waldemar

Hiya, we're seeking a new lead guitarist (male or female - electric and acoustic) to join the 3 of us in our music making activities. You'll be half decent, listen to others in the band and take pride in playing well, you'll have gear that works and hopefully you'll have transport and be able to make a Tuesday night rehearsal once a week close to Manchester city centre (which will cost you a fiver). Currently there's me on the bass, a drummer and a rhythm guitarist/vocalist. Our previous guitarist was pretty handy on the mouth organ, so if that's a skill you can bring then that would be great. In the short term we're hoping to get a set together that consists of fine classic and contemporary covers which can be performed both electrically and acoustically (depending on the venue). We're open to suggestions with regards to the set - ideas are totally welcome. Gig-wise we're into stepping out to perform. A gig once every three or four weeks would be great. In the medium term we know we're not going to be rock stars and we've all got careers to keep us busy, but we've started having a go at writing our own stuff. It's all good fun - as it should be. A bit more about us - Originally we got together for a single gig as a Dylan covers band, but enjoyed it enough to keep at it. We're a pretty sociable bunch and more often than not we'll have a beer at the pub next to our rehearsal space before getting in to play. Our ages range from 26-42. Here are a couple of vids - the first is from a rehearsal, the second from a gig. As usual the quality's a bit ropey but they should give you an idea: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19OrFdXvrxQ[/media] and [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzmx-CH5Iq8[/media] If you're interested in coming along to our next rehearsal then drop me a line. w./

Hey, thanks very much man. I know exactly what you mean about the over-anxious timings. Even when I know a tune reasonably well I'm always second guessing whether or not the next note's the right one - I'm not a natural musician and don't know anything about music theory so find myself returning to tried and tested patterns, which frustrates me a bit. My left hand techniques a bit weak - too tight a grip leading to awkward fingering - which doesn't help..! Having said all of that, I am trying to do something about it. Thanks again for having a listen. Much appreciated. w./

http://soundcloud.com/schweinhaxe/101-1 It's pretty much a noodle around a repeating pattern of chords that our keyboard player had been jamming last week - not being a knower of music I looked 'em up on the internet and managed to get something that sounded a bit like what he'd been doing, although not quite as lush. Drum loop's straight out of iDrum's box and as ever the bass went in via my Line 6 GX. More than anything it was an excercise to see what I could come up with bass-wise, I think I've played it a bit safe and could have been a bit more adventurous, but my technique's a bit weak under pressure, as I'm sure you'll hear. Anyways, have a listen and give us a shout if you've got any suggestions on taking it further. Cheers! w./

'Ello all. Got a gig on tonight at the Sandbar in Manchester, if you're stuck for something to do. [url="http://www.sandbaronline.net/"]http://www.sandbaronline.net/[/url] 3 bands playing - Bluesy Steve, [the bloody good] MilkPunx and then us - Bexley Square Blues Band. Bands start at around 9pm and I think we go on around 11pm. Open 'til 2am. Entry is £3 on the door which gets you 10% off every beer - drink 11 pints and you'll actually be better off.* w./ *But probably not in the morning. [attachment=118404:BSBB.jpg]

Played a couple of gigs last weekend, one with a Dylan covers band put together very hurriedly and rehearsed over 4 weeks. Ok, not exactly complicated, but it went really well - a great confidence booster..! [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm7NZvpJPAk[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzmx-CH5Iq8[/media]

PM'd

OT, but out of interest (after seeing Dannybuoy's comment above) I had a quick squizz at your band's site. Pfff. Top notch man.

If it's space saving you're after then how about the Phil Jones Briefcase, or the Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0-10T? Both very small (and a bit pricey) but I have the latter and am [b]very[/b] impressed with it as a rehearsal combo (although the 10" driver will start to honk a bit at higher volumes). w./

Hi Chris, Yeah - agreed with you on that - thing is, I don't think I'll ever need much more than what I already have (most of what I play is blues/soul in relatively small spaces) - I was more curious about how a driver that could get stressed by a 175watt amp could function as part of a 300watt set-up and also whether or not I'd done the right thing by going for the 210 extension. Once again, probably over thinking the whole thing by imagining using the rig in very unlikely high volume scenarios - the volume will probably never go past 12o'clock..! Cheers. w./

Cheers guys. I'll give it a proper workout at practice on Thursday! w./

The head won't go to 2ohms, but disconnecting the combo speaker is very easy (it connects via a 1/4" around the back). The head is designed to be easily removed and used with whatever cab you care to plug it in to... that's why I'm thinking that a 4ohm cab capable of 300watts would have been a better option - just a bit strange that the configuration I've ended up with was recommended when it might not have been the best option available. Maybe I'm just over-thinking the whole thing..! If I have to use the amp at 175watts driving only the 210 then I'm sure it'll do the job. If it works as a 300watt stack, then so much the better. Cheers. w./

Hi Mr. Foxen - thanks for your post. So, am I right in thinking that this is more of an efficiency issue with how I want to use this - ie. 1. I may as well have bought an additional 110 8ohms or 2. I'd be better off using the Shuttle 3.0 head at 175 watts to drive the 210 cab on its own or (better still) 3. I should have bought a 4ohm 210 cab to make better use of the 300 watts the Shuttle 3.0 head is capable of delivering..? What's confusing me a bit is that the Shuttle 3.0-10T combo is marketed as a 175watt as a combo, or a 300watt with an optional extension cab - so if I had bought an extra 8ohm 10" cab (as in option 1 above) and ran the amp at 300w, wouldn't I still be in the same boat (pushing two drivers too hard) despite GB marketing the package as a 300w solution..? Weird - I bought the 210 from a very well respected (by myself and most here) vendor, and despite me being flexible on other options available he had no problem in recommending this particular configuration. I'm not sure that I'll need to ever play it loud enough for this to cause me issues, but I can't help but feel that my purchase could have been better researched (advised...?!) Ah well. 2 gigs next weekend. We shall see! w./

Hi all, On the strength of how pleased I am with the Shuttle 3.0 10" Combo, I've just bought a new Genz Benz Focus 210 Cab, the idea being that I continue to use the combo for practices/small gigs and roll out the additional 210 cab for greater headroom at bigger gigs - the 210 cab is an 8ohm cab (same as the combo) so when plugged into the additional speakon connector the Shuttle 3 amp delivers its full 300 watts. So, here's the dumb question. When pushing the combo hard on its own at 150/175 watts, the driver eventually runs out of steam, so if the amp's delivering 300 watts, and I increase the volume, isn't the driver in the combo still going to running out of steam in the same place..? Or is volume and clarity acheived because of the fact that the 300 watts the amp is producing are being used to drive 3 10" speakers which aren't actually working as hard but are together pushing a greater volume of air..? As a side note, I've noticed that the combo speaker is a little bit hissy when the amp is turned up loud and the treble is set high. Not so with the Focus cab, even with the tweeter on. Normal? Not really an issue in a real world scenario, but I'm curious as to why this happens. Anyway, here's a pic of my new rig. [attachment=105818:genz_rig.jpg]

Hi, Guitar/vocalist and bassist (me) seek a drummer in the Manchester area for a Dylan covers band to perform a one-off gig at the end of April (29th). Seeking to get 5/6 practices in to get tight on 4 covers. There's a half decent kit (it belongs to the drummer in my other band) available for use at the practice room, so you only need to bring yourself and your sticks. Gig kit will also be supplied but, as ever, you'll have to bring your own breakables for that. This is only planned as a short-term thing but there's no reason why it couldn't go any further. We're pretty laid back and the fun's important, but so is getting it right... Know anyone? Fancy a go yourself? Drop me a PM and I'll sort out an evening to get together. Cheers! w./

>How are you calculating paths? Hiya Kiwi. Not entirely sure about how I'm approaching this just yet. I need to talk to the guys who run the Shopbot and maybe ask a few questions over on the Shopbot forum. In principle my approach is quite straightforward: design everything using Adobe Illustrator, import the vectors into PartWorks and from then on the software takes care of the sharp end, like working out the offset for the bit depending on whether it's cutting inside or outside of the profile. There's some more info here: [url="http://wiki.fablab.is/wiki/Shopbot"]http://wiki.fablab.is/wiki/Shopbot[/url] It's essentially a slab body so in theory all I'm asking the CNC machine to do is cut out the shape and then I'll set the plunge depths manually for the p-up and control cavities and also the neck pocket. I'm considering second and third passes along the outside front edge with a rounding bit and possibly a ball-end bit to create an edge contour like this: [attachment=102523:countour.jpg] Although, of course, this maybe entirely unfeasible... At this stage I'd like to keep it as simple as possible, but the other option open to me would be to model the body in 3D using sub-divisions, then triangulating the resulting geometry before saving it as an .stl file. This approach would enable me to add more complex contours. As I understand it, in both cases the software will work out the tool paths depending on the bit etc. In either case I'll be using a 1/2” bit to cut the body and the pocket (there'll be less flex in the bit and should prove to be more accurate) and a 1/4” bit for the pup cavity to allow for the tighter corner radii. I'm totally brand new to this so it's a bit of a learning curve, but hopefully the complexity of the project won't get out of hand. w./

Utterly gorgeous. Love the contrast between the Tolex and the corner guards. Nice work man..! w./

Early days, but here's the plan: I've got access to a Shopbot CNC router, a nice chunk of wood (I don't know what species, but it's solid, seasoned and pretty hefty...) and a vague idea of what I want. [attachment=102351:wood_01.jpg] [attachment=102350:wood_02.jpg] [attachment=102352:tj.jpg] I've attached a mock-up, but the chances are that this will change - especially the finish. I doubt that the wood grain will be attractive enough for a burst finish (it's also glued down the middle so there's little chance of it looking as nice as the walnut burl in the pic) so it might get finished opaque, but very possibly oiled. We'll see. The stock is only 30cm wide, so the bass is going to be a little longer/narrower than my initial stubby designs. You can see that I was having issues getting the bridge to fit on the body... [attachment=102353:initial_designs.gif] The 3rd option above would have just about accommodated a standard issue Fender BBOT, but hardware wise it's looking like a Babicz FCH4 - a substantially bigger bridge. Electronics are likely to be a passive MME Bartolini with a switch or blend pot, I haven't really looked at this part in any detail, so I'm not that clued up on my options with these pick-ups, but the simpler the better as far as I'm concerned..! Hmm, maybe an additional J-pup at the neck. If anyone's got any suggestions in terms of what's been tried and tested then give us a shout. I've always owned P's, J's or P/J combos, so an MM is new territory for me, although I've managed to place it in the 'sweet spot' I've heard tell of (29.5 inches from the nut apparently...) I'm still shying away from making my own neck. I'm sure I could pull something together but at this stage the reality is that I'd be making a less than decent copy of something I already know, like and use. Yep, a ready-made Jazz (or maybe P...) neck. Who knows - a decent Korean or Japanese copy with a quirky head-stock may show up in the meantime. That's all I've got for now, but will post back once things get moving. w./

Bought a lovely Squire VM fretless that Scooby was moving on. Really nice guy to deal with - a BC gent. Cheers Scooby - a pleasure to meet you man! w./

I'm half tempted myself, Luke. That paddle style head appeals to me a great deal. Argh. "I do NOT need another bass" Repeat...

Cheers Noel. Always good to get new info on obscure gear. Thanks man.

Easy - provided the p-ups are still serviceable, I'd have no problem recommending one of these: http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/105035926/vintage-csl-jazz-bass.html From what I understand it's basically an Ibanez but branded CSL (Charles Summerfield LTD) by the UK importer. Quirky headstock, block inlays, 70s Japanese manufacture. What's not to like?! I have one which is possibly a bit newer than this one, here it is: http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/3021453/1/jbits?h=6646bd and being played here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJiPsO-aXy0 Bought it for £100, upgraded the p-ups to Fender '62 RI's and fitted a second hand Schaller 3D bridge, so you could do with knocking off a few quid if you really have your heart set on upgrades. If the one linked to in the ad above plays half as well as mine, well, you'll be a very happy man indeed...

The best playing bass I own is an old knacker of a thing which cost me a hundred quid + another hundred or so on bits. You should see the smile on my face every time I walk in to a shop and pick up something expensive to compare it against... Companies that price their goods well above what most of us are happy to pay aren't robbing culture of future musicians, their products may be technically superior and made from exotic 'tone woods' but the practical (and somewhat debatable) advantages to be gained from owning such instruments would almost certainly be lost on a novice anyway. There's nothing that says a kid can't pick up a decent, playable bass for little money, practice hard, learn how to look after it and in time be playing like a boss. An expensive bass isn't going to make any of that easier.