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Everything posted by BigRedX
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I think you'll find plenty of people who'll recommend @Andyjr1515 Have at look at his work in the build diaries.
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If you still want the overall scale length to be 35" you'll need to make some measurements and do some maths to get it right. Remember that 35" is the total length from the nut to the bridge and the neck (depending on how many frets it is) is slightly less than 3/4 of that. If you want to add a spacer in the neck pocket simply measure the difference between to original neck and the replacement one and that will tell you how long the spacer needs to be. Remember though that off-setting the neck by that amount (it's going to be approximately 18mm if both necks have the same number of "frets") may mean that not all of the neck screws will be attached to the new neck. Also it's worth considering that there is no guarantee that the Lull has a standard Fender-sized neck pocket that will fit the typical off-the-shelf replacement neck. And all the "fret" position markers will be out including the 12th and you'll have to cover them over and work out where the correct ones should be. If you're not bothered about preserving the 35" scale then provided the neck pocket is suitable for the replacement neck you could simply bolt it on. IME a good 5-string is not about the scale length but the neck construction and neck joint. Again you will have to re-calculate the position markers. HTH.
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Remember that every new Taylor purchase supports Scientology...
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Curious (Russian?) bass in Bulgaria
BigRedX replied to Stub Mandrel's topic in eBay - Weird and Wonderful
The pickups on the eBay one have 6 "pole pieces" so are probably not the originals. -
M-Patch 2 Monitor Controller PSU replacement
BigRedX replied to 2pods's topic in Repairs and Technical
If the device is still working without the LEDs lighting up then it's most likely the PSU that has failed. Check the headphone output. If that's not working it's definitely the PSU. If it is working then something has failed in the LED circuits. -
I was inspired by a cricket match on telly...
BigRedX replied to Stub Mandrel's topic in eBay - Weird and Wonderful
It's been on a couple of times before. -
Curious (Russian?) bass in Bulgaria
BigRedX replied to Stub Mandrel's topic in eBay - Weird and Wonderful
Same body shape and a lot of similar features to this Orfeus bass made in Bulgaria. -
Played the Leeds Goth City festival on Saturday with both In Isolation and Hurtsfall. It was Hurtsfall's first gig for almost 2 years and also the first since we parted ways with our drummer and decided to go for programmed drums instead. Two manic rehearsals the week before the gig (our first since March last year) mostly for get a feel for how the songs were sounding without an actual drummer. A couple of iffy moments during the set but I don't think anyone in the audience noticed. First outing as well for the Eastwood Hooky Bass which is big improvement over the Bass VIs (Squier and Burns Barracuda) I've been using before After that I felt much more relaxed for In Isolation's set. Plenty of people dancing and as far as well could tell not too many left to go and see Auger who were playing at the same time at another venue as part of the Goth City festival.
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I don't know. The band formed in the early 70s, and they used to do a cover of The Seeds' "No Escape" in a very similar style until they started playing "Nag, Nag, Nag" at gigs
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Sorry, I was talking about the DI100 which seems the staple of many musicians, smaller venues and low budget PA systems. I don't think I there are any decent live videos of The Terrortones using the Theremin (For some reason all the good live videos are of the Theremin-free songs), but if you have Spotify have a listen to the "SnakeOil For Snakes" album.
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Plus the fact that come January 1st 1980 they had already released 4 singles (including the iconic Nag, Nag, Nag) and an album.
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All of whom were formed (and named) in the 70s.
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This. The 80s covers a lot of different music from Post-Punk, New Romantic, Synth Pop, Goth, Guitar Pop, HipHop/Rap, Hair Metal and Acid House to name just a few.
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The Behringer DI Box has a weird grounding system that can be problematic with a some instruments. In particular with The Terrortones using the Etherwave Theremin, every time we couldn't get a signal from it to the PA it turned out that they were using a Behringer DI Box. Swapping it for one of my EMO DIs would immediately sort out the problem. We eventually worked out that it was something to do with the way the Theremin and Behringer DI Box were earthed, that the the DI input was essentially being shorted out when the Theremin was connected. Considering that one of the functions of a good DI box is to electronically isolate the connected equipment from the PA, that seems to be a major short-coming on the part of Behringer, and could potentially lead to serious problems if there was a mains voltage issue on either side of the box. As a consequence I now always carry sufficient high quality DI boxes for all my gear that require them and always use those in preference to Behringer ones.
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It depends on whether you think of them as "effects" or devices that produce the core tone for whatever band you are in. I've been using multi-effects units since the late 80s when I bought a Roland GP8 and the FC100 foot controller and in one go replaced all my pedals and rack units for both guitar and bass. Having come from a synth playing background the ability to be able to recall all my settings at the press of a footswitch was essential, and I certainly won't be that musician who can't remember what order their pedals were connected from one rehearsal to the next let alone where the knobs should be set (and believe me, I've been in bands with people like this). Even when I was playing in a psychobilly/garage rock band my multi-effects unit of the time (BassPod) was invaluable. I looked at as "my sound in a box". I could plug into any given amp and have something close to the right sound within seconds. And it didn't really matter that I was only using 4 very basic presets - my core sound, a slightly brighter version of my core sound and then a slightly louder and more distorted version of each that I used during the guitar solos. Since then I've changed bands and upgraded the bassPod to a Helix Floor. I've also ditched my conventional bass rig in favour of an FRFR powered cab. I'm using a lot more functions on the Helix but it is still essentially "my sound in a box".
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If you do decide to go the FRFR route, unless you are using it as your audio interface, I'd replace the Helix in the studio with the plug-in version next time Line6 do a special offer, so you can make the hardware part of your live rig.
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^^ Exactly. TBH for the gigs that my bands do the fact that I don't have a conventional bass rig has never been an issue from an image PoV. For Hurtsfall the minimalist stage setup we have goes well with the overall image of the band and amps and speakers would distract form this. For In Isolation, a lot of the time we are supporting bands with traditional backline. I simply set up in front of the headliner's bass rig and no-one in the audience is any wiser. When we are the headlining band I doubt that anyone really notices that we are seemingly missing the bass amp and cab(s). The only issue we have is with support bands, to whom we have to explain the situation and tell them that their bassist is welcome to use my rig, but if they want a traditional bass set up they will need to bring their own. Thus far we've had roughly 50% take up on the offer to use my rig, and all those who have done so have been impressed with the sound and on-stage volume. Edit: here I am with In Isolation not using the bass amp behind me...
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The various discussions amount bass rigs that we have had on Basschat have definitely opened me up ideas I might have never considered otherwise. The ditching of the traditional rig being one of them. 3 or 4 years ago I would have never considered playing without my big impressive looking rig behind me, but times and bands change, and I can see my current solution to be perfectly adequate for any band I'm likely to be playing with in the foreseeable future. The only reason I could currently see for getting a traditional bass amp and cab(s) would be if I went back to playing covers in pubs, and given my previous experiences of that scene it's not something I would consider from either a personal or music PoV. I get what people are saying about having a good sound on stage, and while it is something to strive towards, I think a lot of the time we get over-precious about the on-stage sound and we might be better off putting on a show for the audience. I certainly used to one of those people who would get wound up and sulk if it didn't sound "right" when playing and as a result I could be rather unpleasant to be be with at gigs. I've since come to the conclusion that so long as I can hear that I'm in time and in tune with the rest of the band, that will do for the on-stage sound and instead I'll concentrate on playing and putting on a show for the audience (and I would like to think that I am a nicer person to be in a band with as a result). They after all are the reason why we do this. Also I've never understood the quest for "trouser flapping bass volume". When the band and most of the audience these days is wearing ear plugs it kind of defeats the object, and besides if the songs your are playing are up to scratch then they shouldn't need to be played loud to sound good. Also I don't think I've worn trousers with enough spare material to flap since to late 70s!
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The Helix (and the multi-effects I had before that) are simply a means to a consistent end. Most of the time it was about presenting the bass sound I wanted to the amplification system with the minimum of fuss. I had previously spent almost a decade playing synths where the amplification used was simply about getting them to sound loud and any additional "character" imposed by it was seen as a bad thing. And before that my "bass amp" was a 10 watt guitar practice amp which was loud enough for rehearsals (this was a band with a drum machine and percussionist rather than a conventional drummer and drum kit) and live I used whatever amp the headlining band had brought with them. Besides all amps have EQ on them and by the time you're in the "band mix" you'll be able to find something that gives you a perfectly useable sound.
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It's all very well saying that a traditional rig gives a consistency of sound when gigging, but unless you're playing small venues where the PA is vocals only or you never move from being stood a couple of feet directly in front of the bass cabs, that's not the experience you are going to get. I was finding that on both large stages and small ones (where I was generally being asked to turn down so as not to mess with the FoH sound) that the moment I stepped away from being in front of my cabs the bass in the foldback for the other band members completely took over. For me the bass amp and cabs were simply a means of getting the bass guitar to a volume suitable for the band I was playing in. Having an amp or cabs with "a sound" was never a priority when choosing what to buy and in many cases could be serious disadvantage if it wasn't the sound I was after. My bass sound comes from: 1. Me 2. My bass (although no where near as important as the other factors) 3. My effects The important things I need to hear on stage is that I'm playing the right notes at the right point in the song. The amp and cabs were a necessary evil, and now they are no longer necessary I'm glad to be rid of them.
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I ditched my amp and cabs completely for the very reasons described by the OP. I used to own a very nice (and very expensive) big rig that looked very impressive, but as the OP has discovered when all the gigs you do the bass goes through the PA it was starting to look a bit redundant. On the big stages as soon as I stepped away from being directly in front of my rig I could hear more or "me" in the fold back than I could from my cabs and on the smaller stages I was being asked to turn it down so as not to interfere with the FoH mix, that even stood directly in front of it the bass being supplied for the guitarist in his wedge on the other side of the stage was louder! At the same time I'd been following the various FRFR threads on here and they were making a lot more sense to me, so I sold everything and bought a Line6 Helix Floor and an RCF 745 powered cab. As I also play Bass VI in another band having a "neutral" sounding amp and cab system was a lot more versatile and saved having to carry a massive and complex rig that could cope with both "guitar" and "bass" sounds. And after selling all my conventional amplification I actually came away with a small profit! I don't miss the old big rig in the slightest. For the big gigs (Nottingham Rescue Rooms, Leeds O2 etc.) I do I don't even bother taking the RCF cab. I just give the PA a DI from the Helix and get a monitor mix that is balanced all the way across the stage. For the one gig I've done since changing where the PA was strictly vocals only the RCF was more than adequate for projecting the bass sound into the audience. For all the other in-between gigs I usually tuck the cab out of the way (the size and shape also lets me fit it in spaces where there would be no room for a conventional bass rig) and often have it firing across the stage so the rest of the band can hear me without it disturbing the FoH mix. All the sound shaping is done with the Helix and therefore what the audience hears is exactly what I hear on stage only much louder and with no nasty frequencies ready to spill into the drum and vocal mics and ruin the sound. It makes you think that the only bassists really benefiting from expensive boutique bass rigs are those who just play pub gigs where the bass doesn't go through the PA and their rig is entirely responsible for the bass sound that the audience hears.
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Any Tiesco experts here? (warning, guitar content)
BigRedX replied to leschirons's topic in General Discussion
Given it's origins it would almost certainly sported an "Audition" logo when new. To be fair apart from the missing vibrato arm and the broken tone tone knob it looks in pretty good condition - certainly compared to all the ones I was able to find photographs of. So unless the back is suffering from major buckle rash it might be worth looking for proper parts to replace the missing and broken ones and keeping it in close to "original" condition. -
Any Tiesco experts here? (warning, guitar content)
BigRedX replied to leschirons's topic in General Discussion
IIRC the Teisco connection is entirely wishful thinking on the part of people with these guitars to sell. Back in the early 70s when Woolworths was selling the "Audition" branded versions of this guitar they were priced at £19.99 and TBH that was a bit overpriced. I think they are only rare today because despite being manufactured in huge quantities most of them ended up in the bin when their owners either moved on a decent guitar, or gave up because they were so unplayable. -
M-Patch 2 Monitor Controller PSU replacement
BigRedX replied to 2pods's topic in Repairs and Technical
Are you sure that it's the PSU that is dead and not the device itself? Do you have a multimeter for testing to see if the PSU is actually outputting anything? Edit: I've just had a look at a review of the device and the signal path is completely passive the PSU is only required for the status LEDs and the headphone amp, so if it's not working the the unit itself has died.