Paul Cooke

[quote name='aceuggy' post='373961' date='Jan 8 2009, 01:00 PM']3 Headstocks that are the same colour as the body[/quote] so what's your stance on natural bodies with natural headstocks then?

Donald Duck Dunn - various, booker T & the MGs, Stax house bassist Tommy Shannon - Double Trouble John Paul Jones - Led Zeppelin

[quote name='JDM' post='369603' date='Jan 3 2009, 09:46 PM'] [/quote] this image has been moved or deleted...

[quote name='endorka' post='372156' date='Jan 6 2009, 04:40 PM']In my experience, acoustic bass guitars are pretty much a waste of time for serious use. As someone else mentioned, they don't produce enough volume to compete with even the naffest of acoustic guitars, and once you amplify them they sound pretty much like an amplified electric bass and are prone to feedback, so you might as well have used an electric bass in the first place.[/quote] that's why I use a small practice combo that goes under my chair so it isn't pointing directly at my bass... either that, or I DI into the PA and make sure my monitor and the PA isn't pointing at me... My Zoom A2.1U gives me the ability to engage an automatic feedback killing notch filter just using a footswitch... [quote name='endorka' post='372156' date='Jan 6 2009, 04:40 PM']The body on an acoustic bass guitar is just not big enough to get a good sound... there is no way it will be reproducing the fundamental frequencies of the low notes. What you really need is a double bass![/quote] get a big enough one and you have no problems... a lot of them have bodies that're too small [quote name='endorka' post='372156' date='Jan 6 2009, 04:40 PM']The only thing they are useful for are those "unplugged" sets where everyone is actually amplified anyway, and it is really about having something that looks acoustic as opposed to sounding acoustic.[/quote] blame MTV for that... always amused me that those intimate little unplugged sets more often than not had solid body basses and synthesisers being used by the backing band with just the guitarists using miked or otherwise amplified acoustics. [quote name='endorka' post='372156' date='Jan 6 2009, 04:40 PM']In saying that, I do own an acoustic bass guitar and I have used it for doing folky stuff at parties etc., but it is very hard work even just to be heard, and the effect is probably not what you are used to as an amplified electric bassist. Your fingers end up in shreds pretty quickly :-) Jennifer[/quote] get rid of those phosphor bronze roundwound strings... fit a decent set of nylon tapewounds like the LaBellas I use... nice and deep sound, no zing, no string noise, no shredded fingers. [quote name='Pookus' post='372413' date='Jan 6 2009, 08:49 PM']I have Crafter acoustic bass which is fine for what it is. I just have it knocking about the house and pick it up when I feel the urge. It has to be remembered that it is an acoustic bass guitar and it is limited - but you can still have fun with it. I often jam with mates and it sounds ok. I too tend to use a pick as someone else mentioned and it does improve its presence.[/quote] I use a felt pick when I need to be loud without using my amps or the PA... Can't get very creative lines with it though, just stick to roots and fifths...

[quote name='Tlbasss' post='372610' date='Jan 6 2009, 11:36 PM']Great thread this - Read from page one to page 21 non stop. Things that bug me are; Using wristbands as capos Stickers on basses[/quote] the wristbands aren't being used as capos... they're being used as mutes to deaden unfretted strings. It's mainly tappers that use them as they're not able to mute normally using their fretting hand index finger. Stickers on basses... cool if they're right for the genre and on an appropriate bass, but a real pain to remove and clean up

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='369860' date='Jan 4 2009, 12:48 PM']The signal from the pickups is AC cos the strings wobble both upwards and downwards. If they put a polarising cap in, half the signal would be blocked, you'd only get tone control working on 1/2 the amplitude, the rest would be cut off. Now while that might be a blessing at one of our gigs this would generally be seen as an undesirable circuit mod.[/quote] sorry, but that is so wrong... blocking half the signal is what Diodes do... A polarised capacitor will still work in an unbiased low voltage AC circuit like the insides of a passive bass, but if there's a power rail and ground involved, then you have to get it the right way round otherwise it'll unform and go duff on you... the higher the incorrect voltage, the more spectacular the unforming can be... Back in my RAF days, we had to take items from stores and power them up every couple of years to make sure the things were still serviceable... if there were any polarised capacitors in the circuits, then we had to apply the supply voltage carefully in steps until the full supply voltage was present or else follow a reforming procedure using a separate supply across the capacitors... while doing this, the item had to be in a cage to prevent people being hit by shrapnel from capacitors that failed while reforming... you may have problems these days with New-Old-Stock capacitors that have been sitting around a long time... these will need reforming carefully [url="http://www.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/~reese/electrolytics/"]http://www.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/~reese/electrolytics/[/url] [quote]Electrolytics do not suffer idleness well. They can cause big trouble when idle for long periods, needing periodic charging to stay "formed" and maintain the oxide layer that insulates the conducting plates. Sometimes they can be "reformed" by a slowly rising return to working voltage (see below). Even with regular use, electrolytics fail with age by drying out or leaking electrolyte following internal corrosion. If the electrolytic bulges, shows obvious loss of electrolyte, or simply can't be reformed you must replace it.[/quote] that's why I'd recommend running your amp every six months for a few hours to make sure the capacitors in the power supply are good to go when you need it... of course, if you are using it more often, then this is redundant, but beware when turning on items that have been sat around a long time... they may go bang and let the smoke out... a failed capacitor is the most likely reason.

oh sweet niblets... I'd have bought that off you in a flash If I had the moulah spare... I was born in 57... and that is absolutely beautiful...

[quote name='ziggenpuss' post='369426' date='Jan 3 2009, 05:44 PM']The main problem I've found with it so far is that each of the 10 patches in the memory mode gives you three different sounds, one assigned to each pedal so if you need to change between patches mid song and the sounds aren't in the same bank you have to: stop playing, bend down and press the up/down button slip a shoe off and press it with your big toe or buy an additional Boss footswitch that allows you to go up and down the patch banks![/quote] got mine second hand some months ago... overall, the sounds are very good, the slap patch is excellent, even I can sound good with it using flatwounds... as above though, changing banks is a real PITA... can be done just using the footswitches provided you've already selected memory mode, but takes several seconds of holding footswitch 3 so it goes into bank change mode, then you've got to podge footswitch 1 or 2 several times to get to the right bank and then you've got to hold footswitch 3 again for a couple of seconds to get out of switching mode and then select the patch in the bank... thing that annoys me is it doesn't come back up as you last had it when the power gets interrupted... it comes back up in editing mode with patch 1 bank 1 selected & you have to put it back into memory mode and manually select the correct bank & patch... My Zoom B2.1U always comes back up in the patch I was last using.

[quote name='Buzz' post='368925' date='Jan 2 2009, 10:29 PM']With the VMJ you get a maple, black blocked bound neck, although the blocks are painted on and arn't real, and the neck has a rather lovely satin finish to it. I've got one, it's alright, I want new pups for it as they're not what I'm looking for soundwise. And the body is all maple.[/quote] the block inlays are real on mine...

just been working out the line for "My Girl"

[quote name='TheDarkReaver' post='362917' date='Dec 24 2008, 04:08 PM']Maki and I actually got banned for the same thing the other week, both took the piss out of Fassa on the same thread.[/quote] she needs it... always has a problem... I don't see her posting in here though... wouldn't last five minutes...

[quote name='pete.young' post='367602' date='Jan 1 2009, 11:33 AM']I've had several short scale basses and I'm not really a fan, though i'd be happy to get my Futurama Coranado IV back. Did you look at the Tanglewood EF18 Mini-elf? It has something like a 20 inch scale length, sounds quite reasonable, doesn't have any stringing issues - normal 45s fit right on it and allow you to do massive Jerry Donahue style bends. I sold mine, beginning to wish I'd kept it but I don't get many gigs in phone boxes :-) If I was looking for a travel bass it would be at the top of my list.[/quote] is this the Tanglewood model? EB18 [url="http://www.tanglewoodguitars.co.uk/products/default.asp?cID=26463253&sID=26465218"]http://www.tanglewoodguitars.co.uk/product...mp;sID=26465218[/url] they don't seem to have an EF18 on the website...

[quote name='ARGH' post='367165' date='Dec 31 2008, 03:45 PM']Say nowt,go for the band![/quote] +500 go for the band and DO NOT MENTION your future study "plans". Gives you an easy exit route and you're not actually obliged to start the course anyway even if you've won a place on it...

[quote name='Paul Cooke' post='102336' date='Dec 10 2007, 07:18 PM']get a semi-acoustic bass so I can go un-plugged with the folksey set... de-fret one of my basses get an amp which sits in between my 10 watt and my 160 watt ones... Currently thinking of a Laney RB2, 30 Watts 10" speaker and only 11.25 Kg[/quote] pass, fail, fail...

[quote name='PVTele' post='367033' date='Dec 31 2008, 01:12 PM']A SpongeBob Squarepants Flying V ukulele? - now there [i]is[/i] a thought [/quote] got that for my grandson for xmas... he loves it... I am the coolest granddad of them all... also got my granddaughter a Hannah Montana acoustic guitar... yeah well, it's a phase she's going through, but if it gets her playing I'm all for it...

I have a V950B with bubinga body... nice bass, especially as I got it second hand for a decent price... cleaned up well and upgraded the bridge and machine heads...

got a T-Shirt with loads of basses on it, a nice Celtic pattern embossed purple leather strap for my ABG and the Bob Marley Bass Collection book with basslines to 19 of his best known songs...

[quote name='OldGit' post='358453' date='Dec 19 2008, 12:23 AM']Being forced to use someone elses back line seems extreme but in general Pay to Play is perfectly fair .. All you have to do is be good enough, and on the promotion case enough, to draw a crowd .. That's usually all the promoter wants you to do.. This guy sounds a tad different, but in general pre-sales etc is all about getting the lazy bands to do their bit to bring in enough people to make the evening financially viable for all. Nowt wrong with that. No one owes you a gig...[/quote] yeah, no-one owes you a gig, but the whole job of the promoter is to promote the event... he's getting you to do most of his job for him and riding off it. He should be the one with the risk of unsold tickets, but he's passed that off onto the bands by making them buy tickets up front.

Tulip wood??? that must have been one almighty big tulip then... yeah, yeah... Americans have a lot to be blamed for.... fancy naming it the Tulip tree because the flowers looked like Tulips...

[quote name='Cantdosleepy' post='356038' date='Dec 16 2008, 03:00 PM']We've got a gig (my last with this band) on Friday at the Dry Bar in Barbican. We booked the venue and paid to use it for a private function, giving the cash upfront. Our band and two mates' bands are playing. [i][b][u]We've sold out all of the pre-bought tickets.[/u][/b][/i] We're doing DJing and other stuff. All looking good. Just found out that the promoter has added another FIVE acts to the night. Three are full bands. He's given them half hour slots - starting times of 19:30, 20:00, 20:30. Given all the prepaid private party bands will want a soundcheck, and given we're all adults with adult jobs so won't be able to get to the venue before 6pm, this isn't remotely possible. Private function, mate. Grrrrr. Etc.[/quote] pre-bought tickets???? you've been duped into pay to play... and you were going to do DJ'ing as well... he must have thought all his Christmasses had come at once... you see, if it had been a true private function, then you would have been printing and selling your own tickets... or just handing out tickets to invited guests...

ah... TOTP, late 60's early 70's... we used to have it on every week in the common room... total silence as we'd have a reel to reel tape recorder set up with the microphone up to the speaker to record it...

there's the completely free cross-platform Tuxguitar... [url="http://www.tuxguitar.com.ar/"]http://www.tuxguitar.com.ar/[/url]

is it dead threads day again???

I play Blues... It's almost impossible not to accidentally re-use a bassline someone else has come up with...

[quote name='Prosebass' post='350569' date='Dec 10 2008, 12:13 PM'][u] tr.v. lar·ruped, lar·rup·ing, lar·rups To beat, flog, or thrash. n. A blow.[/u] those Chinese have a better grasp of english than we do.... [/quote] sounds like the Chinese translation of "punchy" translated back... allegedly... "Out of sight, out of mind" to Chinese and back returns as "Invisible madness"