Count Bassy

Hello again, If I am right then a remarkable coincidence has caused me to break my self imposed exile ( have been lurking but not posting for about 6 months) Anyway, I seem to recall someone posting a photograph of a a car reg 'BA55 STU' several months ago. I only followed that very registration tonight, north bound on the M25 from the queue for the Dartford tunnel to the end of the road works (10 - 15 miles in all!). Wow (or nor if I'm wrong) The count

I am a mature (i.e. 54) Rock/Blues/Soul bassist looking to join or form local(ish) band (eg. within 25ish miles of Daventry), for regular gigging and fun. I’ve been playing bass seriously for about 4 years, and would class myself as competent and reliable, but not flash (- no slapping!). If you are looking for someone who has a repertoire of hundreds of songs, or can reproduce a bass line after one listen, or wants to play more than an occasional modern pop song, then I’m probably not for you. However, if you’re after someone who will work hard to learn new material, and make a full contribution to the band, then I might be the one you’re looking for. I have played with a couple of bands doing a variety of Classic Rock, both old time and newer blues, and old time R&B (E.g. Free, purple, Hendrix, BB king, Freddy King, Ben E King, Kinks, George Thorogood, T-Bone walker, Dr Feelgood, Fleetwood Mac, Robert Palmer, SRV, etc). I love this stuff, but am up for anything vaguely in the same vein. Reasonable gear and own transport

Personally, even though its a flight case, I would put a couple of layers of bubble wrap around it at least. It would be a real shame if it turned up with a huge scratch on it, even if it didn't affect the function at all. The couriers will throw this around far more than a roady would. Also depends on the flight case of course. There are flight cases and 'flight cases'.

Isn't some of the problem simply that you just can't hear yourself properly. Your blocking out a major aural input (Mouth to ear via the air) while flooding the remaining one (Bone transmission) with the sound track. I know at one singer who wears earplugs (wisely), but if there is then no foldback he goes a bit flat. No earplugs or earplugs + foldback and he's fine. Edited to add: I can generally sign very in tune, but if I'm singing along at a concert where I can't hear myself well, or just through the bone then I know go out of tune (I've heard it and it's not pretty).

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='1319797' date='Jul 28 2011, 09:51 PM'][/quote] Oh yes.

Pete Stroud And I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned Boz Burrel. Possibly not the best technically, but very inspirational in showing that fretless bass can be used in rock songs without a load of fret(less) w***ery bollocks. Off topic edit : I still think it great that I can't say the W word above, but I can say 'Twat'.

[quote name='Johnston' post='1318805' date='Jul 27 2011, 10:40 PM'][url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=144326&hl=buttery"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...&hl=buttery[/url][/quote] So it's been seen before. Still funny though so thanks to the OP for posting it again.

[quote name='spinynorman' post='1318318' date='Jul 27 2011, 02:46 PM']I have 2 Rippers. I find them well balanced and the necks are delightful to play. Then there's the electronics. The controls are all attached to the pickguard, as are the pickups in the '78. And there is an earth wire from one of the pots to the bridge. So, to work on the wiring you have remove, or at least loosen, the strings, remove the entire pickguard, unsolder the earth, and on the '75 either unscrew or unsolder the pickups.[/quote] I actually have some sympathy with Gibson and other builders on this. They build the guitar on the basis that the electronics work and will not [b]need[/b] to be dismantled, at least until the pots are worn out (which should be a long time). They do not build them with the thought that someone will want to modify or upgrade their design.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1312726' date='Jul 22 2011, 01:53 PM']If it's done wrong you can certainly muck up the overall capacitance of the bass which will do horrid things to the sound. But done correctly and with attention to detail there's no reason not to shield out the entire bass. I'm sure I've posted these before but here are a couple of mine.... [/quote] Just curious as to why you didn't do the sides of the control cavity in the top photo?

I know that some people on here slag off Bill Wyman as a bass player, but I saw him and the Rhythm kings at the Bury St Edmunds AbbeyFest last night and it was a cracking show, and that includes Mr Wyman himself. Not flash, possibly not even adventurous, but (IMHO) exactly what the music needed, which is what makes a good bassist (IMHO again).

Don't want to teach granny etc, but treat Nitromoors with respect. A bit on the hands/arms only takes 15 seconds or so before you feel it, so you really don't want this stuff in your eyes. Wear safety specs!

[quote name='CliveT' post='1295616' date='Jul 7 2011, 08:18 AM']That's interesting. What bass are you using? I have a Commando combo from the mid 90's and it's been a great workhorse. It's got passive eq so 'flat' is bass = 0, mids = 10 and treble = 0. I find that settings works pretty well most of the time with the odd tweak depending on the room.[/quote] That was with a Fender Urge Mk1 (32" Scale) - Running the bass in active mode but with bass and treble at the mid 'Flat' positions and the main switch in the 'Unscooped' position. Mainly using the Jazz pickups, about 2/3 Bridge, 1/3 neck. But flipping to the 'P' pickup on occasions.

[quote name='Dave Vader' post='1297375' date='Jul 8 2011, 04:17 PM']Conventional wisdom says that as soon as you touch a fret anything you have done behind it has bugger all effect on intonation. However, I'm willing to be told otherwise.[/quote] When you press a string on to the first fret you are not only fretting it, but are also bending it by an amount, so with a conventional nut the first few frets always come out a bit sharp, irrespective of how well you set the intonation at the 12th fret. By effectively moving the nut forward in a compensated nut you are shortening the distance to the first nut so that it nominally plays flat. If you get it right this flattening and the sharpening from pressing the string down cancel out, so the first few frets are better in tune. Obviously this applies to all frets but the affect reduces as you move away from the nut. I played around with one a few years ago (actually with a bit of wire acting as a zero fret). And the affect was really quite good in terms of tuning accuracy. Some day all basses will be built this way.

For moment then I thought we we going to discuss these Yellow Jackets [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItZyaOlrb7E"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItZyaOlrb7E[/url]

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='1293293' date='Jul 5 2011, 12:41 PM']Get the pots replaced with decent CTS ones, available from Allparts, Axes-r-us, etc.[/quote] Just want to point out that other 'decent pot' brands are available.

I'm working towards it. I can sing OK (in tune at least), and I can play bass OK (ish). My problem when putting the two together is that where as the bass generally needs to be quite rigid in timing, the vocal lines often need float around the timing a bit to give it expression. When I try to do the two together the singing timing tends to become rigid as well, making it a bit lack lustre. As I say working towards it slowly. Working on things like Pride & Joy, Hoochie Coochie Man, Steamroller, Road House Blues etc. with some success. Tried Too Rolling Stoned (original had a singing bass player) and that one is quite difficult.

[quote name='Earbrass' post='1279898' date='Jun 23 2011, 05:33 PM']And by the same token, unless you actually [i][b]have[/b][/i] shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die, I'd avoid the Folsom Prison Blues, too.[/quote] By that token though there's very few songs first person songs that anyone can legitimately sing. (E.g. shake your money maker - I haven't got a girl who lives up in the hill - does that mean I can't play it). Also, AFAIK, Johnny Cash didn't actually shoot a man in Reno, so what was he doing writing that song in the first place?

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='1279295' date='Jun 23 2011, 02:07 AM']No, just because of all the slow blues tunes that are available it's [i]always[/i] ******* Red House that floats to the top. Bit like the Allman's take on Stormy Monday & the Santana version of Black Magic Woman.[/quote] Aah, the good old Mustang Sally effect! A good song that suffers from it's popularity - 'sometimes you just can't win'.

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='1278861' date='Jun 22 2011, 06:28 PM']A bit of a list... Ain't Nobody's Business - Jimmy Witherspoon (Freddie King too) All Your Love (I Miss Loving) - Otis Rush (but go with the version by John Mayall's Bluesbreakers) Baby What You Want Me To Do - Jimmy Reed Black Magic Woman - Fleetwood Mac (but everyone goes for the Santana version) Born Under A Bad Sign - Albert King Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker Boom, Boom Out Goes The Lights - Little Walter (also Pat Travers) Bright Lights, Big City - Jimmy Reed Bring It On Home - Sonny Boy Williamson (Led Zep as well) Crosscut Saw - Albert King Don't Start Me Talkin' - Sonny Boy WIlliamson (check out Rory Gallagher's version as well) Dust My Broom - Elmore James Further On Up The Road - Bobby 'Blue' Bland Got My Mojo Working - Muddy Waters Help Me - Sonny Boy Williamson Hideaway - Freddie King I Can't Quit You Baby - Otis Rush (& Led Zep) Key to The Highway - Little Walter (also Clapton & others) King Bee - Slim Harpo Linda Lu - Johnny Otis (but seek out the Foghat Version) Little Red Rooster - Howlin' Wolf (also the Stones) Mama Talk To Your Daughter - J.B. Lenoir Mercury Blues - David Lindley/Alan Jackson/ My Babe - Little Walter Nadine - Chuck Berry Need Your Love So Bad - Fleetwood Mac (original by Little Willie John, great cover by Irma Thomas) No Money Down - Chuck Berry Pack Fair And Square - Big Walter & His Thunderbirds (better known by the J. Geils Band) Phone Booth - Robert Cray Pink Cadillac - Bruce Springsteen (but the Jerry Lee Lewis version is the one IMO) Pride & Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughan Rock Me Baby - B.B. King Rocket 88 - Jackie Brenston Rollin' & Tumblin' - Muddy Waters Red House - Hendrix (pleeeasssee try & avoid this one!) Satisfy Suzie - Lonnie Mack Smokestack Lightning - Howlin' Wolf Spoonful - Howlin' Wolf Stormy Monday - T. Bone Walker (but everybody defaults to the Allman Brothers version) Sugar Coated Love - Lazy Lester The Sky Is Crying - Elmore James (SRV/Gary Moore) The Stumble - Freddie King The Thrill Is Gone - B.B. King The Hunter - Albert King Third Degree - Eddie Boyd Tulane - Chuck Berry Walkin' By Myself - Jimmy Rogers That & those already suggested ought to get you started If you look them up on YouTube, play YT Roulette with the suggestions down the right hand side - you'll have a set list as long as both your arms in no time. Pete.[/quote] Curious as to why you list Red House, and the plead for him not to do it? Is it because its not in the correct alphabetical place?

On some basses I have the pickups are connected to the pre-amp with push on connectors. If its the same on the Big Al then it may simply be that the connectors have been swapped over. If the selector switches are mounted directly onto a PCB it seems unlikely that the problem would be with them. Even if the pickups are soldered to the board it still seems more likely that they are wrong rather than PCB mounted switches.

Yes, they were the long flexible wire type things stretched between the bridge and the head. (Sorry)

I make mine myself. Vandamme cable and Neutrik connectors. The only complaint I have with the Vandamme cable is that the inner insulator on the instrument cable tends to melt too easily ( I tend to put a little loop in it so that the inner core does not get strained if things move a bit. Solution is to solder the centre while straight, then put the loop in and then solder the screen). The inner insulation on the Starquad (for mics) doesn't seem to melt at all, so I don't know why they don't use that in the instrument cable as well.

I can't believe that no one's mentioned Suzie.

A month or so ago I started a thread about my first Markbass experience (in a rehearsal studio) and how I couldn't get a sound I liked. I've just had the exact opposite in a different rehearsal studio. A Trace Elliot Commando. Put everything flat, deselected the various boost buttons, guitar bass and treble flat and 'Unscooped'. Plugged in, turned on. Perfect. Didn't have to touch a control all night. Of course the room was also very different in this studio - probably about 5 x 4 metres witha normal height celing, and a bit of eggbox foam on the walls, but I think the different amp must have had something to do with it. Is this typical of Trace gear?

[quote name='bassicinstinct' post='1270169' date='Jun 15 2011, 02:39 PM']Post[b]boned[/b]??!! There [b]has[/b] to be joke there somewhere. [/quote] Whoops! My apologies I've now corrected it. In case people are wondering what Basic is on about I originally put 'Postboned' in the title, which isn't actually a word of course.