Leaderboard

Cocaine

Okay, so finishing has progressed significantly: Polish upon polish upon polish upon polish. lots of polishing. but the finish did come up really nicely. there are a few minor undulations, but the colour is perfect The bigsby now has its nice new brass string bar done on the lathe, and the holes drilled with a stainless steel guide on the pillar drill, and these are then mounted on the newly polished body! The Headstock piece of the cocobolo came out a bit darker than the body wood, but the grain is still gorgeous. I bought some extra thin abalone to go behind the little gold tree of life for the headstock, and made a truss rod cover from some 2.5mm black plastic. i was originally going to do this with some of the leftover cocobolo, but i want it to stand out a bit more so i have somewhere to sign my name in gold sharpie. this should hopefully all get finished up this week, and I will try and get someone with a good camera to take some finish shots!

I'm just a big-mouthed attention-seeking gobshite desperate for validation :-0 At least I'm self-aware...

Fingers crossed! https://www.npr.org/2019/08/27/754509680/musical-instruments-to-be-exempt-from-restrictions-on-heavily-trafficked-rosewoo?t=1566918468868

I’m never keen on handing over my name and email address to access something unspecified. Why do you need the data and how will you be using it? GDPR means you need a valid reason to process such data, and explicit consent is probably required. The big red ‘download’ link doesn’t fill me with confidence. The lock doesn’t confirm no viruses, just that the connection is https (i.e. - encrypted).

So glad I asked my initial question so ambiguously! I've inadvertently opened a tasty can of tech-worms. This is great stuff. For the record I am by inclination a P-Bass straight into the amp and turn it up kind of guy. However I also can't help investigating different set ups and creative possibilities It's fun, it's inventive, and endlessly fascinating to me. So for anyone who reads this and thinks, what a load of unnecessary bo||ocks just plug and play - I know I agree, but, technology has gifted us these creative possibilities so why not use them?

I very much doubt that I have ever suggested 2:1 is too low for bass! When I wrote my 'compression setup 101' post I am pretty sure I mentioned you can get something groovy happening way lower than that (I have gone as low as 1.5:1 for live and just about 3dB of gain reduction on a heavy hit note, but crucially always some GR even on the very lightest note, but never on the transient of that note, or the subsequent one). Non-sound engineers don't get compression like non-photographers don't get the exposure triangle (manual mode), because the variables all interact and they are not really obvious in how they do that. A compressor has a ratio and a threshold and the actual input gain, and it is the way these three interact that define the total gain reduction. With a threshold set at X if the input level exceeds X then the compressor will cut down the loudness increase by the ratio. It sounds so simple, but its got 3 variables, and one of those changes all the time (input level). If you get a single note into the compressor the non engineer thinks "I played that note at volume X", but the compressor is measuring that volume all the time throughout the note duration (well an RMS interpolation of the volume over a short (ms) time, but I digress). It sees a transient peak, the subsequent dip to the main note, the (very short on a bass) sustain phase and then the (very long) release phase of the envelope of the note. The way the volume changes through each part of this makes a difference to when the threshold gets crossed on the way down (turning the compression off). It may be that you cross X twice on the transient, or cross X on the transient, and then again just after the sustain phase, or not until a second or two later. The threshold is what determines this. Couple this with the added fun of manual attack and release controls, which determine how long after the crossing of the threshold level X as the level rises (attack) and falls (release) that the compressor actually kicks in (attack) and turns off (release) and it starts to become obvious as to why this is complex, but its really not until you intuitively understand that all compressor circuits achieve that compressor activated/deactivated state as a curve rather than a switch (even the fastest are not binary in their behaviour, except some digital limiters) which is what makes them sound different that you can start to make use of a compressor as a tonal tool rather than just some kind of extremely heavy handed fix for peculiarities in your playing.

Crack cocaine... another reason to avoid

I take drugs and drink loads of beer to get myself in the mood* * not really.

The best pics Ive seen of myself on stage have been taken when I am completely unaware of the camera. If I see someone pointing a camera at me, I usually look straight at them, which sometimes works but usually makes me look like a psychopath. Like this:

Ok. Some updates before more bass practice and sleep. After half a day with the spreader clamps inside the cab, and the other clamps helping to give the desired shape overall, the right side panel now fits easily into the cab. The plywood here is apparently malleable; this reinforces the lessons learned earlier. After a few goes of fitting and refitting, I also noticed that the port shows quite a bit of the right hand panel when looking into it. So the right panel got sprayed as well, at the top. After that was done, I glued in the right hand panel. Finally. You’ll notice I learned my second lesson from earlier - after clamping and wiping off some excess glue, I loosened off two of the clamps slightly and tapped in the top and bottom panels (dry) to make sure they fit in and that the correct shape is preserved whilst drying. Then I tightened the clamps up again. I only have four 24” F clamps and I wanted to put some more pressure on, so I piled some books on. It’s probably not necessary, or as good as another clamp, but it does do something. Back of the cab looks good as well...(photo is a bit dark, but hopefully you can zoom for detail) Back on track, I think. Tomorrow, I’ll try and get time to do the top and bottom. Then I can start rounding off edges, plan the feet, and paint it.

I knew I shouldn't have posted this build in realtime - I've been way too busy to do anything since I was last here! That said, I now have the right size piece for the fretboard, and I must say, it's rather pretty:

You won't believe this but I have TWO Zoom B1Fours one on my small pedal board and and the other on it's own in my cables bag. I found a hard plastic sandwich box in Tesco that with the addition of a small piece of foam provides a snug rigid protection case. £3.99! Take a look at the storage containers in Lakeland, B & M and Tesco. There maybe something small enough to give you just the protection you need.

Bill Evans quote that I don't find peculiar at all : "Perhaps it is a peculiarity of mine that despite the fact that I am a professional performer, it is true that I have always preferred playing without an audience."

@razor5cl I'd say the key difference between the BB 734A and the older BBs is that the 734A is both active and passive which gives it greater tonal versatility. Body shape etc has been more of a subtle refinement rather than a wholesale change from the Series 2. Most of the earlier models (Series 2, Series 1 and earlier) are either mostly purely passive or a minority that are purely active. The 734A gives you the best of both worlds on that score. Combine that with a capable vol, blend & 3 band EQ and P/J configuration and you have a very capable bass indeed. Here's a demonstration of my old bass(!) being played by @TJ Spicer, which will give you a good feel for its tonal variety and capability:

Explains why a lot of Motown bass lines are out of tune then...

Even Bruce Dickinson has two day jobs...

And remember....... you can never have too many clamps.😀

It's worth pointing out that I'll be changing the hole size in the next batch of cabinets to make fitting the handle much easier. While the bolts and T-nuts in Pete's cab are totally bombproof, they're overkill. So the holes will be sized to take 5.0 X 30mm woodscrews, which are listed in the Parts List.

No matter what else, interesting people will always find interesting ways of making music.

Here's a quick tip for when cutting the pipe for the port. If you're using a normal panel saw (as per for timber etc), then use a blunt one. I was cutting some drain pipe recently, and my super sharp panel saw caused the pipe to shatter in one place. I then tried again with an older saw I keep for odds and ends, and it worked much better.

And your crack.

Time is a great filter. It strains out all of the crap, so that we only remember the good stuff. Actually, thinking about it, it strains out all of the bland, "meh" stuff, leaving us to remember the good stuff, plus the outstandingly bad - Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep anyone? That said, there was a queue at my local old-git barbers last week, so I ended up sitting in the trendy yoof establishment next door, listening to Radio 1. I was amazed at just how anodyne all of the songs were. Whilst I was in the shop, every song they played sounded exactly the same - some guy mumble-rapping something about how down he was that his "GF" wouldn't give him a "BJ", over a dull backing track consisting entirely of generic Garage Band marimba samples. By the end, I was so worn down by the suffocating, emotionless blandness of it all, that I wasn't even annoyed when it was time to pay and the hairdresser called me "Babes".

I've recently jumped into the amp modelling ship with the Line 6 Helix. Got it in the spring and initially ran it into the fx return of my Carvin BX700 with Markbass 121H cab. The amp and cab sounded good, although I knew I wanted to streamline and replace the amp with an FRFR solution. This way I would be confident that the sound on stage would match the sound in the PA and IEM. Now using a Headrush FRFR-112 and I'm very happy with it so far. It sounds bigger and deeper than you'd expect. On paper it doesn't go as low as a dedicated bass cab, (Freq Resp 53hz-20khz +/-3db and Freq Range 46hz-22khz -10db), but a benefit of this is it's akin to having a built-in hpf - you can turn up the wick and it still sounds bassy but doesn't get muddy and boomy. I don't use cab models or IRs. I prefer a simple eq lpf eq block at the end of the chain to tame the tweeter. My reasoning is that almost every recorded bass tone you hear, and most live bass tones are usually DI from the bass into the desk or straight out of the amp. If a bass cab is mic'd it's usually blended with a DI. The tone I get out of an amp model straight to my FRFR sounds so much better, punchier and 'real' than the tone of an amp model, through a mic'd up cab, through my FRFR. Besides, many bass players, including myself, tend to choose an amp and cab solution that colours the bass tone as little as possible. You could argue that many bass amps/cabs are already FRFR. If this is your preference, why change it with a mic'd cab model? Also, FWIW, the SVT-Pro4 model in the latest Helix update is pretty damn perfect. Line 6 have really knocked it out of the park with this amp model. I've never used and ampeg and never bought an amp becuase of its colouration, but this one just sounds so good and sits in the mix perfectly.

I had a very positive experience with them - I returned an acoustic that had been bought as a Christmas present for my daughter by her grandmother, as I thought the soundboard bracing was buzzing. They accepted the return without question, (I'm not even sure that we had the receipt) and sorted the problem within a week - the buzzing turned out to be a loose battery box. Excellent customer service, and a pleasure to deal with, even though I hadn't made the original purchase.

I know I've previously replied to this thread, in support of gigging... but here goes again.... Saturday I had two of the best gigs I've ever played. The 2nd of which confirmed why I do this bass playing malarky 1st gig was great, it was al-fresco in a social club beer garden, and all went well with a happy audience and landlord, and we were asked back and complimented by most of the crowd there. Second gig was a completely different al-fresco gig, with a different band, different set (very) and different audience. We were at a restaurant / bar, overlooking the sea, on a beautiful warm evening, with a very appreciative crowd. Much of it was a last minute set list, which altered as we went along - we added some songs we may have jammed only once or twice, and a few songs I'd never even played with these guys - luckily, I could see the singer-guitarists left hand and could hear him well. That 2nd gig was probably my favourite gig ever, and we played a much longer 2nd set than I could have previously imagined We played all sorts of stuff, and the landlord fed & watered us, paid us more than he'd originally agreed, and asked us to play there on a more regular basis I've never had so many compliments on my sound, playing, and style and broad choice of songs before... I left there on a real high, I have to say There's a lesson here too, I think. Now that 2nd gig wasn't originally booked (I wasn't strictly "available") but as a late booking, I'd said I would get there to play maybe just the 2nd set - if traffic allowed and I could get there on time, without too much stress. In fact, I rocked up mid first set, and plugged into my practice amp (cos I leave it at the guitarists' studio - so he set it up for me) Heck, my bass had even stayed in tune during transit - and I just jumped in, straight after unpacking my bass We didn't strictly have a set prepared (as the booking had been taken late - in any case, with this band, I don't usually do this set, we are a 5 piece, and suddenly, we were a 3 piece doing more acoustic type songs) I was concerned my praccy amp wouldn't handle playing out doors, but it coped admirably, and sounded superb. It's a 250W TC Electronic BG-250 208 which I didn't think would cope, amid guitar, vocals and some loud keys. Anyhow, someone in the audience complimented us on playing a couple of Nick Drake songs - she had been in school with the great man himself, and said she'd never heard anyone cover him before.... Right now, I feel I could never give up gigging. I'm still on a high, from two great gigs, especially as both venues want us (each band) back again

When you say "hats off", presumably that'd be Top Hats, Bowler Hats and Stetsons respectively?

That's a great pic Dave. I just try to imagine i'm playing at a huge venue and looking at the audience, even when its a small close up gig or even at rehearsals i try to imagine i'm on a huge stage playing to a crowd that wants to hear this band. I am quite self-conscious when i see a camera point directly at me but just try to ignore it. Sometimes i've looked a bit odd when its become obvious i've just seen the camera and don't know where to look and so i've tried to get round that with the huge stage image in my wee tiny head. Dave

I love it. Having played under old fashioned huge lighting rigs before LED lights, i learned a long time ago that gloss neck finishes get sticky. That’s why I play a USA EBMM with a gun oiled neck. I always wear sweat bands on my wrists too - they stop the sweat running down your arms.

The Wire -- A great HBO series. Coincidentally, Mrs 4000 is currently watching it for the first time, on the upstairs TV. 👍 You're all wrong though. It is (and will always be) the fuzz (from the 1970s). "Hey honey, you ever been picked up by the fuzz?" "No baby, but I have been swung by the t*ts!" Or, if they're in a car, 'rollers' is allowed (from The Blues Brothers). HTH

So you’re promoting your site?

Did a great couple of gigs over the weekend: Fri, Punks Against Cancer at The Mulberry Tavern, Sheffield. Was a sweat bath in there, the bass speaker cab didn’t work (I had trusty Para Driver to help out), couldn’t hear much through the monitors but it was a good gig, and a worthy cause which we’re always happy to play. Sat, The Boulevard in Wigan. An all dayer so some (most?) of the audience had indulged in liquid shall we say. We were headlining and the gig was amazing, bodies flying everywhere (one guys head got split open quite badly during the band before, but he was back for our set) people up on stage, the general chaos of the gigs we do in the North West. Afterwards pretty much the whole audience came up to us and shook hands/hugged us and said how great it was. Pretty humbling really, we’re three blokes in our 50s making a racket, but it’s really nice to see the hard work we put in paying off. Also made some good merch sales, all of which go back into the band, furthering our opportunities.

Why Festivals (Especially Reading) Are Perceived To Be A Wasteland Of Musical Ghastliness * Festivals used to be about the music rather than 'the festival experience' because 'the festival experience' was usually very unpleasant * Shrewd business tactics on the part of festival organisers led to an improvement of 'the festival experience' to the point where 'the festival experience' became the main draw rather than the music * In consequence, most people who go to mainstream festivals do so for 'the festival experience' rather than the music * People who prioritise 'the festival experience' are often people who like music made for people who don't like music * Festival promoters therefore book bands who make music for people who don't like music * People who don't like music made for people who don't like music don't like the bands who make music for people who don't like music * People who don't like bands who make music for people who don't like music won't go to festivals because the bands at festivals are mostly those who make music for people who don't like music but who prioritise going to festivals because of 'the festival experience' * People who inhabit bass forums tend to be people who don't like bands who make music for people who don't like music * Festival line-ups comprised of bands who make music for people who don't like music will attract criticism on bass forums Ergo: Most festival threads on bass forums will be critical of festival line-ups. See also: festival selfies, banners, performative display, DJ sets.

I adopt a different persona onstage anyway to help me 'perform', different clothes than I'd normally wear helps me be someone else. I'd imagine the same would work in front of a camera. For instance, this chap from @NancyJohnson's band pretends to be Mark Radcliffe 🙂

Hartke did a good bass chorus, was very cheap new and should be a steal second hand. They're supposed to be the same guts as some Chinese brand pedals you can get on ebay but if forget the name. I've had the Boss bass chorus, Hartke, Behringer (always broke), and a few others I can't remember. The Hartke was the best. I like the sound of chorus on a scooped bass, the kind of sound you can imagine accompanying an 80's cop movie scene where a car with lights that flip up out the bonnet pulls in to a murder scene at night... And it sounds good on fretless too

To your supposition... It’s not really ‘erosion of blocks’ if you’re using them to get a particular sound, effect or function. I’d go so far the other way and say that’s the whole point of the stomp, making it fit your set up and it’s only one patch. You could have a different patch with all 6 fx blocks doing the work if you needed. How many Stomp fx blocks are you using on any given sound or song at the minute? If you have one or two free blocks you could assign those to a loop and employ stand alone pedals in that loop to your desired effect and if you have any more free blocks use other Stomp based trickery as I’ve mentioned above. I don’t think it’s identifying limitations of the stomp and I’m simply saying your loop needs could be met by using gear you already own if you understand how to make it work for you. I alluded briefly above to my use of loops above and I think you’re already aware of my old set up. I used a Basswitch with a comp in the serial loop and a drive in the switchable loop which has a clean blend function. The Basswitch also has eq so I’d sometimes set that up for additional eq to help the drive along. Very good unit. I’m not using it for loops just now as I’ve slightly tweaked my set up on the board and it’s not quite as necessary and I’m happy with how my board is working. As for A/B switching I’ve employed an A/B switcher in an old band where I used a lot of drive sounds. I had three different drives, two set up and ‘stacked’ in one loop and in the other, B loop, a massive sounding fuzz with its own clean blend so I had 4 drive sounds availability between the three pedals. Back then I had a aguilar db924 for bass and treble boost always on but that became less necessary and came off the board and was before the loop.

Proper Sicilian lemons too, I bet 🍋

I have two bands. One we play pretty well every weekend, a gig or two, 20-30 gigs a year, goes fine, normal gigging issues. We played yesterday at a new venue, all went well except the bass was (whisper it) too loud! Of more interest, to me, when the band was in a bit of a quiet zone around january / feb time, I thought it would be nice to have another band to fill up the gigging schedule and so when i was asked to join another band, motown and stuff (I never did motown), it seemed a good idea. Saturday was our second gig! And it was only half a set. I am now the 3rd oldest member of the gig as everyone else left, 2 singers, 2 drummers, obv the bass player before I left, the horn section. I originally thought they were just unlucky with people but now I know why. Anyway, the thing that keeps me there is that when the female singer left a months or so back my wife joined as a stand in so I got to gig with her. and for all the hassle of the band, that is worth it for me. Whether we will get to a third gig, who knows. One thing is for sure, we will have at least learned 30 different endings for the 15 songs we gigged the other day.

Half the problem is the radio stations churn out the same old excrement every day and we're all being subconciously brainwashed into thinking it's all normal and all there is simply because they're paid to do it. Look around for less mainstream stations on the interweb and you'll find today's real creative talent. Go out and find the smaller festivals and there will be the new guys and girls playing their feelings and opinions in their own new style and reaching the modern world and connecting.

I hand painted and tie-dyed this one myself over 25 years ago - and it still fits! We got a bit psychedelic at times (when I could get away with it)...

Although not bass related I was once taking photos of a telegraph pole when a gentleman walked up to me, he stopped and watched as I took a pic, “I can see you are a man of interests” he noted and continued his walk. I rather liked that.

Decided it didn't need a 2nd grain fill, it's absolutely smooth as glass all over with the one. Gave it another fine coat with Tru-Oil and tried to buff it up to a polish...not quite there yet. Used a cotton cloth to buff up and in-between rubs using 6000, 8000 and 12000 grade 3M Micro-Mesh. It's currently got a soft sheen to it, without being highly polished, so I think I might repeat the process tomorrow. I've read using lemon oil in between buff coats helps remove / prevent fingerprints and smears...might also need to look out the latex gloves...😱 Anyway, a couple of pictures and a 'fess up...the string ferrules are polished nickel and the neck ferrules are chrome...couldn't locate the string ferrules in chrome...😬 Btw, wee bit early trying out the shielding, I know...the pup shield was removed as I was sanding...