hubrad

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1172875' date='Mar 23 2011, 07:20 AM']There goes my 1x12 cabinet then and a £500+ sale for the shop [/quote] TIA is/was supposed to be just for instruments not amplification for some reason. Starter packs acceptable. IMHO somebody 'up there' didn't want to be seen to be axing the scheme - political faux pas - so they have pretty much strangled it and left it to die. A much more politically and morally expedient move would have been to restrict it to those in full time education or parents on their behalf. We will be organising an alternative scheme, albeit at significantly more cost to the shop.

[quote name='fumps' post='1170573' date='Mar 21 2011, 12:52 PM']I have an acre of Mars but i'm hoping the Beagle landed on my bit so i can charge back rent[/quote] Mmmhhhmmmm.. An acre of Mars....... [attachment=75356:Homer_drooling.gif]

[quote name='Truckstop' post='1167119' date='Mar 18 2011, 01:54 PM']Get some strippers. That always adds something to a live performance! Truckstop[/quote] All very well, but how to attach them to the headstock?

[quote name='MB1' post='1167029' date='Mar 18 2011, 01:09 PM']MB1. ...Caught bidding on his own Pie Warmer! [/quote] Ooh.. the imagery!

[quote name='dougie' post='1164190' date='Mar 16 2011, 10:57 AM']thats the thing,ive now a few sets,also got a pair of pups off ebay for a Ibby j series copy,they look old,adjustable poles etc and sound good but it would be nice knowing exactly what im paying for due to no markings etc.[/quote] My original bass started life as a Japanese Ibanez, and had adjustable pole piece P-J pickups; I was told by a few folks over the years that they were most likely to be DiMarzio. No identifying marks at all IIRC. Bassassin seems to be a fount of knowledge on Jap stuff.

tbh, I'm not entirely convinced by Fender Original pickups. Admittedly I've only used USA electric guitar ones, but they were, well, OK. We have some Japanese ones in the shop which IMHO are way broader and richer of tone! Then you get onto Seymours, etc...

Scratchplate?

If you slap flats you get a more 'organic' tone, but they have their own brightness. ALso as has been mentioned, halfrounds are a good compromise between flat and round - loadsa punch but smooth too! I use Picato in all flavours meself.. no silks either!!

[quote name='dougie' post='1162745' date='Mar 15 2011, 09:16 AM'].....we agreed that perhaps he should retain them,either back in his loft,or up his arse.....[/quote] Nearly spilled the coffee there, best chortle of the morning! I'd go for decent quality ones like Seymour Duncan, EMG etc if you're going to the hassle of changing pickups at all. As mentioned above most of these have some identification, which a decent ebayer will make obvious. Buying on here you have a better ratio of decent types, I'd say!

'Cor! Look at the lovely flame', as the chorus girl said to the fire chief.

[quote name='spinynorman' post='1161225' date='Mar 14 2011, 12:02 AM']£48 is the $77 quoted on the listing at the current eBay exchange rate. That reminds me - I need to change my import tax calc to 20% VAT. That means we're going to be paying a 30% premium on the shipped price (including a £15 handling charge). Thank you Mr Osborne [/quote] Sorry Spiny, but you really do have to budget for this when eyeing up a potential purchase.. it's just the same for anyone outside EC looking to buy from here. The maddest thing is that with updated Post Office charging it costs pretty much the same to ship a semi-rigid gigbag as it does to ship the instrument it will contain on arrival!

"It's part of my get rich slowly scheme." - You have to harbour a degree of admiration for this one!

I once played a gig somewhere in the Low Countries, in which the support band was a local rock'n'roll outfit with bass, guitar [u]and[/u] baritone for strings. The three together made for an awesome sound!

Tempting as it is, I don't buy instruments these days without the mind to use them. Each thing has a particular task or sound, so it's usually a natural decision as to which one to take rather than thinking 'I don't want to get this one damaged'. Actually I really don't want to get any of my gear damaged but it's all for a purpose. Sometimes sh*t happens! Having said that, this is me - what you do with your gear is the bargain you make with yourself, just enjoy it all for whatever reason.

[quote name='megallica' post='1156955' date='Mar 10 2011, 05:36 PM']The hot soldering iron held on the fret wire should melt the glue that holds the fret in place, it should make your life easier when you try to pull the frets out.[/quote] Ah, right. I was shown a heat-free way using slimmed down pincers and a steady touch. Glue was never mentioned, but this possibly explains one of my early attempts being rather more messy than previous ones!

[quote name='xgsjx' post='1156647' date='Mar 10 2011, 02:14 PM']YouTube it. Pincers, insulation tape & a sodering iron are all that's needed to take them out. I'd link the vid, but can't at work.[/quote] A soldering iron? [quote name='TomKent' post='1156683' date='Mar 10 2011, 02:46 PM']Jaco stylie. Boat epoxy.[/quote] +1 for epoxy - Araldite or similar will do, and you can put lines in using wood veneer (maple for light, r/w for dark etc) or plastic card. The first one I ever did, I used car filler.. bad idea, crumbly rubbish! Latest one i used epoxy mixed with oak sawdust ground superfine in the coffee grinder(!) Looks less 'liney' than veneers. Overfill the slots then sand back with progressively finer abrasives, ending up with superfine wire wool for ultra-smooth finish. I recently was put onto Abranet (abrasive net, basically) by my local woodturning supplies place in Birstall - brilliant stuff! Doesn't clog like sandpaper, plus you can get a vacuum adapter for pretty dust-free working!

I only really do fretless, did a couple of defrets myself in the past and that looks a nice job! Halfrounds are another way to go - less f/b wear but more presence than flats. I have those on my 'rawk' fretless.

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1149219' date='Mar 4 2011, 09:05 AM']My looks/image - it was a "hairy" heavy rock band. Well dumbasses, it didn`t take much to see that I don`t have any hair did it? Being fired for that - well happy to go.[/quote] [attachment=73818:Rob_Halford.jpg] I rest my case.

I must say that, these days at least, I'm playing with pretty much 100% decent people! Back on thread, I can still remember the rejection of failing an 'audition' for a band.. I didn't even really want to play with them once I'd met them, but it was still a shock! Gotta just keep trying TB - once you get the right folks you'll be stress-free!

Too many people in music seem to assume their instrument has 'gone off' when all it really needs is a decent setup. We once had a chap almost in tears at the difference a 30-odd quid job had made to his acoustic 12 string!

It just occurred to me.. does it actually have a preamp section?

OK, so BB3000S's reply is probably rather more sensible..