Alun

[quote name='budget bassist' post='171714' date='Apr 7 2008, 07:59 PM']if it's a sort of crackling sound it could just be dirty or something, try using some contact cleaner on it. You can buy it from most car related shops i think. EDIT: [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=4153&TabID=1&C=SO&U=Strat330&doy=search&MenuName=CONTACT%20CLEANER"]here's[/url] some in maplin, only £4 so worth a go.[/quote] Thanks mate, Alas, it's not a crackling at all, just a single loud pop like a jack being pulled out. Have been trying to reproduce it today and failing miserably, it's totally well behaved for now Cheers Alun

Hello. I recently replaced the volume control on my Cort Curbow as the old one was occasionally a little intermittent when it was on about 9 and no amount of cleaning helped. So, I sourced a 25k pot from Allparts, wired it up and all was fine. However, now I'm occasionally getting a loud pop when I turn down ( around 9 again). It's not always there and there seems to be no obvious rhyme or reason to what causes it. Anyone had anything similar? I've checked the soldering and it looks OK and intact. I'm guessing possibly a dry joint somewhere or could it actually be a preamp issue? Any help/advice/educated guesses much appreciated Cheers Alun

[quote name='gypsymoth' post='168499' date='Apr 2 2008, 02:46 PM']great stuff as always. too bad Merlin didn't pop in for a bit too.[/quote] I need to do some more Merlin things soon, I'm neglecting him! Cheers Alun

Very true Charic

[quote name='Stuart Clayton' post='167162' date='Mar 31 2008, 08:09 PM']Thanks Alun, and everyone else. I'm hoping for the book to come out in September, but unfortunately, copyright for most of the best songs is held by Hal Leonard and so getting it approved is likely to be a long, painful and potentially unsuccessful process. I have started this process however, so will keep you all posted. I have recorded five pieces for the book so far, and arranged some of the others, so it's definately moving forward! Stu[/quote] Possibly slightly off topic, but how does the copyright side of things work when it comes to publishing written music? I sort of understand the process for recording but never thought of transcriptions/arrangements on paper. Do you have to approach the holder directly or do you go via the written equivalent of MCPS? Cheers Alun

My Fostex four track - hasn't left the box since I discovered studio software and my laptop but can't bring myself to part with it. Cheers Alun

A quick "nearly that time" bump for the Panic Room gigs as I rarely get to play outside South Wales and am looking forward to seeing foreign(ish) lands

Very nice as always Any news on when the book is likely to be out? Cheers Alun

[quote name='eponymous' post='166536' date='Mar 30 2008, 08:54 PM']Thanks. You are not the only person that says that the nut may need changing. Why? Is it because the tuning would be a little off otherwise, or is it because of the closeness of the string to the fretboard?[/quote] The latter basically. If you buy a standard 6 string bass, the nut grooves are likely to have been cut for a BEADGC set, so will be deeper than you may need for EADGBE. So the strings may sit too low in the grooves and therefore buzz eg you could be putting a .105 E string in a groove designed to seat a .130 B string so it'll sit at the bottom of the groove. You might get away with it, but it's likely to need a new nut. Any half decent repairer should be able to sort this out for you. You may also need to tweak the truss rod slightly to accomodate the new string tension, again a decent repairer/luthier should be able to do this for you if you're unsure what to do ( you don't really want to experiment with truss rods unless you're confident you're doing the right thing) Cheers Alun

[quote name='Mikey D' post='166351' date='Mar 30 2008, 03:39 PM']Not that I know of...I'll let you know though. I can't remember if I said, but I actually saw you last time iwas down as I was in tom cottle's car and you were with his drum teacher. I didn't realise it was you though.[/quote] Ha ha, yeah Tom told me. Tis a small world Cheers Alun

Thank you gentlemen Mike - yes, I think I owe him a month's wages now! Paul & Rumble - thanks for the comments on the tone. I think I got lucky as I was using the 10watt Sound City amp I had with my first bass in 1988. I'm amazed it still works, let alone sounds half decent. Cheers Alun

Slightly off topic but I wonder what would have happened if Leo Fender had wanted to attract guitarists rather than double bassists and the Precision had been tuned EADGBE? Would everyone then laugh at four stringers as ukulele players who didn't really want to play bass? Anyway, if you're going for a bass that will feel more guitar like then the Music Man or Fender VI mentioned above would be good. An Ibanez Soundgear may be good too as the necks are quite slim ( although you may need the nut redoing to accomodate EADGBE tuning). Failing that, why not pick up a cheapie 6 string bass from Ebay( there a fair number of manufacturers available) and have the nut swapped and set up for EADGBE? Then you can see if it is what you're after without spending loads. Either way, good luck and let us know how you get on. Cheers Alun

[quote name='modulusq6' post='165954' date='Mar 29 2008, 04:54 PM']I think it's a question of experimentation with different string types on your particular instrument. I've tried loads of different makes, and I totally agree that with some the C just doesn't sound right. Elixirs are good, as are all of the DR strings, the C string on these sounds like it belongs. As to why I play a 6, there are several reasons - It feels comfortable to me, I have long skinny fingers and a 4 just doesn't feel right. I like having the ability to play nice chord voicings, and let notes ring while playing other notes, really nice when a guitarist is soloing. It makes reading easier, less position changes. I play a lot of jazz, and it certainly makes playing through complex chord charts easier, again less position changes. I also think it's more of a 'real' instrument, like a piano or a guitar. On the downside though, I only have 6 string basses, no 4 or 5's, there are gigs that I'd like to do that I don't/wouldn't get offered due to peoples misguided stereotyping I suppose.[/quote] That pretty much sums up what I was about to post. Elixirs do indeed sound very consistent across all six strings. I'm not sure on the "real" instrument bit though as I see the bass guitar as a real instrument regardless of how many strings. As for the stereotyping, it can unfortunately happen. I have had people be surprised when I turn up with a Jazz as they didn't realise i played four string??? Ultimately, make the decision with your ears not your eyes. Cheers Alun

Sounds nice.

Out of curiousity, how high are your pickups? It may be that if they're very close to the strings they are creating overtones. Cheers Alun

Thanks both [quote name='Mikey D' post='164433' date='Mar 27 2008, 12:57 PM']Nice to see you finally play Alun![/quote] Mikey, are you playing with Lewis down this way any time soon? If so, I shall try and get there. Cheers Alun

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='162858' date='Mar 24 2008, 09:46 PM']Fretting works by pressing the string firmly down on the fingerboard. If you fret too close to the fret you cant make firm contact with the fingerboard and you get a clank.[/quote] That's not strictly true. A note is fretted when the string makes firm contact with the fret, not the board. Fretting close to,or even on, the fret will produce a cleaner tone. The reason for my question was that if the string were fretted nearer to a lower fret, or directly between two frets, it will take a lot more pressure to produce a clean tone than fretting right next to the desired fret. Cheers Alun

[quote name='Rich44' post='162831' date='Mar 24 2008, 08:49 PM']b. As close to the fret below but not touching it[/quote] Hmm, when you say the fret below - if you're playing the 5th fret is your finger nearer the 5th or 4th? Does the sound improve if you fret on top of the fret? Cheers Alun

Hi Rich, where in Wales are you? As you say it could be technique or an issue with the bass itself. If you're getting it on every fret, it may simply be a technique thing which a teacher could remedy easily. Regarding luthiers, the size of the shop won't matter to be honest. There are good and bad repair people in big and little shops Out of interest.. a, how do you pluck the strings? b, are your fretting fingers right next to the frets or pretty much in the middle between two frets? c, are you playing through an amp or unplugged? If you use an amp, is there a difference in the amount of clanging? Cheers Alun

[quote name='modulusq6' post='162736' date='Mar 24 2008, 05:35 PM']Yeah, some really nice playing there. I was looking on his talkbass 'ask the experts' section, and he's got a book coming out soon with his chord voicings in, that'd be a good book to buy.[/quote] He demonstrated some of the voicing concepts on the course and I think that book is going to be a great resource. Thanks to good yourself and Mr Clayton for your kind words Cheers Alun

Thank you both for your kind comments and thanks CK for embedding it Cheers Alun

A slightly messy pic of mine from recent Panic Room rehearsals.... Markbass LMII Old style Ashdown Mag210T Cort Curbow 6 Defretted Washburn MB6 And my pedalboard from the same session.. The power supplies were playing up so it was taken apart and a bit of a mess (Diago on its way!) but the contents are.. Zoom B2.1u EBS Multicomp EHX Micro POG Ibanez PD7 Phathead Danelectro Backtalk Cheers Alun

Hi all. Here's a quick clip of myself playing with the great jazz bassist [url="http://www.toddjohnsonmusic.com"]Todd Johnson[/url] at his masterclass in Cardiff in March 2008. My attempts at embedding it have failed miserably so the link is [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9nJNY7Ok44"]HERE[/url]. Cheers Alun PS If a passing mod can embed it, I'd be muchly appreciative

[quote name='Paul Cooke' post='162169' date='Mar 23 2008, 12:53 PM'][url="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7310233.stm"]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7310233.stm[/url] Israel "Cachao" Lopez, the creator of the Mambo, passed away aged 89...[/quote] That's sad news. A great player and innovator. Ironically, there's a great article on him in this month's Bass Player. Alun

Bit of guitar,ukulele and hand percussion, smaller bit of piano, even smaller bit of drums and penny whistle. I almost think of upright and fretless as secondary instruments too as I mainly play fretted. Piano is commonly recognised as the most useful second instrument due to the way the notes are visually laid out. However, a good bit of notation software will teach you as much IMO. Not as much use on a gig though Cheers Alun