skej21

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1397642376' post='2425900'] What I don't get , is why get all upset about the issue? You clearly believe there is a demand , why don't you commit to supplying this demand and commission/build the products to satisfy that demand rather than complain that others dont. That way you can help your fellow lefties and make some money from the experience in the process. [/quote] Because we are driven by consumerism and WE WANT IT NOW!! (and someone else should have read my mind, found out exactly what I want, done all the hard work and footed the bill DAMNIT! Or i'll be expressing my anger from the comfort of my armchair across every internet forum and review site indiscriminately!)

I must admit I am MASSIVELY outnumbered by my colleagues at work in terms of being a righty. All of them apart from me are left-handed and all of them have achieved a minimum of grade 8 and above on their main instrument playing right-handed and are mostly proficient on a number of other instruments too. Lefties are just as entitled to choose to play right-handed as you are to choose not to. Most of the guys I work with don't understand the concept of being a leftie on guitar/bass etc. One of them actually believes it makes more sense to be left-handed and play a "right-handed" instrument as the dexterity required for playing the notes on the neck comes from your left hand, exploiting his natural left hand dexterity. He does play drums left-handed though. As for the 'i dont buy it because its not EXACTLY right/its only available in black' argument... I've bought a number of basses in finishes i dont like and had them refinished, or changed pickups, or hardware, or pickguards etc etc etc. I have a lot of customers (mainly right-handed players) that do exactly the same thing and often bring it back to show us their modifications. Refusing to buy something because it doesnt meet your EXACT specifications is a stupid idea whether youre right or left handed. Thats what custom builds are for and it's just making the situation worse for lefties. Whilst I agree that we should strive to improve choice for left-handed players, they set the bar so high in terms of expectations that suppliers and stores will always struggle to meet them.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1397635487' post='2425784'] At the shop I work we went through a period of 'positive discrimination' towards left-handed instruments for a while. We over-stocked relative to regular right-handed ones vs average percentage of players and customers and commissioned a few custom builds to offer something a bit different. The shop owner was really keen to offer things people found hard to find (across the whole store) and lefties were an obvious market. Unfortunately they took an absolute age to sell. Average rate of sale was far worse than righties and cost of stock (simply the amount it cost us to buy them and keep them hanging on the wall and tying up valuable capital) made them unprofitable. Some we even had to discount below cost to sell. We now have just one in stock and it's been on the wall since March 2013 and hasn't been played by anyone this year. We also sell a range of custom build instruments from about £950 up to many thousands and I do all the spec confirmation and price quotes. We've had just one request in 3 years for a lefty and that didn't result in a sale. Our simple summary is that it's just unprofitable for a small specialist retailer to stock left-handed instruments. We'd love to offer more but selling virtually zero profit or at a loss is no way for us to stay in business [/quote] We were in the exact same boat last year. Bought a load of lefty les Paul's, a few basses, some Gretsch and fender and out of the lot, we sold one. The main response we got from the lefty players coming in? 'Its nice that you have a few but I want a selection to choose from if I'm buying'... We sell a number of Gibson Les Paul traditionals every week but our black lefty LP traditional has been in the shop for nearly 2 years and a year of that at a seriously reduced price. They just don't shift and businesses don't want stock that hangs around and makes no money. The market will never grow with this attitude. It's a big monetary gamble for a company to buy lefty stock and it then doesn't sell because leftys get militant and 'want a better choice'. That means selling stock at little/no profit or worse, at a loss, and that then reflects to the shop itself but also the manufacturers that lefty instruments don't sell. Companies aren't going to produce 100 different styles and colours and pickup configurations of lefty instrument so you can choose one to buy out of the bunch. The leftys attitude of 'I'm entitled to a choice' is actually hindering the growth of the lefty market. If they bought a few up and got them moving through the stores, more would sell, figures at store/manufacturing levels would increase (demand) meaning that it would also increase the supply. It's pretty straight forward.

[quote name='mcarp555' timestamp='1397555138' post='2425010'] This is a quote from another post that I'd like to discuss in depth. As it might turn out to be a lively subject, I thought it would be better to break it out into its own thread. To cut to the chase, my opinion is that this is complete and utter BS. It's all part of the lie that many companies use to justify their anti-left bias. Part of this bias stems from the idea that left-handers are a marginal market, and therefore it's easy enough to dismiss us. While it's true that the economy and tight markets, increased competition, etc. all make the guitar biz a cutthroat one, I would like to point out that guitar manufacturers exist for one reason: to make instruments. If you're going to commit to the idea of making musical instruments, then that would entail the concept of making them for both right- and left-handers. It's not like left-handed people appeared in 1955 and Gibson was caught unawares. We've always been here. So the idea of making RH and LH guitars/basses should not be news. Instead, LH models are seen as irrelevant, like changing the specs on pots or wiring or cheaper wood you can cover with paint. If Fender changes the source of their 'included' straps from Korea to China or Indonesia in order to save a few cents per unit, no one cares. Dropping X number of LH instruments next year elicits (they hope) the same response. In many cases, what happens is that the idea that "We don't have to make LH instruments" becomes a self-fulling prophesy, and one that's repeated over and over until it has the ring of truth about it. People take it as an axiom that there's no money in LH gear, and it's difficult to do, and all the other horses**t, without really knowing if it's true or not. And thus it becomes easier to not bother, or not ask. As for jigs, reprogramming the machines, etc., that's all part of doing business. Doesn't all this need done if you move from making say, Precisions one day to Jazzes the next? Does it cost money to make left handed instruments? Sure it does. But it does for right handed instruments as well. Whatever you manufacture, you have to spend the money. I can't take crying about the cost of jigs or reprogramming CNC machines when I see abominations like this: Was this [i]really[/i] cheaper to make than a left-hand bass? Besides, the problem of crying about cost for LH instruments could probably be solved very easily: make the rightys pay for it. When a guitar or bass is priced out at the factory level, don't break out the cost of a small number of LH versions separately. Add it in and adjust the MSRP accordingly. If you need to raise the list price of a new bass by £10-20 to cover a small (maybe 2-3%) of LH copies, fine. I don't mind if the larger market pays to allow the smaller market more access. And as for instruments sitting around in warehouses for extended times, perhaps they could try making something different. We've all seen the black instrument gathering dust in our local music stores. Why do they keep making the same model, in the same colour, year after year, then complain when nobody buys them? For years with Fender (again), it's been that you can't get a Jazz with a maple neck. The two models they make every year are always rosewood. Would it kill them to make maple? Would it really divert precious resources away from things like the item above? You make one or two depressingly humdrum models year in and year out. They don't sell of course, so you can then point to your sales reports and justify not doing anything to improve the market. For some companies, their solution is to upcharge. It's an unfair tax upon being left-handed, and even so, you still can't get any model you want. Most places only allow for certain models to be "upcharged". What other industry can get away with doing things like this? So the bottom line is, it does take money to make money. Guitar manufacturers should have always considered doing a certain percentage of ALL their models in a left-hand version. If I have money and want to buy a particular guitar or bass, I should be able to do so. If not, they are discriminating against me (or people like me). Some people don't like that ugly word, "discrimination", but that's exactly what it is. Many companies would like to just make righty instruments all day and not have to deal with people like "us". We didn't just drop out of the sky yesterday, however. So they come up with one excuse after another to justify their ability to discriminate against "us". You and me. So what can we do about it? Don't pay for an upcharge, for one thing. Support left-hand friendly companies. The biggest thing is to contact the manufacturers and complain. I've had the marketing manager of Hofner send me a very abusive letter when I wanted to know why a company who's single biggest endorsee is left-handed only features five LH models in their entire catalog (minus that famous bass). When I bought my Gaskell T-bass, I wrote to Gibson and sent them a photo of the bass and told them that was well over a grand of my money they weren't getting. They are not mind-readers. If we want more left-hand instruments, we need to contact them and let them know we're out here, with plenty of money. As I've said on several forums, if they can't be bothered to make guitars and basses for people to purchase, they should give it up and make toasters instead. [/quote] At the end of the day, there are increased costs for leftie instruments that come off production lines. Secondly, left-handed players are a much smaller percentage of the market (mainly due to lots of lefties learning to play right-handed). This inevitably gives bigger companies less money from left-handed players which in turn makes them want to waste less of their time, marketing, money etc on providing for the lefties because it's not really worth the return. In an ideal world we'd all be able to choose from the same stuff at the same price but unfortunately, that's not the reality. It's the same reason that the bass section of your local store is usually hugely outweighed by guitars. These businesses know where they make their money and exploit it.

Playing for Erykah Badu. Easy.

[quote name='lou24d53' timestamp='1397242525' post='2422231'] ^ That's minted!!! [/quote] Cheers! I'm very happy with it :-)

My MIJ 1985 '75 RI Jazz, refinished by our own BassDoc (Howard).

[quote name='jimbobothy' timestamp='1397165718' post='2421498'] I find a little memory tool useful, the number 7 is key! If you've got the Key of E Major (has 4 #s), the flat version. EbMajor would have 3 b (4 + 3 = 7). Another example could be D Major, this key has 2 #, so DbMajor would have 5b (2 + 5 = 7 etc etc). I guess you'd at least have to know some of this before anyhow for it to be of any use! [/quote] Except for C# which has 7 #s and the flat version has 7 flats. That makes 14.

I honestly don't get it. Why spend time learning a rhyme or riddle just to help remember something else? Cut out the middle man and just learn the relevant info at the start!

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1397158063' post='2421350'] You say Hemiola, I say potato! i ain't arguing pal. I said this if you remember. [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Obviously wiki isn't definite proof, neither is someone with a weed addled memory. [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]But it seems correct.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Why is everything so formal, it's just a discussion [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]It's just I've played it off a score where it's mixed meter. In the end though it doesn't matter. As long as you are getting the 6 then 3 feel it don't matter the rest is just semantics. Music is passion not academia![/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I apologise if this comes over as arsey, it's not supposed to....it's just sometimes i do. [/font][/color] [/quote] Ditto. The only reason it was formal was to be clear! Either way, music theory is FUN :-)

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1397155661' post='2421312'] Wiki disagrees. To be honest i did too as i was sure hemiola rhythms were played at the same time. We did some latin percussion lessons at college. i couldn't quite remember as i smoked a lot of weed since then ha ha. Plus as i said when i played song from west Side Story at a theatre gig i'm sure the score was written alternating. [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_(West_Side_Story_song"]http://en.wikipedia....Side_Story_song[/url]) [color=#252525]From a technical standpoint, the alternating of 3/4 (three quarter notes) with 6/8 (two groups of three eighth-notes), while the value of the eight-note remains constant, is a distinctive characteristic of the song. This rhythm has been called both a [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemiola"]hemiola[/url] and a [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habanera_(music)"]habanera[/url], although it is not really either. The "two" and "three" bars alternate, but they are not superposed, as in a hemiola. The alternating two and three is similar to the aria "[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habanera_(aria)"]Habanera[/url]" from [i][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen"]Carmen[/url][/i], but "America" lacks the distinctive characteristic underlying rhythm of the habanera form. The composer's tempo instruction is "Tempo di [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huapango"]Huapango[/url]"[/color] [/quote] Hmm. I distrust Wikipedia as a source as it's often not perfect. Also, Huapango is described on there as a fast 6/8 dance, so backs up the idea of a continuous time signature that doesn't alternate (ie 6/8 then 3/4 then 6/8 then 3/4 etc) and counteracts your argument. Also, your idea that it's not a hemiola because it's not superposed refers only to a vertical hemiola (where the two rhythms happen at the same time). If you look into 'horizontal hemiola' you'll find that it's the exact rhythmic idea used in 'America' (2 dotted crochets followed by 3 crochets or visa versa). Maybe 'metric modulation' is a more accurate description for this device but in this case it is a horizontal hemiola.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1397124762' post='2420846'] Can someone please explain the point of these cab covers. All the cabs I've owned including the lightweight ones and two that I built myself have been tough and hardwearing. Weekly rehearsing and gigging has meant that they have picked up the odd scuff and scrape, but they are built in much the same way as hard cases and several are literally flight cases with an open end where the speakers reside (behind tough grills). Every time I see someone with a soft cover on their amp or speaker cabs it generally looks pretty tatty and the cab it is protecting is in no better state than any of mine. If I was playing decent sized venues and had the assistance of at least one roadie, I'd invest in some proper flight cases for my cabs. But soft covers? I just don't get it. [/quote] It stops dust getting into the cab and hoovering the cover is easier than taking the grill off to clean it. My wife is allergic to dust too, so the easier it is to remove dust from, the better in my house!

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1296602598' post='1111797'] I've bought as set of 2 split pickup covers for my P bass in white but they look too bloody whitey, how do I make them look aged? I don't like the cream DiMarzio type they are too creamy I just want them off white sort of thing. Someone suggested to leave them soaking in cold tea all night, anyone got proof that this will actually work, or has other suggestions? Thanks [/quote] I've wanted my white pickguard to be off-white/yellowed/mint green for ages and tries the tea thing and it didn't work. Then whilst I was cooking it struck me (literally!), that turmeric stains things yellow. So I took a scotch brite pad to the pickguard to take the shine off. Then mixed some turmeric into some water and submerged the pickguard. Less than 90 minutes later I had this! (See picture below)... It was more yellow/extreme than this at first so I rubbed it back a bit with some toothpaste until it was just lightly different. Just what I was after :-)

[quote name='Bassnut62' timestamp='1396612208' post='2415664'] Hi all I have a nice Epiphone Dot from the Peerless factory; it plays great and is a far better guitar than ti should be for the cost. However the pups, electronics and hardware are clearly how they keep the price so low. I am going to change the electrics, pots and some of the hardware; and I am going to upgrade the pups. If I go for humbuckers it will be Seymour Duncan 59s and JB with covers, i.e. sweet and powerful old school PAF sound. the other option is to go for some P90s. I play mostly funk and disco at moment; but love a bit of country, rock, soul and jazz. which would you recommend P90s or HBs and why? thanks for help [/quote] Go for P90s like the ES330! They clean up nicer than humbuckers and have a bite that gets lost in pickups that have the power of humbuckers. http://www.richtonemusic.co.uk/products/gibson_es330_with_bigsby_vos_vintage_cherry.asp?gclid=COPdx-yM1r0CFRDItAoduywAAA

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1397137144' post='2421047'] Glad you`re impressed Faithless, the house bassist is one of our very own Basschatters. [/quote] The first bassist to have a higher number of basses than songs played? I spotted him using two different basses (a jazz and a precision) for the same song in the rehearsals! Ah, the luxury!

[quote name='chaypup' timestamp='1397068972' post='2420393'] Correct - it is in an alternating meter. [/quote] Actually it's not quite correct :-) It's a hemiola and they are not the same thing. An alternating meter would be written as 3/4 followed by 6/8 (or visa versa) but that is not the case with 'America'. That particular piece features a hemiola and is written as a continuous meter of 6/8 but the accent of the beat changes so that it SOUNDS like two meters when it's not. It's actually a very specific musical device where three beats are placed into the space of the two that SHOULD fall within a compound time signature. Two sets of three quavers (or two dotted crochets) followed by a crochet, two tied quavers, and a final crochet (changing the two dotted crochets into three crochet sounds through accenting changes). The accents lie like this; (ONE, two, three, TWO, two, three, ONE [two], THREE [one], TWO [three]) In reality it would be counted as: (ONE, two, three, TWO, two, three, ONE [two], ONE [two], ONE [two]) Apologies if that got a bit too music theory geeky for anyone!

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1397066210' post='2420349'] Yes I noticed there were only 3 sizes listed on that page, but they do or did do .045 + many smaller, must be another list somewhere. Not double like the Hosco, the ones I have are single size. [/quote] Ah nice one :-) thanks!

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1397059174' post='2420259'] I use these Stewmac ones [url="http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Files/Gauged_Nut_Slotting_Files_for_Bass.html?actn=100101&xst=3&xsr=7332"]http://www.stewmac.c...&xst=3&xsr=7332[/url] which are perfect for the job. The Hosco ones are also excellent, the bow saw type [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AxeMasters-Guitar-NUT-SLOT-FILE-SET-KIT-for-BASS-Saw-Rods-Luthier-Tool-/350585724150?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item51a0899cf6"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item51a0899cf6[/url] is not good for doing nuts in situ due to the extra bits that hold the blade in, they get in the way. If you have your nut blank in a vice they're fine. The welding tip cleaners are OK for the smaller gauge strings but they don't go big enough. [/quote] What do you use for the .045 string? I noticed there isn't a file for it in the bass section or guitar section. I know the Hosco are double sided. Are the Stew mac ones double sided too?

[quote name='rk7' timestamp='1397032350' post='2419832'] Right, a quick visit to the man-cave for a check of the cabling and a couple of pics! One of the benefits of being a retired gent is that I can spend time during the day doing bass-related stuff! A mock up of the Corona pedal with power cables and patch leads fitted: [IMG]http://i61.tinypic.com/2l95eg2.jpg[/IMG] And another view: [IMG]http://i61.tinypic.com/of60aw.jpg[/IMG] I'm quite pleased with how it looks, this is the first time I've tried the cable arrangement. Even the Sooper Loooper, which will have four cables and a power connection, will look tidy I think. RK [/quote] That is super, super tidy. Looks awesome!!

[quote name='theyellowcar' timestamp='1396985548' post='2419522'] http://www.fender.com/series/pawn-shop-special/excelsior-pro-surf-green-120v/ Came across this yesterday and had my interest piqued. A 15 watt all tube guitar combo with a [b]15"[/b] Eminence driver that retails at £230 online. Now I haven't been able to find any solid info on the driver to see whether it could handle the low frequencies of a bass, so I thought I would put it to you, the wonderfully informed members of Basschat - could this little thing handle a bass at bedroom volumes, and more importantly, does anyone have any first hand experience to prove/disprove that my theory that it would be a perfectly viable all tube practise amp? [/quote] We had he excelsior at work for a while and it's quite nice but the Ramparte totally kills it. It's a little bit more and is only 9 watt (on paper) but the clean tones in the cool and hot channels are MUCH nicer. The aesthetics aren't to everyone's taste but I quite like them and we've sold quite a few to people who didn't like the look but fell in love with the tone. With no tremolo or other voicings it would be a great amp to convert for bass... (Im not sure if it's possible. If it is, i'd love someone to explain how so I can do it!!) Most importantly, the volume on the 'hot' channel goes to 16!!

[quote name='BassBus' timestamp='1396976434' post='2419386'] Now then boys and girls. This is where things become even more interesting. The first coats of lacquer have been applied and as you would expect the flame starts to leap out at you. Can't wait to see it for real. Fraid I'm just lost for words now. [/quote] It's a good job Basschat doesn't allow swearing as I can only describe this as a ****ing *h!****$ m***erf*nkin' BEAST!!

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1396817295' post='2417710'] This is getting really depressing now. So everything is about money now is it? [/quote] Not everything. I'd quite like to know how you expect a professional musician to pay the rent and bills? Because from what you've said, essentially everyone should play for free because it's not about the money... Or are you saying that being a musician isn't a career worth paying for and that's why we should all he happy and not bother with playing for money?

I wonder how long I'd last (i.e. before death threats or violence!) if I took up building or plumbing or another trade as a hobby and just went out and did it all for free. I make my money from music, so why not undercut the professionals in another trade in my local area in my spare time if I enjoy it?

Is there a better (word painting) lyric than 'The sun poured in like butterscotch and stuck to all my senses'? http://youtu.be/F_y7O06z77Q Her ability to sing/write a lyric and ignite such vivid ideas in your imagination is second-to-none for me. Genius.