flyfisher

Unless the bass is bare wood then I wouldn't be too worried about it soaking up loads of moisture. I'd be more concerned about abrupt temperature changes when moving from an air-conditioned house to an outside gig and back again. The resulting tension changes on the strings (expecially when going back indoors) will likely put far more strain on the neck than the actual humidity of the place. But I guess the local musicians must deal with it so it might be worth asking them when you get out there.

[quote name='TimR' post='976377' date='Oct 3 2010, 08:14 PM']This is getting to be a familiar story here. I really believe that studying the arrangments, forms, and bass lines of hundreds of other people's tunes is the best way to learn. It does frustrate me that playing covers is seen as selling out as opposed to a valuable learning experience. I wish I had learned that before I started playing in originals bands. If I wasn't in a covers band I don't know that I would have had the patience or motivation to learn (study) a high proportion of those tunes. I hated the Beatles tunes with a vengance but I had to learn them, once learned they're a little bit more enjoyable. They pack the dance floors and at least I now know why. In the past I would have asked "What's the appeal of Get Back?"[/quote] +1 (except hating Beatles tunes with a vengence ) And didn't The Beatles, not to mention countless other bands, hone their craft playing (mainly) covers? That way, musicians develop the experience and skill to do any subsequent originals real justice.

The thread title is a good question and, given the range of tone controls available on most bass amps these days, I sometimes wonder myself. Seems to me that the very primitive tone control on most basses is just a historical throwback to the early days when bass amps provided less flexible tone shaping. So the answer to the original question must be no, it's not essential. Indeed, in that seemingly never-ending seach for the 'perfect tone', a simple RC filter starts to look pathetically puny when faced with multi-band tone control on the bass amp plus a multi-band graphic equaliser pedal or even a full-on DSP-powered amp-modelling wonderbox.

I suspect TimR was referring to MCBs in the consumer unit rather than every plug or device - an example of where technology advances can be incorporated into updated regs and replace rather imprecise fusewire and minimise consumer error at the same time.

So the UK has the safest electrical regs in the world because of fused plugs? As I said, there are lots of ways of implementing such things. If fused plugs were the best idea since sliced bread, why have they not caught on around the world? I understand your attachment to the regs but how are you going to handle a change to new regs that don't require fuses in plugs at all, which would harmonise us with the rest of Europe and pretty much all non-former-British-Empire countries?

[quote name='ironside1966' post='975401' date='Oct 2 2010, 08:44 PM']So for a gig like the prodigy where you want the sound to be felt as well as heard and by blots of big speaker he probably means the enclosure not the drivers[/quote] Nope, he's definitely referring to the driver sizes, although that will of course also mean a big enclosure. Here's a bit more on the 'infras' . . . [i]"They're a triple 21-inch; a cardioid box with two forward-facing 21-inch speakers and one rear-facing 21-inch speaker"[/i] I guess that's a big speaker in all senses of the word.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='975392' date='Oct 2 2010, 08:32 PM']I suppose you could argue that an oversize 13A is better than no protection at all though too? And like I said most of these other countries dont use 32A ring mains so its normally 16A at the wall socket which is already half the problem we have but in this country we like our gadgets so we would need lot of radial circuits with fewer outlets on them to use all the equipment in the kitchen alone.Some electricians have adopted this now but everytime you run a radial its more cost as the breaker with combined RCBO is around £25 over a fiver for an MCB 10 of those in a large house and you are £200 out of pocket for a start. So its not that clear cut really is it?[/quote] No, it's not, which sounds like the very thing you were complaining about when you said [i]"The other problem is even the rulebook guys cant decide on a lot of these problems"[/i] Isn't the fact of the matter that there are many ways to design and implement an electrical distribution system? Each has their own pros and cons. Later implementations can incorporate knowledge gained from earlier implementations, together with taking advantage of new technology that didn't exist at the time of the original implementations. That's the world the design engineer inhabits and has to deal with, armed only with an understanding of the underlying science. They don't have a set of regulations to tell them what to do, they have to figure it out for themselves, then write the regulations for the technicians to follow. As you say, horses for courses.

I think you may have missed my point. I wasn't looking for a recital of the actual regs, more of an explanation about the merits of different regs in different countries and who would be the best sort of person to ask. Although, you probably answered it anyway. Personally, I would suggest that the whole fuse thing is ridiculous anyway and is, I think, a feeling reflected in many of the changes to the regs over the years. Whatever we may think of qualifications, I think we could agree that it's poor design to rely on end-users having any level of electrical knowledge in order to safely use an appliance. Giving Joe Public a fused mains lead is a wrongly-rated fuse waiting to happen. So why bother in the firstplace? This seems to be something that most countries of the world seem to have figured out and I'm amazed its taking the UK so long to figure this out. Perhaps that's why an electrican's qualifications are not quite as globally recognised as an engineers' ?

I know what you mean, but I'd like to think a band like The Prodigy could afford rather more than an idiot as their live sound engineer. Fair point about the audibility of the 'infra' subwoofers, and I guess that's implicit in the name, but I'm sure they add to the overall physical experience.

[quote name='Bobby K' post='965435' date='Sep 23 2010, 11:35 AM']Well, I was convinced that I'd knackered my tone pot with too much solder iron heat after first doing the job. This was after trying to unsolder the blob on top of it, having the iron on the pot for ages before realising it wasn't hot enough (but still heating up the pot!)[/quote] That's an important point when soldering. It can be as important to use a large iron as a small one when the circumstances dictate. It's not really a question of temperatureas such, but heat capacity. A small iron with a small bit will actually be cooled down by applying it to a large bit of cold metal, like a pot casing for example. For such things, you need an iron with enough thermal capacity so it won't cool when applied to large items such as pot cases and some connectors and will enable you to make the soldered joint quickly enough to remove the iron before the entire piece of metal gets too hot. But don't try to use such an iron to replace a surface-mounted component!

If, as you say, the rulebook guys can't decide on such things then how can anyone qualified and experienced in applying the rules be so certain of things? As you rightly say, domestic earthing regulations have changed over the years, so a person qualified and experienced in one edition of the wiring regs could be fairly accused of being completely wrong by another person qualified and experienced in the latest wiring regs. Even though the underlying science won't have changed. Anyway, the whole fuse thing is particularly entertaining when most countries in the world don't even have fused plugs in the first place. So does that make us more primitive or more advanced in terms of electrical safety and who would you ask to get the answer? The guys that write the rulebooks or the guys that are qualified to read them?

Next up, a Japanese, cross-dressing, bass-player . . . . .

Or replace my 1x15 with one of those triple-21s perhaps?

A fascinating and entertaining exchange and one I've seen similarly repeated over many years in the IT/electronics industry when engineers and technicians have, er, differences of opinions. The amusing thing was that the technicians didn't usually understand the science but knew the 'rulebook' whereas the engineer was often the other way around. At no time did anyone really consider who actually writes these rulebooks and regulations and who has to follow them. Much like MSL's comment above that he hasn't a clue about PAT testing even though he is actually qualified. Anyway, such debates rarely ended in total agreement and usually fizzled out as the protagonists became bored. Deja vu really.

According to Jon Burton, The Prodigy's chief live sound engineer: [quote]"There’s a lot to be said for having large amounts of loudspeakers, and big loudspeakers make proper bass noise. There’s no way you can get a good bass sound out of a small speaker, it just doesn’t work.”[/quote] The full article is in the October edition of Sound On Sound magazine and gives more details about his liberal use of 18-inch subs and, in case that's not quite enough, his use of triple 21-inch 'infra' subwoofers to handle the 15-50Hz frequencies. Might as well ditch my 2x10 cab then.

[quote name='Twigman' post='973812' date='Oct 1 2010, 12:26 PM']So many of you play in covers bands, in fact it seems to me that all of you do!!! What is the appeal of playing in a covers band? I've never understood it. I've always played in a band that writes and performs its own material - very very very rarely have we ever thrown a cover into our set and I always felt it was a pointless exercise. Does anyone here, apart from me, play in a band that writes its own material?[/quote] You might as well ask what's the appeal of the entire acting profession. As someone said earlier, good music is good music and people like to see it performed - or do you only listen to music you've written yourself? Live performances of classical music is largely dependent on 'cover bands', or orchestras as we tend to call them, and 'cover bands' keep alive all the wealth of music from long-dead bands and/or musicians. Anyway, there's no right or wrong here. There are plenty of bands - covers and/or originals - and there are plenty of people who choose to watch them play. I can't see the problem.

I collected a subwoofer, effects unit and an 11m snake from Andy yesterday. He [u]really[/u] knows and takes care of his stuff - the effects unit had all the original packaging & docs and even the snake was in a small aluminium case. Thanks Andy . . . although that sub was a b*gg*r to lift out of the car on my own.

[quote name='ead' post='972335' date='Sep 30 2010, 08:37 AM']Pardon my general ignorance but what gear actually requires PAT testing? Is it just the kettle leads that plug into the outside world or is it every amp/active piece of kit? [/quote] PAT = [b]Portable[/b] Applicance Testing [i]"The National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers (napit) define a portable appliance as 'any electrical item which can or is intended, to be moved whilst connected to an electrical supply."[/i] That quote is from: [url="http://www.pat-testing.info/appliance.htm"]http://www.pat-testing.info/appliance.htm[/url]. There is is a lot more info on that website, including the legal background to the requirements. I like the idea of asking the venue for their "IEE Wiring Regulations Fixed installations examinations". Seems like a fair exchange; they're asking for proof that your equipment is safe to use on their premises, so why not ask them for proof that their electrical system is safe to power your equipment?

I've used a miniDV digital camcorder with a Rode VideoMic and, providing you stay back from the PA then the results are not too bad - certainly good enough to review the performance and probably OK for YouTube, but not really for a quality promo. If you're handy with video editing packages then a fixed (tripod) position longshot together with a roving camcorder for closeups etc can be effective. Use the audio from the longshot cam and insert closeups as appropriate. Tell the roving camera to record continuously, even when moving position and setting up shots, so that it will also record a complete soundtrack, which will be invaluable for syncing the insert shots. Then just cut back to the longshot during the times the roving camera is moving about for the next shot. Be careful about the tripod for the longshot cam though - it's best to have someone 'guarding' it to ensure it isn't knocked over or hurts someone. The sound desk can be a good place for the longshot cam, depending on the venue layout. It's best if you can have someone to be fully in charge of videoing. The band will be busy setting up their own gear and worrying about video cameras is probably a distraction they could do without.

[quote name='Alfie' post='969322' date='Sep 27 2010, 12:10 PM']I don't think its unreasonable to dictate what type of instrument to play if it is integral to the concept of the band. People forget that being in a band is a visual performance as much as an musical one. If three-quarters of a band are trying to present a beaten-up vintage concept and the other quarter is totally different it will undermine the whole idea of the band and look ridiculous. Some bands don't care about the visuals and that's cool, some care very much about the visuals and that is also cool, it's pointless arguing about it.[/quote] +1 Imagine auditioning for (say) the Bootleg Beatles without a violin bass.

The two cabs will present 2.7 ohms to the amp. If it's a 4 ohm amp it won't be happy. What will actually happen depends on how rugged and/or well protected it is, but you'll certainly be running it outside its design spec. Personally, I wouldn't risk it.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='968847' date='Sep 26 2010, 09:24 PM']Cocktail sticks are hard wood, some of them and glue is my favoured,[/quote] +1 A bit of wood glue in the hole, insert as many cocktail sticks as you can by hand, rolling each one in the glue, then gently tap in another one, maybe two, with a small hammer. Leave overnight and cut off the protruding sticks in the morning. Good as new - well, for a new screwhole anyway.

[quote name='lanark' post='968660' date='Sep 26 2010, 06:24 PM']I can't help feeling that this really shouldn't need a specialised tool to do[/quote] Agreed. It just goes to show a weakness of the socket design. It would be quite simple to make them with a protrusion that would fit into a matching hole in the mounting chassis/plate, which would completely prevent rotation. I suppose thread-lock would help prevent them from working loose, but I've never actually tried that myself.

Neat idea, and seems like a good price for something so solid looking and fairly specialised. I've just repaired the socket on our guitarist's strat after one of the wires inevitably broke off because the socket had been loose for about a year.