What single thing would you like a gear company to do that they don't do currently?

[TimR]

1 hour ago, Musicman666 said:

I want active basses to have an on off switch so I don’t have to keep pulling out the jack all the time to save battery drain in the studio.

 

That is an extremely simple modification to do yourself. 

 

Drill hole.

Fit switch.

Cut the red wire to the battery and solder the cut ends to the switch terminals.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I don't get on with active basses — I much prefer passive, but when I used to regularly play an active one I came up with an idea to get around this issue. I never built it, but the design would have been a short length of cable with an inline switch in the middle, a stereo jack plug at one end, and a mono jack socket at the other. The cable from the amp goes into the socket, then when plugging the jack plug into an active bass with the switch set to off the battery in the bass stays off until the switch is set to on. I never bothered to build it as it was easier to just unplug the blummin' bass when it wasn't in use. While typing this up, it just struck me that this could probably be better built as a pedal with a footswitch where the amp connects via a mono cable and the bass via a stereo cable.

[SuperSeagull]

I’d like Trace Elliot (or whoever owns the brand these days) to make a 500w version of the Elf - it’s a fab sounding amp but just not loud enough whereas the 1000w version is overkill and pricey. 

[Count Bassy]

On 14/09/2023 at 21:35, LowB_FTW said:

 

 

Mark

Bewarned: Hammerite is a shadow of its former self. However it is direct to metal, so a lot easier than having to learn the genre.

[jonno1981]

I’d love for Thomastik infeld to keep making their current products, but just in a way that brings the prices down! 
Nothing wrong with the finished article, I just hate paying £60 per set of jazz flats! 

[Huge Hands]

On 16/09/2023 at 18:26, TimR said:

 

That is an extremely simple modification to do yourself. 

 

Drill hole.

Fit switch.

Cut the red wire to the battery and solder the cut ends to the switch terminals.

In my experience, this doesn't work so well - you still have to have the discipline of turning down/off your amp before you toggle the switch otherwise you get the same loud "thunk" you would if you pulled the jack out.

 

I assume the poster you replied to meant a nice silent switch when turning off the active like you would get on a dual/active passive bass when switching between the two modes.  A mute switch, rather than a kill switch, if you will.

 

Just speaking from experience, as I fitted a switch as you describe on a self build active bass and had this issue. 

[Woodinblack]

If you put a straight switch over the power, yes, you would get a thump, but if you had a combined active, passive, power, you could to it in a way which prevented you getting a thump

[TimR]

I have a silent tuner. Just hit that first. Or press mute on the amp. 

 

As you'd have to do when you remove the lead.

 

I'm not sure what the purpose of the switch would be.

[dclaassen]

Old story, but it goes that, in preparation for space flight, NASA spent bunches of money to invent a pen that would work in zero gravity, later marketed as the "space pen"...

 

Russians used a pencil

 

1. turn down amp or push "standby" (don't even open that can of worms...:)...)

2. unplug active bass

 

or...

 

leave it plugged in during the break, and replace your battery a bit more often

 

 

[TimR]

33 minutes ago, dclaassen said:

Old story, but it goes that, in preparation for space flight, NASA spent bunches of money to invent a pen that would work in zero gravity, later marketed as the "space pen"...

 

Russians used a pencil

 

Unfortunately mostly myth. You don't want graphite a woodshavings floating around in space capsule and you don't want ink floating around either. 

 

Mostly they used felt tip pens until Fisher independently developed a presurisd pen. So NASA spent no money inventing a pen.

 

 

But like all these ideas "Why don't we fit a switch?" Probably because someone fitted a switch at some point and found actually it was less faff to just unplug when you've finished playing, like most people do anyway. 

[nilorius]

Aguilar pedals - drop the prices !🤣

[Huge Hands]

3 hours ago, TimR said:

 

But like all these ideas "Why don't we fit a switch?" Probably because someone fitted a switch at some point and found actually it was less faff to just unplug when you've finished playing, like most people do anyway. 

 

I wanted one because at the time I didn't use a pedal board and was connected straight into my amp, which didn't have a mute switch (other than powering it off), and the pots were a bit crackly if you turned it up or down.  I also had a regular gig with a cramped stage and would struggle to access my amp controls once set without knocking half the drum kit over (I'm very clumsy),

 

Yes, a pedal would have fixed it, yes having a different/better maintained amp would have fixed it, or yes, I could have got better, bigger gigs or been more nimble  But some sort of switch on my guitar that would turn off the battery for breaks without causing a massive clang through my amp would have been a much simpler solution - should it exist.  I assume some sort of capacitance in circuit to avoid the high transient thunk would have done it, but I just went back to turning down and pulling the plug.

 

Like I was saying, a nice to have, not vital.    

[Dad3353]

49 minutes ago, Huge Hands said:

 

I wanted one because at the time I didn't use a pedal board and was connected straight into my amp, which didn't have a mute switch (other than powering it off), and the pots were a bit crackly if you turned it up or down.  I also had a regular gig with a cramped stage and would struggle to access my amp controls once set without knocking half the drum kit over (I'm very clumsy),

 

Yes, a pedal would have fixed it, yes having a different/better maintained amp would have fixed it, or yes, I could have got better, bigger gigs or been more nimble  But some sort of switch on my guitar that would turn off the battery for breaks without causing a massive clang through my amp would have been a much simpler solution - should it exist.  I assume some sort of capacitance in circuit to avoid the high transient thunk would have done it, but I just went back to turning down and pulling the plug.

 

Like I was saying, a nice to have, not vital.    

 

We're 'straight to amp', too, but we leave the bass plugged in during pauses between sets. We have to change the battery every couple of years; battery old age and leakage is more of a concern to us than it going flat. (The amp has a 'Standby' switch for these occasions, but that's another matter...). 

[tauzero]

7 hours ago, Huge Hands said:

 

I wanted one because at the time I didn't use a pedal board and was connected straight into my amp, which didn't have a mute switch (other than powering it off), and the pots were a bit crackly if you turned it up or down.  I also had a regular gig with a cramped stage and would struggle to access my amp controls once set without knocking half the drum kit over (I'm very clumsy),

 

Yes, a pedal would have fixed it, yes having a different/better maintained amp would have fixed it, or yes, I could have got better, bigger gigs or been more nimble  But some sort of switch on my guitar that would turn off the battery for breaks without causing a massive clang through my amp would have been a much simpler solution - should it exist.  I assume some sort of capacitance in circuit to avoid the high transient thunk would have done it, but I just went back to turning down and pulling the plug.

 

Like I was saying, a nice to have, not vital.    

 

Just get a lead with a Neutrik silent plug on it. https://www.neutrik.com/en/neutrik/products/plugs-jacks/plugs/professional-1-4-plugs/silentplug

[Bolo]

Consensus on where the In/Out/Power/Other sockets go on all equipment. All of it! 

Left to right or right to left, at the front or back or one side I don't care, just standardise it!

😡

[Buddster]

And Usb plugs/sockets (the older larger ones). 

50% chance of getting it right that 100% of the time you'll get wrong. 

[Norris]

43 minutes ago, Bolo said:

Consensus on where the In/Out/Power/Other sockets go on all equipment. All of it! 

Left to right or right to left, at the front or back or one side I don't care, just standardise it!

😡

And it's about time there were some standards on power sockets, not only for pedals but for other bits of kit -> +ve/-ve inner/outer, plug diameter, power rating, voltage, etc.

 

How about just make everything use USB-C?

 

Edit: AND make some robust, professional quality power supplies instead of the usual horrible cheap "wall warts" that only last a year or two of gigging!

Edited September 18, 2023 by Norris
More rantiness

[Stub Mandrel]

On 09/09/2023 at 11:30, Rich said:

I'd also like Fender to release the 80s Performer bass again, albeit slightly updated with wider string spacing (and perhaps a different headstock). This and the aforementioned Beck bass are the only two Fenders that I would seriously consider buying. 

 

 

I was going to suggest this, although I would keep the narrow spacing.

[Stub Mandrel]

On 12/09/2023 at 18:53, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

 

Now its been pointed out, it is impossible to unsee that

 

+1 🤣

[Stub Mandrel]

15 hours ago, TimR said:

But like all these ideas "Why don't we fit a switch?" Probably because someone fitted a switch at some point and found actually it was less faff to just unplug when you've finished playing, like most people do anyway. 

 

The active Hohner Jack basses not only have a switch, but they also allow you to play in passive mode when off, so a dead battery is not gigs terminating.

[merello]

1. Holographic bass body that you can change the colour of using an app of render bass “vintage” or “brand new” on a whim. 😎

2. Non holographic bass body that can be painted or beat up through use. 😜

[casapete]

6 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

The active Hohner Jack basses not only have a switch, but they also allow you to play in passive mode when off, so a dead battery is not gigs terminating.

My old Hohner B2A had this feature too, very handy. Was never sure if it stopped the battery draining as 

well as I never experienced a dead battery, but appreciated the option.

[Lfalex v1.1]

Yes,  it does stop the drain.  And it doesn't make your amp thump if you switch it on or off while powered-up.

It's a shame that the actual EQ itself is, at best, lacklustre. I prefer my B2AV in passive mode. 

[neepheid]

7 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

The active Hohner Jack basses not only have a switch, but they also allow you to play in passive mode when off, so a dead battery is not gigs terminating.

 

The G&Ls with the Tritone preamp also work fine in passive mode with a dead battery (even with the battery removed) and the passive EQ (obviously) still works.

[casapete]

36 minutes ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

Yes,  it does stop the drain.  And it doesn't make your amp thump if you switch it on or off while powered-up.

It's a shame that the actual EQ itself is, at best, lacklustre. I prefer my B2AV in passive mode. 

Yup, mine sounded fine in passive mode too. Only got rid of it as I couldn’t get on with the playing

position whilst standing up, needed one of those strap extender brackets really.