Beer of the Bass

Trump also just pardoned the Silk Road founder, a marketplace site that facilitated a large volume of illicit drug sales to the US, which doesn't seem to me like the action of someone who cares deeply about tackling opioid addiction. I think he sees it primarily as a stick to beat Mexico with, IMO.

It'll be interesting to see what it does for my favoured Martin acoustic guitar strings, given that they're made in Mexico by a US based company. I don't know what their international distribution route is, but if they're coming via Martin USA and then sent out to UK and EU distributors, that could add a fair whack.

It looks like it's just a P-Bass pickup mounted on a plastic project box with volume and tone controls, and a bracket that attaches to the fingerboard underside with velcro. Less elegant than some, but it would save some tinkering if you wanted to go the P-Bass pickup route.

Perfect!

I would also settle for a man in an elaborate badger suit.

I will be disappointed if he's not an actual badger.

Hmm, yeah, now I look him up he's worked with a lot of people, but he's definitely a bit of a "deep cut" figure in the scene.

I feel like Jonas Hellborg might have the biggest musical recognition/signature gear ratio. Who does he play with - can anyone name a project, album or song without Google? I know I can't, but the gear is everywhere!

I just got back a balalaika from a friend I shared a flat with 20 years ago and had entirely forgotten about (the balalaika, not the friend!). Mines a fairly plain one with 6 strings, a paper label on the back of the headstock says Reghin, Made in Romania. Looking around online, there are several tunings for the 6 string balalaika. I've just stuck the top three pairs of a mandolin set on and tuned it GDG, a fourth above trichordo bouzouki tuning. But it's mostly going to be a wall hanger.

I suppose Spirocores are still a big seller even if a lot of players (and especially forum users) have moved away from that style of string. Without wanting to get political, I'm wondering if part of the drive for them to break into the string market is in anticipation of market conditions becoming unfavourable for European products in the US, and US bassists looking to domestic suppliers.

It can be done - in jazz, Charlie Haden was capable of being downright economical, and in fusion, think of someone like Rick Laird on the Mahavishnu Orchestra stuff.

I bought this bass from them, it's an old, well-worn German flatback that was at a very good price but needed some work to play as well as it could. I asked them about having some specific work done at the time, but they seemed disinterested and the attitude was "well, I wouldn't bother". So I bought it as it was and took it to Kenny MacDonald in Edinburgh (now retired). He set it up very well, just there's been some movement in the wood in the intervening years, plus I've lightened up my touch so my ideal setup has changed a little. That was 17 years ago, so I suppose it's possible The Violin Shop are a bit more receptive to deal with these days.

I think I'd be inclined to read up on the job and go DIY before taking it to a guitar shop - it's the kind of adjustment that really takes some understanding of the playing of the instrument to get right. Neil M is one I may try contacting again (presuming my car MOT next week doesn't leave me too skint), I may just have inadvertently picked a busy week to email last time.

I had an early 80s Aria TSB550 that did a similar thing with the spacing (narrow at the bridge, normal at the nut, so it tapers less than a Fender neck). Those are medium scale though, and I don't know whether the long scale models are the same.

Most models of WEM Dominator were open backed combos, I suspect there's a reason why almost nobody has made an open backed combo for bass since then.

The fingerboard on my bass (installed back in 2008) has had some slight movement in the wood under the G string above the octave and needs some minor re-dressing. I'm wondering if the overall amount of scoop from the original setup might be reduced a touch for the way I play now, too. Both the people who have worked on this bass while I've had it have now retired due to ill health. There's one local name who a couple local bassists have mentioned as being the guy to go to, but I can't get an email or phone answer from him and I don't want to seem too pushy. Do the basschat massive know of anyone else doing bass setup work in Scotland currently? There are a couple of classical oriented general string shops who I've not had wonderful dealings with in the past, and any number of guitar luthiers, but someone with some bass familiarity (and especially pizz setup for jazz) would be preferable. I'm I'm Glasgow, but anywhere Central Scotland is possible.

An interesting one here, Upton in the US appear to be getting into the string business. While almost all new string designs in the past 20 years have been either going for low tension gut-like or for a darker sounding hybrid or orchestral string, these are less damped, bright and sustaining in the Spirocore mode. It'll be interesting to see how they're received on their release - I like that type of sound but I get the impression it's not what's fashionable for many styles today. I probably wouldn't jump on them straight away myself, and I don't know what the pricing will be like compared to European-made strings, but it's interesting to see.

Apparently more common than you'd think with small builders, because the market for solid body guitars and steel string acoustics still demands nitrocellulose, and the logistics of setting up spray facilities to modern safety and environmental standards don't always add up for a smaller operation.

I've never owned a rig that did more than 200 Watts into 2 x 12" speakers, and I can't think of a pub gig that wouldn't be fine for in the styles I play. I take out a 50 watt Ampeg PF50T a lot of the time, though that could be right at its limit if it's a good sized room relying on backline for the volume.

For some reason I've been targeted for "comedian DESTROYS Woke heckler" and a lot of "Western values" far-right pipeline stuff in my YouTube recommendations. I wouldn't even mind the odd boob or crotch by comparison with that stuff!

I do feel like Beato's videos have taken a turn towards the tone being "You are not a big serious studio pro like me, and will simply never understand what makes me and <namedrop> pals so great". All a bit self-aggrandising and tiresome IMO.

A little bigger than the ones discussed here, but I built a compact cab a few years ago with the 4ohm 10FE200 that's been quite continuously useful, and to my surprise it's still going despite being pushed quite hard on a few occasions. There's an 8 ohm version too, but the specs are a little different such that the 4-ohm works better for a ported cab. I intended it to be a small cab for low volume double bass use, but it's come along for messy parties and festivals with the electric bass where I don't want to carry anything larger around too. It's not huge in the lows, but at least as good as the Euphonic Audio Wizzy 10 I was using before that, and smoother in the upper mids.

I haven't heard of this approach - the heel forms a physical landmark, and I feel like you can form an awareness of the spacing of positions in between the nut and heel fairly quickly. And precise intonation is still mostly about listening and muscle memory - markers will tend to help with getting the right note but not so much with getting that note in tune. I have used dots on the fingerboard face from the octave upwards from time to time, either stickers or marked with a white fabric marking pencil. Yeah, it's a crutch, but it can help build confidence up in thumb position and help nail things in fewer takes when recording.

If you're running into a distorted amp or pedals, certain intervals in equal tempered tuning give you particularly nasty sounding intermodulation. It's one of the reasons why root/fifth (no third) power chords caught on in rock music. If you do use any thirds or sixths, they sound sweeter if you adjust to approximate "just intonation" in the key you're playing in, and it's particularly noticeable with some gain. So my guess is that he would have been going for that.

I'm a little wary of the 432 thing because, while deciding you prefer a different pitch is quite harmless in itself, people rarely have just one unusual belief and once you open yourself to the conspiracy worldview, some of the ideas going around are a lot less benign.