icastle

[quote name='Hobbayne' post='1025959' date='Nov 16 2010, 03:28 PM']I think the most famous engineering error was on The Beatles Hey Jude, where the open mikes picked up a shout of "f***ing hell!! on the vocal track which still makes me laugh when i hear it! [/quote] Classic Theres a few of those: Clifford T Ward's 'Homethoughts From Abroad' - interference from a nearby taxi rank can be heard. Stevie Wonder's 'Fingertips' - a voice asking "what key? what key?" Led Zeppelin's 'Since I've Been Loving You' - squeaking noise from a guitar pedal.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1026320' date='Nov 16 2010, 08:20 PM']The ones that go through a round hole, what is a good sturdy make to go for, I bought some cheap ones a while back, and they sorted the dead switches, but they are dying already, what ones are good. Or anyone got some spares?[/quote] Gibson and DiMarzio use custom branded Switchcraft switches - those seem to be the top quality end. Copies are available from cheaper manufacturers but the reality is that those are probably all made in the same factory and are of the same quality. Aren't Les Paul switches open chassis? If so then you could just give them a squirt of switchcleaner/WD40 and bend the contacts (if needed) with a small pair of long nose pliers...

[quote name='martthebass' post='1026190' date='Nov 16 2010, 06:33 PM']I was recently looking at buying into a 70s Fender (thanks again for the help Chris and WoT). Do I believe they sound better or play better than a modern one.............no. The only reason I considered it was because I could pick up something with a few dings/player rash, gig it for a few years and if I came to sell it it would go for the same cash/more in all likelihood. If I could play a 2008 Jazz or Ray and achieve the same I would never look at a 70s Fender-period[/quote] They will - as long as you don't try and sell it until 2050...

[quote name='GazWills' post='1026020' date='Nov 16 2010, 04:20 PM']ok, voting "again" as my last votes got missed off as a couple of us posted at the same time... and it's more power to the OC-2 again![/quote] Ok. Hands up both of the people who haven't got OC-2s....

[quote name='Golchen' post='1025977' date='Nov 16 2010, 03:39 PM']What thinkest thou?[/quote] I thinketh that asking folks on here whether to buy new shiny things is liable to get thou the answer you seek...

[quote name='silddx' post='1025890' date='Nov 16 2010, 02:15 PM']Most bassists with normal hands find it difficult. I've been playing for many years and I still find that very uncomfortable.[/quote] Oh I'm abnormal I'll just haul my sorry arses over to the Abnormal Room then shall I?

[quote name='Beedster' post='1025593' date='Nov 16 2010, 10:23 AM']Reading a couple of threads on here this morning and they got me to thinking about the magic projected onto 60s and 70s Fenders, and the fact that it rarely extends to 80s Fenders, despite the fact that the latter instruments are often way superior in build and playability? OK, there's loads of factors for sure, but is it partly a result of the 80s simply being more associated with other brand basses. When I think about the 80s I always see names like Wal, Ibanez, Yamaha, Steinberger etc., and instruments from the 80s from these brands seem to have some vintage cache, whilst Fenders of the era don't? Just thought I'd chuck that into the maelstrom of speculation [/quote] I'm going to bite this from a slightly different perspective. Fender basses appeared in the 1950s and by the 1960s and 1970s had more or less dominated the market, yes there were Hofners, Gibsons and a few other high end marques about, but Fender was the leader. Then the 1980s appeared, haircuts got weird and the popularity of white trousers went through the roof - everything was clean cut, fresh and modern - it was all very different from the previous decades. Steinberger, Jaydee, Wal, Ibanez, Aria, Yamaha and a whole raft of smaller suppliers took the basic concept of a bass guitar and updated them to match the fashion of the time. The biggest bands of the day (Level 42, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet etc.) adopted these basses and within months they were [b]the[/b] basses to have. Fender carried on as they had always done before but no longer had the publicity dominance they had previously had. They made a few minor tweaks, a few production changes, bought out new models as they always had in the past and drifted through the 80s in relative obscurity as far as the general public were concerned. I reckon that's why 80's Fenders aren't highly sought after - they weren't iconic and representative of the 80's! Alternatively, blame Spock, Antman and Waterboard, or whatever they were called, not for any reason other than the fact that they sold the same record 25 times by just tweaking the drum machine....

[quote name='funky_numba' post='1025415' date='Nov 16 2010, 01:55 AM']I agree. I think I may have been a bit too hasty with the bass tuning. I do have an electronic guitar tuner so I can easily get my bass back in tune however, it still does not resolve the problem with the buzzing of the E-string against the frets. Thanks.[/quote] Ok. Put your bass back in tune. Do you get fret buzz when you play it normally with your fingers?

Don't be tempted to tighten the E string and bring everything else up to match it - quite aside from the fact that nobody will ever want to play with you as a bass player (you'll be out of tune with everyone else), the chances are you'll break at least the G string and probably bend the neck of your bass. Adjusting the saddles back and forth won't help you - all you will do is screw up the intonation of the bass so that it will go out of tune as you play up the neck - that's easily fixable with a guitar tuner, so no permanant damage done there. Adjusting the saddles up and down is OK as far as intonation is concerned but if you have the strings too high the instrument becomes difficult to play (you have to push the strings down harder and further to fret the note you are after). Absolutely no disrespect, but I personally think you might be trying to run before you can walk. Slapping bass opens up a whole pile of percussive and damping techniques that are probably counterintuitive to anyone who's played bass for only a few weeks. My advice would be to buy a guitar tuner if you don't already have one, sort out the intonation (I'm sure we can help you do that) and get the bass back to it's original factory state at worst. Practice basic techniques like playing scales, little bass riffs, some common scales, play along with some of your favourite CDs etc. Once you can do those easily then you'll be in a far better position to play slap bass. HTH

I just went through my tape collection and tried playing along with different tunes and different styles of music. Kept at it until I could do it without thinking or hurting I still learn new tunes exactly the same way today.

[quote name='steve-soar' post='1025009' date='Nov 15 2010, 06:55 PM']Terri, he will probably need chicken soup, warm towels and a lot of care. Tramodol will help with the shakes.[/quote] LMAO - I read that as "snakes" which was only marginally more disturbing...

[quote name='Bottle' post='1024832' date='Nov 15 2010, 04:38 PM']Anyway, IIRC the Electricty Supply, Quality and Continuity Regs 2002 state that the harmonised supply voltage in the EU should be 230VAC[/quote] I knew it..! I bl**dy knew it..! ...Norfolk is NOT part of Europe...

These multiband things can be a nightmare. Prior to you going on you can near enough guarantee that there will be bands who are unable, either through egotism (I'm a star and am going to play longer than everyone else) or lack of experience (we've never played on a stage before - where does this wire go?), to stick to their alloted timeslot. We play one of these every summer and every summer it happens! We do play a few charity gigs each year though and, as a minimum, end up with a wedding gig and a couple of pub gigs from them. As a band though, we always sit down and talk openly about the "freebie request" and weigh up the pro's and cons before commiting, none of this "I'm not bothered" followed by a major huff if people decide "no thanks". For the sake of peace, I'd say ask the guitarist privately "why the sudden change of heart?" and judge the request from that point instead of the original conversation - there might be more going on than he's comfortable talking about with the whole band.

3Leaf Audio Groove Regulator - 6 Adrenalinn II - 1 Aguilar Agro - 1 Aguilar Octamizer - 1 Akai Unibass - 2 AMT Slap Bass -1 Ashdown Chorus - 1 Ashdown Drive Plus - 2 Asdown dual band compressor - 2 Ashdown sub octave plus - 1 Barge Concepts VFB-2 - 2 Behringer BDI21 - 3 Behringer chorus - 1 Boomstick Bottom Feeder - 1 Boss BF-3 - 1 Boss CE-2 - 3 Boss CEB3 - 1 Boss CS-3 - 1 Boss DD-20 - 3 Boss DS-1 - 2 Boss LS-2 - 8 Boss ME-50B - 1 Boss ME-8B - 1 Boss MT-2 - 1 Boss OC-2 - 12 Boss OC-3 - 2 Boss ODB-3 - 7 Boss PH-1r - 1 Boss PS-3 - 1 Boss PW-10 - 1 Boss SD-1 - 1 Boss SL-20 -2 Boss SYB 3 - 2 Boss TU2 - 13 Boss TU3 - 1 Boss TU-12H - 2 Boss chorus ensemble CE-5 - 2 Bugbrand Bugcrusher - 1 Catalinbread SFT (clone) - 2 Catalinbread Teaser Stallion - 1 Chunk Systems Octavius Squeezer - 1 Danelectro French Toast - 2 Danelectro Reel Echo - 1 Demeter Opto Comp - 3 Devi Ever Hyperion - 1 Devi Ever Cherry Pop - 1 Devi Ever SodaMeiser - 1 Digitech Bad Monkey - 2 Digitech Bass Synth Wah - 1 Digitech Dual Band Bass Compressor - 1 Digitech Whammy - 5 DOD FX-25 B - 1 DOD FX-68 - 1 DOD FX-80B - 1 Dunlop Bass Cry Baby - 4 DHA VT2 - 3 EBS Octabass - 3 EBS Multicomp - 4 EBS Dynaverb - 1 EBS Unichorus - 1 EHX Memory Man with Hazarai - 1 EHX Bass Balls - 1 EHX Bass Big Muff - 5 EHX Bass Metaphors - 2 EHX Bass Micro Synth - 4 EHX Big Muff Pi (Black Russian) - 3 EHX Big Muff Pi (Green Russian) - 1 EHX Black Finger - 1 EHX HOG - 1 EHX Octave Multiplexer - 2 EHX POG2 - 1 EHX Small Clone - 1 EHX Small Stone Nano - 3 EHX Small Stone (Black Russian) - 1 EHX Qtron - 1 EHX Qtron+ - 3 Exar PigNose - 1 Ernie Ball VP-Jr - 1 Fishman Platinum Pro EQ -1 FuzzHugger ABsynth - 1 Fulltone Bass-Drive Mosfet - 1 Guyatone MD-3 delay - 1 Guyatone PS-3 Phase Shifter - 1 HBE Psilocybe -1 Ibanez PD7 Phat-Hed Bass Overdrive - 2 Ibanez SB 7 - 1 Ibanez WD7 Weeping Demon - 1 Korg DT-10 - 2 Korg Pitchblack - 4 Line 6 M9 - 2 Line 6 Bass Pod XT Live - 1 Line 6 DL4 - 3 Line6 FM4 - 1 Maestro Brassmaster (clone) -1 MarkBass Compressore - 1 MarkBass Super Synth - 1 Marshall Guv'nor (MK1) - 1 Marshall Jackhammer - 2 Marshall Echohead - 1 Marshall Regenerator - 1 Maxon CP9+ - 1 Mellowtone Clean Chan Dirty Chan - 1 Mojo Hand Cream Pie - 1 Moog MF-101 - 3 Moog MF-102 - 1 Moog MF-105b - 1 Moog MF-107 - 2 Moog MP-201 - 1 Mr Zinky Master Blaster - 1 MXR Bass Octave Deluxe - 1 MXR Blowtorch - 4 MXR El Grande Bass Fuzz -1 MXR M-80 DI+ - 6 MXR M-143 Limiter MXR Super Comp - 1 Peterson StroboStomp 1 - 1 ProCo Tubro Rat - 2 Radial Bassbone - 1 Radial bishot io - 1 Robot Factory Meatwad - 1 Rocktron Cyborg Reverb - 1 Sansamp Bddi - 8 SansAmp Para-driver - 1 Seymour Duncan Tweak Fuzz - 1 SFX Micro Fuzz - 1 SFX S&M - 1 Subdecay Noise Box - 1 TC Electronics PolyTune - 2 TC Electronics Nova Modulator - 1 Tech 21 VT Bass - 4 Tech 21 VT Bass Deluxe - 3 Toadworks Mr Squishy - 1 Way huge swollen pickle - 1 Xotic X-Blender - 1 Xotic Bass BB Preamp - 1 Yamaha OD-10 - 1 Z.Vex Box of Rock - 1 (clone) Z.Vex Woolly Mammoth - 5 (clone) Z.Vex Mastotron - 1 Z.Vex Wah Probe - 1

[quote name='Kohpnyn' post='1006517' date='Oct 30 2010, 05:15 PM']Thanks for the recommendations. I'm far too clumsy for making my own cables, so I guess I'll go for some of OBBM's. Anyone know the difference between the Vandamme and the Klotz cable?[/quote] Klotz is the typical good quality OFC cable. Van Damme is also OFC but is silver plated and therefore has less resistance.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1021921' date='Nov 12 2010, 09:00 PM']Got this this afternoon for nowt.[/quote] It's a 100V line amp used to run a tannoy system. Very limited practical use for it I would have thought.

Hard to tell because of the perspective but that third picture looks like there might have been a shim put in - if that's still trying to settle down then that'd cause the action to change...

[quote name='phil.i.stein' post='1024216' date='Nov 15 2010, 02:06 AM']and now i'm thinkin' it's you that should be nailed into a cab. [/quote] Hey it could be worse... trust me...

Yep - it's 2 in the mornin' and I'm listening to this

[quote name='Count Bassy' post='1024199' date='Nov 15 2010, 01:12 AM']Well, it's been rather a long time coming, but it's tommorrow night, 7 till 10ish, so if you all think of me perhaps the power of collective thought will keep me calm. Actually I've got to say that, what ever happens, the process has been very good for me. I think it's been my most intense period of development and practicing ever and I'm probably playing better than I ever have. (I'll know soon if that is well enough). Also what a stonking bass line Grapevine has![/quote] I'm sure this'll be the first of many auditions and in a few years time you'll be going along to them knowing full well that YOU are good enough and it's them that need to be persuading you to join them! Just keep it tight and simple, keep an ear out on what's going on around you, especially the drummer, and be ready to adapt. Above all, stay calm - I'm pretty sure that the death sentence for playing a duff note went out with Henry VIII after all... (why don't we have a Henry VIII emoticon for goodness sake..?) Good Luck

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='1024127' date='Nov 14 2010, 11:25 PM'][url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?act=Search&CODE=show&searchid=23976482bad466e6792b5a3211cc1530&search_in=titles&result_type=topics&highlite=%2Bgramma"]Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip.......[/url][/quote] Oops - sorry folks...

Has anyone tried one of these? [url="http://www.auralex.com/sound_isolation_gramma/sound_isolation_gramma.asp"]http://www.auralex.com/sound_isolation_gra...tion_gramma.asp[/url]

[quote name='arthurhenry' post='1024102' date='Nov 14 2010, 10:42 PM']Was doing 90 gigs a year 5 years ago, but has become fewer and fewer since. Down to 20-30 per year now. Every musician I know is in the same boat. Is there anyone out there still playing every Fri and Sat?[/quote] Most Saturdays and about two Fridays per month.

[quote name='Rich' post='1024054' date='Nov 14 2010, 09:52 PM']Many many years ago -- probably '87ish -- my band played support to a band in which Nick Beggs was guesting. I had a wee slappy solo in one of our songs; after I'd done it, I glanced into the crowd and Nick B was looking at me, & he smiled and raised his glass at me. I was walking on air for the next month after that. [/quote] Cool I used to live around the area that Kajagoogoo and Paul Young came from. I was famous for being about the only bass player that had claimed [b]NOT[/b] to have ever played in a band with Paul Young...

[quote name='littlebraith' post='1024040' date='Nov 14 2010, 09:43 PM']Looking to find a replacement bass as I'm having to return the Fender Squire I've been borrowing for around a year. I've looked all over eBay for deals on a decent bass but with no joy. Anyone know any good decent basses for a budget price? Used or New. Anyone able to help me? [/quote] I've seen Squire basses go for around the £100 mark on here (in the MarketPlace forum) and £150 will buy you a brand new one if you shop around. You'll (nearly) always get more bass for your money if you buy S/H though - so keep your eyes open. Folks round here will always give you an honest opinion on anything bass related and an idea of whether an item is a good price or not.