icastle

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1120999' date='Feb 9 2011, 09:37 AM']Quick question what do the front 2 knobs do?[/quote] Tone controls usually

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1120663' date='Feb 8 2011, 09:30 PM']That's Strings and Things, Worth a try I guess.[/quote] Ooh - they'd be a good bet. When I was in the trade their sales rep used to turn up once a month, sell stuff, drink coffee and have a general chit chat. If any of the stores on his patch have one still then he'd probably know about it...

[quote name='xgsjx' post='1120476' date='Feb 8 2011, 07:35 PM']Hey guys, bit of a puzzler for me here. I get an unusual sound from playing any string, any fret or open, from my bass itself. I haven't noticed it when I'm amplified, only unplugged. It's kinda like a very fast rattle that's almost like White noise (if that makes sense). I've tried checking for loose screws etc but all is tight. Sounds like it's coming from around the bridge area, tho I could be wrong.[/quote] That's a tough one to try and fix without experiencing it in the flesh. Best bet would probably be to create the rattle whilst sat down and comfortable and use a finger to wander around all the metallic parts on the bridge until you can switch it 'on and off' by touch. Once you have narrowed it down to a specific component you'll probably spot something isn't quite where it should be and be able to rectify it!

[quote name='paul_5' post='1120576' date='Feb 8 2011, 08:30 PM']I've often wondered about this. Can this 'difference' be related to the mains voltage (110V in the US, and 230v in the UK)? Anyone know if this the case?[/quote] Nope The 'audio part' of the amp doesn't use raw mains voltage.

I'd go to the UK importer and ask them which retailers they supplied them to in the UK...

[quote name='Subthumper' post='1120200' date='Feb 8 2011, 03:52 PM']If its the combo I believe the impedance of the internal speaker is 4 ohms allready, which means the amp will be running at 2 ohms if you connect another 4 ohm cab to it.[/quote] That may be the case, but it has got two parallel extension sockets labelled as 8Ω, so a 4Ω load is within the design parameters.

[quote name='Big_Stu' post='1120155' date='Feb 8 2011, 03:05 PM']Some can, some can't! [/quote] I'm definately in the can't category.

I went shopping for an MIA fretless a couple of years back and tried a MIM out of curiosity as much as anything else. The QC was dire, I'd swear that all they'd done was look at a picture of a finished bass and said "yeah, that looks the same". The first one was poorly finished and had a bit of a lateral twist on the neck, second one was just totally dead out of the box but the third one felt and played every bit as good as the MIA. I saved myself £600 which was an unexpected bonus, but it took me a while to sort through the dross... I certainly wouldn't risk buying one without trying it first.

Dunno about 'guru' but he is either correct or expressing a perfectly valid opinion. 1) 'Classic' British amps do have a particular tone - whether that's to do with being British or if it's more to do with the fact that amp designs from that era have a particular tone because that's what the punters wanted then, I wouldn't like to say! 2) Some people do rave about valve amps. 3) Ashdown does have ties with the old Trace Elliot company. I've never played an 8' high rig either - how on earth do people reach the volume control?!?

[quote name='tom1946' post='1119745' date='Feb 8 2011, 08:06 AM']My local has 4 of them [/quote] NEWSFLASH: Google Maps have just reported a massive increase in hits for Guisborough...

You're not going to get a Spector sound from a PB and a set of pickups that are only related to the ones on the Spector by manufacturer brand. My advice would be to save the money you intend spending on pickups/active circuitry, add a bit more to it and buy a Spector if that's the sound you are looking for!

[quote name='Phil-osopher10' post='1119595' date='Feb 7 2011, 10:41 PM']So I have the walkabout scout and it has two outputs that say (8Ohm) beside them, is it possible to run just one 4Ohm cab off it?[/quote] Yes. If you look at the back panel it says "Suggested Load 4 ohms" and then gives you two sockets labelled "8 ohms" to achieve that. As long as you only hang a single 4Ω cab off of one of those two sockets you'll be fine.

[quote name='algmusic' post='1119547' date='Feb 7 2011, 10:04 PM']It now buzzes all the time on both pups and only stops when I touch the bridge, lead or Machine heads. I should check if the cable between the controls and the bridge But it didn't stop completely when I put a metal strip between the lead and the bridge.. grr..[/quote] Ok. You've definately got a missing earth (or earths) there. Given the limitations of internet as a communications medium, probably the best way to go about this is to go through each of the items below. 1) There should be a wire connecting all of the pot casings to each other. 2) There should be a wire running from the bridge to the rear of a pot casing. 3) There should be a wire running from the 'sleeve' connection of the jack socket to the rear of a pot casing. 4) Looking at the back of the volume pots, with the legs pointed away from you, the left hand contacts should be connected to the rear of the pot casings. 5) The earth wires from the pickups should be connected to the rear of the pot casings. Daft question, and one I should have asked earlier, if you plug a different bass into your amp I presume the buzzing isn't there? Another question - what are these pickups you've added and what colour wire are you using from it as your earth? We'll get there in the end.

[quote name='Bloc Riff Nut' post='1119498' date='Feb 7 2011, 09:30 PM']Is your playing taste different to your listening taste ?[/quote] Absolutely. But I don't get paid to listen to music.

[quote name='iconic' post='1119170' date='Feb 7 2011, 05:53 PM']£49! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Electric-bass-guitar-new-Red-prec-/130477811039?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1e6115655f"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Electric-bass-guitar...=item1e6115655f[/url][/quote] Or how about [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Project-Fretless-Electric-Bass-Guitar-Kit-new-/130480986797?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item1e6145daad"]this[/url] for those who fancy some construction...

[quote name='iconic' post='1119167' date='Feb 7 2011, 05:50 PM']never seen black before? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Precision-Bass-bridge-cover-plate-fits-other-basses-M8-/130286383617?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item1e55ac7201"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Precision-Bass-bridg...=item1e55ac7201[/url][/quote] I've seen them sprayed black by the owners but I've never spotted pre-painted one's before!

[quote name='spinynorman' post='1119146' date='Feb 7 2011, 05:33 PM']What's all this about putting Black Nylons on Sue Ryder?[/quote] Well that's a night in...

My stepdaughter has one. Leaving aside the shape of it, it's an OK bass but there are far better instruments out there for £500...

[quote name='Bankai' post='1118682' date='Feb 7 2011, 10:42 AM']And they are now SOLD OUT![/quote] Ah. Let the discussions about 'the best Ryder basses are the pre Tuesday ones' commence...

I'd just stick to BEADG. You won't need to relearn note positions and you won't have to resolve neck/intonation issues. Whatever the rest of the band are playing, 'somewhere' on your bass you'll find an appropriate set of notes using BEADG...

[quote name='Bass_Guardian' post='1118466' date='Feb 7 2011, 12:11 AM']Maybe i should just concoct some form of pickguard from scratch in the lab to fit [/quote] Oh lordy... ...I'm getting an image of a wild haired lunatic in a white lab coat called Dr Frankenplate....

[quote name='Bass_Guardian' post='1118449' date='Feb 6 2011, 11:52 PM']I was actually going to ask someone else to do it as im hopeless with diy and such...very clumsy me yet i want to be a chemist [/quote] Ah. A chemist. One of those professions where "oops!" as a technical term isn't hugely encouraged... Being 'hopeless' at DIY is what every one of us is or has been - until we start doing it and get some experience! There's really no better feeling than standing back at the end of it and saying "I did that and it looks bl@@dy good!"

[quote name='setekh' post='1118423' date='Feb 6 2011, 11:23 PM']I've got a tort Fender 62 pickguard, but it is definitely not a straight fit. It'd need some work around the neck pocket and I don't think the holes would line up too well.[/quote] The neck pocket never fits - I suspect they always cut them slightly too small to allow it to be sanded to fit all neck widths snugly. That suspicion aside though, being too small isn't a problem - 30 mins with a bit of sandpaper will soon fix that! As for the screw holes, even Fender move those around (MIM/MIA). Again, no big deal, fill the old ones with woodglue and matchsticks and drill some new ones - you ain't gonna see it under the scratchplate are you?

We do mostly weddings, clubs and functions so haven't really been affected by the downturn in pub gigs. We have 6 regular pubs and work our way round those on a 2 to 3 month basis so we're doing a pub gig somewhere most months. Rather than wait for the work to dry up, we've been proactive and found new clients. We've just done a deal as a 'house band' with a local(ish) hotel so they can offer an 'all in one' wedding reception/corporate event service. We're also in discussion with a company who organises weddings and a retail operation that rents out wedding clothing. An offshoot of the main band has been the formation of a folk\roots trio and we're getting a lot of interest and some pretty good reviews there, so am expecting a bit of work to come out of that as well.

[quote name='Blademan_98' post='1118192' date='Feb 6 2011, 08:16 PM']It's taken three months for him to contact us and ask us to play again![/quote] That's about right. If he put you on every week then the punters would get bored after a month or so - the landlord is looking for variety so the punters stay interested, pass the word on to their mates and keep coming.