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Obrienp

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Everything posted by Obrienp

  1. Obrienp
    Got to ask: what is that bass? Supplementary question: how are you finding the Terror Bass/GR Slim combination?
  2. Obrienp
    Had a 3 hour gig in a pub this afternoon. I was a little nervous as it was about 3 weeks since our last one and I thought I might get blisters but tried the superglue trick (the gel in fact). No blisters afterwards, so I am definitely going to do that again. Gig went well. Lots of compliments from the punters and a “drop us an email when you want to play again” from the manager, so all good.
  3. Obrienp
    It looks like a great bass with some excellent upgrades. I am not so sure about the depth of the neck, as shallow seems to work better with my arthritis. I will certainly keep it in mind for when I get some more cash together but I suspect you won’t have any trouble selling it.
  4. Obrienp
    Sorry, my original post wasn’t very clear: I have a few 30” basses that I bought when I decided to sell my standard scale instruments. One of those shorties is an Acinonyx, which is nearly 31” . This got me wondering whether I can: a) manage a 32” with my arthritis; b) whether there is any advantage to the slightly longer scale. Like you say, the best way is to try one.
  5. Obrienp
    Thanks but this isn’t helping my GAS 😀. The strategy is to try a medium scale: I have offloaded all my 34” basses in favour of short scale because of arthritis in my left hand. I am now wondering if I could manage a 32” . To avoid making an expensive mistake, my strategy is to try out a cheaper medium scale like a secondhand Ibbie Mezzo and if it works OK, go for something like a Maruszczyk. Unfortunately, even a Mezzo is in doubt at the moment because of the previously mentioned financial hit. I am having to hide my credit card!
  6. Obrienp
    Awesome! Sounded fantastic! Pretty cool pics too.
  7. Obrienp
    Thanks for the info on Maruszczyk ordering folks. Unfortunately, recent unexpected expense means it is not likely to happen for a bit but it is good to know how to go about it.
  8. Obrienp
    As a matter of interest did you order direct with Maruszczyk/Public Peace, or through Bass Direct? Just wondering what is the best way to do it from a cost/lack of customs hassles perspective.
  9. Obrienp
    That’s a good point. The horrible Vox Clubman I had as a teenager, definitely had narrower bridge spacing than 19mm (also guitar machine heads like Hofner) and I can imagine the same applied to the other European makes you mention. In contrast my newish Vox Starstream H1 has 19mm spacing and a standard Stingray style pickup, which as you point out means the use of plentiful, and more importantly, cheap components. I suspect cash is the the important driver here, more than economising on design flair/effort: the Startstream can hardly be considered conventional from a design perspective. Huge generalisation I know but traditionally short scale basses were synonymous with “student” instruments (Gibson being a notable exception) and therefore, they needed to be cheap. That seems to have carried over to the present day but perhaps is fading, as premium short scales are becoming more common: viz Nordstrand, Maruszczyk, Sandberg, etc. Nordstrand made the effort and had Hipshot make a custom 16.5 spacing bridge but the others just seem to use the common parts bin. Maybe this is because a lot of them are reduced scale versions of existing models, rather than uniquely short scale offerings. I guess another argument might be that players moving from full scale feel more comfortable with the string spacing they had on their big boy basses. This doesn’t really excuse not scaling down the body though: viz the Ibanez EHBs and there are other culprits out there. In the case of the Ibanez EHBs they get away with it, as weight and balance are fine but with some you end up with unnecessary weight, bulk and poor balance.
  10. Obrienp
    Nice looking bass. Interesting to hear it is lightweight. I am sure I have seen posts from others that said they are heavy but they were referring specifically to the Wattplower 2.
  11. Obrienp
    PMT have a preorder on the 90th Anniversary Ltd short scale bass that seems to use a 330 body. Only 1p under £5,200! I guess somebody can afford it.
  12. Obrienp
    Hi Simon, I would love to be able to help with that but I no longer have the EHB1000S. I sold it to fund a Nordstrand Acinonyx I had incoming after a long wait. Nothing wrong with the EHB1000S by the way, just trying to operate a one in/one out policy. In the case of the Acinonyx it was two out! If I remember correctly, the EHB gig bag was guitar sized and amazingly compact. My Les Paul went into it and was a snug enough fit length wise but don’t take my word on it. I am sure there are other owners on this forum who might be able to do a quick measure up. As a travel guitar, I am not sure it would be compact enough for most airlines to let you put it in an overhead locker but it is a while since I tried that, so maybe rules have changed. Have you considered the Hofner shortie, or one of those purpose made travel basses? Good luck with your search! Pat
  13. Obrienp
    🤣🤣 yes I do. Probably should have said, “trailer as a stage”.
  14. Obrienp
    Played outside at a classic car rally at Snetterton racetrack on Sunday. Only the second time I have played on a trailer stage. It turned out to be character forming. In the pic you can see the sound team scratching their heads after the first generator spiked and blew out the power amp for the bass bins before we had finished setting up. Two alternative generators were found and we finally got a stable enough power supply to power our amps plus a couple of column PAs and two powered speakers. The technical hassles put us on edge, so we had a bit of a shaky start but got into our stride after a few numbers. Unfortunately, playing to a much smaller crowd than anticipated: after a month of drought in East Anglia, the heavens decided to open just before the gig. Plus, there was a race meeting on the track behind us, a Grand Prix and the football on the TV, so lots of distractions for the petrol heads. It also rained again during the gig, so it turned into a bit of a drive-in with people sitting in their cars with the windows down some of the time. After doing our two hour gig, the main act turned up but without their rhythm section who had tested positive for Covid. After a hasty crisis meeting, me and our drummer agreed to step in. They did a few numbers with just the two guitars and harmonica player, then we joined them and jammed it out. You can do that with the blues!
  15. Obrienp
    I am afraid you are right. The more you play the tougher they get. An extended gap between gigs and they go soft. Practice sessions don’t seem to count. I keep trying to turn the volume up and play gentler but as the rest of the band get louder (and quicker) I find myself hitting the strings really hard. It will have been 3 weeks off by the time I do my next gig, today week and the blood blister from the last one has peeled off leaving new skin. Guess I’ll be starting the toughening cycle all over again. I find a glass of ice between sets seems to calm the blisters down a bit but that is not always available. I watched a YouTube clip of Leo Lyon’s doing an extended solo and it looked as though he was periodically licking his finger tips. I am guessing it was to reduce friction. I might give it a try.
  16. Obrienp
    I think copper tape shielding and grounding wire is the way to go but then I am obsessed with shielding every bass I get my hands on, so maybe not completely objective on this subject!
  17. Obrienp
    Yes. I am really pleased with my rig too. I’m surprised that there aren’t more posts about the Orange stuff but I guess the orange tolex is a bit marmite. I think the flats probably do have quite a lot to do with the treble deficit but the OBCs are pretty vintage voiced. The bassist in the band that was on immediately after us, at the same venue at the Dereham Blues Festival on Saturday, had Aguilar gear. I think the cabs were 12s too but much larger than the OBCs. They seemed to be quite a struggle to lug around, especially in the heat. They made an impressive sized stack but I couldn’t be doing with the size and weight (and no doubt cost).
  18. Obrienp
    I only just came across this thread. I have the same set up with a V2 version of the Terror. I use it in clean mode all the time with the gain not much above 1/4 and volume about 1/3, and I am being constantly told to turn down by our sound guy and drummer. This rig really does chuck it out and plenty of bass. I have noticed some resonance from the OBC112 cabs but not from the amp. My Barefaced One10 has even more resonance at certain frequencies/notes. I guess it is part of the trade off between weight and density of the cabinet materials. A price worth paying for lightweight and portability IMO. You can always play with the EQ a bit to tame the resonant frequency. I do sometimes get some rattle from the amp but it goes when I tighten up the screws that hold the top cover on. How do you feel about your rig now you have had it a few months? Pathetic I know but when I see pictures of my band in action, I always think the OBCs look too small. The guitarists’ combos are bigger than my cabs! Not a valid reason for getting an 8 x 10 I know, even if I could: a) afford it; b) lift it into the car; c) fit it into the car.
  19. Obrienp
    I am not really bothered how the presets are delivered. It’s the concept of having them for both pickup selection and tone. I would be equally happy with a strat style switch to get the 5 pickup selections on the Acinonyx and I guess the tone presets could be on a rotary, variotone style switch. Time will tell if the buttons last the course. They seem pretty robust to me. I would expect you to get something better out of a custom built bass, compared to a mass produced Far Eastern product. I think the Acinonyx delivers a lot in terms of playability, build quality, quality of components and versatility for the money. I can’t think of another short scale bass at the same price point I would prefer but that is obviously IMHO. The only thing I wanted to change about it was the volume knob and that is unusual for this price point.
  20. Obrienp
    Thanks for the heads up on Armie’s. I’ll remember to steer clear, if we get picked for next year’s DBF. I wouldn’t be playing Norfolk pubs, if I was looking to make money TBH. It’s more for enjoyment. When you tot up all the hours spent loading and unloading gear, travelling to venues and playing the gig, you earn much less than the minimum wage. That’s before you consider the hours of practice and the cost of gear. I think you definitely got a result with the Strat! Good deal!
  21. Obrienp
    I like the Co ck, not sure about the others. We had the Bull on Friday evening (that was a step in for an act that couldn’t make it), which is a good outside gig. The Red Lion and the Cherry Tree on Saturday. Both of those were sweltering but an enthusiastic group of punters in them.
  22. Obrienp
    Wow! Luxury stage! We dream of having that kind of space. Very impressive for a beer festival!
  23. Obrienp
    I did 3 gigs at the Dereham Blues Festival this weekend too. Only a half hour drive for me. We nearly melted getting the gear in and out of the venues on Saturday but you can’t blame the organisers for the weather. We had a blast and I would happily do it again but then, I don’t have to travel far and it is great publicity for local bands (kind of makes up for the money situation). We picked up a few bookings as a result.
  24. Obrienp
    I would agree with that. It doesn’t really have a bright setting in the same way as say, a Jazz bass. Even the bridge pickup solo is pretty bassy. Nothing like as bright as a Jazz bridge pickup and it has much more grunt. That’s not to say the highs aren’t there, it’s just that the bass and mids don’t fall away to the same extent. There is no drop in volume between neck and bass pickup. I am still getting used to them but the switches on the Acinonyx are no gimmick. It’s great to have those preset tones at the push of a button.
  25. Obrienp
    Good luck with your experimentation. These issues can be extremely vexing to sort out! The bridge jazz pickup cavity certainly needs shielding, if your TMB35 is like mine, which had no graphite paint in that area but did under the precision pickup (bizarre).
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