flyfisher

Poor cat!

Yes, thanks for those links. I watch very little TV, possibly because we only receive the 4 analogue channels, but every now and again I hear about programmes such as that "Ox" one that make me realise there is some really good stuff out there that I'm missing. On balance, I'd probably prefer not to know what I'm missing and therefore not spend loads of time watching TV, but it's a fine line. That's an issue with the internet really - it gives us all access to more information than we can possibly consume in an entire lifetime so we have to find a suitable balance between spending our lives reading/listening/watching other people's lives and experiences or doing our own thing.

Me too. Not even Channel 5 here, just the four analogue channels.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='858734' date='Jun 6 2010, 11:26 AM']You lot are always getting angry at the telly. Just don't watch the telly![/quote] +1 or read the newspapers!

+1 to that. Why would your 'friend' even relate the story to you in the first place? These things are subjective. I can't stand opera but that doesn't mean the musicians and singers are bad at what they do (heck, I wish I was as proficient in what I try to do!), it's just that, in my opinion, I don't like what they do.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='851530' date='May 29 2010, 11:57 PM']Yes, I was hoping to avoid actually having to [i][b]understand [/b][/i]anything. I'm perfectly happy with a black box solution. Some sort of magic happens inside, and I get what I want. [/quote] All things (well, most things) are possible but since such a DC-DC converter will be a separate unit anyway (although that Diego unit looked neat), I think I'd just use a separate 18V PSU. DC-DC converters generally use some sort of switching technique to increase the voltage and electrical noise can be a problem. It should be relatively easy to filter this out, especially as we're only talking about audio frequencies here, but it all adds to the cost. Also, such devices are not exactly commonplace so prices will reflect the relatively small production volumes compared to a 'standard' 18V PSU. As for using a higher voltage than specified, a lot will depend on how the device handles the input voltage in the first place. Many devices have their own internal voltage regulators to provide a lower but much 'smoother' voltage supply than is often provided by cheap PSUs. Such devices should be able to tolerate a slightly higher input voltage, but power dissipation can become the limiting factor, i.e. they'll get hotter than intended, which might cause them to fail (if they are poorly designed) or to shut down to protect themselves. neither is exactly ideal in a gigging situation! All in all, I'd also be happy with a 'black box' solution . . . an 18V PSU.

A good friend, sadly now deceased, spent thousands on hi-fi equipment but very little on CDs to play on it. He was more interested in the technology than the music. Fair enough, his choice. Seasick Steve can make some great music with a 'crappy' guitar, sometimes with only three strings. I sometimes wonder if all this pursuit of 'better tone' is just a way of displacing disatisfaction with musical ability. I have a P-bass and Ashdown rig that is good enough for many pro players but I'd be the first to admit I can't do it full justice. Don't get me wrong, I'm as easily seduced by GAS as anyone, but I reckon I really just need to practice more.

Just bought an AKG wireless instrument kit from Al. Smooth transaction, good communications, item well-packed and in perfect condition - what more could anyone ask for?

A wireless link should be safe in the rain.

[quote name='arsenic' post='835057' date='May 12 2010, 09:29 AM']The pick up output is low - at a recent event, my son's band followed another band, where the bass player was using a Squier - and with no changes to the amp between bands - the Squier sounded really loud, but his 50's classic could barely be heard.[/quote] That's interesting. I use an Ashdown Mag300 head and my 50s RI P-bass won't push the meter needle full-scale, even with full gain, although it's still loud enough for the gigs we play. Would the changing the pups for Seymour Duncan SPB1s really make a lot of difference, or would it just mess up the originality of the bass?

[quote name='StevieD_FenderP2009' post='834823' date='May 11 2010, 10:48 PM']I'm going to go and try one out at my local Coda Music shop (if they have one in stock, they normally have about 300 Fender guitars and basses in there, so they should do) to see if it feels right to me, but yeah, if anyone's ever played one or knows anything about one then please, discuss below [/quote] I have one of these and, coincidentally, also bought it at Coda Music (Stevenage). It's a 1988 MIJ model and I seem to get on with it fine. However, since finding this forum last year I realise that I'm probably the only person in the country who has only had one bass in the last 22 years, so I'm hardly the right person to offer any advice. In fact I'm feeling embarrassed just admitting my bass history and hard-done-by in comparison with all you lot with at least have half-a-dozen each.

I must be doing something wrong because I don't have any problems with straps coming off and this forum is the first time I'd ever heard of straplocks! I admit I'm not one for jumping about on stage, but even so . . .

It's an interesting idea - I'd not heard of applying different effects to different frequencies and mixing the result back. I wonder if anyone has ever bothered to wire each string pick-up separately, which would allow different effects to be applied to each string. Not sure I could get my head around all the options and possibilities that would allow. Mind you, I don't use any effects anyway so a single pedal would probably confuse me.

Sadly, I suspect that "no" is the stock response to most complaints and requests for compensation these days and I can imagine it works for a high proportion of customers (victims?) who just give up right away. There was a prog on R4 recently about banks and they had someone admitting that the 'policy' was to give people the runaround regarding any complaints until they just give up in desperation. All officially denied of course. I've had a few run-ins over the years, including a successful parking ticket cancellation after a tribunal appeal and a threatened small claims court action to sort out some building work. The one company I can be totally confident about no-quibble service is John Lewis. Twice I've taken items back for repair after being out of warranty only for THEM to tell ME that "this fault is not really acceptable" and they pursued claims on my behalf with the manufacturers with the result that both items were repaired (microwave oven) or replaced (DVD player) for no charge. Now [u]that's[/u] customer service! Well done to Silddx to not letting the bar-stewards grind him down!

Agreed. Axle stands are not really needed for just changing a wheel - but even so, I always assume the jack could fail at any moment and keep feet, legs and everything else as clear as possible and certainly not underneath anything. Thing is, trolly jacks used to be pretty expensive but a new 2-ton model can be bought for £20 or less, so they're hardly worth bothering to repair. Crazy really, but that's globalisation and child labour for you.

[quote name='hubrad' post='826285' date='May 3 2010, 11:08 AM']edit: meant to say.. hence axle stands are a must! [/quote] They always are if you're doing anything under a vehicle . . . . however 'good' the jack.

+1 Ohms is the important bit, wattage is the 'black art' bit. Look after the ohms to protect your amp and your ears should protect your speakers, unless you like really horrible noises. I use the same amp with 300W 1x15 and 250W 2x10 cabs, both 8 ohms and thus 4 ohms in parallel. Works fine.

I can't recall any particular moment but I do remember picking out bass lines whenever I listened to music, right from a very early age. Like a lot of kids, I started playing on a regular acoustic six-string but, like a previous poster, I found myself picking out basslines as well as the usual chords and rhythm playing. For some reason I never did get the hang of playing lead guitar. It was a long time before I got a real bass guitar but I've never looked back since. Also, although I really love playing in a band, I've never craved any limelight and am very happy being 'in the background' and just getting great satisfaction from a good song well-played. My musical fantasy (don't we all have them?) would be to be a session musician - you know, the people that play on all the best recordings, are highly respected among their peers yet remain publically anonymous. That would suit me just fine. Fat chance though.

I understand the 'name and shame' sentiment but, without supporting paperwork and/or contracts it's just one word against another. If the venue took offence it could issue a counter claim and things could get very messy - regardless of the actual rights and wrongs. Seems to me that the lesson is to get such bookings in written terms, with specific provisions for cancellation (on both sides - supposing the band had to cancel for some unavoidable reason?). Who was it who said "verbal contracts are not worth the paper they're written on"?

Interesting dilemma. I've never been asked to learn new songs by ear. Presumably these are original songs or you'd probably be able to get the chords off the web. But even the originals we play have arrangement sheets written by the author complete with chords, which I can then easily work from. I guess you have a few options: 1. Work completely by ear, and accept this is the way this band works 2. Work backwards and write your own arrangements of the new songs. It shouldn't be too difficult to write down the basic chord structure from played-by-ear root notes. 3. Tell the songwriter(s) to write down the chords and/or help them to understand the names of what they're playing. 4. Find another band you can work with.

Unprotected inputs on any item of electronic equipment is pretty bad design really.

I call my bass various names when it insists on playing the wrong note . . . .

Most of my cable failures have been when someone or something has brushed past the jack plug in my old combo and physically broken the plug. This hasn't happened since I've got two cabs and a separate head unit sitting up much higher. The ones that have not been so abused seem to have lasted for many years. I'd say a cossetted 3-month old cable failure is a manufacturing fault.

Yep, it has SCAM written all over it. "Western Union" is the give-away.

Danny Thompson was on the radio, not so long ago, talking about Nick Drake and the forthcoming Barbican concerts. Might have been the Stuart Maconie show, I can't remember. Some wonderful stories from Danny!