Lfalex v1.1

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1330299064' post='1555520'] For me the ramp is about consistency. I like my dry bass sound to be controlled and rounded. (that's before i throw any ugly distortions on!). The ramp allows your fingers to hit the string at the same height every single time and thus if you're playing with a three+ finger technique can help smooth things out a bit. I'd call it a 'smoother' rather than a 'compressor'. Sure it stops me from digging in too hard, but i can still retain wide enough dynamics from my instrument too. Ramble over! [/quote] That's not a ramble at all. I can achieve the rounded tone you describe, but have to deviate from my usual technique and resultant "spiky" sound. I play with two fingers, but use the third - as taught by my (short-lived) teacher - to damp the string above and play right "through" the string into the one above (can you tell he liked golf?) I like the tone this gives - and a very "big" initial transient that definitely announces your presence and can really lock in with a drummer at slow to moderate tempii. Trouble is, speed it up a bit and the string isn't where it ought to be after you last "attacked" it. It's still busy vibrating, so it's like trying to throw and catch a ball on a bit of elastic - really fast! The other issue is that your strings die because the cores lose their elasticity and sound like mush. Perhaps I need low action/a ramp on some basses and a high(er) action/no ramp on others? Bit of a catch 22 otherwise...

How can anybody have missed "CatChat"? And, given the (already acknowledged) piscine connotations of "BassChat", is anyone aware of the publication "Carp Talk"? Saw it the other day, on the top shelf, with more worthy publications. Thought; not much of a stretch of the imagination for an appropriate anagram there, then

I'd definitely get in before the inevitable law suit.

[quote name='Blademan_98' timestamp='1330548433' post='1559326'] I like carpet..... runs and hides It won't make a difference but I personally like the look. [/quote] Yet another member of the Cat Protection League inadvertently "outs" themselves... Gloria, Uno and Mittens vote "Carpet", too...

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1330079816' post='1552306'] ...There's a forum especially for [i]Rickenbackers??[/i] [/quote] Apparently so. And I bet they contravene Godwin's law a lot, given Mr. Rickenbacker's first name...

At the moment, I'd probably never buy another 4. 50% of what I'd play at home has content lower than "E", and if there's something higher in pitch than B(2?) then you could always play that line down an octave if you wanted. I do like E-C tuning, also (hence my owning a 6 - Best of both worlds except for weight, cost and re-stringing costs)

With £3k to spend, I'd NOT be looking at Warwicks, especially considering their secondhand values! That kind of money buys you a very serious bass guitar indeed. Serious as in; Status Vigier Zon Pedulla Sadowsky Sei Modulus - as you say Tobias Roscoe The list is virtually endless. Best advice I can give is - do what I do / have done... Bin your pre-conceptions and go to a good retailer with a big selection. Bass Direct or The Gallery spring to mind. Make a day of it and try everything you can get your mitts on, and then go back to that dented P bass in the corner (for a reality check) and start again. With that sort of budget, you're in for a host of (hopefully pleasant) surprises! Enjoy!

Got to say that both my '97s (Streamer LX6 and Fortress MM5) are better players than my '02 Infinity SN4. I only [i]tolerate[/i] the neck shape (did someone say "Baseball Bat"?) because it sounds superb.

Yeah, they're pretty good for the money. Mine's had a BadAss II, Schaller (black) solid brass knobs and a set of DR Fatbeams. Bingo! Better pick-ups / electrics might be good later on (Wizards, Fralins, SD, DiMarzio or somesuch)

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1330005913' post='1551266'] The taxman allows 45p/mile to run a car, so a 228x2 miles round trip will cost £205.20. Factor in the cost of equipment and I can't see how any but a tiny minority of people can ever make a living as a musician. Basically, they need a 'proper paying' job in order to subsidise their hobby. [/quote] And my "proper paying job" won't stretch far enough... [quote name='silddx' timestamp='1330012330' post='1551411'] TBH, I find many people very amateurish with organisation, comms, letting people know what is going on and what requirements there are, punctuality, etc. You could not operate a business in this way. So many people have so few skills, they just seem to expect it all to go right on the night. This is everyone, musicians, promoters, venues sound engineers .. I usually find the promoters are the most organised, they have the most to lose. [/quote] Your use of the term "Amateurish" is entirely appropriate. Many players are amateurs. Why expect professional standards from them? All the amateurs have been being professional all day at their "proper paying jobs" (to subsidise their amateur hobby). I'm guessing that they've had enough of professionalism by the time it gets to gigging time... [quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1330012658' post='1551419'] That's business mate. Some folks are ethical and efficient and others are disrespectful and incompetent. My day job is no different. [/quote] Please note that the above terms are not necessarily mutually exclusive or inclusive! But when it comes to playing music, I just can't be bothered with having to sort my way through the human minefield anymore.

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1330027836' post='1551775'] Over-playing, particularly to compensate for poor volume or monitoring is potentially very damaging to your hands. [/quote] Oh dear! If I didn'y play like a ton of bricks, I doubt I'd feel anything! That's me stuffed then. Mind you, a quarter of a century of manual labour has left me with hands that look worse than my Grandmothers. Do they do ramps for work?

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1329929384' post='1549941'] Where players are concerned, most bands in most generations are not producing anything new. What did Oasis offer, in musical terms, that The Damned didn't or [b]Big Country?[/b] or Jesse J. [b]DuM dum dum dum dum dum dum bass lines?[/b] with three fills per tune are not going to generate a debate. [/quote] Is there [i]another[/i] Big Country I haven't heard, then? Don't really think they (or Tony Butler) deserve to be lumped in with the other 3 artist/e/s on that basis!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1329823124' post='1547816'] No-one can tell you what it's like to play live, just as no-one can tell you what it's like to have sex! [/quote] I can. It's better! Ymmv, though..

Too small and fiddly for me, plus they look stupidly small on me (and I'm only average-sized) I'll stick to my "DUPLO" guitar, thanks.

Well, it's another string to your bow.... Ouch! Who threw that?!

As far as I know (I own an AH300SMX)..... The signal flow is such that; Using "send" alone without "return" in play will effectively isolate the power stage, effectively turning your head into a pre-amp. The DI should be switchable pre/post eq. Logic suggests that the fx loop should be [u]before[/u] the DI in either case, as your DI to the desk would otherwise lack any FX you might want it to carry. I'm inclined to think that the dual compressor stage is after the return on the fx loop (and the DI, too), and immediately before the power stage. I've always viewed it as a "please don't knacker my cabs" device. I think the assumption is that the desk handles the compression according to the mixer's whim. At best, it [i]might[/i] send a compressed signal via the DI if you switch it to post EQ... That's probably your best bet. If you have access to a small mixer, try it out. No danger of wrecking anything, as I've run my SMX with no load during recording sessions.

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1329690799' post='1546115'] Last time I was trying basses I played the sailors hornpipe (which I often play as a warm up) it gave the guys in the shop a bit of a laugh if nothing else. [/quote] I've been known to play the tune to Captain Pugwash from time to time. That's not quite the same is it?! EDIT And the last time tried out a bass I actually bought, I did as I have previously described. It was midweek (and not busy), so the sales assistant (a young lady) watched what I was doing and asked all about what I was doing?! When it came to plugging in and playing, I tried a small piece of mine that guitarists hate because it's chordally self-supporting, and requires them to either double the melody or harmonise (not a strength for some guitarists) I actually use it because it's a pain to play on some basses. If it's a pain to play, I won't buy the bass. The few people in the shop were actually suitably impressed! I don't even know what the chords are! (So much for my theory!) I've tried looking through various directories, but probably haven't accounted for the fact that guitars thinnest 2 strings aren't what I'd expect them to be...

'04 MIA S1 Jazz (ash-bodied) '06 (?) Squier VMJ Yamaha Attitude 10th Anniversary BS Sig. (well, it's modeled on a "P" and has a "P"-shaped pick-up in it...)

A row of wall hangers! Turn your pad into a music shoppe!

From wikipedia (Cobalt)... "After nickel and chromium, cobalt is a major cause of contact dermatitis." I wonder how many people's hands fell off [i]before[/i] they decided to make the Cobalt strings coated?

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1329641214' post='1545056'] I think you'll find that hasn't happened on here for 158.4[s] days[/s] [i]seconds[/i]. [/quote] Fixed that for ye.

To be honest, the first thing I do when confronted by a bass is [i]inspect[/i] it. All the usual stuff; Sight a line down the neck- is it straight? What's the fretwork like? How well assembled is it? What does it feel like under the hand? Then I'll play every fret on every string acoustically- listening for rattles, buzzes and unwanted resonances Then I'll check the intonation and action and finally... Is it actually in tune? Then plug it in... Have you any self-written pieces? Even just basic riffs? If so, you'll be the best judge of how the bass in your hands is working in that context. As regards amps, I seek out medium/smallish combos and turn off any widgets, setting the EQ flat. That ought to minimise any unwanted contributions.

I have no such claims to fame. My Dad, however, went to school with Anthony Stewart Head His Brother, one Murray Head (for those of you that remember him!) And some complete unknown called Brian May..... All different years in Grammar school, mind.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1329307811' post='1540299'] I'm not certain. [/quote] Will your certainty improve if they offer checkerboard scratchplates as an option?