Bloodaxe

[quote name='bigjohn' post='733421' date='Feb 2 2010, 08:21 PM']I'm intrigued by playlicks. Do they sell them in Boots?[/quote] You might be able to [i]buy[/i] them in Boots.... ....the knee-length stiletto-heeled variety

[quote name='Oggy' post='733155' date='Feb 2 2010, 04:52 PM'][u][b]Fretting about re-fret and fret. [/b][/u] I’ve started using BC regularly now; I’m loving it (Oh I feel a Mc D coming on). I’ve seen a couple of Bass’s advertised for sale that have either been born fretless or had the frets removed. I’m a bit long in the tooth now to start playing fretless Bass, but I’ve lusted after a couple of de-frets and fretless beauties I’ve seen on BC :wub: . Can anyone tell me if it’s possible to re-fret a de-fret or fret a fretless bass? I’m assuming that it can be done by a qualified Luther but would like to hear from anyone who’s had it done and roughly how much it would cost? Thanks Guys. Oggy [/quote] You're never too old! Refretting a de-fretted bass shouldn't present a problem for a luthier, as most of the work (i.e. the setting out) has been done already, & it's also quite straightforward to saw out any inlays. The nut would probably have to be replaced, as they're usually cut lower for fretless. Expect to pay more for fretting a "blank" board. As to cost, no idea. You could start by giving The Gallery in Camden a call - 020 7267 5458. Pete.

Never sitting - I don't gig sat down, so I don't practice sat down either (on the very odd occasions that I do, I find it hard going as the bass is significantly higher up & I find it quite uncomfortable). So... Stood up, Bass >> ADA MP-1 >> Alesis Quadraverb >> Tapco 6:2 mixer >> Headphones (Sennheiser HD-212). Also plugged into the mixer is a Tascam MP-BT1 acting as a portable jukebox. If it's 3:00am & I want to have a blow, I can, & the neighbours know nothing! When I first started out I had a Sharp twin tape deck "Ghetto Blaster" that had a 1/4" Mic input & turntable inputs too. Great piece of kit that was, need to get the heads replaced. Very rarely do I fire up the gig-rig to practice, depends on what I need to nail (usually the quieter stuff) - Shared accommodation can be a pain! Pete.

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='719896' date='Jan 21 2010, 10:42 AM']DON'T DO IT!!!! 'Fever' is a banned song on the Bilbo 'not jazz' jazz chart (no. 3, if I recall correctly)! It pretends to sound jazzy but, on the quiet, it sucks!! Just let it die. Its lived long enough and deserves to rest.[/quote] I can imagine that jazz has its "Mustang Sally" & "Sweet Home Alabama" equivalents... where do you stand on "Work Song" & Nat King Cole's take on "Route 66"?

How about stuff in different time signatures?

[quote name='Hot Tub' post='730783' date='Jan 31 2010, 05:05 PM']OK, OK, I'll put you out of my misery! Their bassist plays in another band and so the have to turn down gigs if he's not available. The drummer and singer independently asked if I'd consider joining them and asked for my phone number! How cool is that!?!? I guess the best compliment is the one you get from fellow musicians.[/quote] Hole in one! Well done that man. "Cherry" popped [i]and[/i] you seem to have got at least a dep gig out of it - jammy sod! Pete.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='730772' date='Jan 31 2010, 04:57 PM']Perhaps he played Mustang Sally again as an encore and got beaten up.[/quote] Oh Gawd! You don't suppose he did & [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=75519&view=findpost&p=730513"]Lorne was there[/url], d'you?

[quote name='Marvin' post='730761' date='Jan 31 2010, 04:50 PM']I think I've visited this page more than any other today. This is simply torture[/quote] There's one possibility that we may not have considered... I sincerely hope it's not the case.

[quote name='AlanP2008' post='730708' date='Jan 31 2010, 04:02 PM']The circuit should work. The volume control will give a gain change from about unity gain to around x10 (20dB). The 10uF electrolytic should be 30V or more. It doesn't say, but the volts at K1 shoud be a good clean DC supply of +12V to say +32V or so, whatever is available in the amp. The issue about capacitor values is that the cap forms a high-pass filter with the resistance to ground that follows it. On the input side, that resistance is known, being effectively the 470k resistor... so 0.22uF is plenty big enough. On the output side, the load inpedance isn't known, as it will be whatever impedance presented by the thing the amp is driving, so it makes sense to make the coupling cap big enough to ensure a good bass response for any sensible low values of load resistance. Hope this helps. Alan[/quote] Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for that (it's been a long time since my C&G & I can remember sufficient circuit theory to be dangerous!) Pete.

[quote name='richrips' post='730237' date='Jan 31 2010, 01:23 AM']i'm trying to build a circuit to boost the gain on the preamp section of my ashdown little giant 1000. [url="http://klaas.homeip.net/wb/media/pdf/Ash_Giant_Buffer.pdf"]http://klaas.homeip.net/wb/media/pdf/Ash_Giant_Buffer.pdf[/url] i've not made a circuit recently and am not sure which capacitors to use. maplin sell several different types with different voltage ratings. what is this voltage rating and which ones should i use for the circuit? does anybody have experience in this type of thing? apparently the circuit is based on a standard volume boost pedal. any help much appreciated, cheers, rich[/quote] The voltage rating is the nominal maximum voltage that the capacitor can withstand before the dielectric fails & the Magic Smoke escapes. In the circuit you've posted the only one that it would really apply to would be the electrolytic at C4. Anything around or over 25V should be plenty. I'm bemused by that circuit... Why have a 0.22uf cap on the input side & a 10uF on the output? Surely it should be 10uF on both sides? I've got to ask... Why are you trying to do this? Is the Ashdown not loud enough? Or have I completely misread this & you're after building a booster stomp box? Pete.

[quote name='Captain Rumble' post='730039' date='Jan 30 2010, 07:43 PM']Bullsh*t start to finish ....... not the music just the so called opinions I am saddend[/quote] Really? I'm quite heartened as it goes... It's been by far the longest thread I've ever initiated, plus it... Nearly became an all-out Flame-War, and... Got to within a whisker of being Locked. Additionally, now it's been revived, it's likely to be the closest I'll get to having a Zombie Resurrection Thread to call my very own. I love the interweb, me. Pete. PS Shame about Hutton though, there was no need for that in my opinion.

[quote name='Mholland' post='730038' date='Jan 30 2010, 07:41 PM']Cheers Pete, its a couple of years old now, I replaced it with a warwick streamer stage II in the short term and played that one alot more - I only bought the warkwick cos i was going to get a SR4 instead - and just tried it for comparison and loved the tone but thats another story. I have mailed Aria UK - see what happens, im sure ive got the receipt somewhere I know it was the last RI or CB in the country at the time and the dealer had it in on sale or return for me. i have had the back plate off, just to look for perhaps a loose wire etc, 2 sets of electronics, one set wrapped in like thick fabric black tape - not sure if that means anything to you. I wonder if the tone can be changed to the JT spec by Aria. and why was it never available in the UK ? Do you find having to use a limiter between your amp and Aria if using two basses, Mark.[/quote] Two sets of electronics?! No idea what's going on there tbh (adds fuel to my comment about these not being a re-issue as we'd expect it - unless the Series 2 SBs had these.) The 6-way tone shaper could easily be altered with a soldeing iron. a couple of quids worth of capacitors from Maplin & some knowledge... the last part is likely to be the hardest to get hold of, don't be surprised if Aria go all quiet on this score (trade secrets & that). As to why the JT version was never available... You know how they say "specifications are likely to change without notice"? With Arias that's a [i]Promise[/i], not a threat! I don't use a limiter, as I'm a great believer in the Instrument > Bit Of Wire > Amp approach & also as I've yet to do a gig where I'd need two different basses. If I did, it still wouldn't matter to me as I've got an Ashdown Superfly which means I can program in a setting tailored to each bass & access it with the push of a button! If I'm using someone elses amp I invariably have to turn down as the 4-wire humbuckers wipe the floor with the average P or J. You could try asking over on the [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/ggboard/index.php"]Matsumoku Forum[/url], but don't be too surprised if no help is forthcoming as yours isn't an "Uncle Mat" - it's also a very slow-paced board, so don't expect a quick answer. Pete.

[quote name='Mholland' post='729894' date='Jan 30 2010, 05:24 PM']hi pete, thanks for the reply, re the switch/led - works with or without batteries just doesnt light up without. I tend to agree with you - might be some defective electronics its where to take it. MArk.[/quote] In which case I'd personally not worry too much. The original Aria "active" electronics aren't Active as we generally accept the term. In the oiginal catalogue blurb they're termed a "Noise killer circuit" & the early versions have a reputation of failing irreparably. When my 1980 circuit failed I attempted to find out what was in it (it was an epoxy-sealed black box) & came to the conclusion that it was a "unity gain buffer" - or, in English, an amplifier that doesn't amplify. This sounds daft, but it isn't entirely. The idea is that the signal from the pickup remains the same size, but the buffer gives it more current (or "oomph") allowing it to go down a long lead with very little degradation due to the resistance of the lead. To all real-world intents, it's superfluous - [i]might[/i] have an effect if you were using +50-foot leads. The tone controls were wired in across the signal path after the black box, so were passive anyway. All rather odd. My attempts to reconstruct the original circuit failed, & I just wired it up passive - 6-way selector & all. Works fine. If your RI has a "black box" circuit you may well be wasting your time & money attempting to get it fixed, as it's impossible to get in there without destroying it! You might try e-mailing Aria UK for some more info, they've got a pretty good Customer Service reputation, & if your replacement is still under warranty... Pete.

[quote name='BigBeatNut' post='729830' date='Jan 30 2010, 04:20 PM']Not the slightest hint of a pot crackle. Does that make a pot problem less likely (sounds like it) ? It is passive, yes, a VVT setup in a Squire. Andy[/quote] No, but it pretty much eliminates a dirty or worn track as the culprit. My money is now firmly on the bit where the ground/earth end of the track is in contact with the solder tag - these are usually just a dry "pressure" contact & can fail. That said, it [i]could[/i] be a dry solder joint from the tag to the back of the pot. If you have a soldering iron, try resoldering each end of this connection. If the problem persists, it's almost certainly new pot time. Pete.

[quote name='Mholland' post='729331' date='Jan 29 2010, 11:21 PM']I need help on : 1. Setting the bridge - the action seems way to high - there is no info on these bridges 2. The switch, on my JT it only lit up when you flicked it to down, on this one its on all the time.. weird - if theres a cable in it, 3. the rotary control on the JT used to change the tone dramaically, not much on this one.. All help greatly received. THanks. Mark.[/quote] Greetings. Can't be specific, as it looks as thought Aria have been a little cavalier with their interpretation of "RI", so this is based on an original... 1. The Bridge - nothing bizarre here, a 1.5mm allen key for the action (two screws per saddle) & a suitable crosshead screwdriver for the intonation. Truss rod is likely to be metric as well, 5mm springs to mind. 2. The switch+LED came in with the Series 2 SBs - I'm pretty sure that it's an on/off switch for the "active" circuit, allowing passive use if the battery dies. On my Series 1 it switches the 6-way tone selector in/out. Sounds as though yours [i]might[/i] be defective - take the batteries out & see if it does anything. 3. Might be that Aria have put different value caps in the JT-RI to give more pronounced changes. I seem to remember reading that JT had a helluva job getting his 80s sound back when Duran Duran reformed & was working with Aria to achieve this. Pete.

Can't add much to this thread - most of it's been said already (& I read your linked post - that's me as well - spooky!) Try & make sure you can hear yourself. My first time up as a guest for one number after a 25 year hiatus I couldn't, & for some bizarre reason I dug in like a madman - with my LEFT hand. Subconciously I guess I thought that fretting harder would make the notes louder! Upshot was that after the number (Crossroads at 90mph) my left forearm was like an iron bar & I doubt I could have played another tune even if asked. Place yourself so that you can see the drummer's right foot. Lock in to it. The panic passes fairly quickly - took me a little longer to get used to it when I started going to the local Jam/Open Mic night (the first week my left leg was twitching uncontrollably!), but after a few goes it has passed. That was two years ago. Now I find I'm getting a lot more relaxed & at ease with myself & my own abilities and starting to have a good time with it all rather than the fierce focus/concentration that I've applied up to now. Best fun you can have with your clothes on! Pete. PS - for preference I'd kick off with "Work Together" - that's [i]almost[/i] impossible to balls up!

[quote name='BigBeatNut' post='729718' date='Jan 30 2010, 02:46 PM']I need an electrics repair done on a bass. The tone control sometimes goes open circuit ... that is, the bass is still working but the tone control is effectively at max. A bit of tapping around the tone control normally brings it back to working order. I've tried to find the loose connection myself, unsuccessfully, so I need someone to take a look at it and maybe replace the pot, if that's what the problem is. Bass Gallery is an obvious option (as is digging through the luthiers 'sticky thread'), but since this is purely an electrics problem, I wondered if there are any other possibilities ? Andy[/quote] Sounds like a duff pot - does it make any crackly/whooshy noises if you sweep it back & forth? A quick blast of switch cleaner might cure it, otherwise it's out with the soldering iron. I'm assuming it's a Passive circuit. Pete.

[quote name='rapscallion' post='725900' date='Jan 26 2010, 11:30 PM']ONE... wait, two words: Sean Malone /thread[/quote] Blimey! /thread + lots squared!

[quote name='bigjohn' post='725400' date='Jan 26 2010, 04:39 PM']Have you got a soldering iron?[/quote] Greetings, If you have a Maplins anywhere near you, they do them as well: [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1252"]http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1252[/url] If the wiring is all still attached, you'll probably find that the nut from the new one will be a direct fit to the "broken" one. If it is, no solder necessary - just a spanner/pipe wrench! Pete.

My 2p on this... I've been taking a fretless to local Jam/Open Mic sessions since May/June & haven't really found many tunes that it hasn't fitted in with. No Metal mind you (& I have [i]absolutely no idea[/i] what "Deathcore" is), but plenty of Classic Rock (Zep, Lizzy etc.) - even with a pick. The only real problem area I've found is in playing chords - that can sound godawful very easily! To give an idea as to what "Rock Fretless" [i]can[/i] sound like, try this: Pete.

[quote name='bumnote' post='724151' date='Jan 25 2010, 03:19 PM']Or perhaps turn it down a bit???? I find if you rehearse at silly volumes you cant hear the bits that need polishing up[/quote] Plus the One, as they say. You could also try just the head & the 2 x 10, that ought to suffice.

[quote name='Ancient Mariner' post='724082' date='Jan 25 2010, 01:59 PM']I just wondered after the comments about poor fretting in the PLEK thread, plus comments about early JD necks being unstable and issues I'm having setting up relief & action on a couple of cheap basses I have. All the comments I've read on here about adjusting relief have been very cautious, suggesting necks need small incremental adjustments and then being allowed to settle 24 hours, slacking strings off before adjusting etc.[/quote] In my experience, not really. Can't vouch for the JayDees, never met one in the flesh. A big factor, I suspect, is how the neck blank is sawn. Plainsawn necks are likely to have more inherent flex & Quartersawn necks less (for a rough 'n' ready idea, try bending a ruler edgwise - hard innit? - that's akin to Quartersawn. Bend it flatwise - segmented urea - Plainsawn stylee). Laminated Quartersawn should be even more stablerer. It's common sense to slacken the strings before adjusting the truss - especially if tightening it. Ditto, wise not to make huuuuge adjustments in one go. 1/4 turn ought to be OK, then tune it up & play. Tweak as necessary. There's a good few around who are over-cautious IMO, even to the point of changing strings individually. Personally I can't be doing with it - do you honestly believe that [i]any[/i] of the major manufacturers have a vast rack of new necks gently settling in with a "truss wallah" giving each one a bijou tweakette & then letting it settle for a day or so? I don't. If I drop a bass into The Gallery for a setup & am told it'll be "about a week" I also don't believe that the guys there diligently tweak mine a bit each day (as well as everybody elses) - they'd be out of business in a month! All IMO & note the qualified statements. That ranted... if you're in [i]any way uncertain[/i] then Overcautious is the way to go. It [i]might[/i] be that your "cheap basses" have fundamental issues like S bends, or poor quality timber, that can't readily be adjusted out. Pete.

Ashdown Superfly, Epifani UL-110, Flite 15