hairychris

[quote name='Weststarx' timestamp='1402994248' post='2478543'] I've always wanted a tele, but never picked one up to play! [/quote] I avoided them for years but saw the light 18 months ago. Do it! ;-)

There are a couple of Japanese-built SRs in the current line-up , most are now Indonesian. I love my Korean 505, and really want a Japanese Prestige SR but my wallet cries when I look at new ones.

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1402995269' post='2478563'] I know that some materials, I think mainly metal, can undergo a process called work hardening where there's a definite change in internal structure (and obviously the phenomenom of metal fatigue) whereas I can only imagine timber becoming somehow a little more compliant as it ages (loses stiffness) which presumably is what's supposed to be going on with played in instruments.[/quote] That's pretty much it. What I understand from an experienced luthier friend is that wood needs to be "taught" to be an instrument, or broken in. [quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1402995269' post='2478563']Tests have been made where professional violinists were asked in a double blind trial to rate violins where some were modern and others were vintage Stradivarius instruments and there was little preference for one over another - in fact most of the players chose a modern instrument for one that they'd take home, based on playability and sound alone - you'd imagine that a Stradivarius would have benefitted more than any other in terms of being 'broken in' through vibration.[/quote] A couple of things here. First, yes, in that even historic instruments need to be regularly played or the character of the wood changes. Secondly, we don't know whether Stradivarius was really the top producer, only that a lot (in comparative) terms of his instruments survived. We don't know how many of them are the real deal against how many are, to put it bluntly, are donkeys. Modern methods do mean that our instruments now are better designed and build than the vast majority of museum pieces. [quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1402995269' post='2478563']The thing that's always puzzled me is why some people claim that an instrument which sounds good acoustically (not plugged in) is going to be better (when played through an amp) than one that sounds dead or quieter as I've always thought that to hear it in this way means the instrument is robbing the strings of energy in order to radiate it through the neck and body (and wouldn't you want as much energy as possible to be seen by the pickup?) - maybe subtracting energy through sympathetic resonance makes other frequencies stand out more which is what they like to hear through their amp though of course take too much energy away from a vibrating string and that's where a dead spot arises...[/quote] I think that it's the other way round. If the body/neck don't vibrate then they are absorbing or damping the vibrations. The body vibration feeds back to the strings. Looking at throwoff's reply (just appeared whilst I was writing this): Yes and no. The longer the chain between instrument & ear, the less noticeable the difference to the listener. That's absolutely true. You could make a bass out of rubber, shove actives on it, and *something* will come out of the other end! With this in mind, taking the thought to the illogical conclusion, I don't see many instrument makers building pickuped instruments out of vibration-absorbing materials. Hmm. However, whatever comes out of the cab, as a player I want the instrument to give me physical feedback - I want to feel sustained notes as the neck feeds the energy back to the string. I'm a fairly n00b bass player, and forum n00b too, but have been a guitar player/gear tart for many a moon. From my personal experience/annecdote the livelier a guitar feels, or the more it talks to me through my left hand, the longer it sustains. My $0.02!

Looks nice! I A/Bed one of these with a USA Standard a few weeks ago. I preferred the way the Standard sounded but they were a lot closer in feel & tone than I had expected. I think that the Squares are pine. It sounded a lot more "woody" if that makes sense. Great if you want a bit of lower-mid oomph over the clarity of the Std.

I like Bareknuckles, I have them in 4 guitars at the moment but I don't play strats so can't sugest a set...

I'm mainly a guitarist, truth be told, so... Am I embarrassed?

Cheers nugget. He's built some real stunners, and it's great to know that mine is one of his "cover girls"! I've owned a 6er of his for almost 10 years, and completely by accident the body on the 7 is cut from the same billet of sapele as the top of the 6. So... it seems that I've got to keep both of them and not split them up as they are literally sisters. EDIT: BTW it sounds like a complete thug, with Bareknuckle Warpigs loaded. Beauty & the beast. Have to say that your own work is really classy too. Seems that you have some Tele love going on which is no bad thing!

I love Redwood. I kicked off a build with Blackmachine in 2007, the plan was that I'd get a nice piece of flamed Redwood for the top. After loads of delay and the luthier getting ripped off by a US supplier it didn't happen. That made me a sad panda, but I came out alright in the end: These were taken the day I picked it up. It's got 4 years of battle scars now!

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1402820232' post='2476948'] As wood is not a homogenous engineering material, there is no substitute for hands on testing, and quality of strings and attention to good setup make a massive difference.[/quote] So much this. One of the things that you pay for when you buy a more expensive instrument is that the "dead" timber has been filtered out. This doesn't mean that a cheap instrument can feel really lively, you just have to try more to find the right one. Pretty much everything else can be changed (electronics, fretwork, finish), as long as the instrument is well constructed. A friend owns a well set-up Squire (can't remember if J or P off the top of my head, think it's a P) and it pays amazingly well. Sounded great too. EDIT: I own a MIM Telecaster (6er) from a FSR run... it's very nearly as good to play as my MIA Paul Reed Smiths and Gibson LP, and was a fraction of the price.

^ Nice! Redwood top? The very wide flame seems to suggest that.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1402421335' post='2473353'] Probably for the best. In your Interests it says you like pant games... are they what I think they are? [/quote] Skyrim. Not the other sort of rim.

Oh, by the way, I had a girlfriend with a modded muff once... done in such a way that she *really* enjoyed bus journeys. I'll stop now. EDIT: Atrocious spelling today.

OK, I have to admit it right now... I use a pick most of the time. Am impressed at the number of people who are beer enthusiasts, although not exactly surprised, and it seems that I live 5 mins up the A2 from madshadows as my current collision between a book store & 2nd hand music outlet (aka "flat") is in Deptford. SE posse!

Cheers again folks. Unmodded Muff? Is this some sort of swear word/entity? Learn something new every day! A bit like the rumpus over a manufacturer who may not be named, but sounds a bit like "brick and cacker". Weird.

Hello! The folks that I play for are here: https://www.facebook.com/lastseenwearing They're all huge Melvins fans. My guitar-playing style is a car-crash of influences from 80s-era thrash to drone, but have yet to develop really where I'm going with the bass. What do I listen to? Mainly podcasts right now, but musically my preferences tend towards angry & chaotic (Deathspell Omega/Nile/Anaal Nathrakh to Venetian Snares) with the odd venture into more chilled electronica, plus stoner rock and doom for the grooves.

I'm rubbish at introductions, so, erm, hello! My name is Chris, I'm kinda middle-aged and hairy, and I've only been playing bass in any serious way since January this year when I joined a band almost by accident. Backing up a bit I've been playing guitar since the late 80s, and have been in a few bands since the mid 90s, plus made the transition to gear whore somewhen in the early 00s when I worked out that house/family/car/responsibility wasn't really my cup of tea. You don't have to feed guitars anything other than strings, and amps don't complain if you've been out all night! Anyway. I jammed with some friends back in January after their bassist had quit due to other commitments, and I found myself playing an instrument that I wasn't too familiar with and having to learn other people's material for the first time in years (having been a guitarist in a band for 10 years that played originals only). They decided not to audition anyone else, which surprised me somewhat. Something of a learning curve, but a fun one. As of now I've played 2 shows with these guys and my original band has folded, so leaving me in a position of, erm, an accidental bassist. The important stuff: 2007 Korean Ibanez SR505 (tuned CGCFA) -> Dyna comp clone/Analogman Tubescreamer/EHX Bass Muff/9 of Swords Twin Earth fuzz/Boss TU-2/Behringer DD -> [s]Ampeg[/s] Ashdown MAG 300 + 4x10 (Inherited from band's previous bass chap) Plus a SansAmp Bass Driver DI that I need to slot in somewhere, an Ampeg B2R head, and a TC Flashback X4 that may end up on the board The rig as it is sounds pretty gnarly. I'm GASing for an EBMM, but to be honest I like the particular kick that the SR's Bartolinis have, and it plays ridiculously well. I also have a soft spot for Carvin, having owned several of their guitars in the past. I don't really have amp GAS at the moment but that may change. Other stuff... Of low end interest I own a Moog Little Phatty Stage v1, and have got a Sub 37 Tribute Edition on pre-order. Guitars, well, 2 x Blackmachine customs (one 7, one 6 string), 2 x PRS, 1980 Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst, 1 x Jackson, 1 x MIM Fender Tele (love that guitar!), Jaden Rose 7 string, Agile 8 string, Diezel Einstein, Marshall JCM900, various other bits & pieces. Some of this needs to go on the block but I've been saying that for years. So yeah. Hi all!