skankdelvar

Nine times out of ten it's a binding nut. A quick buff of each slot with some waxed dental floss and a smidge of PTFE often does the trick. The other time out of ten it's slack windings round the post. Every time I tune up I give the strings a good tug, tune to pitch then give them another tug. Repeat until they're still in tune after a good tug. After that they usually stay in tune for a couple of hours.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1424986082' post='2702745'] ...there are other ways of increasing stiffness than simply increasing thickness [/quote] F'narr.

On BBC Radio Player - [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02j6jqt"]One hour programme[/url] about Mick Green (The Pirates) inc interviews with the man - starts at 01:03:10

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1424911352' post='2701963'] Thhpppppp!! [/quote] Ew. I think a bit of saliva just went in my eye. That's me dead from Ebola probably. Things just going from bad to wurst.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1424864592' post='2701260'] I know Class A are definitely illegal and quite right, too. [/quote] Curse you for deploying the 'Class A' gag before I could. It was the only reason I came in here and now I'll have to take the gag somewhere else and frankly it could be years before I got another chance like this. Not very 'inclusive' of you, was it, you Commie pinko? Have one of these and see how you like it.

[quote name='stingraybassman' timestamp='1424863099' post='2701226'] IMaybe daunting is a better word than condescending, Skank. [/quote] T'is to be regretted if I seem daunting because that's not my intention. As Beer said above it's better to be realistic and questioning than give someone a pat on the head and walk away thinking 'That'll never work but I'm not going to upset him'. I mean, I could've just posted 'Nah!' and left it at that but I found myself researching the weight per sq foot of plexiglass for a given thickness, the gross weight of comparable amps and cabs; sundry other stuff. I even popped over to see a guy today who builds and repairs valve amps and had a ten minute chat with him about the project. He's been doing this for about thirty years. His reaction was broadly the same as most here: Why plexiglass when it only adds weight? You'd need an array of toroidal transformers if the bigger amps are to be movable. And there's only one guy in the UK (to his knowledge) who's built a 500w valve amp and that's John Chambers who was only able to do it because he wound his own transformers rather than stack up a line of proprietary jobs with all the attendant difficulties. I didn't [i]have[/i] to drive over to Somerset to talk about the OP's ideas but I did anyway. Frankly, I think the loosely defined scope of the OP's project is far more daunting than I could [i]ever[/i] be. And while it's nice to be kindly-spoken and 'encouraging' it's no kindness to let someone wander off a cliff out of a desire to be polite.

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1424815484' post='2700884'] Skank I think you are slightly out of whack because he was talking about a 4x10 not a 4x12. [/quote] Oops, my bad. There are indeed 1x12, 1x15 and 4x10 options OK, 'lightweight' valve head with cunning transformers and a 1x12 all wrapped up in thin plexi - 24 kilos / 50 lbs? I'll put my hands up.

[quote name='Musky' timestamp='1424809960' post='2700773'] Now there's a cool idea. Perhaps a tuner function where the LEDs light up the whole amp. Or something along the lines of the strobe tuning on the old Korg DTR2000. [/quote] Quick, Musky! Submit a patent application and license the idea back to the OP. That's how business works, see.

[quote name='Caledonian_Enterprises' timestamp='1424729086' post='2699859'] its still early stages as you can see, all i can say is the setup will weigh no more than 24kg (possible 20kg) [/quote] Er ... I calculated the 4x12 cab as weighing around 50 kilos with ferrites. Let's crudely assume the 1x15 weighs half that. So there's about 25 kilos. Maybe half all that again with neos? Then there's the weight of a 200w tube amp - an Orange ADB weighs 26 kilos (57 lbs). A Marshall VBA weighs 36 kilos (80 lbs). The proposed 4x12 perspex cab [i]alone[/i] would weigh circa 24 kilos even with neodymiums. (Four neo speakers = 8 kilos. 13 sq foot of half inch plexi at 1.3 kilos per sq foor = 17 kilos). Add in a 200w head and we're talking maybe 51 kilos. Leaving aside attempts to estimate the weight of a rig off some line drawings and no electronic specs - with all respect* how can an entire plexiglass valve bass rig weigh less than certain 2x12 lightweight cabs? It just seems we're being asked to assess the prospects of a valve bass rig on no more information than that it's made out of perspex. I mean, what kind of tone stack? The general circuitry? Output trannies? Choice of valves? Impedance? All stuff we ask ourselves when we look at a valve head. We know nothing. *[size=2]in case I'm accused by someone here of being condescendin[/size][size=2]g[/size] [quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1424788279' post='2700473'] You might be better off looking at the practice amp or small combo end of the spectrum, there's a lot of smallish black boxes out there and this would certainly stand out. [/quote] That's the ticket! A very positive suggestion and a good idea. Perspex SS practice combo. Maybe it could change colour along with the notes. People would buy that.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1424719080' post='2699629'] The OP double-posted this on the amps & cabs forum (where Bill F commented) and a mod appears to have deleted the thread. [/quote] Ta, Skipper. I scrolled up and down [i]this[/i] thread several times thinking I was losing it. And - yes - I can imagine a certain [i]froideur[/i] towards the concept. Thing is, people, I don't get why entrepreneurial types don't join up in disguise and start stealth threads like 'What do you want from your next amp?' or 'How much would you pay for a 100w valve head?'. Handy research, I'd have thought.

[quote name='taunton-hobbit' timestamp='1424717992' post='2699603'] Bill FM has already commented on the sonic stuff [/quote] Where dat? I can no BFM see.

BTW, I just calculated the weight of a 4x12 cab in plexi, inc speakers, exc fittings, 0.41 thick plexi*: Neos: 88lbs Ferrite: 100lbs [size=3]*unless the OP's decided on a thinner grade of plexi.[/size] [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1424706176' post='2699389'] Unless your Apple... Then you just bring out whatever you like and legions of dedicated followers decide they can't live without it. [/quote] True. It really helps to [i]already[/i] have legions of dedicated followers and 30-odd years of pre-eminence in one's marketplace. This is about launching into a mass market with a bespoke product. I'm not saying it shouldn't [i]ever[/i] be done. But the only way to make money out of something like this is to wait for an American dentist to think 'What I really need is a plexiglass rig' and the weight won't matter because it will never leave his 'den'. What (some) bass players want is The Valve Sound. Though they may not know it, what they [i]need[/i] is a one-hand-carry 120w valve head somewhat like an old Sound City with wizzo modern lightweight transformers that'll sit on top of a 2x10 and not look silly. And - tbph - who would buy a 500w valve head and want a silent recording output? The whole point of big valve heads is to reduce buildings to a pile of rubble.

Given that a conventional 200w valve head needs at least four power tubes one blanches to think what a 500w head would need. Now imagine all those buggers cooking away inside a plexiglass enclosure. Or even just four of them. Anyone know at what point plexiglass starts to melt? Let's think about this? Can anyone [i]really[/i] build an 4-8 tube head with the necessarily huge transformers, stick it into a bespoke plexi box, stand it on a 1x15 plexi cab, cover the wages / overheads and do it for £600? I mean, even an existing manufacturer with a factory and production lines couldn't do it, I'd have thought. I reckon this would have to retail between £2000-3000 to turn a profit and the first person to even try to [i]lift[/i] the head would split their pancreas, go on line and slag it off for being too heavy. Then there's the cost of re-valving a beast like this at £25-£50 per tube plus the tech's fee. The cork-sniffing tonehound will be laying out at least £300 a time just for the 200w jobbie. [i]How much[/i] to revalve a 400w head? So what's it got going for it? Well, some people here think it looks pretty. Fair enough, except H&K (and a few others) already do the plexiglass panel / glowing light thing; have they surged to the top of the market on the back of this? No, because it's a cosmetic frippery. It's staccato drums, all over again. I'm really sorry, but this is a commercial non-starter. The costings are out, the material's wrong, the price to consumer will be too high and the USP's predicated on something that really doesn't matter to the customer who can afford a £3k rig. Nil desperandum, though. Perhaps the OP could begin again, researching some ideas with forum members here. That way the idea will be rooted in customer demand. First rule of business: find out what people want and give it to them

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1424641973' post='2698728'] Where are all the PC members on here, and why aren't they writing angry posts sticking up for the uneducated, possibly dyslectic underprivileged ??? [/quote] They're on another web site correcting someone's [i]speling[/i] because that someone is WRONG AND MUST BE PUNISHED. Fact is, being a human spellchecker on websites is like being a Wild West gunslinger. One might be fast but there's always someone faster looking to take you down. Then the whole sordid cycle of violence starts over and eventually innocent people get hurt.

Funnily enough I'm putting an alt-cowpunk-ameriskifflecana outfit together at the moment. Talking to one of the other guys tonight we discussed rhythm section options. In the end we decided that we didn't want a 'proper' drummer and we didn't want a 'proper' bass-player. In fact, we've decided we didn't want 'proper' musicians at all, mainly because of all the baggage that comes with musos of either the semi-pro or hobby variety.. What we're after is people who [i]like[/i] this very simple musical sub-genre and who are happy to hit something in [i]approximate[/i] time without bimbling on about about their years of experience, asking how much they're going to get paid, spunking off about theory and demanding a solo every five minutes. Any ad we place will stress 'musical inexperience [i]essential[/i]' but will probably be spelt correktlee. Just saying.

If somebody came up to me after a gig and said 'You played that line differently from the record' the first thing I'd say would be 'You're a bass player aren't you?' and he'd say 'Yes' and I'd say 'I thought so, because nobody else would know or care' and he'd laugh nervously and say 'Yes, I suppose so' and I'd say 'Are you in a band?' and he'd say 'Yes' and I say 'Do you play that song?' and he'd say 'Yes' and I'd say 'Do you play it like it's done on the record?' and he'd say 'Yes' and I'd say 'That's fantastic. I'd love to hear you play that. When are you gigging next?' and he'd say 'Next Tuesday week' and I'd say 'Oh, that's a shame, I promised the wife we'd stay in that night and fold some towels.'

Thing is, many contemporary sub-cultures are sprawling genres derived from a single pre-existing band or even just [i]one single song[/i] by a single band. As a consequence, those who have grown up listening to bands inspired by a wide range of influences may be pardoned if they find it difficult to differentiate between one modern sub-genre band and any other of the same ilk. The Pop charts at one time - perhaps from the 50's to the 70's - incorporated ballads, comedy songs, orchestral 'pops', novelty acts, country music, blues, jazz and 'rock' music. About the only stuff that didn't get into the charts was classical music (a form with its own long established sub-genres). The focus of mainstream Pop has narrowed while 'underground' or un-signed music has diversified into an unnavigable archipelago far beyond the point of rewarding exploration. Add in the explosion of copy-cat self-produced 'original' music and one is tempted to conclude that matters have got wildly out of hand. The government should do something. [color=#ffffff].[/color]

Here's the deal. I've got a set of eight year old Elixirs on my bass and they're flaking like buggery. In some places the metal windings are exposed. In others the coating is intact. The ball end is contact with the bridge which is earthed. Running a finger up and down the strings across coated and uncoated areas and / or touching the bridge makes no difference to the background buzz. Neither does touching the pot knobs because they're plastic. I have no idea what this means.

If you want to send only one signal at a time then an ABY or an AB is the best option. But if you [i]don't[/i] want to switch between the two signals but instead wish to combine them then you're 'mixing'. If you're not worried about the unpredictable effects (example turning one signal down turns the other one up) then a Y cable (see below) would do the job and probably cheaper than an ABY pedal which will cause the same problems. As for 'weakening' the signal, that often occurs when you use a y-cable to split [i]one[/i] signal to [i]two[/i] amps rather than combining two signals into one amp. Or for a mere £14.99 you can get a [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/prosound-4-channel-mono-mixer-my95d"]four in / one out mixer from Maplins[/url] which would probably be a lot easier easier than dicking around onstage trying to balance the signals with the instruments' output level controls.

[quote name='Ulas Engin' timestamp='1423411458' post='2684462'] Ok.No problem for me, someone likes me but somone don't like me, If the official page is not legal, I don't know, please explain it how can I remove the page, If it is legal, everything is ok Follow me, I am working hard, I am a musician first of all. I am New in here, I would be glad if you steer right . [/quote] Welcome to BassChat! Due to the nature of the forum software it's not possible for you to remove the page. Simply send a Personal Message to a forum moderator or administrator and ask them to move the page elsewhere. The member Kiwi who posted in the thread is a Forum Administrator. I'm sure he would be happy to help to sort this out. Just hover your cursor over his name and a box will appear. Click on 'send message' and write your message. He's a charming fellow and will be delighted to hear from you!

Frankly, I'm delighted that Mr Engin has posted here in GBD. i) There is to my knowledge no [i]official[/i] prohibition on Owners' Clubs, though individual members express an animus against them for reasons of a personal nature. It was with this latter in mind that I inaugurated the 'Commodore / Coily / Univox Semi Owners Club' which current enjoys membership in high single figures. ii) Be it an expression of unconfined joy or calculated commerciality, Mr Engin's post here via Google Translate adds immeasurably to the gaiety of nations. Had it appeared in the arid wastes of Affiliates I would never have discovered that the cure for neck dive is to press down on the handle in opposition to the continuous gravity. iii) I shall probably buy one of these items so that when someone asks me 'What bass is that?' I shall be able to reply 'It's a frog', opening up all sorts of possibilities for comedic misunderstandings, amphibian puns and whatnot. Let's give the guy a free run, eh?

It's all turned out lovely. Nice one, Shell

Hi RipperDen Welcome to the forum - we hope you enjoy it