Leaderboard

Agreed, it's very hard. I'll go out and pick up $125.00 on a Thursday night, $200.00 Friday night and $150.00 on Saturday night. And if there's a nickel on the floor I'm picking that up too. Lol Blue

Just back from my first gig in 8 months. The break was due to osteoarthritis in my left hand fingers. A few weeks ago I bought a couple of short scale basses (Mustangs) in the hope that I would be able to continue playing, and tonight was the time to put the theory into practice. Well, it certainly worked - we played as a three piece, so lots of room for interesting bass, and we held a good crowd outside a small pub in Witney, even though it was pouring with rain. We had a gazebo style canopy over us (that the bar owner put up) but the weight of water on it caused a small waterfall to cascade between me and my amp & cab. Luckily, the mains plug and socket was just out of range, but we stopped and moved the sensitive bits somewhere safer. Home again, no problems with my fingers after nearly two hours of energetic playing. Good to be back!

Can we have one thread stay on topic please?

Peavey T40 1979: the best passive four string bass around. After 45 years it is still hard to beat. A versatile tone monster! And it ain't that heavy... Aria Pro II SB1000 fretless from 1981: my wet dream back in the days. I didn't fancy the fretted ones, but the fretless!!! That is a whole other story... But this is a heavy s*cker. Like a front door...

Turns out that CNC machines in China and Indonesia work in exactly the same way as CNC machines do in Mexico and the USA!

For those who don’t remember the original Dymo labels that were referred to… No one would mistake these as manufacturer’s logos, it was done for a laugh.

I'll be playing my first ever gig with a short scale bass (Fender Mustang) this evening. Looking forward to coming home without a sore shoulder and aching fingers on my left hand.

Hey folks! I thought this wild looking thing would interest some of you! it’s a 1979 Ray in a very aged and rare Inca silver. Apparently there were less than 200 of these made (some say 153) out of 25,000 pre Ernie Ball basses! so i feel pretty lucky to have snagged one! I’d love to know your opinion on Mojo vs case queens! What’s your preference??

Well just done a first gig with it at a festival in West Wales and the sound guy loved the bass sound. Definitely time for some flats but it’s promising so far

I'd imagine ffmpeg can do this.

Carefully push the spring of the jack socket that is supposed to connect to the tip of the jack plug inwards so that it will grip the jack plug tighter, sounds like the tip spring of the socket might have been pushed a bit outwards and become sloppy over time, this should fix it, if I understand your issue right. Edit!!: Just noticed the last part of your post, and yes, this type of jack socket along with the barrel type ones tend to eventually fail, even higher quality ones, replace it with a regular simple one of proper quality, like a Switchcraft, much more reliable, and if they fail, which they are not really prone to like those other types of jack sockets, it is usually a simple easy fix.

I'm out. Free on the recycling thread from the most gracious @jonsparrow91. The truss rod nut is very badly mangled, but otherwise in good nick. I have an autumn project in mind and wanted a donor 5 string, so this is it. I will see if I can get some adjustment using a torx key, enough to string it B-G and play it, but the project will need a functional truss rod so I have added "remove fretboard and replace truss rod" to the list. Of course it's not economically viable, but it will be interesting.

Met with Frank this morning, I've lost count of how many times that's been now, but as with all previous encounters it was easy and hassle free. He turns up where and when he says he will, spouts a load of guff for a few minutes and then disappears in a cloud of his own gasses. What's not to like, other than the vapours when meeting him in an enclosed space?

Busy weekend.

new direct rig.....mix the 3 di signals in the behringer to get the best mix of the geddy and the ashdown, saving for a two notes torpedo live to add a cab sim aswell

It's about efficiency - all that time typing that extra 'e' could have been spent drinking whisky...

I've had a few GP 7 SM's in bits for a rebuild, 150's and 300's and the split heatsink output boards are the bipolar variant. They arent dissimilar to the MAG 180 and Mag 300 design in later Ashdowns, one heatsink is positively charged, and one heatsink negatively charged. They should never touch or sparks will fly and components are likely to pop. The only reall issue I ever see with these bipolar boards is that some loose their ground screw because the locking washer either wasn't fitted in the first place or due to years of vibration. The screw in labelled GND1( see pic) and is in the left front corner of the board. I always give this screw a turn with a screwdiver to see if its loose. If it is, renew the locking washer. If not its probably ok. Another curious but common issue with the SM amps is the standby switch circuit. The big green resistor next to C10 is often fitted hard to the board, overheats and burns out. This causes no output because the standy circuit dies. Both are easily fixed. Anoth tip is to keep the cooling fan clean and make sure the heatsink fins dont clog up with dust. Bipolar output transistors can be prone to thermal runaway if the aren't kept cool. Mosfets will shut themseleves down in that scenario. Fans on the bipolar SM's tend to run noisier and faster than the ones on their mosfet brethern's amps. The 300 watt mosfet board is very stable, and the only issue i see with them is vibration causing dry solder joints on the coupling caps over a long time. On earlier models, the board is usually not screwed down at the front right corner and sort of floats losely on a plastic post allowing that corner to flex too much. Later SMX models like the one in the picture were properly screwed down at all four corners. The mosfet boards also tended to have thermostatically controlled fans so they run quiter and smoother and only spin up to full speed when the amp is hot. Thats why later SMX's are more desirable than standard SM's, they usually have the more reliable mosfet output and all the previous niggles earlier SM's suffered have for the most part been ironed out.

It’s been a while since I posted, so this is a pretty big update to the board. Pedals listed in signal chain order for those that care… Input > Montreal Assembly PURPLL > Boss OC-5 Octave > Fuzzrocious Li’l Fella > Fuzzrocious M.O.T.H > Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler v2 > Fuzzrocious Croak > Red Panda Bitmap2 > Dr. Scientist Dusk (w/ Moog EP-3 Expression Pedal) > GFI System Synesthesia (w/ Triple Switch) > Hologram Electronics Microcosm > Source Audio Collider > Keeley Bassist Limiting Amplifier > TC Electronics Polytune Mini > Output Everything is cables with EBS gold flat patch cables, powered with a CIOKS DC7 + 8 Expander, and mounted to a PedalTrain Jr Max (a number of PT Pedal Boosters are mounted to the back row for accessibility). I also use another Moog EP-3 beside the board, which changes the pedal it’s controlling based on my mood: usually the Bitmap, Microcosm or PURPLL. I’m so in love with everything in this set up at the moment… that’s a great feeling

Or they just don't fancy it? I find slap a bit like jazz - it takes a lot of skill to do it properly and while I'm impressed with the dedication and persistence it takes to learn the skills, the end result doesn't float my boat.

I would love to have a climbing wall at home! oh yeah, and the bass thing

I have 'stuff I use with the band' and 'stuff I use just for me', so there are options for either. The second group has things like an analogue echo pedal where the delay time is controlled by a CV from the pitch to cv pedal, it it makes a very pleasing if not always musical effect!

This is where they score so well. I have a Telecaster (yes, a guitar, deal with it ) which used to be a CV, but now all that’s left is the neck, tuners and a few other bits and bobs. It has a different body and DiMarzio p/ups, but that neck is what makes me want to play it. This is why I want to try one of the current CV Ps (the black one with maple neck and block inlays), I’m hoping it’ll have that feel too and then it’ll also be customised within an inch of its being.

Just my 2p worth.. I've got a low spec maple neck Squier PJ of the type currently available, it's excellent. If I had to choose between it and some of the old pukka fenders I've had through my hands in the past I'd keep the Squier. Other than tuning it up I could have happily done a gig with it straight out of the box.

I think my problem started when I didn't use an angled jack. When I sat down and played the straight jack would catch on the seat. The Fender Jack inputs are difficult to find and expensive compared to the Switchcraft ones. Here's an interesting topic on the problem with the Fender stereo jacks I found on Talkbass. https://www.talkbass.com/threads/active-jacks-simple-vs-complicated-why.1120994/

Wonder wall and pretty much anything by the Eagles. My problem isn’t necessarily with the material by the original artists (mostly) but is due to the number of times I’ve heard less able musicians butcher them, to the point where I find the originals unlistenable. The same cannot be said for Steely Dan. On paper their records should be amazing and render all other music unnecessary, given the calibre of the writers, players and producers on their recordings. Sadly what they delivered was overproduced, cheesy yacht-rock. I know that probably makes me unpopular, but it’s a hill I’m prepared to die on.

I liked ol' Ranking Roger, he was great fun, a geezer...

Hello again ! This is my DTC signature bass hope you like it🙏🏽

I use these ones from amazon: https://amzn.to/46GBVFa currently £13 for six. Although they're cheap and I've reconfigured my board a few times, I've never had any issues with them.

My G2 finally arrived yesterday (preordered in August '22, shipped in late June). Interestingly the postman just gave it to me without giving me a bill to pay for any taxes despite the big sticker saying "this item cannot be delivered until taxes are paid in full", so I'll probably get an invoice later, but everytime I've had to pay taxes they've charged me first... we'll see. First impressions are mixed. It seems to make a huge difference where you put the unit, so I'll have to investigate. So far, I see to prefer it on my waist (on the back, hooked to my belt), and it's easy to operate without looking at the controls. It's definitely a cool experience, but I'm not sure I would have bought it, at the price it sells for, if I had tried it first. I'll experiment more with the location of the unit before I decide how much I like it. I haven't used the cable provided, using two cables is simple enough and their cable looks a bit flimsy to me. I've got a short cable from the bass to the unit on my back, and then a longer cable to a Zoom B6 -> mixer -> headphones. Cables out of the way, that's not a problem. My plan is to use a headphone amp as well, for IEM, so belt-mount seems like a good place to have it. I think I would really like for the app to be available soon, to tweak the response of the unit. It works great with a Precision, but with the Stingray I would like a bit more vibration on the higher notes. Cool unit, just not as amazing as I was thinking it would be. Probably I was expecting too much from a tiny coil attached to my body.

Does Satis-Factory has a web page? 😁

OK, let's "stay in tune" at this thread, this time !

Whatever's on the headstock.

You have absolutely no idea what a "Dymo" is, do you?

Hurtsfall will be playing Goth City 7 - To Live and Die in LS in Leeds on Saturday 15th July. We're playing the main stage at Boom opening for Auger (who are great) and will be on at 8.30

Oh no! CHOKED ON THEIR OWN VOMIT!

Not at all, very good idea.

Yeah, I saw it. Thanks.

So it’s true…life is cheap.😈

I'll say it again - sounds better than the real thing 😄

Been a while

A bit a strange one over this weekend, but after a gig at a venue I've played a number of times over the years (albeit with a different band to the one I'm in currently) I had a chap from the audience come up to say hi. He said something along the lines of "I've seen you play here before and I remember you usually gig a well-used black P Bass. I can't remember what band I've seen you with but I have always enjoyed your playing and remember the old P Bass!" It's true, my main gigging bass for years was my trusty black P but I unofficially retired it a couple of years ago as it holds a lot of sentimental value to me and I worry about taking it out gigging. Since then, it's been a carousel of various different basses but mostly my old Jazz. Still, it's nice to be associated with one particular instrument and even nicer that someone bothers to listen to my playing 😂

Been back and forth on the Mod Dwarf for a while now, looking to experiment with some modulation and time based fx and it has the flexibility to do some really unique stuff. Only day 2, it's got a pretty staggering amount of stuff available which can make it a little daunting but already found some awesome in there. The amount of flexibility is insane, even coming from the Boss GT1000core which was already pretty flexible.

That's more than enough for anyone...