KingBollock

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1398958516' post='2439458'] Ummmm, before I did my art degree course I did a degree in astronomy at UCL (way back in the 70s) and at the end of the second year we each made a small metal cannon... a turned steel barrel, brass carriage, steel wheels... had to learn how to use a lathe, make some pieces accurate to a few thousanths of an inch, even made our own threaded brass bolts - in the years prior to my course they even bored out the barrels, put black powder in and fired them! [/quote] That's something I would love to make, a tiny, ball bearing firing cannon, ever since I saw one on mythbusters, in the same episode that they make one from gaffa tape.

I can't remember what it's called, but you can also get modelling clay that sets, without a kiln, like wood and can be carved like wood once it is set. And there's Sugru, which is similar to Polymorph but sets like rubber. http://sugru.com/about That's really popular on the crafting channels that my wife likes to [s]drool over[/s] watch.

[quote name='surfguy13' timestamp='1398957173' post='2439439'] What an absolutely brilliant product! I really wish I'd known about this for loads of jobs. I reckon it would be relatively easy to make a mould into which this stuff could be pressed. The best bit is that it can be re-heated if you need to tweak it. I think I'll get some anyway! Another excellent idea.......we have Cambridge just up the road and there's nothing but colleges! One of our neighbours is a teacher at a secondary school and [i]I think [/i]he teaches metalwork, or engineering or something like that so maybe he could get a class to do a project?! Why not, it's worth an ask. Thanks again...... [/quote] I only discovered Polymorph for myself recently. My mind instantly flooded with ideas for it, however my main project that I am concentrating on will require metal work. Speaking of, I wish, wish, wish we had had a metal work course at secondary school. We had woodwork, and an electronics class that consisted entirely of playing with technic Lego. I went on to do electronics at a local college. I keep thinking to myself that if I ever had the opportunity to do a college course again I would do metal work. I can make stuff with it but it is all very amateurish, lacking elegance, would love to learn how to do it properly.

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1398955765' post='2439412'] OUCH! Time to get creative then - before I looked for a company to make a cover for you I'd been wondering about vacuum forming - I did an arts degree course at Salford University and we had access to a vacuum forming table... the device heats a sheet of plastic up and then you can mould it over a suitable former on a vacuum table (which could be a shaped block of wood made to the size you need a bridge cover to be). You might think about getting in touch with your local FE colleges or universities and ask if they can help (maybe make it a project for one of their students even LOL). Or even seek out a local car repair shop and see if a panel beater can fashion a metal ashtray for you? [/quote] We had one of those in school, I loved it. I would love to own one myself, my whole house would be made of plastic!

There's a product called Polymorph. It is a plastic that comes as beans and you heat it up in water, then model it to whatever shape you want then leave it to cool and set. Maybe you could use that if you can't find something suitable to cut up as an alternative? http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/250g-polymorph-n14at

I haven't liked fender since before.. Erm, before... Oh crap, I'm rubbish at this hipster stuff.

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1398944953' post='2439246'] Which is why I suggest moving your pick hand nearer the neck (even just a few cm). My playing is similar to when I use a keyboard. Keep the wrist up. The forearm leaning on the body can give you ample stability. [/quote] But palm muting on the bridge is a perfectly valid technique. So why limit yourself when it is possible to either buy a bridge or alter one to be comfortable. I am a pick player and move around between the bridge and neck a lot, I wouldn't like to have the option of resting on the bridge taken away.

You could try your local hardware store first, cluttered, dusty and slightly musty smelling places are my favourite. Just take an example of what you're after with you, if they don't have it then they might know somewhere local that will. The best search results I get when searching for saddle screws come when I search for grub screws.

Can anyone explain to me why the idea of starting fresh with a genuine feedback thread is being ignored? It seems like an obvious plan to me, a way to move forward and for people to be able to leave and read the feedback they have been demanding.

Surely a feedback thread in the feedback forum with feedback from people with actual experiences would be a far more appropriate way of going about it? That thread was in the wrong place and while individual posts might not have been petty, the cumulative effect started coming across more and more that way. It was looking like a witch hunt with random people coming by to put the boot in. From what I could see they aren't actually taking orders and won't be until they in a better position to do so, which I would assume would be indicated to us by people in a feedback thread telling us that they have received their basses and like them. So claiming that people might be putting in orders in the near future before the company is ready to fulfil those orders, is a poor excuse. Edit: There's no way this post took ten minutes to type! But the last two posts weren't there when I started, and now I look like I just parroting them.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1398894954' post='2438880'] I'm sorry but I can only agree. I hate it when threads get locked. [/quote] Normally me too, especially when there's a good debate/argument going on. But a public execution leaves a nasty taste in my mouth.

Then maybe the best place for it would be the feedback forum where customers can leave their feedback? Rather than a general forum where anyone that feels like it will but the boot in.

To be honest I was feeling sorry for them. They're trying to reboot a business that has been through some tough times. The old fashioned, no nonsense, nip it in the bud approach of the new bloke was a bit unfortunate, but I imagine he feels somewhat under attack and trying to protect the business. An approach that obviously doesn't work too well on Internet forums. They have tried to explain. All anyone can do now is see how they do from here in. Like icastle said, there's no point continuing to tear them apart publicly. Closing the thread was the best thing, I believe. Though I am not, nor ever likely (not a custom build kind of guy) to be a customer.

Sometimes it feels as though you just can't do anything right.

I only ever depped for bands twice and both times I was offered the bass position. I stopped doing it after that because I liked the players I was depping for and it annoyed me. The first band offered me the position against the drummer's will, who got really angry, he absolutely hated me, not my playing, me. He hated even more that their bass player kept coming to me for lessons. Mind you, I kept doing stuff that he hated, like joining a local band that he idolised. Blimey he was a twat. And I sound like a braggart, but I am tired and it's funny (to me).

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1398873485' post='2438537'] I can live with the rust, I would just prefer not to! I don't mind a bit of mojo on the bass body (the wooden bits!) but I hate to see tarnished and rusty metal. I'll get it sorted somehow! However, I have very little technical or engineering knowledge, so things like identifying threads and getting machine screws (whatever they are!) is a bit beyond me I'm afraid! I'm fairly handy with a screwdriver - but that's about my limit! [/quote] I don't have specs of all bridge saddles, but all of mine, which are all different, take M3 threads. So something like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/AccuScrews-20mm-Point-Grub-Screws/dp/B00J92D65G/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1398878926&sr=8-12&keywords=M3+x+15mm+grub+screw Would probably do the job. Just search for something the correct length.

For the pickups, couldn't you make a spacer for the top? Perhaps even make one out a nice wood? Or even cut out of an old scratch plate?

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1398800724' post='2437783'] Very nice of you, thanks. I'm rubbish at soldering, although I've just seen the attached, which I'd like to have a stab at :-) The nice man at Vein Tap says he'll make one to my preferred layout for £22.45 posted, so I think I'll go with that. Thanks all [/quote] You could probably put it together using clips like these. If you could find some small enough. There aren't any electronic components involved, unless you want an LED indicator, just a switch and sockets with tabs.

[quote name='arthurhenry' timestamp='1398807045' post='2437903'] A bottom. [/quote] This is the closest. It's actually a Big Bottom.

Ohh, nice one. Those top-hat insulators, I had been trying to think what I could make them from for when attaching the heatsink to the case. I found a kit on [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/TRANSISTOR-INSULATING-KITS-TO-220-PK10/dp/B00CSKXBA6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1398837635&sr=8-3&keywords=insulating+thermal+interface"]Amazon[/url], specifically for the TO-220, but with the postage it'd work out bloomin' expensive. I couldn't find anything at Maplins, but perhaps I wasn't using the correct search words. Edit: Found what I need at [url="http://www.cricklewoodelectronics.com/Cricklewood/product.php?productid=19462&cat=0&page=1"]Cricklewoods[/url] for a much better price. I have ordered stuff from there before. Unless you know where I can get a job lot of the top-hat thingumies and a sheet of the thermal stuff? Thank you so much for this help, it has been incredibly useful.

You could get a metal plate, something long enough to cover the side of the bridge and wide enough to cover the height of the bridge with enough to bend over it. So you'd end up with a J shaped plate that you could stick to the bridge. Or maybe a piece of plastic cut from a container of some sort. I know some people use adhesive tapes and stuff to stick thumb rests to their basses, something like that would work to stick the plate to the bridge. I'm not sure if my description made any sense but I'm too tired to crack up a diagram.

You could bandage your hand like Kirk Hammett, or get a replacement saddle made - or make one yourself - with a rounded edge, that way, should you ever feel the need, you could put the old one back on. It does look like an incredibly uncomfortable bridge for a pick player. I had similar problems with proud saddle adjustment screws, but that was a very easy fix.

Bugger. I had considered that and made a mental note to look it up, and promptly forgot... Turns out that it is Ground. Looks like I'll have to cut it up after all. Actually, I am thinking of doing a futuristic relic type thing to it, so I don't have to worry about having all clean lines after all. Now I need to find some way to glue the parts back together, with insulation in between, that won't mind getting a bit warm. Thank you for the reminder, very much appreciated.

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1398694155' post='2436618'] I would suggest that you should look at creatively reusing something like fibre opic based christmas decorations/novelty lamps or solar powered LED garden lighting, with LEDs as your main lightsource if you want to maximise robustness and minimise electrical noise. There is an abundance of shonky tat waiting to be turned into something decent, and available very cheaply. [/quote] I don't want to flood it with light. I was thinking low level black light LEDs and then using UV reactive paint to highlight stuff. Thinking of doing something like a futuristic relic, like it's a floor panel taken from an old derelict mining space ship. Lots of ideas floating around, it'll be interesting which ideas stick in the end. Really looking forward to getting started.

[quote name='rmorris' timestamp='1398690778' post='2436575'] Both solutions might give some noise issues. Especially considering that your bass/pedalboard/amp setup is (I assume) using unbalanced signals. Have you considered using LED strip ? [/quote] I ended up reporting this in the Effects forum. LEDs seem to be the direction thoughts are going in. http://basschat.co.uk/topic/235569-pedalboard-lighting/