Jean-Luc Pickguard

Just reading a post where someone mentioned something interesting about Ashdown amps. I have a soft spot for Ashdown - I always liked my MAG stack when I had it and only replaced it to get a lighter rig. I went to the ashdown website to check out what the current ranges are like. Whilst I am doing this I am listening to music on iTunes. As soon as my browser loads up the Ashdown homepage some cliched tuneless heavy nonsense spews out of my speakers (which my daughter informs me is known as screamo). With no obvious stop button on the page & not wanting to hang around long enough to look for one I close the window and am none the wiser about Ashdown's current range. I'm not in the market for a rig, but you never know I may have had a severe attack of gas on seeing something there. Don't the company or their web design agency realise that autoplaying music on a website hasn't seemed like a good idea to anyone with any sense since about the late 90s.

Not sure if a short scale would be any use, but looking at my danoelectro longhorn (24 frets) it certainly looks as if the neck would fit a tele body. I'm sure I've seen danelectro necks for a good price somewhere (I think it was £80 inc tuners) & thought of doing something similar with a bolt-on firebird-type body to make a danobird, but then saw sense (and the state of my bank & account.)

I like to rest my hand on the pickup cover like James & play with one finger

When I got back into playing after a 10 year hiatus, I bought a Trace Elliot SM715 combo which sounded great but was humungus and felt like it was made of solid concrete. I replaced that with an Ashdown stack of MAG300 amp with 2x10 & 1x15 cabs. This was better. It still sounded great and was easier to carry individually, but was still hassle as the cabs were bulky & heavy and required multiple trips to the car for load in/out. I got lazy & tended to just take one cab to gigs. I got rid of that & my final upgrade was a Markbass LMII & Schroeder 1212L cab - This is much more convenient. It can get blummin' loud and still sounds great. The most important thing though is that I can now carry my entire rig, plus bass & accessories in one trip from the car. I guess the moral of the story is to work out how lazy you are & whether you'd prefer a compact lightweight rig - it costs more, but I wouldn't want to go back to the back-breaking combo. Saying that I'd still quite like a smaller single speaker neo cab for 'acoustic' gigs

Life's too short to put up with crap like that. I'd tell them where to stick it. If they do value you, they'll ask you to reconsider and it'll serve as a wake-up call to them. If they don't care either way you're much better off starting your own band or joining another.

A fender one won't fit. You can get any lakland one you want from [url="http://home.comcast.net/~pickguards/"]Jeannie pickguards[/url] in the US

St Vitus Dance by Bauhaus and on the first track on this page: [url="http://nuclearfamily.bandrocks.co.uk/tracks/"]http://nuclearfamily.bandrocks.co.uk/tracks/[/url]

He has caused the issue, not you & you have a right to be cautious. Only release the bass when ebay/paypal has confirmed that it is OK. Let him know that you're confirming with ebay and give all the reasons why. Apologise for the delay and thank him for his understanding - if he gets impatient or shirty, cancel the sale due to fishiness.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1008791' date='Nov 1 2010, 05:54 PM']It's important to say "I love you" at least once a day.... and give them a wipe down with a clean cloth after you've given them a good seeing to.[/quote] Works for the missus as well

So are they Short Scale or not? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GHS-3020-Short-Scale-Flatwound-Bass-Guitar-Strings-/180579096965?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item2a0b5a5985"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GHS-3020-Short-Scale...=item2a0b5a5985[/url]

These days I take an ashbory as an emergency backup. It stays in the boot of the car and I've not needed it yet.

You could just put a capo on at the second or third fret & retune. Don't think that would help the neck & shoulder problems though, maybe getting a lighter bass would be better.

I only use Planet waves SOS bass tuner. Fast, Silent & accurate.

[quote name='El Bajo' post='1005434' date='Oct 29 2010, 04:44 PM']We do Don't let me Down - Beatles. Great song but its really grating on me. We are 3 piece and for some reason it just doesn't work, it doesen't feel fluid enough. So I changed the bass line so it fits more.[/quote] I put my foot down on 'Don't let me Down' - point blank refused to do it. I don't want to do that too often though, so I just grumble mildly about 'paint it black' and grit my teeth. I know I'm not supposed to admit to it, but I quite enjoy doing 'brown eyed girl'. At least until the harmonica warbles all over the breakdown where it should go down to bass & drums ruining the effect as the concept of not playing for a few bars is quite a difficult one to grasp.

thanks Dubs, that would be much appreciated. When I get around to building my cab I'd probably add a bit on top to attach my LMII and go for a vintage look with tolex, silver cloth & metal corners.

We have 'paint it black' in the setlist for tonight. What a stupid song with a stupid bassline. Punters seem to like it though.

Dubs, you cab looks exactly the kind of thing I could use for a jam night where no bass amp is provided & the PA/guitar amps are too precious to allow a bass to plug in. Any chance of stealing your dimensions / cutting list so I can have a go at making something similar?

What's wrong with the stock 'duncan designed' pickups? My daughter used to have a daisyrock with a duncan designed precision pickup which sounded as good as any Precision I've played.

I once received a daisy rock guitar by courier. It was a set neck model similar in construction to a les paul. It wasn't even in a gigbag, the wrapping consisted of acres of clingfilm. I took photos of it before opening it up as I was convinced the headstock would be dangling, however luckily it had survived and was in perfect condition.

Probably plywood from the way the dark bit of the burst goes over the forearm contour - its probably like that to cover an otherwise exposed join

A Fender Precision just looks like a bass to me. I prefer the playability & sheer fun of the mustang & have grown to love the looks of that as well* *Didn't like the torty pickguard it came with - much better with the vintage pearl one I put on. Also the but I'd prefer a daphne blue mustang to the off-white one I have and the lollypop tuners the 1966 ones have are ubercool.

I used to have my right hand & forearm cramp up when playing a fast version of 'get out of denver' fingerstyle in the second half of the last set of o5b gigs a few years ago. I heven't had any problems since I let the amp do more of the work by using lighter strings (TI JF344s), using a limiter (cheapo behringer pedal), turning the amp up and playing with a much lighter touch.

In previous band we had an AKG C1000s for a female singer who didn't like my SM58. An SM58 is great for shouty blokie-bloke voices, but the C1000s can be made more directional with a little insert that goes over the capsule (at least the one I bought in the early 90s had this - don't know if they still do). Its a condenser mic so needs a 9v battery or phantom power, but is a lot more sensitive and worked much better with quieter girly vocals.

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A few years ago I'd have been excited about that. Now it just makes me feel queasy. I imagine being surrounded by dozens of gear stands and in each is someone slapping at volume trying to out-do those in the neighboring stands. Perhaps being skint has forced me to be gas-free or maybe I'm just getting old.