mart

I've just bought Mike's Midget, and it was a pleasure dealing with him - very smooth and very efficient!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1375025220' post='2155887'] With cars tyres - racing ones in particular - it's all about how the two surfaces interact with each other. You want the maximum contact area, but you also need the right two materials to give the grip, .... [/quote] With any two surfaces, friction depends on how the two surfaces interact, and the total contact area (which is affected by how they interact). Your hand behaves rather differently to tarmac, which is why car tyres aren't a very useful guide to how you want your bass neck to be. I think, Pete, that you're right that taking some 1200 paper to a glossy neck will reduce stickiness. But doesn't it also leave it smoother, at least to the touch? I wonder if it's that the glossiness/matt-ness of the finish is due to how smooth the finish is at a microscopic level, whereas how it feels to your hand is a result of how smooth it is at a slightly coarser level. And the typical finishes on a bass neck might leave it smooth on that micro level, but rougher on the coarser level that affects how it feels. Kind of like comparing a flat road with pot-holes to the road along the North Devon cliffs after it's been freshly tarmac-ed. The latter is smooth on a micro level, but not on a coarse level, whereas the former is the other way round. But on the other handy maybe BRX is right that it's not just the smoothness/roughness of the finish that matters, but the substances involved. It's just that that suggests to me that the finish is not inert, whereas I'm pretty sure they must be. As you can see, I am just guessing. Except that I do know a tiny bit of the science behind friction.

[quote name='ikay' timestamp='1374999661' post='2155513']... A gloss neck feels 'sticky' not because of its finishing material, but because it is a perfectly flat surface.. There's maximum contact with your hand and therefore more friction when you move your hand along the neck. A satin finish has tiny imperfections that reduce friction because your hand has slightly less contact with the neck surface. ... [/quote] I'm sorry, but this is not correct. In any situation if you hold something smooth then there is less friction than if you hold something that is not smooth. This is because if the surface is rough the your skin folds into the shape of the surface, giving a much higher contact area than on a smooth surface of the same apparent area. (Much like a road from A to B that goes up and down a lot will be longer than a road that is completely flat, because the ups and downs add to the length.) If you rub glass against glass, then yes, there will be more friction than rubbing glass against, say, wood. But that is because the glass does not give in the same way that your hand does. But even a child knows that if you rub a smooth object then there is less friction than with a rough object. You are right that sweat can act as a lubricant, but I find it hard to believe that a small layer of sweat would actually increase friction as you claim. But I don't know - maybe that is true. As for why different necks feel sticky, I have to say I have no idea. I think we subconsciously think that the heat is slightly melting the lacquer. I don't imagine that's possible, but I have no idea. And it doesn't fit with BRX's experience that oil-finished necks (like on Warwicks) are worse than others.

I know nothing about Zons, but that listing has IMPLAUSIBLE written all over it!

[quote name='dwh87' timestamp='1374255150' post='2146977'] Getting a sunburst, could be anything between two and five weeks. Wish i didn't wait and just got bought one last week. [/quote] You want a sunburst, and you're in Cornwall? You, mate, are in luck: just get yourself down to Mansons: http://www.mansons.co.uk/product/squier-vintage-modified-bass-vi-rosewood-fretboard-3-tone-sunburst-5672 Sadly, the rest of us who want a white one have to wait.

Ooh, lucky I didn't just buy the Pawn shop version - I reckon the Squier will be even better value. Now I just need to find an excuse for needing "yet another guitar".

The pickups look narrower than standard MEC M-style pups; the coils look closer together. That may account for the larger gap between the two pups. But the body looks contoured more than a standard Corvette, on the front upper edge. Almost like a Streamette or Infinette.

[quote name='Mr Fretbuzz' timestamp='1371815441' post='2118422'] Warwick Pro Star Bass in VSB on its way over from the Fatherland :-) Its got the look for my new Blues Rock Band and tone should be good :-) Oh, and I bought a new Bass stand as I was running out.. It holds 9 :-D [/quote] Nice choice. But if you don't get on with it, give me a shout, and I'll find it a nice home just a few junctions further along the M4.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1371765623' post='2118007'] Not a wuss, but you must have a delicate touch. [/quote] Yes, I do generally have a light touch. But if I want to put some thump in there, I do without any issues. I guess using a fretless means I don't get the harsh fret-buzz that you would from frets; if the string is hitting the fingerboard it produces a much less harsh noise, and one that isn't really noticeable.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1370878490' post='2106757'] Is that E tuned down to D or B tuned up to D? [/quote] Sorry, only just seen this. It's a standard 4-string set tuned down a tone. In fact last week I played the one bass I have that's in standard tuning (with TIs) and was struck by how high the tension was. I think I'm becoming a wuss.

The MusicRadar forum is not bad. It's certainly not full of teenage know-it-alls. And there are some genuine experts there - pedal makers, amp makers, and professional repairers. I'd say its main problem is that it is seriously gas-inducing.

Yep, maybe the ground on the DC connector on your pedal is not connected to anything. But when you put a cable between this pedal and another, it links the ground of the two pedals, so if the other pedal is daisy-chained with this one, then it completes the ground connection with the power supply, enabling the first pedal to get some power. I'd check the wiring on the power input on your pedal.

That's curious. If its not too awkward, I would try removing the other pedals from the chain one by one and see what this fussy pedal actually needs to make it work. It seems just about possible that it needs a certain volume level, which other pedals provide. But, I have to say, it seems more likely to be a loose connection that just happens to have been made when you've got the rest of your board connected, and broken when not. In other words, the daisy-chaining is likely to be just a coincidence. Not guaranteed, but more likely than the alternatives.

No, there's no risk of damage - the pedal only draws what it needs. So the only danger is if your pedal is supremely hungry and wants more than 1000mA, in which case the power supply may overheat. I don't know of any such pedals, but in any case google should help you find the typical current your pedal requires.

Piccolo bass.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1370882037' post='2106834'] I got there first last night [/quote] Oops. I looked but didn't see anything. For some reason I didn't think to check the Vintage section.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1370814069' post='2105984']... posted it on the warwick forums yet John? [/quote] I've just put it up there to see what they say.

I've got TI flats tuned DGCF on almost all of my basses. It works for me!

I've fitted that Maplins one to three different Warwicks (Streamer, Thumb, Corvette) and it's been a perfect match each time.

That looks very interesting. Are you going for a concave curve on the back of the laminate body, like on a Streamer or Thumb? That would make a great improvement to the 'vette body.