ped

Ok we have a plan. He’s buying a Sire V5 and I’m sending him my now redundant Nux plug (and some strings etc). When he’s ready to involve the computer we’ll tackle that later. He mostly plays his drums along with music so will prob do the same with the bass, and it sounds like the kids are taking over his home office so the portability and size are a definite bonus. Thanks for all the great advice chaps

I think something desk based would work best as he’s probably going to be at his computer when playing and it would be easier plugging into a device linked with the computer. I did think a mixer might be useful but I think that might complicate things at this stage. I have a NUX I could send him for starters though, good call. Didn’t realise that was an interface too.

Thanks yeah I did wonder about a multi fx unit, that's what I do myself and whilst I won't recommend he spends money on a Roland VB99, I think a Stomp or similar would be great - I think recording and using the computer might be last on the list of requirements after being able to hear the bass and play along with things. So - cheapest multi Fx with audio interface?

Interesting vid. He seems like a nice bloke but WHY do YouTubers constantly cut their videos so that the next sentence jumps on top of the previous. I notice it more and more, I assume Youtube make them do it somehow!

This thread here https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/457555-did-i-just-get-fake-elixir-nanowebs-please-help-check/#comment-4617638

No problem - Elixir have patented the method of coating the string AFTER it's wound, to prevent particles getting in between the windings. Other companies tend to coat the outer wrap before winding, which doesn't work as well IMO, although I'm sure some have infringed Elixir's patent which perhaps only covers certain territories. I have a pic somewhere showing the difference between fake and real, I'll see if I can find them.

Elixirs are my favourite round wound strings in terms of sound, feel and longevity. A set from a proper retailer isn’t cheap but they last years for me. The old packaging used to be faked quite a bit but the more recent sleeve has a hologram seal which to my knowledge hasn’t been faked yet. A clear way to tell us to see if you can spot the coating when the string is bent at a sharp 90 degree angle for example at the tuner. It should be visible where the windings are pulled apart slightly. To my knowledge the strings are manufactured entirely in the USA. The coating is applied by Gore (as in Gore tex) in a factory which also carries out military contracts and as such I was never able to blag a visit to see them being made (that’s what they told me anyway!) Cheers ped

Will that mean my friend can play into the interface with headphones without needing to fire up software unless he wants to record? Like I do on my Mac, I just select it from the audio output menu and can play along with Spotify etc.

Thanks, that was what I was thinking, but I didn't know if there was software bundled with the interface or anything. All I use is Garageband so never had to install recording software although I do have bad memories of trying to figure out Ableton ages ago

Hi guys A friend of mine is looking at getting a bass. he already has some Vdrums. We have chosen a bass (a Sire) and instead of an amp I've recommended that he gets a PC interface which he can use with some software and headphones, to play along with things and also feed his drums into the computer. I don't know what to suggest because I'm on a Mac and haven't bought an interface for many years. What would you suggest for a decent quality interface and what software would he need to use it? Cheers ped

Nah

I considered gold foil pickups (or at least one) in my Mustang but I found them a bit 'brittle' sounding, for want of a better word - they didn't have the bark I was looking for. They look nice enough, and they vary massively. tbh the name is a bit misleading; it doesn't seem to refer to much apart from the fact that there's a gold bit on the top, which can be made of metal, paper, foil.. I gather they use certain magnets in a bar shape which gives them a certain tone. Like @Doctor J says I think it's more about brand identity... I'm all for trying new pickups and interesting takes on the norm so it's cool with me. I'd prefer a single pickup in a P shaped body, but the J shape needs two IMO!

Hi folks I noticed that there are different versions of the Prunes and Custard pedal and wondered if anyone knows anything more about which versions they are. Mine looks like this, it has ‘limit’ mode in addition to gtr and bass mode (not sure what that does, hard to work out - anyone know?) The Contour control has off, deep and wide. Then there’s this version which has no limit mode and the contour is one mode: And finally this one with no mode switch and ‘LF retain’ instead of contour, and no logo. Super geeky and it probably makes no difference but still interesting (to me!) I assume the pics above are from newest to oldest?

Would you be against routing the cavities?

Actually maybe SIMS pickups would fit, don't you have some already you could check against?

Something like this might be the right size or thereabouts - as @prowla says, you could put a surround on them if not. They're great pickups.. https://shop.warwick.de/en/pickups/e-bass/other-shapes/vintage-soapbar/20069/bartolini-w4cbc-soapbar-bass-pickups-dual-coil-4-string

I saw your board on the 'show us your' thread and noticed the nice colour arrangement! I'm interested in the phase 90; I have one too but haven't had much time using it live. And it doesn't fit with my colour scheme anyway so pah! The SD comp is a nice bit of kit btw. I used to have the bass was and now I see they do a mini one...

It looks like my entire pedalboard is on NHS prescription (said my current wife)

I might be wrong but I think a Ken Lawrence?

My faves ended up being beige just by chance but now I'm wondering if I should seek out beige pedals like a new sort of fetish so thanks for that 😂

I've modded pieces of foam with a lollypop stick glued to the top or bottom (depending on how you place it) with a bit extra at the edge to make removal easy. I reckon you could make a similar T shaped piece of wood to glue a chunk of foam to which would fit under the cover and leave a little tab to grab for removal. You could even use a tonewood lollypop stick and retire on the proceeds. I want 50%.

Absolutely rampant

Yeah I think so; what someone asks and what someone is willing to pay is quite different. Vigier have always been a bit under the radar despite being adopted by some fairly well known players.

They must have heard me coming, this is what happened when I tried to write a review!!