JapanAxe

Great intro Joe! It would be good to see some pictures of those basses, maybe before-and-after photos of the double bass?

I'm not a DB player but Ab sucks on bass guitar too - until you play it on a 5-string, then you can get the whole scale in 4th position! [Thinks: Probably stated the obvious here, but someone has to...]

I commend to your attention the worthy tome 'Musicophilia' by Oliver Sacks. Subtitled 'Tales of Music and the Brain', it deals with quite a few phenomena like this.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1375615557' post='2163414'] We usually ran a lead from the cigarette machine socket. Failing that we turned down. Not ideal I know but we've turned up and we're not going home empty handed. On the other hand, if a venue is required to install a noise limiter by the Council then it is in breach of its licence if it allows you to bypass the limiter. That's a big deal for a venue. Whether a limiter is pointless or not isn't for the band to decide. A band might have other things to think about, like why do we have a drummer who is so inflexible that he can't alter his volume and, the band is looking like a bunch of amateurs if it is constantly loosing power by playing too loud. Gigging bands don’t live in a bubble anymore. Noise was always an issue to neighbours and these days their complaints are being listened to. You either adapt or you don't gig as much as you would like. [/quote] Points well made and taken. I just hate playing with one eye on the pesky traffic lights!

Not sure of your budget but Sandbergs seem to come out of the factory with a very low action (and 40-100 gauge strings). Various pickup combinations but unfortunately none with a pickup right by the neck. For a complete curveball, how about the Variax? You could model a honking great humbucker in the correct position.

I have known these things to be triggered by audience noise! Also at one venue I checked the sockets that we were supposed to use (I always carry a ring main tester) and found that there was no earth connection. I had no trouble in convincing the venue management that we should use a different socket. There were no complaints about the sound levels.

Sounds like a plan.

If you really can't get on with it you could always sell it on BC Market Place. Oh wait... I'll get me coat

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1375439872' post='2161279'] Pitch it up one octave [/quote] Then slow it down if you need to.

Well you've really stuck your neck out Tom - you'll now be expected to weigh in with an expert opinion on everything, including [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/213133-honest-opinions-and-views-wanted/"]cross-dressing[/url]!

I am aware that silly money is being asked for these pedals, but I tried one back in 2002 and didn't like it! I much preferred the synth options on a used Boss ME-6B costing about the same (£150), so I bought that. Obviously if I'd gone for the Akai I'd now be sitting (or stomping) on a fortune.

And if you can pay upfront for the import duty, you will avoid an extra admin charge from the UK end of the courier chain.

[quote name='funkyspuke' timestamp='1372257075' post='2123469'] Let me introduce to you to my good friends at Alpher Instruments; [font=trebuchet ms,helvetica,sans-serif][attachment=137727:903526_4559266512290_2121383087_o.jpg] They are Chris (far left) and Al (far right) and they will be building my custom Alpher bass over the next few months (yes that is Patricia Hodge in the middle haha).[/font] [/quote] Er... why? (Nothing against Patricia Hodge you understand!) BTW - subscribed!

I have a couple of these leads, but I now only ever use them between pedalboard and guitar amp. They are not very flexible, so if you start moving around the stage too much (as I used to in the guise of 'Keef Rockhard') they form big awkward loops. For bass I use a brilliant OBBM cable. I will not use PW for this application because the input socket on my TC head is board-mounted and not secured to the chassis - a silly cheapo design flaw. A PW jack would trash this in no time.

Any update on this Mikey?

Merc E280 CDI estate (automatic) - swan around in comfort, can fit my whole bass rig in the boot and still close the load cover, or with the back seats down will carry guitar rig, (small) PA and drumkit, plus drummer in the passenger seat. Loaded up it gets 37mpg, or cruising along with just driver and 1 passenger on board, I have managed 44mpg. Great stereo too. But not cheap. Coming home on the motorway from a gig, set the cruise to 70mph and have a little nap.

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1375302228' post='2159579'] Stop Now. Step back up to a 4 string!! [/quote] Too late - I'm hooked! [quote name='ambient' timestamp='1375053213' post='2156278'] I find sight-reading easier on a 5 than on a 4 string, mainly 'cos you can stay in one position and play across the neck rather than along it, concentrating on the chart and not on where you are on the neck. Pretty much all of my playing is from the 5th fret upwards, from there I can cover 2 octaves from a low E at the 5th fret on the B string up to an E on the 9th fret on the G string. [/quote] Still working on familiarisation by sight-reading my old transcriptions - I have hundreds! It's definitely easier on a 5, because you can anticipate where the intervals fall across the strings without worrying about what happens as you go up the neck.

I use digital digital calipers to measure string diameter on both guitar and bass. They are close enough that you can tell what gauge the string is supposed to be.

No hijack intended, but would the alleged higher tension of, say, the Rotosound 77s be an advantage for the low B on a 5-er?