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Paul S

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Posts posted by Paul S

    Least amicable band split stories...

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I joined a start-up band which went through a couple of personnel changes but the singer - new to bands but actually a good front man - was becoming increasingly difficult.  LVS struck deep - he'd had a few promotions at work and started to believe his own PR, treating the rest of the band as lackies.  It came to a head at a birthday gig we did.  It is well known amongst my friends that I get grumpy if I don't eat regularly.  This gig he said we were to help ourselves to the buffet before we started.  Kick off time was raidly approaching, no sign of buffet.  He lied, said no mention of buffet had ever been made, I got cross and we ended up having a nose to nose just before going on.  I may have said a few things about his attitude and, as I recall, finished up threatening to throw him off the fire escape.  Never a realistic prospect, what with my bad back and his obesity but there you go.  Immediately afterwards he said I had to go, the band fell in with that so I got sacked.  They didn't find another bassist.  Shortly afterwards the singer left as his wife had a baby, they asked me back, we got another singer.  But it was never the same, really.  

    • Like 2
    • Sad 1

    Wireless For Bass

    in Accessories and Misc

    Posted

    On 29/06/2025 at 12:11, Schlippy said:

    Surprised there's been no mention of the Boss WL-50, they're the best wireless adapter on the market IMO. As well as the usual advantages of freedom of movement and no coil whine/hum, they've got:

    • a lovely chonky wireless adapter that plugs into your axe with a satisfying thunk, holds 8-12 hours charge and has a green-amber-red indicator to let you know how much charge it has left
    • a standard Boss pedal-sized receiver / charging dock that sits nicely at the beginning of your pedal chain, runs on batteries as a backup, has a 9V out socket as well as a 6.35mm input jack just in case, and has three latency settings for emulating different cable lengths (no idea why tho lol).
    • incredibly low latency latency of 2.3ms as standard, I believe even the most finely attuned human ear can't detect latency under 10ms
    • 14 distinct onboard channels so despite only running at 2.4GHz even if there's a fair bit of contention at that frequency you're unlikely to collide with other signals
    • up to 65 feet line of sight 

    The only potential downside is if you like to store the adapter in the charging dock between sets and you keep your pedalboard unplugged, you need to remember to not fully insert the adapter otherwise it thinks it's in use and drains the battery. Boss maybe missed a trick there by not having a footswitch on the charging unit to toggle between charging modes.

     

    I just happen to have one of these in the classified at the moment for the knock down price of £100 posted.

     

     

    The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    2 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

    Slightly changing the subject...

     

    Is there a good 51 style shorty P bass? I seem to be watching a lot of ZZ Top vids and Dusty's various 51s look and sound excellent so I'm quite tempted.

     

    Retrovibe do a corker.  I coul;dn't get on with the slab body but everything else was perfect.  Their version of the '51 pickup is wonderful, dark abd bitey.

     

    https://retrovibe.co.uk/product/retrovibe-p30-slab-precision-bass-30-6-short-scale-black-limited-edition-of-8/

    • Like 1

    Live Aid

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Mrs S and I had eaten dodgy onion pakoras the night before and were taking it in turns to go to the toilet.  I remember most of it - recorded most of it on my betamax video machine and still got the tape somewhere.  At the time I thought it was utterly brilliant.  Still do tbh. 

     

    For all sorts of reasons 1985 was a magical year for me and I will always have the fondest memories.

    • Like 3

    The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    On 01/07/2025 at 11:29, YellowLedBetterBass said:

    Are there any short scale P Basses that actually sound like a P Bass out there? After Glasto this weekend and seeing so many people using them (especially Inhalers bassist who sounded fantastic with that Ampeg behind him), I really fancy a P bass.

     

    Harley Benton Shorty does.  I bought one when they came out and it blew me away - I don't know how it is possible to make a bass that is so good for the price of a night out.  The tone, through my set-up, was very similar to the gorgeous woody tone of P bass in Santana's Europa.  Out of preference for a bit more bite I changed the stock pickup to a Tonerider and it is now awesome.  I have sold off most of my basses, including an MIJ Mustang, but keeping the HB Shorty for my Precision flavoured moments.

    • Like 8
    • Thanks 1

    1981 Aria Pro II Cardinal Series CSB 450 'Black n Gold' medium scale £350 now £300

    in Basses For Sale

    Posted

    Price dropped to just £300 collected from Benfleet in Essex, 20 mins east of the Dartford crossing along the A13.  I could theoretically meet half way if not too far, even deliver for the cost of fuel within reason.  Absolutely no couriers - against my better judgement I sent some stuff recently and it only went according to plan once - I have dropped the price to tempt people into a road trip!

    Feedback for Paul S

    in Feedback

    Posted

    48 minutes ago, Serginhobass said:

    Well I had a such a good experience in dealing with Paul that I bought another bass from him in a matter of a few weeks.
    He is a genuine guy, pleasure to deal with, side note he has one of the most beautiful gardens I’ve ever seen. 🌵🪴 😁

    Thanks Paul 

    Thank you Sergio!

    Gigging in the rain

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    3 hours ago, NickA said:

    The issue with long leads and wet ground is that your body is at one voltage (that of the ground you are standing on) and the earth of your kit is at another voltage (either an earth spike in the place the power comes from or more likely via the neutral wire to a local substation many meters of cable away).  The resistance between those two earth points is likely quite high so the current that flows through you is too small to trip an RCD .... BUT you will still feel it.

     

    My house is very poorly grounded and you can easily get a tingle if using power tools in the garden in bare feet (!!) or off the stainless toaster or microwavestanding on the damp kitchen floor.

     

    TBH there isn't a lot you can do.  Using one of these portable battery generators (eg a Jackery Power Station) is one way to get around it.  Another way is to use an isolation transformer and an earth spike near where you are standing (getting a bit techie at this point).  In any case if an extension lead is the only option, do use an RCD - you may still get a tingle but it would trip before you got electrocuted.  Try not to play in bare feet on wet grass 🙂 

     

    (PS: I'm an electrical engineer, I'm not making it up)

     

    Elementary question but does using a wireless kit remove the risk?

    Steinberger Spirit bass case

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    I have something almost exactly the same - forget the make but it is a case for a scoped rifle -  that is precisely 102cm long inside that I used for my Hohners.  It isn't worth posting but if you happen to be passing Benfleet, in Essex, you are welcome to it.  Has nice egg-box foam lining, too.

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