SpondonBassed

Although I like a good old knurl with the best of them, I'd favour a knob that has a pointy bit on it purely so that I don't have to look to see where it is set. I like to know where my knobs are at all times. On this instrument the look of the controls is going to take equal priority at least. Are you reproducing any of the T'bird graphics? Sorry, I'll rephrase that... Are you thinking of using original T'Bay graphics? The font in the following image is called Gibson Script. Although it is not really like the headstock logo I'd say it's still near enough to play with.

I watched an episode of How Do They Do That? the other day where they had a fungus based wood substitute pressed and cured into preformed seating. For large scale production it works because it takes days to grow rather than the years taken by trees. Of course, guitar production is a significant consumer of timber but it would not have the same requirement for high volume growth as mass produced furniture. Then again it might be that the tonal qualities of this fungus/hemp composite are worth investigating. Also it would have great credentials for consumers with green tendencies. I was impressed by the use of carbon fibre in the eighties mainly because the aviation industry was embracing composite technology. I wouldn't like to own a bass made of it though. That's purely a personal prejudice. I just don't like the feel of the stuff.

I'm not entirely happy with the notion of feeling up my audience. I don't know where they've been.

Very tidy. I would probably have ended up with wrinkles in the tolex. Did I spot two different drivers?

Cool. The best tool kits are those that are built on a piece by piece basis. You needn't buy a whole set of sockets for example. Your money is best spent on a good ratchet driver and just the extension and sockets specific to the job you want to do at the time. Then on assessment of the next job, buy the socket sizes appropriate to the new challenge. I had a head start as an apprentice aircraft mechanic. The company subsidised tool purchases and we had a Snap-On van on the premises every Wednesday. In addition we were entitled to serious discount at one of Dublin's top tool retail outlets. Some of my peers were a bit completist about it and would trundle around with enormous red cabs stocked with beautifully blingy spanners. I just had a couple of luggable boxes stocked on the as-needed basis I just described and I was jolly glad of it when I was subbing around the South East of England. Two modest boxes of choice Snap-On goodness strapped to the pillion of my fully faired CX500 was all I needed to coin it in. In one of the other facets of the multiverse I do the same with a Hohner B2A and a Hi-Watt combo strapped to the pillion instead while I'm still young enough to enjoy it.

I was lucky enough to live in a place like that from the age of 11 'til 14. We owned a village pub just south of the border in Ireland. On Sundays we'd put on small bands and call it Cèilidh Night. I would usually nosey around during the set-up. I met some real characters and more than a couple of family bands. We had some nights where I would be sent out to collect glasses because the pub was rammed and I was little enough to get around. Then outside of that we had lots of neighbours who would variously play fiddle, bodhrán, tin whistle, guitar at the drop of a hat. Good times.

When you write it like that.. it really does seem that simple. In that you are correct. In actual fact and for someone at my level it is not. I can't afford to turn down anyone who offers to beat the skins and jam with me. Good bad or average, it is all necessary experience. Of course, it's best to get all of this done before taking a performance to the public with an expectation of it getting booked again, never mind wanting it to pay for itself. At this point I should say that the count-in is where I'd expect a metronome to be of value. I don't think that it would be of use once the song is underway. So, keeping time is not at issue. Starting in the correct tempo is.

Thanks for considering anyway. Can you PM me with the expected start time for your set in Borrowash please?

Welcome Phill.

As a bassist, I wouldn't. As part of a rhythm section I would have no objection to working with a drummer who uses one for the count-in. In fact, I'd feel better in that situation. I think it's important to know that you are on tempo, even if you are consistent and accurate on your own. As an advanced motorcyclist, I could ride to speed limits to within a unit or two of any of the national speed limits without looking at my speedometer. Engine vibes and string vibes are similar in that you can feel their frequency and regulate accordingly. The difference being that you wont get unwelcome attention from plod for drumming without a clock. It's nice if a band gels and tempo is never an issue. Getting there is the trick.

Perhaps best not to let him have access to a tambourine then.

Bump.

(Passes Japhet a moist flannel to place upon the weary brow) See that's the thing I suffer from. I don't trust my laptop's ability to play recordings at their proper tempo either. Most of the PCs I use have that time-slice thing that interupts media playback regularly. On Win 3.1 it was a fiftieth of a second. It's still apparent on current PC based digital playback but less perceptible. My latest lappy (second-hand) sometimes changes pitch during playback. I am not sure if the tempo changes with it but I kid you not, I was sure I was listening to a cassette player just starting to run down its battery before it righted itself! The problem occurs infrequently so I haven't been able to trouble shoot the problem. It's only a low level annoyance just now. If it gets worse I think I will use my lappy like a frisbee and give it flying lessons. Sometimes I.T. is just a quicker and more expensive way of reproducing what was annoying in the analogue years.

I accept your viewpoint. If I was more than a hobby-bassist it might be relevant to me.

At my level Mark, you are lucky to find any sort of a drummer to practice with. I liked your description of how it works on stage where it's applied.

PMd.

It's refreshing to see such a well reasoned reaction in this age of consumerism and litigation. It is also great to see another example of BC camaraderie.

Has anyone checked to see if he can state what BPM he is playing to accurately? I don't doubt his consistency, you understand, instead I am wondering if a competent human can play to a within a beat (or two for leniency) of any given target tempo in BPM on demand. If so, how commonplace are drummers like that? The visual element. I think I might get on better with the mechanical baton waggle better than a flashing LED. I am certain that the mechanical tick-tock will sound better than the bip. I can't say if I'd like the click any better than the bip as I have never had IEMs to try with but it goes against the grain in my current thinking. I can't be arsed with click tracks or MIDI. I have no use for them just yet. Maybe down the line one day but not now. It's just more electrickery. Good man! I must find out more about mine. Have you any idea what age yours is?

I was interested to read elsewhere in this parish of drummers who use metronomes in practice and on stage. These are of course gigging musicians. I hesitate to use the term professional since its meaning has been severely diluted in recent years and it does not serve well for this topic. To me it makes sense for the drummer to use it as opposed to the bassist but since both roles are crucial for the rhythmic drive of a band, others may have an alternative view. I am referring mainly to the use of metronomes (as opposed to the click) when performing. I assume that no bassists do this on stage. Correct me if I am wrong please. ***** At home, I am very weak willed when it comes to practice with a metronome. I have a few of them. Most of them are bundled with tuners in pocket sized devices powered by battery. To access either the tuner or the metronome functions I have to press and hold a button for a few seconds. Further, I have to cycle the time signature options and if I miss the one I am looking for, I have to go around again. This is so off-putting that I seldom bother unless I have a specific reason. The result is that I don't spend enough of my practice time with a metronome. It's shameful of me to be so neglectful. This morning I have taken my grandfather's (latterly my father's) clockwork metronome off the shelf and I will put it in my practice area for easy access. Standing alone and with no other responsibilities than to keep time, I am optimistic that I will use it more than the others. My tuner need only work as a tuner and its nested functions can rest in peace forever. There are no wires or batteries, just a winder for the mainspring in the mechanism. I have removed the excuses that bundled devices allow me to get out of jail with, so to speak. I am optimistic that I will get more use from this metronome than the others. It's also a lovely bit of kit if all I ever do is look at it. Wish me luck. PS: I'd love to see one like mine being used by a drummer even if it is out of sight of the audience. Then again I would like to see a world united by peace and the pursuit of a Winter home in a new solar system. Silly me.

You should put this in the Build Diaries. I think it would get a better airing there.

Welcome Mick.

Ouch. I was glad to have used the outer two strings at this stage in my own kit build because the saddles' centreline was slightly offset from the bridge backplate centreline. It is still hard to see why it would be like that but BC builders always check with strings at the bridge alignment stage so I wasn't going to fly in the face of experience. It paid me well to follow that example. Jez and Andy were the two I had been reading up on if I recall correctly. Cheers chaps.

Welcome Charwood.

PMd

I don't gig. I only plug a tuner into my rig. I don't want anything between my bass and amp as I haven't become fully aquainted with what I can already do with what I've got. One drawback to my situation is that it is rare for me to play at gigable volumes so my view is hardly representative. I do however echo the sentiment above that fx complicate things and make troubleshooting more of a chore if things aren't quite right. If I ever got to gig regularly I might change but I think it is unlikely. My Ashdown has Five band eq, Compression, Deep, Bright, Overdrive and Subharmonics already without plugging anything into the FX loop. I'm happy enough with what I've got.