Kiwi

For a rectangular cabinet, i think you would still end up with the same problems of sympathetic vibration if standard thicknesses of 3-4mm were used in the production of graphite composite cabs. This issue has been dealt with in basses by filling the hollow core of the graphite neck with polyeurathane foam but I can't imagine that working with a speaker cabinet. Part of the design beauty of speakers like the Nautilus is that the conical shape helps dampen sympathetic vibrations. But the moldings are a total bastard to make. Hence the price.

Don't get me started on wilkinson bass bridges. Some of them are a step backwards in my experience. I had one where the break angle was so poor that the saddles actually lifted off the base plate!!

I think that bassists are far more progressive than guitarists. They are much more demanding too, hence why you don't see many neo cabs for guitarists. We should be proud that lightweight gear is available. Guitarists don't really get much of a choice by comparison.

Believe it or not, I've planned for a number of them to be auctioned off and the proceeds to go towards Basschat. Others may be distributed according to those I know who might appreciate them the most.

I like Spectors, so long as they have a decent preamp in them. They're a really nice combination of function and elegance.

Cool, I'll see if there are any website with demo tracks to check out. Thanks

[quote name='mcgraham' post='224484' date='Jun 22 2008, 09:39 PM']I love the look of Ritters, and the prestige that they carry is undeniable. BUT! ultimately it's about sound. Have a search on Talkbass, there's a few clips floating round. Personally, the sound reeeeally doesn't do it for me. Maybe you can dial an amazing tone or several amazing tones in... but for the price I'd expect [b][i]serious[/i][/b] plug n play action. Mark[/quote] I've played a couple and the all maple bodies mean the basses sound very bright with a very tight and compressed low end. They feel nice for slapping but I'd really need a warm rig like an SWR to get the best out of them. If I'm paying that kind of money, I'd expect more versatility tonally. You could probably get a very similar sound from a Pedulla MVP if you swap out the pickups for super clean sounding models like EMG, Rough Crystal or Alembic plus an East preamp. There again, with that insanely beautiful wood it seems almost a shame to take them off the wall hanger.

[quote name='lowdown' post='225649' date='Jun 24 2008, 09:32 AM']Well Steve.... If you ever need a dep over there...[Next time the flight f...ks up] I should be living there by this time next year. Things in early planning stages at the moment But looking good.[/quote] Good luck with that. Construction cranes were rarely out of sight regardless of where we were so there's a lot of development going on by the looks of it. However, I was having a chat to the videographer and she was telling me that she has to compete with spanish crews who do things on the cheap. So for her at least, it doesn't seem to be the cash cow she was hoping for, despite all the development there. The strength of the euro means that the pound sterling doesn't stretch as far as it used to.

Eventually we get everything set up. I have been given an Ampeg B4 and I don't discover until later on in the gig that the cabs are impedance mismatched. The 2x10 is 8ohm and the 1x15 is 4 ohm with the effect that I keep turning up the 1x15 so I can hear myself through the 2x10! I look happy enough here during sound check, only because what I'm thinking is the sound coming out of the 2x10 is actually being projected past my ankles by the 1x15 and bounced back at me from the other end of the room!! Result being that I'm providing a low end onslaught into the audience but barely able to hear myself above the drums on stage. Unfortunately I don't actually discover this until the end of the first set but unplug the 1x15 completely and everything is fine after that. The first number we do is a Hora medley prior to dinner where I can't hear myself or the keyboards and so end up playing as quiet and as staccato as I can so the bass ends up sounding like root fifth thumps rather than notes so the impact of me playing out of key is minimised. Our percussionist is by the sound desk and he doesn't notice me playing any wrong notes so the strategy worked!!! Pris and I doing Paul McCartney's 'Calico Skies', she sung this beautifully. The first set was better than the Hora medley not because I could hear myself any better (even after angling the 2x10 at me a little more) but because the songs are more familiar and I can play them just on fingering. We seemed to be going down well but the organisers kept distracting the punters with more food and coffee and stuff so we never got a core of dancers on the floor settled in for the first set. Because the speeches went on too long (as they ALWAYS do) we took a reduced break out the front. The girls still ended up singing 'More Than Words' over Tim's guitar during their break! The machine never stops . Second set gets cut back by three songs and we still run 15 mins over. The crowd by this time are finally free of distractions and are nicely warmed up three songs from the end. When we play the final number 'We Are Family' they cheer and yell for an encore but the venue manager tells us no more. So we set the crowd against the manager and while the manager is discussing things with the client we decide we might as well play an encore anyway while we wait for them to make up their minds. The encore is Aretha's "Think" which goes down a storm (Asya REALLY nails this one every time) and that provides the perfect finish to a night that started off poorly for me because of monitoring issues but got better as we found our feet. The clients are overwhelmed and can't thank us enough, bish bosh, job done. With the contacts we've made over there, and how well we went down, I anticipate we'll be doing a load more gigs in Marbella. The organiser had even arranged her own video crew to film us for a promotional DVD for the rest of her clients. The stage looks good dressed Me in full combat fatigues.

We came, we played, we funked Marbella's ass. We played the Flamingoes Spa and Golf Resort in Estepona, just west of Marbella on Sunday. The event was a jewish wedding and we were the finale to a 5 day event which began with the marriage ceremony on Wednesday. Getting there was a nightmare however. The rest of the band arrived on Friday and I flew out by myself on Saturday from Gatwick. The plane was late leaving the terminal because of congestion on the runway. Our flight joined a queue of about 9 planes waiting to take off in between a similar number that were landing. Finally we got into the air an hour after boarding but 20 mins into the flight the Captain announced we had to turn back because of an instrumentation problem. Apparently there was a Gatwick engineer on board the plane and he could do anything to help the situation either. So over northern France we turned around and flew back towards Brighton when the Captain then announced that we couldn't land yet because the weight of fuel on board took us over our safe landing limit. So instead we were going to fly around for a bit until we'd lost enough fuel to lighten the plane enough. Cue groans from the passengers on board. 45 mins later landed under close supervision of two 4WD Emergency vehicles and a fully prepped and staffed fire engine came in and inspected the underside of the plane after we pulled up at the terminal. About 15mins later the Captain advised us that they were going to transfer us to a spare 737-400 they had and were waiting for buses to arrive. That was remarkably well organised but it was too good to be true as they also told us that they didn't have time to move the food over to the new plane. Basically they needed a catering truck to shift the trolleys over and things were being run on such a no frills way that there was no time to get another catering truck over. Some of us offered to carry the sandwiches over with us but the crew didn't take us seriously. So, off we get and onto a couple of buses that take us to the replacement plane after the security cabin checks have been carried out. We take off again and this time we manage to make it to Malaga - 3 hours late, damned hungry but at least I didn't have to get back to the terminal and try to book another flight. So anyway, my driver has been waiting at the airport for three hours and when I see him, he's not one bit grumpy despite the fact his only job this weekend is to collect me. What a star! So we get to the hotel, wherein they book me into the wrong room because there are a number of bookings under the clients name. I call the percussionist and he tells me the name of the villa we're in and I get shifted over to where the rest of boys are. The girls have their own separate villa a couple of doors down from us. Finally I get to relax! I shower, rehydrate again and organise myself then call the percussionist again to organise where to meet up. We were all supposed to meet up at the flat but they've gone on ahead without me to Peurto Banus, which is a bit of a Port Solent on the Med type development. But there are Ferraris and Lamborghinis instead of Nissan Skyline GTS's and souped up Citroen Saxo's We arrange to meet up at a restaurant but they don't know where the place, so I jump in a taxi and go down there in the hope its somewhere near the main drag. However I can't find them and, given its 9pm and I haven't eaten since 5am I decide to get something to eat. So I grab a table in a restaurant with a decent view and enjoy a fresh sea bass and a glass of chilled white. Eventually the percussionist calls me to find out where I am and tell me where to meet them. Turns out the restaurant is set well back from the main street and I'd never be able to find it unless I was looking specifically for it. But anyway, I manage to find it and meet the rest of the guys. Much sangria, champagne and assorted meats are had and the stresses of the day finally melt away! We get to bed around 1am. After a mountainous breakfast the following morning, we have a quick rehearsal in the boys villa and then make our way to the venue after lugging the gear over to hotel reception. The venue is 10mins drive up the hill from us but we have to take a coach there because of the heat and we have a load of heavy gear to take. We unpack the gear and take it into the ballroom where we're playing. [i]Here we come, a-walkin down the street...[/i]

[quote name='OldGit' post='225548' date='Jun 24 2008, 12:40 AM']+1 Then rehearse your set without him. Make sure you rehearse well and for a [i]gig performance[/i] not to learn the songs, that's different. Include the set intro, "last" song ending, encore and talky bits (minimise these). Choose your strongest 25 minutes and focus on it from now 'til then. Record and/or video your dress rehearsals and change the things that don't work. Set up in your rehearsal space as if it was a gig stage ie the front person performs [i]away[/i] from the drummer and rest of the band, not facing them. That way you'll have to have cues other than eye contact. Your front person, at least, should be looking at the audience and not the other band members. Time your set accurately so you have time for the encore you will get (as you'll be taking 20 mates to cheers their heads off and to demand an encore, won't you?). Have at least one song in teh set you can drop if you start late but have to finish on time. Play the "last" tune well before your scheduled end time to leave time for the encore. Have a strong song for the encore. That's the lasting impression people will take away with them. Take 3 tunes out to an open mic night beforehand to see what it feels like. And make sure you have fun ... [/quote] +1 Sound advice, we do this also and it works well. There's no substitute for playing the songs live though. We played Mercy by Duffy at Sunday's gig after two run throughs at soundcheck having never played it together before. It wasn't perfect but we placed it mid-first set and it went down well. Next time we play it, we'll do it perfectly.

[quote name='uptonmark' post='224036' date='Jun 22 2008, 11:08 AM']i remember a thread a while back about players who do or dont use their little finger (i do) i dont use my middle finger, anyone else the same?[/quote] er... ...don't use your middle finger for playing bass or doing something else?

[quote name='Smash' post='225482' date='Jun 23 2008, 11:01 PM']Wonder why he took it bits I probably would have had it as it was looked very nice, shame.[/quote] I expect he thought he could get more money for them as parts than as a whole bass. Based on my own bitter experience, I don't blame him.

Body [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Musicman-1986-Sabre-body-Music-man_W0QQitemZ170231353381QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item170231353381&_trkparms=72%3A638%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Musicman-1986-Sabre-...id=p3286.c0.m14[/url] Pickups, you should be able to get replacement covers from Andy at Wizard. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Musicman-1986-Sabre-pickups-Music-man_W0QQitemZ170231353101QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item170231353101&_trkparms=72%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Musicman-1986-Sabre-...id=p3911.c0.m14[/url] Control plate, preamp and knobs [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Musicman-1983-Sabre-controls-pre-Ernie-Ball-Music-man_W0QQitemZ170231352991QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item170231352991&_trkparms=72%3A638%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Musicman-1983-Sabre-...id=p3286.c0.m14[/url] The only fly in the ointment is finding the correct bridge although it might be worth seeing if G&L makes one that fits?

is this in the right forum?

[url="http://www.seetickets.com/jazzcafe/price.asp?code=309808&filler3=id1jcafe"]http://www.seetickets.com/jazzcafe/price.a...iller3=id1jcafe[/url] Julian Crampton is back on bass!! Woooohooo! This is going to be a sell out. Who wants to come?

[quote name='cheddatom' post='223092' date='Jun 20 2008, 04:51 PM']It wasn't meant as a real dig CK. However, if I said I was "bloody charming in fact and very professional", would you think I was being "up myself" or starkly honest, or humble and modest?[/quote] I'm too shocked that my opinion of your band would have such significance to say anything at this point in time!

[quote name='cheddatom' post='222669' date='Jun 20 2008, 09:32 AM']Modest too![/quote] You'll never know one way or another.

The trick I find is to adjust my focus in and out on the various aspects of my playing. For example, instead of focussing on the notes, focuss on the timing of the notes. Then relax and see how far I can go before your playing starts to loosen up. Before too long the song has finished!

lovely result! Otherwise I would have gone round there and stuck pins in their heads for you.

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='222793' date='Jun 20 2008, 11:56 AM']I'm going to drive by and start tooting my horn!! Dood - don't forget to wear your cap and tracksuit.[/quote] Lets do this properly and get some Channel 4 Racing programme lurkers in. You know the ones, they stand in the background looking permanently distracted by something over the shoulder of the cameraman, but whenever the camera moves, they track it to the millimetre to ensure they stay in shot.

[quote name='ahpook' post='222727' date='Jun 20 2008, 10:43 AM']you're losing me here folks...is this an example of their attitude ? i miss living in newcastle and having howard on my doorstep.[/quote] Nah, they're OK. I was taking the piss a bit. But Martin is a very busy chap most of the time, however he does good quality work. In my personal experience he's not been so hot on time lines because of suppliers but if the work you need done doesn't involve external suppliers he might be able to fit a quick bit of routing work in without jepoardising other projects. You could also ask Paul_c on this forum, he's in Northants, there's a luthier that OBBM uses in Surrey as well. I think we had a thread somewhere on this forum for recommended luthiers too... ...EDIT: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=253&hl=recommended+luthiers"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...mended+luthiers[/url]

[quote name='Toasted' post='222702' date='Jun 20 2008, 10:08 AM']The Bass Gallery [/quote] *sucks teeth* Could be tricky...

Mmmm, interesting!

[quote name='Huge Hands' post='222101' date='Jun 19 2008, 01:14 PM']I will admit, that you do have to be able to be arsey quite often. Remember it's you (usually on your own) against several band members.[/quote] See, I think that's where it goes wrong before anyone in the band has said hello. We're a very friendly lot, bloody charming in fact and very professional. But the majority of soundmen we've encountered always manage to dredge up some contempt from somewhere. Worst we ever had was the arse who does sound at the Boston Dome in Tufnell Park. This charm vortex walks around with a stetson on and a massive bunch of keys dangling off his belt to let everyone know how important he really is. He doesn't give a flying sh*t about anything other than himself... ...sorry rant/OFF