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Obrienp

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Everything posted by Obrienp

  1. Obrienp
    Is posting out of the question?
  2. Obrienp
    Hi. I have been trying to find frequency response, sensitivity and SPL stats for these but there is nothing on the manufacturer’s website, or elsewhere on the web (as far as I can find). Ditto reviews, apart from one not particularly helpful demo on YouTube. Do you have any more info on it? Subjective I know but what is the bass response like and would you say it is vintage, or modern voiced? Thanks, Pat
  3. Obrienp
    Cracking job! I wish my work looked as neat when I do it!
  4. Obrienp
    I should imagine that it is because the split pickup, like the P bass pickup, is effectively a humbucker and therefore expected to be quiet. I agree there is no excuse for not shielding the control cavity. I always shield the pickup cavity anyway: belt and braces. That Mustang looks like a good candidate for copper tape shielding, which works better than graphite paint IMO. You might also want to check the grounding if it is very noisy. I join up the shielded cavities with ground wires and then take that to the ground on the output jack. Make sure the bridge ground wire is working properly too.
  5. Obrienp
    I agree. I play for enjoyment more than anything else but there are plenty of people who earn their living from music. If we play for nothing, we contribute to the devaluation of live music and undermine other musicians’ ability to earn a living from playing. As we all know, the money has largely gone out of recorded music and playing live is all that is left for most bands.
  6. Obrienp
    There have been some adverse comments around the forums. I have the Vox Starstream H1 (passive) and it does the ‘Ray thing pretty well for less than a Sterling SS and everybody notices it at a gig (if you like that). Mine is very nicely made. Only real issue with it is not being able to fit the usual culprits in strap locks: you have to use those rubber washer things. Otherwise it is extremely light, ergonomic and balances OK on a strap. I love the look of those genuine EB Ray short scales but the money they charge for them is just gouging the punters in my view. Even the Sterling’s are over-priced compared to their 34” offerings.
  7. Obrienp
    I’m surprised that this hasn’t been snapped up already! Mine has become my number one gigging bass since I got it a couple of months ago. Three hour gigs are no problem with it and it sounds fantastic. Those pickup combinations and tone switches give you an instantly available range of useable tones. It’s just brilliant. GLWTS!
  8. Obrienp
    Know what you mean about the speed in ceilidh music. I dept in ceilidh band, primarily on guitar but also some bass. Some of the pieces had three chord changes a bar, which really worked my chord changing speed on guitar. The other thing is that tempo is often sped up during a dance, so you go from fast to manic and have to hold on for about 10 minutes.
  9. Obrienp
    Thanks. Had to look up the Performer. That is one rare beast! Only made for 2 years in the 80s according to Wikipedia. I hope it sounds as good as it looks. I am very tempted to save up for one of those GRs but I like the sound I am getting from my 2 OBC112s with the Terror too.
  10. Obrienp
    Got to ask: what is that bass? Supplementary question: how are you finding the Terror Bass/GR Slim combination?
  11. Obrienp
    Had a 3 hour gig in a pub this afternoon. I was a little nervous as it was about 3 weeks since our last one and I thought I might get blisters but tried the superglue trick (the gel in fact). No blisters afterwards, so I am definitely going to do that again. Gig went well. Lots of compliments from the punters and a “drop us an email when you want to play again” from the manager, so all good.
  12. Obrienp
    It looks like a great bass with some excellent upgrades. I am not so sure about the depth of the neck, as shallow seems to work better with my arthritis. I will certainly keep it in mind for when I get some more cash together but I suspect you won’t have any trouble selling it.
  13. Obrienp
    Sorry, my original post wasn’t very clear: I have a few 30” basses that I bought when I decided to sell my standard scale instruments. One of those shorties is an Acinonyx, which is nearly 31” . This got me wondering whether I can: a) manage a 32” with my arthritis; b) whether there is any advantage to the slightly longer scale. Like you say, the best way is to try one.
  14. Obrienp
    Thanks but this isn’t helping my GAS 😀. The strategy is to try a medium scale: I have offloaded all my 34” basses in favour of short scale because of arthritis in my left hand. I am now wondering if I could manage a 32” . To avoid making an expensive mistake, my strategy is to try out a cheaper medium scale like a secondhand Ibbie Mezzo and if it works OK, go for something like a Maruszczyk. Unfortunately, even a Mezzo is in doubt at the moment because of the previously mentioned financial hit. I am having to hide my credit card!
  15. Obrienp
    Awesome! Sounded fantastic! Pretty cool pics too.
  16. Obrienp
    Thanks for the info on Maruszczyk ordering folks. Unfortunately, recent unexpected expense means it is not likely to happen for a bit but it is good to know how to go about it.
  17. Obrienp
    As a matter of interest did you order direct with Maruszczyk/Public Peace, or through Bass Direct? Just wondering what is the best way to do it from a cost/lack of customs hassles perspective.
  18. Obrienp
    That’s a good point. The horrible Vox Clubman I had as a teenager, definitely had narrower bridge spacing than 19mm (also guitar machine heads like Hofner) and I can imagine the same applied to the other European makes you mention. In contrast my newish Vox Starstream H1 has 19mm spacing and a standard Stingray style pickup, which as you point out means the use of plentiful, and more importantly, cheap components. I suspect cash is the the important driver here, more than economising on design flair/effort: the Startstream can hardly be considered conventional from a design perspective. Huge generalisation I know but traditionally short scale basses were synonymous with “student” instruments (Gibson being a notable exception) and therefore, they needed to be cheap. That seems to have carried over to the present day but perhaps is fading, as premium short scales are becoming more common: viz Nordstrand, Maruszczyk, Sandberg, etc. Nordstrand made the effort and had Hipshot make a custom 16.5 spacing bridge but the others just seem to use the common parts bin. Maybe this is because a lot of them are reduced scale versions of existing models, rather than uniquely short scale offerings. I guess another argument might be that players moving from full scale feel more comfortable with the string spacing they had on their big boy basses. This doesn’t really excuse not scaling down the body though: viz the Ibanez EHBs and there are other culprits out there. In the case of the Ibanez EHBs they get away with it, as weight and balance are fine but with some you end up with unnecessary weight, bulk and poor balance.
  19. Obrienp
    Nice looking bass. Interesting to hear it is lightweight. I am sure I have seen posts from others that said they are heavy but they were referring specifically to the Wattplower 2.
  20. Obrienp
    PMT have a preorder on the 90th Anniversary Ltd short scale bass that seems to use a 330 body. Only 1p under £5,200! I guess somebody can afford it.
  21. Obrienp
    Hi Simon, I would love to be able to help with that but I no longer have the EHB1000S. I sold it to fund a Nordstrand Acinonyx I had incoming after a long wait. Nothing wrong with the EHB1000S by the way, just trying to operate a one in/one out policy. In the case of the Acinonyx it was two out! If I remember correctly, the EHB gig bag was guitar sized and amazingly compact. My Les Paul went into it and was a snug enough fit length wise but don’t take my word on it. I am sure there are other owners on this forum who might be able to do a quick measure up. As a travel guitar, I am not sure it would be compact enough for most airlines to let you put it in an overhead locker but it is a while since I tried that, so maybe rules have changed. Have you considered the Hofner shortie, or one of those purpose made travel basses? Good luck with your search! Pat
  22. Obrienp
    🤣🤣 yes I do. Probably should have said, “trailer as a stage”.
  23. Obrienp
    Played outside at a classic car rally at Snetterton racetrack on Sunday. Only the second time I have played on a trailer stage. It turned out to be character forming. In the pic you can see the sound team scratching their heads after the first generator spiked and blew out the power amp for the bass bins before we had finished setting up. Two alternative generators were found and we finally got a stable enough power supply to power our amps plus a couple of column PAs and two powered speakers. The technical hassles put us on edge, so we had a bit of a shaky start but got into our stride after a few numbers. Unfortunately, playing to a much smaller crowd than anticipated: after a month of drought in East Anglia, the heavens decided to open just before the gig. Plus, there was a race meeting on the track behind us, a Grand Prix and the football on the TV, so lots of distractions for the petrol heads. It also rained again during the gig, so it turned into a bit of a drive-in with people sitting in their cars with the windows down some of the time. After doing our two hour gig, the main act turned up but without their rhythm section who had tested positive for Covid. After a hasty crisis meeting, me and our drummer agreed to step in. They did a few numbers with just the two guitars and harmonica player, then we joined them and jammed it out. You can do that with the blues!
  24. Obrienp
    I am afraid you are right. The more you play the tougher they get. An extended gap between gigs and they go soft. Practice sessions don’t seem to count. I keep trying to turn the volume up and play gentler but as the rest of the band get louder (and quicker) I find myself hitting the strings really hard. It will have been 3 weeks off by the time I do my next gig, today week and the blood blister from the last one has peeled off leaving new skin. Guess I’ll be starting the toughening cycle all over again. I find a glass of ice between sets seems to calm the blisters down a bit but that is not always available. I watched a YouTube clip of Leo Lyon’s doing an extended solo and it looked as though he was periodically licking his finger tips. I am guessing it was to reduce friction. I might give it a try.
  25. Obrienp
    I think copper tape shielding and grounding wire is the way to go but then I am obsessed with shielding every bass I get my hands on, so maybe not completely objective on this subject!
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