uncle psychosis

I can't really add much to whats been said already. I had the pleasure of reuniting Jose with his old bass. Top guy to deal with---friendly messages, no hassles. Took the bass round to his house and he kindy spent an hour and a half of his time showing me his gear, letting me try out some different strings (very much appreciated!) and generally chatting bass. I've seen (one of) his band too---well worth checking out if you get the chance!

There's no doubting that image is important to music and to musicians. I definitely think a band that has stage names and stage costumes have more chance of being noticed than a bunch of guys in jeans and tshirts. Of course, you have to have the talent as well---bands who look the part but are crap will always just be a novelty.

Wow. The artwork on that is awesome! Like you say, probably paying for the art rather than the bass though

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1346104953' post='1785452'] I plan to play my Friday gig with it. I hope I see someone looking at the headstock name and turning up their noses because it's not a Fender or something. I love my reverse snobbery, me. [/quote] haha, me too. I used to quite regularly get complements from sound guys when using that bass live---I'm led to believe thats quite rare!!

Glad you're a happy man, Jose. Was really cool to catch up with you and return your baby I love the look of the cream covers. Go for it! Blatant plug alert: If anyone wants to hear what the bass sounds like (albeit compressed and amp sim'd...) in its current incarnation I used it to record my band's "On The Fly" EP. You can hear it here: [url="http://www.supermarionation.co.uk/releases/on-the-fly"]http://www.supermarionation.co.uk/releases/on-the-fly[/url]

Thanks guys. I think I'm gonna go with the .40s and see what happens. Its weird how you get nervous about stupid little things. I used to make high power lasers for a living---a process that was far more complicated and definitely more dangerous than turning an allen key a fraction of a turn---but somehow adjusting my bass is scarier!!

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1346012112' post='1784151'] They'll feel very different because one set are rounds and the other set are flats. Most of the difference in feel will not be because of the difference in gauge but will be because of the difference in construction of the strings. I've never worried about or even much thought about gauges. Also, I've never used DR nor Status strings so I can't help you on the difference between them. But tweaking a truss rod is easy, there are lots of guides to doing it on youtube and elsewhere. [/quote] Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I know flats and rounds physically feel different under the fingers---what I meant was more "in terms of tension and effort to play, how different will they be?". Bah, I hate buying bass strings. For guitars I'm happy trying stuff out 'cos the strings are only £5 a pop, at £20+ a time for bass strings I'm a bit more circumspect!

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1346001143' post='1783968'] What kind of rounds, what kind of flats? Even if the round and the flat G strings are both .40 or both .45, they are unlikely to be the same tension. Gauge alone can't tell you the tension. Expect to tweak the truss rod. [/quote] The rounds are DR--- lo-riders, I think, and the flats are Status. I know its not a particularly tricky job, but it just makes me nervous and I'd prefer not to do it! I'm kind of torn between .40s and .45s anyway, not sure which to go for... how different from .45 rounds will .40 flats feel?

His autobiography is a fascinating read. Can't recommend it enough. I hadn't realised quite how many his he'd produced! Unbelievable talent.

Hey folks. My bass currently has .45 round wounds on it. Thinking about going to .40 flats - do you think this will merit a truss rod tweak? Would I be better sticking with .45?

We used Discwizards for our EP. Really pleased with the result.

Personally I would just introduce a cancellation fee. Draw up a "contract" (doesn't have to be a legal one!) that outlines what you expect from students (ie how much they need to pay you and what the cancellation fee is) and what they can expect from you (ie what they get in return for their cash). My wife was a driving instructor and I think her cancellation fee was 50% of the lesson fee for less than 48hours notice and 100% of the lesson fee for less than 24hours notice. If you introduce a cancellation fee he'll either bugger off of his own accord or will stop messing you about. Either is a win.

[quote name='derrenleepoole' timestamp='1345366348' post='1776590'] I suspect many new bassists have all fallen into the trap of buying bigger and better amps all in the quest for more power, only to realise that it's not necessarily as simple as more watts equalling more power! [/quote] You've demonstrated your own point very well there! More Watts, by definition, does equal more [i]power[/i]. The problem is that it is not straightforward to translate between power and [i]volume[/i], and it becomes even more complicated when you realise that some manufacturers quote RMS power whilst others quote Peak Power. [quote name='D.I. Joe' timestamp='1345420467' post='1777408'] Theoretically, if two identical sound waves are perfectly in phase then the amplitude of the wave doubles and [i]hence the volume is doubled[/i], so two 100w amps should feasibly produce double the volume of one. [/quote] No. Perceived volume does not work like that I'm afraid! Doubling the power output will increase the volume, but not by a factor 2. The rough rule of thumb is that you need ten times as much power to sound twice as loud to the human ear. So a 100W amp is twice as loud as a 10W amp, and a 1000W amp is twice as loud as a 100W one.

[quote name='norvegicusbass' timestamp='1345198242' post='1774794'] I have tried all speeds from say 30-90 percent. It also doesnt allow me to alter the speed or EQ while the mp3 is running so I have to stop it and alter it then restart. [/quote] 90%? I don't think there's any software that will cope at anywhere near that. I typically use between 15-20%. The Tascam "slowdown" practice tools will only go up to 50% and even then I imagine they sound pretty crap at 50%.

I use audacity to slow down tunes all the time and never had problems. How much are you slowing it by?

I have used Allianz in the past, their rates were decent but never claimed from them. I keep meaning to look into New Moon to get my bass covered but I'm not gigging at the moment so the bass never leaves the house.

Just practice practice practice. You might find you get better at it. Mind you, I once spent months trying to sing and play the flute at the same time (it is possible, honest) and didn't get anywhere

[quote name='WalMan' timestamp='1343825698' post='1755820'] You did mean astronomer didn't you!? [/quote] The only difference between astrology and astronomy is that astrology makes testable predictions

[quote name='benebass' timestamp='1344374588' post='1763749'] I agree - the single pickup version looks a lot better... [/quote] Thats much better but still not quite right...

I want to like that but I think its hideous.

[quote name='hairyhaw' timestamp='1344195282' post='1761112'] My bold - Victor Morris. Really really dodgy shop - the PA/music gear was all second hand (i.e probably stolen and sold on). In fact the only new stuff they stocked was the knives and crossbows. WTF would you need a crossbow for in the centre of Glasgow? Dealing with the grey squirrels in Kelvingrove Park - I remain unconvinced. Was quite pleased when they closed, but then realised that they were just consolidating their dodgy gear in the Guitar Store just up the street, which they also owned - Doh! [/quote] Horrible shop. Glad they've closed. Really don't care for the Guitar Store either. Never been made to feel very welcome in it.

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1344201313' post='1761265'] Au contraire, I saw Motorhead twice at The Barrowlands & had to go thru metal-detectors both times. Most of the fans were pissing themselves laughing since the studs & rings etc were setting them off on every person. [/quote] I'd forgotten about the Barrowlands having metal detectors, right enough. Some of the pubs in the East End are totally nuts but there are places like that all over the UK. You'd probably be out of your mind to go into a dodgy looking pub anywhere in the country!

[quote name='GarethFlatlands' timestamp='1344161934' post='1760462'] I've played Glasgow a few times, we always end up parking the van in the big car park by the 13th note and checking out the little guitar shop and cafe/record shop immediately opposite. I had a wander round last time and couldn't tell you where I went but I was suprised at how cool Glasgow was. Never trust stereotypes! Really nice city and Scotland in general is very cool. I was going to go on holiday there but bought some new music gear instead. [/quote] Glasgow is awesome and definitely doesn't (entirely) deserve the reputation. As someone who grew up in Glasgow, I can honestly say that I've had far hairier moments in places like Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, Leeds than I ever had at home in Glasgow. In Manchester they had police on the night buses and in Nottingham I went through a metal detector to get into a night club---both of which are unheard of in supposedly "scary" Glasgow!!

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1344041442' post='1759183'] Anyone got any thoughts on vintage pedals are good enough to put on a modern pedalboard? [/quote] As with many things, the answer is "depends on the pedal". Some vintage pedals sound better than the modern ones (slightly different circuits, slightly different components), some sound just the same, some probably sound worse. I wouldn't buy a pedal just because it was "vintage"---I'd buy it 'cos I liked the sound, regardless of age.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1344009148' post='1758696'] Good point about the cost of competitive bikes, which have a serious hi-tech element to them these days. Can anyone think of other olympic sports that require such expensive equipment? I know that canoe slalom boats are mostly carbon fibre these days but I don't think they are anywhere near the price of the bikes. My lad has a hand-built carbon kayak but it was less than £1000. Shotguns can be ridiculously expensive if hand-built, but the money goes into the engraving and carving - they don't actually shoot any better than a £500 model, so it's not really an entry barrier into the sport. Archery perhaps? Some of those bows look very fancy, but I don't know how much they cost. [/quote] The horsey stuff costs a fortune. The horses are worth a fortune, then there's all the upkeep costs. And I think the cost of transporting the horses across the globe for an olympics reaches millions. I think many of the riders don't own their horses, they borrow them from people who can afford to keep them!