Twincam

Third time this week i thought hey ive come up with something here then i realised im playing holiday in Cambodia. Which i never learnt. This seems to happen regular. I will be thinking oh that sounds good then it will click im playing something exactly the same or very close to someone else's work. Does this happen much to you?. Should i be worried about this or should i think hey at least im coming up with successful bass lines. Also how close to something original can you get where its still your own?. If i come up with something i guess its ok if you can say i was inspired by something however i would not want someone to think ive directly ripped someone off.

I think also that people forget that if something is hurting don't carry on playing. Let your body heal. This is a painful fact i have learnt from various sports and also bass playing. Joint problems, tendon problems, ligament problems heal at a much much slower rate than say a flesh wound or a muscle injury. It may take a couple of months or longer of total Non! playing for your injuries to heal. Light stretching is a good idea. As said low tension strings low gauge or even tapewounds are low tension. Short scale and narrow neck would also help. And a good action, low as possible. Take a week or two totally off playing dont even pick up the bass if possible.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1417642415' post='2622660'] I suspect you're not following a career in marketing... [/quote] No im not but lets have a think about this one. There are probably more bass players who would pick a valve amp over a solid state one at the same price point. Many people buy small practice amps and as seen in guitar land there is a big market for the old style small valve combo's Many little solid state amps and large ones too have a tube emulation feature which for the most part get it wrong. Little modelling combo's have features that try emulate other all tube amps. So why not just make a small valve combo at a price point?. I don't expect this to be the greatest thing ever or to out sell all other amps but fact is its a viable option. I honestly am surprised at my fellow bass players lack of support for this.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1417637880' post='2622605'] But the same goes for any other manufacturer. You have to look at this from a commercial perspective. If there [b]was[/b] indeed a market for it then the opportunity would have been grabbed. The fact that it hasn't means that either every amp manufacturer has missed the opportunity, or there's no demand for it. I know which one is most likely. [/quote] Yeah that they missed it big time! lol. You know reading some comments you would think that many really don't care about having more choice. Im not trying to change the world here im just asking for a few more cool toys for us bass players. Here is an example the vox night train combo recently sold for 199 this was on special offer but as an example i will used it. [url="http://s330.photobucket.com/user/Twincam2008/media/vox_zps9f45b544.jpg.html"][/url] Who would not want a bass version of something like this?. Its so cool. Ok to get it at a price point i suggested a big company like thomann could do them. But whoever did them they would sell.

[quote name='taunton-hobbit' timestamp='1417636054' post='2622580'] In a five(?) piece band there is ONE bass....unless it's all changed recently. Thus a band may (perhaps) buy five amp sets, only one of which will be specifically for bass.(That's your mass sales gone, before you start.) Mass Production in the real world, requires a demand for something in excess of two thousand units as a start point - for a bedroom bass amp? It's not happening.......... [/quote] Every bass player has owned/gbought a small practice amp which is what im talking about basically. I know if i had a choice between a solid state one or valve one which one i would chose and which one 99% of bass players would want. So im pretty sure a mass made all valve low watt bass combo sold for say around 200 pound would be a huge seller. If mark bass can sell a small 30 watt or what ever mini mark for well over 300 pound im pretty sure you would have an audince for an all valve practice amp at 200. Plenty of people buy practice amps everyday.

Yeah as said they won't be very loud but theres plenty of solid state 10w/15w bass amps that are plenty loud enough for bedroom practice. And ive jammed with guitar players using a 25w solid state amp and we were loud enough. So im pretty sure 10 to 20 watt of valve power would be enough for house use, light jamming. These are not serious amps just a bit of fun. [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1417635536' post='2622571'] The reason nobody makes them is that there's no real market for them. Before anyone says it, half a dozen people on a bass forum doesn't equate to a market in commercial terms. [/quote] Yeah i get that, but say thomann sold one you then have a world wide audience for them. Plus since there isn't any at present. And people love that kinda thing im pretty sure there is a good market for them.

Yeah i still can't see why if they can build a all valve small watt guitar combo or head alone for that matter why they can't build one for bass for a low price. Of course they would be small 10 or so watt suitable for home use only. And i know some parts of a bass amp are indeed more expensive but still see no reason at all one can't be mass manufactured. We are talking a few pounds more for the components maybe a little more for the speaker if that. And many of the little guitar amps get pretty good reviews.

Was browsing online and i end up checking out guitar amps. I come across all these awesome small watt, full valve combos and separates many of them are under 200 pound. So where is these cool things for us?. I seen a 15w ashdown valve head that was £299 just for the head. Ok so i realise that by the nature of bass amplification some components are more expensive. But im pretty sure a small watt, all valve bass combo can also be built for under 200 pound. Im surprised Thomann don't do one im pretty sure it would sell well. In fact i might email them.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1417548677' post='2621634'] I'm useless at deciding stuff like this and was hoping one was just going to "pop out" and say "pick me". Fortunately it did. Nice one Twincam. Simple, elegant, colour appropriate, to the point and just downright badass. [/quote] Thanks mate.

Well having a bad drummer didn't stop the Beatles haha.

Another like from me.

Ive always wanted more tension in the E string. Im using fender flats at the min the medium gauge 105 E but i still want more tension. Thinking of trying the Jamerson flats but if anyone knows of anything higher tension would love to know.

Not ideal but just throwing it out there if ultimate weight saving is a goal. You could always hot wire the pickup to the jack running no pots at all. Of course you would then have to make adjustments via the amp if your sitting down this might be more of an option if near an amp. Get a pick guard made up without the holes in. Would look pretty cool. When its time to sell be an easy job to convert back.

LOL at all the above comments

Yeah as for a defret you can do it the correct way, or you can basically get a knife and get them out that way some pliers also help. I did this to a bass once purely as an experiment the bass was not worth anything!. It worked but it did not look great, i then got some filler and put that in sanded it down, then used flatwound strings. It worked ok. From a distance looked ok i guess. You could then use household varnish over the top and then use nylon tapewound strings which would not mark the finish. Very cheap and very DIY but on a cheap harley benton shortscale and for a project i think that would be ok. That is your cheapest option im thinking. Although a pro defret for 90 pound aint bad. My way costs all of a tenner, apart from the nylon tapewounds of course.

Bonding?. We all know each other. Although that does not bode well as i have had fights with two of them haha. Will see what happens looks like be January we are getting together. Think one of the could things is we are all into music in a big way and would literally all have a go at anything from folk to thrash metal. Also we have no grand illusions or expectations this is a jam session that will hopefully being going somewhere. I shall post to let you know what happens even if its a total disaster. Hopefully i will last more than 3 hours in a band this time (dont ask, short but crap story).

Harley benton do a cheap short scale and it has a slight downsized body. Not a bad pickup if i remember right. Its 52 pound so you could rip the frets out yourself and you've not spent much. I used one for a week or two when i fancied trying a shortscale without spending much money. http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hbp90bk_shortscale_ebass.htm

[quote name='skidder652003' timestamp='1417264245' post='2618672'] have found since using all tube amp that i don't really need compression so much, does anyone have an explanation for this? [/quote] I thought tubes have a certain amount of natural compression in them. So the more tubes as in a all tube amp will have a slight more amount of natural compression.

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1417265852' post='2618690'] Damn that's bad news when you said your old amp was 'kaput' I'd assumed that was for definite rather than you were hearing odd noises when playing your P bass. Rather than rush out again and buy another bass can you tell us what you're hearing because there's really not that much can go wrong with a pickup and a couple of pots. Also, have you checked the guitar cable for damage? [/quote] Im getting a fizzing type noise that comes on with the bloom of the note. I tried another cable zero difference. The same bass seemed fine last weekend when ran through another amp although i didn't fully test it, as we had to keep the noise down also there was a guitar playing. So i assumed the amp was on its way out and since the amp in question is a 1987 carlsbro cobra combo i was all too happy to replace it with anything, not that it was a bad amp before just such a dull tone. Could it be room acoustics?. Or maybe the fender medium gauge flatwounds i have noticed they really shake the bass and there is a odd overtone there unamped. Maybe that tone is coming through the amp?. I don't have anything to record the sound on. The new amp isn't amplifying the noise nearly as much but definitely still there.

Well looks like its the bass making the odd noises and not my old amp. So i should of bought the bass ah well i shall do in the new year.

Thanks guys good advice i shall take it on board. I did have a few ideas let me know if there rubbish. Ok the way me and my jamming partner start off is we play something we have come up with, and if the other likes one or more of those ideas we try and expand on it. ive said before i don't yet have the skills to just start jamming with someone so he talks me through what he is doing and helps me out. I thought get the gang together and start off like that. While i don't really want to do a covers thing i thought i could get us all to practice playing together by getting us all to learn a few songs of varies difficulty maybe more in timing than technical difficulty. Thoughts?. At the min im just trying to see when everyone is free.

Well time to change that as ive stated to them they will have to follow me, actually then i said do what you like ahhhhh. Ruined it already. No but they will listen trust me. Im actually feeling bit ill from this, and one of guitarists says he is worried he aint good enough he has ben playing for over ten years and sounds good to me i chose him as the lead as he is naturally good at that. he once did get offended last year when i said that think he thought i was saying he had no rhythm.

Ive also now got 4 guitarists 3 confirmed and ready to go, with that a new drummer but waiting for him to say yes officially. Im now shitting myself these guys will smoke me im dreading ending up looking a right plum. And now people are taking an interest too, which is good but really nervous. I cant follow anyone i don't have the experience etc all jamming ive been leading. Haha these guys been just saying how much they been practicing and things im thinking of telling them not to practice haha

[quote name='Diablo' timestamp='1417207623' post='2618301'] Don't set off a band by organising it all yourself AND paying for it - you'll get the pee taken badly. Any studio/rehearsal time costs should be split equally. It will start to get expensive (Forum, Darlo, couple of hours is over £15 a go) and it seems unless people are actually paying, then they are not so interested. In fact if you are organising it all I'd be pushing that you pay nowt and the others split the costs in lieu of your efforts. [/quote] yeah forum it would be i dont mind paying to get something started but i take you and discreet's point. Basically the vibe is if i want it then i must do it people are willing to play there part and until things are going somewhere its upon me. Worst thing is im leading this and although i can play a bit im nowhere near the others. Although no one seems to mind lol. Oh drummer who is interested, i only just learnt is missing his foot and cant guarantee he can still play. Already looking good

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1417204703' post='2618270'] Bands, don't talk to me about bands.... Have fun, that's the main thing. [/quote] Oh it started out fun till i picked up the phone sent emails off got the calculator out that was 4 hours ago, now my head is done in. I think im over thinking things or worrying to much the others seem cool about it but then again im supposed to be planning this thing.