BigRedX

You only need to worry about the core slipping on strings with a round core. Unless it specifically states on the strings that they are round core you can safely assume that they are hex core and it's OK to cut the strings to length before bending them.

Since all my old photos in this thread were on Photobucket, here's a more recent one of me that you'll actually be able to see:

IME scale length on its own has little effect on the sound and feel of low B. It is all down to the construction of the bass and the right choice of strings. If I was in the OP's position I would first try another set of strings, maybe one with a taper-wound B string. Remember that strings that work with one bass will not necessarily be the best choice for another. All my basses are fitted with different strings because each has a set that suits that particular bass the best. If the problem persists look first at the neck joint. With the strings fitted but not tuned to pitch very slightly loosen the neck bolts - about half a turn is normally sufficient. Then tune the bass to pitch and leave for a few hours to settle. Then tighten the neck bolts up again. What this does is to use the tension of the strings to pull the neck tightly into the neck pocket which makes the joint as strong as possible. If you are still getting dead spot problems then try a Fat Finger as suggested although be aware that this works by moving the position of the dead spot to somewhere where it is hopefully less obvious rather than removing it.

But it was way better than the finishes that followed - that partially see-through white that looked as though they'd run out of rattle can and couldn't be bothered to get another one to complete the job, or sh!t brown.

The break angle over the nut needs to be sufficient to hold the string in place whilst not reducing the compliance of the string. If you look at the first photo in the OP you'll see that the G and D strings pass under a string retainer and therefore their break angle is fixed by the position of the string retainer. Since this is obviously a sufficient angle, it follows that ideally the E and A strings should have the same break angle. That means the A string should probably have one more turn around the post and the E one less.

It was an auction so it would have probably reached a realistic price by the end. If it does re-appear with a significantly higher start price that might actually put some bidders off. I tried to buy a Shaftesbury-badged guitar version back in about 1976, but I couldn't persuade my parents to lend me the rest of the money I needed. IIRC although it was second hand, it was in immaculate condition and the shop only wanted £45 for it!

Unfortunately that interface has had to compromised in order to maintain the overall playability.

Fret sensing seems to be the preferred method at the moment. Alternatively have a look at the Roland V-Bass system which is based around modelling to process the audio output of the individual strings.

I used them quite a bit in the days when Alan at ACG was stocking them. They're nothing like Elixirs so if you are after something similar you may be disappointed. Since they have become less easy to find in the UK I've stopped using them and now favour Warwick Black Label for my basses that would have had SIT string before.

I've just been looking at getting a ticket to see Cabaret Voltaire at Rock City next year. The face value ticket price is £35.00 On top of that is £5.88 booking fee and a £1.50 E-Ticket charge bringing the total price up to £42.38, and this is from Rock City's own web site. If you want to buy them from any of the other ticket sites it's even more expensive. It used to be possible to bypass these fees by going in person to the Rock City box office. I'm in town for a client meeting tomorrow so I'll go and have a look to see if this is still the case. IMO if there is no way of avoiding these additional charges then they should not be additional and be part of the actual face value ticket price. And if they can be avoided by buying in person rather than on-line then this information should be made available at the time of purchase. I suspect that there is some creative accounting reason why they are additional.

@Misdee I'm obviously not going to change your mind, but I'm not at all convinced by the alternatives you put forward. Apart from JJ Burnel who had an interesting sound (if you could get past the thuggery and misogyny for which there was no excuse even back in 1977) they were just bass players in their bands and if they weren't also the singer, fairly anonymous. Sting is far more interesting as a songwriter than he is as a bass player. The only remarkable thing about him as a bass player is that most of the early Police songs were played on fretless bass, although if you hadn't seen them live you were unlikely to know that. I suspect that you and me were listening to completely different bands back in the early 80s, but IME if you weren't plodding away at 1/8 root notes or slapping, then you were trying to be Mick Karn or Peter Hook. Maybe it's because what Hooky did was easy and within the reach of almost anyone who picked up a bass that you don't like it? However you can't deny that he changed perceptions of how his choice of instrument could fit into a band and song arrangement. There's not many musicians playing any instrument who can say that.

Looks like the version with the full Moog circuitry.

Yes they did. Called the Decade 6. It only has an 18 fret neck though which limits the upper register.

One other thing that I have just remembered. What are you going to do in sections where there are no drums in the arrangement? Unless you all as a band have an impeccable sense of rhythm and tempo, you will need some sort of guide to get you through these sections. Of course if you are using IEMs then it will be easy. You can program a click which is just sent to the IEMs. Otherwise you will need to have something that is obvious enough for you to play to but subtle enough that it doesn't ruin it for the audience. You'll also need something like this for any intros without drums. No mater how good you think your timing is. I can guarantee that any more than 2 bars without drums and you will have drifted out of sync with the drum machine. You can't start playing and hope that when you start the drum machine the band will still be playing at the same programmed tempo as the drum machine.

My parent's house that they lived in from 1968 to 1980 had every single type of socket distributed throughout the rooms. Often it would provide challenging if you wanted to move an electrical appliance to a different room as it may not have the correct type of socket in the room and if it did it might be on the opposite wall to where you wanted to plug your device in. My bedroom had 15, 13 and 5amp sockets on different walls as well as a hard-wired connection to an electric radiator, and later another hardwire connection to the storage heater (on a different wall). I was well used to changing plugs on my electrical appliances before I was 10.