uncle psychosis

http://www.nature.com/news/rhythm-is-heard-best-in-the-bass-1.15481?WT.mc_id=TWT_NatureNews Well, maybe best for keeping rhythm :-)

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1404123924' post='2489417'] Every amp colours the sound in different ways irrespective of where the tone knobs are set. If they didn't then we'd all be using the same make of amp. [/quote] This. I *always* start with the amp "flat" and then tweak it until it sounds good. I have no preconceptions about boosted mids or whatever, what works one one amp in one room with one band won't work in another, on another, with another.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1402949429' post='2478266'] We would drain them, let them dry, assisted with hairdryers, and clean the circuit boards with a toothbrush and meths. Dry your stuff out, and scrub any residue with a toothbrush and meths. Dry 'em again; repeat until clean. Spray KF F2 (contact cleaner for pots...) into any pots or switches. Dry again and try your luck. Unless it was really not your day, I'd say they'll work again, but their resale value would be quite reduces, as any leftover gunk could cause intermittent niggly problems later. [/quote] This would have been my advice.

Some generic pedal types that spring to mind are : Bitcrushers Harmonisers Specific pedals: Zvex Machine (this is a fuzz/distortion but a very unique one) Earthquaker Devices Rainbow Machine (this is a combination of lots of things which makes it sound pretty unique). Your "normal" list is also missing EQ, tremolo, and delay, and "whammy" should probably be called "pitch shifting" to make it more generic.

Wouldn't an EQ do what you want?

I love that. My wife is really good at decoupage, I've been half thinking about doing something similar for a while...

One of the best things about Fenders/Squiers is that pretty much every music shop on the planet now has a reasonable selection of both. Get out there and try loads, one will speak to you

"when a tone pot dies" sounds like a good name for a Jazz ballad

Nice. Love the white PJ. What is it?

Very nice indeed. Can we have some more info about it other than just the (lovely) photos?

[quote name='mark_random' timestamp='1402317977' post='2472004'] Hi guys. Mark from GAK here. Thanks for the (mostly) great feedback. @damonjames - Drop me an email at [email protected] with your order number. I'll have a look at what's been going on and see why you've had poor communication from us. As for the issue of delivery to Scotland, I've been aware if this for a while and have been pushing to get this standardised with the rest of mainland UK. As of today (thanks to the power of Basschat) [b]we're now offering free delivery to Scotland on any purchase over £99![/b] Good work everyone. If you've got any more feedback that you think might be useful either leave it here, DM me or email me directly at the address above. [/quote] Hooray, top work. Next time I'm ordering something I'll check you guys out. Thanks Mark

[quote name='gadgie' timestamp='1402284983' post='2471661'] Don't quote me on this, but I think there is only 3dB difference between a 50w and 100w valve head. [/quote] So having a 100W valve head isn't a problem then [quote]I think 30w is plenty loud enough as well even if you want 'clean' Now I'm talking guitar here not bass. I'm surprised by the amount of guitarists that don't know to knock back the volume on their guitar to clean up their sound. I once played in a band with a guy that changed his amp loads of times in the past because he couldn't get a clean tone. I asked him to knock back on the guitar....no problem.[/quote] Turning the volume down on a guitar changes the sound in a different way to turning the master volume on the amp down. If you use pedals then it can make even more difference. At the risk of repeating myself, 100W amps turned down to sensible levels sound different to low wattage amps running at the same volume (and many, many people prefer the tone of the louder amps in this scenario). Bass players need to stop obsessing over the wattage of guitarists amps. Its irrelevant. What matters is how loud your guitarist is actually running the amp. Arbitrarily insisting that "30W is always enough for a guitarist" is as stupid as a guitarist insisting that "you don't need a bass amp at all, just DI it into the PA".

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1402258456' post='2471478'] Bloody hell, they take themselves seriously don't they. Just send them a text or email saying 'Have I got the gig?'. If they um and arr then tell them you're not interested (unless you really need the cash). They sound like they may be numpties. [/quote] I couldn't disagree more. They're a functions band who are gigging nearly every week. Of course they're going to take hiring a new bass player seriously.

Could be they offered it to someone else, could be that they just wanted to have a good think about it. Either way, I think its a good thing they've asked you back in. Sounds like they are keen, but want to make absolutely sure you're the right guy. Also means you get another chance to scope them out. Good luck!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1402230489' post='2471140'] A good drummer should be able to play at any volume level and bass players and guitarists should be able to get their sound without being stupid loud, too. I can't think of one single situation where a guitarist would need more than thirty valve watts. 100W guitar stacks are just unnecessary. [/quote] Not this old chestnut again. There's no such thing as inappropriate wattage---only inappropriate volume---and most modern 100W amps have a master volume anyway. More importantly, a lot of people prefer the sound of a high wattage amp, even when running at the same [i]volume[/i] as a smaller wattage amp. A 100W amp running at 20-30% volume often sounds better than a 30W amp running at 70% volume (or whatever). Plus, if you want a genuinely clean sound at gig volumes then its often necessary to go big. And, as a final point, 100W isn't all that much louder than 30W anyway. In short: ignore what the W rating of the amp is. The W is irrelevant. Its the actual volume which is the issue.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1402221007' post='2471018'] This pops up from time to time and seems to be something GAK can't seem to shake off. I can't recommend them highly enough. Knowledgable staff, excellent service and after sales support. I do find the Scotland thing a little strange and I'm going to look I into that one. I suspect that might be something that's bounced down from the courier they use. [/quote] It probably is courier dependent but I've been buying things on the Internet for fifteen years and GAK are literally the only people who've ever wanted to charge me extra for living in Edinburgh.

GAK have an utterly ludicrous policy with regards shipping to Scotland (the "free shipping over £99“ policy they have splashed all over their website doesn't apply for addresses anywhere in Scotland). I wanted to buy a zoom b3. Postage from thomann (in Germany) to anywhere in the UK? About £7. Postage from GAK to Newcastle? Free. Postage from GAK to Edinburgh? £13.39! Funnily enough I voted with my feet!

Hohner B2. / Steinberger Spirit

Check out Pressurewounds. The ones GHS do are particularly good.

I think at that price and those tunings he'd be better off getting a four string and tuning it with the lowest four strings from a five string set.

On guitar I prefer single coils, but for bass I appear to be a humbucker man!

I'd do it, but only if the result was going to be something interesting. An otherwise off-the-shelf bass with no added features other than a different finish or something equally trivial wouldn't interest me. So basically it would depend on what my "bass of choice" at the time was!

Choosing not to have a Facebook page for a band in 2014 seems like madness to me.

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1401443539' post='2463609'] A poor move by a company that appears to be in trouble. They have a popular, high profile brand but don't seem to know how to make the most of it. I can't see how bringing in 2 people that could [b]potentially put people off the brand[/b] and aren't synonymous with the company will help. [/quote] And could potentially attract people too. U2 aren't one of the world's biggest bands for nothing. For each of the weirdos who won't buy Fender because two of U2 are on the board there'll be another weirdo who is attracted to Fender because two of U2 are on the board. Most people will be normal about it and will judge the instruments on their own merits, not who the board of directors are.

Bargain. The padded bag and spare strings are probably worth the best part of £35 on their own!