BottomEndian

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='881744' date='Jun 30 2010, 11:21 AM']Aww.. get well soon.[/quote] Cheers, I'd love to. Shoulder impingement could mean I'm in it for a reasonably long haul though. Flared it up again last night by closing the curtains. Yes, closing the curtains. [quote name='eude' post='881745' date='Jun 30 2010, 11:24 AM']Plus it has a headphone out - handy for keeping the other half happy too [/quote] I almost always run through my pedalboard, and the EBS MicroBassII on there has a headphone out (and you can run audio in through the FX loop), so Mrs Endian's happy without me even firing up an amp.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='881725' date='Jun 30 2010, 11:03 AM']When did you get that? Ya sneaky devil...[/quote] Just a few weeks back. :ph34r: I recently started playing with an acoustic singer-songwriter-type, and I guessed 500W into a super-sensitive 2x15 was overkill. Tried a Line6 Lowdown Studio 110 for a while (as an all-in-one, one-handed carry), but the tone wasn't quite there for me, so I decided to stick with the lovely LMII and run it into into a smaller cab. Got the RS112 with a little online discount from Sounds Live... and sheezabeaudy! Thick, meaty sound, even on the low B string, and it's the first cab I've had where the tweeter's had any use. It's only on about 20%, but it just adds that little extra sweetness up top without nasty sizzle. Dead chuffed with it, especially cos I've knacked my shoulder and I can't even lift the Vintage at the moment.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='881707' date='Jun 30 2010, 10:47 AM']I just need something which is a one-hand carry for the open-mics and rehearsals when I'm feeling lazy.[/quote] You might be interested in trying my TC Electronic RS112. Just means you have to sling your RH450 in a bag over your shoulder, but it's a much easier carry than the HS210 (only about 13 kg). Makes a lovely noise too. (It's time for a North-East bash, Michael! If you look at my porn thread -- link in sig -- Dave Anderson's offered the John Marley Centre as a potential venue...)

[quote name='mike257' post='881626' date='Jun 30 2010, 09:16 AM']A fat +1 for this. Been using it for a while now, mainly to tune my acoustic guitar at home. It's at least as good as any standalone tuner-with-a-little-mic-on that I've ever owned. Good stuff![/quote] And a big fat +1 for all that.

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='881122' date='Jun 29 2010, 04:41 PM'] [/quote] For some reason, I'd never thought that an aircraft carrier would have windscreen wipers. It seems so... banal.

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' post='880991' date='Jun 29 2010, 02:28 PM']Leading candidates are mxr m80, sansamp bddi, aguilar tone hammer, hartke vxl and the behringer knock offs.[/quote] EBS MicroBass II as well. (I've got the EBS, but I've only had it a couple of weeks and have yet to use it live, so I reserve judgement until I've heard it through a FoH system. That said, it's had a lot of love on here. Preferred by many over the Sansamp offerings.)

[quote name='keeponehandloose' post='880879' date='Jun 29 2010, 12:52 PM']Import a string instument over 50 years old and VAT is about 3 or 4%.[/quote] Really? How? I'm genuinely interested. AFAIK, the UK has three rates of VAT: 17.5%, 5% and 0%. Some clearly-defined items incur only 5% VAT, but I don't see how a string instrument over 50 years old fits into any of those categories of goods. Antiques are rated at 5% VAT, but they have to be at least [b]100[/b] years old. And (again, AFAIK, with the exception of things under the value threshold on import) the rates of VAT applied to an item should be the same regardless of whether they're being imported or being sold within the UK.

[quote name='Doddy' post='880429' date='Jun 28 2010, 10:10 PM']your Dean looks really nice.[/quote] That euphemism's going into immediate use. "Hello, darling. Oh, your Dean looks really nice this evening. Have you trimmed?"

[quote name='DreadAlert' post='880293' date='Jun 28 2010, 08:39 PM']I'm a little bit confused. On my Android Phone I've downloaded the App named: gStrings. Which tunes your stringed instrument whatever it may be. I've been looking at it, listening etc and I can't seem to make sense of how to use it to tune a bass. No matter what I do i'm staying with these across the top: c - c# - d - d# - e - f - f# - g - g# - a - a# - b I've tried listening to E A D G, but the D sounds deeper than the A sound so I'm guessing thats not right. Anyone got any ideas?[/quote] I've got gStrings, so hopefully I can offer a little bit of help. (It's a bloody great tuner, BTW, in case anyone else with an Android phone stumbles this way. Way quicker to track than my little pocket Korg one... although obviously not a patch on the Sonic Research Turbo Tuner. ) Your best bet is to use it as a chromatic tuner and not to bother listening to the pitches. IIRC, you're a complete beginner, so I'll go über-basic here. Simply open it up, press "Tune auto" at the bottom of the screen and play one of your open strings. As long as your bass is loud enough (stick yer phone next to yer amp ), it should pick up whatever note you're playing. The note name (letter) that lights up orange in the top row of letters is the one that's closest to the pitch your phone's hearing. With a bit of luck, that'll be E for your E string (and so on for the others). If the needle's pointing to the left of centre, you're flat, so you need to bring the pitch up. Tighten the string with the tuning peg and play it again. Similarly, if the needle's right of centre, you're sharp and you need to lower the pitch. Loosen the string and play it again*. You're aiming to have the needle pointing straight up, with the appropriate letter lit up orange above it. Your only real issue might occur if a string is flat or sharp enough to drift into the realms of the next semitone either way. If you play the E string but it says D# in the row of letters, you've just got to tighten that string until you get into the E region. Just recognise that as you go from lower pitches to higher pitches, you move along that sequence of letters: c - c# - d - d# - e - f - f# - g - g# - a - a# - b (it then cycles back round to C after the B, but hopefully that won't be of any consequence for you with a 4-string bass -- you shouldn't have any of the strings near a B or C). Hope that helps. [size=1]* In an ideal world (and this can become habit quickly enough), it's best to tune [b]UP[/b] to a note. It helps prevent the tuning gear slipping flat. So if you play a note and you're sharp, loosen it off until you're slightly flat and then tune up.[/size]

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='880183' date='Jun 28 2010, 07:00 PM']I also have 2 kids [/quote] Notice you don't mention the boyfriend too...

[quote name='OldGit' post='878263' date='Jun 26 2010, 04:42 PM']Just leave one of these around to make the Alleva headstock look nice(er) [/quote] I like that [i]way[/i] more than the Alleva headstock.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='878239' date='Jun 26 2010, 04:17 PM']What's that bass that Nate Watts is holding? It looks like a 52" inch neck or something. Or it might just be the ugly giant headstock that makes it look so overgrown.[/quote] [url="http://allevacoppolo.com/artists/nate-watts-artist"]Alleva Coppolo[/url]. 34", and yup, a rank headstock.

[quote name='Legion' post='878210' date='Jun 26 2010, 03:38 PM']That would be the industrial strength Ernie ball straplocks. I like something serious as I often want to shove my bass behind my back when playing the keyboard so its gotta be good for that [/quote] Ah, I haven't seen those actually on an instrument before. They're not messing about, are they? Massive!

[quote name='Clarky' post='878206' date='Jun 26 2010, 03:29 PM']Very nice Jas. The Sadowsky looks lovely with the chrome cover on[/quote] +1 to that, and the fretboard's just looooovely. :wub:

[quote name='Legion' post='878204' date='Jun 26 2010, 03:24 PM']These pictures were just taken for insurance purposes *ahem*[/quote] Sh*t the bed, man... what are you using for straplocks on that Fender? They're like something from Plumb Center!

[quote name='tauzero' post='877511' date='Jun 25 2010, 04:08 PM']Except the Ashbory, of course, that's got silicone strings, but they wouldn't be very successful on a normal bass...[/quote] I'd love to try it though, just for experimentation's sake. They'd have to be seriously thin to get to the right pitch.

I suspect ( :ph34r: ) that you're not after the "Jaco sound", so rounds might be too zingy for you. I love the TI flats on my ACG, but I wasn't keen on them with my StingRay5 (both fretless). The SR5's now sporting a set of Status half-wounds, which sound absolutely superb. Nice mixture of thump and zing, and enough high mid to bring through the mmmwwwaaaaaaaaaahhhh. And they're relatively cheap too (especially compared to the TIs). Bonus! Great as the TIs are, they're relatively low tension and [i]very[/i] flexible. Depending on what you're used to, they might feel like rubber bands under the right hand at first. At the other end of the tension and flexibility scale are the La Bella Deep Talkin' flats. Great feel, but perhaps a little too thumpy and lacking in mids for me. A lot of it depends on the bass and the pickup placement. Given that the Ibanez is a P/J, you've got a fair old range of tones built in there. Experimentation is the key, and if you can find some sets on here that people are giving away (or virtually giving away), that'll cushion some of the unbearable expense of flats. Just for reference: a new 5-string set of TI flats is about £50. But then again, I'll only need a new set every 30 years.

[quote name='BassBunny' post='874427' date='Jun 22 2010, 02:12 PM']If you are adjusting the truss rod to get the correct neck-relief then the strings should be in tune. Only if you are going to remove the adjusting nut altogether should the strings be slackened off or removed. Obviously if you have a neck that has to be removed to make any adjustments, there won't be any strings.[/quote] Having gone through a long series of cheapo instruments (guitars and basses), I've got into the habit of slackening the strings off, making the adjustment and then re-tuning the strings. Check relief (quite often having to leave it overnight to settle); repeat if desired. Reason: cheap instrument = cheap truss rod + adjuster nut thingy. With cheap metal parts like that, I found it better to give the rod less tension to fight against when tightening it. Less chance of stripping the thread or completely reaming out the soft metal of the hex hole into a circle. Same goes for making saddle adjustments. Slacken off, adjust, retighten. Avoids stripping grub screws. (Plus it's pretty difficult to adjust intonation under full tension.)

Seeing as I finally took some pictures the other day, here's my 1993 Music Man StingRay5 fretless. Legend has it (i.e. I've heard this third-hand) that the original pau ferro fingerboard fell apart, so the original owner got it replaced with ebony and had the new board polyester-coated. Also (according to the EBMM forum), it's one of the latest SR5s that Ernie Ball have seen [i]without[/i] a phantom coil. Just a plain ol' humbucker there. Looovely bird's-eye maple neck on this, and I've obviously retrofitted a Hipshot Xtender on the low B, just for those extra-doom drop-A moments. Status half-wounds on this, keeping enough top end for some serious mwaaah, but giving it a touch of flatty thump too. Great strings. And here's my Music Man SUB. It's served me well for many a year, and it always tempts me back after I put it down for a while. Aggressive, thick, meaty... perfect for heavy music. I've taken the hideous pickguard off, and it's strung in fifths, C-G-D-A (bottom to top). I've used the outer four strings from a 5-string set (D'Addario nickel rounds) to keep the tensions sensible, and it works beautifully. Allows me to play ridiculously angular lines, and chords across a couple of octaves in one position.

[quote name='eude' post='870670' date='Jun 18 2010, 12:16 PM']I really found that the playing position shifts a good couple of inches to the right even on Scoop's 34" Skelf (Lazerus). The kinda reverse shape of the Skelf SC makes it a very comfortable bass to play, for shorter "wombat-like" individuals like myself, or maybe even someone who wants to go for a 35", or even a 36" without the added stretch and resultant horrible wrist angle.[/quote] Note as well that there's a good inch (maybe a little more) between the bridge and the heel of the body on my Skelf. Unless there's some major reason why it's a bad idea, that means you could feasibly get the nut even closer to you by setting the bridge further back. (That said, it might start to be uncomfortable to reach that far to the right to play by the bridge when you want a bit more bite.) Not only is the Skelf extremely comfortable... it's also the first bass I've owned that doesn't look ridiculous on me. I mean, I'm not [i]that[/i] small (5' 6"), but the average bass swamps my body. The Skelf just neatly tucks itself out of the way under my right arm and all's well with the world. Actually, Ewan... you know that picture? The one with the pout? Couldn't stick it up here, could you? It's... ahem... a good illustration of the positioning of the Skelf on the strap. [quote name='eude' post='870670' date='Jun 18 2010, 12:16 PM']My next ACG[/quote] I see those words with alarming regularity around here.

[quote name='skelf' post='870654' date='Jun 18 2010, 12:01 PM']Interesting. I have never been able to do that as I don't have a standard type bass to compare it to.[/quote] Send me one of each of your models and I'd be happy to take more shots.

[quote name='aonindy' post='869501' date='Jun 16 2010, 10:02 PM']I'd also really like to see it against another chunk of bass to see the relative size of it ! (can be deceiving these thangs!)[/quote] Right, some quick phone snaps... Skelf vs SR5. As you can see, they're about the same length, top-to-toe: I laid the Skelf on the SR5 so you can get an idea of how the body sizes/shapes compare: And here I lined up the bridge saddles between the two, so there's a fixed reference point: And that roughly illustrates the difference in the way they hang on the strap too. The Skelf sits much more "over to the right", and the fact the strap button's just behind the top of the neck at the 12th fret position helps to bring the neck up and in towards you (and it just sits there -- no neck dive [b]at all[/b]). I'd estimate that although there's only an inch difference in the scale length between the Skelf and the SR5, there's probably a good 2 or 3 inches difference in the position of the nut when they're hanging on the strap. Makes it much more comfortable for me when playing down the bottom end. Hope that helps give you an idea of the size and stuff.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='870168' date='Jun 17 2010, 08:02 PM']I've already got one of those. I wouldn't dare use it at a gig. It's fine when you a got a minute or so to make sure that the bass is properly seated, but I need something where I can drop the bass on and know that its completely safe. Plus the basses I'm using most at the moment are the Gus G3s which have a sculpted back and therefore lean too far back on this stand which shifts the centre of gravity behind the back support.[/quote] Ah, fair dos. I can see the sculpted back would be a problem. Mine are all fairly slabby, so I've never had that trouble.