dan670844

[quote name='markstuk' post='997174' date='Oct 22 2010, 03:18 PM']Does anyone have experience with "Handheld" recorders like the Zoom H4N or Tascam DR1/DR100/DR07 ? As a standalone rehearsal recorder they would seem to be a great idea, assuming they work as advertised.. Thoughts/Opinions welcome ... Cheers Mark[/quote] + 1 for the zoom H2 its a great bit of kit, simple and its easy to achieve good results, fast and quick to set up which is the whole point of these things, a guitard mate has an H4, it has some amazing features but if you just want to press record. You won't go far wrong with the H2 or the H2 for that matter.

[quote name='northstreet' post='988404' date='Oct 14 2010, 08:36 PM']My covers band wants to do Superstition (aiming for something close to the Stevie Wonder version) but we're struggling with the main riff - we just can't get that sound. Any ideas on how I could get close on my bass? It's a Geddy Lee Jazz with roundwounds going through a Hartke LH500 and a pair of 15" cabs. I guess I'm going to need an effects box of some description, but I'm not sure where to start. Any (relevant) suggestions would be appreciated.[/quote] The riff is mainly played on a keyboard the bass just goes duh, duh, duh, duh, dud-dud-der-dah (hehehe) motown thump. I guess you could play the main riff on a guitar with the thump of the bass in the back ground.

[quote name='uzzell' post='797553' date='Apr 6 2010, 02:03 PM']My apologies if this thread already exists, I did try looking but couldnt find anything. I am just wondering if there is a list of custom bass builders on this site, if not could one be started? I am thinking of commisioning someone to build my dream bass but would love to know if anyone comes highly regarded and respected. Anyhelp you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.[/quote] How about an unknown a guy called John Manuel in Cumbria, he built a jazz 'style' bass for me. solid alder single piece, he did the body unfinished for £150, finishing for me was a little expensive as I wanted a original car finish which takes ages I wanted the original silver under. But if you wanted somthing more regular like a three tone, its not so bad! if anyone wants his details PM me

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' post='898088' date='Jul 18 2010, 02:50 PM']I'm about to order the electrics for my latest project, I know nothing about the subject, happy to follow a wiring diagram. CH guitars do wiring kits for certain basses and guitars, they do two for Jazz bass, one with a ceramic capacitor one with poly- what difference does it make (if any?)[/quote] Let me know how you get on, I am going to have a go with this in a few weeks!

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='896779' date='Jul 16 2010, 07:14 PM']I guess a lot of us here earn a bit of beer money from our various ventures. We've got pro players on Basschat & we have bedroom players too but I would imagine the majority are people with dayjobs who occasionally earn the odd quid playing with the band. A lot of my gigs have been unpaid but I am now in a position where the band I'm currently with has potential to make a bit of money. Realistically speaking we might make a few hundred quid but it'll never be a case of packing in the dayjob. Legally you are supposed to declare ALL earnings (I'm not naive enough to think most musicans do!) and some employers require you to declare music as a buisness interest. I'm just curious as to who has declared what and if it has been a pain. I'm sure the taxman won't be delighted to see my putting down an addition annual income of £300 a year but my companies policy is it is declared. What problems have people faced or has it been a relatively simple process? If people haven't declared, why not? Just wondering as I expect I am about to open a huge can of worms for myself. Also what tips are there for the semi pro musician? Presumably keep all receipts etc[/quote] Get an accountant a good one! its worth it. This is very painful reminder hehehe........ I have got a massive interim payment to make by the end of July........ .it makes me weep........ The only advise I would give is get an accountant, they are well worth the money they will save you a lot more money than you will loose from their fees and always put a portion of the money you get in aside for tax. In the beginning (i was young) i didn't do this and had a hard time realizing the money wasn't all mine hehehe You wouldn't believe how many months you can live on baked beans, and I am ever indebted for all my friends who I blagged fags off when I smoked

[quote name='Lozz196' post='896253' date='Jul 16 2010, 08:53 AM']Are there any other Basschatters out there who love Marshall Bass Amps? I`ve owned Hartke, Laney, Peavey, Trace Elliot & Fender, played through Ampeg, but the amps that work for me are Marshall. Just bought a 2nd hand DBS 7400 to go with my VBC 412, and the sound/power is amazing, but even my MB Series gear, which is Marshalls current entry-level gear I found to be seriously good. Plus very reasonably priced. Just think that for "old-school" bass sounds, Marshall can`t be beat. There`s also the added advantage that, with them being 30mins away from me, if I need a service/repair, I can take it straight to the manufacturer, rather than having to find someone locally to deal. Marshalls service/repair prices I find to be very reasonable, and if booked, they show you around the whole factory/museum whilst they carry out the work. Great products, great customer service, and whats more rock n roll than a Marshall? Makes me want to wear my shades indoors [/quote] I tried a Marshall MB combo the other day in Sound Sanc studios in Watford really liked the vintage old channel, amazing warm, smooth sounds from a relatively cheap combo really great. At Eastwood studios in Milton Keynes they Have a 7XXX series in white tolex, really a great sound very round and warm the opposite of the Nemesis of the day the Trace Elliot series 6. I like both amps from that period but the come from entirely different ends of the spectrum. So easy to dial in the warm round Motown sound with these Marshalls.

I have a Ashdown Mini 48 and after the usual burn in of the drivers its a great cab, superb warm sounding cab and perfectly balanced not at all Honky, a great Cab shame they don't make it anymore.

[quote name='tazza1' post='897609' date='Jul 17 2010, 09:00 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Jazz-Bass-Copy-/130411056423?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1e5d1acd27"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Jazz-Bass-Cop...=item1e5d1acd27[/url] "This auction is for a gorgeous Black Jazz Bass guitar i got my hands on. Beautiful guitar! Fantastic for any type of music. It has a Jazz Bass style maple bolt on neck with a chrome neck mounts and is really nice, the action, playability, look, the lot ! It also has a Fender style shaped headstock for that classic look." "This guitar has been labeled with a fender decal so it looks the part." It sure does(n't!) - Just why would you bother doing that? If you're going to rip something off at least do the research.[/quote] He he was that the "gonzo" neck period that Fender went through!!

[quote name='nollaig' post='896451' date='Jul 16 2010, 12:24 PM'][url="http://www.worldmusicsupply.com/Squier-Vintage-Modified-77-Jazz-Bass.html"]http://www.worldmusicsupply.com/Squier-Vin...-Jazz-Bass.html[/url] [url="http://www.worldmusicsupply.com/Squier-Vintage-Modified-Precision-Bass.html"]http://www.worldmusicsupply.com/Squier-Vin...ision-Bass.html[/url] [url="http://www.worldmusicsupply.com/Squier-Vintage-Modified-Jaguar-Bass.html"]http://www.worldmusicsupply.com/Squier-Vin...aguar-Bass.html[/url] Is this going to be Fender's OLP i.e. too good for the price and stops people buying the higher end - if this is £300 (maybe £450 including the bridge/PUP/tuner modifications you'd want to make) surely it'll trash the MIM market (if that exists anymore)? If Classic Vibe/Vintage Modifieds are such good value, so well crafted etc then why is a MIM at twice the price not twice the guitar? - leaving aside country of origin and brand name. In reality Fender surely need to look at the £500-£750 range and make them really worth it (like CIJs - why aren't they easier to get??????).[/quote] Every one of these VM's and CV i play has been very well made and set up, and I won't bother changing anything on them the PUs Bridges tuners are well good enough for most situations that most people need em for. Fender Japan stuff is now again very good (non export) Fender mexico and USA is very hit and miss, some of the setups on these are pretty shocking.

[quote name='ollie.v' post='896968' date='Jul 16 2010, 11:12 PM']hi ,im new to this page and am after some valued expert advice. i have had bassman 135 for about 15yrs. its been reconditioned several times ie,transformers diodes etc on numerous occasions ,as with all classic gear,its temperamental. but the real problem i have is trying to match the right valves with it for that original sixty's valve sound. when you purchase a quartet or (corner) of valves,they are all different and give the amp a different sound each time. do you have any recomendations please?[/quote] Have a chat with Derek at Watford Valves New old stock would be the best soultion but, they are very expensive these days as decent nos fetches silly money, even if you can find them. Better to get some of his Harma's which is his own brand which are matched graded, and burned in. We use his valves in all of the studio stuff here. They seem to have much better logevity than other modern stuff. i guess simply as they hae been tested. Another good source is TAD tube amp doctor. Basically pay special attention to your output valves you need a digitally matched set and they or course need biasing. These are the ones that go pre valves are much more robust. We havs a B15 with an orginal pre valve in it. Valve stuff is pretty robust if you let it cool down before moving it

[quote name='dan670844' post='892325' date='Jul 11 2010, 10:05 PM']I use your head for rehearsals etc for slappy pop, i just use and old trace smx pedal they come up here quite a lot, I wack the low compress up halfway, no compress the highs you will loose the attack, adjust you gain and nice tight slap sound. These old pedals work great with class d heads, I also have used an EBS pedal with it (it belonged to the studio).[/quote] Try boosting your highs a little as well it will help a lot.

[quote name='M4L666' post='892120' date='Jul 11 2010, 06:03 PM']Just got a new band in which I slap and pop a lot, and at practice I noticed my highs are a bit lacking when I go slap from fingerstyle. But when we played a gig, the bassist had some kind of beastly compressor (that sadly I couldn't see) which really brought out all of the notes I played really well. So I'm looking for a really powerful compressor, help plz?[/quote] I use your head for rehearsals etc for slappy pop, i just use and old trace smx pedal they come up here quite a lot, I wack the low compress up halfway, no compress the highs you will loose the attack, adjust you gain and nice tight slap sound. These old pedals work great with class d heads, I also have used an EBS pedal with it (it belonged to the studio).

[quote name='M4L666' post='892120' date='Jul 11 2010, 06:03 PM']Just got a new band in which I slap and pop a lot, and at practice I noticed my highs are a bit lacking when I go slap from fingerstyle. But when we played a gig, the bassist had some kind of beastly compressor (that sadly I couldn't see) which really brought out all of the notes I played really well. So I'm looking for a really powerful compressor, help plz?[/quote] I use your head for rehearsals etc for slappy pop, i just use and old trace smx pedal they come up here quite a lot, I wack the low compress up halfway, no compress the highs you will loose the attack, adjust you gain and nice tight slap sound. These old pedals work great with class d heads, I also have used an EBS pedal with it (it belonged to the studio).

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='891639' date='Jul 10 2010, 10:18 PM']Ok so today i was in the leeds branch of PMT (bad name for a shop) There was a rather lovely looking custom shop fender jazz in a relic dakota red finish with matching headstock and brazilian rosewood board! Wow! What a looker! And what a price £2500!!! Ouch! I picked it off the wall thinking.....This better be good!! The only thing i could muster up was......meh! Its ok! What a shame! It looked great but didnt play no where near as well as some of the cheaper (and i mean sub £500) basses!! The one thing i was really dissapointed with was the fretwork! Even tho the action was pretty high it still choked and buzzed when played on the higher frets which i didnt expect from a custom shop bass! plus the pickups seemed week in comparision to similar instruments! Hmmm bit of a let down really! I really wanted to fall in love with it and beg steal or borrow to take it out of the shop! Maybe my sadowsky's fretwork and general quality have spoilt me?!? Who knows..... Anyone else had these kind of expectations from fender custom shop or other basses and been let down? On a more positive note the musicman, sandberg and yamaha basses were much better! The musicman sterling in particular was lovely to play, shame i dont get on with big humbuckers haha there's just no pleasing me is there [/quote] This is just Fender all over, why can't a custom shop be fettled a bit? some US stuff is great, other stuff is Pee poor, what happened to the quality control they had up to a couple of years ago? If Cort can do it on the £300 quid Squier classic vibe stuff they make for Fender why can't they do this in the US? They just havn't bothered to set it up properly on a £2500 bass there is not excuse. They always do this, thats why I play non export Jap Fender stuff. It has been set up properly, quality is very consist and its cheaper. I noticed Fender have put the Kybosh on people selling non export overseas again, must be a reason for that! But I also blame the shop's a bit they never do themselves any favours by hanging just in stuff on the walls without even looking at it, they must loose a lot of sales like this.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='891374' date='Jul 10 2010, 04:09 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1972-Fender-Precision-Bass-P-Bass-99p-NO-RESERVE-/250659657451?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3a5c7ad6eb"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1972-Fender-Precisio...=item3a5c7ad6eb[/url] Well? [/quote] It has been hot this week / weekend maybe the guy has sunstroke! either that or it another fake dogs dinner on ebay!

[quote name='Marvin' post='886662' date='Jul 5 2010, 08:55 PM']I've just placed my bass in the living room, resting against the sofa. Proportionally and generally aesthetically I find it very pleasing to my eye. And in general I think I find bass guitars more pleasing to the eye than guitars. Basses seem more balanced, more elegant. I find guitars stubby and sometimes maybe cluttered (not quite the word I was looking for but close as I could get). This isn't an anti-guitar thread more a question of design. EDIT: I do apologise for the poor English [b]'Proportionally and generally aesthetically'[/b] that's not very good is it now [/quote] I vote yes but there maybe more than a little natural bias on this site!

[quote name='Macko1968' post='271887' date='Aug 28 2008, 04:38 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Precision-Bass_W0QQitemZ330266059121QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item330266059121&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A10%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Precision-Bas...id=p3286.c0.m14[/url] Ignoring the space cadet price, this looks a bit odd to me. CN serial number on what appears to be a vinatge series bass, in which case I would expect an R serial number. Strap button on the back of the headstock but can't see a CS logo next to it. And that neck plate is very wonky too. I've emailed the seller.[/quote] There are so many relic reproductions, and down right fakes around now. I would think long and hard about buying anything 'old' or CS these days unless i knew the person and history or it came from a reputable dealer and I would never buy anything like this on ebay. I have an old Stratocaster from the Sixties, it was my Dads, What I have noticed is that the parts on this guitar have all aged at different rates, some of the screws look as if they were made yesterday, other parts have aged 'well' and its all in a completely random fashion. The middle pickup cover for example is still white, the bridge and the neck covers look like Dot Cottons teeth..... weird. Thats why I think this NOS nonsense is a waste of time and an awful lot of money. Better to get a decent bass and mod it how you want with decent pickups etc. I cannot understand the hype with old Fenders, I love Jazzers its all I play but don't forget its a mass produced item abeit a good one. Yes the old ones where better, the necks are easier to play, (but they curl and warp so easily thats why they changed them) the pickups where amazing but you can get seymours and Wizard 62's which are just as good

I was talking to a guy in a remix studio about this and that the other day and we had a brief chat about valves. He said had I heard about Edicron valves? apparently they are made in Serbia by EI electronic on the old Philips / Mullard equipment. They make a wide range of ecc81/82/83 EL34 KT88 (Bottles) Anyone use em, any good? know where you can buy them from?

[quote name='dan670844' post='883987' date='Jul 2 2010, 02:18 PM']I guess its to do with as well that everyone want to be out front. Being in a band is all about being an extrovert. The rhythm section is seen as more backseat. I agree with previous comments, playing the bass to the casual observer or wanna be is pretty easy. To a certain extent this is true if all you want to do is bang our root notes, but to play the bass well, to augment and enhance a piece of music, which is what a bass can do thats a whole different kettle of fish, that requires a lot of musical knowledege, which is difficult. I know a lot of people who will pick up a bass and bang away but really play to the song nope. A B@@@@ks 35 to 45 is the best for being a musican [/quote] And another thing don't worry about being 35 inexperienced blah de blah. Its not important playing music is for you to enjoy. Most professional musicans will always encourage and explain and help . People that aren't like that you don't want to be around. There are so many weekend warrior w@@@@@s about, you just have to learn to walk

[quote name='johnny_frog' post='883628' date='Jul 2 2010, 07:39 AM']Dunno if this is other peoples experience but... I've had 2 call ups for auditions in as many weeks via Bandmix. Both bands are pretty good working pub bands... I got the spot with the first band, first gig tomorrow night and I only got the email from the second band this morning and haven't replied yet. Being inexperienced bass wise and the wrong side of 35, I was expecting to have a struggle finding a gigging band that would take me but this doesn't seem to be the case. I'm assuming that me having my own gear and transport is an advantage, however from what band members have said to me "guitarists are 10 a penny... but bassists are hard to find" Is this just something in my area (central scotland) or are we a rare breed country wide?[/quote] I guess its to do with as well that everyone want to be out front. Being in a band is all about being an extrovert. The rhythm section is seen as more backseat. I agree with previous comments, playing the bass to the casual observer or wanna be is pretty easy. To a certain extent this is true if all you want to do is bang our root notes, but to play the bass well, to augment and enhance a piece of music, which is what a bass can do thats a whole different kettle of fish, that requires a lot of musical knowledege, which is difficult. I know a lot of people who will pick up a bass and bang away but really play to the song nope. A B@@@@ks 35 to 45 is the best for being a musican

[quote name='krth1985' post='883877' date='Jul 2 2010, 12:38 PM']So, we have just acquired this second hand PA system. The mixer is 400w, and there are two speakers, with that look like small tweeters. Its all in very good condition, and it was a bargain at the price. But can we really run 3 instruments (2 guitars and bass) plus vocals through it? We play indie/rock. Oasis, Stereophonics, Ocean Colour Scene. We tried it last night, and the bass was all muddy, nothing I could do with the EQ to brighten it up, and the vocals were just plain awful. I also noticed that on the desk the PEAL L and PEAK R lights kept flashing red when we kicked into a song, what does that mean? Also am I right in thinking if there are 4 inputs going into the mixer, each one takes up 100watts each? So essentially the vocals only have 100watts to work with. We will be playing a lot of pub/club gigs 100+ people. Do you guys think this is enough power?[/quote] Our Pa for small gigs is also only 400watts per channel, but we only use it for sound reinforcement and vocals i.e to balance the equalise all the sound. But we never put bass through it , I am on my own. (I might add this is 400watts RMS of high quality Crown power amp, there is a big difference between this and a cheaper poweramp. For this type of gig we find that pa-ing the bass its not necessary, I am using a 4x10 eden in this set up and 750 watts rms not turned up that much . The peak L and R lights on the desk that you can see means you were feeding to much signal into the Preamps / mixer. Turn the gain knob down on the channels. A really good bit of info on how to set a pa up is read a soundcraft mixer manual. Go to the soundcraft mixer website and read one of the manuals it will fill you in on how to set up the channels and master on the PA.