SpondonBassed

[quote name='BobVbass' timestamp='1508510485' post='3392693'] Here's our current set list I either sing lead or backing on - its a bit out of date but we normally do 70 or so a night... [/quote] [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1508520747' post='3392771'] ...some very dodgy decade allocations there... [/quote] Not that dodgy when you consider that punters watch Vintage TV and similar mass media platforms and believe it when they give the release year for a song on a music vid that was made more than a decade after the song last hit revenue thresholds (charts, if you will). If you looked for the first release of every song in a set I don't think there would be many musos that can say without question that they cover the first released version of ALL of the songs therein. You might have to be both muso and pedant with a tendency towards OCD for it to be a serious niggle anyway. This could be discussed further on a Punters vs Pedants thread but who cares? I have a big [size=5]respect[/size] for bass playing front men and women doing songs from any decade[size=5]*[/size] you'd care to mention. @ BobVBass; How long are your sets please? 70 songs a night must be heading towards [color=#0000cd]Blue[/color]ish territory. Three mins per song would make 210 minutes with no breaks and that's three and a half hours! Tell us more. [size=3]*This statement is limited to decades after the fashion for singing tripe like "[i]With a hey and a ho, hey-nonny-no![/i]" died. Other decades are available.[/size]

[quote name='honza992' timestamp='1508526731' post='3392825'] Thanks fftc & Andy. Well blow me down. As Andy says, the same thing does happen with a conventional bridge. If you play an open E then adjust the saddle so the string gets longer the pitch (of the open E) actually goes up, not down! Weird How could I never have noticed this before.....I think it must be because before moving the saddle I would de-tune, move the saddle, then re-tune, so I never actually noticed what the effect was of moving the saddle. I'm still a bit unsure as to exactly why. And does the fact that I'm using a secondary bridge to hold the strings mean that they act differently (and will intonate differently) when the strings go through the body? Or is it completely irrelevent what happends to the string once it's gone over the saddle? [/quote] Calm down, calm down. I understand your frustration. I was puzzled by this too. It is of no relevance to what you are doing and if you overthink it like I did once, you may be at risk of a minor stroke. The reason you noticed it from what you've said is that, in this instance, you did not slacken the string before moving the saddle. In my humble bumblings I say that is better practice to detune until the tension is enough to retain the string but not enough to cause much static friction between saddle and string. Static friction being greater than dynamic friction, you will find fine adjustment to the saddle is facilitated when you reduce the tension of the string because you wont get that sudden release and overshoot when the bridge starts to move. Without going into Applied Mathematics, that's as simple as I can put it. On standard bridges, if you keep the string at tuning tension, there is the additional risk of bending the longer grub screws in the saddles or damaging the finish beneath the screws as they are dragged by the string length adjustment. For those reasons it would be counter-intuitive to keep string tension on standard bridges during fine adjustment. Of course, on a standard bridge you also have string height to consider every time you change the string length. Have you any provision for that on yours or are you aiming to file the boney bit (saddle-nut?) to a final height for your chosen strings? The unexpected phenomenon that you're describing is worthy of a topic all of its own... if anyone wants to take the job? Maybe a BC masterclass on bridge and saddle placement has been done already. When we have the migration behind us the forum search engine might throw up some improved results from our older topics.

[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1508537575' post='3392900'] There's a law in Scotland forbids me from wearing spandex. I take that law seriously [/quote] I'm quite sure that is in case you need to wear a kilt over the top for a formal occasion. It would be a bit of a fashion foul-up on windy days with nothing weighting down your sporran.

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1508510861' post='3392695'] http://duhvoodooman.com/Musical/humbucker_mods/humbucker_mods.htm You can do basically any of these mods. Most of which require a switch - either a toggle switch (meaning extra holes) or you can get a volume/tone pot with a pull/push function to preserve the look of your bass. In all honesty, on a two pickup bass the only one I would personally add is a switch for both pickups in series (FAT sound), or a switch to coil tap if its a particularly beefy pickup, this will drop the volume but add more treble. With some exceptions, coil tapped humbuckers don't sound as good as true single coil pickups though. The trouble with most of these mods is that can dramatically affect the volume output as well as the tone - so if you're on a gig it's not always a simple matter of flicking a switch to get a different sound, you'll need to play with volume controls too and possibly adjust your amp tone controls. [/quote] Many thanks. I shall study that a bit more. That's a lot like a pdf someone else posted from DiMarzio which also mentions switching the phase of one of the paired coils. I understand the point about volume changes when switching from one configuration to another. With the coil split, in theory I should be able to use any of the four separated coils in any combination shouldn't I? I wanted the series/parallel option already so it's good to hear it recommended.

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1508448662' post='3392359'] No, it was mentioned quite often - have another read! [/quote] May I add that much of the criticism was of the neck for both the Jazz and the Precision. They're like Marmite and Bovril for me. I never got a taste for either of them, not even on toast.

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1508437349' post='3392249'] Shame but think they could have found another band who look and sound the same...? [/quote] I see what you've done there. Unfortunate choice of band name in this instance. I hope they recover their schedule and manage to cover their losses. It isn't all that great for the fans either but my thoughts are with the band. http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/15599254.Placebo_cancel_Tuesday_s_Swindon_gig_at_the_Oasis/: From the article - "The band have temporarily halted their 20 Years of Placebo tour while lead singer Brian Molko sees a specialist and finds out what's causing the vocal issues." Have they really been on tour for twenty years? How does that work?

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1508424895' post='3392118'] I have been using lead-free solder, and my iron melts that easily enough, but then I think I paid all of a fiver for it in Maplin. Perhaps it's worth me investing in some of the fancy silver stuff! [/quote] That suggests that you aren't getting the heat to where the fillet metal - the solder itself - is quickly enough. The pot back-shells may be sucking heat faster than your iron can supply it. I don't see any value in replacing the solder if your iron is working with the stuff you've got. It might also be that the wires are tied around the posts in addition to being soldered. Some people I know like to make a secure mechanical contact before applying any solder at all. If you have a desoldering tool to take the solder right off the connection it should be immediately apparent if this is so. Going back to the original question - is there an industrial strength solder - the answer is yes. There are two that I know off the top of my head but I know of no situation where they have been used in electrical applications. They are Silver Soldering and Brazing. The temperatures necessary to melt the filler metals (brass in the case of brazing) are high enough to destroy most electrical components very quickly. They are more for mechanical applications where a solid joint is required without melting of the parent metals. Silver Soldering; http://www.pollymodelengineering.co.uk/global/technical-notes/basic-silver-soldering.asp Brazing; http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/brazingjoints.htm

If this is already dealt with in another topic please forgive me and reply with a link to it here. I have two unknown-make humbuckers on my Pitbull. I like the sounds they make in the simple configuration that was in the kit's wiring diagram but I am interested in opening up the options as far as possible without putting in a preamp. I know I can split the output of the coils as they have four wires each. What I am not sure about is how many different ways the separated coils can be wired and switched and the benefits that result. Currently there are four pots wired as separate volume and tone for each humbucker. Can anyone suggest what might be needed in terms of a wiring scheme and additional components to expand the range of sounds I can get from the pick-ups supplied please? It's something I'd like to understand better. If it helps to see the bass a link to its assembly topic is in the sig file below but to be kind to mobile 'phone users (a first for me!) here it is; [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/308684-ibanez-tribute-kit/"]http://basschat.co.u...ez-tribute-kit/[/url]

Like Discreet says ^

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1508327758' post='3391364'] I've been using an 18W soldering iron for thirty years and never had a problem. As has been said, melting some fresh solder onto the iron bit can help, but what I always find helps with stubborn, old joints, is melting fresh solder right onto the old solder. I know it might seem odd, adding solder to an area where you want to remove it, but it has always worked everytime for me. [/quote] That's because the additional metal from your new solder absorbs heat and then that extra heat is transferred to the joint almost instantly through conduction through the larger contact area that is made by the softened metal.

With lead free solder it is worth paying for the higher grade one with silver in it. It flows and conducts much better.

[quote name='nilebodgers' timestamp='1508271387' post='3391070'] A higher wattage iron makes it easier - I have a 50W Weller TCP and that can heat a localised area on a pot very quickly indeed. A solder-sucker and/or de-soldering braid can get the old stuff off cleanly. I've managed to steer clear of lead-free solder up to now, last time I did anything professional in electronics was 2002 and we were still using lead (at least for small-scale production). I've got a big supply of standard 60/40 tin/lead for my personal use which will probably see me out :-) [/quote] True but a larger soldering bit on your iron can improve results as it physically holds more heat and does not require topping up from the electricity immediately it is applied. If the iron is not hitting the melting point however neither approach will work.

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1508245072' post='3390783'] This might be the daftest question I've ever asked on (this part of*) Basschat, but it's been bothering me for days now: is there a tougher grade of solder, with a higher melting point, that some manufacturers use in their instruments? I opened up my Hagstrom in the hope of changing the pot configuration, and for the life of me, I can seem to unsolder the original joints! I'm fairly sure the soldering iron is fine - it's 25W, I've used it for plenty of jobs in the past, and it's still melting the solder in my coil. I know heat is being transferred because I can feel the casing of the pots getting hot. Is there something else I've missed? *[size=3]I've probably asked something really chuffing stupid on other boards...[/size] [/quote] Possibly lead free solder has been used and your iron isn't hitting the melting point. That or you are using too fine a tip and all of the heat disipates too quickly into the parent metal when you strike the joint.

[quote name='Dr.Dave' timestamp='1508422122' post='3392088'] ...Mostly all done with a degree of aggression I only usually feel when using automatic check out tills , seeing or hearing the words 'Kanye West' or trying to get through on the phone to British Gas. [/quote] Nicely descriptive. I have a very clear idea of where your head is at from those three examples. This is a good topic, thanks UKL for posting. I want to start in on singing and playing at the same time so I am cherry picking for some songs to start me off. An artist by the name of Rob Strong inspired me in the Harcourt Hotel basement, Dublin, thirty years or more back but I gave up the band before doing owt about it.

Hahahahaha.

I like the way it looks amongst the plain soft furnishings. Please don't take that as an opinion on your choice of home decor, you've seen my hovel. On its own I was finding the burl a bit busy, I hope you'll forgive me for saying. I wouldn't judge it on that alone however. Also, the hardware will make the whole thing gel. It's a belter!

That's quite a nice tint in the top. It makes it look like an expensive cake with marbled icing, perfectly applied. I want to take a big big bite. Tasteful in more ways than one. The sound on this has much to live up to but I have every confidence in your ability seeing what you've done so far.

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1508414856' post='3392017'] Not seen that one but i'm now curious. [/quote] You've not seen Tina's frog dance? Gosh you've led a sheltered life. Abe; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDwaAZp73tY Tina: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLcS8auWVnY If Tina spanked as well then we'd be right up the topic.

Welcome Basshound. Is yours the composite L series Steinberger?

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1508330728' post='3391402'] It's kind of a trademark of his. I think it's fun, but I can see how it would come across as a bit like the bass equivalent of Dad Dancing... [/quote] It's a bit like Tina Weymouth's [i]Frog Dance[/i] when the big lad lets loose and spanks his plank whilst leaping about the stage. Not sure who is the sexier of the two though.

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1508367694' post='3391806'] I sense a wee bit of a pattern emerging [/quote] Yet I don't think that's as many critics as with the Squier Jazz...? I am looking forward to the site migration now as I should be able to search within text and compare numbers by make and model. It tired me out just typing that so on reflection, perhaps someone else could do that.

Jools was on the news this morning announcing a collaboration and tour with[size=4] José Feliciano. He was saying that they hit it off after Jose appeared on [i]Later.[/i][/size] The small bit of playing that I heard was dominated by piano. I don't think I'll be pursuing that one despite Jose's excellent reputation. [size=4]https://www.list.co.uk/article/95670-jools-holland-teams-up-with-jose-feliciano-for-new-lp/[/size]

Even at this stage of finish it's a piece of art. It needn't play a single note to earn pride of place in someone's collection. It will though no doubt. The sound should be special too. I'm always impressed by your builds.

Welcome Stratocaster.

[quote name='KingPrawn' timestamp='1508307960' post='3391157'] I recently owned a Jeff Berlin 5 string by Cort. It had all the right ingredients good hardware, pickups etc. However i just hated it! From the moment I plugged it in and played it, it was basically a plank. For me it lacked presence or character.It really didn't make sense as I'm sure there are loads of players using them. It's not as if Cort are not a reputable manufacturer I was so glad to move it on. I know we can be fickled bunch at times, so I was wondering what bass you've owned that just didn't work for you? [/quote] A Fender Squier fretless jazz put me off all Fenders forever. While some of the issues I had would not be present on other Fenders, the massive headstock always would. I always felt like I was in a remake of "The Plank". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUbcaE44cSw