mart

I agree that the capo is exherting too much pressure, but there's another more fundamental problem with capos: you're always fretting more frets than your fingers are. Imagine playing the 10th fret on a string. You're pushing the string down to the fingerboard, creating a shallow V shape between nut and saddle. (Technically it's a V shape with a tiny flat bit on the bottom, but it's so tiny we'll overlook that). Now imagine fretting the 2nd fret AT THE SAME TIME. Now your V shape has a big wide flat bottom: you've got a shape more like this: \_______/ The left-hand edge of the original V has been stretched into two sides of a triangle, adding more pressure to the strings. Of course they're going to go out of tune! The same thing happens when you play barre chords, but to a smaller extent, since the barre is always close to the other fretting fingers. Conclusion: avoid guitarists who use capos.

Yet another happy customer here. Very quick service, and an excellent product. Thoroughly recommended.

[quote name='skej21' post='964917' date='Sep 22 2010, 08:42 PM']..... You also have to take into account that some keys are easier to think about in flats/sharps. For example, Db major (only 5 flats) has exactly the same notes as C#, except C# major has 7 sharps, so in written music it is difficult to read and difficult to think about. ...[/quote] I've got this songbook for a band who are known for changing key signatures a lot in their songs. And in one of the songs, part way through, the book changes key from Db major to C# major. Yes, from Db to C#, which most of us mere mortals would tend to think of as the same key. So what's going on there: was that just the transcriber losing the plot, or is their some subtle point I'm missing?

Ha ha, lighten up guys! You sound like a bunch of middle aged grumpies in the 1950s complaining about that Elvis stuff being nothing but noise! Ok, I don't often want to listen to Nick Cave, but all that noise and dissonance creates a sound and feel that communicates a certain sort of emotion in a way that sweet clean arpeggios could never do. Live and let live!

[quote name='EvilSmile' post='960741' date='Sep 18 2010, 08:23 PM']Very nice bass, its looks identical to a Streamer stage 1 i use to have. As for price its as warwick hunt says, although i think around £600 would be reasonable to ask.[/quote] It wouldn't look the same if you flipped it over, seeing as how the Stage 1 is a neck-through whereas the LX is a bolt-on. ;-)

[quote name='J.R.Bass' post='950166' date='Sep 9 2010, 03:53 AM']Pretty sure it's to do with headroom, as Vin can't exceed Vout. So with a 18v preamp, Vin is bigger thus Vout can be larger.[/quote] That's the most obvious reason for using an 18v supply. But a preamp designed for 18v probably produces a hotter signal than a 9v preamp, because by doubling the supply voltage there's ample room for both increasing the headroom and giving a larger signal, and a larger signal will give a better signal-to-noise ratio. The downside, of course, is that you may overload the preamp stage of your amp. That's why you have a volume control on your bass.

[quote name='Jigster' post='946453' date='Sep 5 2010, 06:02 PM']thanks Mart very useful ok, so what about other models? Do Streamers dive?[/quote] From my experience no, Streamers are very well balanced. The Thumbs really are far and away the worst culprits, because they were designed to be horizontal. I've heard a few people complain about Corvettes a little, but not had any problems myself. Maybe 5 or 6 string Corvettes are the problem - I don't touch anything with more than 4.

[quote name='wrinkleygit' post='945466' date='Sep 4 2010, 03:55 PM']The position of the lower strap button on any bass will determine how it hangs on a strap,to try & make this a bit clearer, imagine your bass lying on a clock face with the head @ 12.00 & the bridge @ 6.00 a button placed somewhere between 7.00 & 8.00 will make a big difference, to experiment strap your bass on, get someone to support the body, unhook the the strap from the lower button & hold it in different positions to find the best position, make sure you have someone in place to catch it if you let it slip,[/quote] There's been some long discussions of this on the Warwick forum. I'd recommend looking at [url="http://forum.warwick.de/10-warwick-basses/12300-moving-strap-buttons.html"]this thread[/url] to start with. The broad conclusion I drew was that moving the lower strap button is never going to make much difference, but moving the top strap button (i.e. by extending the horn somehow) would be a lot more effective.

Two-colour LEDs anyone? Only problem is they're in the wrong place! Some muppet ordered a custom shop fretless with the dots and lights in the places they'd be on a fretted. Which is probably why they sold it and I was able to pick it up fairly cheaply. [quote name='dood' post='944951' date='Sep 3 2010, 09:10 PM']....Here's my beloved with my signature doodle: [/quote] Those lights look fantastic! All the other basses I've seen with LEDs have either been very utilitarian, or very tacky. This manages to be neither.

[quote name='lanark' post='944304' date='Sep 3 2010, 10:22 AM']As the title says. I love JJ's style, but they're all so complex - every repeat seems to be different. So where would be a good entry point to plug in to the great man's style before buying the whole Shadows of Motown book / cd / dvd etc?[/quote] You can't hurry love. That's about the only line of his that I can play start to finish. You just need to try and avoid thinking about Phil Collins!

[quote name='Charlieboy' post='921727' date='Aug 11 2010, 04:05 PM']First off, hi all. New to the forum. I'm here really to gain some advice. I've recently come in to possession of an electro-acoustic bass, a Guvnor GAB550CE in near mint condition. Problem i have is it looks like it's just going to sit there gathering dust, as i'm yet to have played it. I figured i'd probably be better off trying to sell it so it goes to a better home where it will be put to better use. And here's where my problem starts.... I haven't got a clue about how much i should ask for it? And i can't seem to find any info online... ......[/quote] If you look here: [url="http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Electric+Bass/product/Guvnor/GAB555CE+Electro+Acoustic/10/1"]http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews...o+Acoustic/10/1[/url] and here: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GUVNOR-GAB707CE-BASS-GUITAR-ELECTRO-ACOOUSTIC-NEW-/370238207929"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GUVNOR-GAB707CE-BASS...W-/370238207929[/url] then you'll get a pretty good idea what sort of price you can ask for. Searching for "Guvnor Acoustic Bass" will also turn up some more links if you need more info.

[quote name='MSL' post='921331' date='Aug 11 2010, 10:12 AM']Completely agree. Mark at Bass Direct will give you advise you can trust, thoroughly decent fellow to spend time and money with.[/quote] +1 to that.

I've had mostly good experiences with Warwicks, and my main basses now are a Stage 2 and a Thumb which I simply adore. I did have an all-maple Fortress that I just couldn't get a good sound out of, but in retrospect maple was just never going to hit the spot for me, so I can't really blame the bass. Its current owner loves it! As for service, it's always been fantastic in my experience. I sent a grumbling email about a couple of marks on the case my Thumb arrived in and got an apologetic email back from Hans-Peter Wilfer, and a new case for free, along with a t-shirt. Rockbasses are a bit different - I have a 2008 Corvette which shows unbelievably poor quality control. (The neck, pickups and bridge are all out of line with each other). I understand they are better since the major re-design in 2009.

[quote name='Rich' post='919848' date='Aug 9 2010, 05:36 PM']I agree about those mad blue LEDs too -- faaaaar too bright. I wish there was some way of taming them a bit.[/quote] You could put a bit of tape over them - gaffa-tape, or parcel-tape. Or just sellotape some paper over them. There's probably an electronic solution, but a low-tech approach seems safer.

[quote name='steantval' post='903122' date='Jul 23 2010, 12:56 PM']Our bass player worked it out years ago, some of the runs are difficult on a 4 string, best done on a 5 string to try and replicate the sound.[/quote] It goes down to an Eb if I recall. I down-tune one step on a 4-string and can play it okay. It's probably easier on a 5 though.

[quote name='Doddy' post='902319' date='Jul 22 2010, 08:30 PM']It definately a synth bassline[/quote] It's a great line, but I'm pretty sure it's a synth. I vaguely recall hear doing it on Top of the Pops and the bassist was playing a Streamer.

Wow, that maple is stunning!

[quote name='Mike' post='901782' date='Jul 22 2010, 12:01 PM']....Last night i was playing with a big band (!) which required me being a real pain asking everyone to turn off their phones. ...[/quote] I can just imagine this: "*coughs* Excuse me ladies and gentlemen, would you mind turning your phones off; I'm about to play a solo"

[quote name='Hoffmann' post='901744' date='Jul 22 2010, 11:28 AM'][url="http://groovesecrets.wordpress.com/2010/07/22/groove-secret-6-what-scales-should-you-focus-on/"]article on which scale(s) one should use to grooove!![/url] hope it's of some use!![/quote] That's great stuff Hoffmann, thanks. I wonder if you can shed some light on a track I love. It's "Somewhere in Between" by Kate Bush, and the bassist is Pino Palladino. Most of the time he's playing incredibly simple lines, but there is a feeling to it that I just cannot capture. Any tips? [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-HiDZ1MqWo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-HiDZ1MqWo[/url] Actually the whole album has a lot of beautiful bass playing on it, but I think this track has the highest ratio of quality to number of notes played!

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='897393' date='Jul 17 2010, 04:47 PM']If you can explain how, without making up physics that isn't true, you win a prize.[/quote] I was going to ask the same question, but there is an answer in Nostromo's reply: [quote name='Nostromo' post='897346' date='Jul 17 2010, 03:30 PM'].... But when you havent got much head room, my thoughts are that I'd rather put 250 watts into a 250watt cab from a 500watt head at half power than from a 250watt head running flat out into that same cab . . . I'm thinking that [b]with an amp running flat out you're more likely to get into clipping and unwanted distortion teritory so far as your output signal is concerned which might easily damage a cab, and possibly cause dasmage at below its rated power handling ? [/b] ...[/quote]

[quote name='Bassman101' post='896813' date='Jul 16 2010, 08:00 PM']Hey, I was offered this Cab for what seems a really fair price, heres the link... [url="http://www.dv247.com/guitars/ampeg-b410he-bass-guitar-extension-cabinet--49934"]http://www.dv247.com/guitars/ampeg-b410he-...-cabinet--49934[/url] for £100. and ive just seen this head on here.. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=95273"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=95273[/url] Will these go together without blowing up?[/quote] The power of the head (150W) is less than the power rating on the cab (200W), and the impedance of the cab (8 ohm) matches the head's requirements. So yes, they should go together without blowing up.

[quote name='Linus27' post='896234' date='Jul 16 2010, 08:30 AM']Hey, thank you very much. The second song we are working on which is about 95% finished I think is even better. A much more complicated bass line and so much more fretless lovelyness I will post it soon.[/quote] Oooh - looking forward to that!

That does really sound fantastic! And I'm with the others: you don't really need any "proper" vocals - there's enough interest as it is. I can't wait to hear what you sound like with a Warwick fretless - you're really making that Squier sing!