Lfalex v1.1

...Meanwhile, in other news, Police in the US are reporting a collision between a Dingwall, a Les Paul and a Chapman Stick... Which I suppose means I reckon it's hybrid of some sort!

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='189294' date='Apr 30 2008, 10:06 PM']...this it would seem.[/quote] Yeah, but you should see what it did to her face...

Danelectro 63 series? £249 (If I recall correctly) Available in Red Burst and some Light Blue colour. Available in 32" and 34" scales...

Sounds like a Second-hand Trace SMX pre would suit you fine. I'm not that well acquainted with Aguilar, Alembic, Demeter and the other high-enders, but do that many have on-board compression? The only other manufacturer that features this (that I can readily recall) is Eden, and I'm not sure if they currently do a pre... It's worth considering the fact that many pre-amps are only 1u deep (some are 2u), and as such, a rack-mounted compressor could easily be accomomdated in a 4u case. With the advent of lighter weight 1u power amps, you [i]could[/i] fill a 4u thus; Tuner Compressor Pre Power If you use an outboard compressor it would broaden your choice of available pre-amps to... well, all of them! Which would include not only Ampeg and SWR but some excellent (though not necessarily bass specific) pre-amps by firms such as Avalon and Joe Meek, too. Hope this helps! Alex.

When I was a kid, my voice was fine. Then it broke, and it ain't been fixed since! As for singing and playing, I just can't do it, except when the vox are on the off-beat (With or without you, Message in a bottle etc.) Does this make me "special"?

[quote name='Machines' post='185294' date='Apr 25 2008, 02:01 PM']Ugly atrocity to the bass world. I love BBs - but this is like someone got it wrong in paintshop and put it into production.[/quote] Nope! This is what happens when things go wrong in [i]real[/i] paintshops!!! And it's an Attitude, too...

Presentation style notwithstanding, I like the look of the all-black "Stealth" style Bongo IV H/S. (Can I admit to liking Bongos in public?) Out of curiousity, I Wiki'd Bongo, and uncovered; [b]Operation Bongo II[/b]- [i]a controversial experiment in which 1,253 sonic booms were unleashed on Oklahoma City, Oklahoma over a period of six months in 1964 [/i] Maybe that's why it's called "Bongo"?!

[quote name='FJ1200' post='183487' date='Apr 23 2008, 08:45 AM']I thought IPA was banned by the HSE. We used to use it where I was working years ago and had to change.[/quote] I bought some a while ago from a pharmacy. Told them it was for cleaning tape heads, contacts, pots etc. About £3 for 500ml.

[quote name='Maine' post='183523' date='Apr 23 2008, 09:22 AM']Lovely, good tip thanks! 2 x 17" = 34" for me then. You're right, I was wondering about where exactly to measure at the bridge end.[/quote] Probably at the mid-point of the saddles' fore/aft travel. [i]Probably[/i]

Having been to a few Metal gigs in my time, and played in a Death Metal band, I can safely say that you can use almost anything! For example; Pantera, Biohazard - Stingray V Iron Maiden - Precision w BadAssII and Roto Flats and fingers Deicide - a Rickenbacker (!) RATM - Stingray (1st Album) Modded Jazzes thereafter Stuck Mojo - Precision One Minute Silence - Spectors then Warwicks Snot - G&L SOAD - Thunderbird (dropped BEAD?) I know some of these aren't exactly up-to-the-minute, but it gives you an idea. If you have limited resources, I would strongly recommend buying a bass that'll fit in well, whatever genre of music you may be playing. It gives you more flexibility. Precision? Jazz? Stingray? Corvette? Streamer? Thumb? L2000? ASAT? Various Ibanez- The ATKs in particular. The more versatile the better. Do bear in mind that your string choice/type/gauge can help to tailor the sound and feel of your chosen instrument, too.

Self-taught. Joined a band (good way to gain experience). Thought tuition was the way forward, but my choice of teacher was VERY poor. Yup, he could play. Nope, He couldn't teach. Just destroyed my confidence, cost me lots of money, prolonged the agony, and made me strongly consider ditching the whole thing. A word of warning, then; A good teacher is worth their weight in gold. A bad teacher is worse than none at all. Still playing when I can, and learned more in a few hours watching others' technique than I ever did from tuition. Yes, I'd try that route again, but could barely stretch to a lesson a month between rotating work schedules and bills! They'd have to be pretty damn good, too!

[quote name='bremen' post='182603' date='Apr 22 2008, 10:27 AM']Shipping with USPS is really cheap for thongs. Even huge ones. I've paid less shipping for T shirts from the US than some UK companies charge.[/quote] I prefer to buy my lingerie in the UK, thanks! As for thongs being huge, I thought they were meant to be skimpy! Best typo award 2008 goes to bremen! And it's not even May yet!

An old, padded lap top bag (slightly bigger than a modern one!) It holds duplicates of everything, so I don't have to pack/unpack for gigs and rehearsals. Just take it and go. That said, I like to travel light, and don't use fx so; 2x mains leads strap spare internal fuses for Trace head tools (Screwdrivers, Allen keys, Cable cutters, insulating tape etc.) extension lead Instrument lead (25') spare patch leads various audio leads/ adapters ear plugs The bag's soft, alnd will shove into spare boot space quite readily. A laptop can fit in it, too (if I empty it!)

I used GT85 (WD40, but better!) and a good deal of elbow grease and a soft cloth on both frets and phenolic board. The Vigier came up well, but dull (which is how I wanted it) The Yamaha seems to have some sort of lacquer on it, and it came up sparkling...

Is it a 12AX7 in the pre? Pity it doesn't have a SS gain stage, as you can tell if it's the valve by using the SS side (Trace/Peavey/Hartke etc.) I had a 12AX7 go microphonic in my Trace after about 12 months. The replacement's lasted another 10 years! They should be easy to swap in and out, just do it with the power off and remember to treat valves like Halogen headlamp bulbs - don't touch them with your bare hands.

[quote name='gti1396' post='175099' date='Apr 12 2008, 12:08 PM']cheers guys, string problem sorted just need to get some musicman knobs now![/quote] Schaller ones are similar, not identical. They're solid brass, have slightly more domed tops and little divots to show the control's position. Normally retail at £5 a piece. Available in chrome, gold & black. I've got some on my Squier VMJ. The extra weight over the bakelite / nylon items feels good when you use them.

[quote name='Hutton' post='177156' date='Apr 15 2008, 04:37 PM']Two minutes actually. As burpster says this bass is built in Mexico. However, don't let that put you off. The classic series basses are getting great reviews and are superb value for the money. If it is USA that you want then you're not far off the price of a good used Highway 1.[/quote] Or a second-hand MIA!

[quote name='benwhiteuk' post='173740' date='Apr 10 2008, 10:35 AM']...I share an 8mb connection with 5 guys who download copious amounts of HD porn...[/quote] Cool! What basses were they?

Was Boz Burrell's once. No provenance, though. Purchased via the (Wapping) Bass Centre. It's a 1990, and is now tuned CGDAE.

But can yer drummer play the intro..?

Utterly annihilated a (Luthite) Ibanez EDB600. Was practising at home, and after being interrupted six times in six songs, I discarded the bass rather than taking it off carefully. I tossed it at the sofa in disgust... And missed. It hit the floor and made a strange, dull "click". I'd cracked it, and sheared off the whole lower bout, south of the top edge of the control cavity rout. Cracked the EQ board, too. This due to the fact that we've got solid concrete floors, and that the previous incumbent in our house didn't put any underlay beneath the carpet! Now seriously annoyed, I firmly grapsed the tip of the headstock, put a foot on the neck at about the 12th fret... And pulled. PING! 24 frets a-flying. (Yes, they all fell out) Neck broke in half at 12th fret. Headstock broke into 3 strips around the tuners. Truss Rod fell out. Ibanez necks... Slim, fast and fragile. I reckon if the body had been wooden, it would have survived. Forgive me BC'ers, for I have sinned!!! (Sorry guys, no pics!)

It's got to fit in the control cavity, right?? Maplin do ferrite beads for smaller gauges of wiring. Just slide them down the wire and secure it firmly (don't want any annoying rattles!) before you solder it all up. They should perform the same function as a full-on choke. Why do you think you might need them? (apart from the schematic suggesting them) Is the switching likely to be susceptible to RFI?

Don't even go there!!!

Call me a stick-in-the-mud, but... Tone / Playability > Manufacturing Quality > Finish > Colour. Or in other words, buy the best sounding / playing one! All else being equal, then choose a colour you like! This coming from someone who has i) Never purchased a (specific) bass I haven't tried in a shop. ii) The Best-sounding collection of aesthetic disasters known to man.

Tweeters and horns left unattenuated can make the already edgy sound of phenolic boarded basses unduly "brittle" sounding... As for the compression, there wasn't much on there. Just a smidge to round out the sound rather than tame peaks/troughs in my playing (I don't use one myself during practise, so I have to exercise a measure of dynamic control!!)