alyctes

pics please

missed it

Emmylou Harris, 'Wrecking Ball'

hi folks I have a bass which makes a distinct beating noise, at maybe 5 Hz or so?, when I plug it in - but only when I'm touching the strings. The more contact, the louder the noise. Other basses don't do this, with the same amp and lead. If I unplug the bass and hold the free end of the lead, I get the same effect. I'm guessing this is a bad earth on the bass, and possibly bad shielding. Does that make sense? Thanks for reading

Nice

MM2 OLP? Definitely not expensive (£120-£150 second-hand), decently made, but I don't know how they compare soundwise

I know zero about Woody Custom. But I bet that thing has serious neck dive.

Bought some straps from Mike. Flawless transaction including him taking them on holiday so he could get them in the post promptly. Nice one thanks, Mike

[quote name='cybertect' timestamp='1379109013' post='2208900'] I purchased the new Arctic Monkeys album, 'AM', today. And an oldie - 'Rain, Steam & Speed' by New Zealand's finest, The Mutton Birds. Enjoying them both very much. AM may have convinced me I have to try some dirt in my bass sound... [/quote] Mutton Birds, what a band. 'Envy of Angels' is (IMO) better than RS+S, and there are great songs on their first two as well.

jazz on Radio 3. I keep trying, but I still don't get it

You're just trolling.

I bought some machine heads and a scratchplate from Jez. All as described, quickly despatched, well packed. I'd have no hesitation in dealing with him again. Cheers

I think I can, but I don't. Mostly I rely on our rhythm guitarist.

Enjoyment. My enjoyment includes getting paid.

Our rhythm guitarist is pretty good; I work off him. I still get trapped into the singer's rhythm though. Hand-held percussion helps - tambourine, bodhran. (No we are not a folk band...

I bought BassKS' Roadstar defret, and very nice it is too. He was very patient about my packaging/posting paranoia, and his packing was excellent. No issues, and I'd be quite happy to deal with him again. Thanks!

I bought Mike's Yamaha defret. Nice bass, good comms, excellent packing, all as advertised. No hesitation in dealing with Mike again. cheers Mike

I have BEAD in mind... PMed.

Thanks TimR, appreciated. [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1377325679' post='2186179'] First thing to check is that you are using an instrument lead and not a speaker lead. They're different but can look the same on the outside. Instrument leads have a sheath and core. Speaker leads have the two cores running parallel with no sheath. It should be written on the cable or you may be able to unscrew the barrel of the jack. A few things can go wrong with leads. Dirty plugs. If the plugs aren't making good connection with the sockets then every time you move you'll break the circuit. That'll give you crackles. If the sleeve is not giving a good connection then your bass won't be properly earthed and you'll get hum. If the resistance and capacitance created by the dirt is high enough then the lead will act like a filter. As you alter the restance of the volume knobs this changes the filter characteristics. Google RC filter for an idea of how your tone control works. Also leads have electrolytic properties and can act like capacitors because the sheath runs round the outside of the core. If the insulation round the sheath is not good when the cable is wiggled you can cause static build up. This shouldn't happen with modern cables. Also the terminations in the jacks can break. If it isn't a moulded one unscrew the barrel of the jack and inspect the connections. Otherwise wiggle the lead at the jack with the bass plugged in. If it crackles then you probably have a broken connection. Cut off the plug and solder a new one in. [/quote]

I don't know, but the obvious answer is CNC machining.

Recently I noticed (far too late) that with a good-quality lead, my basses are silent (no hum, buzz or crackle) regardless of what I do with the controls. (The strings are different ) I also noticed that with duff leads, the hum, buzz and crackle varies depending on the bass control settings. I don't get it. Okay, the lead is part of a circuit which also includes the bass electrics. But, the things I'd expect to make a difference (lead length is the obvious one) don't seem to matter. Can anyone explain what's going on, please? I am reasonably happy with science (at least to A level standard).