silverfoxnik

Cool thread this.. makes me think of all the reasons why I like my boring normal basses like the Wal and the Lakland DJ5. Mind you, can you imagine how [i]wierd [/i]people thought the first P-Bass was when it was first introduced by Fender in the 50s? After all, the only other bass then would have been the Double Bass wouldn't it?

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='61065' date='Sep 16 2007, 10:34 AM']Try Specsavers. Most have a hearing centre as well.[/quote] Thanks John.. I'd never have thought of that but you learn something new everyday!!

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='57818' date='Sep 9 2007, 05:37 PM']Hi Al, I'm looking forward to Sat 15th!! New toys for you - new experience for me; i.e. seeing you play, hearing the band and seeing the Sub 5 in action... Cheers Nik[/quote] Hi Al, Great gig last night - really enjoyed it thanks and it was good to watch you in action, playing the new Sub 5 and the Wal! You seemed to make the change between songs and the basses seem pretty effortless... Good backing vocals too.. For anyone who's thinking of going to see the Alibi, they are a fantastic rock band Brilliant versions of these songs in particular..: White Punks on Dope All the Young Dudes Rockin' In The Free World I Want it All Rebel Yell Word Up ..amongst loads of other songs that were all excellent IMHO. Will definitely try and get along to another gig soon.. That's a loud PA though, so I think I need to get some of those fancy new ear plugs if I can find out where to get them from? Cheers Nik

Had the pleasure of meeting My Bass recently and he's great to deal with! Excellent comunications throughout, good equipment that's well looked after and very honest and upfront about everything. For those that don't know, Peter also builds some very fine basses himself that are really worth checking out!! Very tempting..... Nik

Sad but true story about the perception of audiences to the bass and bassplayers.. Bass playing friend of mine played for years in a Cajun / Blues band and they had a gig at a US Air Force Bass. He bet the whole band their wages for the night that he could detune his bass a semi-tone, play the whole gig as per normal and that no-one in the audience would notice. He did exactly that and went home that night with the whole of the gig money!!! They even had punters come up and tell them how much they enjoyed the gig and how good the band were

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='59331' date='Sep 12 2007, 03:49 PM']Well I just got back and spoke to the singist - my job's safe!!!! Apparently, I fill out the bottom end better which I take to mean my arse is fatter [/quote] Glad to hear the job is safe...Nice photos, looks beautiful and relaxing...

[quote name='obbm' post='59702' date='Sep 13 2007, 08:57 AM']A final postscript. I 've just got back from 10 days abroad and found this letter waiting for me. Well done everyone.[/quote] That's fantastic - thanks for posting that Dave and for thinking of the idea in the first place.. Nice item of post to return home to after a holiday instead of the usual bills etc that lie waiting in anger on the doormat. Hope you had a good one... Nik

Hi Bass_Junkie The pick ups on the BB range are excellent in my opinion and a good variation on the P/J style configuration. I doubt you'll be disappointed.. Nik

Great collection Pete! Is the Yamaha a recent addition as well? Nik

[quote name='fusionbassist1' post='58399' date='Sep 10 2007, 07:34 PM']for future reference and for anyone reading the thread with similar problems i'll chuck this thread in here aswell about excess humming etc from amps and likely causes. very well writen and detailed. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=194"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=194[/url] I had the same problem from an all valve amp and didn't want to venture forth so i ended up shopping it back instead hah[/quote] Thanks for that link - lots of common sense stuff there and some good technical info too, especially the article by Rane. Johnm - will have a check to see what Beyer would charge though I suspect it'll be expensive as compared to a local option. Latest update on this whole issue is that the person I bought it from has offered to have the amp repaired which is good news. I'm just negotiating now as to how and where to get it done... Will let you know the outcome as and when. Thanks again for the help! Nik

[quote name='Gazm' post='57988' date='Sep 10 2007, 01:09 AM']The ratings need not be exactly the same. Similar ratings (+/- 10% maybe more in my opinion) would suffice. Different replacement types will even work without a major change of tone (ie. polycarbonate/polyester instead of ceramic). However, make sure the voltage rating of the replacement is at least as high as the existing cap especially for electrolyic/tantalum bead and ensure polarity sensitive components are correctly polarised. Pete. PS. I would change the capacitors first not last, especially if the amp is aging a bit. PPS. +1 on that but won't hurt to do so![/quote] Cheers Gazm! Am getting a local tech person to do it...It would never work again if I tried to do it.... Nik

[quote name='Bass_Junkie' post='57922' date='Sep 9 2007, 09:25 PM']well its usually caused by the application of milk to rice krispies, it will then 'snap, carckle and pop' for a short while. try using a spoon and things should clear up in about 5-10 mins. sorry, someone had to say it.[/quote] LOL Thanks for stepping in with that one as it needed to be said... And thanks for the safety advice Subthumper - I've heard that said before so will be appropriately cautious should it come to that, Nik

[quote name='WalMan' post='57607' date='Sep 9 2007, 01:42 AM']So here we go then. Everyone's back from hols and we are back on the road again - some months better than others [u]2007[/u] 15 Sept - The Crown Littlehampton - Including the first outing for two new "toys" Gosh this is so exciting, I haven't had a new toy for ages & then two come along at once 28 Sept - Red Lion Stubbington 05 Oct - Cheers Bar Bognor Regis 06 Oct - The Crown Littlehampton 12 Oct - The Fountain Chichester 13 Oct - Admiral Drake Portsmouth 19 Oct - The Heroes Waterlooville 16 Nov - The Swan Woolston, Southampton 23 Nov - The Crown Littlehampton 01 Dec - The Fountain Chichester 07 Dec - Red Lion Stubbington [u]2008[/u] 04 Jan - Cheers Bar Bognor Regis Rock covers along the lines of Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Billy Idol, Whitesnake, Gary Moore, The Tubes, etc. We tend to [i]try [/i]to do slightly different than the standard numbers. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. MySpace with examples below. Say hi if you happen to make one. Cheers Al[/quote] Hi Al, I'm looking forward to Sat 15th!! New toys for you - new experience for me; i.e. seeing you play, hearing the band and seeing the Sub 5 in action... Cheers Nik

[quote name='BOD2' post='57745' date='Sep 9 2007, 02:54 PM']I agree with what dirtystatic said above .... Assuming you've removed all trace of "Rice Crispies" from the amplifier... In order of ease of operation the possible solutions are 1. Clean the pots and jack sockets using a contact cleaner fluid (e.g. Superservisol) 2. Check the circuit board for dry solder joints 3. Check/replace capacitors The second option requires you to be handy with a soldering iron. Solder joints should be shiny and silver, not dull and grey. With a little care you can resolder "dry" joints fairly quickly. Option three is much more serious, especially as it requires you to source new capacitors of exactly the same ratings. This is not something to undertake lightly - it's time consuming and there's no guarantee it will fix the problem.[/quote] Thanks BOD2 and dirtystatic..the consensus is pretty telling in itself. What I'm going to do first is go back to the seller and see what happens next. I know there's one or two good amp repair wizards locally so I might go and see them as well. Appreciate all the help folks - while you're at it, got any suggestions as to how to get my head repaired too! Cheers Nik

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='57683' date='Sep 9 2007, 11:42 AM']You are not having much luck are you.[/quote] Correct analysis of the situation John! Combination of foolishness and being impetuous plus huge blind spot in the common sense department.. Nick - your solution is probably the best route to take i think, should I keep the amp! Cheers Nik

Hi Folks Looks like I'm posting a weekly gear problem thread, which is not a good sign for me...Anyway, this weekend's instalment of bad news at Silverfox Towers is that I have just bought a Gallien Kreuger 700RB head, which sounds great, is easy to use, compact and gives out a lovely tone.. But in a scenario typical of buying untested s/h gear (why have I not learnt this lesson yet ), it has problem which is that it makes this hissy sound which I can only describe as 'snap, crackle and pop' . Though the three different sounds do not always occur at the same time. It happens more when playing through it but not exclusively as it also happens if the amp is on and there's no lead in the input socket.. I've checked my speaker cable, mains cable, instrument cable. Also, ran another amp on same mains circuit as a comparison, but other amp is clean of this unwanted noise??? So, before I go back to the seller and ask for a refund or whatever, I thought I'd ask here to see if anyone has a clue as to what could be causing this noise and how easy/difficult, cheap/expensive it might be to fix.. Because I love the tone of the amp it'd be good to keep if it can simply be fixed. Thanks as ever! Cheers Nik

[quote name='Beedster' post='55751' date='Sep 5 2007, 09:57 AM']Just been looking through some bass manufacturers websites. Do you remember that classic moment when Dennis Pennis fronted Demi Moore at some film premier or other and asked her whether, if the part demanded it and the script was right, she'd consider keeping her clothes on in a movie. Well I wanna ask some bass manufacturers if they'd consider making a bass that isn't Custom Shop, Reissue, Limited Edition, Anniversary etc etc etc. It seems that these days it's hard to find one, and - I've owned three Fender Custom Shop basses, a couple of Anniversary models and a Limited Edition so have some idea - given it's often hard to tell the difference between the standard model and the more expensive version, and that's being bloody generous to Fender's Custom Shop, does anyone feel like I do that many manufacturers are simply taking the p*ss? Rant over Chris[/quote] +1 Chris And that Dennis Pennis sketch was bloody funny!! Back on topic...as usual, it's all about marketing and selling style over substance..

Shelia E and Levi Seacer, Jr. who played drum and bass respectively for Prince on his Sign 'o' the Times and Lovesexy tours were a brilliant rhythm section.... She was quite good looking IIRC..... Am now seriously in danger of straying (or have strayed) way off topic

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='56796' date='Sep 7 2007, 01:44 AM']Sid Played?[/quote] LOL Good point.....

[quote name='WalMan' post='56741' date='Sep 6 2007, 10:51 PM']How you all have the neck to keep stringing these puns out is driving me nuts. I don't think my truss can stand much more Oh all right I know I branched out to bass generally I ran out of bridge references unless it was by way of ball ends, which seemed to be lowering the tone a tad! Hadn't thought of Mervyn, but could give him a go on Saturday. I actually got in there last Saturday for the first time and wandered round saying "used to have one of those, used one of those, and those, and those" ad infinitum it seemed. Bit of a blast from the past gear wise. Traynor & Selmer columns, Copicats etc[/quote] Ok!! I quit Both yours and Pete's (Bloodaxe) responses have made it clear my humour is about as good as Sid Viscious's bass playing, or maybe it's even worse than that which would be unthinkably bad.. I know what you mean about Amps-n-Bits; it is a bit like a trip down memory lane.. But at least it makes a refreshing change from the glut of modern-day music shops that only want to sell you a Fender Squire bass, practice amp, lead , cable and gig bag all for £9.99 or something!!