JapanAxe

Alex replied to my questions before I ordered mine last week, so he is still around. Not sure if that is good news or not for you! EDIT: And I spoke to him on the phone. His mobile number is on the Contact page of his website.

There isn't much in an old valve amp that can result in a 'terminal' failure. Probably the hardest (and most expensive) things to replace would be the mains transformer and output transformer. Most common fails are old capacitors (they dry out, or the oil leaks out), the valves themselves, and resistors that get fried when something else goes. The other good news is that old valve amp construction methods (point-to-point wiring) make for easy servicing compared to the nightmare that is PCBs.

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1348870590' post='1819474'] I have just seen Muse again , and I know that if I move insignificantly from the mic or turn away , my vocal falls out of the mix , I know my technique is not fantastic, but I cannot believe that the performance coming through my TV speakers is that which is being performed "live" in a number of cases . [/quote] Depends on the mic - what you are describing is known as the [b]proximity effect[/b], and it is more pronounced in some mics than in others.

I recently attended our local country music club (there I've said it - now I feel [b]so dirty[/b]) and they had a solo 'artist' appearing. He had an acoustic guitar and backing tracks. As he 'played' I watched his fingers - whatever the key, this guy just made random A, D and E chords. The acoustic on the BTs sounded great, but it wasn't him! He just muted the guitar while he was 'playing'. Now that's [s]show business[/s] FRAUD!

[quote name='lefrash' timestamp='1349126466' post='1822283'] This really annoys me about any youtube DIY review about any type of bass equipment. Whether its a pedal, an amp or a bass, they always seem to have the urge to start slapping. Quite often really badly too! If you're doing a review, surely the majority of viewers will be finger players or plectrum players so why not review it like that! The amount of pedal reviews I;ve watched that have a guy in a bedroom slapping thinkin he's mark king, but it sounds pish.... and puts me off the pedal! They almost always have that sound of sparkly strings through a practice amp too! Terrible! Just a pet hate! Needed to get it out there! haha [/quote] +1 to the above! It's still the same in music shops too - whatever the bass kit, they have to launch into an epic solo slapathon. Personally I don't object to slapping and popping, especially in the case of the late Bernard Edwards, and one of my favourite bass-lines is the one from Bowie's [i]Ashes to Ashes[/i], but I have never yet been required to play in that style by any band I have played with! If I am trying out bass kit, I will usually play soul bass-lines and listen how the sound behaves as I move across the strings and/or up the neck.

Couple of thoughts: 1. Your amp setup will clearly make a big difference to how your Jazz comes across on the different settings - especially in the mids (obvious really but not mentioned yet). 2. It is worth tweaking the pup heights to optimise the sound in the both-full-on position. A bit like the OP, I never found too much joy trying to find the much-talked-about sweet spot anywhere else.

[quote name='BluRay' timestamp='1349005935' post='1820527'] In the end I just stacked them normally. Ample volume and clarity - and didn't need to-up end them. I guess they stand about a foot taller than my 410 anyhow. Though I might flip them on end next time just to see the difference. Pics to make it real.... [attachment=119731:210.jpg] [attachment=119732:210a.jpg] [/quote] The second (up-ended) pic looks a real tower of power! Also you've then effectively got a line array, so your sound will come out as a semi-cylindrical wavefront (as used in the Bose L1 PA setups) rather than a hemispherical one. Advantages: less volume drop-off over distance, no phase cancellation out in the audience. Disadvantages: your eardrums will meet somewhere in the middle of your head, the guitarists will plot your premature death.

The ideal pedal for you would be the [url="http://www.thegigrig.com/acatalog/SWS_Loopy-2.html"]GigRig Loopy 2[/url]. Put it between compressor and wah, connect ring mod and fuzz in one loop, distortion and synth in the other. Set the DIP switches inside to flip-flop mode, and you will [u]never[/u] have both loops on together - watch the video to see what I mean. The Loopy 2 is [i]proper[/i] true bypass, not buffered, as it uses relays. I guess you have a pedalboard with a power supply - you will need about 200mA to power the Loopy 2. I use two Loopy 2s on my guitar pedalboard. Although I do vaguely know Dan Steinhardt to talk to (he is local to me), I am not famous enough to be an endorser, and I pay the going rate!

[quote name='sbrag' timestamp='1348846818' post='1819097'] I popped in last week. Didn't see the Eden but had a fender rig few ashdown combos and a nice trace. An old 70s guild was the nicest bass. Do you ever go to electric ladyland. Its always an entertaining visit. [/quote] I did venture out there once. I walked from the city centre, so I had to make sure that my purposeful stride was clearly visible as I passed all the 'massage parlours'. I'm told it can be quite challenging to buy anything off the bloke!

[quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1349028845' post='1820877'] I've taken off the control plate and scratchplate today to get an idea of the general layout of things in there. First thing I realised is that I don't need to take the scrachplate off :] There's a brass or copper plate underneath each pickup and another in the bottom of the control cavity, this one is screwed down. Can I assume that these are earthed and if I can electrically connect my shielding paint or tape with the brass plate, I'll be going in the right direction? [/quote] In short, yes. You need to make sure that any electrical connection to earthy bits is secure, otherwise you are likely to get a crackle as the bass (or bits of it) move(s) around.

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1349082693' post='1821368'] Now I'm awake looking at the circuit, one of the micro toggle switches I've sent will do the job instead of two buttons, centre biased toggle, up/down momentary action, should be ideal [/quote] Exactly what I had in mind! One switch to rule them all (my precious...)

If you're plugging into the FX return of someone else's amp, surely the power amp and speaker in that amp are going to colour your sound? OK if you have decent tone shaping on your preamp. Have to say I always like to take my own kit, but once did a dep gig (on guitar) for a dance band where they provided the amp. I only needed to get the 'jazz guitar' sound, so that wasn't a problem. Another solution is to take a lightweight digital head and connect to whatever speaker is available.

You can also get non-latching sub-miniature toggle switches from Maplin - see [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/sub-miniature-toggle-switches-2341"]here[/url]. It's not clear whether they are all available, but types D and H should do the job. Also I have previously ordered stuff over the phone from Roland Extras - 01792 702701.

I have a pair of M-Audio earphones that are high quality and give a lot of isolation. Used them as in-ear monitors with a Trantec wireless monitoring system. Cost about £50.

Slightly late to this thread I know, but I got very pleasing results (for me anyway) using the following technique:[list=1] [*]Plug P-bass into [url="http://www.samsontech.com/hartke/products/combos/a-series-combos/a35/"]Hartke A35 combo[/url] with EQ mainly flat, slight bass boost, and Limiter cranked to about 8. [*]Disconnect internal speaker, connect speaker o/p to [url="http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/GI100.aspx"]Behringer GI-100[/url] DI box with 4x12 speaker simulator engaged. [*]Connect DI box to DAW, set levels, hit REC! [/list] I wanted a big round sound to go underneath the guitar on the recording, and this method avoided the bass overload I always seemed to get using a Korg Pandora. You can hear the results (demo for my pop covers band ChartBeat) [url="https://dl.dropbox.com/u/32485154/ChartBeat/ChartBeat_Demo.mp3"]here[/url]. BTW I am not affiliated with Fender, Hartke, or Behringer!

Lovely looking bass mate! But wait... [quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1348961572' post='1820251'] I also tried an Epiphone Jack Casady (want one), an Epiphone EB3 (junk), a G&L Tribute (too complicated), and an Ibanez SR505... [/quote] G&L Tribute [i]too complicated[/i]!? Well ok it does have more than 3 controls

Had this in my calendar for a while as a maybe. As a guitard, there is potentially more to interest me, and as an MU member I can get in free! I hope Jam Guitars will bring their stock - they have closed their Clifton shop, and it was one of the few 'booteeks' in the area. Otherwise bass interest seems limited to Bass Barn and Guitar & Bass Mag...

I picked up a pair of DiMarzios (can't remember which model) on eBay a while back. Vast improvement over the sound of the original Squiers, no hum, and better string balance (courtesy of adjustable pole pieces). On the downside they were a tight fit in the existing cavities, and easy to install out-of-phase by accident. I prefer a single volume control too, but couldn't get a blend pot to work ad I liked, so went for a micro switch pickup selector (£10 from WD).

Recently bought my first fretless and it had a dead low E string. I've always used Elites on my fretted bases, so got the same gauge Elite flatwounds for the fretless. There is zing available if I want it, but likely not enough for tweeter-lovers!

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1304020885' post='1214187'] I also write a lot in Sibelius, which is nowhere near the cheapest software, but it mans that when I've finished writing a guitar line I can TAB it (I Know!) for the guitarists in the band, and print it out, so that they can lose it. [/quote] I use Sibelius First. The cheapest way to get the genuine full version of First is to buy it bundled with M-Audio Keystation 32, then sell the titchy keyboard on eBay! You can print to pdf and email the results to your band mates. They will still play it wrong though...

+1 to smaller manufacturers chipping in on this forum. The opportunity to chew the fat with the players (like Fender's reps did in the 50s) far outweighs any concerns about product-pushing imo.

If you can manage to be a decent guitarist, decent bassist, and average singer (ahem ), it is certainly easier to get live work!

[quote name='sbrag' timestamp='1348843172' post='1819041'] Treblerock is a good shop bit not always that much bass gear but i did buy my bb1100 from Steve treble when the shop was on Jacobs wells road about 20 year ago. [/quote] They had an Eden head in there when I last visited, but that was quite a while ago.