DorsetBlue

400 grit I think. Just took my time.

My leftie maple stratolike neck arrived today. Very nice it is too, fret ends will need a bit of a polish but nice bits of wood.

The finish is satin/matt, so the sanding caused no effect whatsoever. There were rough patches around the edge of the body and I gave the fret ends a bit of sand and polish too. Used very fine sandpaper for the body and nail files for the frets, worked very well. I was very careful though :-)

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1421179303' post='2658177'] I was looking at the listing this morning thinking that I was sure that someone of the forum would really go for that if they saw it in time. I think I heard that the Harley Benton uke-bass is bigger than the Kala bass. More the size of the Tanglewood Traveller bass. Though, I'm too lazy to go and look up the specs and check that this is correct. Personally I think I'd prefer something of that size than a Kala bass. When I tried a Kala bass, I didn't like it as much as you did. I was playing it acoustically though. When I heard one with a ukulele orchestra, it was being played through an amp, and it sounded good. Edit: Harley Benton Uke Bass: 534mm scale length Tanglewood Traveller Bass: 21" it says, close enough to 534mm scale length Kala U-Bass: 20" scale length, 508mm. Not as different as I thought. [/quote] The body is bigger than a Kala too. Sounds nice though and with a little run over with some sandpaper, feels good too.

I 'think' I had that one. Didn't get on with it and traded it in - then got a Vintage SG and subsequently a Gibson SG. That is more to do with me not liking the feel of a LP though, it played well enough.

I have a M-Audio EX-P. Cheap, very plasticy but has held up so far but I am not a heavy user.

Andy, Thanks for that info.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1420584340' post='2651068'] I've seen the brass instruments, but I have no idea what the ins and outs of buying one is. The flute for £35 or thereabouts looked very cheap. Not that I'm going to buy one. [/quote] As a brass player, I wouldn't mind a cheap - possibly a little battered but functional trumpet or flugel horn (only have a cornet at the moment), so I would be interested on the 'defects' that people are finding on the DEKO brass instruments too?

I have just acquired a secondhand Line 6 Spider III for £75. Originally I was going to buy a secondhand Peavey valve amp but the reverb tank was shot and I was unable to get a sound I liked from it. The Spider III (other than Line 6's annoying tendency to use proprietary locked down protocols for their external footswitch circuit) just produced a great sound on most of the default settings for practice and it seems to have a good clean sound too, when I turn off the effects. I was very tempted by a Blackstar ID:TVP but couldn't quite justify the expense, seeing as I just muck about on guitar at home.

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1418905926' post='2634659'] I would assume I. Would have to travel to Bournemouth for employment . [/quote] Depends on your vocation but yes, most work in Dorset is based in Poole or Bournemouth.

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1418850354' post='2634143'] Until the other day (when I watched a bass master class video on here) I'd not realised that stainless steel is essentially non-magnetic so it's the core that the pickups sense. Nickel on the other hand is ferromagnetic so whether the windings are nickel plated or pure nickel I suppose they contribute to the signal alongside the steel core - this might mean that an Ebow would work better with nickel strings. [/quote] Ah, science. Weirdly it is the nickel which makes the most common stainless steel (others can be magnetic, depends on the mix) non-magnetic.

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1418761697' post='2633134'] What's christchurch like to live? [/quote] I have worked there a few times. To get to it from West Dorset is an absolute nightmare, especially in the summer (Bournemouth/Poole get in the way). It has good access from the East and North, but again the holiday traffic block up Lyndhurst badly in the summer. There are nice bits around it, with a slightly lower age demographic (Mudeford etc) but not by much.

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1418342241' post='2629463'] I don't know what the Bournemouth schools are like; Poole is selective (and the two grammar schools are single-sex), and Dorset is a separate LEA again. My son went to local first and middle schools on Canford Heath (Ad Astra and Haymoor) and they were fine, but that's a long time ago (he's 21 now). Be careful about which catchment you move into. [/quote] Its seems to be even more complicated than that, as Purbeck has a different educational boundary to us in West Dorset/Weymouth & Portland too e.g. they have scrapped Middle Schools, whilst we still have them in Dorchester (at the moment - thankfully).

RS, Farnell, Maplins etc.

Hi Froggy, Welcome to another South Westerner. I was in a similar situation to you a couple of years ago, although I am all self taught. I have found the trickiest thing is getting people to play with, once you get to that stage of confidence. Still working on it though. Good luck and enjoy it.

[quote name='DorsetBlue' timestamp='1418045924' post='2626228'] Is it just me (and I have tried this in Chrome and Firefox) but the username pull down menu at the top of the website does not appear to be working and is functioning purely as a hyperlink to my profile page? Not a major issue, just annoying as I cannot figure out how to get to the 'Following Threads' page without it. [/quote] Working now.

Is it just me (and I have tried this in Chrome and Firefox) but the username pull down menu at the top of the website does not appear to be working and is functioning purely as a hyperlink to my profile page? Not a major issue, just annoying as I cannot figure out how to get to the 'Following Threads' page without it.

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1417780696' post='2623916'] I said, do you speak my language? He just smiled and gave me a Yosemite sandwich. [/quote] Does that have moose in it?

[quote name='Joeyfivebags' timestamp='1417519243' post='2621182'] Wish i had taken ear plugs for Airbourne, two days of ringing wasn't the nicest. [/quote] Well just to follow up, no ringing after the Slash (and supports) concert and could hear everything fine (other than the bass mix obviously ). Really impressed.

I was thinking about starting a thread on this topic. In the last two years, I have been to see: Seasick Steve @ Larmer Tree Alter Bridge / Shinedown / Halestorm @ Wembley Arena Toseland @ Mr Kyps - Poole Black Stone Cherry / Airbourne @ Wembley Arena Slash / California Breed @ Leeds Arena Now they were all great concerts but the only one that has any bass were the Larmer Tree and Mr Kyps ones. Wembley has been mush both times (I even saw Brian Marshall fiddle with his amp a couple of times during their set and managed to improve his sounds a little) and Leeds was not much better - which was quite disappointing especially with California Breed.

Just watching 'Babylon' and the Bass Guitar Show got a mention as a bomb threat target this year lol. Bit of an extreme way to get rid of Slap Bass!

[quote name='dazzyroots' timestamp='1417005797' post='2615956'] Dear All I’m currently writing a dissertation about the preferred method of tuning guitars and bass guitars. I would appreciate it very much if you have 5minutes for me to answer the questions below and PM or email it to me at [email=""][email protected][/email] . 1. How long have you been playing your instrument? [color=#0000ff]3 Years[/color] 2. Do you use an electronic tuner? If yes which model? [color=#0000ff]Built in on Zoom B3/G3 or TC BH250 Amp.[/color] 3. Do you tune by ear or electronic tuner? [color=#0000ff]Electronic.[/color] 4. If by ear how do you go about? [color=#0000ff]N/A[/color] 5. Are you always 100% happy with your tuning? / if not [color=#0000ff]Yes.[/color] 6. Why are you not happy with your tuning? [color=#0000ff]N/A[/color] 7. What disturbs you about the electronic tuner [color=#0000ff]Nothing, also handy as a mute.[/color] 8. Do you know how to tune by ear? [color=#0000ff]Yes. Used to play Brass and that was the standard method.[/color] 9. What is your preferred tuning method? [color=#0000ff]Electronic - no contest.[/color] [/quote]

I bought ER20s for my girls (12 and 13), when we went to see Black Stone Cherry and Airbourne a couple of weeks ago. They struggled with the Bass levels at Wembley the year before, when we went to see Alter Bridge and Shinedown. No problems this time whatsoever. I am just about to buy a pair for myself now (Slash on Saturday ).

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1416575380' post='2611611'] He's left them now - they've currently got Joey Castillo, ex-Queens Of The Stone Age. [/quote] All I can say is...Oh!

Dave Swift was on the One Show with him earlier in the week....sporting a half decent beard!