Nodd

Recently I have had a couple of 'near death' experiences with my Precision. The Schaller strap buttons have popped off mid-tune resulting in a tumbling bass! At around 14lbs it doesn't bounce very well. I'm not a rooted-to-the-spot kinda guy and I had a couple of previous accidents with strap disconnections. Didn't fancy the Gaffa tape remedy, so went for strap locks. I have had them on for a few years now with no issues. I first thought I had not clipped the strap ends into the button properly, then it happened again. I noticed that the 'U' shaped strap end had turned around and with the open end up it was easier for the strap end to pop off the button. Closer inspection revealed that the spring loaded central locking pin had become very worn, these do not protrude very far into the strap button on the bass anyway, but the worn pin renders it all very unsafe. Might be worth any of you with these strap locks checking them for these symptoms Any advice or comments on alternative solutions would be welcome. Nodd

Try MJ Still on Portland Road Hove 01273 738274 he has fixed ny amps and hi fi gear, he knows his stuff. Not completely sure about him fixing FX but ask, he is very helpful. Nodd

+ 1 on the Eko, it needs to have a big body to have any chance of being heard. Surely they will have a PA at the... ahem...venue?

Another vote for the Eko, I have an old one and I fitted it with a K&K transducer (for a lot less than a Fishman) no pre-amp just plug it straight in and off you go. I have used it with an ancient set of bronzewounds...sounded great and currently with Rotosound black tapewounds...maybe a little less great, both high on the DB thump and mwah, yet still pings on harmonics. Bit of a handful for longer gigs with that fat body but .... Nodd

I have an '81 Eko bass, its a lined fretless, floating bridge, no cutaway, great acoustic tone, it didn't have a pick up Its now fitted with a K&K pick up and constantly gets appreciative comments when I use it live. It has a big fat body which makes it awkward to play, but gives it the tone. The neck has been adjusted only to cope with different strings, otherwise it has been stable. At £199 it should be good VFM. Nodd

I have a couple of gigs with a guitar/piano, clarinet, vocals where I use my fretless Eko ABG. Some of the numbers are asking for 'atmospheric' sounds. Do any of you use FX with your fretless/ What would you recommend? You can see below I have an EHX MBS and an envelope follower, they are maybe a bit OTT and unnatural. I was thinking maybe reverb and chorus? Thoughts? Cheers in expectation, Nodd

I'm another EMMA Discumbobulator fan, the sensitivity control is a real boon.

<p>A Hofner Senator was my first bass,&nbsp;</p> <p>and as I am left handed I had it flipped.</p> <p>After six months I got rid of it, it had &nbsp;sky high action, one plummy sound</p> <p>and I felt it was &#39;old fashioned&#39;!</p> <p>Hey ho...such is youth</p> <p>Nodd</p> <div id="myEventWatcherDiv" style="display:none;">&nbsp;</div>

[b]First Bass Owned: Hofner Senator 'Go To' Bass: '75 Fender Precision 'Your' Bass: Eko AB4F fretless acoustic w/K&K p/u[/b]

I bought a Bongo specifically to tune to B.E.A.D. My thinking was that a newer design of bass with active EQ would be more likely to cope and provide a better platform. I had it professionally set up and tweaked to fit. The result is a very stable and useful deep er bass, very handy for keys like G, A and B. The tuning can sound a bit weird if playing more traditional types of music, perhaps because we are used to the E.A.D.G. range. I know there have been comments about 'wobbly' B strings, I haven't suffered that, using EB Slinkys. Amp-wise, I'm sure most would cope, but you do need a decent speaker or two. I have a little Aria combo with 2x 6" for small gigs, it can't really cope on its own, but does when i add a 12" ext. Through my Walkabout it sounds immense, and goes [u]all[/u] the way down. Good luck with your choice, Nodd

I shall begin the quest, thanks again.

Thank you Bill, amazingly they do work...for quite a while, advice gratefully received. Stevie, I will have a look at the Fane, need to check overall depth, thank you. All other comments gratefully received. Nodd

I have an old but very useful Loco 6162 combo. Over the years I have had to replace the two 6" drivers frequently, well every couple of years. it was always a pair of 8ohm Eminence Alpha 6". They used to be so cheap it wasn't worth worrying about. One has just given up last night. They seem to have lasted a bit longer this time, perhaps because I've been using my Walkabout. This time I see that there are Alphalites and more choice of Eminence drivers, including the Alphalite. It would be good to lose a few pounds, the combo is a touch heavy for its size. Is anyone using, or has anyone used Eminence 6" drivers? and if so, which would you recommend? The speakers are front facing in a rear ported cab. Nodd

Thank you for such a quick response Gents. Alex, I will take you up on that, if I may, an excuse to see/hear your cabs anyhoo. I will mail you to arrange a suitable time. Nodd

Of all the daft things not to find out about my second hand Walkabout, I forgot to ask the seller what impedance the speaker is, they come in 8 and 4 ohm versions. There is no visible label on the outside Looks like I'd have to take off the grill and then find a way to take the speaker out to read the label. Does anyone know how I could find out otherwise? Nodd

Done