fretmeister

Mr Wong did a great job staying solid there!

I think he knows exactly how it works - What he wants is a unit where increasing the gain automatically lowers the volume to keep a consistent overall output. Some compressors do this already, when the ratio is increased or the threshold is lowered the make up gain is dealt with automatically to keep the output consistent. It shouldn't be that hard to do on a drive pedal / preamp unit.

After 50+ years of pedal makers using it wrong... there's no point trying to fight this one.

Marley Blue! Lovely colour.

Learning to set up your bass is one of the best investments in your time you can make. Being out of tune at the top is almost always an intonation issue - basically the bridge saddles are either too far forward or too far back. Intonation is linked to string gauge so if you move to higher or lower gauges then you can expect to need to tweak the bridge saddle positions when you do that. When changing string gauge / tension like that it is also very common to need a truss rod adjustment too. It can be a scary idea as the web is full of people claiming they destroyed their instruments but on a well made instrument if you follow the rules then there is nothing to it BUT BUT BUT make sure you use the right tool. As for the original question - the amount of work you are thinking about will cost more money than buying a new bass. Fretboard swaps are possible if there is a separate 'board (some older instruments did not) but it's a lot of work to get right. Good paint jobs also cost quite a bit. Worst of all - if you don't like the work then you really have ruined the bass you love. So get something else as well, even if you have to save up for a while.

I had one. It was nice, but I like the sound of their 10 inch cones more.

I have hassled him before but I'd like Barefaced @alexclaber to do a vertical Three10T cab with kickback wheels, and a tweeter. Alex has kindly informed me that to get a sensible 4ohm impedance it would need custom ordered cones and that the demand probably wouldn't be there for the expense and R&D. So I'm counting on you lot to tell him that you'd all buy 3 cabs each! Narrow and tall, with wheels would be perfect for me. The Four10 doesn't have wheels and is short, the Six10 is just completely overdoing it and there are many venues I play I'd have trouble getting it through doors / stairs etc and with about 20 band members there isn't much room either. The Eight10 gives me funny feelings in my loins but it wouldn't fit in the car. My feeble attempts at saying "Well, Ashdown have made one..." didn't work in the slightest, but it was worth a shot. So I'm going to try "More people will want to have sex with you, Alex, if you make it"* * Those people are likely to just be Basschat members or maybe even me, but that's your risk!

I'd like @Tech21NYC to do a smaller version of the Steve Harris pedal. A Boss sized enclosure with a single channel, no tuner. That would be much better for pedal board use. I only sold mine because it's just inconvenient for a Pedaltrain type set up. It's such a great pedal, even if just used as an overdrive. (Ideally stick a compressor in the existing one too). And while you are at it - do a V3 of the Paradriver with the Presence control from the BDDI V2... and stick the jack sockets and power input on the top edge to help with 'board space a bit.

Aren't a huge amount of online places also bricks and mortar shops?

@LowB_FTW You can custom order that.

I’ve decided to go back to rounds on my Lionel. I like the flats I had but sometimes I need a little more bite. I’ve also gone up a gauge to 50-110 DR Hi Beams. I did the hand cream thing to dull them a little before fitting as they are very bright when new. With a bit more tension I’ve also been able to lower the action a bit too. I like a really low action and I play quite gently to avoid too much clank.

Boss BC-1X. It’s been a revelation. It just works perfectly. I no longer own a Cali76, Empress, DG SS, Keeley Pro because of it.

Lights flashing sounds like inadequate current. Have you calculated the current draw for the pedals and compared it with the outputs on the Caline? I still get it wrong sometimes, and use the wrong supply output for the wrong pedal and then it all goes wrong. I’ve got a bunch of high current pedals so as unsexy a purchase as it is, I bought a Cioks DC7 and now all is well.

Just my Helix rack. The rest has gone. I had older L6 units, a compressor, Ampeg preamp etc, but it's all gone now. Between the Helix and plugins I've got everything covered.

Mine is last on my board before it goes to the amp. All the pedals get my full signal that way but then the SFX cuts the too-lows from the Octave pedals and filters etc before it gets to the amp. Works for me, especially in our boomy rehearsal room.

I’m thrilled that it went to someone who actually plays it live. I’m even more thrilled that Kirk having it upsets the sad old blues gatekeepers. I always refer to it as the Greeny/Moore/Hammett guitar now. Kirk gets a lot of abuse, but he’s a proper guitar nerd and unlike his detractors he’s the one playing Hetfield rhythm parts every night. His recent interview with Rick Beato is great. He comes across as a really nice guy who still loves to play.

I bought Dave's Boss BB-1X because for big band jazz I need more drive pedals.... Delivery was super fast and all is working as it should. Thank you.

Surely any old 3 way blade type switch would do? Any UK parts supplier will have something suitable - EBMM do not make their own switches!

They won't insure stuff from ebay or reverb sales or any big marketplace like that, but have no problem with forum type things. I emailed to ask them that last year. I'm assuming that has stayed the same.

For steel rounds - DR Hi Beams at about £38 For most flats - Ernie Ball Group iv - can usually find them for about £38 and they last for ages. For 2 basses I cannot get away from my beloved Dunlop flats. They are absolutely stupidly priced at about £85 (fluctuates a lot) for 4 string and over £100 for 5 string but I get years and years out of them. Over a 5 year period I would have spent far more on the Hi Beam rounds. The Dunlops used to be about the £50 mark but over the last 18 months they've gone mad. I've tried loads of others to see if I can get the same feel for a cheaper price without success. It would have been cheaper to just buy some more Dunlops than try a load of others! I recently restrung my 5 string after about 5 or 6 years with them on. They were still fine, I had just managed to put a bad bend in a string when I had lent the bass on the edge of a table. So really they only cost me about £20 a year.

Most of the couriers do not properly insure for damage even if you pay the extra. So use whoever you like and then buy a separate insurance policy for it - or there is a specialist called Overland Express who say they specialise in guitars and kit.

I had one of the PJ ones many years ago. It was very nice, but a bit heavy for me. I do wish I had bought a Fortress Flashback when I played one in the late 1990s. It sounded amazing but I just couldn't raise the money.