Stuee

The clue's in the forum sub-title: "This forum is for the discussion of Ebay auctions. Please do not promote your own auctions. If you have something to sell, please use the For Sale forums." But as people apparently aren't reading this, perhaps the title should be changed to make this clearer, e.g. [b]eBay Discussion[/b]

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1128345' date='Feb 15 2011, 01:48 PM']They may carry a small amount of influence (perhaps that's why most strings are tipped with silk - to dampen any sympathetic response) but I theorise (no proof folks just opinion ) that after the string has past the nut and gone through a break angle it no longer carries sufficient influence on the main part of the string and what little that could be transfered to the pickup while the main part of the string is vibrating is so minute as to be negligible. You can of course cause the headstock section of strings to vibrate "prrring" which will then in turn set off a slight harmonic response on the main length of the strings but only if they are not played at the same time.[/quote] I agree, but my point was that the same is true at the other end. Once the string has passed over the saddle there is very little vibrational energy left in it, yet there is very little argument as to the importance and effectiveness of a good, solid bridge. And then there's the old string-through body/bridge debate. I always thought the silk wrap was to offer more grip & some protection to the tuners.

Fascinating discussion. No disrespect guys, but I'd love to hear someone who actually [i]knows[/i] how it works explain the physics. While we're getting down to it, though, presumably the tuning posts (specifically their sound transmission properties) are as important as the bridge, but I cannot recall any discussion or marketing gumph ever mentioning them with respect to sound.

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='1122493' date='Feb 10 2011, 12:15 PM']Good to know that turps works - can't be that much stinkier than meths, surely?[/quote] Try it! By the way, turpentine & white spirit aren't the same thing either.

I bet that stinks though, doesn't it? I was going to try the same thing as I've got no meths & live over ten miles from the nearest source, but it don't 'alf pong! So I soaked them in boiling water with a little biological washing liquid in it, with excellent results. I would still rather buy 3 or 4 sets of cheap strings & change them more frequently than repeatedly clean an expensive set. This for the reasons I have mentioned previously - tuning stability & intonation, plus fresh strings just feel better.

I just bought a Gator hard case from Mal. Absolute pleasure to deal with; plenty of good comms throughout, item exactly as described & well protected in transit. Nicely done, sir. Thank you

Take an Active P Bass, play it with a pick, chuck it into some variant of Ampeg SVT with a cranked input stage and maxed out drive control, and EQ to taste

[quote name='davebass66' post='1117619' date='Feb 6 2011, 01:14 PM']....well doesn't he look like a dude with his little thumb protector on.......MAN UP! ....and lose the mullet! *rant over* [/quote] Seriously? I thought we were better than that here, or did I accidentally sign in to TalkBass? He might be using the thumb tape for extra attack. And that isn't a mullet, it's just long hair tucked under his headphones, as if that's relevant to anything. *rant over* Kinda strange they used these clips on the site though, they were recorded in 1997 and I dare say the basses have changed at least a little since then. Wojtek's bass didn't have a Nemo carved into it, either! Unfortunately I couldn't read the whole introduction on the website. After the 4th time they used that dreadful American habit of referring to people as things (artists [i]that[/i]..., players [i]that[/i]..., people [i]that[/i]...) I gave up. Objects are [i]that[/i]s, people are [i]who[/i]s, if that's OK with you, America.

Just bought a couple of sets of 40-100 Roto nickels from Alex. Absolute pleasure to deal with, great comms, and the strings arrived very quickly. Top bollock, thanks mate

There is a discussion [topic="113716"]here[/topic] about who, what & where Futurama was/is & whether the brand is connected to Tokai (China, not Tokai Japan). Difficult subject, for obvious reasons, but interesting. I guess what I'm really interested in finding out is whether these instruments are any good - has anyone played / heard a '00s Futurama? And that is only because it's pretty - there's something about it, like some Jap Tokais or the ProBass/Retrovibe basses, that just looks like it'd punch above its weight.

Guys check this out, it's got something really nice about it. I read somewhere that these are made by Tokai - perhaps you know more about this... Bassassin? Slightly odd sunburst - a bit 'hard' on the colour transitions - but a lovely looking flame maple neck & very tidy overall. What do you think? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350436665471"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=350436665471[/url]

Really really nice, Rich. Great feel, sound, pocket, phrasing... spot on mate And well recorded too, which makes a nice change. Giving me GAS for an Overwater though!

I tend to use Fast Fret & a microfibre cloth before[i] & after[/i] every gig/session, to at least partially remove the sweat, oil, acid & dead skin that reduce string life & cause corrosion, and this helps to retain the brightness & sustain. But what makes me replace strings is when uneven stretching of the strings starts to affect their tuning stability & intonation. No amount of cleaning can restore those essential properties. Obviously your mileage will vary depending on your playing style, choice of strings, etc., but I find it hard to believe that one set of strings will remain stable for years, however fresh they [i]sound[/i] after cleaning. Having said that, I recently bought a late '60s short scale Jap bass which has really old roundwounds on it and I haven't got any short scale strings knocking about right now, so I'm gonna give them a clean & see how they fare. My wallet would love for me to be proven wrong! haha Oh bums. I haven't got any meths, either!

I'm not sure why [i]singer [/i]is getting all the votes - there is such a thing as instrumental music (some jazz, bluegrass, folk, etc.). I'd rather watch a band with no singer than one without a drummer (knowing how badly most bands keep time without one! ) I think that the drummer, or rather the quality of the drummer, is pivotal because: A bad drummer can make a good band sound terrible, but as long as the band has a good drummer the other musicians can usually get away with it. There are exceptions, of course! +100 on LawrenceH's comment about monitor engineers. A good monitor engineer is even rarer than a good woman, and should be treated even better!

[quote name='algmusic' post='1114031' date='Feb 3 2011, 03:54 PM']MAC on board interfaces are ok miles better than PC[/quote] Apple use the exact same Realtek or Intel integrated audio chips as can be found on standard motherboards in other PCs (yes the Mac is a PC). They might shield them better than some manufacturers, but they are identical components. I think most MacBook Pros use Intel High Definition Audio chips - nothing proprietary or superior about that.

Congrats, man.. that's a lovely bit of wood you got there

Thanks oldslapper, Sure, I understand. I only asked because there was a definite buzz of excitement about David's fretted models, which suggested to me they may be as good or better than the Squier and Vintage equivalents. The AERO1 is at least 20% cheaper than any Squier on the street, at £199. I guess I was hoping for some feedback on that too, be it positive or negative, but perhaps I should've phrased my post more as an enquiry than a petition! Still, it is a little frustrating when 125 people have read your post but none has replied. Anyway, as you say, I have my answer! It's a shame though - these things look the mutt's & [post="872906"]sound great[/post] for the money.

Thought I'd alert my fellow BCers to this as they really don't come up very often. Digitech Bass Whammy - £350 on [url="http://www.gumtree.com/london/80/73056580.html"]Gumtree[/url] (London). I would if I could but I can't - so fill yer boots