whizzzy

+1 from me. Thanks to Mark for taking the time and trouble to organise the event and thanks to all those who came along to make it a very select, interesting and informative get together. Cheers, Colin

Thanks for that guys. Well you live and learn as I must confess I've never heard of a Cowpoke Precision before but it certainly seems to tick all of the boxes in respect of the neck. I can't think that calling a bass a 'Cowpoke' Precision would have been one of Fender's smartest marketing decisions though or maybe something was lost in the American to British translation.

Can anyone help with identifying what this neck has been taken from? I bought this a few months ago from another BC'er being advertised as Precision neck however when i came to fit it to a bitsa Precision I am making up I realised that it is a 22 fret rather than the conventional 20 fret version. As a result the intonation is way out. The headstock is narrower than normal as well. It has a Mex serial number MN66xxxx. Basically the neck is of no use to me for the reason stated above and I don't want to get involved in repositioning the bridge or more dramatic woodwork. Thus would like to re-advertise it but would like to be able to accurately describe what the neck came off. Any guidance will be most appreciated.

Hi Dave, I would also second the opinion that a laptop + software is the way to go. It's compact and reliable plus the bonus that scenes and sequences can be pre-programmed. If you are planning to have your sound guy run the lighting as well it means that he isn't continually operating the lights and being distracted from controlling the sound. There are a number of software solutions on the market but this has not long come out which our lighting engineer uses - [url="http://www.tracelighting.com/"]Trace Lighting[/url] They do a cost-down version which is the Lime Light Verse which will do everything you want plus more. You can also download a demo version of the software from the site which will give you a good feel for its interface before parting with any cash. Regarding the use of LED lighting, as several other replies in this thread have indicated it is very much horses for courses. For pub gigs and the like then two bars of 4 LED par cans should suffice, but get the 1W or better still 3W versions. LEDs 'do' some colours very well. You'll get a wonderful red or green wash and a reasonable blue coverage but then any attempt at further colour mixing tends to end up in a whitish, greyish, pinkish yellowish type of wash without any real colour definition or depth and this is where conventional PAR56 / 64 cans with gels win hands down. If your work is larger venues with a decent size stage then personally I wouldn't use LEDs in this application and stick with conventionals. The debate about LEDs vs conventionals has been ongoing for years and if you want to catch up on some of it go over to the [url="http://www.blue-room.org.uk/"]Blue Room forum[/url] - there's lots of good advice about lighting on there too. Another solution that we use quite frequently for smaller venues is a couple of moving heads, something like Coemar 250LX wash or Martin MAC300. These are quite bright on smaller stages and use CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow) filters for colour mixing which means that you can produce almost any colour you want with sufficient depth and intensity. They can be tilted, panned, dimmed and colour changed all by DMX control and so you've got full flexibility. With a bit of patience and diligent shopping you should be able to pick up a pair second hand for about £500 but beware that moving heads do require maintenance and are not exactly lightweight but they're great fun to use and extremely versatile. If you do decide to go that route make sure you choose washes rather than spots though as those will not give you sufficient beam width.

Bought some Pbass pickup / bridge covers from Chris, faultless transaction and arrived safe and sound the next day. You couldn't ask for more. Thanks Chris.

Unscrew the protective grill, pop the foam windshield out and wash it out with some warm soappy water. Whilst that's out use a soft nail brush to give the wire mesh a gentle scrub. Mics usually go on for a long time if they are looked after and not dropped or stored in cold damp conditions (ie back of a van) and then taken into a hot humid room when condensation will form on the mic. That's about it really.

Have a read of this thread - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=118394&hl"]Here[/url] Especially the second and third post down. It may hopefully save you a few quid. If that fails I can recommend RMJ Speakers for [url="http://www.recones.com/"]RMJ[/url]

Just reiterating what everyone else has said in this thread really. Bought some Pbass pickups from Tom, faultless transaction and arrived safe and sound the next day. You couldn't ask for more. Thanks Tom.

One of the main things to consider is what you are intending to use to re-cover the cab. As earlier posts have indicated the preparation if the cab is paramount and this especially applies if you intend to use Tolex or Vynide as any lumps or dips on the cab surface will show though. (It's quite similar to wallpapering really). If you are covering the cab in Tolex or Vynide then I would suggest to use PVA glue as the adhesive, something like Unibond . It's much cleaner to work with and if you get some on the surface of the cloth (which invariably happens) then it wipes off easily with a damp rag. The other advantage using PVA adhesive is that once its stuck, its stuck and it won't tear and lift easily if the cab is caught on a sharp corner. Another advantage using PVA is that it gives you time to work and if something isn't quite right then you've a few minutes to play around and sort out air bubbles or wrinkles unlike contact adhesive which once the cloth comes in contact with the cab surface it sticks and doesn't allow you any movement. The downside with this however is the converse in that it does take time to bond (about an hour is usual depending upon temperature) and so whilst it is drying you need to make provision for holding the cloth in place, especially if it is wrapped around corners or baffle edges. I use strips of wood and quick clamps and also gaffa tape to hold cloth in place whilst the glue dries. Another tip when using Tolex or Vynide is to work with it in the sun on a warm summers day as it makes it much more flexible and even allows a limited amount of stretching in case you dont have the seems joining quite right. If you are using carpet / felt for the covering then you may find that a contact adhesive is more appropriate and for this I've found Thixofix to be best in conjunction with a spray contact adhesive. Both surfaces have to be coated, use the Thixofix on the cab and use the spray adhesive on the carpet but go easy with the spray adhesive as if you apply too much it will soak through the carpet material and will be visible on the surface of the cab when it is finished. When using this type of adhesive you need to work outside because of the fumes it gives off and I have found that working on a cooler day gives you a little more working time. A good way to cover the cab is to use one piece of material to wrap around the sides, top and bottom and make the join on the bottom of the cab. Then depending upon the design of the cab (whether its a screw on back or fully sealed) you wrap the cloth around the side onto the back in order to allow about 8 - 10 cm of cloth to be stuck to the back of the cab, but don't glue it yet and also allow extra length so it can be cut off and a join created at the later stage. Glue the panel of cloth on the back if the cab, again slightly bigger than is needed so that when the side piece is folded over it overlaps the piece on the back. Using a steel rule and I've found a scalple or modelling knife works best you cut thought the two pieces of cloth so that when the excess is removed from both pieces it leaves you with a very neat join which then needs a little amount of glue to fix it, but make sure the glue is applied all along the edge of the cloth otherwise this is where it will start lifting. If the join is made well you will hardly notice it. Obviously all necessary precautions should be taken when using sharp tools and blades. Also if you are recovering an existing cab then make a few notes and take photos of how the manufacturer originally covered the cab in terms of joins and seems before you remove the old covering. Also take note how they finished the corners. Re-covering a cab is very satisfying when a good job has been done but it's one of those things that comes with experience and the more times you do it the better you get. If you play in a band you could always offer to do the guitarists cab first.

It depends greatly on the make of the original speaker. If you are talking about Beyma, PD, B&C, PHL and other quality makes there is a small market for the chassis and depending upon the spec / model / size they could be worth a fiver or tener each for someone then to have re-coned. Low end or budget drivers however are pretty worthless and are good for door stops or the inevitable skip fodder. Have a look around on speakerplans.com and you'll get some idea if they are of value to anyone or not.

A clamp meter is one way but an alternative is something like this from Maplin - [email="http://www.maplin.co.uk/plug-in-mains-power-and-energy-monitor-38343"]Energy monitoring meter[/email] I use a slightly older version of this and works quite well. The thing to keep in mind however is depending upon how hard you are driving the amplifiers etc then the power consumption can rise dramatically depending upon the design of the amplifier. So if you are looking to find the highest consumption level or worst case scenario then you need to be running your amps at maximum gig volume.

I've been through a number of trolleys now and this is the best so far - [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0001P19RC/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=103612307&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0001GRVJQ&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=06MH3YHWFZRMV4V33W59"]Wolfcraft[/url] It's a bit on the costly side but it will outlast the cheapo versions that are available. The clever part about this trolley is the folding stabilising bar that folds down and engages between the two wheels. This makes it much stronger and rigid. On the cheaper folding trolleys this stabilising bar doesn't exist and then the gear mechanism which engages the wheels in place eventually gives up the ghost and so they keep folding in and collapsing. The other bit of kit I use is a wheel board. This is simply a piece of 18mm ply about 500 x 700mm and bolt 4 flight case wheels on it. Cover the top with a piece of thin carpet to stop your gear sliding off and away you go.

Another thing to check is the flexible wiring between the chassis of the speaker and the cone. Sometimes they are situated at such an angle where they rattle when the cone is moving. Gently move the two wires where they connect to the terminal post or tag strip by about 3 - 4mm and see if this resolves the problem. A good test is to roll all of the treble response off both on the bass and amp and play an open E string at a fairly low volume (at a similar level that you use in the house if you were practicing). This usually accentuates these sorts of vibration problems and makes them easier to work on.

Just bought some bits off Alex. A true gent and a great chap to deal with and is highly recommended to anyone here in BC land.