Osiris

One second - Paradise Lost

Neat neat neat - The Damned

Compressor misconceptions, interesting thread title but bass compression is a widely misunderstood subject. Unfortunately, a lot of these misunderstandings and misconceptions have appeared on Basschat over the years which only serve to further confuse an already widely misunderstood subject. And unfortunately, a lot of this nonsense is still available when searching the forum and through Google so is likely to perpetuate. My take on it is that some people assume a stomp box compressor is an effect, they expect something spectacular to happen when they engage it, or for something immediately obvious as you'd get from other effect types, filters, synths etc. When this doesn't happen the questions start which is fair enough or assumptions are made that the pedal serves no purpose. This is where, IMO the misconceptions start creeping in. Regardless, while not exactly glamorous compression is a very useful tool in much the same way that EQ is a useful tool. While it can be used as an effect that's not really its point. Possibly the most sagely advice I've seen on BC regarding compression was something along the lines of "don't think like a bass player when using it, think like a sound engineer". That's when it all makes sense. Do you need one? No, not really, but if it's going to help you sit better with the other instruments, why wouldn't you? Can you control your dynamics with your fingers? Yes. To a point. But depending on where you play the same note on the neck (e.g. G at 15th fret on the E string compared to an open G string) the same note can have hugely different dynamic energy levels. While you can play one louder or harder than the other a compressor will smooth these out so both notes will work in the mix despite their different harmonic densities. Compression kills my dynamics. Yes it can if you haven't set it up correctly. In the same way that a poorly EQ'd tone can make you sound awful. But when done right you retain your dynamics and still sit better in the mix. While compression takes a while to understand it's worth doing your homework to get a good understanding of how to get the best out of it. Many of us spend a good chunk of cash on gear chasing the sounds in our heads, we buy certain basses and amps to make us sound great, so why not use compression to help make you slot in alongside the other instruments you're playing with?

Under the sky - The Answer

Just bought a pedal from Dave and it was as simple and easy as it usually is on Basschat. He was friendly throughout with good comms, he kept me updated during the transaction, the pedal itself was immaculate and very well wrapped and it arrived the day after posting. What more can you ask for?

That smell - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Dust bowl - Joe Bonamassa (however you spell it)

Down in a tube station at midnight - The Jam

Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones

Who knows - Therapy

I think Fender supply 34" scale strings on all their new Mustangs, at least the ones that I've seen. I have 2 Mustangs, one has through body stringing and the other has a regular BBOT style bridge. I've replaced the stings on both basses with 34" rounds (I'm not really a flats guy) and have not had any issues even when refitting the strings after taking them off to clean the fretboard. You do, however, have the thicker, non-tapered part of the E string wrapped around the machine head post so when fitting them new, so when cutting the strings allow for no more than 2 to 3 wraps around the post. I've been doing it for around 3 years without any problems.

Yet another post from me. Finally met with Frank today to hand over the bass that he paid for 3 months ago. As always, he was a gentleman from start to finish. We haven't decided what to call the third in line of our hateful spawn yet, nor yet the finer detail of inception. But we're working on it.

Cheers @Frank Blank it's always a pleasure. And thanks for not grassing me up to the feds for public indecency regarding the err, bush incident.

Welcome Home (Sanitarium) - Metallica

Just because - Jane's Addiction

There ain't half been some clever bastards - Ian Dury

Echo Beach - Martha and the Muffins

Through glass - Stone Sour

Man in the box - Alice in Chains

Under pressure - Queen and Bowie

Drugs, God and the New Republic - Warrior Soul

I've been trying to squeeze that one in for months, well played, Sir. Crazy train - Ozzy

And brittle too according to the experiences of my cycling mates.

I'm intrigued by these carbon cabs especially in terms of durability. I work with a couple of guys who race carbon bicycle frames which have a habit of transforming into a pile of Lego if you hit a pot hole so it'd be interesting to see how one of these cabs would fare if it was accidentally dropped or fell over in the back of the van, for example.

Super massive black hole - Muse