ShergoldSnickers

[quote name='clauster' post='35867' date='Jul 23 2007, 12:22 PM']We've got a big guy who does our sound - his number one duty is to leap on stage and punch the guitarists if they look like they're about to reach for the volume knobs on their amps [/quote]

Must develop a guitar amp that throws a boxing glove containing an anvil at whoever tries to meddle with the gain. Just think of the market opportunities. Bassplayers, keyboard players, vocalists, drummers. They'd all want one to replace the kit the guitarist is currently using. The guitarist wouldn't notice. After a few times, the broken jaw would probably be associated with the action of playing with the volume control, so it might work.

Oh, hang on - I bought a guitar recently, I'd forgotten about that... See? I'm already losing brain function.

Knew you'd like it! Be careful who you point it at - it's dangerous!

When I was gigging, a long time a go now, I used to keep an extra long lead handy so I could stand out front in the sound check. What used to be slightly alarming though, was how the sound changed when you moved about, and when the bodies started filling the place. That's where an experienced sound engineer comes in. Once it was explained why things were done in a certain way it all made sense. Worth their weight in diamonds. It's about cooperation and diplomacy from both sides.

[quote name='Tinman' post='35623' date='Jul 22 2007, 05:44 PM']Reminds me of a time when I was at a 'certain' RAF base.
A 'certain' squadron with whom a 'certain' titled family used to always fly, kept a 'certain' part of the contents of the aircrafts plumbing.

I know this for a fact 'cos I was there at the time.

It's amazing what squaddies will do when they're bored.[/quote]

Inter-service rivalry knows no bounds!

I always wondered what The Tower looks like on the inside. We might be finding out soon

[quote name='Sugden' post='35535' date='Jul 22 2007, 01:40 PM']Id be quite intrested in knowing how people you know who could polish a turd.[/quote]

I heard a rumour that a certain ship, that used to be a part of a certain titled family's life, had it's plumbing temporarily tampered with. One turd, interception, for the uses of. Encased in plastic I'm told, and, I would hope, kept nicely polished. So there you are, whilst I don't know them personally, I am aware of a possible turd polisher. Not just any old turd either.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='35096' date='Jul 21 2007, 08:30 AM']I don't ready music or do TAB.
Even if I wanted to, I just don't have time.

To be honest, I've been playing and recording for nearly 20 years and I can't think of a situation where I wished I could read.[/quote]

I put learning to read music in the same box as learning to program a computer. I have no aptitude for either they make as much sense as each other to me! If I need to learn something I just say "stick it on a CD/email it and leave it with me".

As most of the stuff I do is improvised or I devise the bass part where there is a structure, it's not been a problem. It's weird really, but I find a lot of highly trained musicians who panic at having to improvise, or just can't, and a lot of improvisers who panic at the thought of reading music or just can't!

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='35246' date='Jul 21 2007, 02:39 PM']I really like that. The pizz strings and the big swells with gongs sound excellent in particular. Did you play that all in, or was any of it programmed/notated/whatever?[/quote]

It was all played in from a keyboard, with a little bit from a midi equipped guitar. I don't really play the keyboard with any dexterity, so I have to input the chords one by one, but in real time in this case. I couldn't even tell you what the chords are!

I'm not sure if the brass section would survive a full concert, there's a lot of sustained notes in the first bit. But as they are virtual*, I can do with them as I please, and they can't ignore me in the bar after rehearsals. Indeed, such is my power, I could have them play banjos or get them howling like whipped dogs MWWUAHAAAAHAAAAAAAAA!

Strange, but even though they are virtual, after 11.00 in the evening they all sound p*ssed. GarageBand is that realistic.

[quote name='Peaty' post='32923' date='Jul 17 2007, 10:51 AM']Hi ShergoldSnickers

This guy is my I comp favorite and this tune is a real hoot worth a listen as is his more serious stuff.

www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=30902

Cheers
Pete[/quote]

Another valuable addition to my bookmarks. Thanks Pete!

They should change their name to [i]Meh[/i]ringer.

It sounds like something mechanically sounding the strings. I experimented years ago with a small motor to which a wheel was attached. The outer edge of the wheel was soft rubber and it made a similar sound when gently pressed against a string. I got lots and lots of hum from the motor though.

In fact Kevin Godley and Lol Creme used a similar but professionally developed device called a 'Gizmo'. This was attached to the bridge of a guitar and small wheels could be made to 'bow' the strings by pressing down buttons.

Its a long shot, but it sounds as if it ought to be something like this.

A compressed air line pointed at the strings to get them vibrating. If it's not that, then I claim copyright!

Mmmm I can see it now, a 'Vibratair' pedal with mini compressor and a key press arrangement over each string to deliver the air.

Well it [i]might[/i] work.

That's some 'muckin about'. Music made fun. The way it should be.

[quote name='ste_m3' post='33030' date='Jul 17 2007, 01:37 PM']Yeahhhh! The 810 is on its way! I shall have lots of pictures and a write up when it gets here, hopefully tomorrow![/quote]

Just turn it up and thump out a message in Morse Code. We'll all hear it!

[quote name='Peaty' post='32511' date='Jul 16 2007, 02:05 PM']well i liked it, got me thinking it is time to get a key board to hook up to garage band

I guess you are already aware of the Icomp web site but if not check it out at [url="http://www.icompositions.com/"]http://www.icompositions.com/[/url] there may be stuff there to interest you.

cheers
Pete[/quote]

Thanks for the heads up Pete - I wasn't aware. Cheers.

[quote name='bottomfeed' post='32490' date='Jul 16 2007, 01:16 PM']WOW!!!............ :wub:
[/quote]
Yes, it's time for a curly lead revival. Just realised - the lead I'm using in the picture is a curly one in transparent plastic! Wonder what happened to it?

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='32465' date='Jul 16 2007, 12:40 PM']Why not indeed!

If your mate intended pusuing this further and making others, I'd (costructively) suggest that he looks at the string break angle for the rear tuners. There is the potential there for possible string breakages due to the extreme angle they run off at. Please take this as it is meant, as genuine constructive criticism as I wish him all the best in his future projects.[/quote]

Excellent constructive criticism warwickhunt, and taken as such. It's funny really, as I was just thinking that I'd have put some small pulleys in to guide the strings around to the tuners when I spotted your post. Keep 'em coming, so that when I visit him to have a go on the beast, I can appear particularly knowledgable and clued-up. For once.

[quote name='therealting' post='32413' date='Jul 16 2007, 10:46 AM']Ok, I'll repeat...

Is the poor sensitivity a question of a bad speaker driver, or poor cabinet design? If it's mostly a bad speaker, I certainly wouldn't mind swapping out the speaker... I was more wondering about the general idea of the thing. Some of the bass bins come with mid-range Eminence drivers which are probably better?

I know they have bad frequency response, but that's mainly because of the low-pass filter. I'm mainly wondering what they are like as cabs. For 50 quid a cab, I don't mind paying to put new speakers in.[/quote]

I'll guess it's both. The speakers won't be up to much, and the cabinet design won't be particularly efficient. You need a true horn loaded design for that. Take a look at [url="http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/"]this web site[/url].

There is plenty to mull over on this site, and you should be able to build an Omni 10 for roughly the same amount as the eBay cabinet pair. One Omni 10 will go louder than both these cabs, as Bill's speakers are very good at converting Watts into sound level. Bill knows what he is doing, and has designed a range of speakers that surpass most big name commercial designs in efficiency and performance.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='32369' date='Jul 16 2007, 09:25 AM']Just out of interest was there a reason for choosing the flying V for the body shape?

IMHO a V is about impractical as you can get for a body shape and not exactly in everyone's top 10 favourite shapes! Not trying to diss' the work, just a comment.[/quote]

And a fair comment. I think he just fancied having a bass shaped that way, and is lucky enough to have the skills to do it. I think this is an aesthetic rather than practically led project! And why not!?

[quote name='ShergoldSnickers' post='31619' date='Jul 13 2007, 11:36 PM']The question is....

Is it worth persevering with? Over to you guys!

[url="http://homepage.mac.com/ianhalstead/Sites/Basschat/Or_Castrated.mp3"]Click to play file 'Or_Castrated.mp3'[/url][/quote]

Well at least no-one has said it's total crap. [i]Yet.[/i]

[quote name='gypsymoth' post='32307' date='Jul 16 2007, 12:10 AM']I was (am) going to do a regular 12 string guitar like that, V-12 with half the tuners in the v.
good to see it works.[/quote]


I'll see if I can get any more photos up here showing the tuning arrangement in close up.

My cabinet maker friend, who adapted his skills to making basses, has just finished the bass pictured below. He calls it his 'V12' for obvious reasons. 4 main strings, each one having two parasitic strings pitched an octave higher. That'll cut through!

Lovely spalted beech finish. Yum.

[quote name='bottomfeed' post='32111' date='Jul 15 2007, 05:27 PM']ShergoldSnickers, is that an H/H bass combo I spy to the right of your acrobatic ladder?[/quote]

Yes. The ladder sounded better too. Seriously, the bass combos were never as good as the guitar ones, and it taught me to listen properly before buying anything else, although the cool look for the time did mitigate this slightly. They tended to complain rather fartily if driven too much, and the 'Valve Sound' was just awful with a bass. That combo had a 100W amp driving a 15" unit, and was horn loaded after a fashion.

There's a fretted Shergold Marathon propped up against the combo - no stand! I later swapped this for a fretless one. The fretless is still my only bass. We just mesh.

[quote name='Bald Eagle' post='32105' date='Jul 15 2007, 04:56 PM']Even Spookier it's the one in shergolds picture, except like I said it's been handpainted blue and is well crusty, I will get it down and get some pic's if would like some, might as well get some of the P whilst i'm at it.

And quite right SG the neck is really thin.[/quote]


Ooooh, now then.... If the frets have been removed and replaced by strips of white plastic card, then it could be the one in the photo, sporting yet another paint job. I'm sure you'd have mentioned if it was fretless though. Long shot really. If it is that one, watch out for the crack in the body wood where the neck joins.

[quote name='NancyJohnson' post='31871' date='Jul 14 2007, 06:43 PM']In the late 70s one of the guitarists I played with had a WEM/Watkins/Wilson? guitar...I think it was called a Rapier.[/quote]

He he, I started out with a Wilson Rapier bass. Medium scale with a really fast thin neck, but with a tendency to neck dive that would see it at the earth's core in seconds.



The expression was due to the guitarist. Not that he'd done anything wrong. He was just a guitarist. The bass was originally 'Flame Orange'. Kind of Barbie Pink, but orange if that makes sense. The stepladder was used for a series of death-defying acrobatic stunts including a washboard and harnessed dog team.

[quote name='ste_m3' post='31947' date='Jul 15 2007, 12:05 AM']yesss yess, Myth of Unities next creation is unfolding.

You can hear this music mash at www.myspace.com/mouuk

Theres an EP sampler on there with a few clips from each song, that is DEFFINATLY worth listening too.

Any imput greatly appreciated![/quote]

Difficult one for me as the style of music not my personal cup of tea. However, you sound like a highly energetic and tight band, and I genuinely listened all the way though without any difficulty. Plenty of variety. I reckon that I'd stick around if I saw you playing live, as there is definitely something good going on here. Given that I would normally not give much thought to this style of music (old git alert) you can take that as a huge compliment . Hell, I might even have to play it again...