maxrossell

[quote name='Kongo' post='665836' date='Nov 26 2009, 03:17 AM']Sorry but this is just too funny...How would they even get wind of Gibson using illegal wood? A copper bought an SG and though...hey! This wood looks like it hasn't been paid for... LOL!!! Someone has TOO much spare time! But it IS a funny story...seized guitars to check for smuggled wood...HOW WOULD YOU KNOW!? LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL![/quote] It's actually pretty simple, they will have had some indication from customs that illegal wood was being imported and that Gibson was realistically a potential customer. As for how they'd know, they'd just take a sample and stick it under a microscope. Any expert worth his salt would be able to tell the difference between legal and illegal woods because they have a distinct structure, even two trees of the same species but from different regions. And if it wasn't clear from sight then chemical tests would reveal it fairly clearly. There are more than fifteen different types of mahogany, for instance, and they're all different on a cellular level.

I'm just curious as to what people reckon to him, because I don't think I've ever seen him mentioned on here. I know that fans of maybe more technical or solo-oriented bassists might find him to be nothing special, but for me he's a really great bass player, he has a really good groove, a really expressive and interesting way of playing, and he's brought fretless into an area of rock where it doesn't normally get much airtime. Also he's a great musician, he's written some of my favourite tracks by the band. (He's the bass player out of Pearl Jam, by the way.)

[quote name='MythSte' post='656751' date='Nov 17 2009, 10:21 AM']I'll still offer my temping duties if you need them maxiboy.[/quote] Cheers dude, I might just take you up on that if we don't get a cable-twanger sorted sharpish. (It's still my masterplan to steal you from your band, bwahahahahahah)

[quote name='Ergon Oli' post='664262' date='Nov 24 2009, 08:04 PM']Now then. Only recently joined this forum but thought its worth a try in my pursuit of new folk to play with. I have been playing for 13 years, toured a lot and recorded and released quite a bit with my previous bands, [url="http://www.myspace.com/narcosisgrind"]Narcosis [/url]and [url="http://www.myspace.com/atavist"]Atavist[/url]. Currently playing in [url="http://www.myspace.com/rocklikeergon"]The Ergon Carousel[/url] but fancy having a go at something else as well. I am pretty open to all styles of music so don't let the heavy nature of my previous bands put you off. I can't read music but have a good ear, full rig and my own transport. Just really interested in trying my hand at some other stuff if there is anyone interested out there? Cheers.[/quote] Hey dude, Whereabouts in the North are you? I'm in a Preston-based band and we're looking for a bass player. Would that be out of your way? Also, we sound a bit like Pearl Jam, so not at all what you've been doing with your other bands, but if you're interested, give me a shout. Cheers!

[quote name='leebass69' post='638414' date='Oct 27 2009, 08:11 PM']Now then! I've been in cover only bands for some time, not long since left one so I'm looking to start or be involved in something new. I'm into Mr Big, Muse, Living Colour, some Metallica, some Chili's so you've an idea there, ideally something that sounds bluesy, dynamic and tight. Well...in an ideal world that is. Currently in Preston Lancs but will travel for the right kinda thing. Cheers chaps and chapesses, Lee.[/quote] Lee! How did I miss this! You've got a PM mate. Cheers!

Hi guys. I'm just wondering if anyone knows of a 19" rack USB audio interface that has fewer than eight inputs. Cheers!

[quote name='spacecowboy' post='662298' date='Nov 23 2009, 12:29 AM']Hey mate, I recently bought some white pick up covers from a company called CH Guitars on Ebay, they have white, cream, black. Delivered the next day and cost about £5-£6 i have recently passed them on to another member of the forum but they were decent quality and fit perfectly over the stock pups! you can see them in my avatar on my Squire VMJ! Sharp![/quote] That's spot on mate, cheers. It was actually seeing your avatar that made me click, I'm doing the refin in olly white with a black pickguard, so I thought why not try white pup covers with it!

Hey hey, I'm redoing my Squier Std Jazz and I'm wondering if you guys know where I can find suitable white or cream covers for the stock pickups. Cheers!

[quote name='JPS' post='662102' date='Nov 22 2009, 08:41 PM']What's the easiest way to make home recordings/demos? I'm not looking to record ground breaking, professional studio quality tracks, just mess around with a few half-arsed and half-baked ideas when the inspiration bites. Ideally I want to be able to record bass, guitar (electric and acoustic) and vocals live. I'd also need some sort of programmable drum kit + other instruments e.g. piano. Last time I even attempted to record any songs was about 15 years ago using a bum basic 4 track. I've looked at a few different types of software e.g. Protools, Cubase and Cakewalk. Money is very tight and it's purely for fun so I don't need 64 tracks and 34 different types of compression. Any suggestions would be greatly welcomed, Oh and the easier and more intuitive to use the better as I'm a bit of a techophobe. Thanks JPS.[/quote] Reaper is just about the best free multitrack DAW you can get, and it comes loaded with enough plugins to get started with. It also supports MIDI, which you'll need for drums. For drums I recommend EZ drummer, it's very intuitive and quite straightforward. Most good piano VSTis are quite expensive, and the free ones are usually terrible, but I'm sure you'll find something to suit your budget if you look around. If you want to record several tracks live I'd recommend some sort of USB audio interface. Something like this: [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/80721"]http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/80721[/url] It has MIDI inbuilt so you can plug your MIDI keyboard in, and it has four audio inserts, and you can monitor through it as well. All of these things come with a learning curve that you might find a bit steep to begin with, but once you click you'll be on your way with no issues. I'd say to get yourself set up with the most basic multitrack studio and still get something worthwhile, without pirated software, you're probably looking at a starting setup cost of about £300.

I agree, that's a mess. Even if the tuners were original, which they aren't, the neck's been ruined with an additional string retainer. What a waste.

[quote name='beerdragon' post='661934' date='Nov 22 2009, 05:12 PM']I like the look of this but i wonder what the body was before. and i'm not sure about the slapping and tugging bit. it's just a hole in the scratchplate isn't it, or am i missing something. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-bass-telecaster-USA-Warmoth-badass-hipshot-drop_W0QQitemZ280426161948QQcategoryZ4713QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4012.m8QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DMW%26itu%3DUCC%26otn%3D15%26po%3DLCA%26ps%3D4"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-bass-telecast...%3DLCA%26ps%3D4[/url][/quote] I dunno. I assume it's like those basses that have channels carved into them just before the end of the neck so you have more space to get your popping finger under the strings. Not sure what real difference 3mm of pickguard would make though, unless you have stupidly low action.

[quote name='henry norton' post='661953' date='Nov 22 2009, 05:35 PM']If you've already got dots on the board I'd go for maple - dots on their own might look a bit weird. If there are no dots then I would fill the lines with rosewood, ebony , walnut, or any wood that's dark enough to not show from a distance but will still give you lines up close. Edit: There's not much point arseing around with colouring and applying epoxy if you only want to fill the fret slots, wood's quicker, easier to finish and will have the same wear characteristics as the fingerboard. Even if you wanted an epoxied board, I'd still fill the slots with wood.[/quote] That's a very good point about the dots, that hadn't occurred to me at all. Thanks for your advice, I think I'll be going with maple.

In your opinion what's the best material to use for filling frets? At the moment I'm torn between getting visible lines made out of maple or something (it's been a while since I owned a fretless) or just having epoxy fillings stained the same colour as the neck. What do you reckon?

I think it depends on the slapping technique, really, as well as the genre of music. I'd say that for heavy, dumb rock slap where you're really going for that big clank clank sound, you'll probably want a middling action, whereas for quicker, more "refined" stuff like jazz-funk you can probably get away with a lower action (which will also help with faster left-hand stuff anyway, complex slap patterns are hard enough without having to put entra strength into fretting everything so it doesn't buzz out). Technique-wise, as others have said, you'll need to scoop the mids out a bit, crucially because slapping sounds better towards the middle of the string and it can get muddy up there, but accordingly you can get lots of tonal variation if you move your hand back towards the bridge. I guess it'll also depend on how much stuff you have under your strings. My bassist a couple of bands ago wanted to learn how to slap and pop but found it really difficult because he had two great big soapbars, and the neck one was right under where he would have scooped the strings for a pop, so he had to move his hand back and couldn't get a comfortable thumb angle. Personally I prefer passive J-type pickups for a slap sound, because they're not as in-your-face as actives or humbuckers, but that's just me.

As others have said, get a picture of the back of the neck near the body. It'll say Crafted in Japan or Made in Japan. And ask him why the tone knob doesn't match the volume knobs.

[quote name='BT!' post='661398' date='Nov 21 2009, 10:46 PM']so my friends asked me if he can buy my jazz from me. but ive no idea what to give him as a price ebay seems to say anything between 200-300. it could do with a set up and is a 1998 model. anyone think of an ideal price?[/quote] Current new retail is around 400, so anywhere between half and two thirds of that is reasonable depending on the condition. If he's a good friend, do him a mate's rate. And then he'll owe you a bit of a favour.

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='660409' date='Nov 20 2009, 05:56 PM']Hence it looks like Oxblood![/quote] Oh right! Yeah, I guess so, although in real life it's a bit redder than on the picture. I thought you meant the Jeff Beck "Oxblood" signature model.

My guitar player and I are looking at sorting out a pub-rock standards set because we've been offered some fairly serious revenue from it. What do you guys think are good rock standards of the sort that your average pub audience (and crucically pub landlords) will want to hear, and that could be pulled off well with two acoustics and one vocal?

[quote name='Metalmoore' post='660178' date='Nov 20 2009, 02:28 PM']Gotta love all those blue guitars :wub: The two basses look AMAZING. I am wanting to go for something in between those two basses with the light blue going out to that darker blue with a black edge but i don't want a thick black edge like how the second bass has got a really thin black edge. This is one of my plan's for this so far: Spray the Trans blue on the whole body, then make a template of the body similar to [url="http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/burst.htm"]this[/url] and using the same technique but with a much smaller template and spray more of the Trans blue to build up a darker blue then using another template the full size of the body again like the above link and spray a thin black edge. My other plan would be this: Using a template do the black edges first then go over the whole body with the Trans blue. I think the Trans blue over the black overspray would just make the Trans blue look darker. Any feedback would be great. @ ezbass: not thought about a matching headstock but am now that you've brought it up. iirc the neck i have has some nice grain on the headstock so it might look real nice. @ maxrossell: cheers for the advice, it is my second refin but i am pretty confident about it. But i have decided just to use Trans blue and black and i am going to contact the guy from Manchester guitar tech to see if he knows hows dark the Trans blue gets once a fair amount of coats over it as i think Trans blue then black would be odd and rather have a light to darker Trans blue then black similar to Brave sir robins second bass he posted[/quote] As the guy from Manchester Guitar Tech says, the trans colours will intensify as you apply more coats, so you could apply a light coat in the middle and then more coats to get a more intense blue as you go out towards the black edge. Then for the matching headstock you could do it in a uniform trans blue to match the "in-between" colour. Also, when you do the black edges, watch out for "speckling" on the fade. Either way, best of luck with your project and I really look forward to seeing it when it's done.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='660170' date='Nov 20 2009, 02:22 PM']I have a really good MIM and I have just bought a VMJ so I'm hoping to do a bit of a comparison review.[/quote] That would be cool, I'll look forward to reading that.

[quote name='yituool' post='659428' date='Nov 19 2009, 05:04 PM']Apparently Trace Elliots like mine are rated extremely low for some reason, so 130 watts of Trace sounds more like 250-300W if it was rated by anyone else. I just wondered how true this was, and see how much power I could squeeze out of the amp. And apparently if I did get another speaker cabinet it would need to be like a single 10-12" speaker, which I can't find anywhere cheaper, or else the speakers would be imbalanced or something like that. I haven't been playing that long, so I have a very limited knowledge when it comes to this stuff. Thanks very much for your advice though [/quote] No worries. I would say that if you want to get the full beans out of your Trace head then you're gonna need a suitable ext. cab for that. As Moos3h suggested 15" Black Widows are cheap-as and come up all the time. I wouldn't worry too much about speaker imbalance as long as you leave a little spread between the amp and the cab. It's a compromise but it'll be worth it if you're looking for extra volume. And you'll "feel" a 15" cab more than a 10".

[quote name='markdavid' post='660156' date='Nov 20 2009, 02:05 PM']My Ibanez SR505 has a nice slim neck not a huge neck at all , thats why my next bass (which will be another 5 string) will also be an Ibanez[/quote] Sure. But you gotta admit even the thinnest 5s have a substantial neck when compared to even the fattest 4s. I own a pretty slim-necked 5 myself and it's still quite a bit bigger than the biggest 4-string Precision I've ever played, especially when you go up the neck. [quote name='markdavid' post='660161' date='Nov 20 2009, 02:12 PM']It depends what Squier , the classic vibe models are easily better than most Mexican Standard Fenders and IMO makes me wonder if it isn't the Mex Fenders that should have the Squier logo .[/quote] Again, agreed. With Mexes you have to shop around a lot if you want to find one that compares well to the CVs, and even the Standard Squiers are good for the money. But I'd still take a good Mex over the majority of Squiers.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='660116' date='Nov 20 2009, 01:31 PM']Screw reversal kit.[/quote] This. Although if the screw is soft it may not work all that well. You might have to drill it out.

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='660065' date='Nov 20 2009, 12:47 PM']Is that an Oxblood Standard? mmmmmmmm[/quote] I wish. No, on the Oxblood it's just a single wraparound bridge/tailpiece. This is a 1991 Les Paul Standard, stock apart from the Grover tuners and the missing pup covers. It's actually a wine-red plaintop, but it's so dark it looks almost black under most lights. I love it to bits and I'd put it next to a '59 RI for tone. Bold, I know, but it's that good.

[quote name='bubinga5' post='659827' date='Nov 20 2009, 03:31 AM']What exactly is the reason you like vintage gear..would like to know the exact reasons for this preference to older gear....is it the sound of an old valve amp, the (i hate this word) Mojo of an early bass...[/quote] I think it's two things (which ultimately I suppose are the same thing). I think firstly I like the feel of older instruments, the way they look and the way they play. I think their flaws add the their character, and to me what makes a good old guitar harder to play is also what brings out more personality in your playing. You take a Les Paul, it's heavy, a bit unwieldy, it isn't really comfort-contoured and if you play it hard you can even end up cutting your hands - that to me adds an intensity to your playing that you don't get from a slim, lightweight superstrat where you can barely feel the thing when you're playing it. It's the same with amps and effects and stuff. It seems to me that with older stuff you have to work harder to find sweet spots, but when you find them they're better than anything, whereas with more modern stuff it all works fine across the board, but the trade-off is that you don't get any sweet spots (Line6 gear is a good example of this). I think on the whole what I'm saying is that old stuff (good old stuff, I mean) is a challenge to use, but is so much more rewarding when you get it right, whereas modern stuff is far less challenging but doesn't give you anywhere near the same kind of satisfaction. For instance, one of my guitar players owns a Mesa Dual Rec, one of the latest ones, and it's a real plug-in-and-go amp. Three channels, each with three gain settings, and individual gain, EQ and master, and you can't really get a bad sound out of it. But the trade-off is that there aren't really any amazing sounds in there either. It's actually a pretty boring amp. My Marshall Vintage Modern, on the other hand, is a pretty basic single-channel amp, and if you don't know your way around it then it'll most likely sound awful - but once you get to the sweet spots it makes the Mesa (an amp four times the price) look like dogs*** by comparison. Okay, so the VM is actually newer than the Mesa, but it's a revamp of a design that's been around since the sixties.