Stub Mandrel

Interesting. Does this mean slap players' strings last longer? 🙂 Curiously enough, I've put two sets of strings in the dishwasher for a few days as an experiment, I only switched it on about an hour ago. Edit: I should add that in the earlier days, I used to boil strings up with Ariel clothes washing powder in a saucepan. These days I generally have a few packs in reserve, but it pains me to see virtually immaculate strings go in the recycling, so most of my cases have a used set in 'just in case' and if they can be rejuvenated, all the better.

Yes. This seems to be more iniquitous, and the way the band operates sounds unconventional at best.

And it's rocking the folk world too: Accusations from stealing arrangements to modern slavery are hurtling around facebook.

I knew someone would post that the moment I typed it.

I shall sleep more soundly tonight, knowing that!

I was in a band with a guy who used to sight read drums and play with orchestras, even played for the BBC. He was a hard task master, would play challenging rhythms on the bass drum for me to play, and 'it's straight eights on the original' didn't wash. He left when it was obvious the (six-piece) band wasn't really bothered about gigging, and having already made up my mind that if he went, I would, I followed. I was flattered when he asked me to join another project, but I was way too busy.

If my sound is dull or flat the first thing I do is make sure my tweeter is switched on.

This freaked me out so I had to google it. I found this: https://forum.bassbuzz.com/t/rickenbacker-truss-rods-myths-and-realities-revealed/29854 It give a detailed explanation (and also hints that more modern rics may work differently). There are hints that you might strip the truss rod threads or cause the fretboard to pop off, and that you will probably end up with more relief than you want because the process is so scary: What can I say? Good luck, and video the process, so if it goes wrong at least you can get a viral video on Tiktok.

The Lowthers came up as what seem to be 'state of the art' for hifi horns when I tried to find my original source, which seems to have been lost in history :-( Absolutely, they exemplify the original meaning of PA - clear speech under difficult outdoor conditions. Apparently the chap who used them (up until his untimely death) found they carried much better and dealt with light winds a lot better than modern 'boxes'.

I've been fast and loose based on my memories of books read in my teens/twenties and written in the seventies. I think my wires got crossed between some of the different case studies. I am pretty sure I am right about a blind test with an audience where they matched a 10W output to the volume of a small orchestra. Looking around, Lowther do 5 and 8-inch drivers for enclosures that cost about the same as a luxury car that claim 35Hz... Horns can be crazy things... these PA horns were my grandfather's, then father's, and were still being hired out (with new drivers) for equestrian events a couple of years ago, because they sounded far better than modern speakers in that application. The photos would be early/mid-1950s.

I was flirting with the idea of an economical double bass that's on here at the moment. My SO was not amused... hmmm. EUBs...

A good jazz, neck maxed, bridge dialled down a bit is loudest setting. Bridge turned to about 10% is the sweetest sound. The volume and tone on a p-bass are redundant except for home practice late evening...

I was playing devil's advocate. I think more likely some people get a sound/feel they really like and simply aren't motivated to try hard with other instruments. Me, I get motivated by playing different instruments.

I won't buy a bass I can't bond with so I can say some Fenders are ick, but mamy are very nice. I've put plenty back on the shelf, sometimes with real regret. My two most out-there p-sounding basses are a Westone Thunder 1 and a Harley Benton kit build with mega cheap pickups! Personally I prefer the mellower sound of vintage style pups.

Some genres still sell enough vinyl to be viable.

As someone who plays both, I'll play devil's advocate and ask is failure to get results out of both types of tried, tested and proven instruments, a failure of the bass or the player?

I am astounded how many of you report 'out of tune syndrome' ... I thought it was just me.

For portable amps. A few inches is enough for permanently installed horns, like they used to use in cinemas.

Been there Usually lasts half a song. It's possible that it's actually someone else being a bit off...

Unless it's fitted in a well designed horn.

<Pedantic botanist alert> Sycamore isn't native to the UK, although there's lots of it here. Provenance can therefore be UK.

Went to a gig tonight. Bass player had a Supernatural he's owned for 40 years. I said if someone told me a Jaydee into a Markbass I would have expected super clean funk, but he had a greatn if middley, bluesy growl.

Springsteen has had a load of grief from Trump. Proves what a sound guy he is, if you ask me. I have a LOT of memories around 'The River'.

Yes. Not unusual a century ago! What glorious engraving. But the tuners are totally insane!

Let me fix that for you