KingBollock

[quote name='mentalextra' post='1342521' date='Aug 16 2011, 09:50 PM']I have only recently picked up a bass after a 35yr gap. When I was a teen and learning bass I had a pick that was made of plastic, thick with a sort of twist to it, not like the flat pick. Can you get anything like that now?[/quote] I've altered one of my thumb picks so that it has a twist in it. I remember when I was a kid I used to buy plastic picks with a twist in them called Speed Picks. I bought them because they were 20p each.. They were really small though. Haven't seen one in about 20 years. Just had a look and you can still get them, though they aren't exactly like they used to be. [url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/3997-jim_dunlop_m10_speed_pick"]http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/39..._m10_speed_pick[/url]

[quote name='mentalextra' post='1342508' date='Aug 16 2011, 09:37 PM']On a five string banjo, what is the little string for that ends half way up the fretboard?[/quote] I think the way to describe it is as a drone string. It's the same gauge as the highest string but as it is 5 frets shorter it is 5 semi-tones higher. I think it's meant to get in the way and make me wish I'd bought a 4 string... Much like my Bass (I kid!) My Banjo is tuned g,D,G,B,D. If that helps.

[quote name='mentalextra' post='1342441' date='Aug 16 2011, 08:35 PM']Oh, OK. Other than a learning aid, any advantage where tone or playability is concerned. Looks like a half way between finger and plectrum?[/quote] Being metal they are very bright sounding. Also because it is attached to your thumb it frees up your fingers for variety.

I use one occasionally, along with two metal finger picks. I bought them to use with my Banjo but I use them in the same way on the Bass sometimes. I wish I could find a thumb pick that was metal, for moulding onto my thumb (plastic ones don't fit properly) but with a soft plastic pick part. I know American Banjo players use such a thing but it would be nice to find one over here so that I didn't have to order from America.

Depending on the species they can get very big and need a lot of room. And yes, they eat a lot too. Another thing about them that people don't realise is that they bloody stink! If you're keeping them indoors you need very, very good filtration and you need to keep on top of it else it will block up, often, and it only takes a short while before the water turns to muck. There's a liquid that you can buy that helps to neutralise the smell. Another thing is that they are quite nasty when it comes to food, keeping more than one in a single tank can be difficult as one will often bully the other and starve it to death. I feed them a special Terrapin pellet, frozen Bloodworm, occasionally live Crickets (left over from feeding my Tarantulas) and very occasionally live Ragworm (left over from Sea Fishing). They love live food and go mad for it, it's very cool watching them hunt for it. They also need special lighting. They need UV lighting else they will develop bone and shell problems. The UV light will need to be changed every 6 months or so as it's UV output will diminish. They also need a basking spot. Because I keep mine indoors the heat given off by the UV light is enough. I have three in a tank in my living room. I have three different species though. One will feed mostly from the surface, one mostly from the bottom and the other will go between. So I've found a way to keep more than one in relative peace. The top feeder is quite large and I will have to upgrade their tank in the next couple of years because of him. The other two are quite small species and won't grow more than 4 to 6 inches long. If you keep them in a pond you can't keep anything else in there with them, they will eat [i]everything[/i]. If you keep them in a tank there's not a lot you can do to make it look pretty, they destroy everything. I have gravel, heavy rocks and a large piece of driftwood in with mine, all things that they can't move or wreck. Some Zoos will take them in, I remember seeing one place that had hundreds of them in a lake. All of them had been abandoned by people that thought they would make good pets. You can see a couple of photos of my Terrapins here: [url="http://www.myspace.com/my/photos/album/1953041"]http://www.myspace.com/my/photos/album/1953041[/url] There's Mud Pie (the big one), Worf (the spiky one) and Knobneck. So, before considering taking them on, take what I've said into account. If you think you're up to taking them on then they can make great pets, I love mine to bits. They each have their own personalities and they're fascinating to watch.

He has to be a Poe. Please tell me he's a Poe!

[quote name='ern500evo' post='1340899' date='Aug 15 2011, 05:23 PM']Wow, Laney Klipp, now there's a blast from the past! I also had one of these as my first "proper amp" back in about 1988. I listened to some old recordings of it a few years back and it actually sounded really good as a bass amp, wish i'd kept it. I traded it for a marshall which was utter sh*te! [/quote] '88 was when I got mine too! Mine blew up and I threw it away. It didn't occur to me to get it repaired. A real shame. I also ended up with an Amp I absolutely hated, a Carlsboro Stingray. I ran the Klipp through an old 60's Marshall 4x12 but I swapped that for a crappy 1x15 because I couldn't lift the 4x12 on my own (I was only a kid).

I think that if I was tempted to try this I would try to track down a Laney Klipp for the guitar end. From what I gather they were really popular with Bassists back in the day; I owned one as my first 'proper' amp and can see why.

Many, many years ago a guitarist friend of mine (naturally gifted guitarist too, bloody brilliant at it) picked up my bass and played it for about five minutes. I always had the feeling that he thought that Bass was easier than guitar but he'd always had the sense to keep it to himself. Anyway, after five minutes he handed it back with the phrase "Fookin' 'ell, it's 'ard innit?!". He meant that it was physically more taxing and his hand was knackered. I'm absolutely sure that that five minutes completely changed his view of the Bass.

[quote name='chris_b' post='1337742' date='Aug 12 2011, 03:07 PM']I have owned my Lakland for nearly 9 years, and I only found out it had a passive switch (pull the volume) 6 months ago!!!![/quote] Because of this post I went 'round and pulled all the knobs on my latest bass. I got all excited when one moved, until it come off in my hand. Oh well.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1337654' date='Aug 12 2011, 02:13 PM']I'm happy with my pump for guitar work. I do use one of those copper swarf tip cleaners though (which is a similar concept to braid) instead of a damp sponge. I find it much cleaner and quicker... and more handy - you don't have to get up and trudge off to the sink everytime you've got your kit together and sat down. [/quote] I've got one of those cleaners in my list of stuff to get. I have a spray bottle of water near my desk all the time, so I don't have to trudge off to get water. But the main reason I keep it there is to top up my Taranulas' water bowls.

From Maplins: [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/helping-hands-with-magnifier-4017"]http://www.maplin.co.uk/helping-hands-with-magnifier-4017[/url] Or an alternative that solves two problems, from Amazon: [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-282589-Heavy-Duty-Helping-Hands/dp/B000T9UCHI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313149536&sr=8-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-282589-...9536&sr=8-1[/url] They're more often called 'Helping Hands' if you need to search other places for them.

[quote name='mcnach' post='1336928' date='Aug 11 2011, 08:04 PM']so he has a "circular personality" then [/quote] Something starting with a C, that's for sure.

And next year, when they've spent the money they've made from selling this stuff on booze and McDonalds, they'll wait for some meagre excuse to do it all again. It makes me so angry, and the feeling of not being able to do anything about it makes it worse.

[quote name='tommorichards' post='1335773' date='Aug 10 2011, 08:56 PM']Id suppose a finely toothed blade should do. And regarding the dying, im think of doing that too, and i found this thread useful [url="http://www.tdpri.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-272788.html"]http://www.tdpri.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-272788.html[/url][/quote] What did you use to cut it? I'm actually coming around to the idea of leaving it a natural colour. Although, I liked the idea of ageing it with Tea as suggested in that link. Thanks.

What did you cut the blank out of the bone with? I have a coping saw with a selection of blades, what kind of blade would you recommend? Is it possible to dye bone? I'm tempted to try this but I'd want a black one. Though if it's not possible to dye it properly I suppose left natural it would match the binding on my Bass, so it wouldn't matter too much. Nice job, you've inspired me. EDIT: Actually, having had another look at your work bench and seeing the rotary tool set I remembered that I have a rotary tool but I'd still like an idea of what might be the best cutting blade to use. I have tons of those brittle ones, that I could never figure out what they were for, and I have steel serrated blades and diamond coated blades.

[quote name='mcnach' post='1334422' date='Aug 10 2011, 12:08 AM'] eh?[/quote] He's got a problem with his neck that means he can't do physical work anymore. So he's on disability benefits. But he's not above running scams on the internet and ripping people off. But he has a bad habit of falling for stupid scams and getting ripped off himself, especially scareware stuff, he falls for it everytime, no matter what advice you give him. And I used to think that man was so clever when I was growing up.

[quote name='mcnach' post='1332926' date='Aug 8 2011, 10:05 PM']Don't tell him I said that... unless you can also tell me where he works, so that i can protect extra carefully anything I send that may pass through his location [/quote] Don't worry, he hasn't worked anywhere for about 20 years. Unless you count various, dodgy internet scams (including getting himself scammed, many times).

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1332638' date='Aug 8 2011, 06:54 PM']The Sound City in the original post is the one I'm referring to. 'Rare' is part of the very limited description. I know they aren't rare because I have 9 of them sat about my house. Might be able to sort out a new rebuilt Klipp for you going forward.[/quote] Ah, sorry, I got a bit lost when I assumed you were commenting on my post. I remember seeing a photo of your Sound City Amps and the Klipp in there (I'm assuming (again!) it was your photo, I saw it just after I joined here), it caused a bit of a nostalgia trip. Unfortunately there's no room in my life for one now, happy with what I have now and it's all rack mount stuff. I do regret having chucked it but it was over 20 years ago now, I'm just about over it!

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1332627' date='Aug 8 2011, 06:46 PM']They are great if you don't break them.[/quote] 'Ang on a minute, you've lost me. Are you talking about the Laney Klipp or the Carlsboro Stingray? I didn't break the Stingray and it's that that I meant wasn't rare enough, I assumed you meant the Stingray when you said they weren't really rare because it said they were rare on that Ebay page. I didn't break it, I just hated it. It was the Laney that I broke and I loved that.

[quote name='mcnach' post='1332505' date='Aug 8 2011, 05:21 PM']charming [/quote] Ha! I've never seen that word in connection with my Dad before! I'd tell him you said it but I haven't spoken to him in a long time.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1332516' date='Aug 8 2011, 05:31 PM']Also, really not very rare.[/quote] Not as rare as they should be. Unless you count landfill sites...

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1332369' date='Aug 8 2011, 03:52 PM']Don't still have it somewhere do you? Those caps are easy to replace, an I have a big bag of them I just ordered. I don't know if impedance fun can blow the filter caps, usually it is valves an resistors that go other than the tranny itself. They did use pretty cheap caps I think, a ton of smaller ones instead of big cans.[/quote] I wish I did. I threw it out about 22 years ago, I was only 13 or 14. I can't remember how many caps were in it but there was a line of them, they were about the size of C cell batteries, from what I remember.

I wonder if the question you can actually see on the page was deliberately posed like that? Q: Hi, is this a usa bass or mexi[b]con[/b]?

[quote name='witterth' post='1332342' date='Aug 8 2011, 03:37 PM']"I never thought to get it repaired. I just chucked it and ended up buying the most soulless Carlsboro Bass amp I've ever heard. I hated that thing." was it a carlsboro "stingray" amp ? I had one of those and REALLY hated it. once I could afford to, I didnt even bother trying to sell it, gave it away instead (shudder) hateful thing[/quote] I wasn't sure what it was called, I sold it on a very long time ago, so I went looking and found this: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CARLSBRO-STINGRAY-BASS-AMP-V-RARE-VINTAGE-80S-/150629833084"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CARLSBRO-STINGRA...S-/150629833084[/url] It's the same one as that and that says Stingray. Horrible, horrible thing.