Beer of the Bass

[quote name='throwoff' timestamp='1403522314' post='2483454'] As we discussed in the Fender vs Squier thread the woods do nothing to the tone and hence it could be made of cardboard provided the pickups and electronics where good quality [/quote] I wouldn't say that a Fender vs. Squier comparison demonstrates that different materials can never affect the tone. What it demonstrates is that the variation in materials between those two is too small make a significant difference. But as an example, you'd have a hard time convincing me that changing a wooden Fender neck for a carbon fibre Status neck does not change the tone so I think it's a valid question to ask when introducing radically different materials like synthetics, particularly in the neck.

Will it be possible to re-fret them a few years down the line? This seems important in a quality instrument and I would like to see makers using alternative materials address this point.

The tone stack could be worth looking at, and because it comes after the clipping diodes it shouldn't affect the character of the distortion too much. It looks like a standard Marshall/Fender amp type tone stack but with the values scaled down from what you would see in an amp. With that in mind, the 6.8k resistor in between the two 22nF caps is often referred to as the "slope" resistor. Changing the value tilts the response of the tone stack towards the bass or treble. If I've remembered this correctly, reducing the value of the resistor will tilt things towards the bass end. You could try replacing that 6.8k resistor with a 10K preset pot so that you can try different values. Although as ahpook points out, there may not be enough low end getting through for this to give the desired result and a clean blend might get you what you want more effectively. If you've got space inside the box for another pot and you don't mind drilling a hole, you could add a clean blend circuit inside the Shredmaster box with one of these kits: [url="http://shop.pedalparts.co.uk/Blender_-_signal_mixer/p847124_8681943.aspx"]http://shop.pedalpar...24_8681943.aspx[/url] I've used one of these before in another pedal, it works nicely and would save you from having to carry an extra pedal. Of course, if you're feeling frugal you could build a similar circuit on perfboard rather than buying the kit, but the little pot-mounted PCB is tidy and convenient.

With a wider aperture, I gather that some of the higher harmonics are reduced. Since the harmonics of a vibrating string occur as divisions of its length, if a harmonic divides the string into fractions shorter than the width of the pickup there will be some phase cancellation. It's hard to directly compare though, as there are relatively few instances of pickups with the same magnets, wire and number of turns with only the coil shape different, and plenty of other things that can affect frequency response.

The generic mod for increasing bass response on many pedals is to increase the value of the input capacitor. That would be the 10nF capacitor next to the input. You could perhaps start by trying something in the 100s of nF, maybe 220nF like the output capacitor. Be warned this may also change the character of the distortion though.

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1403372119' post='2482228'] Home-made badger head!!! You win the thread [/quote] Sadly I wasn't wearing the badger head though! I was just stood there dressed as a gnome playing double bass...

It's worth pointing out that Spirocores can be more economical than they appear, firstly because you can often pick up lightly used sets at less than new price (I put up a wanted advert on here recently and was offered a set the same day), and secondly because if you keep them clean they can last for a number of years. A double bassist using Spirocores can sometimes spend less on strings over the long term than a roundwound-using bass guitarist. Although some of the Innovation sets could indeed be useful if you're looking for lower tension and less of that bright, sustainy steel string sound...

Wander on to the stage, stand around awkwardly, peer out into the audience trying to figure out if the singer has even arrived at the venue yet. Begin first tune as they come in the door, so they can clamber on stage just in time for the chorus. Possibly not our finest moment! An old band of mine used to do some quite silly things. I recall a halloween gig where we were dressed as gnomes, witches etc, and we started with our ridiculous chromatic prog intro while our singer/guitarist ran around the hall in a fur coat and a huge home-made badger head before pulling off the head to come and join us.

What kind of blue? Both Ernie Ball flats and D'Adarrio Chromes have blue silks (royal blue, not light blue or navy), and the Chromes have multi-coloured balls.

Hmm, stock due 29/02/2015. A day which doesn't exist!

The old full-body pearloid finishes used celluloid material, softened with acetone so that it could be stretched over the body, in the same way older accordions tend to be finished. The material for this is nigh-on impossible to get hold of in decent sized sheets. If you're just doing the top of an instrument, I'd look at using drum wrap which you can get in a range of sparkle, pearloid and glitter finishes. It won't stretch over complex curves, but it will work very well on a flat top. I've just finished the top of an old lap-steel guitar with red sparkle drum wrap, and it looks great! Brandoni guitars do pearloid covered bodies in the old accordion style, and they used to advertise that they would cover bodies to order, so it might be worth contacting them. [url="http://www.brandoniguitars.co.uk/pearloid.asp"]http://www.brandoniguitars.co.uk/pearloid.asp[/url]

I've always fancied trying it, as my guitar combo is the same width as my 2x12" bass cab and sits very neatly on top. Playing bass through the guitar combo at living room volume has an interesting quality to the high end that I can imagine being pleasing with some more solid lows under it. It would be totally overkill for the band and venues I play in though!

Despite the higher noise in the first clip, I think I prefer the sound with the 4558. The highs are a little more prominent and it comes across as a bit clearer sounding. It's a subtle difference and might be entirely in my head, but I'm fairly sure I can hear a difference in the highs as well as the noise level.

Could it be that you like the scooped-mid voicing of the LH500 less than the sound of other amps? You could try running the LH500 with the midrange turned to full and the bass and treble around 1, which should bring the EQ somewhere close to flat.

I have played to the promoter plus barman once, no audience at all. We went ahead with it anyway - what else do you do after you've turned up and set up your gear?

A shop in Edinburgh has a left-handed Baldwin advertised at £1099. Mind you, it's been there a little while so I'm not certain if that's a value the market will bear or if they're being somewhat optimistic. [url="http://www.livemusicshop.co.uk/cms/index.php/bass-guitars/baldwin-semi-acoustic-bass-lh-detail"]http://www.livemusicshop.co.uk/cms/index.php/bass-guitars/baldwin-semi-acoustic-bass-lh-detail[/url]

If you want some different flavours of gain and crunch than the amp does on its own it might be worth trying out some boost pedals too, either straight clean boosts or Rangemaster type treble boosters. A lot of sounds which come under "classic Brit crunch" were made with a Rangemaster into assorted British flavoured amps. It might or might not be what you're looking for, but it could be an enjoyable avenue to explore.

[quote name='itsmedunc' timestamp='1402605748' post='2475346'] Apart from its obvious crapness, it would cost about £150 to re-string it! [/quote] Unless you were to convert it into a wide-necked four string to suit sausage-fingered builders!

If you can find the correct size in zinc plated steel rather than the stainless, those should use a grade of steel with decent magnetic properties. I'm not sure how easily you'll find those in imperial size though...

[quote name='IBWT' timestamp='1402223497' post='2471057'] A hollowbody bass must be well built to sound decent and last long. I don't think this HB can achieve neither goal. I would expect: crappy tunners, high action, bad intonation, weak pickups, poor sustain. It's much more expensive to build one of these than to build a Fender knock-off, so something must be sacrificed and in the case I bet many things must have been. [/quote] I wouldn't like to make those specific judgements without playing one. Some of the cheap instruments coming from China are surprisingly workable now.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1402092880' post='2470116'] Needs a new pick guard but yep, stunning. [/quote] Does it need more black and white chequers, by any chance?

What on earth is going on with that? 15 strings crammed in to 10 single string bridges, with a wooden bridge in front of that and a bottom string that doesn't appear to be over the fingerboard. Does it even play, I wonder?

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1401879434' post='2467716'] not heard that one before, what does dime the mids mean [/quote] Turn them to 10. Which is odd terminology come to think of it, as a dime is 1/10 of a dollar, not 100% of one!

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1394271800' post='2389698'] There are now integrated circuits that use tiny amounts of power. Passive circuits like these use a portion of the current from the input signal as the power source. [/quote] Is that really what he's doing, or are they just various combinations of more established passive circuitry (audio transformers, clipping diodes, inductors, RC circuits etc)? From the description of the pedals I'd have assumed the latter, but I haven't heard what the maker says about them.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1401616240' post='2465185'] exactly! :thumbsup: I am sure that some sound guys also think I carry more stuff than necessary at times, when we play gigs with a couple of other bands and I show up, move aside the 1X15" combo provided and stack my two cabs, when I'm going to be DI'd anyway. But when I can carry both cabs, amp head and bass at once, I don't mind doing that and being able to hear myself on stage well and play happily. [/quote] Some of those 1x15" combos that show up in the kind of venue we play in are truly wretched things, so I reckon you're wise to do that. I'll often share bass rigs for the sake of quick changeovers and convenience, and they can be a mixed bag, but when I'm playing guitar I'll almost always bring my own. On the subject of backup, I've never had problems with my bass at gigs, but carrying my little GK MB200 head in my gig bag has saved at least two gigs so far when amps have been playing up.