bnt

They're not taking orders anyway - closed for "reorganisation". If you're after a Stick Bass, don't go anywhere near stick.com either.

[quote name='stingrayfan' post='77089' date='Oct 20 2007, 06:49 PM']That said, right now I'd like to build a simple website for my band. Can my Vista "Premium" laptop do that? Can it $#$#$#@. I'll prob have to buy a bit of software that won't work properly and then get another one to upload it. Grrr![/quote]
I don't understand - are you expecting it to include a web page authoring app, like FrontPage, or Dreamweaver? The actual site itself won't be on your laptop, it'll be on a web server, and you'd do whatever is required to make that work. e.g. if the site has FrontPage Extensions, you can use FrontPage... or you can just use a text editor and FTP. Or base your site on a CMS (Content Management System) like WordPress or Drupal, and do it all through the web browser.

I think Macs are basically compatible with all WiFi routers - no reason to be non-standard, then they wouldn't be able to connect to public routers at airports etc. Standards are good - that's why there are so many of them!

[quote name='SMART' post='76977' date='Oct 20 2007, 02:17 PM']It seems that PC users have an inane desire to kick against innovation and ease of use in computing and prefer to suffer the multitude of tortures that PCs can wreak on mere mortals!
...
But then PC fans seem to have an in-built desire to meet the time consuming frustrations of owning and running a PC and fiddle.[/quote]
Sorry - fundamental mistake there: you're conflating PCs with Windows, and you're confusing Microsoft with the other companies who make the hardware and drivers that go on there. Apple has the luxury of an ivory tower, from where it controls everything from the base hardware up. When Microsoft does that (just about), you get the XBox, but if they tried making a laptop from the ground up, you can imagine the hypocritical protests there would be from Apple fans.

That little laptop I mentioned won't come with Windows as standard, at least not at first. It runs a version of Linux. Windows will be made available later for those who want it, but I'm not one of those.

My other PC a desktop, still runs Windows XP SP2, and does it just fine, with none of those problems your leaders tell you that everyone else has. I know, from experience, what you need to do and not do. The things I need to do, to keep it going, are no more of an imposition than using a manual gearbox in a car, filling the tank and inflating the tyres. Vista, on the other hand... been there, done that, and said "no thanks" - they're trying to "do it all", and not very well.

I don't agree that Steve Jobs had no choice but to submit to DRM, but he did. He's since [url="http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic"]admitted he was wrong[/url] about that... but then he goes and locks the iPhone to AT&T in the USA, and it will be O2 only in Europe - again, submitting to anti-competitive pressure from other industries.

Apple has become what they once accused Microsoft of being - anti-competitive - but they're so much nicer about it, aren't they? Such a clean, hip image they project, such an aura of "innovation", with the "completely original" OS X core that they took from NeXT, who took it from BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) UNIX. This is the reason for Apple's better resistance to viruses etc., nothing Jobs & co. can take the primary credit for.

Do you think I have not heard all this before, and need to be subjected to a patronising lecture about how much of an idiot I am, for not joining the Cult of Apple? I prefer computers I can control, so that they do my bidding, and not [i]vice versa[/i]. Anyway, this is a bass forum, not a pulpit for your Cult Of Apple evangelism, please?

PS: I didn't mean to rant, I just hope people can look beyond the PC vs Mac stereotyping, and have a think about why things are the way they are. The first post got it wrong on the hardware differences (there aren't many), and your post gives Apple credit they haven't earned and don't deserve.

[quote name='Bassman7' post='76655' date='Oct 19 2007, 06:50 PM']You just got to have the next Mac OS X Leopard with a screen like this![/quote]
I don't see anything special, to be honest. To me, Macs cost far too much for what they do, and I will never forgive them for the DRM they pushed on "Pod People" who didn't know any better.

My next PC purchase will probably be one of the [url="http://eeepc.asus.com/en/"]ASUS Eee PCs[/url], a laptop weighing less than 2lb with a flash HDD, running Linux as standard, and a price tag around £200. Something I can chuck in a rucksack and take everywhere.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='76553' date='Oct 19 2007, 03:06 PM']It's just a bit pointless isn't it! I don't mind having a messy pc, 'cos i'm always messing with it.[/quote]
I'd say it's pointless for a general PC, and mine is hardly nice inside either. However, if you're into overclocking and other envelope-pushing, keeping a tidy interior is not just aesthetic, it's also about clean airflow to the CPU, memory controllers and other hot chips.

(I've just realised that I put my current PC together nearly 3 years ago, from components that were hardly bleeding edge at the the time... yet the mid-range Ge6600 graphics card can still run a game like Guild Wars at 1440x900 resolution, 50+FPS. I really have to wonder who's buying these fire-breathing graphics cards, the ones that cost more than the rest of the PC, occupy two slots, and come with a leaf-blower on the back to keep them cool...)

You could look in to Stuart Hamm, perhaps. I wonder how many bassists have tried [i][url="http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=6-Ei-ZFttsQ"]Linus & Lucy[/url][/i] since he did it years ago? Here's one example: [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ldfZqfbTZbo"]http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=ldfZqfbTZbo[/url]

(No, it's not me, my Tune bass is only a 4-string)

Not sure how you can generalise about PCs from the likes of Dell, never mind a "beige box": manufacturers can do a better job of laying out the interior and designing cases for easy access, and some do. I know Compaq did, before they were taken over by HP.

Disclosure: I used to work for Compaq, and then for HP, though that was in relation to Servers and Storage, not desktop PCs. I still saw inside various PC models over the years. You think that Mac is well laid out, but have you seen the inside of a Proliant 8500 (DL760) server?

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='76326' date='Oct 19 2007, 08:27 AM']See the sticky on this subject - the Bass Collection brand has re-surfaced more than once since the SGC Nanyo days.[/quote]
Ah - OK, found it. I thought it worth mentioning because the other thread was quite positive about SX basses, for their price.

In the discussion about SX basses last week, did anyone notice that SX are making Bass Collection instruments now? Example from SX Spain, which seems to be the main European site, [url="http://www.sxguitarspain.com/sx_bass_collection.htm"]here[/url].

Pity you're not going to cannibalise it - I'm thinking of de-active-ating my Hohner B2Afl, replacing everything after the pickups, including the pots, knobs & socket. I've had problems with the active circuit I made years ago, to replace the rubbish original. Pickups are fine, and mine has 2 soapbars anyway, not P&J. It would cost a lot more to post the whole body to Dublin than just the electronics, though.

One site I found a while ago, and took some finding... [url="http://www.krappyguitars.com/"]http://www.krappyguitars.com/[/url] The [url="http://www.krappyguitars.com/punkbass.html"]Punk Basses[/url] are particularly enervating, but this one is at least innovative...

I dug in to that thread a bit further, and found at least one interesting link: [url="http://www.oddballbasses.com/"]http://www.oddballbasses.com/[/url]



PS: have a look at pg 1 of that thread - or the picture [url="http://xs100.xs.to/xs100/06194/uglyassedguitar.jpg"]here[/url]. It's a bit big to post here, and might frighten the horses.

Audacity is OK if you get a handle on Tracks etc. - it tends to create new tracks every time, but you have lots of editing possibilities.

As for a standalone recorder, one I thought of is the [url="http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1901&brandID=4"]Zoom H4[/url]. It can do 4-track recording on board, with basic FX (incl amp models), mixdown and overdubbing, and you can transfer tracks to computer to finish them. Oh, and they include another program (Cubase LE) to try.

[quote name='phatmonkey' post='75262' date='Oct 16 2007, 08:47 PM']Turn off Noscript, it's going to cause more problems. I think that's what Buzz meant.[/quote]
Any "problems" I've seen with NoScript are the result of it doing its job, actually. Back on pg 1 I recommended setting the "temporarily allow top level sites by default" option: that way, sites that rely on their own JavaScript work straight away, but all those 3rd-party scripts that people stick on their sites are blocked by default. Examples: basschat.co.uk's scripts work straight away, and googlesyndication.com is in the default "whitelist" that comes with NoScript, and I've had no problems here at all.

So, please stop telling people to turn NoScript off: it's not the problem if you configure it correctly. I consider it [b]essential[/b] these days, along with AdBlock, FoxMarks, and DownThemAll. I have absolutely no sympathy for site designers who just insert scripts from any old source, slowing everything down and cluttering up the screen: what if you are on a browser that doesn't do JavaScript at all? (They do exist you know, e.g. smartphones, and smart service providers like Google do accommodate them.)

You're probably thinking of Yoshihiro Naruse (Narucho), from Casiopea - the guy with the green 8-string, starting about 2:20:

I remember this because he was [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=4796"]mentioned[/url] a couple of months ago, and I liked the look of the Tune basses he plays. I liked them so much that I bought a [url="http://tuneguitars.com/store/wizmart.php?code=000101&lv=2"]TWB43[/url] (Bubinga), about 6 weeks ago. (See my avatar too.) But a whammy on an 8-string still seems like a bit of a gimmick to me.

PS: Billy Sheehan has a bass with a Kahler whammy, [url="http://www.billysheehan.com/gear/instruments_13.html"]here[/url].

Jings! That certainly passes the [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mull_of_Kintyre_test"]Mull of Kintyre Test[/url], eh? Or do we call that a fail?

Those 100W gun types are not for fine electronics such as guitar wiring, they can cook your components too.

One tip I learned is: keep your iron's tip clean and tinned: wipe off on a wet sponge regularly, then immediately apply a little solder (with flux). That way, it makes good thermal contact with the surface you're soldering. As noted, heat the contact, then apply to solder to the contact, not to the iron's tip.

Java, as in Java Runtime Environment? Didn't know there were any Java apps on this site - it's not to be confused with JavaScript at all, there's no connection between the two.

With NoScript, can you see the icon at bottom [s]left[/s] right? If you click it, you can see the script sources that are and aren't blocked. basschat.co.uk should be Permanently Allowed, obviously.

Haven't read the book, but I have seen his live show on the theme. Can't imagine it without the soundtrack, actually - such as his p-take of [i]Smoke On The Water[/i]. Does the book include the story of how he got the Pink Floyd gig? Bassists are two-a-penny, but not everyone can scream out [i]Run Like Hell[/i] quite the same way...

NoScript is good, but it helps if you set the "temporarily allow top level sites by default" option. This means that scripts work on the site you went to, but 3rd-party scripts are blocked unless you allow them. Then (in general) you're only at risk if you go to dodgy sites that run nasty scripts themselves.

There are quite a few SX basses on sale here in Dublin, at Waltons - haven't seriously considered them. You can see the prices [url="http://waltons.ie/waltonsshop/index.php?cPath=60_62&sort=2a&page=2"]here[/url]: it would be more cost-effective to import from, well, just about anywhere else.

One of those platinum-selling bassists was at a sold-out Wembley Arena tonight, coincidentally. I think he wouldn't be as famous if all he did was play bass, and he owes a lot to a strong proficiency in melodies and arrangements, and a distinctive singing voice. I'm talking about Geddy, of course.

Personally, I've run in to things my fingers can not do: I can't get them to move as quickly and precisely as required. Without going in to too much detail, that is not likely to improve, and may get worse, but that's not going to stop me trying various things. I don't think I need to be that technically advanced to get the job done.

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='71800' date='Oct 9 2007, 08:11 PM'][Crocodile Dundee voice]
That's not a BS sig 10th Anniversary.[/quote]
I think the fact that she's had it for 9 years explains that... she mentions it's their anniversary, but doesn't claim she's selling an anniversary model...

[quote name='ahpook' post='71813' date='Oct 9 2007, 08:34 PM']"and for bassists...the chain"[/quote]
I honestly had to look that one up. The Fleetwood Mac song? YouTube here I come...

edit: the ending? The old Formula One theme? OK.

[i]Smoke On The Water[/i]... kidding!

I don't think there's a standard, but I tend to play Rush: bits of [i]Freewill[/i], [i]Show Don't Tell[/i], or [i]Leave That Thing Alone[/i]. Next time I'll probably throw in a bit of [i]The Main Monkey Business[/i]. Ook!

PS: in a local guitar shop, they have the usual list of banned guitar pieces: Stairway To Heaven etc. - so double marks to the customer in there a few months ago: I walked in, he was playing the intro to King Crimson's [i]Fracture[/i], which is a tricky piece. Then he played the middle [i]moto perpetuo[/i] section, which is a wee bit more than tricky. If they tried using [i]Fracture[/i] in Guitar Hero, the makers would be sued for causing fingers to fall off...