Huge Hands

Technically, the SM57 should not be different to the 58. However, with the larger metal popshield, the 58 should be more rugged and put up with a little more abuse. My advice: tell your better half to treat that mic like it is her favourite piece of jewellery and lock it away when not in use. Although comparatively cheap, they are a very popular commodity for thievery, even in the house of the Lord. I've seen many go missing over the years!

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1347629411' post='1803287'] ...Jazz musicians are also completely unaffected by gear-anoraks... [/quote] Whilst I totally agree with what you were saying (i.e. it's all about the music) - I've met a few jazz heads that had spent some silly money on gear. I don't think they're all "holier than thou". Interesting topic though - my old bass teacher (some semi-pro bloke in a smoky flat) once told me (I was only a wee teenager then) that I'd have to have a "serious think" if I decided to buy a cheap 5 string I'd seen as he wouldn't be able to teach me on one of those - "you can't chop and change". I spent the next 10 or so years believing him until I met some pro guys who told me that was a load of old b*****ks and that it was dead easy. I was just angry at myself for being so gullible and missing out on 10 possible years of low B fun. I swap around all the time now - it's great!

[quote name='risingson' post='1081699' date='Jan 8 2011, 12:29 AM']Curtis Mayfield - Billy Jack [/quote] Absolutely loving this track.

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='1095465' date='Jan 19 2011, 06:37 PM']I'm the proud owner of a Shuker that was made for the late Si Cox (OldGit)[/quote] Jeez - I've only really just come back to BC after a bit of a sabbatical - I didn't know about this. I've just done a search and seen the threads. Although it has all been said before, I had a few PMs with Si here and there and he seemed a thoroughly top bloke. He will be sorely missed. Enjoy that bass NGH - it always looked a beauty to me and I always intended - should I ever win the lottery - to ask Jon to "make me one just like OldGit's". Should the unlikely good fortune ever happen, I'll definitely do it now! Sorry to hijack the thread.

[quote name='1oopus' post='1094016' date='Jan 18 2011, 04:11 PM']I seem to recall Andrew played only on "When you gonna learn" (see links below)[/quote] I stand corrected.

[quote name='1oopus' post='1093278' date='Jan 17 2011, 11:07 PM']Young Stuart Zender did a marvelous job in the studio on this one, and this live version is cool too [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOqqsCucf24"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOqqsCucf24[/url][/quote] Not trying to be pedantic or anything, but I'm sure I once read that they recorded the original before Zender came on board, and it was actually Andrew Levy from the Brand New heavies that recorded this track. It certainly sounded like his style to me. Of course, I could be wrong!

I use Labella flats on my 5 strings. I have had one bad B string which had no real sustain when plucked. I had just put the set on a new bass I had bought and was suspecting it was the bass - when "ping" - at the next gig the string core snapped. I had been getting them from Stringbusters and complained and got a replacement sent through which had a different colour tape on it! Therefore, it was probably either another range of Labella or a different make they naughtily put in a Labella packet. However, it looked and felt close enough to me and is still on the bass now! However, I have had 2 other 5 stringers (of different type) and found the full set of strings (including the B string) to be fine. I think others have alluded to Labella having a QC issue on strings and people often seem to get a duff string here and there. I just thought it worth a mention in case something like this is your issue, rather than Labella just being bad full stop.

Just a cheeky bump for my mate.... Some extra info: Apparently they do punk covers of classic "normal" songs like Me First and The Gimmie Gimmies do. Their previous bassist left because he couldn't give the commitment they wanted to be rehearsing and gigging regularly, there was no fall out or anything.

All right me ducks! One of my bezzie mates is currently in a punk covers band who have just lost their bassist and need a replacement. He knows I am a regular on here and has asked me if I could raise and advert for them to see if there is anyone in the Derby/Notts area who would be interested. I would love to do it myself but don't live anywhere near the Midlands any more. Their main influences are Me First, Pennywise, Zebrahead and the Pogues. In 2011, they have a festival slot in the summer and a wedding already booked. They rehearse weekly/every 2 weeks and are looking to fill up their calendar with gigs for the year. They all have day jobs but are looking for someone to put in the dedication and commitment to keep this a regular thing. For those on F*****k, they have a page here: [url="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpages%2FDead-Pixels%2F139929596061368&h=4d0bb"]The Dead Pixels[/url]. If you have your own gear and transport and are interested, please message them through that page. I personally haven't seen them live, but knowing my mate and his abilities alone I know they will be a bloody good band. People are welcome to PM me any questions for them and I'll do my best to field them through but direct via the link above is probably the fastest and best way to get some answers. Cheers!

The string core once snapped in my low B string during a song early in a set. It was a recently new set of strings, so must have been a bad one. I had to finish the song with the string flopping on the E string and then pull it off before the next song and play the rest of the gig as a four string. That was fun! The wierdest one though was when my bass once went off during the first song at a wedding gig we were being paid quite well for. Due to the way everyone had tidied up after the sound check, I didn't have my gig bag/a spare cable anywhere near me. As the band played on, I unscrewed the jack plug covers at each end and couldn't see anything wrong with the contacts under the poor lighting, so presumed it wasn't the lead. I put everything back together, plugged it back up expecting to try something else when I noticed it all now worked! Wow, I thought, maybe my amp had a funny few minutes or something. I played the rest of the song and the gig with no other issues, no sign of drop out or anything. A few days later, I took my bass and lead out of the case for a practice, and it didn't work again. I took the plugs apart again and this time noticed that the solder connection to the tip of one of the jacks had snapped off. In conclusion, I had got through a gig with the power of me screwing the plug back up causing enough pressure to push the cable onto the contact and hold it there! Jammy or what...... (I've always kept spare strings and a lead close by me after these two mishaps!)

I have the exact same setup as you and find that on their own, each cab is fine, but put together, there is a bit of a "hole" in the sound. Some much more clever guys than me on here (such as Bill Fitzmaurice and Alex Claber) have suggested this could be an issue with mixing 10s and 15s, and getting a cone filtering effect. I'm sure they can explain the physics much better than me. I don't play many big rig gigs, but when I have used the two together, I always notice a lack of normal clarity/punch. I've even pulled the cable out of the 2x10 and used the 15 only with the combo head when it was really annoying me.

I don't normally get involved in this type of thing, but.... I am in Doddy's camp I'm afraid. Before I go any further I would like to point out that I wouldn't go as far as saying he's s**te and as a former drummer he's certainly better than I ever was, but there's something missing in his feel for me. I did see them live once as well. For me, it always feels as though he's struggling to keep up. He reminds me of a drummer I once knew who was so engrossed in trying to hit the drum hard and look good doing it, that he would get a bit behind. I know some drummers do play behind the beat for effect now and then, but it doesn't sound like that to me. For me, when they are playing funk/soul covers backing original singers, something is definitely missing, as if it's being kept too straight and plain. I'd even be tempted to look at the bass player for an explanation. I'm not talking about flashiness and over playing, I'm talking about feel. This is all my opinion of course. And someone who disagrees with me is welcome to.

I love this genre but find the real gems are live performances. Quite often I find that the recorded material is based on samples and programmed drums etc. It's only when you see them live do you get some serious musicians making the most out of what was originally a simple repetitive groove or break. For instance, I love Jill Scott's recorded stuff, but listening to her live album 826 with Terry Tribbett on bass is a whole other level. A good DVD I've always cherised is the "Jools Holland best of NuSoul and RnB". Some quality live performances. To recap, I really like this genre and I'm a pale skinned ginger. Go figure. All this is IMHO of course.

I love flats and I like my sound to be what I call "no teeth". I liken it to being caressed by a big set of slobbery gums. For that reason, I keep my fingernails trim (bitten) on my right hand as I hate the "clack" you can get from fingernails if thy catch the string. This is all just my preference of course. I know my sound probably wouldn't work in certain genres of music, and if I wanted to play those, I would change it. However, I think it's right for what I'm doing at the moment. I thank you.....

[quote name='Doddy' post='803304' date='Apr 12 2010, 01:31 AM']I've got a couple of EMO Systems DI's that I regularly use. They are really good-a lot of theatre's use them. They're also about £70.[/quote] I think Canford Audio still own these, so you'd probably only get them from their catalogue. Venues like them because they're passive (no batteries or phantom power required) and apart from the earth lift toggle switch which is an easy repair/replace, they're pretty bullet proof. These things have been going for years, and I think there has been a lot of manufacturers come on the market with equally good if not better options. But for a passive unit, they're pretty much the dogs danglies. Note: THIS IS MY PERSONAL OPINION - I wouldn't advise the MTC ones. I have one myself I use as I was given it for free and run it on an internal battery. However, when we bought a batch at the venue I used to work (to try and save money on the EMOs), IIRC we often popped them whilst switching phantom power in and out and they would fry the whole internal board, rather than just a single fuse or component - so became instant bin jobs. Of course, that was about 7 years ago, they may have improved the protection by now. My personal moral to this story: If you want this DI to be the be all and end all and give you amazing clarity in every environment, then perhaps look at the powered ones. If you want a sturdy reliable workhorse that will work with any desk at any venue an not be worried about the electronics frying, then perhaps something passive like the EMO would be better. Just my opinions of course!

I don't know if this helps at all, but until last year I had a Cort C5 with a 3+2 headstock. I had it in several gigbags which I presume were all standard size (came with other basses) and have since had my much larger Squier P5s in them. I don't remember there being oodles of extra space when I had the smaller Cort in there, so never felt a "smaller" custom fit bag was required. Of course, I don't know if the Curbow is the same bass (is that what the C stood for?) or are they completely different? Glad to confuse you further......

[quote name='Bottle' post='843466' date='May 20 2010, 07:49 PM']3A and 13A are the most popular - 5A used to be widely available, but generally replaced by 13A now (and not always in a sensible fasion). 7A and 10A are made but finding somewhere that stocks them other than a specialist component supplier is like finding rocking-horse s***. Try RS or Farnell/CPC.[/quote] My understanding was it is an EU directive to get rid of all fuses except 3A and 13A. Although arguably safer in your case, you may struggle to find them at all from "buy new" shops, including those mentioned above. I'm sure there must be a spark on here who can confirm.

A cup holder that will fit a pint glass....?

I'm not an expert what he is saying on the technical aspects of strings, but for those who haven't already seen it, Bob runs a really informative site about James Jamerson [url="http://www.bassland.net/jamerson.html"]here[/url]. I chatted to him a few of times a couple of years ago on Myspace after I had highlighted his site and he seems like a really top fellow.

I'm no expert by any means, but I think your rest in that postion was designed for fingers, for those players that plucked with the thumb. I could be wrong of course....nice looking bass by the way.

I recorded this last night and have just "rewound" the digibox to watch it again for the second time this morning. Classic stuff. I'm now extremely jealous that I wasn't there. His daughter is very cute too...... :wub:

I think I had exactly the same thing with my EMG's. I eventually realised that the connector can actually fit either way around on the bottom of the pickup, and I had one of the plugs upside down. As a precaution, I would probably Google an EMG wiring diagram and check which way around they should be before you start plugging them differently. Mine didn't seem to be affected by being plugged up wrong, but you never know what damage it might cause if you keep doing it?

I remember the thread where his dyslexia was discussed. If I remember rightly, he was only a young lad. Tragic news.

[quote name='redstriper' post='736817' date='Feb 5 2010, 11:54 PM']Unless someone makes a jazz neck pick up that has a restricted tonal range, concentrated in the lowest frequencies?[/quote] Wizard do varying sounding pickups that may cater for your needs. I bought some for my Squier P5 (it has J pups in it) and to me, I think they sound like what you want. I spoke to Andy at Wizard, and I think we were heading towards the sound of the 84's, but he had to custom make mine for the 5 string. P.S. From bitter experience, if you do go down that road, make sure you give him ALL the measurements!