muttley

Another P Bass with flats?

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1389179512' post='2330866'] .... or an ass, even! [/quote] ARSE! An ass is a donkey .

[quote name='DaytonaRik' timestamp='1389097531' post='2329799'] Guitars are currently charged a duty of %3.7, plus VAT and don't forget to add VAT onto the carriage too...although quite how this can be justified is beyond me!!! [/quote] Duty and VAT are applied to the [u]total value of the import[/u]. This means the total of the cost of the good(s), transit, insurance (and any other fees that I haven't thought of). Also, as MilkyBarKid pointed out, Customs will charge based on their own valuation if they think the documentation is suspect (or absent). They know how much stuff costs, it's their job. It's worth remembering that when you buy a product in the UK/EU these costs are all included in the price. Buyers often think that they are getting a bargain buying outside the EU because there are no sales taxes etc to pay. Wrong! You pay them when the item clears customs making your purchase much less of a bargain than you originally thought... Of course, if the item can't be procured in the EU then you have no choice, but make sure you are prepared for what it will actually cost (use the website in post #4).

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1388920926' post='2327559'] I had this one, a Vintage V1004SPFL until my ACG fretless was ready and really enjoyed it. Nice and light with a good range of tones, about £450ish new iirc, but great value second hand. There's a review of the fretted version on here. [attachment=151617:V1004SPFL 52.JPG] [/quote] I have one of these. On the plus side it plays superbly, is perfectly balanced and fairly light. On the minus side I'm not too keen on the appearance and there are some (very) minor finishing flaws but this is a minor criticism. S/H values are silly - I paid a lot less than £200 for mine and it had been barely used. An awful lot of bass for the money.

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1388671622' post='2324578'] Are flats any good for metal ? [/quote] I'd try them out but I haven't got the TIM.

That's not a cheap bass, it's an [i]inexpensive[/i] bass. There's a big difference .

I'd say the first modern recording was the one that had a convincing stereo soundstage. In other words, you can play it back over a decent quality system and have the impression of the musicians/instruments in the room with you*. That was probably some time in the 1960s. * Better still, an impression of being transported to the venue where the performance took place. However, as we all know such a performance rarely actually exists so I'm really not sure about that part...

Just looked at the website. Nice basses with interesting pickups but [size=4][b]APOSTROPHE ALERT!!![/b][/size]

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1386663981' post='2302692'] I'm really not convinced you need 300W though, It is going to drain the battery pretty quickly and you will have to carry a correspondingly heavy battery. to reduce weight overall I would start with the speakers. Moving from Hartke's 92 dB/W to something like 102 dB/W would give you the same sound level with a tenth of the power. If you are prepared to compromise on deep bass you could easily use short throw speakers like guitar speakers which are much louder because more of the coil is in the magnet at any one time making electrical efficiency higher. There are drivers out there with intermediate characteristics that would give higher efficiencies too. My 2x10 built with ceramic magnet drivers and 18mm ply weighs only 17kg and has a sensitivity of 98dB/W and I'm sure I could achieve better if I designed for lightweight. This alone would give you the same sound output with a quarter of the power than using a less efficient speaker. I haven't measured the output from my KB10 but it is going to be around 112dB, in any case this is limited by bass excursion as i can hear it distorting if I push it hard. If the Hartke is loud enough for you but just too awkward to carry then you only need that sound level. Using a 100dB/W speaker would only need 12db of gain so 16W of amp. A 30w amp would be louder and save your batteries, and you wouldn't be driving the speakers beyond their excursion limits so your bass would be cleaner. [/quote] Defo use a more efficient speaker for the reasons stated above, but not a guitar speaker. Guitar speakers usually have paper edge cones (ie one-piece diaphragm plus dust cap) which are not designed to move large volumes of air. Play a bass through one at anything higher than bedroom levels and you risk ripping the edge. Fine if you want to sound like JJ Burnel but I don't suppose this will go down too well in an acoustic set. If you can find a guitar speaker with a cloth edge this might fit the bill (but note the comment in the quote about deep bass).

Skim the body and apply a thick veneer? Nicer looking than a piece of plastic. No disrespect to your Wal, Eude. That's a fantastic looking bass.

ELO was one of the bands around when I grew up. Check out the earlier stuff, say up to and including [i]A New World Record.[/i]

^ brilliant

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1384946115' post='2282541'] Some disinformation in this thread. Musicman have trademarked their headstocks, just as Fender have, as well as the specific arrangement of string posts on the headstock: [url="http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4806:80336p.4.1"]http://tess2.uspto.g...4806:80336p.4.1[/url] [url="http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4806:80336p.4.2"]http://tess2.uspto.g...4806:80336p.4.2[/url] [url="http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4806:80336p.4.3"]http://tess2.uspto.g...4806:80336p.4.3[/url] [url="http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4806:80336p.4.4"]http://tess2.uspto.g...4806:80336p.4.4[/url] Instruments such as the Teisco, Gus and Ou7shine's don't infringe on these trademarks. The Yamaha apparently does (I imagine it's in the tuner arrangement) Edit: Note, there is no patent involved, nor is it copyright... it's a registered trademark. Edit2: The term "3+1" is also a trademark. I imagine the Shuker above also infringes the string post arrangement trademark. [/quote] Thanks for posting that . I was in the process of adding something similar myself. I will add a couple of things: The Americans have something called a "Design Patent". This is a bit like Registered Design in that it protects a shape etc. It's how Apple and Samsung wasted so much money on their lawyers . "Patents" (pronounced patt-ents, not pay-tents) protect inventions. To be granted a patent an idea has to be [u]both[/u] novel (no-one has thought of it before) [u]and[/u] inventive (non-obvious to those skilled in the art). Putting a tuner peg on the other side of a headstock cannot ever be termed inventive so a patent would never be granted. [size=2]IANAL but I used to work with IP a lot.[/size]

I showed her some generic pics at the w/e of Strat, Tele, LP and SG type guitars. She likes the Strat most as it "looks like an ordinary electric guitar" or similar words. Solid colours only, no wood finishes . So it's a choice between a Squire Strat and a Yamaha Pacifica.

[quote name='bonzodog' timestamp='1384458670' post='2277063'] [font=Calibri][size=3][color=#000000]My brother has decided to learn guitar and I’ve agreed to teach him, as I play guitar as well.[/color][/size][/font] [font=Calibri][size=3][color=#000000]He is left handed but strangely plays golf, cricket etc Right handed. He has picked up both my bass and my 6 string (Right handed) and said they feel weird, so we assumed he needs left handed guitar. However at a recent shop visit he picked up a left handed and said that felt odd too. He pursued and bought the left handed guitar and he is struggling with the strumming technique. I switched him back to my Right hand and he has the same problem.[/color][/size][/font] [font=Calibri][size=3][color=#000000]Has anyone else had this problem, and if so what tips are there to determine what side you play. Or is it just a fact I have a very weird brother!!![/color][/size][/font] [/quote] I had a left-handed friend at school with exactly this issue. He could play guitar or bass either way round but was never able to develop any technique beyond very basic. It seemed like he had 2 left hands. He gave up trying in the end which was a shame because he had lots of enthusiasm.

[quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1384343906' post='2275438'] You don't pay the Royal Mail fee, as this is charged by Royal Mail for administering the VAT and duties schemes on behalf of HMRC. [/quote] I was assuming that philw's figures referred to the traditional method of personally importing.

[quote name='philw' timestamp='1384339596' post='2275387'] Hmmm, well I guess it's fine if it works, but duty and tax (VAT) alone on a £1k guitar import from the US would normally work out at around £243. [/quote] It would actually be more than that. Duty and VAT are calculated on the total value of the import, which means goods [i]plus[/i] shipping. An admin fee (usually between £8 and £12) is then added by the clearing agent since you pay them, not HMRC direct.

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1383309216' post='2262922'] When I was at school any instrument that used electricity was taboo. [/quote] Same here (I left school in 1984). I hated the head of music. He was so stuck in the dark ages and was only interested in his beloved choir (to his credit they were good, but choral is not the only music). I refused to join the school orchestra despite being a competent violinist and didn't take music O-level. By the time I got to the 6th form, a new second in charge had joined. Still no school owned "modern" instruments* but he formed a small modern "choir" backed by a 4-piece rock outfit (I played guitar in those days) and we performed original material. He got a lot of stick though from the HoM and left the same year as I did. Happy days though. He also managed the school orchestra so I instantly installed myself as leader. * tucked away in one of the store/practice rooms was a EMS synth - a Putney I think. I really should have just nicked it as no one else had shown any interest for several years.

Doesn't need to be on a swap basis. A "pay it forward" system (like Freecycle) can work well. IOW, you offer N CDs to the board and request n back. It does require some honesty on the part of members (so that N=n) but if the CDs were only going to end up in a charity shop or, worse, landfill it's surely not a big problem if someone has n slightly more than N?

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1383648837' post='2266922'] It suits the standard soundgear body shape, but on a fender-ish style body it doesn't look right at all. [/quote] It looks to me like the SRX530 the same shape as the other Soundgear models but with the addition of edge binding. I suppose the addition of the scratchplate is a bit of a nod to older designs like Fender.

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1383236486' post='2261976'] "Wow", thought I. And then I saw the headstock. Wrong, wrong, wrong. [/quote] It's a standard Ibanez Soundgear headstock. How can that be wrong?

Agree 100%. I didn't read the comments on FB but it seemed to me that the person who started that thread is a bit of an arsehole to put it mildly. Live and let live, FFS.

[quote name='tedmanzie' timestamp='1383585714' post='2266238'] by the way it isn't my amp! [/quote] Yes, that I understood. I meant an arrangement between myself and Miss M to procure whatever she needs .

I think the term "cyber squatter" is a bit extreme if the screen shots on the DM website are anything to go by. It seems clear to me that he was a tribute act and nothing more. Ownership of a name or trade mark does not give an individual or organisation any right to a domain name containing the same words.

[quote name='Bolo' timestamp='1383584199' post='2266201'] Which ever she finds prettiest. Anything else will get zero play. [/quote] She's not that sort of girl, thankfully. I think I can take some credit for that .