icastle

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441560131' post='2859830'] Being honest with you all, I can recall two failures with my own bass. I broke a string once - it was ancient and I was treating it like a punching bag. And the battery once died during practice, although I hadn't changed the battery since I bought the bass, and always have a battery with me after that. Both caused my naivety, really. [/quote] Now imagine that happening at a function where you've got £400 as your cut. Stop playing and muck about changing a string, scrabble about looking for a screwdriver so you can change your battery? We spend hours and hours of rehearsal time to make things slick and professional from a performance perspective, it makes perfect sense to be able to treat unexpected glitches in exactly the same manner. After all, the audience/client is there to see us perform, not get a ring seat view of crisis management. As for your specific issues, batteries are easy. I always have a spare but I never end up using it - my batteries get ditched after 3 months regardless of condition. I can count on one hand the number of strings I've broken in 35 years, but that's still too many to comfortably ignore. I can change basses in just under 5 seconds, I can't change a string that quickly.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441542023' post='2859625'] All this "I bring two basses in case one breaks" and "I buy superior quality gear because it's more reliable" just seem like mealy-mouthed justifications for what is simply an indulgence, although so many here seem to be unwilling to admit that's what it is. If you want to play at being a big-time rock star, if you do it as an indulgence, if you simply have more fun that way, just bloody well say it instead of getting all upset when I don't believe that you bring two superior quality basses to the pub "in case one breaks". [/quote] You asked a question, I answered it. Your opinion is just that, it's not something that dictates what people should or shouldn't do and it seems to upset me far less than it does you. Are you assuming that everyone here only play in pubs? There are well paid playing opportunities out there that don't involve pubs and, once you start down that route, you lose the whole 'ce'st la vie' attitude pretty quickly or the work dries up. I've been doing this for almost 36 years now and it's not dried up, so two quality basses for me every time. I don't suppose this is the right time to mention that I also take a spare amp head as well is it..?

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1441493376' post='2859326'] Oh aye - ca' me stupid, wid ye? [/quote] Well, if the cap fits... ...get a spare.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441488634' post='2859270'] Besides saying they aren't required for the local pub gig, what negative thing have I said in this thread about expensive gear? You see, I haven't. I haven't generalised that they're all [i]this[/i] or [i]that[/i], like you have generalised that cheap basses apparently can't do what you want them to. You're not the only one who isn't stupid. [/quote] Well ignoring the semantics, there's no 'apparently' about it. If they don't match the criteria I expect of them then they're not for me. I have no problem with that, it's my choice. I have already said that I also have no problem with anyone who is happy with a cheaper bass, that's their choice. Seems I have no problems, so that's all good then.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441484642' post='2859231'] So... you bring two superior quality basses because of their reliability, but you bring two in case one breaks? That makes very little sense to me. They're either highly reliable, and therefore only one is required, or they're as fallible as all other basses, and you need two. It can't be both. [/quote] Yes it can. I don't have a crystal ball. I don't leave things to chance. I own several basses. I get paid to play and it represents a big chunk of my income. Not taking a spare is stupidity. I'm a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them. [quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441484642' post='2859231'] Fantastic bit of gear snobbery regarding cheap basses, though. [/quote] And that's so much worse than inverse snobbery? If you are happy with a cheap bass, and it gives you what you need from it, then that's absolutely fine by me. I'm not, they don't and that should be fine by you as well.

Two basses at a gig? Yep, I don't want to be mucking about replacing a busted string or flat battery or knackered jack socket halfway through a gig, regardless of how big or small it is. Would I use a cheap bass? Nope, I want repeatable consistency and reliability - thats the standard I work to as a musician, and a tool that doesn't support that standard is just a liability. I don't want it rattling, drifting out of tune or treating intonation anywhere above the 12th fret as optional.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1440666625' post='2852760'] My plectrum technique is pretty godd [/quote] Is that 'good' 'odd' or 'god'?

Had that on both of my 505's. I went down the mahogany woodstain route and its worked fine. Thin it down with some white spirit before you use it though... its easier to build up layers than it is to remove one...

Try this: http://mycoolguitars.com/mij/yamaha-guitars/yamaha-guitar-serial-numbers-dating-your-guitar/

BVs only, and I come up with as many excuses as I can to get out of it.

If the psu is 12v, why not take a look at the USB adaptors that are used in cars?

[quote name='Slipperydick' timestamp='1438645578' post='2836135'] If you lightly stroke a metal part of the amp, or your Bass with it powered up do you feel any tingling ? Could you temporarily connect it to the mains using a four way lead, but with the plug upside down, as in the photo, and let us know if it makes any difference ? You will be removing the earth and also reversing the polarity. [attachment=197812:20150803_235517.jpg] [/quote] No no no. Seriously bad thing to do. Not only are you removing the earth but you're ending up with the fuse on the Neutral side where it has no effect whatsoever. The way to approach this is: 1) Take the amp to a mates house and try it there. If it still buzzes then the amp or cabling is faulty - get it repaired. 2) Unplug the fridge and make sure any lights using dimmer switches, fluorescent tubes or transformers are switched off. If the buzz goes then turn the items back on one at a time until you find the culprit. 3) Run an extension lead from upstairs and try that supply instead (or vice versa if you're already upstairs). 4) Get yourself a plug in mains tester - essential bit of kit if you're gigging anyway. 5) If all that fails then get an electrician in, preferably not the one who did the work in the first place. A fresh pair of eyes can often see things clearer. Snipping earth cables, plugging things in back to front and general piddling about with your electric supply is just asking for trouble.

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1438630903' post='2835970'] If I stick a CD into my PC, it automatically rips it to my library!! Can I turn that off then? [/quote] Yes

Provided you don't walk up and down the street with a placard and a loudhailer telling everyone what you've done, the chances of anyone being prosecuted are somewhere around the zero area. I suspect this latest bit of legislation is part of a bigger picture that will become apparant as the years go by.

We don't all see the same ads at the bottom of the page, they're what the DMA call 'targeted ads', which means they're generally inappropriate and often annoying. Ad blocking software will remove them up to a point and there is a way to eradicate them completely but it means getting a bit techy. Easiest way to remove that particular ad is to look in the RH top corner of it. There's a little 'Play' button. Give it a click or two and you'll be given an option to remove that particular ad.

The content is stored in the 'Signature' settings area. It takes a bit of fiddling to get it right, if you can't get the hang of it then drop me a PM telling me what it is you want in there and I'll put it in there for you. Once the content is there you can tweak it until it's exactly what you want.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1436433348' post='2818036'] Spell checking was always switched on as far as I could see. It was working on Talkbass but not on BC, which is why I thought is was a BC problem. Anyway, I switched several instances from US English to UK English and didn't intentionally change anything else and this morning it's all working again! Poxy PC's. I hate them. Thanks for the help. [/quote] Sounds as if the registry setting had got mangled. Changing to US English would have overwritten the mangled setting and left it in a state to accept UK English afterwards. Well done on figuring it out, I'll add it to my list of 'fixes'.

Spellchecking is all controlled at the client end, nowt to do with server settings at this end. I do know that, in the past, there have been a couple of Firefox releases that have been reported as not supporting spellchecking very well, so check to see if there has been an update to your current version. If there hasn't then you might consider rolling back to a previous version for a while.

[quote name='Jenny_Innie' timestamp='1436218076' post='2816185'] (why does the youtube fing not work?) [/quote] You need to edit out the 's' so the url starts with 'http' is all.

You're using too small a power supply. The Zoom needs a 1A supply, the Boss one is probably only 500mA and will power the unit up for a few seconds before the over current protection kicks in and switches it off.

There are a lot of different versions of IPBoard software in use out there, not saying ours is old, but some parts of it rely on a dwarf with an abacus. We are getting dangerously close to rolling out a new version which is much slicker and uses two dwarves and an etch a sketch.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1435232890' post='2806747'] I'm guessing it's neither, and it's just a limitation of the software. [/quote] It is. The forum software doesn't differentiate between a 'write request' and setting a 'delete flag' - both are seen as an update to the database entry. All the FMs and GMs know how to make a post disappear, so just PM an online one or hit the 'Report' button and we'll zap it.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1435062631' post='2805007'] If the guitar related stuff was simply moved out from the "[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Other Musically Related Items" section that would be a major improvement IMHO.[/font][/color] [/quote] It's on the list.