Bassfinger

29 minutes ago, uncle psychosis said:

Aren't those warnings likely related to the (tiny) amounts of lead (in the solder) or nickel (in the strings)? Could also be the paint - if you do a hendrix and set your guitar alight the fumes might be toxic. 

 

It seems ridiculous, but that's litigation culture for you. 

"This microwave is not for the drying of wet pets" is also ridiculous, but ask yourself why they issue the warning with every one sold? It's not just a different country, it really is a different country.

4 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

The thing about open mics is Forrest Gump might well show up before Donald Trump.

I'd pay to see that! 🤣

Pound to a penny the driver is CRO...

I use the Behringer BDi, it's very good, although I run it dry with the overdrive completely off and leave kverdrive duties to a Boss pedal.

I almost always go to the PA, on which we run one or two subs, and use the second output from the pedal to drive my monitor. I prefer to feed my monitor directly and get it sounding how I want to hear it, rather than drive it with an output from the mixer and get what our sound man thinks I should be hearing, and I get enough ambient sound from my homie's monitors to hear what they're up to. That's what works for me personally, although the next person along would doubtless have great bouts of head shaking and disagreement.

To head off any questions I use an Orange Crush 50 as a monitor, I just think it sounds nicer to listen to for 2 or 3 hours than a proper monitor and is kinder to the ears. I have tried in-ear monitoring, but I'm a bit down in my right ear (my time in the army was the era when ear defenders were considered effeminate by the NCOs and anyone asking for them would be scorned a a bit of a [insert politically incorrect term] and sent packing) and never felt totally at ease with them.

The Warman pickup almost went straight in. I duplicated the original wiring rather than fitting a switch and going 3 way switchable.  I had to file the cutout on the pickguqrd ever so slightly, but otherwise was very easy to install. It turned an amazing bass for the money into a brilliant sounding one at any price, although string choice will have an impact there.

We only do Facebook now, but we're at the point where word of mouth generates most of our bookings so let the website go as superfluous to requirements.

Never looked at my P5's innards, but it's quiet as regards hum and unwanted noise. 

On 09/01/2023 at 23:14, LukeFRC said:

Only if you use Tone puppets 

Oh don't start that old malarkey . Everyone knows they gauge of finger puppets has for more influence on sound than the tone puppets.

Mine is an awkward arm break that left me with nerve damage and 2 fingers that I can no longer feel.

I was a guitarist and being unable to fingerpick any more was seriously upsetting, so on Mrs Bassfinger's insistence I switched to bass on the basis there is 33% less real estate for my remaining digits to cover. Sure enough I could play finger style much better on the bass but was prone to errors so for live playing always used to revert to a pick.

However,  years of bloody minded persietence and practice paid off and my brain has rewired itself sufficiently for me to be able to fingerpick normally again (I still use a pick for those songs that suit one) even with no feeling in 2 digits, and I'm back on the guitar as well. I can even pingerpick on a mandolin.  No trick, just years and years of hammering at it, 90 minutes to 3 hours a day, every si gle day. I even bought a Hofner shorty so I could pradtice when wkrking abroad.

The only other concession I make to the inury is that I tend to practice standing.  Sitting down quickly becomes uncomfortable on my nacked elbow and shoulder and the pressure on the nerves starts to make my right thumb numb as well, although that is transitory and quickly rights itself when I get the arm moving.

I've had 3 operations, and nearly died in the last one due to an unexpected reaction to the general, so unless my life depends on it I'll pass on any more surgery and put up with the symptoms.

Never travelled on Ryanair for much the same reason I won't buy life saving medicines from Poundland, but my Steinberger just fits into the overhead lockers on a Virgin 777. 

We do Blinding Lights in a hard rock style. Indeed, being middle aged farts we do everything in a hard rock style.

Gary Glitter, used to be a huge fan.

I've done a complete 180 on that!

27 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

Some songs are truly timeless, and surprisingly so.  I still can't get over how many young 'uns dance enthusiastically to "Bad Moon Rising".  Was it featured in an episode of Stranger Things or something?

Strangely enough we start almost every gig with that one. Its short, snappy, everyone knows it, and it warms both us and the audience up before we start delving in to the set list.

I shoved a dirty great mudbucker onto my '54 transition shape Precision, albeit in the original pup position closer to the bridge. It sounds rather marvellous.

Another advantage of a mudbucker is that the top is wider than the coils beneath so it matters not if the hole you carve is a bit rough as the edges will be hidden.

11 hours ago, Waddo Soqable said:

I just can't get this being picky about what people will and won't play.. If you're in a covers band, and getting paid for it, you're an entertainer and your job there is just that.. if a band member doesn't enjoy or at least accept that then they maybe they should find something else to do! 

This. I'm a dyed in the wool rocker and I have to playw what seems to me to be some right sheet, but the alternative is to not play at all so suck it up.

Fortunately my suggestion of Rockin' All Ofer the World goes down a storm as an encore in the pubs and clubs and has softened the stance of the other chaps on some of my suggestions.

That aside I'm fortunate that they're not a bad bunch and any suggestion that gets aired is thoroughly examined to be sure that its viable for all to play it and that no one is disadvantaged.  That's perhaps a consequence of all but one of us being in our fifties and long since having outgrown any egos.

HB and Warman were made for one another, like Scott and the Antarctic or Richard Harris and cigarettes.

2 hours ago, Boodang said:

Yep, I'm the veritable Jaco now! Comes at a price though, I'm currently homeless and living in a basket ball court. 

Be careful who you pick a fight with!

On 05/01/2023 at 22:47, ern500evo said:

Well I used it for the first time through my gig rig tonight, and have to say, it’s just brilliant for the price point. Ran it through my ABM600 and Barefaced Big Twin 2. For live stuff I usually have my Darkglass Vintage Microtubes pedal always engaged, for a light grit. I played about 50% of tonight’s rehearsal clean, just to get more of an idea of the core tone of the bass. It’s great! It sounds snarly and has a nice growl when you dig in. The front volume pot has a bit of a squeak to it, I’ll take some contact cleaner with me to next rehearsal. Apart from that, I don’t really have any complaints. I bought it solely with the intention of leaving it at our rehearsal space, so I don’t need to take anything with me to rehearsals, but after a few hours jamming with it, I think I’d be more than happy to actually gig with it. Am curious as to how much of an upgrade the Warman pickup is now? 

It's hilarious how much they punch above their price point. Very versatile and playable bits of kit, and ripe for modifying.

Speaking of which, the Warman pickup is something else. It darkens to tone a touch and adds a slight frisson of growl that I really like. Slap a fancy name on it, trot out some glossy advertising with moody shots of the pickup on a gloss black surface and people would pay 4 times as much and would not be disappointed with the performance.

My Geddy Lee. Tried many jazzes (12 in fact), from player to ultra, and this particular Geddy Lee just felt right, was finished perfectly and sounded sublime.  It was the in between, the bears porridge - just right. Nothing exciting on paper but that particular one just had its mojo sorted.

On 03/01/2023 at 21:18, Maude said:

When were they supposedly delivered? 

If today then they might well show up tomorrow. I've had this and they mark it delivered due to targets/bonuses/penalties/paperworl, I don't exactly know why but it happens. 

Hopefully they'll show up. 

I've had this from DHL just a few months ago. It showed as delivered on their tracking, but actually arrived a couple of days later.

Unless you're doing studio work or large venues with a high quality sound system it's highly unlikely that anyone would notice any difference in the sound.

My backup is a modified Harley Benton MB4 because it sounds great in its own right, is cheap enough to be near expendable, but the tone is versatile enough to stand in for whatever my number 1 instrument be at any given gig.

Although my Y fronts are so tired and worn they look like they're made from bass strings.

And on a serious note, when I can be bothered to measure at all I do it at the 17th as I read somewhere that is where one does so, but I have no ethical or moral affinity to that position. I guess it matters not where you do so as long as you're consistent between instruments when trying to set them up in a similar manner.

Might as well get in there quickly...

You're all wrong, completely wrong, never heard such dangerous drivel. My way is right and you won't see any professional players doing it any way but mine, except for the professional players that don't but I conveniently won't mention them. You'll all suffer repetitive strain injuries, and Leo Fender will rise from the grave and haunt you. Anyone who doesn't do it my way is clearly impotent and cheats at monopoly.

I think that covered most points.

1 hour ago, dmccombe7 said:

Think i'll ask the BC public where they measure theirs. Could make for an interesting topic on here. Then again it might be a bag of worms LOL

Dave

Holy crap, that could get messy pretty quickly! 🤣