Dan Dare

Neo magnets are more expensive to make than ceramic ones, but not anything like twice as expensive. Much of the price difference is down to good old hype. Many claim that there is no difference in sound. Fwiw, I found a very slight difference when I compared two identical cabs - one with neo and the other with ceramic drivers. I use Phil Jones C4s. I compared a ceramic to a non ceramic C4 and found the neo version was a little sweeter/smoother sounding. The difference was very slight. I'm obviously assuming that the drivers (PJB make their own) were identical save for the magnet material. If they weren't, then all bets are off. I got the ceramics. Make of this what you will. I certainly wouldn't pay a hefty price premium, or even any premium at all, for neo.

I assume you're looking for the sound you hear on your records from the time. If so, the advice above is all good. One point worth bearing in mind is that it can be difficult to mimic the exact tones on records, which is produced via of a lot of studio-quality equipment. Reproducing that at live volumes without spending a fortune can be tricky. Have fun with the new bass.

Never used a capo on a bass. It's handy on a guitar as it enables you to use your preferred chord voicings/shapes in any key, or most at any rate. I use a Shubb for that. Don't know if they make one for bass, but if they do, it'll be worth a look.

Sadly, Royal Mail as we knew and loved it (well, sometimes) no longer exists. It's now the Post Office plc, has been asset stripped to within an inch of its life and is a shadow of what it used to be.

Fender made a high mass bridge (it isn't that beefy - a bit like a BBOT, but thicker metal and made of brass) that was suitable for through body stringing. I assume, as you want a BBOT replacement, that it is for a Fender. Have as look at the Custom Shop video on this page - https://www.bestbassgear.com/ebass/gear/hardware/bridge/you-tell-us-does-a-high-mass-bass-bridge-really-make-a-difference.html. I don't know whether it's still available. I bought one several years ago, not realising it was for through the body use and sold it on. They may still be available.

As long as it doesn't actually overhang the edges of the cab, the bass police should leave you alone 😊 Welcome to the PJB fan club.

Apparently, someone bought him a cheese grater and he said it was the most violent book he'd ever read.

Pathetic, isn't it? American imported (so called) "profanity filter". They have an attack of the vapours over there if you say "damn"...

True, but it offends my OCD...

Yep. A spot of silicone bathroom sealant usually does the trick.

Sorry, but this is nonsense. No manufacturer worth its salt would ever wire a single driver cab to be anything other than hot to +. In multiple driver cabs, drivers might be wired in series and/or parallel to give the desired load, but even that would not cause the issue to which you refer.

That sounds handy. Any chance of a link to where it can be bought? Thanks.

Did you look at the link? Figures there are all deaths, not just those from C19. Immunity does not only come in two ways. You ignore the important fact that the majority of people have a well-functioning immune system, which will enable them to control and recover from infections, many without medical intervention. For example, Matt Hancock (Health Secretary) was infected and was over it quickly, whereas Johnson was more seriously ill. We give too much credit to vaccination these days. It may have helped eradicate and control disease, but is not the sole reason they are not the problem they once were. Better environment, diet, housing, better medical care, etc have all played an important part. I agree there is unlikely to be a vaccine for this. Decades of effort and enormous sums of money have been devoted to trying to find a cure for the common cold (another corona strain) without success. It's high time the talk of finding a vaccine stopped. It isn't going to happen So what do we do? Do we destroy the economy or take a more nuanced line? If we wreck the world economy, the next step will most likely be war. As countries fight to rebuild themselves. It won't be long before desperation (and probably greed, too) makes that inevitable. End result = goodbye planet Earth, or the people on it at any rate.

It could be just the perspective in the photo, but that fret spacing looks mighty odd. Obviously a homemade neck. Perhaps the 'luthier' just cut the slots where he felt like it and hammered in the wire.

Have a look at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/weekly-all-cause-mortality-surveillance-2019-to-2020. The problem is that figures are not being accurately or honestly reported. Post mortems are not being carried out on those suspected of being infected and many deaths are being attributed to it without proof. There is scant testing, so it is not known either how many have it or, more important, who has had it and recovered, meaning they have antibodies and are not a risk to others. Before anyone starts yelling about "super-spreaders" (another piece of media-invented tripe), stimulating your system to produce antibodies is the whole purpose of vaccination. Once you have them, you cannot contract something or pass it on to others. Are there protests about vaccinated people infecting others with polio, smallpox, TB, etc? Of course not. More generally UK mortality numbers are currently approximately 600,000 in a year (all causes). That's around 1,640 per day, which puts the figure you cite into some kind of perspective. However, many of those infected by Covid have died with, but not from it (a bit like the fact that quite a few men have prostate cancer when they die, but it isn't the thing that kills them). Much of the media has shamelessly chalked up virtually every death to the bug. At least the Beeb has been honest and has referred to people dying "with" it, but they're the exception. It's also unarguable that the vast majority of people who have died have been those who are old or frail or with an existing health issue. I shan't repeat again what I said above about certain people - old, frail, existing health issue, etc - needing to be cautious. It's obvious. However, it would be sensible to test everyone - if you have had it and recovered, you will have antibodies and be immune, as is the case with each annual flu' virus, etc - to establish who needs to be protected, rather than bankrupting the country. Then those who wish to return to work (of who I'm one. I'm retired from my main job, but still work) can do so and we can get back to paying our taxes and spending our money and try to save the economy before it goes over the edge.

Glad to hear that. Please wear a t shirt with your name on it, so I can make sure we don't bump into one another. Sad to hear about your friend, but he had an underlying health condition. I acknowledged earlier in this earlier on this thread that those who are old, frail or who have health issues must be cautious, as should those who have contact with them. However, forcing everyone to stay at home and trashing the economy, on which we all depend is a massive over-reaction. That has happened in large part due to the hysteria generated by the media et al. The government originally took a quite nuanced and sensible line, but once the screaming and shouting started, they were bounced into this ridiculous situation because they didn't want to be accused of not caring or doing enough. Where do you think the money to pay for the NHS and all those public services on which we depend comes from? The tax take. If nobody is working, nobody is paying any tax and government coffers run dry quickly. And please don't say they can just print more money, because that's a short cut to hyper inflation. It's what happened in the dog days of the Weimar Republic and look what that led to. At my age, I could easily say I'm all right, Jack and sit back. I'll be fine, with my pensions, house I've paid for, money in the bank, etc. However, I have a daughter and other relatives who are trying to make a living and who will struggle to get back on their feet when this is over and I also know many people who are not as fortunate as I am. I guess it's fortunate that the colour of this present government means they are more likely to be aware of the fact that we need a functioning economy and will look for ways to end this crazy situation.

"Dangerous talk"? Dear me. You'd have been right at home in the GDR or the USSR. OK, let's see your numbers. "Plenty out there in the young, fit, healthy range who are doing very badly with C-19 and dying"? Give us figures, please, together with proof that Covid was what killed them (none of this dying "with" the bug that the media is so fond of stating). Over to you.

I have some varnish cleaner/restorer for my fiddle that I got from a violin shop. Came in a silly little bottle. Heaven knows how many you'd need for a double bass.

Pots are so cheap, it just wouldn't be worth the effort. I kept the pots from my old J when I replaced them just in case a purchaser might want them if I ever sell it (or when my daughter does after I croak).

As someone who stuffs his top pocket with biros and repairs his spectacles with Sellotape, I've experimented a bit with this. You need foam that isn't too dense/hard and of the right thickness, so it compresses to the right degree and damps the strings without completely deadening them. I find it best to make it a little thicker on the low E side to get even note sustain across the instrument.

Exactly. The corona group of viruses are those that cause the common cold and related maladies. How many decades and enormous sums have been devoted to finding a "cure for the common cold" without success? Are they going to magically be able to find one for this? Isn't going to happen. Talk of a vaccine is just being put about to keep the populace quiet and compliant.

Tele for me. Everything you need and nowt you don't.

If you screw and glue the panels together, let the glue dry, then remove the screws, drill out the holes slightly, put a drop of glue in each, hammer in dowels and smooth them. That way, you won't destroy your router bit amid a shower of sparks when the time comes to round the cabinet edges.

All right. These then: