mart

Very useful pics, Dave, and thanks dood for the comment about the release clip - I've got a mini, and the release is a bit of a pain. I can't see me using the metronome, but I'm still tempted to get a micro, just because it's so cheap and would be useful to have one in situ on each instrument. Unfortunately, I think that currently means an outlay of about £160 Perhaps I need to sell some stuff

Next job is to find a psychiatrist who can help me deal with my OCD battery problems.

Just as a brief update, I took some pliers to get enough grip on the barrel socket, and managed to extract the PW jack plug. I then tried it in an open socket from Maplins. Again it just would not go in. But with the pliers I rammed the PW jack plug in and out enough times until it could actually be pushed in by hand, and then did the same with the barrel socket in the photo. This wore quite a bit of the gold finish off the plug. But putting other cables (with Neutrik plugs) in the sockets seemed to still be ok - they still seemed to grip reasonably well. So is it just that the gold-plating takes the PW jacks out of spec? For now I'm not too fussed. It was an unpleasant afternoon, but I now have a cable that I can use reliably to mute while I swap or unplug my basses (and guitars). Thanks for those who reassured me that this would work!

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1375529619' post='2162543'] What do you mean by " helped boost the ratings" exactly? Surely you're not suggesting that large numbers of people went to see that tour because of who was playing bass? [/quote] I suppose it's just possible that GP's stage presence (which he undoubtedly has, in spades) led to some more favourable reviews than they would otherwise have got, leading to more ticket sales for later in the tour. Just. But basically, I share your scepticism Rhys!

My circuit-breaker cable arrived this morning, and things started off well. Plugging and unplugging a few basses, active and passive, seemed to work ok. Then I switched to a guitar, plugging it into an acoustic fitted with an LR Baggs pickup. At first the cable didn't want to go in the socket, but with a bit of pressure (tricky with a right-angle jack that has a push-button switch just where you might otherwise push to get it in) it finally went in. And mostly worked, although at one time I switched the plug to mute it, and unplugged from the guitar, and got loud buzzing, as if I'd been touching the tip of the jack plug myself, even though I wasn't, and it was set to mute. Unmuting it made no difference. Plugging it back in (after muting on the amp) it then worked ok again. But then I switched to another bass and this happened: the plug just would not go in, and then got jammed so it would not come out either. I ended up taking the socket out of the bass in order to get enough purchase to move the plug in the socket at all. I've now managed to get the plug half-way into the socket, as in the photo, but I cannot get it further. I suppose, maybe, this socket and the Baggs one, are non-standard sizes, and extra tight, even though I've never had a single problem with them with any other cable. The alternative, which seems a bit more likely, is that the stories are true: PW plugs are too big. So, the circuit-breaker aspect does seem to work well, with actives and passives. (Almost all of the time). Just a shame they can't get the size right.

[quote name='jonsmith' timestamp='1375480759' post='2162220'] According to his book, Guy didn't even get his bass out of its case for his audition, he only sang Run Like Hell. [/quote] I'd forgotten that. I think it's about time I dug his book out again and re-read it.

[quote name='Earbrass' timestamp='1375273718' post='2159071'] I cannot, off the top of my head, think of a single Greek-derived English word in which chi is transliterated as "c" instead of "ch". Anyone? [/quote] It's a bit of a stretch, but Χανάαν is usually written in English with a C. But you're right, I can't think of a genuine Greek-derived word that is written in English with a chi represented by a c rather than ch.

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1375439196' post='2161257'] ...I also spotted this one, it looks like it may be a bit "plasticky": http://www.amazon.co.uk/TRAVEL-STAND-ACOUSTIC-ELECTRIC-GUITAR/dp/B00B4EJXE0/ref=pd_sim_sbs_MI_3 ... [/quote] Hmm, that looks interesting, and cheap enough to be worth taking a chance on. I think I might get one of those myself!

I think you'll find the dimensions for that bag in the Warwick catalogue I linked above (but which I can't check now cos it doesn't work on my iPad)

It looks like Warwick notionally have quite a few - RB20503 looks like it should be plenty long enough (59.5" whereas you only need about 49"), but there may be some less "shapey" ones that still have enough length for you. (Oo-er missus!) My impression is that once you've got the cat number, google will probably turn up a dealer or two (usually in German or Switzerland) that'll actually sell you the bag, although you might also find a UK dealer if you look hard enough.

Ok, I think I'm starting to see the problem. I find it baffling that people who make gigbags (and cases) don't feel the need to advertise what the actual shape and dimensions of their cases are internally. So it seems that if you have any non-standard shape of intrument you're mostly reduced to buying blind. The best info I've found is the Warwick catalogue. They've got loads of different bags, and the catalogue gives some of the dimensions, and the diagrams might help you figure out what'll fit. Of course, then you've got the fun of finding somebody who sells it, but if you've got a catalogue number then that's a start. The catalogue is here: [url="http://www.warwick-distribution.de/en_GB/"]http://www.warwick-distribution.de/en_GB/[/url]

... and then two seconds later I thought: "put your bass in upside down".

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1375452338' post='2161619'] That's for upside down ones... [/quote] I was just thinking that .....

[quote name='tb1973' timestamp='1375438043' post='2161220'] I kind of think it was intentional as a bit of a 'F... you Waters - look at us - we've got a proper bass player now', but it upset the balance and backfired I guess. [/quote] That's possible, but I don't think it's likely. Firstly because I think Gilmour prioritizes the music and sound over such pettiness. (I'll admit I may be biassed; I think he's a god! ). Secondly because Gilmour had no problems playing bass on the '70s albums when he thought it would improve things, but he let Waters play a lot, so I'm guessing that most of the time he thought Waters's simple lines were what suited the songs best. So, all in all, I can't understand why I didn't get the gig, given that I'm an even worse bass player than RW.

[quote name='JakeBrownBass' timestamp='1375441258' post='2161330'] Why you'd want to put an item worth £700 in a bag less that £60 i do not know. There's never good reason to skimp on protection. [/quote] There's never a good reason to use far more protection than necessary. Should I buy a £300 Goretex jacket to wear when it's a sunny day and I'm just popping round to the corner shop? Similarly, given that all of my bass playing happens in a very sedate venue that is about 400 yards from my house, and I walk there carrying the bass and nothing else (all the backline is kept at the venue), I would like something that will protect the bass from a spot of rain, and very little else, and have a convenient handle or shoulder straps. And I can't see any reason to spend more money than I have to on that. And if you ever ask where you can get the most expensive hardcase possible to afford maximum protection for your bass, I won't turn up and say "there is never a reason to spend more than £5 on a cheap cover". We're all different, so let's live and let live. (And forgive me if I find it quite ironic that you describe yourself as "not as closed minded as most on here" ).

Get one of these and you can adjust it to whatever body thickness in want. http://www.thomann.de/gb/km_17550_egitarrenstaender.htm The only problem I have is that the adjusters can get knocked when you lift a guitar off the stand, which you then need to watch out for when you out the guitar down again. But the cover that you can buy separately might deal with that issue.

[quote name='tb1973' timestamp='1375260216' post='2158849'] Guy Pratt, good bass player and funny guy as he is didn't fit right for me on bass in the Floyd. In a way he was too good. Know what I mean? [/quote] I'd agree with that. And, like WoT, I think GP admitted the same - probably in his "My bass ..." book, but I'll need to go and check that. I wonder what it would have sounded like if Tony Levin had been available to play that tour. He's also phenomenally talented but, I'm guessing, he might have been better able to rein in his playing than Guy did.

Ooh, we're you seduced by the Thomann blow-out too? What colour did you get? Anyway, I'm afraid I don't have a good recommendation. Thomann sell the recommended Warwick bag, but at something like £60, and I felt there had to be a cheaper alternative, but I haven't found one yet. The only other suggestion I read somewhere, was to use an acoustic bass gig bag, so that's what I'm doing for the time being. But I'm hoping someone else has a more useful answer!

[quote name='MoJoKe' timestamp='1375381130' post='2160612'] I use the PW cable with my lakland 55-02 active basses, and can [b]completely reassure you they are completely silent [/b](well with my basses anyway!). pop the little switch out on the jack then it is completely safe to unplug silently. I guess the difference is that with the PW, the lead is still plugged in when the switch is activated, so a circuit is theoretically there still, where with the Neutrik ones you simply pull the jack out from the bass. [/quote] Thanks. Your explanation about the active circuit still being on when the lead is in - that makes sense, and probably does explain why these work better than the Neutrik silent plugs for this situation. Hopefully in a few days I'll be back, with my own PW cable, adding my own confirmation that they do the job I want.

(I feel the need to add that there's no smiley on my comment above about mental health, cos I'm deadly serious, having been through 5 years of anti-depressant hell, and associated fun. Sorry about the tangent!)

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1375230542' post='2158712'] Aha..! It's therefore more of a medical problem..! .... [/quote] Absolutely! Very perceptive! It's just that, from my experience, buying a new cable is a cheaper and quicker way of dealing with mental health issues than tackling it as a medical issue. Thanks also to dood for the good news. I've now got one on order. Cheers folks!

Yes, after discovering problems in practice, I went googling and found that Neutrik admit they might not work for active set-ups. It's fair enough. I just wondered if the PW breaker cables would be any better. I have this stupid thing that I often have to play one or two songs, then nothing for twenty or thirty minutes, then another song. And I obsess that the battery is going to give way in that twenty/thirty minute gap. So I would prefer to unplug the cable during that time. That's ok if I'm using an amp with a mute switch, but that's not always convenient. But I'm forming the impression that it is impossible to have a silent mute switch without some power, be that from the amp, or from a 9v battery. I don't understand the electrics of why that should be, I just observe that all of the unpowered switches seem to have some sort of caveat like with the Neutrik silent plugs. But the PW cables seem to buck that trend, hence why I asked if anybody has used these with active basses. Alternatively, if someone can explain why you need some sort of power to enable a mute switch to work without any kind of popping, I'd be interested, although my brain is probably too small to take it in.

Has anybody tried using these with an active bass? I got a cable with one of the Neutrik silent jacks only to discover that it isn't really compatible with actives. Sometimes it works silently, sometimes it gives a loud pop as the active circuit gets fired up (or turned off).

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1375117185' post='2156910'] I'm looking at picking up an Epiphone Allen Woody soon, too. .... [/quote] It's OT, I know, but why does a film director need a signature bass? (Smiley added for clarification.)