flyfisher

[quote name='mikebass84' timestamp='1413054530' post='2574596'] Who steals knobs? (no rude jokes needed) [/quote] A friend had an old tractor that he used to display at agricultural shows and the like. He said he gave up because he had to spend all his time keeping an eye on the tractor as people would try to pinch whatever they could. At the end of a show, all the exhibitors would get together and discuss what had gone missing - badges, knobs off the gear levers, rubber gaiters, linkage pins, fuel caps, oil caps, dipsticks. Some people will steal anything. B@st@rds.

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1413015916' post='2574111'] The de-tuning thing is what attracts the most controversy. My basic understanding of physics suggests that de-tuning would be a bad idea - as that would reduce the force of the strings working against that of the truss rod, which keeps the neck in shape. But that assumes that temperature and humidity are going to be constant. If temp and humidity are going to vary, then de-tuning MIGHT be a sensible idea. But ultimately, you want to avoid significant temp and humidity changes altogether. [/quote] That's my understanding as well. I'd be interested to learn the reasons behind why some luthiers suggest detuning. Apart from the temperature/humidity issues, I'd suggest it would be fair to say that most basses spend the majority of their life 'in storage' - in the sense of not being played. My MIJ Fender P has been kept strung and in tune since 1989 and when not being played it has lived in its hard case (stood up or laid down) or on a hanger. I'm not one to practice for hours and hours every day so I'd bet it has been 'in storage' for at least 90% of its life, and more likely 99%, with absolutely no problems.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1413022937' post='2574213'] Where Made In China gets a bad rap is when the commissioning company cuts corners, budget and QC. [/quote] Makes sense. "China" is a huge place and a massive economy and I'd expect the whole range of product quality from crap to excellence, much like any other country really. After all, if the generally well-respected British hi-fi industry was only judged on, say, Amstrad products . . . .

According to this TC 'active power management' info . . . http://service.tcgroup.tc/media/tc-electronic-power-rating-and-active-power-management.pdf . . . the "long term W_RMS" for the BH500 amp into 8 ohms is 225W and into 4 ohms is 250W. So, if I'm reading this correctly, a cab rated for 250W should be OK with this amp. Personally, I would send TC Electronic an email and ask them which of their cabs can be safely used with the BH500 - both individually and in combination. It would be interesting to know what the 'horse's mouth' has to say on the subject.

It's all been said, but I'll second it anyway. Laptops are good for keeping in touch while travelling and for the occasional bit of serious work but they are not good for constant computer work. A proper keyboard and mouse are the minimum requirements. If your employers won't buy them, which they should, spend the £25 yourself. As for your bass gear, your choice of course, but I wouldn't be selling unless I needed the money. I used to work long hours but loved to be able to wind down occasionally jamming to some CDs. I also kept a drum kit for the same reason. Supporting your family must, of course, come first but keeping yourself physically and mentally fit is a big part of being able to do that..

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1412858090' post='2572711'] But there are many artists who reach a technical level beyond thst of mere mortals without getting the 'musicality' thing sorted. Examples may (subjectively) include Michel Camilo, Al Di Meola, Tuck Andress, Gary Willis, Michaal Manring, Jeff Berlin or whoever who seem to get cleverer and cleverer and faster and faster and more and more athletic without actually getting any deeper into the music. [/quote] Interesting point and prompts me to ask what people thing about 'photo-realistic' paintings and drawings? The ones I've seen are absolutely amazing and the skill and talent required to create them is quite astounding. But what's the point, other than to demonstrate the skill of the artist?

Some interesting engineering, but is this solving an actual need? Are there many instances where a bassist would want to live play both styles in the same song? So what's the benefit over just having two basses?

Something like this? [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuAaTEn8fcw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuAaTEn8fcw[/url]

Now you mention Later, as Jools appeared in the video I was bracing myself for some boogie woogie but we were at least spared that

Ah, gotcha - and that's an interesting question. My view is that attacking someone's skill at slapping (or anything really) is pretty bad form, especially if the attacker can't demonstrate the same skill. But I reckon it's fair game to dislike the results of such slapping (or whatever), regardless of whether you can slap or not. Indeed, if you didn't like slapping, I'd have thought it was unlikely you'd want to spend the necessary time practicing and perfecting the skill, but if you had spent that fabled 10,000 hours perfecting your skill then it's likely that you really do like the sound, in which case you'd be less likely to criticise. So, self-selecting perhaps?

For an encore (if we were lucky ) our singer used to ask the audience for a request and (if we were doubly lucky ) punters would start shouting out song names, at which point our singer would shout "what's that at the back?, The Killers? Mr brightside? OK then, here we go, 1,2,3,4 . . . . . ."

[quote name='Cairobill' timestamp='1412780575' post='2571973'] Being really nasty about terrible cover versions is excellent fun in my book…it's a huge, slow moving target... [/quote] Well yes, but it's a bit like shooting fish in a barrel. As for Bonio not being in it, he's probably too busy counting his recent Apple windfall . . . .

I must be getting old as I've never been in a pub with a doorman. I doubt I ever will either.

[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1412780769' post='2571978'] One's a hand built, top of the range sports car from the 60s and the other is a 4x4 built in 2012 I presume? But, I suppose they are both cheeses [/quote] You're right that they are extremes, but that was sort of my point. From an engineering excellence point of view, why is it that all these so-called 'supercars' are so, er, temperamental? The other thing I've always wondered is why are these so-called 'supercars' such fantastic head-turners? What I'm getting at is why does a wonderfully reliable piece of mass-produced engineering such as a Mondeo (other examples are available but let's stick to the theme) have to look like a piece of cheap sh*te instead of all sumptuous, sleek and curvy like an Aston Martin? it can't cost that much more, if anything at all, to press out body panels for a Mondeo or an Aston once the tooling has been made. Or is it that a £250,000+ price tag automatically makes a supercar wonderfully attractive whereas a £25,000 price tag makes it look sh*te? A bit like gold plated mains plugs for hi-fi systems?

Blimey Any cover of any song is bound to upset some people, but it's hardly the end of the world is it?

Interesting points. You're right that our Kings gave up their power and a lot of their wealth (though it has hardly trickled down to the same level as the majority of people) , but it took hundreds of years and wasn't always a smooth process. China's industrialisation in a global market context has only recently begun so it's probably a bit early to accurately predict how it will work out. Same with Russia. Anyway, the environment they are working in today is vastly different to what existed when we invented the industrial revolution, so it's probably not realistic to expect a similar outcome. Interesting times, but we're certainly no longer top of the pile when it comes to global reach and capability any more.

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1412712937' post='2571327'] [b]People just like to moan about stuff they can't do themselves.[/b] How many times have we heard that Marcus Miller can "only slap in E" or that Victor Wooten is "good I guess, but not very melodic with his phrasing" Maybe they're right, maybe they're wrong, the thing is, the critics can't usually do it any better or don't understand what's going on. [/quote] I don't think that's really true, otherwise most people would moan about all music (assuming it's only a minority of people who can play an instrument). Music is subjective and you don't have to know what's going on to know if you like the result or not. I'd say it's perfectly possible to appreciate the skill and accomplishment of any virtuoso musician without actually liking the actual noise they make. I think this is where some 'art critics' make the mistake of sneering at those who dislike a piece of art (which includes music of course) because they don't understand the concept behind the piece or what the artist is trying to convey - as if we [u]would[/u] like it if only we could appreciate what lies behind it. I think this is nonsense. if people better understood the skill and ability that goes into a piece of art then they might be better able to appreciate that skill and ability but it's unlikely to affect their basis enjoyment of the piece. Unless people only like a piece of music [u]because [/u]it is very difficult to play . . . which seems a very odd concept to me.

Ah well, if you'e talking about investments then fair enough . . . an Aston would then be better than a Mondeo for sure! And USA Fenders over MIJ or MIM ones. Weststarx summed it up perfectly . . . . "[i]because of all the snobbery[/i]"

[quote name='police squad' timestamp='1412763471' post='2571685'] I don't think a tribute band like The Police really works in a pub. Not everyone likes them of knows the songs, whereas in a proper tribute venue, people pay because they want to be there. That does seem to work better . [/quote] Sounds like a good point to me. I'm guessing the punter who caused the problem was not a big Police fan.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1412758903' post='2571613'] The Chinese started from scratch with the technology of the day... It was deemed too expensive for the lies of us to do so..... plus we had 'outdated' labour laws, which weren't/aren't always a bad thing at all. One of the reasons the Far East is so productive/cheap is because they probably don't have the same labour costs, and not just the daily rate, either. Having said that, I'd be interested to know what the typical working conditions are over there. Anyone..?? So, if that is the case, it is apples and oranges, IMO. [/quote] Good point about developing countries (terrible phrase really) starting from a higher technology base without all the legacy that can hold us back. We don't see India and African countries bothering to install miles of crappy telephone wiring that we are lumbered with for our digital communications. They go straight to mobile phones and optical fibre. And so it is with advanced manufacturing, which is why we've fallen behind. And yes, a big reason for the lower costs is the lower wages. It's an unpalatable truth that their standard of living is lower than ours so a typical UK worker needs higher wages to sustain his nice house, his own car, his 40 inch flat screen TV with Sky-everything subscription plus as assortment of expensive i-gadgets and foreign holidays. (Ironically, from a 'green' perspective, this is a good thing - but that's another discussion.). But their standard of living is catching up fast, so their current advantage won't last forever and then the world will be looking for the next area of low cost manufacturing. Perhaps this will be the UK by then?

[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1412758086' post='2571597'] That's like comparing chalk and cheese.. [/quote] More like different types of cheese. They are both cars after all.

[quote name='Protium' timestamp='1412756886' post='2571584'] That post made no sense at all If you want to compare like-for-like (in other words not handbuilding cars in 1994 compared to a modern production line...) you can see much the same facilities at Jaguar/Land Rover in Speke, Vauxhall in Ellesmere Port, Toyota in Deeside. Those are just local examples to me, need I go on...? [/quote] Yes, of course the UK has modern car factories today. My point was in the context of slagging off China as a land of poor quality/primitive manufacturing. That may have been true 20 years ago - hence my Aston factory link - but times have changed and top manufacturers today can't get away with such things. Just as Aston had to up their game (though only when finally rescued from bankruptcy by Ford) so has Chinese manufacturing. China has also been more successful at embracing completely new product technologies, whereas UK has (broadly) only continued to update its traditional manufacturing base. Where is the UK's microelectronics manufacturing industry today, for example? Sony finally closed their CRT manufacturing facility in Wales some time ago now and I'm not aware of any LCD manufacturing in the UK today, so that's another technological advance that we've let slip past. I'm not suggesting we don't 'do' high tech, of course we do, (ARM is a good example) but we don't manufacture it any more.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1412756427' post='2571579'] But who would turn their noses up at a 1960's Aston..?? [/quote] I would. Seriously. Cars are a very good example of how mass production using high precision machinery can create far higher and consistent quality goods than anything hand made. For all the romance and nostalgia of old cars, I'm quite happy to forego having to 'run in' new engines because the manufacturing tolerances are so poor or have a 'Friday afternoon' car where the panels don't fit properly. My FiL once had an Aston and always said it was the most unreliable car he ever had. Beautiful cars, no doubt, but great pieces of engineering? Depends on the task in hand I suppose. If you want to turn heads then an Aston would win every time, but if you want to do 20,000 miles a year for five years then a Mondeo would be the far better machine.

Well, I've heard a lot worse. Seemed pretty innocuous to me.