loafer

Originally from London , England ; my adopted home town later was Southend - on Sea. Been out here a few years on and off, including the lasr five years solid. loafer

Thanks BOD2, I'm mighty relieved that it is not my bass; sorry to be slow replying - again, loafer

Sorry I have been away again, most unusual for me; Thanks The Paul (?) and Telebass for your welcomes, this forum has a nice feel to it. To answer CK's question, my bass is a'Yamaha Attitude Special' - there were several variations of the Attitude before Billy Sheehans appeared; mine looks like the BS version but has single outlet and Yamaha pups. My amp is a locally made 12" 100w combo, very cheap but I love its clear sound reproduction. I don't get the chance to play with others and this holds me back - even more so than my lack of natural skill!! I guess it is late in the day but thanls to evreyone who shares their skills and knowledge with the rest of us, loafer

Phew, I'm so glad my post got through - I hit 'submit' and got "cannot find server" - the internet service here is dreadful, and having finally got round to writing my intro I thought it was lost. Yes, I'm not far from Chiang Mai, a few miles out. I'm sure you will have a good time and find this area very relaxing. At a wild guess Crazykiwi, I'd say you are in or from NZ?

decided that it is impolite not to introduce myself, so here goes. I'm in my mid sixties, picked up the bass as a hobby several years ago, I get more involved with it each time I progress a step (in my mind). I live in rural northern Thailand, so no chance of playing with others - even if I could find a greybeard start up group - and I realise that that limits me a lot - so that sometimes I give up (for a while!). I've been listening to music for sixty years so it is difficult to identify influences - my earliest recollection is Glen Miller records at my uncles house; my first live concert was Gene Vincent; The first record I bought was Freddie Cannon 'Way Down Yonder in New Orleans'. Favourite groups were Little Richard, Fats Dominoe, Animals, Stones, Stevie Wonder, Kinks, Ian Dury (the last live act I saw), Miles Davis, Bowie, Tom Browne, Weather Report, Led Zep, too many to list, everything except most rap. I don't hear any modern western music here (last 17 years) so I'm out of touch, recently heard and bought Evernescence. I'm currently learning some Bach (fascinating to play) and also trying to learn sight reading. Everything is from books.

Sorry to have been off line for so long, this is what happened next:- I decided to try the cheapest options first; accoustically I could not hear detect any wolf note (although that might be my ears) so I decided to try moving the amp combo - still wolfing; but as the amp was in the corner each time (socket locations) I decided to move it to outside the house to remove all 'room' effects - still wolfing. Sat and thought a bit, dug out from the shed my old practice amp -happiness! - no wolf! To confirm I dug further and found my old learner bass (defretted) and tried that on the old amp (no wolf) and "new" amp -wolf!! So (sheepish grin) it seemed to be a (wild) goose note, not a true wolf note. I have tried a heavy weight (me) on top and on the side of the amp, still wolfing. I am mighty relieved that it is not my bass. Thanks to everyone for helping , Loafer

Thanks for all your replies - it is nice to know I am not alone!! Currently I am using Warwick Red label strings, I'll try changing to a similar but different make, plus a weight on the head stock. If that works I'll try the Fat Finger. Thanks again, Loafer

I have a problem that I have not seen discussed in bass forums, but I did eventually find some info. in a cellist's site - this is a fairly common problem for them, I read. At about the seventh fret on my A string I get a very loud, colourless note, with great sustain. It is as if the neck, body, string, pickup, cabinet and driver are on on exactly the same wavelentgh; I cannot hear any harmonics or colour to the note. It repeats to a lesser degree in the higher octaves of this note. By varying my amp EQ settings I can move the wolf howl up a fret or two, with a reduced effect, also different strings can improve this - but - I don't want my strings or EQ settings forced on me by my bass (I assume it is my bass). Cellists use a weight attched to the string between the bridge and 'the end bit', or fix a weight inside their instrument or 'sqeeze between the knees at this note', none of which apply to my solid bass! My bass is a 'Yamaha Attitude Special' (Yamaha p'ups), and a 'Rock' 100w 12" combo amp. I am a hobby player, at home only, so I notice my sound a lot (no competeing drummers/drinkers). I have had this bass for a few years and noticed this for a year or so - I suspect my 'ear' has improved to reveal this effect. Has anyone any advice or understanding of this probelm please? Thanks, Loafer