Dad3353

What, one in each door panel for listening to R4 on the move..? Right... It might knock the fuel consumption a bit, though.

Fixed.

Going for 'zero' might be the best starting point..? No idea otherwise; I'm a drummer, so 'Pitch..? Schmitch..!'.

Good evening, Ian, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Good afternoon, HD, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share. Recommended topics..? Hmm... Bassless, you say..? Hmm Marketplace, maybe..? Be warned: there be Dragons..! Phil Lesh..? Ambitious; one of my all-time favourites. Good Stuff.

'Best' I don't know, but we use a Smooth Hound, and it's darned good. The sound is right, it's lightweight, the batteries last ages and it was affordable when we bought it, a few years ago now. I'd buy another with no hesitation.

You are @Leonard Smalls and I claim my £5..! ...

Good afternoon, Dave, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

It depends, partly, on where you live.

True, today, for us, but there are plenty enough on the Planet that live without access to oil products, living off what Nature can provide for them. A diminishing way of life, but one that has done not so badly for Humans for the past... well, maybe even longer than that. I'm rather of the conviction that, for better or worse, our present life-style is rather the exception, and many would agree that it's not sustainable, whatever its advantages. Not that, for myself, now, I'd be willing to adopt a 14th-century way of life, but there's something to be said for keeping a hold on the past; it may be Our Future, as a species.

It's only in very recent times that leather has become, to some, a 'waste product'. Traditionally, tanning and leather goods were a major industry. Much has been taken over by motorised transport (less call for horse harnesses etc...) and petro-chemical garments (nylon, or PVC instead of leather jackets and shoes...). Once oil production dries up, I suspect these 'natural' products will have a second heyday. The alternative could be cotton, but it's not as hard-wearing, and difficult to water-proof. Just sayin'.

Good afternoon, Mike, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

It's quite common to remove the neck (of a suitable bass, obviously..! ...) so that it can be carried on as hand luggage. Just sayin'.

Just to say that the penny has finally dropped, concerning the picture. As I've noted elsewhere, I'm not on 'top form' at the moment, but still... There have been clues galore, and I even have the photo as my PC 'desktop' screen (as every month, to help with 'inspiration...), but it was only last night that illumination came. It makes a bit of a nonsense of my compo for the month, though; more fool me..! Thanks for the picture; it certainly had me pondering.

For what it's worth, I think that this ^^ is the crux of the matter. For playing '60s and older' stuff, there's very little hi-tech needed, and with all that you have at your disposal, there's no reason to not get a Good Sound very easily. I'd suggest an experiment. Use the bass you feel most at home with, the Handbox with all the 'gadgets' turned off and the tone controls set to 12 noon, and play what you like to play. The tone should be right there, and definitely not 'farty', unless you're playing too loud for the cab. Is that 12" cab the only one you have..? It's the only element that I could imagine as being responsible for any lack of conviction in the tone (I could be wrong there; I don't use cabs of the sort for bass, so...). Try playing like that for a couple of weeks, with the same settings (no cheating, fiddling around...); your ears will become acustomed to your 'core' tone, and your fingers will be able to make a difference (closer to the bridge, 'digging in' a little harder, using a pick, maybe..?). It's only once you have this basic tone firmly established that it's possible to move into other areas, adding compression, or EQ or whatever. Firstly, get the initial, straight 'out of the box' tone between your ears, and move on only once you know what it is you want that's not already 'there'. Hope this helps.

Try it, though (OK, maybe just the once...)..? Take the first page, work out, laboriously, what the notes are, and where they are on the bass. By the nature of the piece, the rhythmic notion is quite easy, and once you've worked out a line or two, you'll see how it works, and what it can bring to the party. It's a great introduction to 'dots', and doesn't imply that one has to become a 'swot', or pour over pages of operatic libretti. Just a couple of lines, and you'll impress yourself, I'm sure.

This may be of interest, then; it's very good, and not that difficult ...

I listen to a lot of Schubert, Mahler, Bruckner etc. I don't get much opportunity to play those riffs, though.

I've always gone from the bass, straight into the amp, and am very happy with the sound. I use a clip-on tuner. I'm somewhat of a minimalist, 'old-school' (being old...), and don't like the 'dirt' sound. It helps having a good bass, amp and cab, though; without those elements, it's just chasing a dahu. My advice would be to get a sound you like with just the basics first, then add pedals etc if needs arise. I may be alone in this, though. What's to not like with your current gear, and what is it..?

Gorilla Glue sets in contact with water (water vapour in the air is enough...). It's usual to dampen the area around the glue joint to set it off. Not so easy in the case of your ingenious speed clip venture, but dabbing a damp rag into the inside of the horn would have been my choice, simply to get a little moisture in there. You may already know (or have found out...) that it's best to squeeze out the air from the glue bottle before putting the cap on; I store mine upside-down to keep the glue inside fresh as long as possible (I use very little, as I do model aircraft, mainly...). Altogether a fine job; well done.

Obviously. ...

A spell in the Workshop for piercing the holes for the speakers this evening. It's great how much more simple it is with the right tools and some gumption. I was thinking 'jigsaw and lots of filing/sandpaper', but not Our Eldest. After careful measurement he made up a template from spare chipboard for using the router to cut out the hole, testing it first on another bit of gash. We then attacked the baffles. The gumption came from not having enough surface free to clamp the template to the baffle; the solution can be seen in the photo. A strip of ordinary masking tape each side of the hole to be cut, with a matching pair of strips on the template. A trickle of CA glue along the centre of the masking tape and the template is carefully aligned and pressed down, gluing the two pieces together. A clamp for holding it all to the bench; the router made short work of the cut. Once unclamped, the masking tape comes off each piece easily. Rinse and repeat for all six cut-outs, and it's done..! ... This is the penultimate cut; the combo baffle is already done and whisked away. Next step will be to prepare the 17² reinforcements, and start assembling the panels. I may decide to paint the boxes after all (I was thinking along the lines of the, now vintage, 'Charlie' amps, which were a very smart natural 'pine' finish, but this plywood doesn't have quite the same aspect..! I've received a set (well, two sets, really...) of plastic corners from Thomann (cost 10€ delivered...); it seemed like a Good Idea to protect the corners, and for the few coppers, why not..? To be continued... Onward and Upward..!

Here is my contribution to the August 2021 Basschat Composition Challenge, inspired by a picture chosen by the previous winner: Lurksalot. There is a school of Science claiming the existence of an infinite number of Universes, in which, not only are all things possible, but all things must exist, somewhere or other. This is an illustration of this, whereby, in this Universe, The Monolith is, in fact, The Doordis, an invention of the wise Doctor Hugh, travelling through multi-dimensions in this strange craft. One might be fooled by its apparently slim profile, but, once ajar, one may see the inside, which resembles very much Windsor Great Park (yes, along with deer...). The apparition of this 'vehicle' in this humble bar is likely to provoke a reaction from the autochtones; they will throw bones in the air and emit whooping noises (just like every football night, really...). I spent quite some time and effort creating the 'Doordis' effect from half a dozen samples of various sound Fx, only for it to almost disappear in the mix..! The rest is mostly Kontakt choirs, a piano, a bamboo marimba, and even a 12-string Ricky guitar in there..! Reaktor played a part, too, and I played around with several 'noise' synths to get the 'swooshing'. Obviously reverbs and delays (Cockos...), and a final polishing-off with a mastering plug-in. Which DAW..? Reaper, of course; what else..? With apologies offered to the BBC and to Mr Strauss. Thanks for listening, if you already have; if you're about to, enjoy.

Good afternoon, Mark, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.