KingBollock
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Everything posted by KingBollock
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What are you listening to right now?
KingBollock replied to Sarah5string's topic in General Discussion
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One of the strongest memories caused by music also involves a smell. In 1991/2 I worked with a mobile disco. We had a couple of brilliant DJs, and I love all the pop music from then because of it. But the smell of the coconut scented smoke from the smoke machine proper does a number on my feels. I actually own a smoke machine that has coconut scented smoke. It’s left over from when I put my own mobile disco together in 1999. Mainly so I could play with the lights, but also because I loved working on the earlier disco. There are some songs that I can’t listen to because they take me back to another time that hurts to think about. And they’re great songs.
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DiMazio Split P in parallel connection?
KingBollock replied to Baloney Balderdash's topic in Accessories and Misc
I adore the look of the DP127 in black, I’d love to have them in my Warlock. But my Warlock is a double P, so it gets a bit pricey having to have two sets. Especially as I don’t know how they’d sound in it. I suppose I could buy one set to see how it would sound, and if I wasn’t keen I could put it in my Westfield. But the pick-up would cost more than that bass is worth… -
Basses that could have played better.
KingBollock replied to NancyJohnson's topic in General Discussion
I know this isn’t an expensive bass, but it’s the only experience I have of this sort of thing. I bought my dream bass over EBay, a second hand BC Rich Warlock NT. The action on it was stupidly high, and it had to have been right from the factory because everything was bottomed out. Flat neck and perfectly cut nut, but the bridge saddles were too tall, despite being as low as they would go. My first thought was to replace the bridge, but I couldn’t find one that would be any better. It would have to be very low profile, 10mm maximum. In the end it was either recess the bridge into the body, which I didn’t feel comfortable doing, or grind the bottom off the saddles until they were half their original height, which is what I did. It plays beautifully now. -
Thank you. It’s not cheap, but it is very tempting. The one I’ve got is the GS412B Plus, and it’s ace. Apart from not being quite tall enough to take my Warlock. http://herculesstands.com/international/products/fretted-and-bowed-instrument/guitar/single-stands-(1)/gs412b-plus/ It takes my Thunderbird fine, so I think it should be ok for an Explorer.
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What stand is that? It looks like a really good solution to not having a lot of floor or wall space in my Lair. I have one of the grabby Hercules stands and really like it, however it doesn’t fit my Warlock. It won’t go tall enough. I had been hoping to get the triple version, but I think it is the same height. And as my Warlock gets played a lot, it’s one of the basses that needs to be kept close. Your stand looks like the triple Hercules stand, but with another one stacked on top. On yours, is it possible to remove one of the lower grabby arms? And/or move them up or down independently?
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Anyone know if the Dunlop Max Grip .60 nylon, are just standard size? I’ve got one of the Max Grip Jazz III Carbons that is a nice size and very grippy (similar to the rather poorly made Lemmy signature picks that you get in the little tin. That I still took some sandpaper to to make usable, despite never intending to use them), but is too thick. The red Jazz III and the Ultex Jazz III are too small (and thick). I need something flappier. Annoyingly, this is one of those cases where my fingers are being stubborn. They like the .60mm and won’t hear any argument for fractions either side of that. Most troublesome!
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Yeah, I prefer nylon to tortex. I briefly switched from standard 3mm big stubbies to the nylon version, before discovering Primetones. I actually have quite a large selection of picks, but the only ones I have in this size are these cheap, nasty ones. I would take Maude’s advice and alter them (I’d drill holes in them for extra grip) if I thought they’d last more than about five minutes. I shall do some measuring on the morrow and do some research. If I have to I can take comparative photos and ask on here for suggestions.
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As much as I tend to prefer a heavy pick for most things, I have found that on heavier strings (120 - 130), I prefer a lighter pick, especially for fast stuff. Annoyingly, the one I find myself using the most is a rubbish one that came free, thrown in with something else I’d bought. It’s a .60, like the orange Dunlop Tortex, but a bit smaller. It’s a bit like trying to hold onto an eel, though. I am going to have to see if I can find something of a similar size that is grippier.
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The mnemonic that I learned in college is rather unsavoury, but it is the one that has stuck in my head. It’s done it’s job, I suppose.
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Not a build (surprised?) but a woodwork question.
KingBollock replied to Owen's topic in Build Diaries
Going for a simple, home brew idea (because that’s all I’m good for!), if it were me, I would try to find, or make, a 4.85mm dowel. Drill a 4.85mm hole in the ball. Then split off sections of the dowel to fill the gaps where the flat bits are, and glue them into the ball. I think that makes sense. -
I did think of using white, styrene tubing, but I don’t have enough here to do a whole bass (and I need to do two). I might try to drill down the middle of the new dots and fill them with luminous paint. Though I’m not sure I will be able to drill accurately enough considering that I would normally do such small drilling on a desk, under bright lights and a magnifier. The dots will have an outer diameter of 2mm. I’ve got drill bits that go down to .3mm and I can use a syringe to inject the paint. But how small is too small? I need to allow enough of the white showing to be able to see it when the paint isn’t charged.
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I find that when I play standing up (which I never actually do), the length I like my strap and the way my gut pushes the top of the bass forward, means that I can’t actually see the fretboard. I do, however, struggle a bit if I can’t see the side markers. I have always wanted to fit some of those FretFX strips to some of my basses but, because I don’t play live (which is why I never play standing up), I can’t justify the expense. The same goes for Luminlay. I should have some sticks of bright white rods coming today, for a couple of my basses where the side dots are just too dark.
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When we first moved to Wales we briefly lived in a house that stepped right out onto the pavement of a busy road. I remember once watching a parcel can pull up, watched the driver fill out the “tried to deliver but not in” card, jump out and push the card through the door. No knock, nothing. I opened the door as he went to turn away. He looked suitably guilty, and without a single word, he went and got my parcel. I can’t imagine what would have happened to anything left outside the door there, it would have literally been on the pavement. With some of the kids that lived around there, a parcel wouldn’t have lasted two minutes.
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Don’t delivery companies tend to take a photograph as proof nowadays? My wife lost (though it was replaced in the end) £300 worth of craft soaps after it was delivered, but hidden under a hedge behind our wheelie bin. It was there for two or three weeks before we found it. They had been very, very wet weeks. Maybe see if you can find out if a photo was taken. And maybe have a scout ‘round (perhaps he can have a look for the parcel and earn himself a badge…).
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Bloomin’ Nora! Why’s it have to be some bloomin’ complicated!? All I want is a set of these: https://www.northwestguitars.co.uk/wjb750-tuners-for-right-handed-bass-guitar-4-in-line/ In black. I have bought them from that store before and like them. I’m not really that bothered about the make. I just need them to fit, be black, cheap and open backed (if I am buying cheap, I like the idea that I can maintain them).
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Oh, I thought I’d be safe with Wilkinsons, that they’d be genuine. Considering that they would take just over a month to get here and with postage and tax, I’m not actually saving any money, I think I will wait and hope that someone in the UK gets them in stock. Northwest Guitars should send me an email if/when they get them in. I don’t really know where else to look except Amazon.
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My wife has bought from there, too… I just got my hair off with it. Everytime I clicked something, the page would suddenly get huge and most of it inaccessible, requiring that I reload the page to get it back to normal. This just kept happening, over and over. Once I eventually got to the checkout and everything filled in, it sent me off to PayPal, as it was supposed to, but when I got back there was no option to continue, the only button I could press was the one I had just pressed. I get very nervous when it comes to anything with money and online stuff, so once I had been to PayPal twice, with the same result, I got angry and gave up. I’m mostly annoyed that I can’t get what I need from any of the places I would normally go. And it just happens that it’s basically only the colour that I specifically want that is out of stock. I was already not having a very good day!
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I just tried to buy from Ali Express for the very first time. It will be the last. The website barely works on my tablet. I tried, twice, to get it to take my money and it just dribbled slightly out of the corner of its mouth and carried on licking the window it was staring blankly out of. I was attempting to buy some, apparently genuine, Wilkinson tuners, because everywhere else is out of stock (in the colour I need). Oh well.
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I like to socket ICs, so I had a quick look to see if it is possible to socket SMD ICs, and it is. It’s possible to convert SMD to DIP. I was kind of hoping that there was a way of making using SMD ICs easier, maybe some kind of clamp system, or something. I don’t know. I have never used SMD stuff before, I don’t think. But, anyway, at least it appears that I can use SMD ICs (I don’t know about other components, I didn’t look) on vero-board. I have narrow soldering iron tips. One comes to a 1mm wide flat tip and another comes to a point. So I should be alright there. I’m a bit of a dinosaur with this stuff. Most of my electronics experience comes from college (including work placements) from 1991 to 1993. And I’ve forgotten most of it.
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I am very interested in this. I’ve been wanting to build a HPF for ages. I have put together some pedals, but I am not part of a community, so I don’t know if it’s proper to ask this, but… Will there be a circuit diagram or, even better, a diagram for building it on strip-board? I prefer using strip-board. I don’t know why but it feels like using a PCB is like a Lego kit compared to a strip-board Airfix kit (point to point would be like scratch-building, I suppose). And I don’t mean that in anyway derogatorily, it’s more that Lego kits cost more. I’ve seen some very cool Lego kits but I have also seen the prices!
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Just bought a bass from Telbomber and it was a flawless transaction. I am a very nervous online buyer, but Telbomber made it easy and reassuring. Excellent description, attention to detail and packaging. Call me a very happy customer.
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Or in the case of my childhood dog, Blue, a car door. He couldn’t be let out of the house without being on a lead. And if you opened the door and he saw, he would bolt and escape. This was particularly troublesome because he would go after and fight any dog he saw (unless that dog was very small). He was very strong and if he got into a fight with a big dog, it was hell trying to get them apart. But, if he saw an open car door, he couldn’t help himself, he would stop whatever he was doing and jump into the car. It didn’t even matter whose car it was. Fortunately he would go very calm, as though nothing had happened. Very odd.
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None now. Woo!
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I would recommend using a jet style lighter. You can get ones for cigarettes or for kitchens or bendy ones for lighting camp stoves. I probably wouldn’t try it with the saddles installed, though. I did once have trouble with the height adjustment screws in Steinberger, headless bridge saddles. In the end I had to drill them out. I think I got replacements by looking for M3 hex screws, in the desired length, on Amazon.
