Alpha-Dave

Schaller for me. There was a huge thread in 'Misc equipment' about the various straplocks and their pros and cons, it'd be worth finding. Edit: here you go. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1887"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1887[/url]

It's the thought that counts.

Yeah, I spoke to Roger at THG (spelling?) about making some wooden knobs that are 2 woods glued together at 45 degrees so they form a wedge so the position of the knob could be seen from any angle (see diagram). I'm sure it would have done an excellent job, but it worked out at just under £200 for a set with texes landed in the UK. Once I have my second bass with the pre I'm going to look further into this to either see if the cheap-ebay guy can do the same thing for much less, or if I should buy myself a lathe for £50 and spend a while learning how to use it!

I've been looking into this too for a similar reason: I have a huge amount of tonal control from the ACG pre, combined with a DHA pedal (valve tone and compressor on its way) they give me all the tonal variation I'll ever need, and as the DHA is effectively a full preamp, then it can drive a power amp happily. I've been looking round at old valve stuff, there was a Marshall 100 watts a side stereo 9200 that went for a steal at about £300 IIRC on ebay recently. However it weighed 35 kg (same as a mesa 400+)! Looking at the valve side of things, there are many designs, of particular note seems to be class A (single ended) and push-pull amps. The SE ones are really inefficient and can only use 1 valve, so typically are only used for guitars (eg: Vox AC30) and only have up to 30 watts power, so aren't great for basin a band unless you're only against an acoustic guitar or use other reinforcement. The Push-Pull ones use pairs of valves (2, 4, 6 or even 8!) and can go up to hundreds of watts: great for bass. Now that seems pretty clear cut that push-pull are best, however, due to how they're wired, there is some phase cancellation as the valves push and pull the signal (I'm no expert here), which affects the entire signal range, even the bass. Therefore SEs are considered 'better' or 'sweeter sounding' than the PPs. I've been talking to Dave Hall about building me a bass-specific SE power amp to go with is bits I already have. He's bringing a guitar head he has that is based on the same design to BassDay, so I can see if this will work in principal, which you’d be welcome to try too if you’re going. If it does I'll use it like a small combo to go through a PA at gigs and for recording at home. Otherwise as the DHA pedal I have outputs in stereo, then I'll hook my Hartke 3500 up to a separate cab for a full-range rig! (maybe into a titan 39).

Yeah, the difference in the gold colour doesn't seem that different as it's come via the camera and my monitor, if it's not going to bug you then it looks great! The only issue I've had with the ACG-East pre is that there is only 1 dot on the knobs, so if I forget where I set them and glance down, then knowing whether the lower ring was all the way round or not can be tricky.

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='56631' date='Sep 6 2007, 06:07 PM'][url="http://www.drumparam.at/hempstone.html"]http://www.drumparam.at/hempstone.html[/url] The process just seems to be bash a load of hemp together and it will dry hard because of hydrogen bonding (whatever that means). I can only guess that the hardness is dictated by how fine the pulp is mashed perhaps?[/quote] Hydrogen bonding is reversable by adding water. I really hope they're using something else too!

I'd love to suggest Fretlite.co.uk , but they don't actually make anything.

Damn that Cocobolo is beautiful! I now see what Alan has been doing rather than finishing mine.

They save just over 1/4 of the weight, so to decide if it was worth it on my 7 string I removed 2 of the tuners (the equivalent of the saving), and it balanced much better. Try doing the same, and you'll know if it's worth it or not. You can then also measure the shaft size to see what size you need. Note that the thickness of the headstock and the diameter of the shaft are important, so you don't end up with your replacements either: too loose/won't fit in the hole (diameter); or the top of the shaft (head thickness) is barely above the surface so you'll have trouble getting the windings round.

[url="http://www.overwater.co.uk/Leather.htm"]http://www.overwater.co.uk/Leather.htm[/url]

Overwater. I have one, it's great. as an alternative: [url="http://www.eyelandenterprises.com/html/straps.html"]http://www.eyelandenterprises.com/html/straps.html[/url] The bass-clef one is very nice, but you specified low-cost so I think they're out.

[quote name='MB1' post='54773' date='Sep 3 2007, 03:19 PM']Status John Entwistle series one Buzzard B1.[/quote] +1 The only signiture worth it!

Jeez, there's no need to shout! Following a similar line of thought: why do people assume that what Leo first designed, P&J (I believe his aims were low cost and good functionality) was the pinnacle of evolution from the start, and any changes are bad? For a low-cost instrument he did very well, but he certainly didn't go all out: IMHO the neck-plate and huge heel block are more of an impediment to higher fret playing than an SC, but I very much doubt that was his aim anyway!

I think they look great and I hate Marmite! Poll?

Ah, this is the thread I was looking for: The difference the finish makes is far greater than I had imagined, stunning!

Stunning bass, but I could have sworn it was in a different build thread before!

I suppose I should add that my SCs are there purely for the aesthetic value. A technical difference that's mentioned on Jon Shuker's web site is that the truss rods on his SCs only go down to the 12th fret (shorter than normal then) because after that the neck is held rigidly to the body, so isn't needed. If that's a pro or even a con I've no idea. SCs tend to polarise people: like marmite! I also should mention that it can be quite odd to play an SC at first if you're used to having your thumb over the top of the neck on the higher frets. It requites a change in how you position it, but it's not bad. There are also semi-SCs where there is a branch from the body that connects into the neck so at the highest position you could still get your thumb through the hole. I've never tried one, but I think it could be really good (fixed playing position without having to look) or really bad (you get your thumb tangled up as you want to move back down the neck).

[quote name='GreeneKing' post='53039' date='Aug 30 2007, 10:52 PM']Oh, and the sustain is really remarkable btw![/quote] I wish I had one now. Or a 2nd at least

If you're wanting quality, then IMHO, the ultimate synth would be the Roland V-bass that requires an extra pick-up installing on your bass. They're listed at about £600, but Sound Control keep selling one or two off in their regular sales for £300, which for the extra £50 if certainly worth it for the sound, but it's huge to carry. It allows you to play any Midi sampled instruments: flutes, horns, piano etc or trigger samples. Apparently the smaller guitar version now can handle bass too though if you want a smaller footprint, and they're £309 from Dolphin: The pickup can be permenantly installed with screws, but most people use double sided tape.

Mmm, shiny. Very nice work, but needs more strings.

That really is stunning. I have to admit that I first thought that a 6'er might not look so great in the Recurve SC shape, but actually it's really well proportioned. I do particularly like the contour of the belly-carve, the 2 woods and the lines work really well.

Yes, I was referring to Ped's suggestion for the next 'national' bash, and the midlands get their name for a very good reason that I won't explain. The south-east one should of course be in the centre of the south-east.

Cambridge would be better, or at least a place off the M1 or A1.

I highly recommend the DHA pedals (I have the VT-twin with 2 channels) for adding a little warmth. I believe he's exhibiting at Bassday this year if you can make it to give them a try.