gjones

I've posted those pictures on my Facebook page. And some people wonder why they banned smoking in pubs?!

[quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1362777885' post='2004815'] Yes!!! About twenty years ago, I had a friend who had a bass with a similar knot in the neck of a bass from a different manufacturer. I helped him write a letter to the manufacturer and include pictures and claimed warranty from day one and that it had to be replaced. Yes, this knot is causing the grief, just like it caused the same grief to my friend. Do the same thing: contact the Fender custom shop, send pictures, explain what is happening, and demand a new neck. [/quote] After 23 years? I've a feeling I know what Fender are going to say.

[quote name='Bezinga' timestamp='1362496889' post='2000197'] At the ripe old age of 56 I have been learning bass guitar since santa brought me a starter bass with 20w practice amp. I love it and now really need to buy my first decent amp. I like to play Blues/Rock and I am getting pushed by friends to get up on stage with them at small venue jam sessions. Money is somewhat limited so I am thinking maybe a Fender Rumble 150w or Gallien Krueger MB112 -II Any opinions or alternative suggestions would be appreciated. [/quote] The number one priority is to buy something that is loud enough and won't sound like an elephant farting when playing at decent volume. I'm sure a Fender rumble would do the trick. Another recommendation is the Ashdown EB 180. I had an earlier version of this combo and it more than held it's own with heavy hitting drummers and it won't break the bank. You can always add another cabinet at a later date to make it even louder if you get that gig with Black Sabbath sometime in the future.

[quote name='V2factoryman' timestamp='1362424196' post='1999580'] Hi folks, I wasn't sure whether to post this under "ebay", as it relates to an ad there, but it's more a general enquiry to assist me in evaluating an item for sale. Basically I'm looking for one of these and have missed a couple on here but found one on ebay which is not too far away from me. However I have asked the seller the serial number and he says he can't find it? Apparently it's MIJ and I've read on here that these are generally believed to be better versions, anybody got an opinion? Secondly the post says the bass has had active pickups added, does this mean that the electrics/tone controls will have been modified? Again I've asked the seller and he says "the work was done by a professional company". If they're active doesn't that mean that accommodation would have to be found in the body for the battery? The original pickups are for sale with the bass. Any feedback greatly appreciated [/quote] I've looked at the one on ebay and it's definitely a Geddy (it has a badass and the bridge pickup is in the 70's position). Don't know why he/she won't give you the serial number? MIJ are usually pre 97 but there must be exceptions to the rule because Fender Japan started the manufacture of geddy lee basses in 1998.

My guitar playing brother in law owns a Fender de ville combo with 4x10 speakers which is a b'stard to hump about. So he bought himself a nice light 75watt randall tranny amp for £45 off ebay and it blows the roof off. It's only very rarely that the de ville sees the light of day anymore. Which goes to show you don't need to pay a lot of money for a decent tranny guitar amp and under 100w is more than loud enough for most band situations. This is him playing it with Maggie Bell up in Dundee. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0apNorFTANI&list=FLGk2nB08ZQx-TOS2AMlSUug&feature=mh_lolz

[quote name='basskit_case' timestamp='1362646436' post='2002513'] Thanks for the info, I have been dabbling over the last few days and seem to be getting to grips with it slowly. Don't know if anybody can help me with a question related to the redlight on the VU meter, what does it signify, is it clipping notification? Should I ran the amp so the light doesnt come on at all or just on the lower/louder notes? [/quote] It's supposed to indicate that the amp is clipping but I've been told ashdown VU meters are pretty inaccurate and the best thing to do is use your ears. If it doesn't sound like it's distorting then you can ignore the red light.

[quote name='basskit_case' timestamp='1362442600' post='1999980'] Currently trying out a 550, but have no instructions, does anybody have a link to a pdf? I have checked the ashdown site and the download page for manuals is nearly empty. [/quote] It's a pain that Ashdown don't seem to have a manual for the MiBass that I can find. The preamp on the MiBass is semi parametric on the LO MID, HI MID and TREBLE (which took me a while to figure out). Make sure the pre shape button and the deep buttons aren't pressed in but make sure the EQ button is pressed in (as this switches on the preamp). The rotary knobs are used to pick a frequency for the LO MID, HI MID and TREBLE and the sliders either boost or cut that frequency. I don't think the bass slider is affected by the parametric knobs and just adds or cuts bass frequencies (although I'm happy to be corrected here if I'm wrong). It's a very precise EQ and allows you to dial in a lot of different sounds.

I'm acquainted with a few people who have written hits. One is a guy whose band went on to sell millions in the 70s and the single he wrote got to number 9 in the UK charts. He then left just before the band went mega and ended up doing cabaret in butlins the rest of his life. Another had two No 1 hits. The first was a novelty hit in 1981 which got to No 1 in the UK and around europe. It sold 5 million copies. The second was a Xmas song which went to No1 in 1985 and still sells a decent number of copies every Xmas since it resurfaced as an mp3 download. The last had their song get to 20 in the US billboard hot 100, to No 1 in the US adult pop charts and 28 in the UK. It also got a grammy nomination in 2007. None of the above songs have anything in common other than the writers had written hundreds of songs previously which didn't get to number 1 (because they were pretty rubbish). The moral of this story is, you have to write a lot of stinkers before you write the one that's going to be a hit. You know what they say about an infinite amount of monkeys given an infinite amount of time. So you better start churning them out now! Chop! Chop!

The good Keyboard players I know keep away from the bottom end of the keyboard. In fact the best of the lot only has a truncated 'itty bitty' keyboard (not the usual 88 keys) which means he can't play the bass end even if he wanted to.

I've been a big fan since I saw KT Tunstall and Daryl jamming at his house in London on one of the first episodes. Remember the performances that are recorded are just jams with mistakes and bum notes left in. They're having fun not going for perfection.

MIJ 62 reissues will have a small brass strip going from the bridge to the rear pickup, which connects to the earth loop and stops your bass buzzing when amplified. This is how the original 62 basses were earthed. In the mid 60s Fender decided to change this arrangement and connected the earth loop by threading the earth wire through a hole, which was drilled, from under the bridge to the control compartment on the bass.

The Wizard 64s I fitted in my Jazz sounded very 'Jaco' if that's what you're after.

I have a friend who has a Warwick thumb bass but most of the sessions he plays are with his US P bass. The first time I heard him play it, I was so impressed I went and swapped my Musicman SUB for an old MIJ Precision. They sound fantastic recorded too.

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1362091737' post='1995829'] Difficult to have a chat about Precisions without mention of Colin Hodgkinson of Back Door. I think this example is beautiful, so bluesy. [media]http://youtu.be/jRUjH1zAcZA[/media] [/quote] I'm not really a fan of his solo stuff but this is very tasteful.

Eeeeeeeeek! John Taylor...

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1358206729' post='1935037'] Hi guys I recently changed stings---went from .45 rounds to 0.40 flats---and now I'm fairly sure that my intonation is out: I think all of the strings are sharp roughly the same amount at the 12th fret. 1. Changing gauge is liable to change the intonation, right? 2. Should I adjust each saddle or would tweaking the truss rod be sensible? 3. How accurate a tuner do you need to do this "properly"? I've got a Korg Pitchblack... Yours technically-incompetently, etc etc [/quote] Take it back to Tesco and DEMAND a refund!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1361914816' post='1993124'] Well, I reckon you've found our man! Nice one! [/quote] Hmmmm.....the nose is different (although he is wearing a rather fetching waistcoat). I think this guy replaced your guy in Teazer. If you find the second guy he will be able to tell you who the first guy is. We're getting so close I can almost smell our mystery bassist.

[quote name='omikin' timestamp='1361805477' post='1991133'] I feel like building a bass from bits now... [/quote] Hurrah! A quick tweak was how I started. The next thing I knew I'd bought a whole load of bits and was building my own.

Adjusting the truss rod is a pain with US Fenders, as access is at the body end of the neck.. Luckily my Fenders have all been pretty beat up so the odd scrape never really bothered me. So I adjust the truss rod with the neck still attached, which makes it an easier and quicker process. I realise though that if you've bought a bass brand new the last thing you want is scrapes or blemishes. This is a good video which shows how to do it without messing up the finish. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vCCVAlb0Kg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vCCVAlb0Kg[/url] Recently I attached a new neck to one of my basses and I noticed that the G string was a bit closer to the edge of the fretboard than it should have been. It didn't really have any impact on my playing but it irritated me all the same. What I did was loosen the neck and slid a shim (actually a sliver of an old guitar plectrum) into the tiny gap where the body meets the neck, on the E string side. Then tightened it up again. That shifted the neck in the pocket, slightly to one side, which was enough to solve the problem.

This a nice review from outtoplaybass on his gear4music bass within the same price range. http://basschat.co.uk/topic/77602-archer-professional-double-bass/page__fromsearch__1