SpondonBassed

Is that like receiving an explosive wedgie? Hazardous.

So I'd get change from a queen's ransom? Excellent value for money. Three months is better than some folks have to wait for too.

That's a voluptuous pair of volutes you have there. (I like a volute)

Thanks. There's no need to go out of your way, I was just curious. It was just that I'd never seen one totally constructed from sheet metal before. Even Leo's BBOT has saddles made from round stock.

I bet you're not sad about the trojan horse gag now. Congratulations! Just don't invite me around for tea for at least six months. The two of you are bound to be unbearably smug with yourselves. Heeheehee

Congratulations! I'm happy for you. There are people with double garages that don't get anything like the value you get out of your workspace. They think that merely having the space and the tools is enough! (Any chance you could whip me up a five string fretless when you get a minute?)

Sorry. So... have you any more images of the bridge on that one?

Hahahaha! No. I'd look at owning one in the same way that I'd look at dating a supermodel. Having wet dreams about one is okay but living with one is totally different.

Have you got a Ricky now?

That'd be just the job for making knobs. Heeheehee

Les's Apres Gig Food Guide for the Weekend Warrior Following on from a long running theme of his on the Basschat Status Update feed, @Les has given his kind permission for this to be extended as an item for the September Basschat Podcast. Les would regularly report on what food outlets he and the band found open late at night on their way home from gigs in their patch*. This was a deeply altruistic thing to do. It would surely help other BC members to know where, on their way home from a gig, they could get food in an area that they might not have been familiar with otherwise. Now we’d like to hear where Basschat members have been able to get fed on their way home from late night gigs everywhere and not just at “the centre of the known universe”. Forget all other Internet food guides. We are talking word of mouth here. Personal experience is what we want. Although you can post a photo of your meal here we really want to gather information from locations around the UK that we can mention in the podcast. International recommendations are welcome too. Include as a minimum these details please: Name of outlet Location by county and street/road name with a post code or grid reference if possible Day and time of day at which you got served. We don't want to make this about how good or bad the establishment is but you should mention if there is anything special that you like or dislike about the place. * Wigan being the centre of the known universe at the time.

I know. I'm only pulling your leg. That's a good collection of beautiful instruments you have there. Your earlier post was informative and of interest especially as you included some very good photos to illustrate what you were describing. Cheers!

It looks cold on this P and warm with the orange on the other P. If you managed to get the tonal characteristics to do the same it'd be a trick.

That works well. I am not fond of chrome dominated schemes but the chrome is certainly not dominated here.

@Maude That bridge looks like a one-off. Have you any more images of it please?

...your honour.

Thanks. Apart from buckling, a problem that may occur over time is work hardening of the aluminium where it flexes around the extended end pin. It leads to fatigue cracking. I don't think it's impossible to rework the instrument with bonded stiffeners behind the pin mount though. The branding plate would conceal the modification. Any half-decent aircraft fitter would be able to do the job. It's worth keeping in mind if your instrument shows signs of cracking later on. With the branding plate in the way you'd only know there were cracks forming by increased movement of the end pin but it is not a fatal flaw in the design. It sounds as if you have the instrument tweaked to perfection for your needs however. If the half extension works, why fix it?

You're welcome.

What was I thinking? I'll get my hair shirt out and wear it all day as penance. Heeheehee Even a strap isn't wide enough to deliver the full fat chequer board motif successfully though. I suppose it's in line for a pick guard if you want to be completist about it. Personally, I like the contrast between the natural finish bass and the three decorated ones.

You are welcome. The biggest problem with Allen headed bolts is that you tend to get poorly made Allen keys. It is possible to get high quality keys that drive from the flank as opposed to the points of the hexagonal cross section. They will prolong the life of the internal wrenching surface of the bolt. Such keys are expensive. Even if you have a set, it just takes one slip with a cheap key to compromise the socket in the bolt head. This is called camming out as mentioned in the extract below. With Torx fasteners, the socket shape is complex and both the bolts and the keys are made to tighter tolerances. That is not to say that you can't find poorly made Torx keys. It just means that you are less likely to find them than with Allen keys. In this application the bolts will be used time and time again for string changes hence my recommendation. From the Wikipedia description: "The hexalobular socket screw drive, often referred to by the original proprietary brand name Torx ( /ˈtɔːrks/) or by the alternative generic name star drive, uses a star-shaped recess in the fastener with six rounded points. It was designed to permit increased torque transfer from the driver to the bit compared to other drive systems. The drive was developed in 1967[44] by Camcar Textron.[45] Torx is very popular in the automotive and electronics industries because of resistance to cam out, and extended bit life, as well as reduced operator fatigue by minimizing the need to bear down on the drive tool to prevent cam out. A tamper-resistant Security Torx head has a small pin inside the recess. Owing to its six-fold symmetry, a Torx driver can also be used as an improvised substitute for a hex driver, although careful sizing is critical to prevent stripping the socket."

Puckering is a major problem with vinyl. Have you considered a zip-up solution?

Do we get a prize for spotting the odd one out? You need a black and white chequered strap like the one in my signature photo for that one.

May we know what that is? I'm keen to hear how you get on. Great post.

Ignore >>>this<<<. >>>This<<< is interesting, although it is a commercial message in essence. It's nice to hear that the woodwind section has a solution to shrinkage. I looked up some of the suggestions for the types of oil used and generally the feeling seems to be to avoid petroleum (mineral) based oils and use one of several suggested vegetable oils. Apricot and Almond Oils were among them. It appears that untreated, moisture can escape from a timber surface and cause distortion and shrinkage. A finish coat or a regular light treatment with one of the recommended oils helps to prevent such degradation. It looks as if fruit and nut oils are the way forward.

Did I see Torx bolt heads? Good move. Allen headed bolts are not durable in high torque situations.