Beer of the Bass

I've seen someone use small bulldog clips from a stationery shop, with the handle part removed. It might take some experimentation to find the right size, but they're easy to find at short notice.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1509715865' post='3401128'] Shiny green pants were de rigeur at the time. I'm wearing mine now as I type. [/quote] With the matching socks and tie?

The drummer's stage wear is memorable...

[quote name='Deedee' timestamp='1509666319' post='3400791'] Am i the only person who had an Encore P in the early nineties that played fine? Did loads of gigs with it 😳 [/quote] I think Encores have come from a few different factories over the years. An old bandmate had one which was really not bad and played nicely but I've seen others which were horrible.

It's hard to say without hearing what you're hearing, but is it definitely the speaker farting and not the amp distorting? It's only a 15 watt amp, and the speaker would have to either be damaged or very poorly chosen to be running out of steam at that amount of power. It'd be worth checking through another cab before you spend more on it.

Strap buttons! Are those still in the post?

[quote name='DIYjapan' timestamp='1508472340' post='3392405'] What a great looking pair you've got there. Any further word on how they sound on the stage? Looks like they'd fill out most any venue just fine. [/quote] They're doing fine; most of the time one cab raised on a chair does the job and there have only been a couple of occasions where I've used both. I'm sure that the limiter on the GK MB200 kicks in before the cabs start to complain, so I suspect I could use a larger amp if I needed to. I'm pretty happy with the sound of them for electric bass either with the MB200 or my Dynacord valve amp. For double bass they're quite usable but do sound a little coloured.

I'm not too familiar with that amp so I won't comment on any difference in tone between them, but I will say that Allparts prices are not the best. I'd look at somewhere like Karltone or Hot Rox.

I haven't used the TKS cabs themselves, but I have some experience with the driver used in the S112 and S212 and I have an 80 watt Dynacord valve amp I bring out sometimes. I think either the S212 or a pair of S112 would be a nice combination with the Echolette - they should have reasonable efficiency (or about as good as you'll get without going for something huge) and a voicing that works well with an old-school valve amp, but you would need to determine whether they would meet your needs for volume and low end output with the GK.

Sadowsky Black Label flats have fairly discrete silks. They're a light grey that isn't very noticeable against the colour of the string. They're a bit darker and more old-school flatwound sounding than Chromes though.

Are you sure you want 1mm veneer? For the bass I defretted a few years ago 0.6mm veneer was a good fit in the slots.

Given that they have narrow string spacing as a 4-string, the 5-string conversions must take a bit of getting used to. It does look like Rath's conversions are better thought out than RIC's own though.

I'd say this is an example of a nice bass sound on an old OGWT performance, if a little low in the mix. But then it looks like he's using a Fender Showman on some sort of fridge-sized cab and it doesn't sound like the band are playing loud, so that keeps it out of fart territory. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soOiBvbRvsw

Could it be something to do with optimising the track time for vinyl mastering? I remember reading that the average level and quality start to decline over 20-22 minutes per side. I cwn imagine playing with the tape speed to get the master in that range.

I paid £549 new for one around that time.

It's been a few years since I took classical guitar lessons, but I recall playing a couple of pieces in alternate tunings (either dropping the low E to D, or using EADF#BE to replicate early guitar/vihuela tuning). In both of those cases the notes were written at the pitch they sounded, with a note of the tuning at the start of the piece, and more extensive position notes than usual.

They sound quite different to me, using cheap but full-sized Panasonic headphones from an LG tablet. The Streamliner seems deeper and more scooped in those clips - perhaps the earbuds don't show up the low end difference so well.

I've got quotes from both now. Once the VAT is added to Roqsolid's base price there is less than £1 difference between them. So I'll go with Hotcovers, I reckon.

Ok, I think I may be leaning towards Hotcovers. I like the idea of the vinyl material they use. I have of course picked the week that most of their staff are on holiday (there's a note on the website), so the quote might be a little slower than normal.

Out of the two suppliers above, which one would be more recommended at the moment? I seem to recall reading that one had been less dependable in the last couple of years, but can't recall which, or whether that still applies. Or are there others in the UK worth looking at?

I'll use buses where I can, if I'm playing guitar or electric bass, if I'm using either a small amp or a house rig, if the gig either finishes before midnight or is close to the route of the night bus that goes to my neighbourhood. If the gig involves double bass, larger amps and less convenient locations or times I'll use the car. I used to manage on public transport more often when I lived in the centre of town, but now I'm on the outskirts the car comes out more often than not. Parking in many parts of Edinburgh is a challenge, so I do prefer not to if I have the option.

There's a local band who keep using a photo with one band member's head very obviously replaced using photoshop. It's on their posters and online promo, and looks daft. If there isn't time to take new photos, I think leaving the old member in would be preferable to that.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1503486837' post='3358588'] I'm not sure the Swastika will ever be rehabilitated, though. [/quote] The chap from Kula Shaker did attempt this a few years ago, citing the older Sanskrit roots of the symbol. Predictably, that didn't go very well...

There exists a middle ground between proudly displaying statues in public parks and squares and having them smashed up by angry mobs. No longer doing the former does not imply that the latter is condoned.

[quote name='2elliot' timestamp='1503340659' post='3357429'] Bin the flags. Get two Bald Eagles instead. [/quote] Real ones? I'd go to see that. They'd probably nick the post-gig kebabs though.