrument worth protecting well.

Cover – if you belong to this type of musician / bass player, I suggest investing in a case type transport box. There are various types of such cases, ranging from those made of ABS, through those made of plywood, and ending with professional transport boxes made to order, which can also be purchased at muzyczny.pl.

TYPE 4 – you are a professional musician, you go on tours, the bass is with you everywhere.

Cover – I recommend you to have two cases (you probably have several bass guitars anyway), one transport case that you will take on the road and another light, but reinforced with braces, which will accompany you during a normal day.