No. 8 Wire

53 minutes ago, TKenrick said:

Some thoughts on listening habits in the age of streaming, and why I'm challenging myself to get through 100 albums in 2020:

New Ears' Resolutions - 100 Albums in a Year?

Are you going to list what you're listening to through the year? Did i miss that bit.

Great idea, I'd never get the time.  I do not cheap cds and vinyl as the opportunity arises for just the reasons you outline.

Great quotes too!

I can go on eBay right now and buy a WD800 from the States at 999 USD list price with £50 postage and £230 UK taxes and import charges.  Works out at approximately £1030 to the door.

So that means the WD800 has at least a 20% markup in the UK in real terms.  £200+ per unit is a lot to pay for in country support.

That said, Mesa gear is so rock solid that I can't myself needing replacement for my old school Walkabout for some time!  So it's probably better paying the premium in the long run.

If Mesa brought the price down it might make used 1st Gen Walkabouts cheaper and I can scoop them up...

Thanks, looks good to me.

2 hours ago, TheGreek said:

£71??? Good buy...the body is easily worth that much and some.

With the body already near Jazz shaped I'd look to soften the lines by contouring the edges - concave the front and convex the back. This'll reduce the weight and make it more ergonomic. Personally I'd go 3+2 rather than 4+1.

You have the makings of a nice project there...don't forget to start a thread in the Builds thread.

Yes, I was surprised it went that low, I guess it's the risk of the unknown though isn't it.

I think it will have to be 3 +2 as well.  So It'll cost me some new tuners!  Not sure the kickass bridge will suit either.  I'm not even sure on pickup configuration, maybe just MM or MM + J.

I suspect I'll end up with broadly jazz bass looking contours in the end.  I might even use some rear shaping too to reduce weight.

It'll be a couple of months before this starts, too many non bass projects first, plus it's too cold out in the workshop!

38 minutes ago, dyerseve said:

I would recommend using Warwick wax. Once the surface is clean and ready to be finished, it's pretty much idiot proof to apply. Apply a generous amount to a large clean lint free cloth that has been folded several times. Heat the wax and the cloth using a hot plate - I use a George Foreman. Once the wax is melted and the cloth is hot, simply rub it into the body and the neck. Rinse and repeat until you have applied it to the whole of the body and neck and it looks and even colour(the oils in the wax will darken the wood slightly as they are absorbed) make sure to keep the cloth hot as you apply the melted wax - the heat will help the oils penetrate the wood. Leave the bass for a few hrs to allow the oils in the wax to soak in to the wood and then do it all again. 

After 24hrs use another clean lint free cloth to wipe off any excess wax - you can also then polish the finish or not depending on how matt you want it.

That sounds pretty good.  How robust is it on a bass body? My go to for necks had always been tru oil and wax, but I doubt it would be tough enough for a body.

I got this, was searching for 5 string necks, saw it and put in an impulse bid.

I've got a lot of hardware sitting round but not sure it'll be suitable. Kickass bridge, MM pickup, 2 band mm eq or East J retro, elephant ear hipshot ultralites.  Like I said not sure those will really suit.

Not worried about the remaining woodwork involved.  My only worry is getting the finish to a high standard and what finish to use.  I like matt finishes, but oil or lacquer?

Now just got to work out what style to carve the body... and the headstock. It's been marked out for a PRS style carve, but I find that uncomfortable, I tend to like a flat top but with a heavy arm and belly carve.

Also need to sort out what the top wood is to get a matching veneer for the headstock. Otherwise just get something as dark as possible.

Any thoughts are welcome on it!

On 02/11/2019 at 12:10, TKenrick said:

A bit more Bowie - 'China Girl' transcribed in full:

David Bowie - China Girl Bass Transcription PDF

There are tons of bass books out there that tell you what to practise, but very few that detail how to go about it in the best way, so I wrote one...

Better Bass Practice eBook

Is there a preview of your book anywhere?

7 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

@No. 8 Wire - that's actually a really useful review of the pedal, thanks very much for posting that.

Yep, It's a good one - I like the lack of flashyness in it, it's probably closer to the sounds I'll get out of it.

I've been experimenting this morning with existing pedals to see if I can get close to it. Using a Qstrip set to the same mid freqs as the SH1 and approximating the treble and bass - I get very close to the same SH tone but clean.  Used a B3K after the Q strip in 'thin' mode with low drive and about 1/3 blend and it sounds pretty close.  Actually some of the other drive tones seem harder to get, I guess that's down to the amp character built into the SH1.

Ultimately I'm going to have to get it and try it out.  Only hesitation is it's a lot of money for pedal so I'm going to have to decide what goes to make room for it...

I give up!

I'll just have to order it and if it doesn't sound like a Hiwatt DR201 and come with a wrist band, spandex trousers and  free wedge monitor purely for use as a foot rest... I'm sending it back!

35 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

Very short review:

It's very good. Closest to the VTDI from the existing lineup, but with a darker speaker sim, tighter lows, more low mids, and a lower frequency on the treble EQ. Very flexible control of the mids and very punchy. Sounds more like a real amp than the other pedals.

Yes, but does it sound like 'arry?

1 minute ago, dave_bass5 said:

Cant it be modified with other blocks to make it sound closer? There is a lot of EQ options in the Stomp, as well as IRs and preamp's. Wouldn't the cab used also make a difference?

I haven't tried the helix, so I'm basing my experience on the older models.  I don't know if all those settings can get you there but I haven't heard a convincing take on the Harris Hiwatt sound on YouTube etc from the Helix.  I'm not great at sitting down to work these things out myself, so I'd really want to know if I pressed x, y and z I'd get a dead on Harris sound.

10 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

That HiWatt model sounds great on bass though!

Yeah, it really does, but it's not the hiwatt sound I'm looking for.  I was really annoyed they didn't continue the Hiwatt 200 model into the HD500 and now the stomp.

34 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Im starting to think the Helix stuff can, at least as far as OD's/Preamp stuff  goes.

The helix doesn't have a hiwatt bass model though.  I know it's got the Hiwatt 100 guitar model, but in my experience of the older models this is quite different to the Harrisesque DR201 sound.  If prefer to get the stomp if it had a convincing model of this amp.

1 hour ago, dannybuoy said:

Had a brief play, sounds good - only subtle differences to the VTDI and YYZ though, lots of crossover and similar tones to be gotten from all 3 units

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

and also whether either is doing something that you can't get to on a Helix.

Interesting you guys should say this.  The Hiwatt DR 201 model in the old bass pod XT was one of my favourite sounds, it just seemed to die in a mix though (at least in the amateur way I was using it!).  What I really want is the Hiwatt DR201 version of the VTDI - I'm hoping this is it.  Frustrating that there aren't more demos and samples of this pedal yet.

4 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

Cost me about £237 all in. Direct currency conversion was £227, but PayPal don't offer great conversion rates. Next time I'll shop around for alternative credit card options with better rates!

Is that with the duty and VAT added?  With the discount they offered I worked out it would be 279 with the VAT, don't know if duty applies.

I think i can justify buying this if it replaces my Vintage Microtubes Deluxe.  I'm pretty sure it will cover the same territory and then some, but unsure how it will sound gain stacked with the B7K.  Anyone got any thoughts on that?

Plus I need another tuner as mine is currently shared between bass and guitar pedal boards...

3 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

 

Or you could buy direct from the US for even less...

I think that is direct from the US.  I went to the same site, with a discount, shipping and taxes it didn't save that much, but you do get it quicker.  I want willing to forego the ability to return it if needs be though.

2 hours ago, Combed20 said:

Now available to order.  Surprised at Andertons and GAK.

It's very tempting to preorder this from Guitar Guitar.  With it not coming until Dec though, I'm trying to decide whether to hold out to see if any xmas/black friday etc deals come around.

It's there any chance of this going the other way and the guitar guitar price goes up🤔

1 hour ago, dave_bass5 said:

I asked Tim over on Talkbass if he had the raw files, without the backing tracks. He said he did and was going to try and post them at some point.

He replied to me on youtube and said the tracks were recorded direct via a presonius interface with no effects or processing.  Would still like to hear it in isolation though.

3 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

He hasnt done it yet though.

I'll find it so i can keep a lookout. Cheers

11 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

I asked Tim over on Talkbass if he had the raw files, without the backing tracks. He said he did and was going to try and post them at some point.

That would be great, I'll see if i can find the thread on talkbass.

I've been after these sounds for years.

So tempting to preorder this from Guitar Guitar.  They said they expect it in Dec but no guarantees.

I'm really keen to hear more demos of it.  The videos above sound great, but looking at the bass player's youtube vids, all his recordings without the SH1 sound good too.  I'm wondering how much other processing etc there is on his sound.  Would love to hear it just raw DI output and also run through an amp and cab.

17 minutes ago, martthebass said:

If these results are carried over to hardwoods then the minor change in MOE wouldn't help stability though

I'd probably disagree with that.  When talking about about stability, for a bass neck we are really talking about dimensional stability  - ie the amount of moisture a wood will take and/or how it will change with temperature, thus throwing out tuning and relief etc.

So, for thermally modified wood, the greatest gain is the increase in dimensional stability, ie it will have less hygroscopicity (tendency to take up water) and move less with heat.  I don't think the reduction in MOR, even if it was 30%, would matter, as it normal use these necks would get nowhere near breaking point (maybe don't make a Les Paul neck out of it though!).

Durability in general - not something I've looked up.