bass_dinger

Even though PMT (and other big chains) have sadly shut down, music shops still seem to be viable in the UK. We have.... The specialists who sell just one type of instrument: eg The Gallery, selling nothing but basses and bass gear. Add to the list of specialists Just Flutes in Croydon, T A Craig (a violin shop in Sevenoaks), Laurence Dixon for Double bass, sax.co.uk The quirky: Hobgoblin, for folk instruments. Richards Guitars for high-end acoustic guitars and mandolins, with each instrument set up before it leaves the store. The traditional shops which provide excellent service: people here often commend single-store music shops, and which have built a good reputation. So, Rich Tone Music in Sheffield, and Rock Bottom in Croydon. As @SumOne describes them, such shops are "a go-to hub for musicians ". When I go shopping for an instrument, I want a seller who knows more about the item than I do - not someone who got a discount because they bought 20 boxes of guitars, and needs to shift them quickly.

From that helpful link, we see the following: "Immediately following their appointment, the joint administrators concluded a knock-down sale of £2.4 million worth of stock and “certain intangible assets including websites, trademarks, and commercial data,” for £1.2 million to York-based Gear4music, which said it is not acquiring any part of PMT’s trading business, nor any other assets or liabilities, and has no current plans to use the PMT trading name." So, Gear4Music has purchased the PMT stock.

I recall reading Michael J Fox's autobiography, in which he shared his own battle with Parkinson's (and his open-head, conscious, brain surgery to relieve him of the symptoms). He was unable to act, but could do voiceover work - Stuart Little was him. So, perhaps the voice will be unaffected by the illness?

You are right - when I see just a name as a thread title, I think that the person has passed away.

But @NancyJohnson, ... I wanted to become 'The Man Who Used The Handy Bit of MDF', which has been stored in my garage for 7 years for just such a purpose. I will see what plywood my dad has in his garage (38 years of storage, so, more than 5 times more legendary...). More seriously, I plan for the outside to be the pretty veneered MDF, with the inside frame to be a hardwood (garage, 7 years...). The Rack Strips mentioned by @nekomatic looks like a useful addition too - no need to worry about threads on the wood failing then.

I don't appear to have one. Either that, or my arm is too fat to reveal it.... In other news, here is a research article that shares data on the prevalence of the tendon, according to people-groups. It appears that the 15% refers to the global population, but different populations have a different prevelance. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4596262/#:~:text=The PL muscle is one,the global population [12].

I shall Follow @Rosie C with interest, and a cheque book open.

EMU Classic Keys Module; later, a Behringer umc404hd (PC sound interface). If I go too high, then the unit won't be able to double as a plinth for a PC monitor screen. So, I will perhaps leave a slight gap, for air circulation, but not a full 3-Unit vertical spacing.

Tier 2 fail for me. I am now the owner of an EMU Classic Keys Module, formerly owned by @ash. I can use the midi capability on my Kurzweil SP76 to drive it. Sadly, I don't yet have much piano playing capability to play it well, but so far I am enjoying the extra sounds.

I want to make a 2-unit wooden sleeve rack, like this https://ebay.us/m/o2Ms5z I have the wood (veneered MDF), and can get it cut to size. However, I don't know the internal dimensions of a 2u Rack; I need to buy the internal metal brackets; and I wondered if I need ventilation in the box. Can anyone advise? Robert

Bought an EMU rack unit from @ash. Easy and quick transaction, clear and cheerful communications, quick delivery, all adding up to my most enjoyable Tier 2 Fail yet. Robert

Many thanks for sharing that review. And welcome to basschat.co.uk - I am honoured that your first post was in reply to my question!

It may be that Hiscox will still have some in stock, once they have filled all existing orders. To quote their Website, "If any inventory remains after fulfilling current orders, we will update you as soon as possible with any available stock for purchase." So, because I am looking for a PRS guitar case, I will register with Hiscox for updates. About a year ago, I bought a used Hiscox mandolin case, simply because I planned to buy a mandolin one day soon - and because I had not previously seen a used Hiscox mandolin case for sale.

I am enjoying this build diary, very much. Well done for saving a damaged instrument from the scrapheap. I must say, seeing the complexity of the build has cured me of the foolish notion that I could also buy and repair a double bass.

@Richard R you can have "Pump it up", by Elvis Costello, if you wish.

I am here to make the inevitable "pump up the bass" joke.

32" scale- Hobgoblin did a 5 string under their Ashbury range, with a Belcat preamp. It was in their catalogue for a while (but not now). I had one of the first batch off of the production line, having asked Hobgoblin if they could start making them. The B string was a bit dull and thuddy, compared to the E to G strings. Body was the same size and shape as a Lowden O series guitar and easily manageable as a gigging instrument. I played both that 5 32" string, and a 34" Washburn 34" for years, before I even realised that the scale lengths differed! 34" scale - Boulder Creek. My current acoustic bass. Surprisingly manageable for something of that scale length. Much more control of the tone from the preamp, which includes a phase inverter and a tuner. A set of Thomastik Infeld (spelling?) strings gives a rich B string with sustain that matches the other strings, and the authority to "own" the low end. I preferred this bass - it was all-round a better instrument. Only the Covid19 lockdown stopped me playing it in my acoustic band (and it is now for sale on Basschat...).

It feels so painfully and pointlessly slow - as if I am trying to play bass guitar left handed. I have gone backwards. As I said to my teacher, "I used to be a musician, until I started playing the piano." As for my piano teacher, I don't think that he is trained in that discipline, but he makes up for it by being a skilled musician and former band leader. I once played an arpeggio, or somesuch, and commented that it sounds like All Kinds of Everything by Dana. "I played with her". On other occasions, he mentioned working with Harry Seacombe, Max Bygraves, Shirley Bassey. I really need to ask him more about his background!

An advertisement for the London Guitar Studio popped up on my YouTube feed yesterday, so, they seem to be active.

You are right - and I am embarrassed! I once tried to clean my 120 year old violin with surgical spirit, which made the finish go all sticky. When I mentioned surgical spirit to my tame violin repairer, he knew exactly what the problem would be. From that day, I decided that I would leave this work to the experts (like @The Guitar Weasel)

Just... "wow"! What a fantastic setup. Thank you for sharing that. There was a time when I wanted a bass pedal board, and to fit some reed switches and a midi output unit. However, I have neither the space, nor the talent, to take such a project forward.

An update - I am working through Grade 2, and really struggling with this new level of playing. It feels so much more difficult than before. However, the reality is that I simply need to apply myself - to practice daily, and with more focus. • With the bass, I play what I know, in the same 4 or 5 keys, and probably haven't improved in 5 years. • With the piano, I am always playing beyond my skill level - two-handed parallel scales that I can't play with the right fingering; pieces with independent left and right hands; music full of accidentals; music with written timings (not by feel or ear). So, that is why I am struggling with piano. Incidentally, I have been practicing piano with a metronome, and when I mentioned it to my teacher, he said that I didn't want to be doing that "because it's difficult ". Surely a metronome is a beneficial discipline, and something that I should aspire to?

Thank you, @BassTractor. Other Internet searches suggested the same issue, so I need to pluck up the courage to take the piano apart, and look at the pad beneath the A-flat. More likely, I will contact a repairer that I know, and ask him to look at it - I am not a bold or confident fixer of things.

I have a Kurzweil SP76 piano. It is touch-sensitive (or rather, velocity sensitive). The harder I hit the key, the louder it is. However, since this morning, the A-flat below middle C is always at maximum volume. Any ideas on what the problem might be, and how to fix it?

I looked up suggestions on Google. Artificial Intelligence told me to use a heat gun, or a sander. I think that AI confused "double bass" with "floorboards ". Easily done. My money would be on talking to a violin maker, or a luthier, to ask how they would remove a finish.