Leaderboard

Well, this is all ready to ship. In the final set-up, I realised I'd still got one or two high-spots in an area of the fretboard so re-levelled and polished up. With my style of playing, it plays fine at a much lower action than I would normally set my own basses with some nice 'mwah-ing' going on. So tomorrow I will be making sure that the bass is secure and supported in the Hiscox case Ewan sent me and get it all ready for shipping first thing Monday. So before that, the final shots:

Some people will do anything to avoid playing in hull...

Always happy to leave positive feedback for great customer service - especially when, as we well know, many companies have no interest in building a loyal customer base or a positive reputation. After doing some research and finding these were well regarded and highly recommended, I recently purchased a set of Vox amPhones like these from eBay. Though still working, the seller didn't mention that the jack plug had been crushed and repaired with some Duck tape, which meant the occasional intermittent break in the signal. After a partial refund from the seller, I took the headphones to my local electrical repair shop, only to be advised that the cable/plug can't be re-soldered. Just my luck!! I contacted the UK Distributors for Korg/Vox, in Milton Keynes and spoke to their Spares & Repairs Team. Obviously, having bought the headphones used from eBay, meant I had no statutory rights the team there, recognising my predicament, said they would try to go that extra mile and do the repair anyway. Decision couldn't be made there but, with the support of the Returns Team (Cheers Clive and Sandra) who negotiated on my behalf and, though they couldn't do the repair without charge, they agreed to the next best thing and sent me the part I required FOC. This means I can go to my local electrical repair shop (or possibly my niece's husband who does this sort of thing) and have the cable/jack replaced. Happy compromise for me. As we know many companies wouldn't have been approachable on this but Clive and Sandra were thoroughly civil, polite and happy to negotiate an amicable outcome for both company and me. I couldn't really ask for much more...reputation says "great item", I say "great service too". If you're after some 'phones for somebody you love (you??) this Xmas have a serious think about a pair of these. They'll be ideal for events like the LBGS too. I will have no hesitation in going back to Korg/Vox next time I have some electrical needs. Thanks again and a Merry Xmas to the Repairs Team at Korg/Vox and a Merry Xmas.

Oh dear... Went in to PMT Southend, paid for three hours parking and wandered into the shop expecting a lengthy, soul searching wrangle with the issue of going over to the RnR killing dark side that is an FRFR setup. The excellent staff there set up a QSC K12.2, set it to the bass amp preset, I plugged my bass into my Fishman Platinum, set everything at 12 O/C so I had the flattest sound possible and started playing. It took twelve minutes to see the light fully and six of those were just waiting for the assistant to return. So I am putting two basses and my AER Basic Performer up for sale and as soon as I've shifted the AER this will be my new setup... ...I didn't have to discuss anything with the shop assistant, I was fully prepared and armed with all the possible info, how simple it actually is to make the right decision when you have a huge 38 page thread like this that does all the arguing and comparison for you, all one has to do is go in, try it out and confirm it. This is exactly what makes Basschat a massively useful and important resource for its members.

More information would be needed in order to get a coherent reply. Reading 'dots' can be a pleasure in itself, without ever having had to do it in any gig situation (it's my case...). There are equally so many manuscripts, methods and transcriptions to learn from that justify in themselves the acquisition of this skill. In many 'rock' situations, I'd say that it's rare, or even extremely rare, to have any written support given; at best a few chords. For studio work, as a session player, it would be more common, but not systematic. In theatre, show or 'pit' work, or orchestral formations, it would be much more common, and, in some cases, obligatory to be able to, not only 'read', but to 'sight read', which is a different level of skill. Which of these (and other...) objectives you may have will dictate the utility of making the 'effort' to do it. What are you intending to use this for..?

Not a band name, but I'm sure someone on here had the tag line "your dad would like us" - anyone own up to this classic?

Really sorry to see the big Hughes and Kettner Boba Fett combo leave this week. The pain has subsided... New Ashdown RM EVO II 500 combo has arrived fits in the stupid small boot in my Volvo...and sounds great - and loud. had the rm800 head and 210/115 cabs I wish I’d never sold. Tgis is a great 1 box solution, and the sub is better on this too. not promising a 115 won’t happen...

For a while I actually made a living (well part of a living anyway) playing - mostly - Jazz to rooms full of people who were too busy yakking and/or eating to pay much attention to what I was doing. And yes, you can get away with playing pretty much anything you fancy for as long as you fancy. Good money, minimal gear and you don't have to share the proceeds with four other people. What's not to like?

shush

Doesn't that apply to pretty much all Jazz? 😂

Reading is a very useful skill for accessing information quickly, not only in gig situations but also for your general musical life. It also means that music written for any instrument is now fair game, which can help you sound less like every other bass player out there. On the subject of reading on gigs, it depends hugely on the sort of gigs that you go for - obviously, any sort of musical theatre or cruise work will require it, but there are plenty of function bands out there that use written arrangements. It definitely means that you can 'slot in' to more gigs at short notice without any prior preparation. Another fringe benefit of getting better at reading music is that your writing skills will improve, meaning that it takes you much less time to put together decent charts. This can cut down on gig prep time massively, regardless of whether you actually use the charts on the gig or not. When it comes to learning to read, there are a few practice strategies and books that I'd recommend:

Mine and my wife’s salary paid until our last day without having to actually work for it. sod it, my wife’s salary x2 without us having to work for it. 😂 genuinely though, I wish My youngest didn’t have spina bifida and associated conditions, that’s all, just that, and I’d work for the rest of my life for buttons. edit - material stinky poo? A Wal Mk1 with a maple board and a flamed sycamore top in Sadowsky’s bora Blue burst.

I have done a few gigs like this... playing jazz to people's backs... you can play any old shite and they don't notice.

Best - Music Man StingRay Special. In fact, not just for 2018, but period. Worst - Music Man StingRay Special.... because I’ve now lost all interest in buying more/other basses 😂

Best - probably the old Ibanez P-bass I got from @Bassassin, although @AndyTravis sold me a nice Hohner. Picking up a Hohner B2av 5-string for 70 notes was pretty decent too! Most disappointing for me was a Big Muff - not impressed with the tone, much prefer the Ashdown Lomenzo Hyperdrive.

The best was a tokai jazz bass , I didn’t really need it, just a Saturday morning buy , well I was really impressed, the pickups are really responsive, very comfortable slim neck , well balanced and fitted with d addario tapes ,monster sound . Imo better than some of my us jazzes Didnt really have a worst 😀

Well it'll need to be unwrapped initially, just to make sure it survived the courier, but then I'm afraid, after some stolen moments, it'll be squirrelled away by my better half... Eude

So you get your Birthday pressie early... What are the chances of it staying wrapped till then??

Good afternoon, Armin , and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share. I listened to the track that you linked; if that's you, I'm afraid you can't be heard for the racket that other bass player is playing. If, on the other hand, that's a track that you want to play along to, I'd recommend something a little more 'staid' (less lively, with less chord changes...) for starting out. We could propose several methods for taking the first steps in bass playing if you so wish. You haven't indicated your locality. If you've not spoken English in ten years, this would suggest Norfolk; am I wrong..? Hope this helps...

It always looks plush after a hearty breakfast of cheese.

Used it for the first time last night along with my Ampeg 4x10 for a rehearsal. Wow ... what an amp. For it's size, the clarity and punch were amazing. It managed to tame the output of my Spector Euro 5LX to the extent that the guitarist even commented at how good it sounded. The fact I'm not lugging around a huge SVT in a heavy flight case just made it sweeter too. Thinking about sellling the SVT and getting a Shuttle MAX

Another thing to consider not mentioned so far is 2eq vs 3eq.

Nearly, we used "songs you mum might not know"

I have some experience with both Moon and Atelier Z Jazz Basses, although not yet with Bacchus. You are correct with their (Japanese) quality control and attention to detail. Superb workmanship and "not in your face" looks. I love them.

I recently bought one from Japan. It's a Woodine Global (Indonesian) Special with an oil finish. The flame on the back of the neck is stunning! It's absolutely effortless to play. Has a pull-up Turbo boost on the tone control which sums the two pups in series.

Good news indeed. PS was the van nicked from Blackberry Way per chance ?

It's no different between a line frequency based supply and an SMPS (with a bit of a distinction for PFC based supplies). It's all about total efficiency, the higher the efficiency the lower the input power that's needed to achieve rated power. Taking your hi-fi amp as an example, if it's rated at 110 watts/channel (RMS metrics), then it's going to be roughly 160 watts/channel at 4 ohms. The calculations would be as follows: Total audio power at lowest rated impedance is 2 x 180 watts (total of 2 channels) = 320 watts. The NRTL agency testing power will be (320 x .125) = 40 watts total. Say the efficiency is 35% for the amp and 75% for the power supply, the rated average power being drawn will be 40W/(35% x 75%) = 152 watts which is what the agency will be looking for as the "rated average input power". There's another number that can be included, it was more often used on hi-fi and more commonly used a while ago, but that is "MAXIMUM" input power which is of little use unless you are operating the amplifier continuously with a sine wave signal (your speakers may not appreciate this). Here, the calculations will be a little different in that instead of the 1/8-rated power specified by the safety regulations, you would use the total rated power at the lowest rated load impedance. Note that the efficiencies are typically higher in full rated power testing) In this case it would be ~320W/(45% x 85%) = 830 watts (this is higher than your given number, I suspect that my assumption of 4 ohm power is on the high side OR the amp is not rated for 4 ohm operation. With class D, you can run the same calculation but substituting the average efficiency of about 90%, and with an SMPS the average efficiency is typically about 92%. Thus: 40W/(90% x 92%) = 48 watts rated average input power. There is not a "something from nothing" scenario here, it's all about how the regulations require that we state the input power, and in reality the 1/8-rated power is not too far off until we get into heavily overdriven or compressed tones where the crest factor (an expression of the ratio of peak to average content of the signal) decreases. IF the amp is designed specifically to support such operation, especially if it is advertised as such, the 1/8-power factor may be increased to more accurately reflect the expected operation of the amp. Note that different countries have slightly different requirements for testing and labeling (called "national differences", but this is by far the most common way it's done. Hope this helps.

The update. Just got back from the "mime" gig. I had previously said, "what could possibly go wrong?" Four days ago, I think I broke my left little finger. Still bloody painful. So, I took a back up normal fretless. Got to the sax player's house, to find he'd now taken the bass off of the tracks, suggesting that I can now "play along" with the numbers!! Great, a random 15 numbers from a list of 30 numbers I didn't know. Fabulous venue and food, corporate gig for 70 high-flyers. I get told that I can share the guitarist's real book charts. Fab, a busted finger, an upright bass I've had for 5 weeks and songs I don't know and now, have to take my eyes off the fingerboard😂 Lasted five numbers on the upright and changed to normal fretless. Less painful and at least I knew where the notes were. Got through it, but stressful, got paid and the unexpected key changes in a couple of numbers were a bit of a car crash. All experience though I guess.

It's for a bank. They make billions out of pulling the wool over people's eyes. I'd do it and charge a massive fee if it overruns by even a few seconds.

You should know by now that jazz is the epitome of music for the bassist.

Bet it sounds a bit ‘boxy’ Ha!

As I understand it, Davey504 has made over 1/2 a million quid from YouTube so is probably way more successful than anyone posting on here! Fair play to him I say, if he's making a living doing something he enjoys then surely he's doing it right?

I could restrain myself no longer - I had to open them before xmas. Dude, just push the plugs in a little bit harder. Do you realise how much trouble I'm in now? Better just try them out a minute... 😁

With @eude 's bass now sorted and in time for his special date, I can turn my attention fully back to this - and today, I finished the carve! So, plenty, plenty of sanding to look forward to but here's how it's looking. The ash back wings and poplar top are pretty representative of the final colour but the neck and fretboard will be stained amber, per the new owner's request. I will put the stain on after the final sanding stages.

the bit that is always missing is 'what strings is the bass fitted with?'. Unless you know this, you've no idea how to compare the amp in your mind. Product videos - inc. Andertons and Mr Whisperer - never mention the strings, so how can you assess the sound of a guitar / pedal / amp / speaker without this critical bit of info?

Sad Mondays but with Shaun Ryder on a massive comedown

They sound fantastic.

There - fixed dum diddle um diddle um diddle um diddle um diddle um diddle um diddle um.

Any retirement package that looks better than "Death in Service"...

Thing is, whatever horrors can be dreamt up are guaranteed to be found somewhere on the Internet. I particularly like this in the comments section: "I played this on a library's computer wired to the PA system and they said it was an act of terrorism."

Have you not met me??? he he he he! Seriously though, I would love to hear what people think on this subject as I have recorded well over 250 HD gear review videos and I do want to make sure that (within the constraints of what I can do) that my reviews are what people want to see. My reviews always follow my mantra, "No Ego, No Shred, Just Bass" . The majority covers finger style and pick work as well as that slap stuff (lol) and I demonstrate all controls in detail. Let me get a brief Youtube playlist together for your perusal.

Hi @josie, our server chap says that it's likely your side. He's done a preliminary sweep of the server and all looks good and yours is the only report we've had if this

I have been gigging for 10 years - something of late-comer - and had an amp fail on me once at soundcheck. Mesa Boogie - one of the valves went and took an amount of the pcb with it. As usual I had my back up Quilter Basssblock in the car - so all was good. Could have got away with a DI from the BDI-121 I also carry but prefer to have backline. To my way of thinking the number of times I have used a back up amp is kind of a side issue. Same with taking a back up bass. It seems a bit like asking how many times you have had to claim on your house insurance - I guess most people will pay it annually regardless of claiming. But that is just me - I am very much a belt and braces type. .

I agree with the comments about load and distortion, but most users will never use continous high power, so the larger an amp, the less relevant RMS power becomes. If the ratio of bass peaks to bass average signal is about eight to one [citation needed here], then specifying RMS power will cover you if you want to play a continuous synth or organ bass note, but for any other meaningful bass line you will be paying a lot of money for a high-powered, RMS, 24/7 rated system whose capabilities you will never use. Surely what we need is a measurement that covers both continuous power and higher powers for a defined proportion of the time. For example, 300W RMS 24/7 and 500W RMS for 10 seconds in every minute and 250 W RMS for the remaining 50 seconds. If we specify the right proportions of intermittent and continuous power right then we should be able to ensure that bass amplifiers have enough reserves in their power supplies to provide the heft we crave while not being priced out of our reach. David

I acquired a Vovox instrument cable recently from my dad who got some for work. Really like it - I did a quick A/B against a Fender, Roland and Planet Waves cables I had lying around and found it did indeed sound better. I was really surprised. And pleased! https://www.vovox.ch/en/professional-audio/products/link/instrument-cable/