Dan Dare

You are certainly not wrong. You appear to have a pro' attitude and you are playing with people who don't. I think this problem comes from the self-taught nature of many players, who learned their stuff in isolation and never played in orchestras/ensembles, where arrangements were important and it was vital to sweat over getting a part right (because if you didn't, it would clash with what others were playing). Consequently, they can't see what all the fuss is about - they reckon if it's close enough, that'll do. In my experience, you won't change people like that. Best to move on and save yourself an ulcer.

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1492062932' post='3277513'] True. The perverse thing about second hand goods sales is that the fakes can sometimes command a higher price than an equivalent "unknown" brand just [i]because[/i] they are fakes even though they are known to be dodgy copies by the purchaser and advertised as such. It tends to happen with older goods and antiques. Did you keep your Strad clone? [/quote] I didn't. I gave it to a friend whose kid wanted to learn the fiddle.

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1492029233' post='3277380'] I am playing the St Matthew Passion on Friday. I have not done this kind of stuff for a VERY long time. I will be very tired on Saturday. Cracking bass lines though. He was The Don. [/quote] Amen. A mighty work. Enjoy.

[quote name='scalpy' timestamp='1492019899' post='3277288'] Nope but they've put M badges on their old 318 or Porsche wheels on their vintage bug. The car market is even more guilty of this than the music instrument industry! [/quote] Not just cars. Everything gets cloned these days - £50 Chinese snide "Rolex" anyone? Nothing new in music, either. My first fiddle, a European factory cheapo, had a fake Strad label in it.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1491479621' post='3273355'] That's far less of a problem than the size of the cone relative to the wavelength being reproduced. As frequency goes up dispersion shrinks. To account for that the size of the cone must shrink as well. This shows how it works: http://www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk/feschools/waves/flash/diffractionslider.swf Axial high frequency limits are meaningless. What matters is 30 and 45 degrees off-axis. Dispersion, not response, is why midranges are smaller than woofers, and tweeters are smaller than midranges. [/quote] Cheers Bill. Interesting. I'd assumed it was just the physical limitations of a large heavy cardboard or plastic cone that limited high frequencies.

Seems I'm alone in not enjoying playing in trios. No matter how accomplished/inventive the players, the limited tonal palette limits the ability to create arrangements and harmonic texture too much for my taste.

My bitsa P bass has a Dinky Toys decal on the headstock. Much more fun.

I like the sound of band 2. People who rehearse regularly usually want to get it right. I've had my fill of seat of the pants chancers who resist any hint of an arrangement because it "stifles their creativity". More likely, they don't want to buckle down and get things right, in my experience. No drugs a good sign for me. Despite the myth to the contrary, stoners are not good band mates. They are generally unreliable (especially if there is heavy lifting to be done, funnily enough) and the grief they cause is not worth the odd flash of alleged genius.

If a shop offers you little or nothing, it's a sign they don't really want what you're selling. They're in business to make a living. If they don't think they can move it on something (and quickly - no point in having things sitting on shelves for months), they won't want it unless it's so ridiculously cheap that they can move it on for peanuts. With the low price of new kit these days, used, especially older equipment is worth very little. Just the way life is.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1491322118' post='3272114'] It's a property of the driver. Some 15s do go higher, but only on-axis. Any fifteen is going to start beaming around 1.5kHz. [/quote] Mr Bill, he correct. Large cones simply cannot move swiftly or accurately enough to produce high frequencies. Without a tweeter, few if any 15" cabs are going to produce appreciable output over 1.5kHz. Even the smaller (typically around 6") bass drivers in your hi-fi need tweeters to cover anything much over 3kHz (try covering your hi fi tweeters and listening to your speakers and you'll see what I mean).

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1491466554' post='3273190'] I have one and can say, it's a lovely bass. You can change the sound quite a lot, so to say it's clancky, is misleading. It feels great, the neck is lovely and it just looks gorgeous! [/quote] Read my post again. I wouldn't disagree about the fact that they are a fine, nice looking instrument. I said I thought rounds made the couple I've played sound clangy (as they do to any bass, imho). It was my opinion, but not "misleading". I'm someone who turns his tweeter off and likes flats. Just the way I am. I have quite extended high frequency hearing - can still hear bats - so maybe just my quirk.

FM still does bass. DAB loses a lot of the bottom octave due to lousy bandwidth.

Another vote for K&M. A little dearer at the outset, but cheaper in the long run. Spares mean they just keep going, which is a bonus. I have a much abused K&M that's around 40 years old (like the broom with 3 new heads and 2 new handles) that refuses to die.

The effect of different timbers on the tone of a solid electric guitar/bass is negligible (imho, of course... ). If you like the look of it (they are a nice looking bass), you need to play a few and see if it suits. Our opinions are of little use, really as we're probably not looking for what you are. The couple I've tried were strung with rounds, which made them sound pretty clangy, which I don't like. I reckon Chromes (my favourite strings for a J bass) would suit it very well - versatile with plenty of snap if needed.

If it's a heavy amp, remember to support it at the rear as well as bolting it in by the front panel. You can get rack shelves which you can attach to the rear bolt holes on a rack case which will do the trick. Something like this - http://www.dv247.com/studio-equipment/music-store-19-2u-rack-shelf--218560?gclid=CJ-_muaEidMCFUQ8Gwodc40MeQ. Obviously, you need to ensure it doesn't cover any ventilation holes.

I'd stick with putting the instrument in its case. They look very fine on stands until some klutz knocks them over and breaks off the headstock...

Jet Black ain't a bad band name...

Another vote for Smooth Hound and Chris is great to deal with.

[quote name='lurkingbass' timestamp='1491226629' post='3271331'] So amp has only jack output. Do I get any benefits using jack to speakon instead of jack to jack, in this particular case? Thanks! [/quote] Probably not in terms of sound quality at lower power levels. Speakons are for higher current duties. They are more reliable, though, which is nice. So if you have the option to use them, probably worth doing so.

If you want to do it cheaply and don't mind the weight, Peavey made some nice, but heavy, 410 cabs. Look for one fitted with their better drive units (Black Widows were their premium models). I had a 2x15 with Black Widows that was wonderful, but a beast to move around.

[quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1487766152' post='3242547'] The good news is that bugeras seem either to fail early, or carry on running... One of my guitards is very happy with his... [/quote] That's encouraging. Picked up a mint used Veyron head as a backup recently. As it's passed the early failure stage, hopefully will last. Sounds surprisingly good for something so cheap and has plenty of power. EQ is a touch basic, but the onboard pre on my bass sorts that out. Fingers crossed.

My old AH350/GP11 was, but not sure about yours. The back panel should tell you. Will say something like "4 ohms minimum impedance" next to the speaker out. You just need to ensure you don't go below that. Four 16 ohm drivers wired in parallel will give 4 ohms total cab impedance, so should be fine, but you would be best not to use an additional cab with it.

[quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1490712991' post='3267301'] Actually the soundboard is a critical element of a pianos sound and is made of wood. [/quote] True, but sadly it wont be thick enough to make a solid guitar body from. I like The Greek's suggestion - you can find some wonderful timber for nowt or not much, although people are becoming more aware of the fact that it has value. A couple of years ago, I found a lot of first class mahogany in a skip outside an office that was being refurbished. The builders were ripping it out and chucking it away. I asked if I could take it and they were quite happy for me to do so. Gave it to a luthier friend, who is still using it to make necks to this day.

My missus used to come to the occasional gig when she was alive, but only if it was a special or unusual occasion. I wouldn't have gone to see her teach at the uni' where she worked, so why would she have wanted to come and see me at work?