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'Parsimonious' - a word which appears only infrequently on these pages. Indeed, I can only find 35 instances of 'parsimonious' and its parent noun 'parsimony' in the entire history of the forum. Even this number includes occasions when the post containing the word has been re-quoted so the true, unduplicated figure may as low as twenty appearances or fewer. To the unenlightened, twenty deployments of a word may seem quite a lot but I can confirm that the word 'The' has been used more than 14,251,000 times since the forum's launch over a decade ago. I think this number rather puts matters in context. AFAICS the most frequent user of the term 'parsimonious' may be Ol' Cactus Grabber (aka Mr @Paul S) though I may be in error, the BC search function being tiresomely diffuse in its presentation of results.

The worlds of food and music have collided in the American Law Courts. Rickenbanger have issued a global writ against anyone eating 'essentially cylindrical non-meat products' that copy their trademark shape. Industry rivals Steinburger are set to launch a co-ordinated bid to ban vegetarian and vegan 'burgers'. Vegetarians and vegans have been told to compost any of the suspect food items or risk prosecution. Even ancient 'soyburgers' and so-called 'soysages' are covered by the action; this morning bailiff entered a whole-food cafe in Chicago to padlock three suspected chest freezers. Similar action is expected in the UK, following a raft of take-down notices which have eliminated vegetarian recipes from food websites across the internet. A Rickenbanger representative said "Our sausages are known world-wide for their unique shape, which immediately signals to the buyer the rich and carefully crafted blend of offal, breadcrumbs and and nitrites in our products". A spokesman from Rickenbanger said "It's time the industry struck back, just because people want to eat food that's healthy and affordable doesn't give them the right to eat, especially if that food is a blatant rip-off of our signature product". Challenged that this move leaves vegetarians and vegans the facing a stark choice between starvation and a life of penury, the spokesman replied "If these bleeding heart liberal commies really want to fill their distended bellies, they can eat McDonald's Veggie Patties, as they don't legally count as food." Attempts to establish a black market trade in veggie food online was swiftly quashed. Farcebook spokesman Mark Zuckerburger said "Our rapid action proves that we have the capability to act when a serious threat to morality appears on our site - especially when it brings the threat of corporate legal action, unlike minor issues such as the exploitation of minors, who are too young to sue us". Civil disturbance and rioting are not expected, because of the weak and feeble condition of people raised on a diet without meat. <ends>

Welcome to the world of line arrays. Bring back massive boxes.

Tonight’s gig will see some Mustang action....the shoulder will hold!

I will be playing 3 sets there this year.

I did quite a bit of work to arrive at the damping for this cab. I tried polyester wadding, acoustic foam and different types of felt. The one that was most effective at damping the main standing wave was the 'fluffy' felt that I used in my first cab. However, I decided to recommend the firmer, needled felt because it's more practical - it stays in place better. It may well be that some combination of the two is the answer, but that will have to wait until I have more time to experiment. The point of internal damping is to minimise internal standing waves and the reflections at higher frequencies that travel through the cone. The damping efficiency of the different materials available varies by frequency, but here we need something that works down to a relatively low frequency, as the main standing wave is about 250Hz. As you can imagine, the more damping material you use, the more effectively you damp internal reflections. On the other hand, use too much and you'll kill the output from the port. What I did originally was to measure the output from the port with no damping in the cab. Then I used different quantities of the various damping materials whilst observing 1. the output from the port and 2. the behaviour of the main standing wave. The balancing act involved is in minimising the standing wave whilst maximising the port output. I'm afraid the only way you can do this scientifically is by measurement. As Sharkfinger says, the needled felt is fragile - so you need to handle it carefully. If you grab it and pull it, it will come apart. But if you cut it to size before fitting it to the cab you won't have any problem, especially as each piece you fit is fairly small anyway. Take a look at the photos on the previous page.

I can't wait for the Fender marketing videos of lots insta-famous teenagers walking through the woods and/or city centres with the bass hanging over the shoulder without a case, never actually playing the bass, but instead providing a bunch of nauseating marketing speak such such as: 'I love the snap and zing of the finish' 'you know, it feels old, but it also kinda feels new?' 'it is so versatile, I can play it with my fingers or with a pick' 'for me, bass is the foundation of music, and the Fender Precision is the foundation of bass' I like the look of the seventies Jazz because it looks like a Fendeer Jazz bass and I like Fender Jazz basses.

Well, this was my rig in 1973 - A Wallace bass amp (new, bought directly from Wallace in Praed St mews at Paddington) Pair of 1x12 exponential horn cabinets Pair of Carlsbro 2x15 cabs It was vast, and needed a small truck to move it about, but was err...a bit loud.

As per the title - this is my new baby - built from scratch and just finished. I've bolted parts together once or twice but this is the first one that actually started as just blocks of wood! Far from perfect but not half bad. It really sings 😀

Go on then ... I don't expect this to keep folks waiting too long! Rough and ready recorded on the Westone Thunder 1, using my phone.

Mums mate - she’s a right goer...

Dear friends, after more than 4 years the first 4 String bass is ready to rock the world ! EVO-FX4

I'd be impressed if we could just have the 'Mod Shop' configurator.

The thing is, when Gibson were going bust, everyone was saying “they need to go back to what they do best, Les Paul’s/SG’s/335’s!” And were criticised for all their “innovations” (which incidentally were poop...) Fender and Gibson do what they do, Imagine Levi’s making tracksuit bottoms or Dr Martens making tennis shoes. It just doesn’t work that way. Fender have a staple 5/10 models and have to work with that. They try stuff and it doesn’t always sell - there are 100’s of models which didn’t stay long. I sold Fenders for years as my Job, and all the weird and wonderful sat on the wall while black strats and white telecasters turned over in huge numbers. For years their best selling Telecaster was the butterscotch 52, their second biggest selling telecaster was the left handed version. After that it was a natural finish USA with a black pickguard and the Baja Tele in blackguard blonde...etc. Its about an “Icon” thing for players. Jaguars/Jazzmasters/Mustangs were sort of dead until Grunge - the artists bought them because they were reputable branded guitars but cheap. Then in the early 2000’s the 72 Custom Tele/Thinline Tele/Tele Deluxe were in vogue because of all the hip indie bands using them for that same reason - before that they couldn’t raise an eyebrow let alone a big ticket price. They have a legacy and they’re bound to it, damned if they do (by some) and damned if they don’t (by others). More stringent quality control and they’d be away - but that adds cost, and that’s why a Deluxe USA Jazz is £1800 or so and a USA Sadowsky is about £4500. Incidentally - I side by side compared a USA 2010 Deluxe, A USA sadowsky and an Alleva Coppolo (check spelling) and the Fender held its own, massively. I preferred it in sound to the other two and it felt as nice as the Sadowsky. It was just a bit heavier than the other 2. It was also about £1449 at the time. They should open up 12 month contracts to us all and see if we could do a better job. Anyhow, as someone said earlier - if you weren’t thinking of buying a Fender this year - these probably aren’t aimed at you...I’m off to play my yamaha 😂

Pete is apparently Havenless Adz is Grungyn Frank is The Watcher - doesn't seem to have entered into the spirit of it does he?

I used to read about The The and mistakenly assumed that the band should be referred to in conversation as 'the The The'. Boy, was my face red!

This one is odd too.... Twobass4 (Somerset) My grief councillor died last week. She was so good I don’t give a sh*t. Professional gear and transport. Looking for just one band. I would be happy to play almost anything but metal. Prefer Blues, rock, folk, jazz, even alt country but without the cowboy hat. Lots of experience, including playing the bass. Must go, nurse will be along soon.

Had the B3k and the VMT and they are fizzy, Q Strip being a pre-amp to all intensive purposes will hammer the signal signal up and increase what fizz you have. Are you stacking the B3K and the VMT as always on? You do have a lot of signal push there, what was normally unity gain, may now be too much. Other option is that if you like your tone with the Q strip, place that up front to tone shape and then distort

My porno name would be Minty Parkes, which does sound quite saucy- for a girl. Unfortunately I'm a gangly middle-aged bloke, currently gurning the last few bits of pork pie lunch from my teeth.

The previous owner had problems seeing the frets / rails, so he put a piece of white tape before every single one. I don't really like the look of it, but until I can actually play the thing, i am not sure I don't need that, so I have yet to take them off, apart from where he put doubles, which was just confusing. Hopefully I will take them off soon. All the railboards have villex pickups and filters. If you plug them into phantom power they are active, otherwise they aren't. But it is stereo and the filters are supposed to work both ways (tbh, hard to hear much difference). And that is where things got complicated. When I got it I was puzzled why the melody side was lower pitched than the bass side and after a few questions I found out that it was in dual bass reciprocal, where one side is a bass in 5ths and the other side is a bass in 4ths. But I don't want that, I have basses, i wanted standard stick tuning so I have faffed around changing the strings, (i had some spares) as the gauges of the strings are like a closely guarded secret, but I didn't work it out and broke one. Why didn't I think of the d'addario tension calculator which lets you work out exactly what the strings should be. Anyway, I am going to have to get some new strings, so i have the option of getting them from america for $50 + $23 + import and vat, + parcelforce benevolent fund fee, or go to everyones favourite Lancashire based string purveyor for a fair bit less! Much against my real wishes I am not taking it to a gig tonight. I am sure I could work out mustang sally on it easy enough, but maybe that isn't the point

The newer Dimension was a killer bass. Beautiful compound radius, oiled neck, great weight and balance, 18v active electronics, dual humbuckers. They tried. We didn't buy them because they weren't 'Fender enough'. We don't actually want Fender to do anything other than what they are currently doing, it seems.

I would add, if you're using spray mount glue, use rubber gloves. Unless you like furry hands.

Or more likely leave behind next doors bin

I can't even be certain there isn't an idiot in my solo project...

They did, and it didn't work (Fender Performer). (Maybe I might also mention the Dimension.......or is it too controversial to say it wasn't successful either?) In a world of change, sometimes its comforting to find something which doesn't.

HazBeen pretty much summed it up. Bernie got them through to the UK when he was distributing for EBS. They were never sold to the consumer as such - but Bernie would supply them if people asked or when people came into his shop looking for something new in the EQ department. He tended to put them in the KSd basses that he was also distributing because the stock preamp in those was pretty naff in comparison. In the UK, if you find one in your bass, the chances is that it's come from Bernie... or you've bought one of my old basses 😛 I believe Chris Larkin (RIP) used to put these pres n his basses too. I think he got them direct from EBS, not via the Goodfellow route. They are treble and bass with a pan and volume and a switch for the mid bump/mid scoop Marcus thing. I've had a look at the manual posted above - and yup, that covers it off pretty comprehensively. Talking of Marcus, this pre in a jazz gives you Marcus in spades. It's a very active sounding pre, certainly not subtle! Great sounding pre though - I remember @stingrayPete1977's Squier J bass project bass sounding amazing once it's electronics had been gutted and replaced with one of these EBS pres and a set of original J bass pickups from Bartolini. Just out of interest @Dandelion, what bass is in the picture above? I may know the history of it. Looks a bit Statusy?

Er, sorry. I meant 'really good'. I didn't mean to be so parsimonious with my praise for your new pickup surround. I did mean to say that it looks really good. And £18. Bargain. And as easy to play as a Fender? Without having to be a Fender? Double bargain. So, not just nice but really good. Yes, really good. In fact, hang it, it's really, really good. Sorry. Look at me all gushing and over the top. But it really is really good and i really shouldn't hold back in telling you. Niiiicccceeeee 😀🤣🤣🤣

Is Donald Trump moonlighting as a business consultant for Gibson on the quiet?

Relatively speaking, maybe £30 for the glossy auction brochure isn’t so bad after all? Another top reason to love David Gilmour, brilliant

Gets the job done in no time.

I find it quite comforting, actually. Fender just making Fenders. Nice to see a 'normal' Mustang back on the books, too.

Me likey also the old Combos. I have really no idea why Mr Hall doesn't draw more deeply on the firm's heritage. Perhaps it's because he's a total wankspangle.

Amazing prices but amazing musical history. At least it’s all for charidee mate 👍

Yes, but it might have been a little more than a month ago. I'm good for the summer. However, that's only because I've been included in all the acoustic bookings. Blue

Rex Shannon here

This is the most effective phishing thread ever...

Frankly, I think it's time that the estate of the late Mr Paul Bigsby (1899–1968) sued both Fender and Gibson. Below: From 1947-1948 (four years before the Les Paul and six years before the Strat). Nice headstock and body shape, eh? and this two pup Bigsby: It is a fact that both Leo Fender and Les Paul knew Bigsby, sat around and discussed guitars, saw his work, etc. Suck on that, Gibson bread-head dudes.

Is it the real John Hall or a chinese knockoff though?

What a negative thread! Give them some credit - they've made up a word!

Same basses, different 'series' name.... zzzz....

Would someone like to explain what’s new about this series? Looks like the same old stuff they have been making for years! Shouldn’t 50’s, 60’s and 70’s Precision’s and Jazzes have bridge covers and pickup bridges?

Noice!!!

I've just upgraded to a CS6. I also bought a T-Rex current doubler, which is installed and working just fine. I have seen it mentioned on a couple of FB groups that people have run a Stomp on a single 500mA CS6 output. I tried it and it seems to work ok, but I'll stick with my current doubler so there's no chance of any power issues mid gig.

Is this the same Blue who was down in the dumps about having no gigs a month or so ago 🙂