icastle

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1363717337' post='2016505'] I have to disagree with you on all 3 counts there - many of the kits I supply have made a terrific difference to what comes out of the bass, the pots etc are a vital part of the signal path & if you replace pots which are in any way less than 100% - there can be a huge improvement. [/quote] I'm gonna have to disagree with your disagree. A pot allows you to vary resistance, that's its job. Provided the track is flat and the wiper is sufficiently tensioned against the track, then electronically it makes no difference what pots you use - once it's been 'varied' it's just a resistor. Where the more expensive pots 'win' is in the repeatable tolerances of the track and the smooth transition of the wiper - neither of which make a huge difference to the signal because you're average end user is going to set the position of the pot by ear as opposed to test equipment. [quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1363717337' post='2016505'] I use Black nylon GHS strings regularly on 2 of my basses 1 fretted & 1 fretless & there's no way they are 'less bright' than the equivalent flatwounds, just different, more mellow perhaps. [/quote] Dom said his bass sounds a 'bit dull' but we don't know what he's comparing that 'dullness' to, I think there's a missing bit out of the equation here.

[quote name='barkin' timestamp='1363611222' post='2014652'] Well, full marks to Thomann. Old amp returned, at their expense, no questions asked, and a brand new replacement delivered in double-quick time. [/quote] Got to say, I've heard and seen quite a few positive comments about Thomann. They seem to be giving customer satisfaction the attention it deserves.

Nope. In basic operation, all a pot does is provide a resistance that you can vary. That resistance simply controls the amount of signal that passes through the pot. In pure circuit terms, tone is controlled by the capacitor. Black nylon strings are never going to be as bright as regular strings.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1363563482' post='2014258'] I'm no effects aficionado but to me it sounded about as good as most octavers tend to. [/quote] Like I said

[quote name='rmorris' timestamp='1363652647' post='2015459'] Woahh...it can def be caused by a 'plastic' pickguard. It seems that when they get worn they can generate 'staic' type inteference when touched / rubbed. Plenty of info if you Google it. Look for 'shiny' bits on the pickguard where it's been 'polished' by hand movements etc. I had this happen on an Ibanez Strat copy. You can shield with foil and dryer sheets also work to a degree ( they are 'anti static' )- but I got a new pickguard cut at a place in Orpington. [/quote] I've heard of this but have never found myself hugely convinced. You need the right mechanical interactions and humidity and to create and maintain a static charge on a material and I find it unlikely that many people manage to get both of these environmental anomalies on a regular basis. Some materials are prone to static (ever been in an office where your shoes, the carpet surface and metal door handles give you a spark?) but finding the 'correct' combination of materials in a scratchplate would take an illogical degree of work. Even if it *is* a static charge, once it's dissipated then it's not likely to reappear in a matter of seconds. Shielding scratchplates and body cavities is more to do with eliminating RFI than controlling the build up of static. I'm not doubting that changing your scratchplate resolved the problem you were having but I'm more inclined to think that the physical process of moving stuff about when you changed it actually rectified the original issue. But hey, I'm no physicist so I'm quite happy to be wrong.

I also have a dedicated mail address that I used to register with BassChat and receive notifications into. There's no spam mail of any description in there - although it does sometimes mark legitimate posts as spam.

[quote name='Kapucheen' timestamp='1363594771' post='2014368'] Hi icastle, there is a company within 5 miles that advertises on the web. £35 to open up and £25 an hour after that :-( Hence the attempt to solve first. Looks like I'll have to grt used to my tinnitus of the amp ! [/quote] Which part of the country do you live in?

The thumbline is just a useful way of illustrating how thumb position influences the angle at which your fingers meet the fingerboard. I don't use it as a rigid rule - you might find that moving a little either side of that imaginary line helps get the appropriate finger angle easier. The other thing to consider is the height of the bass - wear it too low and you may find it awkward as well. The important thing is to persevere with it - it'll all suddenly fall into place and then you'll wonder what on earth the problem was.

[quote name='Jimryan' timestamp='1363561221' post='2014222'] Glad you survived :-p [/quote] He obviously took my advice about the toilets...

From your description it sounds like your thumb is too far up the back of the neck. Imagine a line running along the length of the middle of the neck. Keeping your hand relaxed, move your thumb so that it's on that line. That should allow your fingers to press the strings at a sharper angle and avoid (hopefully) unwanted muting. HTH

The OC3 has an OC2 emulation setting which is supposed to be quite realistic. I'm no effects aficionado but to me it sounded about as good as most octavers tend to.

Well you've got an earth problem there somewhere matey. It's very hard to diagnose without actually seeing the amp - do you have an amp tech somewhere near where you live?

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1363555889' post='2014133'] A month? [/quote] Well even though I always give them a good wipe down afterwards, I do play quite a lot.

Until my last string change I've been an Elixir nickel user for a number of years. I'm quite a busy player and I was getting about 3 months out of a set. A set of Rotosounds were lasting me about a month. The only thing to be perhaps a little bit wary of is the reported tendency for the coating to flake, but that seems to affect mostly pick players from what I've read.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1363541712' post='2013848'] That deep-set neck joint was actually designed with spousal abuse it mind - Shockwave's wife can beat him with it as hard as she likes and the bass should be fine . [/quote] That'll be a relief to him...

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1233274854' post='395087'] What a bunch of shiftless chisellers! [/quote] LMAO

Seems like ESP have a bit of a problem with nuts. My ESP LTD-B206SM bass had a sharp edge to the underside of the nut that made it uncomfortable. In fairness though, a couple of strokes with a file chamfered it out nicely. The pickups and active electronics are pretty reasonable and the hardware really belongs on a more expensive instrument. Despite the dubious nut issues that I had, the overall finish was extremely good. I think the only thing that I can really pick issue with is the weight - you'll need a good, wide, comfy strap if you're planning on using it for an extended period of time. (I'm no weed but even I feel it after an hour or so!) My overall summary would be that it's a well built instrument that, if you didn't know better, you'd happily pay 30-40% extra for and still walk away with a smile on your face.

I've got one of those that I use as a backup amp, great little amp for the money.

Things I always avoid:- Percentage of bar takings as payment. Percentage of door money as payment. 'Free' drinks. "We'll see how you do" deals. ... and of course, the whole 'Pay to Play' b*ll*cks. My advice will always be, if you want to get paid and someone tries to offer you one of the above, walk away from the deal - it'll cost you if you don't.

[quote name='Pete Academy' timestamp='1363540723' post='2013830'] I absolutely hate pub/venue owners that say: 'There won't be much money, but treat it as a rehearsal.' [/quote] "In that case there won't be any music, treat is as a lesson in running a pub."

To make things difficult (sorry ) some amps don't actually require a fuse change and Markbass are very 'picky' about releasing information about doing these conversions yourself. Any warranty you may have on the amp will go out of the window as soon as you touch the chassis with a screwdriver. Most amps that do require a fuse change to allow 110V operation seem to shift from a T6.3A to a T10A. My gut reaction would be to play safe - try the amp with the existing T6.3A and, if it blows, change it for a T10A.

When you touch the casing you're providing an alternative earth route. If the existing route to earth is broken then the most basic fault finding exercise needs to happen first. 1) Is the power point you're using properly earthed? 2) Is the mains lead you are using damaged? 3) Have you tried an alternative mains lead? 4) Using a multimeter, can you get a connection between the earth pin of the mains plug (unplugged from the wall socket of course) to a bare metal part of the amp chassis (the screw holding the fan in would do). I'd strongly advise you that you shouldn't be disconnecting earth wires from mains powered equipment - that wee scrap of wire is all that stands between you and meeting your maker should something catastrophic go wrong.

Well that's plastic, so it's not that - you can't earth plastic. Next thing to check would be the soldering. You're looking for dull solder joints. While you've got the control cavity open, plug the bass in (keep the volume low) and poke around the wiring to see if anything you prod makes the crackling appear or disappear. Move the wiring about gently to see if one of the cables has got a fracture inside it.

I've got the 6 string version. Fantastic build quality and sound for the price. Weighs a bl**dy ton though.

No mate PM me the details of the ad you're trying to view and I'll look into it for you.