Maude

I was having a quick clear out of a large trunk in our living room and found an old Dynacord valve amp that someone gave me years ago. I'd taken it apart 15 to 20 years ago as, from memory, it was a bit crackly. I never thought much of it so the front and rear panels, knobs and all the screws had got slung out when the drawer they were stashed in got replaced, too be followed by the amp at some stage. Anyway roll forward many years and I discovered it and thought I'd see if anyone wanted it instead of going to the tip. Now I'm having thoughts on building a flip-top type combo (thanks to @rubis) as I've got a couple of really nice Celestian 15s in storage that are in the way as well, so all it'll cost me is materials and time. Anyway enough rambling, the amp is, from pictures I've googled as the front and rear panels are long gone, is a Dynacord Imperator from the late 60s or early 70s, 50-80 watts depending on different opinions and apparently transistor pre and an ECC81 and two EL34's in the power section. I've turned it on in standby and it lights up and all three valves glow, it's really dirty/dusty in there so needs a good clean but what else should I look out for before I try plugging a bass and cabinet in to see if it's worth bothering with. I'm no electrician so talk to me like I'm an idiot. There's four 'outs' on the back, one marked 16ohm and three marked 8ohm, I assume just plug an 8ohm cab into any of the three marked 8ohm. Lastly as this must be boring now, has anyone used one as a bass amp and if so, was it any good? Pictures from Google search;

Likewise I just adore Jolene. Not a cover of Dame Dolly of Partonsville BTW.

But, but, but the Phil Jones one comes in a blue silk lined box.............. 🤣 Mine has been playing up lately, the connector turns to lock but the inside part stays still so it just pulls out. Must bring it home and look at it, although for the price I'd assumed that some PJB elves would've turned up in the night and fixed it, but none have shown up yet. It came with my second hand rig BTW, I couldn't justify one new.

Ooh I like the look of this. I'll be looking forward to future instalments. 👍 But, you are now responsible for my little brain working over time, and will be fully accountable for any silly decisions I make regarding my love of the Ashdown LB30 Drophead. 😁

Superb! 👍

I temporarily gaffer taped a T shaped tear in a cone (about two inches long and an inch to the side) and then used the cab every week for about ten years with no ill effect, it then went into storage for five or six years and then used weekly for another couple of years. Now in storage again. I might replace it one day. 😂

I realise it's American, and bless 'em for trying, but they always get it so wrong. 😉 This is tongue in cheek before anyone gets uppity BTW.

Movingly fairly off topic but it's in the drummer's 'about' blurb, and it's something that bugs me. Surely he's based in Atlanta, if he's based out of Atlanta he could be based anywhere, couldn't he? 🤔

Why do some people have to be so flamboyant? 😉

When I saw Kasabian the bassist used two or three different basses, one of which was a rather lovely CAR Jaguar bass.

'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' by Starship. One of the sadest band family trees to go from 'White Rabbit' to this absolute p!ss. 'Yellow' by Coldplay. So bad it was named after the colour of p!ss. 'Mull Of Kintyre' by Wings. Terrible dirge not worthy of a p!ss association.

That's why I can't place it 😁 sounds good though. The last tone is very Pixies-esque.

Welcome to my Nightmare is another album that I just keep coming back to.

Quite often, but at least it's justified where I'm concerned.

Sounds good but it's annoying me now, what is that first tune? 😁 It sounds like Echo and the Bunnymen or The Jesus and Mary Chain but I just can't place it, or is it your own?

Can't help with the tuner but I want to know what the ruler's hiding that starts with FU 😁 Hopefully someone here will know what other basses had those tuners so you can widen the search criteria.

This is great way of looking at it. I don't like gigs where I'm not paid for loading, travelling, setting up and tearing down but I always enjoy playing. BTW I don't actually dislike all the stuff that goes hand in hand with gigging but I do prefer to be paid for it. 🙂

Any bass with the right EQ will be fine, but that's not what you want to hear. 🙂 A 3/4 doublebass will fit you fine, I'm 6' and have the endpin out about 8 to 10" at a guess so mine with the endpin in more would be fine. An EUB would be OK but I've heard the bluegrass gang can be sticklers for tradition and beat you to death with a mandolin for turning up with an EUB, an F style mandolin that is, the same punishment is dished out for turning up with an A style mandolin. Seriously though a doublebass, EUB or good old Precision with flats (other basses with flats are available) will be suitable. Your size is no reason not play any of these and the scale length difference doesn't seem make much difference to me, I'll work out songs at home on a fretted P bass to play at rehearsal on 3/4 upright, as soon as you're playing one instrument or the other, you automatically adapt without thinking. The choice is yours but my favourite bit of advice given to me applies here I think; "If you want something, you'll find a way. If you don't want it, you'll find an excuse." Best of luck with your decision. 👍

As with everyone I'm sure, my list will be different if you ask me on a different day, but these are albums I keep coming back to time and time again. A few of them being 'best of's' as I like the range in time rather than the snapshot if an album for some bands. Joy Division - Substance New Order - Substance The Cure - Standing on a Beach (the b sides are bliss) Alice in Chains - MTV Unplugged. Raw, beautiful and painful. New Model Army - Raw Melody Men (a favourite live album) Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes The Specials - The Specials. Gang of Four - Entertainment Hard-fi - Stars of CCTV The Who - Quadrophenia (so I can play the film in my head while it's playing)

The Cure - Join the Dots (b sides and rarities '78-2001). I had Standing On A Beach on cassette when came it in '86, basically a greatest hits but the b side was all the b sides of the singles, and they really weren't just songs not good enough be a sides, some of them better than the singles. Anyway they are all on this four disc compilation along with all the b sides from that point on and some tracks which weren't on albums. Disc one's the best as it's the music of my yoof.

He was brilliant when his band opened for Alice Cooper a couple of years ago, but he really needs to get a wireless mic, he spent most of his set running around with 628 feet of mic cable wrapped around himself with a roadie chasing him trying to untangle him. 😁 Seriously though, MM and his band were fantastic, straight outta the 80s flamboyance, far too revealing red spandex, a casual disregard for the environment judging by the amount of bleach and hairspray used, a hugely energetic performance but most of all, great tunes.

If the allen key reaches back to the soundhole then, yes, it's essentially doing the same thing. 👍

Just a thought, would a quarter drive allen socket with a long extention bar so that the ratchet is in line with the soundhole help at all, rather than reaching inside with a standard allen key?

Re the monitor mixes via the app. We use the xr18 and I've found that if the band are reasonably disciplined then the monitors are all but set and forget. I'm no tech geek but the app is so basic to use, if they can use a slider on a desk then they can use the app. I don't use an amp or IEM's, just and decent wedge, loads more space an the sound coming straight at your face rather than trying to dry your socks from behind.

Being born in '73 I was too young to appreciate Joy Division when they were around. I got into them in my early teens through New Order and JD's Substance was the first album that really made me think about the bass, that and Power, Corruption and Lies.