KingBollock

Someone mentioned Bitsbox in a different thread, I hadn't heard of them before but they seem to stock a lot of cool stuff at really good prices, with cheap postage, too. Has anyone had any experience with them? How are they on delivery times and reliability?

[quote name='BruceBass3901' timestamp='1403866568' post='2487222'] I started looking into going for Lava plugs or George L's for the small form factor. I then found a guy on here selling some patch leads already made up with the 'pancake style' plugs and Van Damme cable so opted for those instead. I have no decided to replace the rest of my patch leads with the same, so bought a loads of the plugs for somethings like 89p each from Bitsbox and a few metres of Van Damme cable from evilBay for less than a fiver and will be setting about soldering them up in the near future! Don't do what I did and get caught purchasing the premade cables with the pancake plugs that are on eBay; the sum of the parts is far less than you will pay for these premade ones [/quote] What is Bitsbox like for delivery times and reliability?

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1403865423' post='2487207'] Like paul_5 I only use them on my pedal boards, I don't think I'd trust one as an instrument cable, but for me none of the benefits of a solderless cable really apply to an instrument cable anyway. [/quote] I've got a Peavey instrument lead that has solderless plugs on it, it is very unreliable. I am going to cut it up to use for patch cables, with soldered plugs. I will keep the Peavey plugs, though, having them in a gig toolbox might be handy if you managed to pull the plug off your usual lead and don't have a spare lead or a soldering iron with you.

A slight hi-jack... What do people use to strip the outer sheath of instrument cable? When I was a kid I worked for a time for a guitar shop that also made its own brand of cables. We had a handy little stripper that clamped on and you just wound it around the cable. I remember it was by Plas Plugs but I can't find one anywhere. Up until now I have been using scissors, but they are not ideal. I have seen them for mains cable but worry they might be a bit too strong.

The Behringer Bass V-Amp Pro is a nice, cheap and cheerful, piece of kit.

If you are prepared to do some soldering, then keep an eye out for cheap lead deals. Sometimes you can get a lead with two plugs for less than you might spend on just the two plugs. And if the leads you buy are longer than you need then you get free cable too and won't even need to attach the plug on one end!

Dude, just saw your name in another thread and I got curious, but I didn't want to ask in someone else's thread... Is your username a Blackie Lawless reference?

Just to play sort of Devil's advocate a bit... If I thought, and I do, that the looks of a Bass was important then this stuff isn't want I would want to hear. As true as it is, it isn't the whole truth. It is perfectly possible to get a non-standard looking Bass for not too much money. The most important thing is that it is made well, but the shape has to be right, too. Yes you can change its colour, but you can't so easily change its shape, but you can change how it sounds by upgrading pick-ups and pre-amp, which is a good way of upgrading more cheaply than buying a new Bass and is ideal if you have found a Bass that you enjoy playing. I mentioned Cort because they make well made Basses that aren't your bog standard P or J Bass. My T-35 has two humbuckers, which sound great and it has a very versatile sound and I believe wouldn't look out of place in any setting. They also do the T series with better specs, depending on how much you want to spend. I am sure Yamaha and other makes do stuff just as suitable but I have no experience with them.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1403603356' post='2484268'] I've never had a problem soldering on to the back of pots using a 25 watt iron. I use old fashioned tin/lead solder and clean the back of the pot with a bit of sandpaper first. [/quote] I have used an Antex 18w for the last twenty years and I have never had a problem either. I like the size and shape of the Antex, too, it feels more like using a pen, more natural. Before that I used a couple of others in that horrid, clunky, trumpet shape that felt like I was doing it while wearing thick gloves. If you see what I mean?

Have a look at some Corts. I feel that the Cort T-35 I have covers all that, and I love it.

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1403474162' post='2483104'] I just came over all funny... [/quote] Poor All Funny, the forgotten Dwarf.

Thanks for the link to the Shep article, now my ideas have become even more complicated! I haven't started building the power supply yet because I don't want to start until I know how many pedals I need to power with it. Currently the idea is to have half of it - the transformers and bridge rectifiers - mounted in the back of my rack, and the second half - the resistor and capacitor filters and the voltage regulators - mounted on the pedalboard, all linked by a 5m D Sub cable. For the cable I want to use is 20 core scart cable. The plan is to have the transformers go down to 18 volts to transmit down the wires, then use the regulators at the other end to go down to 9v (and one 12v for the LEDs). This way it will be a shielded DC power cable alongside the audio cables. This is the cable I want to use: http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/20-way-overall-screened-scart-cable-priced-per-metre-xs44x Is this feasible?

Thinking about it, I do remember there being an Atari 2600 in the house when I was a kid, we actually had the infamous E.T. game. Before that there was an orange metal box with joysticks that had three versions of Pong on it.

[quote name='Allie' timestamp='1403187623' post='2480631'] So was mine - with the cassette tape for loading and backup. Did you ever get to play Galactic Trader? (pre elite-type game with pixel graphics) -oh the memories. [/quote] It came with Crazy Painter, Cuthbert Goes Walkabout, Cuthbert Goes Digging, Pengo and Keys Of The Wizard. I never saw any other games for it that you could buy, all the other games I played came from books I got from the local library, I had to type them in myself.

My first home computer was a Tandy TRS80. I have owned a Speccy 128+2 and a 48k rubber key. Plus a Commodore PET and a Commodore Amiga 500+.

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1403073762' post='2479373'] I tend to go for the path of least resistance (if you'll pardon the pun) and browse tagboard sites, particularly this one: [url="http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.co.uk"]http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.co.uk[/url] I'd particularly recommend the Coloursound Bass Fuzz layout. doctortweek.co.uk carries a good range of quality components - especially JFET and germanium trannies (for lovely tube-y tones) at very reasonable prices. Hope this helps. [/quote] Thanks. I actually put in an order for a bunch of stuff with DoctorTweek last night. Damn am I looking forward to that parcel turning up!

Going to start making some pedals soon. I have ordered the parts for the first three, but they are very simple. A double bypass loop pedal, order switcher and a three switch pedal for my Peavey T-Max (channel, eq and fx loop switches). All really simple, but still useful, to get me started. The only worry I have about them is finishing them, but I have some, what I think are, nice ideas for them. Actual effects pedals that I would like to make would be a Bass Big Muff Pi with as many mods as I can find, a bass chorus and a bass flanger. The thing is that I don't want to make my own PCBs and I don't want to buy them, I would far rather use stripboard. Finding plans for such pedals is proving difficult. Can anyone help with suggestions for pedals and where to find plans for them? Unfortunately I have forgotten almost everything I learned when I did electronics in college, but I can read instructions/diagrams and I am still quite handy with a soldering iron. I am hoping some of what I learned will start to come back and help me with experimenting, until then prepare for a bunch of stupid questions...

Digitech Bass Synth Wah. Cheap, versatile and fun, fun, fun!

One of the biggest mistakes I ever made, and one of my greatest regrets, is leaving a band that was really good, one where all the members were great people. It was the most fun I had ever had playing music, I adored that band. Unfortunately I had to leave it because of an overbearing, bullying and violent ruler (My Dad. Only in my case I was trying to escape him.). I had had to skip town because I didn't want him to find me, but I did eventually go back. Even though I had been well respected in the local music scene, I was never able to get back into it and never got to play in another proper band again. That was over twenty years ago.

Surely, of all the things wrong in the world, you can't truly believe that God has decided he thinks your mad bass chops suck and has told you to quit? I think you should try to find the true source of this feeling, you may be able to sort it out in such a way that you can be happy. Even if you still end up quitting, knowing why will help, I'm sure.

I use a toothbrush for the bad bits, but kitchen paper if it's not too bad.

Maplins PCB cleaner: http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-pcb-cleaner-200ml-n64an Just don't get it in your eyes, it's not nice. Edit: Yeah, what Flyfisher said.

My wife gets rather annoyed at all the calls the police get on weekends from people complaining about the noise from the pub next door. And they don't just complain about the music, "There are people standing outside the pub waiting for taxis and they are talking!", is a common one, apparently. My wife's view of it is "Well, you moved in next door to a pub, what exactly did you expect? The pub has been there far longer than you!", though she doesn't actually say it.

[quote name='Nibody' timestamp='1402174046' post='2470796'] So it comes as Pictured.... Does that mean she comes with the bass? [/quote] Maybe, if you're playing just the right frequency while she's perched on the corner of the cab. The "pink note" possibly?

I have always ignored the Big Muff until now. Your video got me having a look around at other videos of it. I am going to start making my own pedals soon and I was trying to think of a good place to start. Need to find a schematic now.