Doctor J

Yep, clear all the way, or even clear with a coloured tint for a bit of intrigue.

What sort of hours have you been putting in, morning to... early evening?

I started using a D'Addario .149 a few years ago on a 4 string ESP Jazz which I usually tune BEAD but sometimes go down to low G#. To me, it feels about the same tension as the .105 I usually use in E. I like a bit of pushback from the string, not into the limp spaghetti feel at all. It's got authoritaaaah and meat. I love it.

With the cross-proliferation of media and regular exposure to other cultures and languages, the prospect of being surprised by Latvian quirkiness is probably unlikely. The last few post-covid cancellation editions have had a few very listenable songs sprinkled throughout but last night was a bit of a stinker, I thought, musically. Still entertaining, but there wasn't a song I'd ever want to hear in the future. Roll on tomorrow, though. We go again 😁

The original Precision pickup cover sits quite close to the strings, could be an option?

I've seen more of that Finnish lad's hairy arse than I would ever have wished but at least it's not another dose of angst-pop. Terrible, but entertaining.

I haven't watched the Eurovision since 1956 but it's awful every year and I needed to tell you all! Nah, not really, just wanted to be first to say it, this year. The bar has been set low so far, but we live in hope there might be something good.

Correct. Volume; Blend; Bass and Treble Boost/Cut; Notch Filter plus the mid Boost/Cut on the board. IIRC it's the one by the batteries there.

Upload jpegs, I can't see that type of image file. I've had both types of Godlyke preamp and it sounds like you have the Gen 1. The mystery knob is a notch filter (cuts up to -20 dB @ 850 Hz) on front plus one internal trimmer for Midrange Boost/Cut. If the trim is at center position, midrange would be flat.

Well done, Andy

The drama!!!

This has got an 80's Voivod vibe about it, which is a very good thing indeed 🙂🤘🏻

There's not much I can think of where a downtuned 4 won't suffice. Of the stuff I've seen a lot of 5 players playing, that G string doesn't exactly take a thrashing. However, good stuff to play along to tuned down low... Celtic Frost - Monothiest > beautiful and aggressive without disappearing up its own arse, in terms of technicality Mindfunk - Dropped > You might like this whole album, ahead it its time when it comes to low grooving, good use of lower register stuff without dwelling on one low note all the time Living Colour - Stain > When Wimbish uses a 5 it's for a good reason, any of their albums with him would do Morbid Angel - Covenant > features a few tunes down in B that are a challenge to play

If you're using pine and MDF, removing so much wood from around the neck pocket might not be the best idea. I would expect that to flex quite a bit, as is.

You can move the pots to where you want them without having to change any wiring. The neck of the pots are the same size, if I recall correctly. Just undo the nuts on the front, the pots will drop into the cavity, and move each control where you would like them to be and thread the nut back on. Perhaps label them before you do that, though 😉 The factory standard, courtesy of Breadbin, is Upper front - volume, no indent, green Lower front - pan, indented, blue Upper rear - bass, indented, red Lower rear - treble, indented, yellow but, personally, I like to keep the EQ on the bottom, volume and blend on top. I'd do it like this Upper front - volume Upper rear - pan Lower front - bass Lower rear - treble But it's up to you to decide. Put them where it makes sense to you.

Three should have a centre detent - the pickup blend and the bass & treble cut & boosts. Set them all to the centre. The one without the detent is the volume. Turn it all the way up and plug the bass into the amp. Take a screwdriver (or anything metal) and gently tap on the split pickup. Now, rotate the other three pots one at a time. When you cut one of them, the sound of you tapping the pickup will disappear from the amp completely. That's your pickup blend. Of the remaining two pots, you should be able to figure out which is which by boosting or cutting. The treble will get very bright when you boost, very dull when you cut, but do it when the other EQ pot is centred.

It claims to be a "greatest" list, not best. Greatness does not necessarily correllate with technical abililty, nor do they even specify it's about drumming greatness, just drummers of unspecified greatness, so they have given themselves carte blanche to add anyone at all. You could argue Meg White displayed greatness through the level of popularity the White Stripes achieved with such limited ability on the drum stool. Rick Allen, carving out a career as a one-armed drummer, is pretty great, in my opinion, but I wouldn't want him in a death metal band... yet. Click bait list click click click.

As opposed to FMIC who didn't design anything either but, instead, bought the name and copyrights from the company who bought the name and copyrights from the guy who actually did design something?

Beside the hi-hat, when not at the bar.

Very cool. I like that a lot.

It's a shame there is a glut of lyrically banal and empty gibberish in most mainstream music. I was getting into Metal and hardcore punk at that point in the 80's and, having been exposed to the wealth of socially conscious material there, perhaps the impact of Prince's song was a little lost on me. Looking back at what else was in the charts at the time, though, yeah I can see how it would make a profound impression in that musical landscape.

There's a lot of love for Serek basses at the moment and they seem to keep it basic and quirky.

There's a lot of variety there. What kind of bass are you actually looking for, what are the things you like and dislike?

I haven't played Moon (yet) but have owned (and still own) quite a few other niche Japanese brands and, in my experience, they're generally a substantial improvement on your average big F (USA, MIJ, old and new ones which I no longer own) in every aspect. Forget the name on the headstock, trust your hands and your ears.