Dr.Dave

[quote name='Merton' post='40085' date='Aug 1 2007, 04:55 PM']Been told by my chiropractor I'm actually right hand-dominant, which makes sense. Can't play bass left-handed at all, or squash.[/quote] Right - I'm a Doctor , me , so I know these things. Without thinking about it , clasp your hands together like you were praying but with your fingers wrapped round to form a balled double fist. Which thumb is on top? That's your dominant side. If you have the other thumb on top it feels uncomfortable. If they both feel OK you're ambidextrous. As to the 'which hand do you masturbate with' test - got me thinking...... If you lie on your arm for a bit before you play bass - does it feel like somebody else is playing it ??

I had a GK combo - same head as the 400RB. Loved it but it got tatty and had to go. Of late I've been using an 400RB Mk3 head I bought used - it was meant to be a short term thing until I got something more powerful and 'hi-fi' sorted. I got an Eden , didn't care for it - tried an EBS , didn't care for it , a Mark bass , didn't care for it - so I came up with the correct solution for me...and bought a new Mk4 !! It's core sound is very me , it's facilities are handy and it didn't cost a packet. Be nice if it had a tuner out on the back too but the tuner in on the back of my Korg is knackered so I just link it at the front which looks a bit scruffy in the rack. That's the only crit I can think of.

Thanks for all your comments. I do like the idea of it being a Stuker - even better , a Stuka !!! The painting behind me I got at a craft fair a bit back - no idea what it is but Mrs Doc et moi both went 'I like that' at the same time so we bought it.

It cost £250 - though would have been much less if I hadn't wanted the high gloss finish. No plans to upgrade the EQ...............................................for the mo!! I am going to send the neck off to Sims for side LEDs though , probably fairly soon. I spoke to them and can keep the cost down by doing the final wiring myself , doesn't seem too difficult.

Anybody remember this??.... It's the Status series 3000 I picked up off the bay for a reasonable ammount of brick early this year. Anyway - Mr Shuker has had it for the past few months but inally got it back today with it's nice new top. It's spalted beech - the bit of maple we chose was gouged by a faulty machine. I hated it's MFI look and the top covers the nasty dings that used to be in the body. I like the high gloss finish too. Next stage is sending the neck off to Sims to have side lights installed. Here it is today.

if anyone here buys it for the pups/bridge only , I'll give them a fiver for the 4 grub screws in the head end string retainer.

Hofner Violin Bass Fender Precision * Hofner somehing or other Fender Musicmaster Gibson Grabber Hohner B2 Antoria Precision defretted another Gibson Grabber Fender Telecaster bass* Status Energy Fender Jazz KGB 5 Shuker Custom * Status Energy 5 Shuker Fretless * Epiphone Explorer * Status series 3000 * Still got the * Amps? You name them - I've blown them up! Eden's,GK's,Hartke's,Marshall's,TE's....don't have much luck on the amp front.

Welsh T himself will only have 75% of your worries, the great man being ...er....digitally challenged!!! I'll give you a 10 min break on Sun aft. you poor old soul , so long as you put some chalk marks on the triumph!!

[quote name='finnbass' post='33199' date='Jul 17 2007, 06:50 PM']Dave, that stuff sticks like sh1t to a blanket. You will have to chisel your amp out of the rack case even if you do tape it all up.[/quote] Just tested it by sticking a sandwich bag in an envelope and squirting it in. Buggered off and had some nosebag - when I returned a nice , solid , sandwich bag enclosed, lump of expanding foam came straight out of the inside of a spotless envelope. I'm tempted. Even though my butty went stale in the fridge. Maybe I should have used a new one.

[quote name='five-string.co.uk' post='32885' date='Jul 17 2007, 09:46 AM']As far as the insided is concerned, i've fitted a little battery powered LED (camping) light into the roof of my larger rack case. This serves as a great light source to prevent 'mole-eyed-squinting' on stage. Do a search on the 'bay for one. Hope i've helped, Greg [/quote] I already use one of those plug shaped baby night lights that go straight into the 4 gang. Quid from Wilkinson. Point is ,if the insides of racks were white we may not need to. I hadn't thought of the 'insulator' effect of using foam. Underneath though wih a fan side mounted?? It won't be messy or spoil the amp/rack because I had a further idea of squirting it into a pre positioned cheap sandwich bag. Anyway I'm glad of the input - any more reasons why it might be a crap idea?

I was putting the new gear in the new ABS 4u yest. The amp is well off the bottom and I was wondering what to pack the space with to reduce the strain on the front. Ideal material would be light,cheap,strong,easy to install and fit perfectly. Brainwave..... why not cover the amp and rack surfaces with low tac tape to protect them and squirt some builders expanding foam into the gap. The stuff they fill door/window frames with. Weighs nothing,it's strong when set,exact fit,piss simple to get in the right place and cheap as chips. So long as you avoid getting it near fans or other orifices can anybody think why that's a really sh*t idea before I try it? While I'm on. I can see why rack's tend to be black - but where is it written that the inside should be black too. Why not white so we can see in the back better.

As promised - here's the new 'A' rig. The Mark Bass amp , bought from our very own Rohan , arrived this morning and now it's in the rack along with the korg tuner and AT wireless receiver. The Ashdown 2x10 compact , freshly ebayed - pairs up with my existing 1x15 compact. Sounds great in the house - chance to test it all out in anger on Friday in York. At the pub venue where something bad always happens to me!!! On the half rack blank plate is an old Ashdown name plate , just because it was laying about. I'm thinking of half rack FX or a straight half rack compressor to fill it properly. All suggestions welcome.

Just bought a Mark Bass head from Rohan. He know's how to pack stuff up well I can tell you. He even sorted , and paid for , the delivery - despite me doing all that being the deal we'd agreed. Top man in my opinion - Thanks Rohan for a great bit of kit.

Just to be a sort of fly in the ointment... We did a festival type gig a bit back ago and forgot to load my 1x15 , leaving just my mini 48. What was in the trailer were 2 turbo sound bass bins from our PA which weren't needed that day so I hooked up one of those. Got a phenomenal sound!! It was a one off though. Horses for courses generally and sure you could find a scruffy old bass guitar cab that the great unwashed can spill their pints on.

Nice to see a 'different' Fender. So different I've never actually seen one except in pics. I like it's quirky look - reminds me of the Parker Fly's in a way.

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='31662' date='Jul 14 2007, 07:38 AM']what is your new rig to be , Dave?[/quote] Ashdown cab wise ,out goes the mini 48 to be replaced by a just aquired 2x10 compact paired with the existing compact 15. In the 4u ABS rack in my kitchen sits the Audio Technica wireless reciever - awaiting installation of my existing Korg tuner and the Mark Bass old style Little Mark I just bought here. The GK 400RB head will live in a 2u rackbag and stay home with the mini 48 for small gigs, maybe paired with the compact 15 again if they're not that small. I'll tune with the Korg AX300b multi FX with this rig and use a couple of the patches. I'm looking at half rack multi FX to fill the gap in the 4u. The big GK 1001rb head get's sold. It's really a variation of the 2 rig system I almost had completed when some theiving pikey scum relieved me of it.(that was Hartke 3500/korg tuner(the one you sold me!)/zoom FX -racked- and the huge Ashdown 15+2x10 cab) 'B' rig had to be adapted and pressed into service for everything. (the 400RB,tuner,compact 15 and mini 48). It's been so good it's taken the bigger gigs we're doing now with the trib band to feel the need for change. Pics will be forthcoming !!!!

I feel like an intruder on this forum - FX and me never having had that much time for each other. I use a bit of slow chorus from time to time , and recently a touch of overdrive/distortion for the ZZ trib band. I've always been a fan of the octave pedal when playing fretless up the dusty end too. I'm also pig idle. How many gigs I must have done with the pedals still in the gig box. I'm always scared of batterys going , wary of those thin, piddly adaptor cables and I can't bare the lead in front of me anyway - tripped once too often. Anyway - my new trib band rack is almost complete and it has a half rack space left. Looking around I see a few Boss half rack units , ranging from the older SE50 to the newer VF1. I've no interest in tap dancing with midi pedals etc , just want a few basic presets that I've ...er...preset(!) that I can't NOT use because they're already powered up in the rack. So - anyone use or used these units , comments please - anyone got a half rack alternative for a tight arsed dinosaur?

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='30656' date='Jul 12 2007, 12:02 PM']Must get to another of your gigs Dave - Wayne58's gonna come with me.[/quote] With any luck - my new rig (the rack at least , may be using generic cabs) will be in evidence at the Clarence Park Festival here in Wakefield on Sun 22nd July. We're doing a 40 min slot at 7.45 pm with our ZZ trib band 'Eliminator' All welcome - I'm the one in a ridiculous long beard fighting the Explorer!!!

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='30576' date='Jul 12 2007, 09:32 AM']Hi Russ, I need a new compressor and wondered about buying a half rack unit (Presonus Blue Max) to mount on the right of my rack unit (see above) cos I'm pretty sure it won't reach the fan but are you sure that a half width space is enough not to cause problems?[/quote] If you do get the half rack comp. I'd be very interested to hear how you get on. I've a half space next to my wireless above my tuner and (soon to be) Mark bass amp. Needs filling and a dedicated comp. is something I'd actually find useful. Certainly worth a trip over the hiils to watch you using it.

Bit of a change of direction but when your much sought after and long awaited bit of new kit arrives - do you ever get that strange feeling after you've had it home for 20 mins that you've had it for ages. Always happens to me , wondered if anyone else is the same.

The most reliable amp in the world is the one that hasn't let you down....yet. It's a box of electronic witchcraft - it can go wrong , I promise you. I could give you a list of all the 'name' brand amps that have let me down. Quicker to just say 'all of them'. Hearing what others say is very useful - a forum like this is esp good - re. reliability of any bit of gear. Some gear has a higher build quality than others. The more functions an amp has the more bits there are to go wrong. A bit of sensible common sense maintainance or a service every so often never goes amiss. All of those things may help. But there's no guarantees.

If I can carry a spare of it I will. Remember that if you use a 20ft lead , the 12ft spare in your box is no spare at all. I have a small tool kit too , encourage the other members to get their own. I'm happy to lend mine to anyone but when you're all rushing around setting up chances are they'll forget to return 'that' screwdriver. If you have 2 square inches of space anywhere - put a new PP3 battery in it. My mic stand beer holder might be a gag from time to time but get one. If you don't - I guarantee one day you'll put your drink on your amp , even if only absent mindedly. I like Slaphappy's idea of carrying a DI box in case the amp goes tits up. I'll start doing that - thanks matey. And for Jaco's sake get a pair of decent working gloves. Use them for loading/unloading.