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[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='1098241' date='Jan 21 2011, 11:47 PM']The suggestion of the nut being too high sounds good to me.[/quote] +1 If the nut is too high then pushing the string down will stretch it (raising the pitch) before it gets to make contact with a fret.

[quote name='GUI101' post='1098200' date='Jan 21 2011, 11:06 PM']I was thinking of replacing the driver in my Trace 1818 cab, but I don't have much idea what is good aside the obvious (celestion and eminence)..... I checked out their websites and they don't do 18inch speakers unless you are a manufacturer and buy in bulk. anyone have any ideas or advice??[/quote] Is there something wrong with the existing driver or are you after an upgrade for a specific reason?

[quote name='Shockwave' post='1098235' date='Jan 21 2011, 11:43 PM']I would need some photos of em before i can convince the Mrs to take some.[/quote] No problem - I'll get the camera out tomorrow. Any preferences about age, sex or colour?

[quote name='Shockwave' post='1098046' date='Jan 21 2011, 08:10 PM']Hmm, could be interested, we already have two though![/quote] Well I have 29 here that all get along pretty well (apart from one who hates anything cat shaped). If your existing two get along then I'm sure I can find one out of the 29 that'll get along with them.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1098206' date='Jan 21 2011, 11:14 PM']OK I'm gonna bite, how the f*** did she end up with 29 cats?[/quote] It started off with one female cat that she promised to get neutered and didn't. When it started getting silly (9 cats) she refused to have any of them neutered because she deemed it was "morally wrong". I think it's safe to say she has a few 'issues'. Damn I'm polite...

[quote name='Phil-osopher10' post='1098247' date='Jan 21 2011, 11:51 PM']Now, now lads... I think it is a rather easy cop out getting at the government. Cause in fairness we get free health care cheap tution on most cases etc etc. so they're not all bad![/quote] I thought I paid NI for my free healthcare... but then again I thought road tax was for roads as well so just goes to show what I don't know...

[quote name='Alec' post='1097802' date='Jan 21 2011, 05:06 PM']Indeed, as a higher rate tax payer, I earn £100, pay £40 in tax. The remaining £60 will buy me £50 worth of goods/services with £10 going in VAT. So half of my higher rate earnings goes to the tax man. (Or, of course, way more than that if I'm buying drink or petrol!)[/quote] Thinking about it, it goes back further than that... You've been taxed on what you've earned. You're being taxed when you spend that money on products Those products have been produced using materials that have been taxed by a workforce who have also been taxed... I think I'm getting one of my headaches...

[quote name='LethalLion' post='1097675' date='Jan 21 2011, 03:38 PM']Recently started playing again after about a 2/3 year break. I've never had a 'real' amp, just a small 15w practice one. I'm looking for something pretty compact, as I don't have a lot of spare room, but something that's going to be able to give me a nice tone, and make me enjoy playing bass. Would I be better off going for a combo or a head and cab? Any recommendations at all? EDIT: Budget would probably be around £200ish. Cheers, Dan[/quote] Well even if you look SH I reckon you're seriously going to struggle to find a half decent head [b]and[/b] a cab for that sort of budget. I guess the thing to consider is the 'future'. Are you going to want to use it to play along with other muso's at venues in the future or would you be looking to do an upgrade when you get to that point?

[quote name='MB1' post='1097671' date='Jan 21 2011, 03:36 PM']MB1. Try putting a card in your local Telephone box youll be suprised at the amount of calls youll recieve![/quote] Good idea! Now then... wording... [b]FREE PUSSY[/b]

[quote name='stewartmusic' post='1097243' date='Jan 21 2011, 11:06 AM']As everyone knows VAT is now an astronomical 20%!!! 1/5 of what you buy goes to the government...fair?[/quote] Yep. You're being taxed to spend the money that you've already been taxed on... neat trick if you can get away with it...

I've been using [url="http://www.connectronics.uk.com/Jack.htm"]these guys[/url] for my Neutrik connectors.

[quote name='alant' post='1097477' date='Jan 21 2011, 01:32 PM']Pick most of the time, but fingers on some numbers. I always suffer with blisters when trying to use fingers too much as I think I probably play too heavily - any advice to prevent them?[/quote] Apart from use a pick you mean? Try and keep a couple of mm of finger nail on your playing hand - it provides a little bit of protection for your fingers and gives you something to pull the strings with. Try and use three fingers instead of one or two - it might feel awkward but, once you get used to it, you can play faster and the 'wear and tear' is spread more evenly. Relax and don't hit the strings so hard - turn your amp up a bit if you need to.

Playing root and fifths can be dead boring in the same way that a lead guitarist will perhaps find not playing a lead solo boring - but it's all about taking parts of a jigsaw and putting them together in the right order to create that final picture. Anyone with a bass guitar and a fistfull of finger fiddles can force 20 confused notes into a bar just because they can, but the guy who gets the gigs, repeated deps and a reputation for good solid playing is always going to be the one who has the discipline to be 'appropriate'.

[quote name='Clarky' post='1097099' date='Jan 21 2011, 08:58 AM'](of course it could be one BassChatter downloading said pic 44 times in which case I would start to get worried)[/quote] My mouse finger slipped...

[quote name='Conan' post='1097078' date='Jan 21 2011, 08:00 AM']I use the same technique when shopping for coffee tables... [/quote] Do you take your own guitar strap?

[quote name='LethalLion' post='1097000' date='Jan 21 2011, 12:00 AM']It turns smoothly, yeah.[/quote] Ok. The pot sounds as though it's not mechanically defective. There are two things that spring to mind here: 1) First off, I'm certainly no Schecter expert, but looking at the Schecter website and translating the pickup description onto the EMG site, I'd guess that your bass is using a 35 series EMG setup (EMG Active 2 band EQ). The 35 series EMG stuff can be supplied as a solderless kit with little push on connectors. If you are REALLY lucky you might find that Schecter has used this type of kit and one of the connectors has become dislodged and just needs pushing back into place... 2) From your description (no output and an electronic scratching noise when turning the pot) I suspect that you may be getting DC on the volume pot (often where classic electrical 'scratching' sounds come from) - if that's the case then the pot will be pitted and will certainly need changing. There's absolutely no point in doing that until you have tracked down the underlying fault though. Looking at the EMG wiring diagrams, all of the electronics appear to be contained on a single board and unfortunately that means diagnosis and soldering or possibly even a replacement board. Take a look at option 1) and if you have no joy with that I suspect you're going to need a guitar tech.

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='1096990' date='Jan 20 2011, 11:49 PM']Maybe he'll courier it? [/quote] Via Caty Link? [quote name='lemmywinks' post='1096990' date='Jan 20 2011, 11:49 PM']I'm gonna have to try and keep this thread away from Mrs. Lemmywinks. I wake up most mornings in the early hours with a mental cat sitting on my chest purring like a tractor engine, don't need any more![/quote] I've slowly but surely herded them all downstairs over the last few weeks and sealed off the upstairs rooms. I don't dislike them but I can't cope being around 29 of them so I only venture downstairs to feed them and make coffee. EDIT: Sh*t - that sounds weird and pathetic - I guess I just don't like my carpets to have a pulse!

[quote name='___---___' post='1096865' date='Jan 20 2011, 09:45 PM']Do they still exist?[/quote] I'm sure they must do - isn't that 'Cash Convertors' place that seems to have appeared in most major towns a pawn shop?

[quote name='Johnston' post='1096861' date='Jan 20 2011, 09:41 PM']and people called jaxsn [/quote] He said PICK...

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1096774' date='Jan 20 2011, 08:46 PM']How do you decide on the bass for you when you try it? What factors are involved?[/quote] I filter out all of the non starters before I start trying - there are body shapes, colours and manufacturers that I just won't entertain - I don't care if it's fantastic, I am not buying a bright pink bass shaped like a lightning bolt! I ignore the inevitable masturbatory slap demo and do my best to appear appreciative and interested. I set the amp flat and try out the tones available on the instrument - I'm not interested in buying the amp after all... Recently, with the addition of inbuilt effects and modelling, this has become harder to achieve so I've taken to insisting on a plain amp which doesn't always go down too well. I'll pay close attention to my LH - am I stretching to reach notes? If so is it a stretch that I can sustain over a period of time? Am I struggling to find the strings with my RH? Does the neck profile fit my hand nicely even at the 'dusty end'? I'll always insist on playing it standing up AND sitting down - does it feel comfortable or does it feel like I'm sat there with an Ikea coffee table in my lap? Does the bass stay put or do you have to hold it in place when you play standing up? Weight doesn't matter that much to me but I'll mention it here just to make a complete set because one day I will inevitably become weak and feeble...

[quote name='Mlucas' post='1096720' date='Jan 20 2011, 07:53 PM']Which do [b][u]you[/u][/b] prefer? What are the merits or disadvantages of each to you?[/quote] Fingers every time for me. Nothing against pleccy users - I just don't get the 'feedback' that I like from the strings otherwise.

[quote name='LethalLion' post='1096419' date='Jan 20 2011, 02:59 PM']When I turn the volume knob, it makes a scratching type sound.[/quote] If you turn the volume knob does it feel as though it is running smoothly or does it have a scratchy 'feel' to it?

[quote name='MB1' post='1096276' date='Jan 20 2011, 01:06 PM']MB1. 29? A call to the RSPCA might be an idea? Now youve got me thinking? what was the name of that old horror film with all the cats in it?[/quote] I'm staying away from the RSPCA intentionally at the moment - they're going to be the last resort. I think you mean 'Night of a Thousand Cats'... ...and yes, I've got enough to make a trailer at the moment and have no wish to do a full remake before you ask...

[quote name='lowdown' post='1096168' date='Jan 20 2011, 11:12 AM']Now look at what you have gone and done - Five pages and counting... [/quote] Yep - it's even managed to overshadow the Drummer Jokes thread...

[quote name='misrule' post='1096165' date='Jan 20 2011, 11:08 AM']Cat may not be the most glamorous, or tastiest of game meats, but with a little thought and preparation, Baked Cat can make the belly of the persnicketiest diner glow with home baked goodness.[/quote] Have you considered therapy of any description?