mcnach

[quote name='Mattpt85' timestamp='1471268632' post='3111672'] Thanks Pal, I am still incredibly happy with it. Here's a not very good pic next to it's partner in crime. (Off-off topic - I got some of them cobalt flats, trying with the band for the first time tomorrow!) [/quote] Cobalt flats! How did you like them? I'm still enjoying what they do in my ATK300. I'm not much of a flat string person, but I like that MM-type bridge pickup fingerstyle 'burp' I get with them, fat and smooth.

Nice one! I'm enjoying mine

[quote name='funkgod' timestamp='1471356875' post='3112434'] Sorry yes the stingray, i think when they designed that bit, the bloke at the back who use to work for K-Tel, jml or Ronco said " iv got an idea". Some like it some dont, i just think it trouble waiting to happen, Just my thoughts on it, [/quote] I agree

[media]http://youtu.be/k5ThulqDmKc[/media]

[quote name='funkgod' timestamp='1471334918' post='3112141'] Same here also, only it was not just the battery dying, the copper contacts at the bottom of the "toys r us" plastic battery case had corroded and the power wires to the main board, so i got a new one, and on that one the clasp cracked and snapped off so having had enough i ripped that out and got an old chrome cover and a battery snap, was fine from then on, i still have them somewhere. [/quote] Are you talking about a Stingray too? I'm not a big fan of their battery compartment. Yes, it's fast and easy access... but I see how it can misbehave. Mine did ages ago (it's a 2002, so it's old but not THAT old) but all I had to do was clean the contacts a bit (abrassive) and bend them upwards so that they pressed more against the battery... and so far so good... but I do think sometimes about replacing it with a snap and a simple lid.

[quote name='mrbacco' timestamp='1471341914' post='3112235'] Thanks to all of you. I am playing now in each part and corner of the house [[b]gf is not happy cause it's interfering a lot with her fiddle[/b] LOL] and then I will certainly change the amp [before we need to move to another bigger place] and that would take me to a better level of sound, after that [and after long practice time] I maybe tell the difference with new strings and pickups ... and maybe I'll enlarge the family after that... Thanks again! [/quote] Just tell her casually that you're considering switching to accordion, or trombone... I suspect she will suddenly become more encouraging and helpful about your bass playing

[quote name='AttitudeCastle' timestamp='1471302001' post='3112046'] Not this year, unfortunately, tied up down in Glasgow. I don't drink, but usually make it along. Banchory is (more or less) my home town, played the Beer fest every year till now, due too a myriad of reasons, and to avoid sounding like I'm mud slinging won't go into. I'm 3 miles from Banchory as I type this, as I drove up today How'd you enjoy our slice of the world? [/quote] Aha! Well, I loved it. We drove back the same night so I didn't get to see much apart from the festival itself, but we also played last year (on the Friday, which was a bit quieter), and that time I had booked a room with my girlfriend in a small B&B just outside Banchory. We spent Saturday exploring the area and finally made it back to Edinburgh slowly along the coast, stopping at Dunnottar Castle among other places... it's beautiful up there, but I've only been in Summer and have been lucky with the weather Our trumpet player is from Aberdeen and she doesn't seem to like the area so much, but I guess we often dismiss where we grew up and find other places more 'exotic' and interesting... Hopefully we'll play again next year. They seemed to like us even more than last year We played two hours (8.30 till 10.30) and we'd have happily played longer, the crowd were fantastic. And noisy! There's a few videos around but they don't quite capture it. Last year we had a 3h slot but it was late on Friday and it wasn't quite as lively.

[quote name='mingsta' timestamp='1471293299' post='3111957'] Great album. When I first heard it, I was rather underwhelmed, but its a grower for sure. [/quote] same here!

[quote name='JonesTheCat' timestamp='1471291716' post='3111943'] I was contemplating throwing a bid in on that Dirnt - the cracks were the only thing putting me off, what do we think? [/quote] I would not be worried. They're not uncommon on tight neck pockets and they're just the finish cracking. You see quite a few Fender/Squier instruments like that. It's just cosmetic, mildly.

[quote name='AttitudeCastle' timestamp='1471291327' post='3111941'] Wasn't the Banchory beer festival was it? [/quote] It was!!! Don't tell me you were there!!

Yes... invest in a new amp. A meh bass through a good amp can still sound pretty decent, but the best bass in the world will sound uninspiring through a bad amp. I had the 5 string version and although I wasn't crazy about the preamp in particular, it sounded quite alright. It certainly did not lack bass/body... I suspect you'll change your mind when you play through a decent amplifier.

[quote name='casapete' timestamp='1471262494' post='3111604'] The Brewdog non (or maybe very low?) alcohol beer is called 'Nanny State', and it's ok. Am guessing most active basses are unable to run without their battery, as I found out years ago with a Precision Lyte that died just as we were finishing the first dance at a big wedding. Made me change batteries every string change, usually around 8 weeks. For the price you can get Duracells on ebay, it really isn't worth risking not doing it. I usually buy them in boxes of 10 for around £8 delivered, and unlike a lot of places the company I use guarantees them to be originals. ( Apparently Duracells are widely counterfeited? ) [/quote] Good call on the name of the beer, I forgot what it was. It was the tastiest non-alcohol beer I've ever had. Usually they are pretty bland. It's not a bad idea to replace batteries with the strings... I may just do that. Batteries are not THAT expensive. I tend to avoid any 'deals' on batteries unless I am entirely sure they are legit. I've been burnt before, the real thing lasts a lot longer... not worth the risk. I often get them in Costco... but if not any shop works

[quote name='Mattpt85' timestamp='1471256967' post='3111554'] Another reason I've gone back to passive, one less thing to check [/quote] Offtopic: I keep looking at your avatar... that must be one of the most beautiful basses I've ever seen

[quote name='Mattpt85' timestamp='1471256967' post='3111554'] Another reason I've gone back to passive, one less thing to check [/quote] it's certainly fool-proof I'd just try to be less foolish . It is SO EASY to avoid trouble... but yeah, it happened. I was happy to have that bypass switch installed!

Big bag'o'wind I've had a love/hate relationship with the Streamliner. At times I want to throw it away and kick it until it's dead, then kick it again, but other times it sounds fantastic. So, it's not a great amplifier in that it's not hugely versatile, for certain bass/cab/room combinations makes it really hard to get a good sound of, but then there are other components involved too. Like Muff said, I think it complements better cabs with tighter lows. By comparison, I find I can always get the LM3 to sound at the very least acceptable with any combination. It may not be the absolutely best sounding amp, but it works well in any situation (so far!) and it can sound very very good in the right circumstances. The Streamliner is relegated to home use / backup. One day I'll find something else I like substantially better and I'll exchange it, I suppose.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1471236991' post='3111401'] Happened to me with my G&L ASAT bass at a gig. Had to stop playing. Me and our sound tech opened the casing for the 9 volt battery for the pre-amp and replaced it. Too bad we didn't check the batteries in my Line 6 G30 wireless relay transmitter first as that was the culprit. My advice, don't be a cheapster. Don't by batteries at The Dollar Store.😁 Blue [/quote] Yeah, cheap batteries are not worth it. Too unreliable/short lived. G30? But that has a status LED indicator, doesn't it? Of course, you need to look at it otherwise it's pointless... and that's the thing with being human: you miss stuff like that sometimes Like the day I was struggling with my bass when we came back for the second set... and I was just about to bypass my pedalboard entirely when I noticed I just wasn't plugged in yet

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1471221445' post='3111387'] Chunky neck? Hmmm that is slightly offputting. I don't cope well with chunky neckage [/quote] Yeah that CV50 Precision (Butterscotch) had one of the chunkiest necks I've seen recently. But mine was one of the first ones. I noticed there were slimmer necks out there so either newer versions and/or other colours may be ok for you then. Worth checking before buying 'though. The Mike Dirnt's neck was very slim by comparison, and the neck I bought for it (which was from a CV50s, in USA, but did not specify which one) was only marginally thicker.

Well, you said you liked the Squier Mike Dirnt? Guess what? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-squier-precision-Bass-Guitar-P-Bass-Mike-Dirnt-Edition-/282129225669?hash=item41b03657c5:g:IkEAAOSwaB5XpzO4"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-squier-precision-Bass-Guitar-P-Bass-Mike-Dirnt-Edition-/282129225669?hash=item41b03657c5:g:IkEAAOSwaB5XpzO4[/url] not mine, by the way!

I had that problem in a bass once. My quick fix was a couple of coats of quick-dry transparent nail varnish over the polepieces. Then if you touch them they don't make a noise. The long term fix was simply putting a strip of copper shielding under the pickup, ensuring it touched all the polepieces (easier on a Stingray type pickup than in a Jazz, but doable)... then ground that strip.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1471216017' post='3111370'] No mention of the Squier Classic Vibe 50s Precision? I would try and find a used example of the now discontinued butterscotch version: These are no longer on the Squier site but there are some white blonde ones knocking about still: [url="https://www.hwaudio.co.uk/Product/Fender-Squier-Classic-Vibe-50s-Precision-Bass-White-Blonde-Pine-p428316"]https://www.hwaudio....de-Pine-p428316[/url] [/quote] I sold mine a few months ago... it was lovely. The neck is big, but I like chunky necks. I think other colours came with slightly different necks, made in different factories, as I bought a maple neck off another and it was a lot thinner (I bought it for my Mike Dirnt, as I wanted a maple neck)... The butterscotch one was a great bass. The first time I used it was with the RHCP tribute band I was playing with at the time. It actually sounded great for that! "Can't stop" was really nice on that bass, I remember. And Aeroplane!

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1471213330' post='3111353'] Maybe you need the same circuit in the stingray! [/quote] You know what? I'd love to do that, or maybe a led that starts flashing (like the P-Retro preamp)... and then go into the EBMM forum to show them all how you can *improve* the Stingray... then retire to a safe distance with popcorn and enjoy the show

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1471208458' post='3111308'] And check your smoke alarms too!!!!! [/quote] Those beep so loudly when the battery goes off that I'd have to be dead not to hear that