MiltyG565

PM on it's way, Martin.

[quote name='silverfoxnik' timestamp='1405761836' post='2504988']
I'll take the feedback stopper please.

Working now but will PM you this afternoon.

Thanks

Nik
[/quote]

No problem

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][color=#282828]Lots of stuff here, which is all of good quality. It's all "Brand New In Box" unless otherwise stated. [/color][/font]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Strings[/font][/color]

[s][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Elixir Nanoweb 50-105 bass string set - New, unopened - £32 posted - Only one set of these[/font][/color][/s]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]DR Neon strings for acoustic guitars in the following variations;[/font][/color]

[s][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Green 11s - NGA-11 (product code)[/font][/color][/s]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Orange 11s - NOA-11[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]DR Neon strings for electric guitars in the following variations;[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Green 10s - NGE-10[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Pink 10s - NPE-10[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Yellow 10s - NYE 10S[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]All DR strings listed above are £11 posted- Or, take the lot for £50 posted. (there is one of each variation listed)[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Tuners & Metronomes[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]All tuners and metronomes listed below are D'Addario/Planet Waves. They are still in their boxes, and presumably unopened.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Universal II Chromatic tuner (PW-CT-09) - Standard little palm-sized tuner, with a built-in mic and a 1/4" jack input. LCD display and different tuning options. Official blurb here. - only one of these - £8 posted[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Metronome Tuner (PW-MT-02) - Pretty much the same as the last tuner, except in a bigger housing to accommodate the speaker for the metronome. Has all the standard functions you'd expect from a tuner and a metronome. Official blurb here. - Two of these 'in stock' - £12 posted each.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Metronome (PW-MT-01) - Looks the same as the item listed above, but less the tuner function. I presume it has a more comprehensive metronome features on it. Can't say I've ever used one of these, unfortunately. Official blurb here. - Two of these 'in stock' - £8 posted each[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Miscellaneous guitar accessories[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Planet Waves O-Port, Black, to fit 4-inch sound hole (PW-OPBKL) - Unboxed, and probably used in the shop to see what it was like, or as a display (or both). The idea is that this ports the soundhole on your guitar, and cleans up you mid-range, and gives you a bit better bass response. That's what the official bumf says anyway. You can make up your own mind - Only 1 of these - unboxed - £13 posted[/font][/color]

[s][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Planet Waves "Screeching Halt" acoustic feedback stopper (PW-SH-01) - As before, unboxed and likely tested and used as a display. You know what these are and what they do. Simply pop it into the soundhole of your acoustic guitar, and say bye-bye to the annoying feedback that acoustic guitars often get when plugged in - Only 1 of these - £5 posted[/font][/color][/s]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Schaller Electronic pickup height regulating screws and springs for Les-Paul style guitars - New, unopened. Contains 4 long springs, 4 long metal screws, and 4 little wood screws, presumably for the pickup surround. - Just one of these - £5 posted[/font][/color]

[s][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Planet Waves Tri-Action Capo (black) - I bought this and used it a few times for demonstration purposes, so it has "light use", but it's practically passable as new (although it isn't new, just to be clear). These are at least £17 in the shops, so - £12 posted.[/font][/color][/s]


[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Drum stuff[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Stagg Clutch Felts - Big bag of clutch felts. The label says 20 in the bag. I'd have to wreck the packaging to count them all, but it's probably right. The stated size of these felts is 25mmx12mm. Would love to sell in smaller quantities, but that would take a lot of time. All (20) yours for £6 posted.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]"I haven't seen them in ages!"[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Stylophone - New. Unused. You know all about them already, I'm sure. - Two of these 'in stock' - £17 posted.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]That's all! Any queries, feel free to PM me. I'll make every effort to send out any item bought ASAP, but I will inform you when I have sent them, and I'll be completely honest with you about postage etc. All prices I listed above include postage unless otherwise stated.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Thanks [/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Milton.[/font][/color]

Wow! Fantastic news!

[quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1405203907' post='2499745']
Doesn't matter to me what pickups are on a guitar, still can't play the damn things

Edit: I do love a jazz bass though
[/quote]

No, I can't really play guitar either, but that hasn't stopped me imposing rules on how I think they should be

[quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1405192632' post='2499615']
Ha, me too
[/quote]

I have a rule of thumb - Single coils for guitar, hum buckers for bass. Jazz basses may be permitted a dispensation depending on how much I like them

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1404687168' post='2494789']
It's all about developing your own voice as a bassist and being in a situation where your voice is accepted and where it creates synergistic vibes with the music and other musicians. Most bassists are nowhere near that level, and the ones who have achieved it are not even noticed by most other bassists.
[/quote]

That's a fantastic way to say it!

[quote name='Earbrass' timestamp='1405087241' post='2498750']
So let me see if I've grasped this....what you're saying is that to sound "really good", you have to play "in a good way" (or "well" as we say in English). Wow, man, that is deep.
[/quote]

Yes, that's what I'm saying. Thanks for taking the time to respond without sounding like a condescending so-and-so.

Oh, wait, hang on...

[quote name='MothBox' timestamp='1404712119' post='2494827']
The main website still reads that they're not currently accepting donations due to overwhelming response.

Is there any likelihood this will change in the near future? I've been sending guitar and bass strings over every few months or so and have another few sets to go. Its a shame to bin them if someone can use them.
[/quote]

There is another charity doing the same, I believe. Or, alternatively, you could give your old strings to somebody you know who maybe doesn't have much money for new strings

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1404590163' post='2494045']
not bass but to illustrate the point to mister milty

skip forward to about 4:25 and wait for the guitar solo - there is a lick at 4:59-5:01

the lick is simplicity itself

but in the hands of allan holdsworth the simplicity becomes irrelevant because the phrasing is sublime

[media]http://youtu.be/Ibz3xCiTO0M[/media]
[/quote]

Exactly! This is what I'm talking about.

Or the intro of Be a Bee by Air. Very simple, but how it's played makes it sound very nice indeed! The bass does get a bit more tricky after the intro, but the intro is of special interest.

In fact - There's no part in that song that sounds that complex, but the song itself - fantastic.

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1404586528' post='2494004']
In principal less is more, yes but, if you can create wonderful lines and have the skill to play them well, then who are we to say "just stick to root and fifth"?
[/quote]

That's not something that I have ever said, let alone a statement I have made in this thread. My point was that it's not what is in the bassline; whether you subscribe to the theory of "less is more" or you're hopping all over the fretboard. No, my point was that it was the player who makes a bassline sound good, whether it's simple or complex.

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1404583571' post='2493978']
Often wondered whether if you asked a load of Bass players ( the ones with a feel for it - but who can define that ?) and a load of Guitar players, what, before they coud play they noticed first about the music they liked.

Would there be a difference ? I dont mean every tune, just the ones that stuck in the mind.
Or maybe when they first became aware of Bass lines, was it at a younger age or anything like that?
[/quote]

The basslines of the Red Hot Chili Peppers are what stuck out to me. I actually was under the impression that most of the bassline was in fact a guitar part (like in Californication, for example), but when I realised that it was just some clever bass playing wrapped in equally clever guitar playing, I tuned in more to hear the basslines, and then went and bought a bass

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1404581402' post='2493948']
All part of why guiar players are different from Bass players.

All guitarists think they can play bass, but few of em get the right feel. Never been able to put my finger on why.
[/quote]

Similarly, I think I can play guitar, but can't get the right feel. I think it's just a case of what you are accustomed to.

Whilst listening to some bands, recently I discovered something which flies in the face of everything I ever thought about a good bassline - It doesn't matter what notes are played, how fast they are played, or any of that, what matters is [i]how[/i] they are played. I've heard a few songs lately where the bassist plays the root notes only, but he does it in such a good way, that it sounds really good, as opposed to the likes of a Coldplay bassline, which is often purely root notes, and sounds like utter dung!

It appears to me now that it's not the notes of the bassline that make it a good bassline, but how the bassline is played. How it sounds. How it feels. How well it holds up the song. And I didn't realise that you could do this with the simplest and also the most complex of basslines.

[quote name='Green Alsatian' timestamp='1403906609' post='2487724']
Absolutely - my nephew was bought a bike for his 3rd birthday last year and he spent more time in the box that it came in than on the bike! I'm surprised nobody has cornered the market for empty boxes as toys.[i] "But it looks like an empty cardboard box - what is it?" "Your child will tell you, sir!". [/i]
[/quote]

A racing car, a spaceship, a tardis, a house. Everything except an empty bleedin cardboard box!

[quote name='Green Alsatian' timestamp='1403892260' post='2487531']
Indeed, I've seen a few of his vids in the past and he does seem to get rather 'enthusiastic' over the openings - he'd probably make a mess of his trousers if he signed up to Loot Crate. I suppose the opening is the most fun bit, especially if the contents turn out to be underwhelming!

He'll never beat Nintendo 64 kids for an unwrapping though!
[/quote]

Haha! Yes exactly! Although, I never found unboxing something that fun... Playing with the box, however...

[quote name='Green Alsatian' timestamp='1403824192' post='2486937']
Opens box, reads leaflet - "What an experience so far."



[b]"WARNING TEAM - BIASED REVIEW IMMINENT!"[/b]
[/quote]

I think the thing to remember is that his channel is called "Unbox Therapy" and he seems to get some kind of weird high from opening boxes. "This box is really well made". "Ok mate, we get it, but I'm actually more concerned with what's inside the box, not the box itself"

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1403773595' post='2486082']
I like earphones that let out as much sound as possible so other people on the bus can enjoy listening to my rap music...
[/quote]

I used to have open-backed earphones. They were cheap, but had decent enough sound quality. Anyway, I considered it a public service to expose all my fellow bus passengers to the great music that I listen to

[quote name='jimbaby' timestamp='1403681220' post='2485135']
If I were to be considering buying headphones (esp. if spending large wads of dosh), I would want to hear them for myself and not put my faith in someone else who is listening to them while you watch.
[/quote]

That kinda was my point - he specifically says that he knows they're good because he's seen other reviews and I recoiled and said "What the hell do you mean you know they're good because you've seen other reviews!?". It's like me saying that I know a bass feels nice to play because I read it on Basschat. It might well be true, but firstly, it's subjective, and secondly, I'd need to try it for myself before making that statement.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1403644258' post='2484952']
The drummer and I usually arrive at the gig an hour before we are due to play. I think he takes his time but less than 30mins.

Out of the six drummers I've played with in the last 2 years, only one has tuned up at the gig. He was also the least proficient player.

The tuning may well be a confidence thing. When I tune my bass, I do it silently and quickly. Several times before we've been due to start the guitarist has been very insistent that I tune up, just because he hasn't seen or heard me do it.
[/quote]

By now, shouldn't he have just learned to take your word for it that you are in tune?

[quote name='coffee_king' timestamp='1403611326' post='2484407']
Hey all

I don't mean to moan at all drummers, but how long does your drummer take to get set up?

Mine takes like 45 mins to an hour and its really doing my head in.

We're only a three piece (He uses kick, snare, 2 toms, hihats, ride and about 4 crashes) but by the time the drummers set up myself and my guitarist can get ALL of our gear set up, and the PA, and all the lighting.

I know drummers have "More gear" to set up than any other member but I really do think 45 mins to 1 hour is excessive.

I'm probably on the wrong type of forum here, but I'd love to know how your drummer sets up and how long it takes them?

I think what also annoys me is the contact banging of the snare. Yes, I realise he needs to get the height and the angle right but surely this doesnt take 3-4 minutes each time he adds a piece of drum equipment.

My guitarist and I dont even make a sound from our amps or the PA until we're ready to sound check.

Again though I realise he has to get it all "Into position"

Maybe I just need to understand drummers more?
[/quote]

I know a few drummers - some were happy enough to sit at a kit - any kit - and play it right away. Some spent an hour setting it up just how they like it. That was with an already assembled kit that they were just changing to suit themselves, and not one that they had to completely assemble themselves. I think an hour is quite reasonable, actually. I know it's easy to get frustrated with them (I was too, at a time), but just roll with it. They won't ever get any faster. That's just how long it takes. If it takes you 20 minutes to set up your stuff, somebody saying "we need you to set up faster" isn't actually going to make a difference, because it takes 20 minutes, and that's just how long it takes.

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1403656297' post='2485070']
He's been bunged.
[/quote]

I don't think I've heard the term before, but I'm guessing you mean that he's been paid off?

I've just watched this video, which is basically an unboxing with a short review of these earphones from Shure. A couple of things strike me - He says how great they are BEFORE listening to them, and he talks about the sound cancellation being supreme, and frankly, as far as I can tell, he's in a very quiet room. But, how far can I/We trust this review? Is it accurate? Do these earphones warrant being in the region of £1000? He says "There's no close second", which makes me think "Wow, they must be SERIOUSLY good", but then I also remember him saying how good they were based on other reviews that he'd seen, so how much can I trust what he says? Also - He isn't a sound guy. He's a tech guy. He likes to mess about with the latest and most expensive gadgets.

What do we think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8khvLYW_fnM

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1401806038' post='2467057']
I've never used light gauge strings on bass, but due to not getting any younger I thought it was worth investigating options which might reduce wear and tear on the finger joints and tendons and lower the risk of playing related injury. I'm ready to abandon my dogma of old dead heavyish strings and medium action in favour of working smarter rather than harder.

Looking at some of the string sets available, the gauges are much lower than the 45-125 5 string set currently on my RBX(35" scale), a 30-110 set is at first glance just the gauges I'm using now detuned by a perfect fourth with the extra .030 for the G string.

I experimented by detuning my existing EADG strings by a fourth, and the E tuned down to B was subjectively better than the thicker B string, and the amount of fretting hand effort was much less across all strings, but the ADG strings did feel too floppy and sounded muddier when down tuned, so plus for comfort and minus for tone.

Do light gauge strings use a different contruction (different diameter core & wraps) to avoid getting too slack and flubby at the lower pitches, and is durability and string life affected?

Opinions/recomendations etc welcomed
[/quote]

As you found out, you can down tune a string pretty far and still have it hold a tune, but as you also found out, it doesn't sound the best. Strings are designed to be tuned to certain notes. Think of it like the rev range on your car - low down, it works, but there's no power. High up, it works, but it sounds dangerous in the middle is where it's designed to work, much like with the strings.

You can certainly use lighter strings, although there are 2 things to bear in mind - difference in tone, and ability to down tune.

Firstly, they sound different (noticeably so, going from 45s to 30s). You might lose some bass end, although, this might not be such an issue for a 5 string (I tend to find the B string a bit muddy anyway). Secondly, you won't be able to down tune as far. Maybe a semitone or a whole tone on each string. But if down tuning isn't your thing anyway, just get the lightest set you can find.

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1402057095' post='2469594']
I once tried a bass with these on and I have to say they felt rather rough to me. Any idea if they do neon flats?
[/quote]

They don't. They do flats, and they do neons, but not neon flats.

Having said that, I borrowed my mates guitar for a few weeks once, and he had them on the guitar. Can't say I noticed them being rough (although they were played in).

To the OP - they actually sound quite good. They have a pretty unique tone. It's hard to describe, but the strings have a slight plasticy feel to them, but it gives a really balanced tone somewhere between half rounds and round wounds, IME.