Huge Hands

My mate got me a free cable at a trade fair. It was being sold as some sort of "endorsed" super cable apparently RRP was about £30. It uses Klotz cable (good pro audio cable manuf) and a one of those clever leaf switch style plugs that shots tip to sleeve to stop your amp popping and buzzing if you unplug it. Don't use on the output stage!!! It's a great gimmick, and for that reason I love it, but I probably wouldn't have forked out that much out of my own pocket for it. Once a tight b*****d, always a tight b*****d! For years, I used to use microphone cable and Neutrik jacks that I could get for nothing at work. Admittedly, the wrong type of cable, but only really noticeable on passive instruments in really noisy environments.

[quote name='bassmansky' post='371250' date='Jan 5 2009, 06:59 PM']so two good replys for the wizard pups.anyone for the seymour duncan pups?[/quote] My other P5 was purchased with Seymour Duncans already fitted. I did an A-B as I wanted to keep the best and mod the other. The Wizards won hands down for me as the Seymours were too spanky and didn't have as high an output, but it's because I like a fat, "no teeth" sound. I imagine the Seymours would have suited a punk player better and arguably may be more versatile. However, it was Wizards all the way for me. If I ever save up some cash, I'm hoping to get a set of Wizards for my other P5. NB: My 5 string Squiers, although a P shape, use J pickups, not split coils.

I had a Squier P5 which I tried to fit Wizards to and had a bit of trouble with the "feet" of the J pups - i.e. the screw holes that stick out. Apparently some Fender casings are different and Squier had used two 4 string neck pickup casings for a 5 string! I'd make sure you tell him the distance between the centre of the fixing holes (as well as width and depth). Good luck. When you get it right, you'll love the Wizards. I do. EDIT: Just saw you said p-bass. I presume your main worry will be with the fit through your scratchplate, as it is probably a wide square rout under there.

[quote name='Silent Fly' post='362212' date='Dec 23 2008, 06:19 PM']...but again, it depends what the DI is for. I wouldn’t use a Behringer for a recording but to go in a cheap PA it [i]might[/i] be the right choice.[/quote] [i]That[/i] is what I was trying to say.

Some amplifiers with internal XLR balanced out are often "post EQ" (and amp gain) which means what you do on stage (or in the recording live room) for your own sound can colour what is sent to the mixing desk. Some people prefer this as it means they are putting out "their sound", but from an engineer's point of view it can be better to get the signal before all that and then mimic it using the EQ in the control booth/area in case a lot of that EQ is just to make the cab sound good and not the signal! However, a lot of amps will allow you to switch between post/pre EQ, some DI boxes have better electronics, some are active, some are passive, some have various inputs to allow you to correctly insert at various points in the signal path etc etc. I think that only experience of trying the various options and how well you come out of the scrap with the sound engineer is the only real way to decide! Some guys will try to sell you the "gold plated super duper DI box for £150, but you may get just as good results for what you need using the XLR socket on your cab or a £20 DI from Maplins. Remember the golden rule: the sound of a system can only be as good as the weakest part in the chain. Listening to a bass via a "gold plated" DI box into a noisy old amplifier running tatty speakers means you'll still get hum and noise!

Take a mic lead with you that has pin 1 (shield) disconnected at one end. This will cure your problem. It's due to small potential differences in the ground paths between your mic mixer and your amplifier. All you are doing is "lifting" the ground path for your mic. As a previous poster said, plugging your PA and backline into the same power outlet (if possible) will help.

Whoops, realised I hadn't twigged the "rules of trading" on here properly! I bought a Squier P5 off Rob back in November. He started me a feedback thread which I replied to him on but forgot to look for his! Sorry Rob. Cracking fellow, he even let me have a shot of his Musicman collection, which was all new to me! He was also very accommodating when I had to turn up earlier than agreed after something happened at home. Would definitely recommend every time. Sorry again Rob, better late than never!

[quote name='budget bassist' post='360615' date='Dec 21 2008, 11:46 PM']According to the man himself when interviewed on topgear (i use the term interview fairly loosely), Wyclef Jean[/quote] Sorry to be pedantic, but wasn't it Lionel Richie who told that story on Top Gear? I know it doesn't make much difference to the story, but.. EDIT: Beat me to it ARGH! Aaarggh!

[quote name='andy67' post='359386' date='Dec 20 2008, 08:09 AM']this still does it for me:[/quote] Ha ha, I love the fact that according to the screen it appears to be called "Love My Bone"! I feel another Spinal Tap quote coming on: "It's a lovely piece of music, what is it called?" "Lick My Love Pump...."

Just found [url="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=16358686"]this.[/url] It's the Jill Scott track from the Jools Holland DVD I mentioned earlier featuring Thaddeus "Terry" Tribbett on bass and his amazing cousin Erik on drums. This epitomises the pair of them for me (wait 'til it gets going in the middle). Funnily enough this has been posted on a site by the drummer himself, where he has several examples of his playing.

I'm enjoying this one that is Terry Tribbett playing with his Brother Tye's [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=O_JSNEltOjY&feature=related"]gospel group GA.[/url] Some nice groove and like the volume knob work. Who needs pedals?

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='358647' date='Dec 19 2008, 11:21 AM']I will look when I get home. Can't listen at work. If it's anything that could be described as "Jazz" or its kiddy-fiddling cousin "Fusion", then I'm setting fire to my face.[/quote] Thanks BBC. The bottom just fell out of my world yesterday but you've still managed to make me laugh. I thank you!

[quote name='ARGH' post='357492' date='Dec 18 2008, 01:10 AM'],one bloke from Bucks Fizz is a tosser,[/quote] No, no, Bobby Gee is a cracking bloke! You've got to get to know him first though, I will admit I did think similar things at first. His missus Heidi is hot too and used to bake me cakes every week!

Ha ha, As a former soundman at Butlins Skegness, I have worked with most of this lot! How the mighty fall! Sorry to continue the "Bobby Charlton" negativity, but Alan Price certainly was a a**ehole the time I got to work with him. Hearing him sing geordie folklore songs should have made me beam with pride from my home area, not make me ashamed and want to pull the plug on the arrogant f**ker. Funny listening to him trying to sing "No, don't stop the carnival" with a Jamaican lilt but just sounding more geordie! P.S. Before my fellow geordies have a go at me, I also worked with Hilton Valentine and John Steel as an Animals rehash and they were lovely blokes! P.P.S. I seem to remember the lady from Middle of The Road is still quite attractive for her age now.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='352418' date='Dec 12 2008, 09:00 AM']"It has been sitting in a closet for 40 or so years....."[/quote] That phrase sounds very familiar to me. Didn't you "fakebuster" experts spot a dodgepot recently on e-bay who said the very same thing? It definitely rings a bell to me..., or is that tinnitus from tonight' gig??

[quote name='beerdragon' post='351904' date='Dec 11 2008, 04:26 PM']Maybe not the best, but worth watching.[/quote] Is that a capo on the first fret? Call me naiive, but I've never seen that on a bass before. I'm in no doubt that it happens....

I'm no expert, but I imagine it is one of a couple of things: I would have thought it is a [b]mono[/b] socket where there are actually two smaller connectors, that serve one of the following functions: The two connections are for a separate circuit and are linked or broken when a plug is inserted for something like turning an active preamp on/off as chrisba said. OR The two connections could be connected (one each) to the sleeve and tip tags with no plug inserted and then the connections broken when removed, kind of like a patchbay socket, for allowing "normalised" signal to flow through until it is interrupted by a new source from the jack. I have not seen this type of socket so couldn't say for sure. A friend with a multimeter (or battery and bell ) would be good to confirm this. Again, this is only a "IMO". Experts flame away!

[quote name='alexclaber' post='351702' date='Dec 11 2008, 12:42 PM']As an non-double bassist but someone who is interested in the amplification of them, in what frequency ranges does feedback tend to manifest? Alex[/quote] Alex, As an owner of a really cheap Chinese import jobbie, I find that in my case, the feedback is caused by the pup picking up resonance in the body of the bass. In my case it is a low/low mid frequency. My amp doesn't have notching so I've never gone so far as to find it, but I think it's around the 150-300Hz mark. As a former soundman, I am ashamed of myself for not being able to hit the mark closer just by hearing it. I saw a Ben Folds Five DVD where Robert Sledge used an upright (bowed) on one song and had foam stuck in the F-holes. I tried a bodged version with a towel which helped the feedback, but obviously the bass lost all its sustain. I think part of my problem is that I bought a Bob Golihur K&K pickup set for it (almost more expensive than the bass!) and have never gone through properly and set up the gain structure/EQ in the little preamp box with it. It has a wedged in wing pickup and 4 piezos on the bridge under each string which the preamp then mixes into one ouput. The problem is I never get to be that loud at home, and time is money for your band when you're at the rehearsal room, so have never had much of a chance to really mess about with it. I'm usually trying to find Superglue to patch up my bleeding fingers anyway!

I have the very combo, plus the extra 115T bin. My opinion: I do various pub gigs and have never felt I'm pushing the combo. I have rarely used the 115T bin, and I think it was a bit of a mistake as there does appear to be some funny phasey kind of things going on. Search the threads and you'll see some of the experts on here will warn you about this when mixing driver sizes. Anyway, back to the 210 combo. I love it! I did try a huge Trace Elliott rig last week with an 18" in the cab and my mind was blown away, but I think for what I do, and the fact that it needs to fit in my car, then it's absolutely fine for my purposes. I was also using it as a practice amp in my house the other night. The fact that it's a combo means it gets a bit heavy if you're carrying it for more than a few yards at a time. The only thing that really f**ks me off about it are the pots. There is no real reassuring resistance in them when you turn them or notched centering in the EQ ones, so it is easy to knock them. I have even done this mid gig with the back of my leg before! I bought mine early 2004 so they may have improved them since. I guess if you're clever enough you could replace the pots, but I've never been that bored! EDIT: Just remembered, it does sometimes rattle. I have seen other people moan about this on various web sites. It does disconcertingly sound like a poorly driver, but everyone seems to think its a loose grille or bit of wood in the cab. It doesn't always happen, and most people wouldn't notice at pub levels anyway.

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='349090' date='Dec 8 2008, 09:29 PM']No DSS.[/quote] Hey tBBC, I thought you didn't like acronyms? Hypocrite. Oops sorry, forgot the smiley

You on commission Bilbo?

[quote name='AM1' post='348295' date='Dec 8 2008, 02:18 AM']OK, well now it's becoming clear that your sense of humour is drier than a Nun's chuff doing the splits in the desert, we can move on. Let's forget all the peripheral BS - you cannot *seriously* say that the sound of the Warwick in, for example, Too Young To Die is NOT amazingly sexy. Regards AM[/quote] Nice imagery there. Welcome! I always thought Stu Zender was a Warwick man through and through but I thought I read recently (probably in that BG Magazine article he later slated) that he had an old Fender he'd used in the early recordings? I am probably wrong of course. Oh and, er by the way, if recent experience on here is anything to go by, if you're a female and post pictures of yourself, you're likely to end up with threads where everyone tries to vie and hustle for your affections. Good luck!

I just tried the online time check. No wonder I gave up drumming

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='348369' date='Dec 8 2008, 09:41 AM']I reckon it'll be bought by some landed gentry up the Tyne Valley...[/quote] What, Sting's going to buy it himself??

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='345564' date='Dec 4 2008, 03:44 PM']We played one fo the walkways over Tower Bridge last year.[/quote] Wow, that sounds very rock and roll Dave. Did you have fans blowing your hair and helicopters circling you taking film - in the style of Brian May on the roof of Buckingham Palace? How come I never get that at the local village hall?