Bigjas

Norman Watt Roy. I went to see Wilko Johnson at The Cellars in Portsmouth and I spent the whole evening watching and listening to Norm instead of Wilko. His sound and performance just blew me away. I have played guitar for the last 20 years (not very well) and now I am out gigging every other weekend playing bass and loving it. Norm really was an inspiration to pick up and learn the Bass, thanks Norm. Jas

I took Mrs Bigjas there last year for 2 nights. I loved it there and wished we had longer there. We stayed at The Edison Hotel in Times Square , it was a nice hotel with lots of character and very central in Manhattan. Take very comfortable walking shoes and walk as much as you can. You will miss so much if you take a taxi. We visited all the usual popular tourist attractions and had a great time. Jas

What JTUK said......... In pubs its often all about the business, get a crowd to come along and drink plenty and the LL will love you Jas

I have just reached 2 years out of my Elixirs. I gig on average twice a month and rehearse every week for about 4 hours, so they get used a bit. I still like the sound and feel of them, so I'm reluctant to change them just for the sake of it. Although I feel like I should, 2 years seems far too long? Jas

I am looking for my first studio monitors. I am a novice when it comes to all things recording, have got a laptop and DAW with interface etc and have recorded our band. I am now needing to listen to my recordings so I can finish them off. I have been looking around the second hand market as my budget is quite small (£150 ish) and it seems if you ask 10 people what is best, you get 10 different answers. I have looked through the previous threads on here and the same monitors come up so these are a sure bet secondhand I assume. I have also stumbled across the Studiospares Seiwin 6" Active Monitors at £160 a pair. [url="https://www.studiospares.com/Headphones-and-Speakers/Studio-Monitors/Studiospares-Seiwin-6-Active-Monitor-Pair_248030.htm"]https://www.studiospares.com/Headphones-and-Speakers/Studio-Monitors/Studiospares-Seiwin-6-Active-Monitor-Pair_248030.htm[/url] The reviews on the website seem too good to be true, with people stating they are as good as more expensive items. Does anyone have any first hand experience with these monitors? They are very cheap and I am always mindful of the expression 'buy cheap, buy twice'. So just seeing if they are worth a punt really? Thanks Jas

I like the Luminlay stuff. I fitted the SB-30 side markers to my first Bass that I built a couple of years ago. I use a small uv light to charge them at the start of the first set and then recharge them in the interval. I could probably get away with doing the whole evening on one charge, but it does start to fade after about an hour. In daylight, they look like ordinary fret markers. They are easy to fit as described in the OP. Jas

I live in Fareham (between Southampton and Portsmouth) and play in two covers bands. One band rarely gets out of Gosport and the other plays the A27 corridor between Chichester and Southampton. There are a lot of pubs that have live music, but there are also a lot of local bands that have been on the circuit for some time. Starting a new band and getting in to the scene is quite hard, it's much easier to join an existing band. I have tried both avenues, the band I joined has 25 gigs booked for next year, the other one has none and is really hard to get gigs. Jas

I've just bought a second hand HA5500 from a fellow Basschat member and I am very happy with the sound. I'm playing it through a pair of BFM Jack 12 cabs and it is awesome. It's not the lightest amp, but for the money it is worth lugging around. Jas

I always struggle with describing how guitars,amps and cabs sound. I know in my head what sound I like, and these cabs are very close to it. I like a nice warm, solid bass sound that has clarity but not a modern,driven bass sound. I don't use effects, apart from a Behringer BDI 121. These speakers are very good, they project the sound all round the rehearsal room compared to my other Cab. The rest of the band could actually notice the difference in sound, they all prefered the BFM cabs. There is plenty of volume in these cabs too. I tried using just one cab to see what it would be like, and it performed very well on its own. If I had a small venue to play I could get away with just taking one cab. The sound of 2 BFM cabs is just amazing. My other cab that I keep at our rehearsal room is a Marshall DBS 7410. This weighs 60kgs!! The BFM cabs only weigh 18kgs each and sound better than the Marshall. I am a very happy chap, and I can't see me GASing for any more amps/cabs for a while. Jas

Thought I would share my build experience of BFM Jack 12 cabs with you. When I looked at building the cabs, I searched for any build logs and only came up with 'Discreets' very well written build log. So I thought I would share my build and opinions for anyone else looking to build. This is not an ongoing build log, rather a retrospective look back at my build. I bought the plans from Bill and the build took about 2 weeks in total. The 12mm ply is cut to size and I have set out the parts as per the plans. The plans are well written and easy to follow. Here you can see the baffle and throat panels have been glued together. I am using PU glue, this is the stuff that foams up and helps to provide an airtight joint. Its quite messy so gloves were used. The top and bottom being glued in place. The 2 cabs are now looking like boxes. I have also decided to make a box to house my Hartke HA5500 amp. I have added some timber to the front of the cabs so I can fit a cloth grill. I have also put the radius on all the edges. I have painted the inside of the cabs matt black. The outside is covered in Marshall Elephant grain tolex. Chrome corners are also fitted. Eminence Deltalite II 2512 Speaker is fitted. These are so light!! You can also see the carpet underlay stuck to the inside. The cabs are now complete, this is the back view. You can see I have made the box for the head, so it all matches. And the finished items. I am really pleased with how they look. I tried it out at rehearsal this week and I am very pleased with the sound. I could probably get away with only one cab, but two just sounds so nice. Plenty of headroom with this rig Cant wait to gig it at the end of the month. The cabs only weigh 17.8kg on my bathroom scales, and that was the reason behind building this rig. My back can no longer take all the heavy lifting of my Hiwatt rig. These are a one handed lift with a handle on the top. Jas

I am currently building a pair of Jack 12 cabs and I am using PU glue from Axminster tools. http://www.axminster.co.uk/fast-grab-5-minute-polyurethane-glue It works really well, just wear latex gloves when using it. I have used about half a pot building 2 cabs, a little goes a long way. Jas

I am currently building a pair of Jack 12 BFM cabs. It is fairly straightforward, the plans are well written and easy to follow. If you have some basic woodworking tools and are quite handy, then you should be able to build one yourself. Jas

I have just bought a Hartke HA5500 amp from George. Great comms and very quick delivery. Amp was packaged well in its original boxes. A great stress free transaction without any issues, he is one of the good guys Jas

Thank you for all the positive replies. Yes these are my first attempts at guitars, I have made a total of 7 guitars to date, all listed on my blog. Yes my Brother did like his guitar, not sure he realises how much time goes in to one though. The one in the 2nd picture was made for a chap I no, he was totally stoked when he got it, it was so nice to see him enjoy an instrument that I had made. It was just how he wanted it. As for being in the wrong job? maybe, but I can't see me making a living out of it, not enough rich people around wanting a hand built guitar. It has been really rewarding making them though, and yes, an acoustic is on my list of guitars to make, along with a 5 string Bass. I really fancy the challenge of making a really good acoustic. Jas

Well what can I say, thank you very much Paul, that was a great deal of information that I have been unable to find. It would seem that I have a reasonably good Bass then? Its a shame that the neck has not been repared properly, they have not used hide glue and not made a pretty job of it, it is strong though. I will have a play around with the set up and reduce the action to make it easier to play. I really like your playing on your videos, I am a long way off getting to that standard, but will keep on practicing. Your right about playing it hard.................. Thanks again Jas

I had an easy first number on the Bass.......................... I will follow - U2 Jas

Thank you for all the advice and welcome. I have taken the practice mute off, and it sounds much better. I am starting to play and think I am getting the hang of it. Just need lots of practice to make sure I'm playing in tune all the time. Its easy to hit a 'bum' note.......... I love playing it though and I am so glad I have the chance to learn it. I can't put it down at the moment. The strings feel fine to me and if they are quality ones thenI am inclined to leave them on for now. The action feels very high, it measures approx 15 mm at the end of the fingerboard. Looking at previous threads on the subject I think I will lower it a bit to see if it makes it easier to play. I put a pic of me with it on my Facebook page, just about everyone that responded said it was a very cool instrument and can't wait to hear me playing it. They never said that about my regular electric bass............. go figure Jas

So here I am posting in the Double Bass section. I never thought this day would happen, but the lovely Mrs Bigjas has bought me a Double Bass for my birthday (yes, I know how lucky I am ) I have been wanting one for about a year now, was going to get an EUB but I am so pleased she got me this one. It is such fun playing it, and I love having it taking pride of place in the lounge. Its a Boosey & Hawkes Excelsior 3/4, and its had a hard life by the look of it. It has had a repair done to the neck joint, but its not been done very well. Other than that it looks ok, a few marks and lumps out of it, but it seems to play ok, bearing in mind this is the first time for me on an Upright Bass. Does anyone know much history of these Bases? are they any good? I have searched these forums and google with some info, but not much. Mine has 50/2 written in pencil on the sticker in the left hand F hole, does anyone know what this stands for? I might spend some time and cash on it if its worth doing. I know this is probably a stupid question, but what strings would you recommend for a novice without much cash to spend on strings. I have been looking at strings and they range from these from Thomman for £23 [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_kontrabasssaiten_34.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...sssaiten_34.htm[/url] to other strings up to £500+ for a set. Would the Thomman ones be ok or are they a waste of time? I don't mind spending whats needed if I will notice the difference. Also, the bass comes with what I can only describe as a rubber type of damper that sits on the bridge. When I take it off it makes the bass more trebbley, is this something that is widley used? I have lots of questions, I am reading these forums to gather as much info as possible. Some pics of my pride and joy. I am sure I will get GAS for pickups, a case and then another, better bass......... Jas

I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to post here or in the build section (mods, move if I got it wrong) but I have been building my own guitars. I started off about 18 months ago with my first guitar, a 4 string Bass. Since then I have made 2 Ukuleles and 3, 6 string electric guitars. I have learnt so much during this time and my confidence in setting up a guitar has improved. Just thought I would share what I have been up to through my Blog. Its not a business, just a hobby, and its great fun and incredibly rewarding. Not sure what to make next................ either an acoustic or a 5 string Bass? [url="http://jasebass.webs.com/"]http://jasebass.webs.com/[/url] Jas

Just bought a mixer from Dave. Great comms and very quick delivery. Well packaged too. Thanks Jas