Beer of the Bass

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1424507934' post='2696987'] Nor is mine stamped there. Having thought about it, it probably wouldn't weaken the bass. But, I'm very pleased that they are stamping the heel now, not the actual wood. [/quote] Mine has two stamps, one on the heel and one on the body like in the photo. The stamp on the body is over where the neck block is, so I wouldn't worry about it weakening anything.

Is anyone brave/daft (delete as applicable) enough to offer him a mere £8.5 million and see how he reacts?

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1424465069' post='2696730'] Sorry If I am missing something, but on what grounds could you return it anyway? I would have thought these would be strictly no returns given they are sold as defect items? [/quote] You can't return it as a faulty item, but under the distance seller's regulations, any item bought online can be returned within 14 days without having to give a reason. Some retailers charge a restocking fee for this which will be buried in their terms and conditions somewhere.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1424456326' post='2696584'] If he wants to shift it he should offer it for less than nine million pounds, imho. [/quote] I reckon you could have got away without the "imho" on that statement! He'd have a better chance of a sale if he just parted it out for the EMGs and hardware.

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1424392038' post='2695977'] Interesting... How does that work acoustically? I don't get it. [/quote] I'm not great at explaining the physics, but it helps to look up Helmholtz Resonance. A cavity with an opening or port in it, like an acoustic guitar body, has a resonant frequency which is affected by the volume of the cavity and the area and length of the port. This resonance provides some reinforcement to the the bass, not just at this frequency but in a band around it - if you've ever tried using one of those feedback-buster soundhole plugs you can hear that the instrument sounds thin and quiet without this effect. You can hear this resonance by damping the strings and humming low notes into the soundhole until you find the one where you can hear the body boom. On this bass, this was around the lowest G I can hum, which is the pitch of the open G string on a bass (around 100Hz). Lengthening the opening lowers this frequency. I'm not certain where it is with the tube in place, as G is near the bottom of my vocal range and I can't hum as low as the new resonance! The bass reinforcement which comes from the soundhole now happens slightly lower, making the instrument a little deeper sounding. It might not do something useful on every instrument, but it's an interesting thing to try.

Like quite a few people on here, I bought one of the Harley Benton acoustic basses from Thomann which were being sold as unplayable "deko" models due to some minor flaws. I've been enjoying playing mine and it's a fun instrument to noodle on in the front room. I'd found that while the acoustic volume was not terrible, the tone is a little thin, without much bass underpinning the low notes. I'd seen the Planet Waves O-Port mentioned as something which could help the low end of ABGs - it's a funnel shaped plastic ring which fits inside the soundhole. I did a little reading about the concept and found out that the idea had been used by classical guitar luthiers as well as on the Selmer Macaferri guitars - it was originally called a Tornavoz. It is essentially a tube in the soundhole which lowers the resonant frequency of the box, similar to adjusting the port tuning in a speaker cab. I came across this link about trying a makeshift Tornavoz on a guitar orchestra Contrabass guitar, and decided to give it a go. [url="http://www.hago.org.uk/faqs/contrabass/theory.php"]http://www.hago.org....bass/theory.php[/url] I used a sheet of craft cardboard, formed a cylinder to fit the soundhole and taped it in place. Surprisingly, it does seem to have the desired effect. The volume of the instrument is not much affected but the low notes now have a bit more depth to them. I tried a couple of different depths of tube, a longer 70mm tube helped the low notes but thinned things out a little higher up. A shorter 55mm tube was a better compromise. I may try and find a sturdier, better looking way to do it, but it would appear that the idea is one that works for these basses. The effect is fairly subtle but does make a satisfying difference in my opinion. I thought I would mention it here in case anyone else wanted to try it...

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1424344547' post='2695307'] 'Very playable', but 'unable to adjust truss rod'. Would you? I wouldn't. [/quote] If it was very, very cheap and the neck relief was already where I like it I would consider it, otherwise no. I've already replaced one neck due to an ineffective truss rod, and I'd rather not be in that position again.

In some ways it's a shame he hasn't moved on from the Underwood live (or at least hadn't the last time I heard him). It's a good sound and it works, but I feel like it's not getting his whole sound across as you would hear recorded. Still, the fact that he's focussed on his performance rather than getting sidetracked with gear geekery perhaps says something I could learn from!

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1424290905' post='2694883'] I do miss him [/quote] He's still very much in business. I'm waiting for someone to set up a fan page for the man on facebook!

Spirocores would be a good start, but I'd agree that technique is a big part too. Setup also helps with getting that growl, (fingerboard dressing in particular) as I found I could get much closer to that sound on a bass which had been set up by a luthier who played jazz bass rather than a strictly classical-strings luthier. There's a bit of a balance to be found though, as Thompson's sound has a solid and woody attack as well as the growl, and it's easy to focus on the growl and miss the attack...

Rickenbacker basses are similarly thin bodied. Some thought might be required about how to do the neck joint, but that suggests it could be workable.

Was the other one not a Squier body? I'm waiting for the Kay bass bodies with strat necks on them! Will he be "improving" a series of these as a hobby/business like a certain other eBayer who we shall not mention?

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1424091268' post='2692433'] I'm sure multi million selling, multi millionaire, wrote a couple of classic songs Noel Gallagher would be sad if he read your comments! [/quote] That would be why I said "I'm sure Oasis fans hear something in it that I'm missing". I'm well aware that he's done very well for himself and lots of people love Oasis, even if I'm not quite feeling that myself. Anyway, I've a feeling the man wouldn't be bothered and would probably rip the p*ss out of my music in a most colourful manner. He does give an entertaining interview!

I'm not a huge fan of either, but I'd rate the Kaiser Chiefs much more highly than Oasis. They've just got a bit more wit about their lyrics, some decent tunes and they don't appear to take themselves overly seriously. I'm sure Oasis fans hear something in it that I'm missing, but I've never been able to associate Oasis with anything other than lowest common demoninator plodding mediocrity.

If you disconnect the tweeter (if present, I think there were a few different models of these), they may turn out to be very nice guitar speakers. Talking of WEM columns. I went to a night a couple of years ago which had a couple of different retro-minded local bands, using period backline and PA. The bass was through a Selmer Goliath rig and the PA was a pair of WEM columns with some sort of valve amp. It was an interesting experience hearing that when I'm used to more modern setups, and it really didn't do much for the clarity of the vocals. I'm not sure I would go that route myself, but I'm glad that somebody does.

[quote name='Mr H' timestamp='1423858218' post='2689880'] I heard that session and was blown away. They've played [i]The Vile Stuff[/i] on 6 Music before, and I was struck by it then, but now I'm consumed by it. I ordered the CD immediately, it arrived today, and I'm listening now. He's playing nearby next week. I'm reminded of [i]Pony Express Record[/i] by Shudder To Think. Love it. [/quote] Ah good, glad it's just not me! The annoying thing for me is that now I've looked up Mr Dawson and have seen what he looks like, I realise that I played at the same festival as him back in September, saw him setting up and didn't stick around to hear the set. Searching around for some older performances, I really liked this song too and it has a tenderness about it which is perhaps not on display in [i]The Vile Stuff[/i]. [url="http://youtu.be/s-9osMKSyb0"]http://youtu.be/s-9osMKSyb0[/url]

When I used to play rounds, I liked steel better for the increased clank. They seem to come out a little less polite sounding than nickels for me. I've been on flats for several years now, so it's a while since I've had a set on, but I remember Warwick Red Label as being similar to Rotosound in a lot of ways, including the coarse feel.

Excellent, it's refreshing to see that people can simply not like something and express that in a straightforward and succinct manner!

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1423761402' post='2688775'] The used to be a free publication that was in a fairly large newspaper format but in colour and maybe glossy pages? that I used to pick up in Carlsbro Sound, might have been subsidised by them? I recall some decent articles in it, probably better than some of the stuff people pay money for now. I bet BRX remembers it, can't for the life of me remember the title. [/quote] I think that was the Making Music magazine mentioned earlier - one of the Glasgow music shops used to carry it too, though I can't recall which. It continued through much of the 90's, I'm not sure when it stopped exactly. I remember it usually being as good as the magazines I paid four quid for...

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' ='1423748435' post='2688562'] It baffles me why nobody has done switch-mode power supplies for the HT and heaters, then a toroidal o/p transformer and you'd be looking at a pretty big size and weight saving. And if you read what Stewart Ward (Session amps) writes about valve sounds and tone, it turns out you don't really need valves at all, just better informed transistor design... [/quote] It's been done in Hi-Fi DIY circles, though I don't know if that has filtered through to instrument amps. There are SMPS modules like this one, though it wouldn't be sufficient for a 100 watt amp. [url="http://www.siliconray.com/rtp-15-switching-mode-power-supply-smps-for-tube-amplifier.html"]http://www.siliconray.com/rtp-15-switching-mode-power-supply-smps-for-tube-amplifier.html[/url]

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1423743301' post='2688451'] I didn't like it at all, and would have switched station if I was listening, however, I'm all for the BBC playing tracks of this nature and feel your friend is very wrong (although entitled to his opinion) and that the track is very valid musically. [/quote] Not liking it is something I can totally understand, and I often find myself flicking between stations when that happens. I think the thing that bothered me is his suggestion that a publicly-funded broadcaster shouldn't be playing anything that's a bit "out". To my mind they should absolutely be playing this stuff, as commercial stations are unlikely to. It's the John Peel approach of flinging it all out there and seeing what sticks, which is a style of broadcasting I approve of.

I was listening to the radio in the kitchen yesterday when a session by Richard Dawson came on. It was rough as hell but in a way that I liked. I thought it was very much in the vein of guys like Kevin Coyne, that sort of slightly manic intensity and unashamedly abrasive performance. He's not someone I'd come across before, but I thought it was great, turned up the radio and didn't leave the room until it was finished. Later that evening, I got into a conversation on Facebook with a local musician I'm acquainted with who hated it so much he thought it was some sort of disgrace that the BBC gave Dawson radio time. He seemed to think that he could objectively declare that it was of no worth and that there were no valid reasons for liking it. He had the idea that it was an emperors new clothes phenomenon that people only pretended to enjoy because it was hyped in the NME, but I just turned the radio on having no context for who I was listening to and got into it. He was particularly bothered about the tuning, but for me that's part of the character. So I'm kind of curious to see if anyone thinks my friend has a point. The song that was playing when I turned the radio on starts just before 1h 17m into the show here; [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0523cnx#auto"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...s/b0523cnx#auto[/url]

An old bandmate of mine had one. It sounded surprisingly normal, but that might have been the decade-old strings.

DV Mark (the guitar amp division of Markbass) do a guitar amp which is impressively small for a valve 100 watter. It has a 2x KT88 power stage and some sort of digital preamp. I don't know how they've made it that small, whether they're using a switchmode supply in place of a conventional power transformer or just using toroidal transformers. No bass version though! [url="http://www.dvmark.it/?/products/79/tube_multiamp"]http://www.dvmark.it/?/products/79/tube_multiamp[/url]

[quote name='Maude' timestamp='1423589111' post='2686742'] Think how much better The Who would have been if Keith Moon had just been a bit more predictable. [/quote] He could be certainly be depended on to drink too much and do something silly. I suppose that's predictable in its own way!