Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

KK Jale

Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    641

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by KK Jale

    Identify this bass...

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by KK Jale

    This came up on a Facebook page and I'm foxed, so thought I'd throw it out there…

    This is John B "Sparko" Sparks in one of the Dr Feelgood line-ups, circa 1981.

    Fm9a4ZM.jpg 

    The body looks a bit like a Washburn SB-40, later the Force line (below). But the pointy 2x2 headstock's completely different, as are the controls, and the pickup looks more Aria-ish than Washburn.

    3pGyYXL.jpg

    Obscure Japanese? Handmade? Any clues?

    Fantasy Budget Bitsa Bass!

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    2 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

    A set of USA Hipshot Ultralites has just sold for £50 too, plenty of bargains knocking around. 

    Those looked like licensed tuners to me not USA. No "USA", different Hipshot logo, a shorter cover, less bevel on the teeth. Bargain if so, not so much if not. 

    Maruszczyk flatwounds. What are they like?

    in Accessories and Misc

    Posted · Edited by KK Jale

    Soooo, I bought these. They're good. 

    First impressions... very smooth and slightly finger-grabby in that La Bella/ Pyramid way, as opposed to glassy like Chromes or satin-fast like GHS. Nice even response, with no dead E. Black silk at both ends is a nice touch. 

    Pretty firm-tensioned at 45-65-85-105 - easy enough on my 32" Precision, but on a 34" scale they'd probably feel a lot like the La Bella 760FS (same gauges, so no surprise there). In fact in terms of feel, tension and sound – which is very much in the Motown camp to my ears – I reckon I'd be hard-pushed to tell them from Deep Talkin' Flats in a blind test. Whether they settle down like DTF's remains to be seen. 

    At £24 posted via Bass Direct I'd say these are a snip for the more trad-minded. 
     

     

    UPDATE FOR POSTERITY SEPTEMBER 2021...

     

     I fell out of love with the Maruszczyk flats eventually. I actually lost confidence in the bass they were on and nearly decided to sell it but as a last resort went back to my favoured Labellas and they transformed it - better feel, a lovely groovy bounce, a softer touch, far more even tension across the fingerboard and, dare I say it, more richness and  "musicality". They're still on and I play the bass every day. Worth the extra dosh many times over.
     

    So after a year or so of use I feel justified in downgrading these strings from "really good" to "bit harsh overall, D and especially G pretty high tension, sound okay, didn't break, adequate I s'pose if you're strapped for £20". 
     

    Thanks for tuning in. :)

    • Like 2

    Any USA Epiphone experts on board?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hard to see clearly, but the oblong shadow above the bridge is slightly odd. It's in roughly the place where a factory handrest might well have been, but it's a little too long for that, and there's no sign of the handrest "ears", nor the two screw holes. Worst case scenario would be a patch where an added pickup had once been, which would affect the value... quite a lot.

    Of course it may just be a mark from a sticker, or even a glitch in the photo. 

    60s Burns Bass

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted · Edited by KK Jale

    I think what you MIGHT need is a 3/16" (4.4mm) "bantam" jack plug.

    These are not only thinner than a normal 1/4" jack, but also shorter (which might possibly be why Jim Burns chose them, because of the shallow depth of the Sonic body). 

    Found this on the net: top, 1/4"; middle, a 3/16" which fits some guy's old Burns; bottom, a modern 3.5mm.

    OzyiQ7S.jpg

    Here's a possible source for a new plug: https://www.canford.co.uk/BANTAM-JACK-PLUGS-4.4mm-Economy or maybe https://www.canford.co.uk/Products/43-190_NEUTRIK-NP3TT-1-B-BANTAM-JACK-PLUG-Black  Can't guarantee these will fit, but maybe worth a shot? (Also, they're crimp-contact, which isn't exactly pro-audio level... but for a home-use bass there's nothing wrong with that, and it'd be nice to keep it original).

    Or then again, a 3/16 to 1/4 cable... this looks good... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162673758955

     

    • Like 1

    Double bass FS locally: worth a look?

    in EUB and Double Bass

    Posted

    Erm, no. So: hefty old shed, been gathering dust for a decade, arch back, pearwood board, lam top, once modded for five strings, action pretty high, strings softish though (red silk both ends). Czech, mid-century? No clue. 

    Playable, kinda, in a way, though terrible sympathetic buzz from headstock even after retensioning strings. I plunked it, scratched my whiskers, thanked them, then hearkened to my gut feeling and said I needed a think. Maybe it's because I had a crisis of intent, or because I live in a shoebox and don't want to turn sideways every time I walk around it. Dunno. 

    Shuftie unpopped. I feel I've failed the tribe. 

    • Haha 1

    Pedal steel / lap steel

    in Other Instruments

    Posted · Edited by KK Jale

    TJP will probably have a different and better answer to me but a good way to play left hand harmonics is to momentarily lift the bar off the strings and touch the strings with the edge of your pinky finger. 

    You probably know this already, but right-hand harmonics really come into play a lot - either with the edge of the palm, a knuckle, a fingertip - whatever feels easiest that lets you strike the string at the same time. I tend to use the edge of the palm, it makes picking easier and you can sweep several harmonics at once. I always found the knuckle really difficult. Check out Speedy West at 0.20!

     

     

    There is life after 50

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by KK Jale

    5 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

    As an aside, music or otherwise, I find these adverts abhorrent.  These effing jolly old technicolour backstories selling a product barely a step above loan sharkism.  Believe me, if anyone thinks it's a good idea to enter into one of these schemes, step back from the edge, take a deep breath and just don't do it. 

    I agree...

    However it's nice to see that just for once in a TV advert the band and singer are REAL, not actors - The Phobics, local to round here, who've been plugging away with garage punk for 20 years and deserve a bit of a payday IMHO.

    Pedal steel / lap steel

    in Other Instruments

    Posted · Edited by KK Jale

    Very good questions! I'll try. 

    This will be a bit long :-)

    Yes, the cost of pedal steels is high, and sadly cheap "beginner" models can be as much of a hindrance as a help. Back in the day, newbies used to start on basic models with "pull-release" changers (as opposed to all-pull, eg. pro-level Sho-Bud and a hundred other brands, or push-pull, eg. Emmons) steels to keep costs down. Vintage examples (such as the pull-release Sho-Bud Mavericks) used to be gettable for about £500 but they're a bit of a pain, to be honest. Stay away from the Carter Starter, the mechanism is made of cheese and the knee lever stop design is a joke… they're bad enough to put you off playing for good. TL;DR; buy a pro-level pedal steel or be prepared to want to throw the thing out of the window. 

    Yes, 8-string laps exist (as do 10-strings, though they're uncommon). A six-string is probably the best way to start. You can easily and cheaply experiment with tunings… open E or A for rock, blues and some Americana, then maybe a C6 tuning for traditional '50s country/roots, then, oh, about a hundred others. Eight strings really expand your options and make other tunings such as 11ths worthwhile. With any tuning, though,  pros are balanced by cons… you just need to pick one (or two, hence double-neck lap or "console" steels). 

    The E9 sound on lap steel conundrum… players have been battling this for decades. On lap steels with no levers at all, it IS possible to partly replicate the E9 PSG sound, and this is done by a combination of selecting certain voicings to trick the ear and by slanting the bar (bloody difficult). But really, lap steel is potentially so much greater (and better) than just a pale E9 imitator. It's a brilliant instrument - and it also encourages the player to understand and use the whole fretboard, as opposed to pedal steel, which tempts you with so many (often corny) licks via pedals and levers without moving the bar. But I digress…

    B-bender type rigs can be found. The off the shelf solution is the Duesenberg Pomona lap steel, which costs nearly as much as a very used pedal steel. Luckily, the bridge, the Duesenberg Multibender, is available separately for about £200, and can be fitted to a regular six-string lap steel (as long as it has enough body behind the bridge… the Gretsch lap is a popular victim for this mod). Main problem: having levers sticking out over the bridge slightly hampers your picking, and also your blocking (the art of silencing unwanted strings). 

    The Multibender comes with two levers that can be applied to any two strings. It's raise-only, no drops. Three levers can be rigged up, but that makes it much trickier to operate; two is enough to replicate the basic "classic pedal steel move", which is to raise the 5th to a 6th (this also gives a relative minor chord) and to raise the 3rd to a 4th. Used together, these change the open (no-bar) I chord to a IV and, like a pedal steel, give you a I chord at the 7th fret. Bingo.

    There are a few Multibender demos on YouTube, but bear in mind that you may very likely be better starting on a plain six-string lap steel and thinking about a bender later. There's so much to learn and have fun with in terms of bar control alone. 

    Am I making sense?! Happy to try again if not. 

    • Like 5
    • Thanks 6
×
×
  • Create New...