KingBollock

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1458911121' post='3012056'] Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth for me, stunning clean and heavy vocals. [/quote] If you're going to do growly and clean vocals, you should definitely do it like Akerfeldt. Not like those ones all over Scuzz and Kerrang! who sound like teenagers ranting when they think their mum can't hear them and then whining when they realise she can. It's such a let down. There'll be some nice chunky, heavy riffage and deep growly vocals, and then all of a sudden they all turn into a Disney boy band. If there were so many of them I'd think them a parody!

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1458859932' post='3011724'] Those go on forever, I've got a 17w one ('cos I'm so delicate ) that I must have had for a similar amount of time. [/quote] Same here, 17w and about the same age.

I use the bottom four strings from a cheap Fender five string set that I tune up to C or C# standard. It's a .130 set, which is probably a bit too heavy, but I have no problems with it. So don't be afraid to tune up to what you need. I do have five strings, too, that I keep in standard tuning.

Female: Mother Earth, Silent Force, Heart of Everything era Sharon Den Adel. Male: I struggle with this but in the end I have to admit that it's probably Dani Filth. I love Björk, too. Would love to hear a duet with Björk and Til Linderman from Rammstein.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1458688530' post='3009980'] I quite like the idea of using those printed hessian sacks that coffee is shipped in, if you're going for recycled materials. They're colourful looking, cheap and seem like they would work well as speaker cloth. [/quote] That's a cracking idea!

I don't mind if I have to stretch the jacket cloth or whatever, to make it work. I know I'm perhaps being a bit daft, wanting to stick to something that wasn't meant for the job, but I would be using an old clock case so it would be fun to use mostly repurposed stuff. It really is only for fun. I have all the amps I need, this one will probably end up in the conservatory for use in the summer. My smallest amp is 100w, so something like 5 or 10w would be good. I might even look into building a tiny valve amp for it (the cases are quite large). If I do get it to work, I might knock up an iPod type amp or an FM radio for the living room. When I saw all those cases under that table in that shop... I dropped to my knees and while my mind started whirring my wife let out a very audible groan. That's when I knew!

[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1458665988' post='3009661'] How much do you need? I have a few off cuts of proper grill cloth you could have if they're big enough. [/quote] I have absolutely no idea. I haven't bought the case yet and I have got a few projects that I need to get done (including fitting a battery operated movement into an old clock case) before I really start thinking properly about it. The cloth question popped into my head, so I thought I'd ask before I forgot. That's a very kind offer, though. I rather like the "make do" aspect of using a cut off from a jacket if it was suitable, though.

I found a nice supply of antique clock cases (they're not worth anything and the movements in them are dead) and a couple of them look like they would make quite cool little combo amps with speakers where the faces would normally be. The thing is that they're cheap, just £3 each, so I want to do the whole thing as cheap as possible. It's just for a bit of fun. I was thinking that some sort of tweed might look nice as a speaker cloth and I was wondering if material cut from an old jacket (that I would hope to find in a charity shop or something) would work? Or is it just a stupid idea? I don't normally use speaker cloth so am not sure enough of its properties to determine suitability.

I built a Ram's Head Muff and a Musket into one box with an order switch. I love it. They both sound very different to each other allowing for a huge variety of sounds. But using them together and being able to change the order adds even more variety and massive amounts of filth. And when you consider all the mods that you can add very easily... My electronics workbench is almost finished being rebuilt and when it is done I shall finish the mods I still have planned for my muffs (I have named the box Dank & Fetid) and finally get around to recording a demo of it.

I have barely played bass since November. Due to upheaval from Christmas and then me deciding to "renovate" my music room, my gear was all packed away and only cracked out again a couple of weeks ago. I played this and thought it was cute. I only recorded it so I would remember it, but I saw this thread and thought bugger it, I'll stick it up! It's the first thing I have recorded in four years (and that had been the first thing in ten). https://soundcloud.com/user5139486/upon-waking I played it on my Cort T-35 (all my other basses are still packed away) through my Behringer V-Amp into Audacity. If I had been thinking of this thread when I recorded it I may have made it a little longer than 21 seconds...

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1458390586' post='3007178'] have you tried a felt or leather pick? [/quote] There was a good thread on felt picks on BassChat a while ago. It got me experimenting with making my own. I basically used strong double sided sticky tape (I didn't want to use a glue that would leech into the felt and go hard) to stick the felt to a thin Dunlop pick. It worked really well, but with round wound strings the felt wore through too quickly.

[quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1458380731' post='3007069'] I use Dunlop Tortex 0.6's for electric. People used to ask why, when they all used heavy picks & heavy strings, well, if light strings are good enough for Iommi, May & Gibbons, they're good enough for me. Plus they just feel far better. [/quote] I hadn't associated the change with a change in string thickness. But in my case the pick thickness has gone drastically down, but the string gauge has gone up. In fact, on my main bass I only have the bottom four strings from a very heavy five string set. And I have it tuned up to C#, so they're a lot stiffer, too.

I went from playing 3mm almost exclusively, on bass, for over 20 years, but last year I started using some orange Dunlop .60 picks that I used on my acoustic guitars. From this thread, this seems very light, but even the next size up doesn't feel as comfortable or sound as crisp. And it was from playing a lot of death and black metal on bass that got me started with them. I still use 3mm picks on electric guitar.

The best thing about having a moderate picking attack, and setting your amp up for that, is that you then have somewhere to go if a part needs a softer attack or if it needs some welly. I also think it allows for better precision. Pick playing can actually be very versatile. I have to confess that my finger style is woeful. I am not so bad with two fingers and thumb, rolling like with my banjo, but if I want to have a sound that sounds like fingers I just use a different pick (3mm Dunlop somethingorothers, I used to use Big Stubbies, but these are black) and play closer to the neck. Edit: Dunlop Primetones!

I find the all plastic thumb picks very uncomfortable, I much prefer metal ones that can be shaped. I use those for banjo, but because the pick part is metal too, they don't work so well on bass. But you can get them with the metal thumb strap and a plastic pick. There is also the Chris Broderick Pick Clip, which is a metal thumb strap that you can fit normal picks into, but they're not easy to find.

Try a lot of different kinds and thicknesses of picks. They can make a huge difference, I'll even sometimes change the type of pick I am using depending on what song I am playing. If you're struggling to grip it, try to find a pick that is easier to hold. For you that might be a different material or something with ridges on it. Just try as many as you can.

[quote name='6v6' timestamp='1457604882' post='3000002'] I thought it was mostly meant for steel, but I see they do a version which is supposed to work on galvanized steel and aluminium now. Not used it for years to be honest, mostly because it's difficult if you ever want to overcoat it (you can't repaint with Hammerite or anything else unless you strip everything right off IIRC), it's kinda funny stuff compared to normal paints, but I guess it may work OK. [/quote] I need a primer that I can paint on with acrylics. I know some people that use acrylics on the Halford's primer, but they're not painting aluminium. Which is why I wanted to check first. Also, my hobby room is in a state where it can't currently be used as I am fixing it up. The music and computer sections are done, and the painting and modelling section is almost done. But the electronics section is currently nonexistent since I changed my mind on how to build it. I was going to use the bench I was using before and build shelving, parts bins, drawers and pegboard panels around it, but I am now going to be building the whole thing as one unit from scratch. It's all very frustrating (I can only work on it on four days out of ten, and only that much if I am lucky) and so I find myself constantly researching every minute detail and asking questions at every available opportunity, just so I feel like I am doing [i]something[/i] towards it.

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1457519816' post='2999223'] I've been mulling over combining two Joyo American Sound pedals into a single 'twin channel' pedal that can A/B dirty and clean settings. The pedal is based on the Tech 21 Blonde but with a mod for more low frequencies. How complicated would finding the enclosure be? It'll need to accommodate 5 controls for each channel (3 eq, 1 voice and 1 drive) and a 6th for overall level of both channels. I know there are enclosures out there which are large, but can anyone advise what the smallest footprint could be for this layout based on other designs? Front and inside shown below: [attachment=214232:DSC_0059-01.jpeg] [attachment=214231:DSC_0058.JPG] Many thanks! They're still around but their range has been massacred to about 6 fonts. [url="http://www.letraset.com/products/90-Letraset-Transfers/"]http://www.letraset....aset-Transfers/[/url] When I was working in a design consultancy, we used to print text on to adhesive sheets of plastic using the photocopier. [/quote] I think the Hammond 1590XX would do it. It's 145mm x 121mm. [url="http://www.bitsbox.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=185_187&products_id=1413"]http://www.bitsbox.c...roducts_id=1413[/url] I have one with a Big Muff and a Musket in it. Though I built both on the same piece of vero. [attachment=214233:MusketMuffBox.jpeg] That's how it looks with its very temporary labelling. There will be two more pots (with smaller knobs) and two more switches added before it's finished.

[quote name='ColinB' timestamp='1457517412' post='2999196'] I sure miss Lettraset! [/quote] My wife is a crafter (almost said crafty...) and she has tons of rub on letter sheets. You can get all sorts of different sizes and fonts. I think some of them may even be able to be foiled, meaning you can make them shiny metallic (with the right tool. One of the ones we've got is an Antex soldering iron with a metal plate attached to it). Or you can do It with transfers made with a laser printer or photocopier (the toners melt under heat, which is how the foil sticks to it). I think embossing powders could look really good when used on pedals, too. So next time you pass a craft shop, pop in and have a butcher's.

[quote name='bobbass4k' timestamp='1457484086' post='2999061'] Nuthin', most of them are just humbrol enamel model paint on pre-powder coated enclosures (the rest are marker pen...). Durability is usually a secondary concern to remembering what the the pots do. I do want to improve the artistic side of things though, but I've yet to be convinced by any of the DIY options that are practically open to me. [/quote] Ah right. Thank you for replying. I shall just get a generic automotive primer and see what happens. All the primers I have are meant for plastics. What options are open to you that you are unsure about? And what options do you feel are impractical for you that you would like to try? When I started building my own pedals I was going to try printing transfers and decals, I even bought the relevant paper, but never got around to trying it. But I got an airbrush (actually three airbrushes) and compressor for christmas, so I am a bit more motivated now. It isn't an expensive setup but it is surprisingly good quality. And the thing I like about airbrushing is that you can get away with a lot with little to no artistic ability, as long as you're patient. I shall still probably use decals for intricate lettering.

[quote name='bobbass4k' timestamp='1457476133' post='2999008'] Here's my current DIY crop, ranging aesthetically from "passable minimalism" to "accidentally painted by an alarmingly intoxicated donkey" - Gut shots are available upon request, except for those that are stuffed into their enclosures like a sausage casing full of weasels. [/quote] What do you use for a primer?

Sabaton have a song made up almost entirely of songs titles (Metal Machine), another made up of lyrics from other songs (Metal Ripper) and another made up of band names (Metal Crue). [i]I have a phobia A fear of the dark Afraid to shoot strangers The animal talks Guns scare me shitless But love gun's my friend The sentinel's coming But is this the end? Riding on this crazy train I'm going paranoid Watch me lose my mind And break the law (breaking the law, breaking the law) I'm a metal machine It's close to midnight and He's barking at the moon I'm a metal machine The rainbow in the dark is shining I'm only metal machine It's close to midnight and He's barking at the moon I'm a metal machine The kings of metal ride the sky Is this st. anger The ultimate sin Or have I really A black knight within?[/i]

A question for those that paint your own enclosures: What primer do you use? I only have acrylic polyurethane primers and I don't think they'll adhere well to aluminium. I am thinking that an automotive one would do the trick, but thought I'd best get some advice from you knowledgable lot, first.

I have considered doing this myself. The fans used are usually the same as those used in PCs. I have an old hard drive bay that has a thermostat and a couple of fans in it that I think would be ideal for this kind of thing. I would just use the thermostat, it should run on just the DC supplied to the fans in the amp. It only cost me about £7, donkey's years ago, and I have no use for it, so I don't mind cannibalising it. I would have it so that it could be switched in and out, so that it could be used just in the house but would be there to kick in if it was needed. I would imagine that you can still get them, I know you can get rather more complicated PC fan controllers. I'm sure there must be something cheap that could be used.

Unsuitable rooms always makes me think of a gig my wife and I went to see in a village pub. My wife and I had done a disco there when we owned a mobile disco. The room is about the size of our livingroom, but there is a bay that we easily fit into with our lighting rack, decks, 500w P.A. and even all the light boxes across the front, leaving plenty of room for tables and room for people to dance. The band we went to see there took up well over half the room with their gear, which included a massive P.A. So there should have been room for about 12 or 15 people to stand and watch, but they also had a huge mixing desk, and they had created a barrier using tables to cordon off the back of the room where the desk was. So in the end there was room for six people to stand in a line, as long as they didn't move. But it was so incredibly loud that being in there was literally painful. It made absolutely no sense whatsoever.