GarethFlatlands

I too have an old bubinga natural finish 5 string. Ripped out the active electronics and put a pair of Kent Armstrongs in there. It's not a bad bass, if not great. And yeah, it weighs a ton. We used to do 6 hour band practices 2 nights in a row which was torture towards the end.

[quote name='DaveMuadDib' post='885887' date='Jul 4 2010, 10:14 PM']I once read here (I think) that tubes start to degrade almost immediately, but I don't know if this was after production or after they're installed. Children of Dune is a great novel, a fantastic end to the trilogy. Admittedly, God Emperor of Dune is a little bit long-winded, and this is where most people get lost and give up. But stick with it, it gets good towards the end, and it all makes sense with Heretics of Dune after that (my favourite book in the entire series, if not EVER) and Chapter House Dune is excellent too. Apparently they ARE making a new movie, but I'm not holding my breath for it to be any good. I love the Lynch movie so much, even if it is a bit :wacko:[/quote] I've had the same pre-amp tubes in my Matamp for about 2 years and they're still going strong. Still, I assume they heat up and could potentially crack so it's probably wise to carry some spares around. I'm a fan of JJ tubes but they're pretty cheap so get a few and try them out to see what suits. I'll try the next 3 books too, I have a pretty high boredom threshold so a bit of meandering in the middle shouldn't put me off.

You might as well keep some spares although they've don't blow like power tubes in my experience. It should be pretty bulletproof. I'm partway through Children of Dune, heard the ones after weren't great. Someone needs to make a really good film out of Dune! The David Lynch one is impossible if you've not read the book.

If I were taking my frets to make my bass a fretless, would I need to fill the gaps in? I've seen guides on the net that say yes and no. I don't want to damage the neck, nor do I want to irreversibly wood fill the gaps unless I had to.

Thanks, got some cash coming in from a synth sale so I'll keep my eyes peeled for a bargain on here or e-bay. Paypal money isn't real money right?

Anyone tried the uber-cheap Epiphone EB basses around at the moment? I had a play in the shop and apart from a bit of buzz, really liked it. Very muddy, thumpy tone if you're into that sort of thing. I'm thinking of switching as I'm a short guy and reckon the smaller scale would suit me better. The low frets on my Warwick Rockbass are a stretch unless my bass is held pointing the ceiling.

Sepultura go to Ab and Deftones use 8 string guitars for some stupid low tunings (G#). I assume the bassist matches as he's only playing a 4 string in the Hexagram video!

I use a TNT (older style) for gigging and practice and I like it. But then I am easy to please as far as bass tone goes, ie if I can hear it, that's fine. The sound is pretty meaty if not exactly subtle. The wieght is a killer though, trying to manhandle that thing through narrow corridoors, doorways and staitcases is not easy at all. The single top-mounted handle doesn't help. Still, for £150 I can't complain, especially as it wasn't my £150.

[quote name='escholl' post='878163' date='Jun 26 2010, 02:21 PM']I know a few people already use the 22 Calibre (the micro amp they came out with last year) but this one will hopefully pack a bit more oomph. I want one![/quote] Are the 22's any good? I've got a speaker cab (pics on another thread) and something that small would make a great one hand carry amp for small gigs. The 44 looks pretty sweet too!

[quote name='~tl' post='868086' date='Jun 15 2010, 03:35 PM']Might be hard to find off the shelf, but the parts are easy to get. Maplin/Farnell/RS/etc should sell all the bits and pieces you need (two spade connectors, a jack and some cabling). If DIY isn't your thing, [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showuser=12"]OBBM[/url] might be able to make you up something.[/quote] Thanks, I might hit him up for something or get a carpenter to do me a back for the cab with a cut out for a jack plate. I just figured it would be easier to get a simple connector but I reckon I can DIY something from a jack-jack speaker cable if needed.

I have an old radio extension cabinet which houses an 8 inch Jensen speaker. My old Marshall combo had a y shaped connector with a 1/4 jack at one end for the amp and 2 spade connectors at the other for the +/- connectors on the speaker. I'm looking for a similar connector for my new cab for hassle free wiring but I can't seem to find one anywhere! Does anyone know where sells them in the UK or what to Google to find them? This awesome cab has been sitting in my room for ages begging me to play it but I can't. Apologies if it's just me being dense. No reason to post pics but look how cool it looks.

As a guitarist in a metal band as well as bassist, I use a Line 6 2 by 12 cab with the speakers swapped for a Celestion Vintage 30 and a Hot 100. The amp (Matamp GT1) is set pretty clean and it sounds beautiful. Distortion comes from my fuzz pedal and the speakers handle the sound brilliantly. Plus the cab is on wheels and weighs loads less than our other guitarists 4 by 12. I've not tried Eminence speakers but have played through most modern Celestions and those 2 get my vote for drivers.