Beedster

Genius 😂

…. suspect some new soundholes are going to help 👍 

14 minutes ago, ezbass said:

There is a snobbery about this kind of thing, when all that really matters is that the end product sounds good. Having listened to numerous DB players, some of whom are revered, some dots (other markers are available) would help immeasurably. I’d rather see lines and dots than listen to pitchy playing.

I think we often take our lead from orchestral players while forgetting that when there’s 8 or more players in a section individual tuning matters less. And yes, I’d prefer to be in tune whatever it takes 👍

44 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

I used to be a purist until playing a festival stage at night and having every member of the band laugh as I started a song a semitone up.

I’ve been there, although ironically the worst gig I ever did (reminiscent of the famous Richie Benaud quote ‘there’s only three things wrong with English Cricket, they can’t bat, they can’t bowl, and they can’t field’, albeit in my case I was out of tune, out of time, and out of style) I was asked to join a Jazz Trio by a member of the audience who turned out to be quite well known….🤔

2 hours ago, jazzyvee said:

Slight digression. Is it common practice to have position marker dots on a DB?

I have them because they reduces error, I rarely use them, but when I do I’m glad I installed them

27 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

To be fair to Guitar Guitar, they do offer that on certain instruments too. 

To be fair again, they're also a business and while I can see the O/Ps point of view - that's an ugly bass - if they keep picking up the cost of returns on that basis they will make a loss on the sale. Personally if I were the OP I'd either suck up the cost of the return and ask for photos of the replacement, or travel in person to the store, which may or may not be possible. 

46 minutes ago, oakforest5961 said:

Curiosity got the better of me and I bought a set of the extra lights. The G, D and A strings were fine, in fact rather nice, but the E string was like it was from a completely different set of strings, which made the set unplayable. I complained, genuinely believing that the E string had not been made right, it simply couldn't have been intentional. I was sent another set. Same problem. Maybe played in a certain way, and EQ'd in a particular way, they would be ok, but to me that is not how a set of strings should be - there should be cross string consistency full stop. I have put my TI Flats back on.

I had exactly the same experience with two sets if Pyramid Golds, very frustrating 

39 minutes ago, Sean said:

I agree. And I've gigged two cabs many times where the lower one is just a shelf.

 

At the SE Bash recently we did a non-scientific "test" with one Monaco vertical-mounted on top of one horizontal. We walked around the room listening to just the vertical and then did the same with the both plugged in. It wasn't particularly loud but it was very revealing with that dispersion going on. @stevie will be able to explain it properly but what I got out of it was that now I'm playing in a band where I need to use backline to fill the room, I'll be thinking more about this and probably taking both of them with me just in case. I know one Monaco is amazing but the pair with one turned through 90 degrees was like another dimension. @cetera and @Wolverinebass were there when we were doing it. 

That’s really interesting 👍

1 hour ago, police squad said:

I've recently had 2 violin basses, a contemporary union jack bass and a 1964 bass.

both are marvellous instruments but the '64 is just amazing. 

recently sold the union jack bass but the '64 is going nowhere. 

It is so easy to play

To my mind the fact that Chris Wood, a highly creative virtuoso player known as much for his electric as for his upright playing, chooses to use a Hofner pretty much exclusively (occasionally seen with a Fender also), speaks volumes. I've never played one and often thought about it, but then remember that I really don't appear to get on with short scale basses

There’s a big thread on this 👍

If you post the dimensions of the circuit and battery I can tell you for sure, but I suspect the answer is no 

8 hours ago, warwickhunt said:

Hohner should buy it... save me typing in the wrong name all of the time!  

Making current models Pre-Hohner Hofners 👍

3 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Do you have an Elf?

My brother's sounds fine through a Portaflex 15.

No I'll be taking an M-Pulse and a rather interesting Mesa cab with 1x10 and 2x6 (essentially top part of a 1516). I've yet to find a room in which that rig sounds anything less than bloody good   

Top cab here....

22 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

Could be the room of course, and your own rig will make almost no difference.

 

IME "acoustic treatment" in rehearsal spaces is mostly cosmetic and makes little contribution to how the room sounds especially in the lower frequencies.

True 👍

On 26/11/2025 at 08:58, Beedster said:

Sometimes you can't be arsed to drag your rig out of the car and walk into a room thinking "I'll use whatever's in there tonight". Last night was such a night, and what a pleasant surprise it was, OK, the lows needed a bit of pulling with some push to the mids and highs, but wow, good old Peavey, and good old Orange 👍

 

 

 

Had a similar surprise with a rehearsal room Ashdown ABM  a few years back, I'll see if I can did that pic out also 👍

So, last night we rehearsed in a room about 50m from the room above and it couldn't have been more different. Lovely rehearsal space, very well designed and maintained, but with a Mark Bass head and Ampeg portaflex cab that no matter what I did EQ-wise would not punch through, I had to rely on a nebulous rumble to fill out the bottom end in most songs, bloody glad I had a fretted with me as I simply could not hear the note.  Next time we use that room I'm taking my own rig 

14 minutes ago, BassApprentice said:

you just don't see them on stages anymore

You do if you're watching Chris Wood..... 👍

Frankly I’d get a different bass, pretty clear the QC on this model is poor 

…and narrow frets 👍

Wood is wood, they will all vary, but Jazz width, shallow, and small headstock will be lighter all other things being equal. Material of truss rod will be a factor also

6 minutes ago, itu said:

Oh yes, an amp with brushed aluminium face sounds brighter and harsher than its sibling with black face. Don't ever make a unit that is brown! 

Exactly 😆

There's a song by Dylan, I forget which one, and it has the most awful dissonance at one point - it's in a sax solo - to the point that it makes my teeth hurt! My bandmate's can't hear it, or more to the point, it isn't dissonant to them. Brains are funny things  

4 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Even after it's been explained, people are still saying they prefer something which has no bearing on the sound. . . . a speaker size!!!

BTW it has NOT been explained, sensation and perception are a major player in audio, what happens inside the skull can be as important as what goes on outside it. 

1 minute ago, chris_b said:

Even after it's been explained, people are still saying they prefer something which has no bearing on the sound. . . . a speaker size!!!

Some people don’t like sunburst finishes, some do 👍

19 minutes ago, Rosie C said:

 

Yup! I can't lift it without getting someone to come and help, and I did it despite the blind testing that @Phil Starr organised at the SW bass bash, but I recently bought my first 15" and the sound is glorious. Of course (for me at least) how much that is a placebo effect because it looks so awesome, dominating the room from its corner, I don't know.  

 

A placebo effect is still an effect 👍

40 minutes ago, Phil Starr said:

I am a scientist and can use measuremnts to understand what is going on but using your ears is still the only test that really matters. We all percieve sound differently so personal taste is what matters in the end and if you are enjoying your sound you will play more and ultimately better. It just isn't the 15'ness of the speaker that's doing it

Agreed 👍