Skinnyman

Got an email this morning from the rhythm guitarist, quitting the band. This follows on from the singer and drummer who quit in September and have been replaced after a long search. So I had a chat with the remaining original member and we decided to call it a day. And I'm not sure how I feel. The band effectively ended last year when the singer quit. The new guys were very inexperienced and were still getting to grips with our set so it never really felt like we were a proper band. And the rhythm guitarist wound me up repeatedly on account of his inability to turn down to less than 11 regardless of the pace,dynamics or mood of the song. But this band's been together for 6 years and, though I say it myself, when we were good we were on fire. So my dilemma now is whether to carry on. There don't seem to be many bands in the East Midlands looking for a bass/rhythm guitarist and I'm not sure I have the enthusiasm to try and pull a band together myself. So maybe this is one chapter closed and I'll go back to playing along to backing tracks and recording my own stuff. There seem to have been a few threads of this nature posted on here recently. People giving up through illness, fatigue or just general world-weariness. And now it's me.... But I think I'll miss being in a band...

Problem is, we're talking about Fender as if it's a guitar Company and its not. It's an investment vehicle and as such needs to demonstrate a return on that investment. And that comes from growth. And growth isn't easy to achieve when the global economy is as tanked as it has been for the last few years, so instead you borrow money against your assets, saddling the company with debt, and you buy other companies, such as Genz Benz, Takamine, and all the others that Fender has acquired in the last ten years or so. From what I've managed to glean, Fender is saddled with so much debt that it can never hope to trade it's way out of trouble and so the corporate takeover belter skelter will have to continue until they can start to offload some of their assets. In the meantime, of course, the investors will no doubt have taken out substantial amounts of cash in the form of dividends. As I say, it's not about making guitars, it's about making money

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1420223328' post='2646906'] Hmm, I think I must have expensive tastes. There are only one each of bass, head and cab that I'd really want from the marketplace, and they total £3,850! If it was a hurried buy for a gig on a 1k budget, I'd go for: Bass Collection 5 string £250 http://basschat.co.uk/topic/251490-bass-collection-sgc-nanyo-315-5-string-1991/page__pid__2646781#entry2646781 Carvin head £300 http://basschat.co.uk/topic/251659-carvin-bx700-lightweight-flexible-powerful-head-on-hold/page__pid__2644931#entry2644931 and the BF Compact £400 http://basschat.co.uk/topic/250971-ft-barfaced-compact-2nd-generation/page__pid__2643330#entry2643330 Total = £950 Should do the job nicely :-) [/quote] Bugger. That was exactly my choice but they're now sold out....

It's been a busy year... Out: Two singers, one drummer A lovely MIM P bass that I still miss In: One singer, one drummer New set list Full time job which clashes with getting to grips with the above Two SGC Nanyo Bass Collection four strings (one a very satisfying project to bring it back from the brink) One Sei 5 string One Dingwall super p/j which is now my go-to bass What have I learned? That I enjoy playing guitar but will always be a bass player first. That my tolerance for over loud guitarists is now worn paper thin. That I think I'm ready for a new challenge and as soon as I can cut down on my stupid 5 hour a day commute, I'll be looking for another band. Oh, and that I really, really should quit smoking

Last year I bought a gorgeous cherry burst American deluxe strat. A beautiful guitar to look at and play. But about a month ago I realised that I was ignoring it in favour of my other guitar, a much cheaper american FSR strat. After a bit of Head scratching and some back to back testing, I decided it was down to the N3 pickups on the deluxe. They're okay in isolation but very, well, ordinary compared to the Texas specials in my FSR. So Santa was persuaded to bring me a new pickguard, pots and wiring along with a set of Kinman no-hum Blues pickups. They arrived earlier in the week and I spent a happy Christmas Eve fitting them. So now I've replaced the old, cream, pickguard and knobs with white and I think the guitar looks so much better. And the new pickups are phenomenal. A real range of tone between the three pickups, and utterly hum free. Spent most of yesterday and today unable to put the thing down. I think the FSR is going to be relegated to the back bedroom now. I am very happy.

[quote name='scalpy' timestamp='1419596872' post='2641121'] If anyone can help with where to position the cables that would be useful too. I have tried the traditional iPhone arrangement up the front, round the back, one ear in one out, gaffa taping bits, in and outside of clothing but whatever I try the cable snags on my strap and pulls on the earpiece. Drives me nuts. [/quote] I attach the IEM to my strap, over my shoulder, low enough to be able to reach round and adjust the volume. I run the wire up the strap itself (woven through the leather loops) and then bring the buds in from behind my neck. Comfy, easy to fit, no tangles. The whole topic is covered in depth in the other thread but cable placement seems to be the only area not really touched on to any great degree.

Our drummer had an Audio Technical IEM setup which we then augmented with a much cheaper LD systems unit. The AT is better but, from my perspective, not that much better that it warrants the huge price differential. Okay, we're just a pub band so maybe the AT would be worth the extra if we were playing larger venues or touring. But we don't and the LD has done us fine. The homework I did before hand suggested that the weak link on most was the ear buds. The ones supplied are pretty basic. I use a set of Shure buds from my iPod and they've been excellent. Custom moulded jobbies would be nice one day but the Shures do the trick for now. My only criticism is that the LD is a bit light on bass but that's been helped by the better ear buds and by making sure they fit properly. I have a full band mix in one ear and my bass in the other and it works brilliantly for me. I have regular toe to toe confrontations with an overloud guitarist and got the IEMs as an alternative to facing a manslaughter charge. So far they've done the job.... Also, a call out to Ipswich PA who provided brilliant, non-pushy advice on the phone, had a very competitive price and worked hard to get them dispatched on the same day so I'd get them for a gig at the weekend. And no, I'm not associated with them - I just think it's worth mentioning examples of really good or bad service. And in this case, it was excellent.

[quote name='gelfin' timestamp='1418946203' post='2635211'] I now want an Ebow [/quote] Just ordered one.....

[quote name='J.Eriksen' timestamp='1417775440' post='2623855'] Cheers bass players! I have three Dingwall basses. All of them are imho very, very good instruments and favourably comparable to anything from the very top shelf out there. In fact, when I was looking for a J-type 4 string, I bought a Dingwall Super J - not because of the fanned frets but because of the build quality and playability. The fanned frets were a bonus so to speak. However, it is on the 5 string the ff-system really shines, on a four string it does not make much difference in my experience. I have had other 5 string basses, such as the Stingray, but the Dingwall was just so much better with its tight 37" B string. And that goes for the build quality as well. These basses FEEL hand crafted (unlike your Fenders, MMs etc) But, as it has been said by others: They are expensive. Such is life. John [/quote] For me the fanned fret thing has become a non-issue. It looks a bit weird and if you over-think it then you can start to get a bit confused - but I completely forgot about it and just played. So now, like you, I'm just judging this as a four string J-bass and it is the most comfortable, playable thing ever. I love the sound, the looks, the weight, the comfort, everything. They may be expensive new but I'm happy with the price I paid and what I got in return. At some point in the future, I may look at a Dingwall 5 but for now, this is the only bass I need.

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1417676066' post='2622874'] Is it the blue one? Whichever one, congrats and get some pics up. [/quote] Thank you. No, it's the black one. I looked long and hard at the blue beauty that was on here a while ago but SevenReason's black one just had something about it. Plus, he had the P pickup, guard and a Glock preamp all included which kind of made up my mind for me. Pics will come

I'm resurrecting this because, based on the insight shared here, I decided to take the plunge and got a beautiful Dingwall Super J from the For Sale section. Last night was the first chance I've had to play it with the band and through my "proper" amp and I thought I'd share my experience... OMG ITS INCREDIBLE!!!! Fanned frets - as people on here have mentioned, they're just not an issue. I probably spent less time looking at my fretting hand than normal. Utterly intuitive and easy. As to the bass, mine has an Aguilar preamp in it and it is monstrous - even in passive mode. It weights nothing and the fanned frets mean the string tension is just perfect. I am in love. Every other bass I own is now going to be up for sale - I need nothing else. We-e-ell...... The only thing I might change is the action. It's super low at the moment and it has a nasty clank when you get carried away and dig in a bit too much. Or I might leave it and just develop a better technique. But I am a very happy bunny - and the boys in the band loved it too. Once they'd got over the fret thing.

Just bought a lovel Dingwall Super J off SevenReasons. Phenomenal condition and a thoroughly nice guy to deal with. He's doing the cruise ships so getting together can be a bit challenging. Mind you, taking the wife Christmas shopping in Southampton got me brownie points and distracted the usual "why do you want another one..." questions! Back to the bass.... It's in fantastic condition, exactly as described and came with lots of extra goodies - more importantly, there was no pressure to get a deal done so the whole thing was relaxed and easy. Top man.

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1416649763' post='2612199'] That's a fake, and you're not allowed to post it here. Otherwise there will be legal shenanigans. [/quote] No it's not. And I should know, I made it myself....

[quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1416410037' post='2609921'] I heard there was a more expensive Ric. [/quote]

If it's wobbling then it's a phase problem. An echo is arriving back at the cab and cancelling out the outgoing note. Or they're bouncing round the room and cancelling each other out. Either way, Ignore the EQ for now, set everything flat and then try to block out the echo in the room. If you can, try and get some soft fabrics in there. Hanging on the walls if you can. An old duvet, coats, curtains. Anything to stop the room ringing out.... The fact that only low frequencies that cause the problem might be an issue of resonance so look for partition walls, windows blocked with plywood etc and damp them. You could also look at the kick drum and try damping that as an experiment, just in case (are there others stored in there) Might be a complete blind alley but I'd look at the room before ditching the amp

Seems like Noël and Liam have found each other again

Oooh, tempting. But I've just bought a Sei fiver.... I think that's it until after Christmas. Unless I can persuade the wife that she needs one. Nah, I didn't think so either :-(

+1 for the bergantino. The CN112 is easily carried in one hand - even by an 8st weakling like myself (how come an 8stone bloke is a weakling and an 8stone girlie is just petite?). Any way, there's a pair of bergs in the for sale section that might be worth looking at...

Bandmix and joinmyband are the two I've used. With mixed results, it has to be said :-)