KingBollock

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1319805565' post='1418798'] Don't put a power conditioner in - they're a nightmare with high power amps as they restrict the current delivery from the mains. [/quote] Sorry, I didn't mean power conditioner, I meant circuit breaker/protector.

[quote name='Shawman' timestamp='1319807024' post='1418819'] get trousers that fit properly. then there's no need for a belt so no buckle rash [/quote] Unless you're like me and have no ar*se. I'm a great big fatty but there's no meat on my buttocks, so nothing to hang trousers on. I have to have my belt so tight that I look like a bag of sh*te tied in the middle. Mind you, it does mean that my overhang protects my basses from my buckles (which I collect so have some interestingly shaped ones). I don't mind wearing braces when I'm in my outdoors/fishing gear, but otherwise I just feel like a prat in them.

I have one 1u rack space left and I can't decide whether to put a power conditioner/distributor with lights in there or a tuner. The trouble is that my rig never leaves the house. I have an 8u rack which also has my guitar rig in it, which takes up 3 spaces. So, ideally, I need to get a separate 4u for the guitar stuff, so I can include a stereo EQ and a separate 6u for the bass stuff uncluding my amp (2u), effects unit (2u), tuner and power thingumy. And if I ever get off my ar*e and into a band, that's what I shall do.

[quote name='Booooooom' timestamp='1319803265' post='1418761'] summat like [url="http://www.planetwaves.com/PWMediaDetail.Page?ActiveID=2945&MediaId=673"]this[/url] - if you get your coil size right, you'll end up with the jacks close together. Bind them there (I use velcro) and they won't interfere with other cables in your bag/case. [/quote] Blimey! I've spent the last 20 odd years doing it the third wrong way. I was actually taught that way by a professional guitarist and instrument lead maker. The alternative loops way does make sense though.

I've got a couple of ideas for simple projects to keep me busy without spending too much. One of the ideas it to make my own rackmountable power distribution board with surge protection and lighting, front and rear. The trouble is finding an empty rack enclosure that doesn't cost silly money. The one in Maplins is too deep, I only need about 4 inches, and is a bit too expensive. Any one know an alternative source? Also, I want to make a 3 way footswitch. The case will have to be aluminium and wide enough to take 3 footswtiches leaving enough space between them so that I don't end up pressing more than one at a time. Again, the one in Maplins is more than I was hoping. A slightly cheaper alternative was to use a square enclosure and have the switches staggered, which would save me a couple of quid but wouldn't be my preference purely for aesthetic reasons. So, where do people that build their own pedals and stuff buy their enclosures?T Thanks for any help.

Dunno. Just showing my support for the fabulous Peavey.

I have an old Peavey T-Max 500 going through an old Peavey 410TX. I love it. If I had to replace the T-Max I would try to replace it with another T-Max.

Gibson is in the news because of wood sourcing. There is a quote in the article: [quote] "The wood that goes into guitars is crucial to the tone of the instrument," says Laurence Juber, an acoustic guitarist who lined up with Sir Paul McCartney in Wings. "I can show you the difference in sound between Indian rosewood and Brazilian rosewood and ebony and maple." [/quote] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15268169 To be honest, I don't know enough about it, though from what I have read I am inclined to believe that it's mostly rubbish spread by elitists and people who stand to make money from it. Makes me glad that my next planned purchase is made, mostly, of man made materials, Luthite and Ebanol (though the neck is wood).

[quote name='Lysdexia' timestamp='1318462966' post='1402630'] They're doing it wrong. [/quote] Oh yes, that's the winner (loser?) for me. Without a shadow of a doubt.

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1318358484' post='1401151'] some good (bad) efforts so far, but what about these monstrosities? [attachment=91111:strange_guitar_12.jpg] they're both at least a little bit bad, if not worse. [/quote] That one puts me in mind of the tanks full of bad clones in Alien Resurrection. Truly revolting.

Not quite but... When I was about 14 I joined my first proper band (they'd been going for years and were all much older than me), the lead guitar player taught me the intro to Megadeth's Peace Sells. I'd never heard it before and only had what he taught me to go on. I remember one day he said to me "You still play that wrong". I'd still never heard it and still played it the way he taught me! Obviously I've heard it since, but it wasn't until earlier this year that I actually got around to relearning it properly, 22 years later. For some reason when I'd tried to relearn it before I just couldn't get it to stick, I just always reverted to the way I was taught, it took some shaking out, even though it's not difficult.

I know nothing about them, though I'd like to. I was given one when I was a kid. It was the Boss's son's and he had originally offered it to me for a tenner. He brought it in to work and when he saw that I actually did play he gave it to me for free. I later sold it for £35. For £20 it would make a great starter or project Bass. It certainly wasn't anything special, as you'd expect, but there wasn't anything wrong with it either.

I have yet to start building my own pedal, in fact I intend to start in a couple of days. My wife is really into crafting, card making, that sort of thing, so for her birthday I bought her a CraftRobo Silhouette cutting machine ( http://www.graphtecgb.com/craftrobo/craftrobo-silhouette.html ). It's perfect for cutting stencils and vinyl decals for pedals... though she doesn't know that's why I was so enthusiastic about getting it for her... So if you know anyone really into crafting it might be worth asking if they have one, and if they don't.. encourage them to get one...

My first ever Bass, my Westone Raider I in the Silver/Grey finish. I adored that thing and it breaks my heart everytime I think about it. I sold it for £60 because we got into a bit of trouble, financially, through no fault of mine. I still miss the way it's hardcase smelled.

I had a Carlsboro Bass amp that was blowing fuses and it was the Bridge Rectifier. Obviously it's not necessarily the same problem for you, but if it is it's easily tested for and cheaply fixed.

[quote name='daz' post='1369945' date='Sep 11 2011, 10:18 PM']Id llove to see pics of your terrapins, but that link just takes me to my own pics? Im asumiung it would take me to the myspace front page if i didnt have a account there?[/quote] I hadn't spotted that. It looks like a generic photo album address for when you access it through your own home page. This should work: [url="http://www.myspace.com/kingbollock/photos/albums/animals/1953041"]http://www.myspace.com/kingbollock/photos/...animals/1953041[/url] They're not very good pics and only about 3 of them are of my Terrapins. They were taken a long time ago while we were still experimenting with filtration.

[b]Basses:[/b] Current: Cort T-35 Aria Pro II MAB 20/5 Westfield (I think it's called a Small Body, but it's not the same as the current Small Bodies) Past: Westone Raider 1 (It broke my heart to sell this, I still miss the way it's hardcase smelled) Satellite P [b]Amps:[/b] Current: Peavey T-Max 500 Behringer Bass V-Amp Pro Peavey TX 410 (Cab) No name 1x15 (Cab) Past: Laney Klipp Carlsboro Stingray 1960's Marshall 4x12 Future: The only thing I have planned is to buy a Cort Curbow 4 sometime next year. I tend to only buy cheap stuff, stuff that's not really worth selling on. So I haven't got through much in the last 24 years.

Thanks guys, that's a relief to know.

I've just done up an old Bass and decided to try flats for the first time. Only took 24 years to get around to it... I think I like them, I've only just put them on, but I'm surprised at how sticky they feel. I was expecting to be sliding all over the place, but it ain't happening. Is this something that will wear off? They're D'Addario Chromes. They're a lot brighter than I was expecting too. I remember when I was 15 and working in a Guitar shop. For cleaning the boss's tour bus I was told I could have a pack of strings. I decided to try flatties but the shop didn't stock them! I spent an hour going through all the single strings until I found an whole set, only to then notice that they were shortscale.. Oh well, I wonder how different my playing might have been if I'd have tried them back then.

[quote name='billyapple' post='1354918' date='Aug 29 2011, 02:03 AM']As an aside here. You fish with Ragworm? Years ago I would sea fish off the coast of Northumberland, using Ragworm that I dug up from the beach at low tide. I've heard this is now illegal. Is this true, and if so, where do you get yours?[/quote] All of the local tackle shops that do sea fishing stuff sell them, so I would imagine they're legal. I don't know if there's a technicality or a by-law banning their use though.

Yeah, I was under the impression that you shouldn't keep strings off a guitar/bass for long, even to the point where I restring one string at a time to keep the tension. Infact I recall being told by my old boss, when I worked in a guitar shop about a million (20 odd) years ago, that when standing a guitar against something, like a table, it's best to do it strings against the object to actually tighten them. Though I can't remember the exact reason for this and I don't know if this was a fad at the time or something. I've not explained what he meant very well, it's late and I can't think of words.

I knew a guy at school who had two thumbs on each hand. Imagine quadruple thumbing!

I once stepped in to do a rehearsal for a band whose Bass player couldn't make it. At the end they were rather impressed with my playing, which was nice, so much so that they said that they would sack their current player if I would join them, which wasn't so nice. I said no. Actually, thinking about it, that was the second time something similar happened. The first time though I knew the Bass player in question and offered to teach him to play the band's material instead.

The trouble is that I think about it too much, I need to trust my fingers and feelings. I've just put my Bass down after messing about until I did get a similar tone that I liked and while I don't know what scale I was messing about with, I got the notes I wanted. I can't afford lessons and theory doesn't seem to stick. But I only play on my own so it's not the end of the world.

That was great. The solo was beautiful. Lovely tone too. This is, sadly, where my knowledge of the Bass lets me down and I feel it. It doesn't normally bother me much, I just play and enjoy it. But I hear something like that and I don't know where to start to go about getting a tone like that or even the scales used. So hearing it made my heart swell but left me feeling sad...