such

Well... As standard, 5- and 6-string SS1 have a 20mm spacing at the bridge. It can be adjusted +/- a couple mm, but a 5- or 6-string Streamer Stage 1 will have a noticeably wider neck than say a 5- or 6-string Streamer LX. Fact. Of course there's still the Custom Shop will all its options etc.

Bought a Demeter Compulator from Ed. Good communication and very quick shipping! I do recommend making deals with him

Hi Zak, I paid 300 pounds recently here for an Ashdown rig consisting of a ABM500 evo II head and a ABM410T cab (both made in the UK). So deals can be found I am aware that they (deals) aren't always as good as that one, but I'm pretty sure there is a ABM combo with 410 speakers for sale now here. Some people dislike Ashdown, I do like its sound and versatility. It can go from very clean to very grindy, usually sounds quite warm, but kinda fast and punchy. That is my recommendation then Older Trace Elliot amps and cabs go quite cheap too, should be possible to complete a rig within your budget. Few days ago there was a fun little rig here (older black Hartke 3500 with ABM4x8 cab) for something like 160 quid. Look around

Uhh... sorted. It was just a bad connection in the DC jack. I managed to see a tech unexpectedly quickly and it turned out to be a one minute resoldering job. Works brilliantly now! Which is a relief as Ed (the basschatter who I bought the pedal from) is on holidays and hard to reach.

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1342105472' post='1729695'] Plenty money - and shame ............ when it's warranted. I'm just not about to fork out a fiver for a magazine full of opinions by either nameless wonders most folk have never heard of or never will again in a few months time - or revues about planks of wood which have never been near a craftsman in their entire existence. The kind of folk who buy a magazine just because they did the month before are the same kind of folk that play a mass produced plank because a lot of other folk play mass produced planks. There's a big difference between scanning the pages to see what's worth reading with an intention to buy if something is spotted - and using a shop as a library. The stacks of old guitar & bass mags in my loft will testify to that - as well as the three articles I've been asked to write - and had published. [/quote] Exactly. I do buy magazines that interest me, but I always flick through them before. There's a lot of subjects I'm interested in, if I was to buy all the magazines (that I buy sometimes) every month, it would be hundreds of pounds monthly. Like, I buy a photography magazine if I see a good test of an interesting camera, or a feature on some interesting techniques, or sometimes even just for a good picture that I know I will enjoy looking at. But sometimes there's none of those for me. So why buy without scanning first? To show that I have money and shame? I have no shame. I have money, but I worked hard for it, and I respect it, won't give it away in exchange for something that I can have no use for or no enjoyment from.

I bought the Compulator from a user here, it arrived this morning. Unfortunately, there is so much noise that it makes it unusable. I've used this model before, and while it wasn't entirely noise-free, the noise was negligible and only happening at really high compression settings. Here's what happening: When I power the comp with a generic Boss-type psu through the adapter (supplied together with the pedal by the seller), there is a very loud, constant-pitched noise, almost as loud as the sounds I make with my bass. My suspicion is, as Compulator seems to work on a reversed polarity, that may be the problem. I don't really understand those electronic issues though. Is it possible that powering the pedal with a wrong polarity psu causes such a noise? Would a polarity-reversing-adapter solve it? The psu is probably not the greatest quality, but works with Boss and Digitech pedals. Now with the battery, there is no such noise, but there is a completely different one. Not constant, sometimes completely silent, sometimes a slight sough/sizzle, sometimes irregular cracks, clicks and pops, some of them really loud. The battery is new and good quality. Now, at both situations the general compression action seems to be unaffected, it does the job as I remember it should, there is just that noise accompanying it. The levels of the noises are also unaffected by tweaking the knobs on the pedal. I won't be able to do any shopping or see a tech anytime soon due to work schedules, I also don't want to assume that the pedal itself is faulty. The seller is on holidays now and unable to receive messages. Any thoughts?

Hey Spluker, do you still have that sexy japanese jazz?

I was working as a waiter the other weekend on a function organized by a cricket club in a countryside near Swindon, there was a very good band, I chatted with the bassist a bit. Today I bought the new issue of BGM, where Paul Geary is mentioned a couple of times, and I think it was him! He played a 4-string jazz-style white Overwater bass (said that it was the first time in a long time that he was giggin with a four string) and an Orange rig, Terror Bass head and two of those funny 2x12 cabs that look like 1x12s (again, he said it was his first time gigging those). The guy sounded and played seriously good. They played some old r&b and soul covers, and it was a pleasure to listen to it.

I just bought the new issue, and I like what I see so far...

Another kind of alternative - you can play an octave higher through a distortion pedal and an octaver behind it. Less satisfying, as the original sound/articulation of the bass is lost, but can fill some of those spaces ocasionally.

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1341525217' post='1720634'] You don't look very punk Such. Punk also isn't about prissy explanations either. Fretless not punk. [/quote] Neither do you I don't, because I'm not. Still, I feel that large part of it is all about going against the grain. And if OP felt that this particular instrument choice is something he feels curious about trying, I want to encourage him. Especially loving fretless as much as I do. Peace

Do it! Play fretless in a punk band for the sole reason that someone just said that it's not appropriate. Unless you agree that punk is all about rules, traditions and convenanses, then a P-bass is a wise choice. Other than that, a Jazz Bass, as the name implies is quite perfect for punk.

when it comes to lined to unlined fretless basses, I feel the same thing as Lee Sklar - my intonation is noticeably better on unlined. Maybe because on lined, I "listen" to the pitch with my eyes, while on unlined I don't have that crutch.

Hi Jon I've done some repairs to my basses in the past, I'll take a look at your bass next time I see you, unless you'll get it sorted before. If it's not twisted very badly, a bit of fret levelling can help, in worse cases a complete refret (plus extra levelling) or defretting, sanding down the fretboard and refretting again. All of the above I have done in the past. But yeah, Mighty Mite necks are quite decent, licensed by Fender, and at their price (usually less than 100 pounds for a finished neck) it may not be worth the effort. Plus, the marketplace here is even better for choice and prices.

A little bit off-topic, but my criticism on the Bassically Speaking feature (or rather on what some/most interviewees have to say) got some responses, so I feel like defending my point: Yes, young players should be enthusiastic, and we should encourage them. In fact, I give bass lessons for free, to do just that. They should also be as left-wing (musically) as possible. I just think that an attitude like:[i] "I'll better play eight note root-fifth riffs on my four string p-bass with flats through an overdriven ampeg, because any other feel/technique/bass/string count/amp is for show-offs"[/i] is really as conservative as it gets. Their grandads were more radical in their time. It's not my insecurities, I might not be financially succesful as a musician (although it pays for gear and even some holidays), but other jobs compensate for it. I've gigged, toured, recorded, met and befriended some of my bass-playing gurus, taught. I just remember that when I started playing bass (rather late, I was 18, played guitar and drums before), I wanted to try everything. Rock, metal, funk, jazz, Bach, folk, reggae, fretless, 6-string, 8-string, P-bass, upright, slap, tap, pick, bow, flanger, octaver, synth, sight reading, 3/4, 7/8, 15/16. And to make it all clear, I don't actually dislike the feature. I would just like to see more of those girls and guys who actually do something unusual, have something [i]else[/i] to say. Not 5 "new" indie-rock p-bass player every issue. Show me someone who plays a one-string bass with a chicken leg Or, I don't know, at least a 5-string fretless in a folk band?

Hi Joel, it's great that you're here. I stopped buying BGM because of some obvious bs that was included in articles. I won't quote everything now, couldn't even if I wanted to, as I gave all BGMs to a friend. But what I remember: in the review of a Yamaha BB1024x it was stated that it weighs 12kg. I'll never believe it. Of course there is some variation in wood, but not enough to make one entire bass weigh 3 times as much as other ones in the same model. Some time later, review of a Yamaha BB424. It was stated that there is no way to adjust the height of the bridge pickup (which is NOT true), and that because of that strings have to be raised on the bridge so they don't hit the pickup when played, and that makes the bass much less playable. Now, who would buy the bass after reading that? Does someone not like Yamaha...? I remember that some time ago there was a Limited Edition Warwick reviewed, costing about 2.5k. It was a model with coil switching pickups, passive/active options etc. It was stated that it is an extremely versatile and good sounding instruments, but it's a lot of money, so why not look elsewhere. Few pages further another bass is reviewed (I don't remember what) in the same pricepoint, and the conclusion is like, ok, maybe it is expensive and has its limitations, but it's a professional instrument, so if you look for a professional instrument, please at least consider one of these. Of course I am aware that you haven't been the Editor for long, and it all happened before. Just pointing out things to avoid. Also, when it comes to reviews, why not concentrate on what sets the particular piece of gear apart, rather than describing the features that it has in common with all the others. When I read a review of an amp, I really don't need to read that turning the "bass" knob clockwise boosts low frequencies. Or, in a review of a jazz-style bass, what general difference panning between pickups or rolling the tones makes. Rather than that, I'd like to know what specific difference is there between this amp or bass and other amps and basses. And yes, the reviews sometimes really lack this, especially with the more traditional designs. Other than that, I quite like the magazine - interview (although the feature on young "alternative" bassists are annoying, when all of them just say that 5-string basses, or slapping, or practicing, or theory, or effects, or being in tune, are for w***ers, so they don't do it, because they are real musicians with soul), woodshed thing, quality of pictures, lessons (Gwizdała and Marks especially).

Hey, they are MAKING those bridges, pickups, etc, so obviously they don't have to pay the retail price for them when they use them in Rockbasses. What's weird about it?

Maybe they've made a first batch in Sweden or something? I've had a Kustom DE300 head for trial from one of the big german retailers a few years back, and it said "made in USA" on the back. I was curious, as press reviews stated it being made in China. Contacted both the retailer and Kustom, and both confirmed that there was a batch of several hundred amps that was made in the States and went for sale in Europe. Might be some sort of similar case here (which I kinda hope).

Bought a Digitech Bass Synth Wah from Paul last week. He posted quickly and packed it well and safely. Finally had a chance to test it in last two days, and everything's ok. Good transaction without any problems, good communication and fast proceedings, thanks Paul