Huge Hands

Never mind spare drivers, I'd get yourself some spare lamps as well. If they can go once....

Turbo used to use caravan tail lamps (21W festoon bulbs). I'm not sure if they're the same now.

I used to buy handfuls of them from Lucas as we had loads of Turbosound stuff where I used to work. I reckon that would be cheaper than getting them from the manufacturer?

It used to be a pain replacing them all the time (system was underpowered so regularly overdriven) but a lot better to replace them than drivers all the time.

You could probably go and collec t the bulbs from where you are. Turbo are only in Partridge Green near Worthing!

EDIT: Sorry, just re-read and saw you got them free of charge. Bonus!

Guys,

Not sure if this has ben posted before (just did a quick search and couldn't find it), but I was reading my old Viz from Christmas and found this top tip for jazz singers that looks like it had been sent in by a disgruntled bass player:

[i][b]JAZZ SINGERS. [/b] Show off your innate rhythmic ability, natural leadership and rat-pack-esque style by clicking your fingers on beats 2 and 4 ever-so-slightly off the beat in front of the bass player. It's a well known fact that as most bass players can't keep time naturally, the whole thing would fall apart if it weren't for you clicking those fingers, so don't stop whatever you do. You can make it extra fun and unpredictable for the whole rhythm section by ocasionally coming back in for the verse in tune and in the right place. [b]- Jazzy2Fives, e-mail.[/b][/i]

I thought it was funny. Classic!

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='172430' date='Apr 8 2008, 05:16 PM']...... and Satans Hairy C*nt.[/quote]

Ha ha ha ha!

That's so offensive it's actually funny.

Is there seriously a band called that?

[quote name='Mikey D' post='172765' date='Apr 9 2008, 12:26 AM']Fat Bak Taffy!!!

Yeah if it is the 826+ album it's 2001.

The Tribetts generally run ting! His brother Eric is a monster drummer.[/quote]

Yep, it is the 826+ album.

I think Erik Tribbett is actually his cousin. I've tried looking them both up on the net, but it's never very clear.

I got into them after seeing "Getting In The Way" on Jools Holland. Erik is indeed a monster!

If you like Nu-Soul/Hip Hop kind of stuff, the Jools Holland Best of Later Soul/Hip Hop is a great buy. I got my copy about 3 years ago and it's rarely off the DVD player.

There's about 22 tracks, people like Mary J Blige, Aleysha Keys, The Roots, Angie Stone and D'Angelo.

Some really tasty groove players on there, that probably all came out of the gospel scene.

I have the Jill Scott live (2001?) CD with Terry Tribett on bass. I was very impressed with him!

I have a Cort C5. After the first time I changed the battery, it kept going dead and then coming back on again (loud pops as it did so). Originally, I thought it was the leads I was using and kept replacing everything to no avail - damn intermittent issues!
Anyway, there is a ground cable in the battery/electronics cavity which is heavily soldered to the casing of something. (sorry, long time since I have done this so can't fully remember).

Anyway, that joint was a dry one, and eventually fell off completely. I remember it being a bugger to solder back on because the casing wasn't very good at taking the solder.

I don't know if this is relevant, buy at least it's something to look for?

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='172294' date='Apr 8 2008, 03:02 PM']Can you remember the name of the guy who taught you bass? It wasn't Kenny Potter was it... and by any chance is your JV a sunburst? I only ask as I'm sure that Kenny helped locate a buyer for an early JV that I had and I've often wondered where it went.

After having spoke to a local bassist last night about various basses that we've owned I'm having a bit of a day trying to piece together some of the blanks in my 80's/90's booze addled brain. Seems over the last 20 years I've sold this 1 guy six basses (which he still has, now that is just weird) and I can only place a face to 3 of them... this is a bit of a worry [/quote]

Yes, it was a sunburst, and no, it was Barrie Spence. I believe he was (and probably still is) well know on the NE scene. Barrie actually got his own JV (also a sunburst) just before me which helped me decide to go for one, which may have been through Howard as well. I know Barrie got him to fit EMG's to his. Last I saw him was in about 92 ish.

[quote name='mr.sibs' post='146091' date='Feb 24 2008, 06:24 PM']..... and has a stereo output.[/quote]

I'd be surprised if it is a true stereo output. I have a Bob Golihur K&K set which is made up of two different pickups, hence a stereo socket, one feed per pickup.

On mine, it came with a belt mounted preamp that then mixes the two into a mono out. If this is the case with his, I'd be tempted to get something like that before the wireless bit? One RF channel is usually cheaper than 2?

It might be a bit more cumbersome I guess.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='172212' date='Apr 8 2008, 01:44 PM']Howard lived over Low Fell, Gateshead wayso may well be the same (spoke to him yesterday and he'd doing well).[/quote]

I reckon that's him then. (Harlough Green is next to Low Fell). The guy who taught me bass had one of Howard's basses (this would have been around 1990) and it was a direct copy of a Jazz with EMG's attached. It was my first experience of playing one (I had my starter bass at the time - a short scale Fenix from Grott Guitars!) and I fell in love with it.

I was determined to get him to make me one, but couldn't afford it on a paper boy's salary. In the end, through my teacher, he sold me my Squier JV (unmodified) which I have had ever since (still unmodified!). It was the nearest (for playability) I have ever played to the one he built.

I remember going to his house for it, and counting out 10p's for the last few quid as I'd literally scraped together everything I had!

He seemed like a very nice fellow.

Since my last post, I have read that thread about him running the bass place. Didn't realise it was the same guy!

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='171998' date='Apr 8 2008, 07:57 AM']When I say 'my' I mean I came up with the ideas and got Howard Satterly to build it.[/quote]

That name rings a bell to me (I haven't a clue about luthiers or custom builders).

Did he live in Harlough Green (Gateshead?)

Any Stu Zender Jamiroquai (First three or four albums?)

+ double infinity for Donny Hathaway Live.

Any Jamerson stuff, especially the track "Chained" by Marvin Gaye.

Rose Royce Greatest Hits. I'm serious.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='171596' date='Apr 7 2008, 04:57 PM']I've heard about these systems that cut the stage power and such when the level gets too loud. That seems like an obviously stupid idea to me. Couldn't they just have a warning light? How could this possibly work on average level rather than peak?[/quote]

This raises an interesting point that I think we all need to be aware of.

One of the major factors that can work against a sound man in a venue, trying to get a good sound, is backline. I was technical manager for a campus of several venues about five years ago and walked into one of them and it sounded absolutely sh*te.

The engineer had been given a dBSPL meter and told to keep the levels down (not by me, decision was made above my head, mainly because they didn't want to fork out for PPE!).

He had put the meter mic on the front of his control position, and appeared to be mixing with that, rather than his ears. What he hadn't realised was, and I was able to demonstrate to him by turning the PA for a few seconds in the guitar solo bit, was that the backline (which was obviously facing him) was producing more than 90dB itself. The only way for him to have a good sound that gig would have been to turn the rig up so that he could make a decent mix around the room. At the designated level, in a 3000 seat venue, we only had vocals going through the PA, with reverby backline from stage. It was a bad night.

You will find that all SPL meter shut offs run from a mic in the room, so it doesn't have to be the PA that causes the shut off. In the really small venues, the drummer can probably create that noise level himself. I know ours can make my ears ring when he's excited!

Engineers can be selfish, angry obnoxious people, but it's no good heaping all the blame on them. Bands need to take responsibility too. I've walked both sides of the fence, so I can speak from experience.

Tauzero, you are correct. 85dB is pretty quiet.

This legislation has been out for a long time now.

AFAI understand it, the venue is ok to be loud (local council restrictions allowing), but if so, the venue must provide protection for staff hearing above a certain threshold (used to be 90dBSPL, I think it's now 85).

They do not have to provide it for the venue-goers, because they have the choice to walk out. It is to do with constant exposure, rather than 5 mins at a time.

However, as someone rightly said, bar staff, for example, may be in a venue for 8 hours or more with only a few short breaks. They need to be protected. It was with staff like this in mind who don't have a choice (other than not taking the job) that the smoking ban was introduced for.

I think it probably does need to happen. I have been to some nightclubs where the wrong cabs have been used with piercing long throw horns and are running at full tilt in a very small room. It wouldn't have helped me as a punter, but I imagine the staff certainly suffer.

I actually used to oppose it because I was a FOH sound man and wanted to show off my 40KW rig to the best of its glory. However, as I get older (I'm only 30!!) and realise my hearing is not what it used to be, I think responsibility is needed. I think it's silly to stick earplugs in so you can have it louder. Just keep it a bit lower!

However, to summarise, I do feel 85dSPL in some large venues where the background chatter of the punters can reach that is unrealistic. I always felt in 3000 seat style venues, 100dB was still reasonably low but was enough to keep the punters attention.

Just my take on it.

[quote name='andy67' post='171363' date='Apr 7 2008, 12:59 PM']It would be good to find out if there is a sonic difference though?? good quality 'locking' style leads can make such a difference to hifi especially when extracting information from a turntable.[/quote]

There shouldn't be. The only sonic difference would be down to a massive difference in quality of components within the cables and connectors, rather than whether they lock or not.

I once had a friend that told me he could hear the difference between 1mm extra thickness in hifi speaker cable.

Sorry, but in my humble opinion, lots of hi-fi sellers have made it rich on the pockets of gullible, impressionable people like him.

I can understand hearing the difference between using shoelaces and gold plated cables, but in 1mm thickness difference? Come on!

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='171337' date='Apr 7 2008, 12:39 PM']Speakons lock so anyone tripping over a lead is either gonna pull the cable from the plug or pull your amp off the top of your cab so keep your leads short![/quote]

Good point.

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='171174' date='Apr 7 2008, 09:53 AM']Dont forget that speakons are a relatively recent development and before that everyone used jacks. The real big advantage is you cant use a speaker lead for signal and vice versa.[/quote]

Speakon connectors (or Neutrik NL series) have been going for a long time now (about 10 years +?) in the pro audio industry, but the guitar amp world has been slow to catch up.

They actually come in various versions with different keyed plugs (that are only compatible with the correct sockets) and have uses for power as well.

Warwickhunt said the main reason really. If your amp is on with a uncovered jack-lead dangling around the place, it is a lot easier to short the amp out and damage it.

At the end of the day, it is a connector. If you are careful about how you power stuff up and unplug things, it shouldn't make any difference.

At these wattages, a jack connector should be well within its current handling tolerances.

I prefer speakons because if some drunken fool is wandering around the back of your rig in the dark, you've got less chance of the cable being pulled out the back when they trip on something (yes, I know you can also get locking jack sockets, but not used too often).

Speakons are nowadays usually philips head screw terminals (some can be allen key or solder), so they're easier to but back together when the trip-ee(?) pulls the cable out of the plug!

[quote name='OldGit' post='171260' date='Apr 7 2008, 11:23 AM']I like the hairy troubled folkie he used to be. This slick media savvy guy is someone else.[/quote]

I agree. "When I was a lad", I saw a clip of Fire and Rain and it blew me away, rumbling brush-slapped floor toms and everything. I went out and bought a JT Greatest Hits, and loved it.

About two years ago, I bought a live JT DVD. Was expecting greatness, and to a lot of people it probably was.

To me, it was too perfect. David Letterman style lighting, and perfect crisp sound.

I know I will sound hypocritical, as I used to be both a studio and live engineer. However, I always want my recordings/gigs to sound real, as if everyone is there at the same time.

I want everything to sound clear, but I also want to "smell" the sawdust and spittle on a recording, not a wipe clean, air-freshened no smoking studio floor! Does that make sense?

At the time I was getting into/learning sound, I was really into Acid Jazz (early nineties). I loved the music, but hated the fact that everything had to be so perfect in the recordings. The epitome for me at the time was The Brand New Heavies. The recordings sounded so clean, I could have rubbed my finger on them and got a squeak.

This is a purely subjective point of course. For the one of me that hates ultimate noise free production, there will be many of you that love it and flame me right out of here.

As Jamerson said, "..the dirt keeps the funk.." For me, that goes in the production as well!

[quote name='johnnylager' post='164373' date='Mar 27 2008, 12:23 PM']Until the new boilers paid for... [/quote]

You pay for your girlfriends?

Oh, er welcome Talon BTW!

From memory, a lot of the Rondo pages tell you the dimensions of the neck, and OG has already posted dimensions of his 4 string.

I think there is a difference, but not massive. I get the feeling that the P bass I asked about and the jazzes have the same neck?

I think the 4+1 is a reference to the headstock.

[quote name='artisan' post='170578' date='Apr 6 2008, 09:59 AM']i took the speaker out & it looks fine (to a numpty like me anyway)
[/quote]

Best thing to do is try and connect your amp directly onto the driver if you can do it, see if it's working.

Another test is to straddle the dust cover in the centre of the driver cone with your fingers and gently push on the cone. It should move easily backwards and forwards (as it would normally when working).

If it's stuck solid, then it's destroyed itself! You may often also get movement but feel a lot of scratching as it does so. This is also a bad sign.

[quote name='Mr_Nitro' post='170549' date='Apr 6 2008, 02:17 AM']I always wanted to get band tshirts made up, in ladies Skinny fit, that say " I'm with the bass player " on the back... but the rest of the band got all freaky about it!! gits!! [/quote]

Check out BC member maxcat's profile avatar.

Would love to get the missus (and whoever else is daft enough) one of those!

Perhaps a silly question but....

Have you had the cab to bits yet to check it's not something simple like a cable come off the driver or connector plate?

If it's got a horn as well, could the passive crossover have packed up?

Don't want you forking out again for the wrong thing if you don't have to

I would check if the cab has any passive internal electronics, such as a crossover or other filtering.

If these are being used to limit what frequencies are being sent to your driver, they may only be rated for 150W and fry before the new driver does.

If the external socket is just a straight cable onto the driver terminals, then all should be fine.

If you reckon it won't work with batteries as well, I would be tempted to think that there is definitely something wrong in the electronics/connections in the pedal, rather than outside factors.

[quote name='finnbass' post='169775' date='Apr 4 2008, 01:33 PM']Huge Hands, I hope they're all in cardboard-backed, acid-free bags like mine
Not that I'm anally retentive or anything ....[/quote]

Umm, nope, all in a box covered in spider sh*t!

They are the only relic I have from my student days, it's the crate of them that we kept next to the bog!

Looks like you have yourself a "limited edition" clock there, they're not selling them any more

Not that I'd be allowed to hang one up in the house anyway - the perils of married life!