4-string-thing

Anyone tried leaving things soaking in Coca Cola? I once had to replace a head gasket on a Rover V8 and couldn't get the bolts undone, someone suggested making a blu-tac ring around the bolt head and filling with said soft drink overnight. The bolts came undone very easily after 24 hours.... If it can do that, it can eat away the chrome on a Fender bridge in minutes!

I've just sold a Stagg EUB and a Yamaha BBG4, so I'm down to six basses, plus an acoustic guitar, a home made EUB and a bouzouki..... Gotta make room for the incoming Squier CV Butterscotch Precision! I'd suggest you start looking at the amps for sale section instead!

[quote name='gareth' post='1210349' date='Apr 24 2011, 08:52 PM']At £800 for a late 70's p bass with no finish and a busted guard is probably about right but certainly no bargain[/quote] er, yes, perhaps bargain wasn't the right word to use....

I see the auctions finished now and somebody has either got a bargain or been ripped off for £800..... The bass in my avatar is fairly well used 70's Fender, how come my paintwork has only gone darker on the forearm chamfering, not worn at all?

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1209034' date='Apr 23 2011, 11:19 AM']Have you ever worked in politics? Surely the test should be a bad amp and good speakers against a good amp and bad speakers? Or an average amp through good speakers against a good amp and average speakers? [/quote] Er, I probably should've said "average speakers" not "bad".....

I'd be tempted to try your head with better cabs, loads of people seem to think that there isn't much between the Mag and ABM heads so maybe upgrading the cabs would be a better idea? The Mag stuff is budget, but I've had good comments at gigs about my sound (70's P through a mag head into an old Acoustic 2x15 cab) I'd at least look at swapping one of your cabs for a 15" which IMO would give you a better bottom end. Some may disagree but I've always thought that an average amp through good speakers will always sound better than a good amp through bad speakers!

I had to chuckle when I saw this... [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rudderless-Hippy-Bass-Player-Needs-good-home-/290555735681?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item43a678ae81"]strange ebay listing[/url]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1206388' date='Apr 20 2011, 08:35 PM']I wasn't really digging that until about 3 minutes in,and then it gets ace.[/quote] exactly!

[quote name='steve-soar' post='1206385' date='Apr 20 2011, 08:33 PM']Something Else, fantastic. Revolver with Peter Cook anyone? [/quote] ooh... now you're bringing back some memories, I'd forgotten all about that!

Whistle test was brilliant, I used to love those old thirties cartoons they used to have when they didn't have live bands.... And the Otway performance of Cheryl's going home, remains one of my most watched youtube vids, brilliant! Mind you, I'm still lamenting the passing of "something else" and the brilliant Tony Wilson, now there was a live music programme! I only ever watch Later if Richard Thompson is one, which he seems to be every other series. [url="http://youtu.be/G8C-BwAbAdc"]Otway OGWT[/url]

The OP should think him/herself lucky..... a lot of folkies don't use standard tuning either... its hard playing along with someone who doesn't know what he's playing and is in DADGAD.... It reminds me of a couple of guitarists I've briefly played with in the past.... one didn't know the name of the chords he was playing, so if there was something I didn't recognise, and asked him what he was playing, he would just say "this" and play it again. Very helpful.... Another one, was left handed but played a right handed guitar upside down, without changing the strings over! Try following him.... Still, at least he knew what chords he was playing!

Wonder if he'd write me an ad to help shift my amp?

Nice young fella to do business with, turned up when he said he would and didn't haggle too much!

only just found this, but thanks Michael.....

My last bands drummer when I plugged my 70's P into a Markbass rig at a rehearsal room "Thats the best sounding bass I've ever heard" The strings were at least 15 years old at the time..... A sound guy at my last gig "thats a really clear, punchy sound" when I used my Yamaha BBG through a "woolly" Ashdown and a 2x15 cab!

Should have bought a Warwick.... Padded gigbag, tool kit, manual, straplocks, wax, duster, label telling me what woods were used, when and where it was made etc!

This guy has been advertising this "tour" for months on Partysounds... If he's from Weybridge, why is it called "The coming home tour"? I also like the way that you'll be put up and fed at SOME of the venues, what will you be doing the rest of the time? Paying for your own accommodation on top of your flights, equipment hire and visa probably! Good luck to anyone who fancies this but the guy sounds like a dreamer to me....

[quote name='andy67' post='1195098' date='Apr 10 2011, 09:39 PM']Ohh, ow, ouch!! You have just broken the rule of sound... A good set of speakers will only show up a poor amp for what it is! It is best to balance out a rig by buying the components as close in price as possible. However, if you want a great amp then by all means partner it with a standard set of speakers and it'll sound good but much better with its most efficient partner. Although, a lot of this is determined by the instrument and the player. andy[/quote] Ha ha...you have just broken "the rule of sound" by declaring that there is such a rule! And what exactly does "balance out a rig by buying the components as close in price as possible" mean? Are you saying that a cheap amp through cheap speakers will sound as good as an expensive amp through expensive speakers? It probably would to most people's ears, but not for as long, as obviously it would be made down to a price using inferior materials etc. I fail to see what price has got to do with anything. To be fair, the advice given to me was actually in relation to PA speakers, so probably not too relevant to bass cabs, which obviously colour the sound a lot more. There are many cliches when it comes to bass and guitar sound though, here's a few: As we all know, 90% of your tone comes from your fingers (if thats true, surely the amp is not really that important as long as it is loud enough?) You put s**te in, you get s**te out (true in the case of microphones and probably basses as well) A good bass will make you a better bassist (it may help you become a better bassist, but won't make you one) Valve amps are better than transistor amps (says who?) 10" speakers are better for bass than 15" Clearly, these are not right or wrong, it all depends on what suits YOU best, as most people have suggested, the OP should try loads of stuff out and get what sounds best to him (dependent on budget, age, condition of back etc)

It really is all about personal taste, you should try as many amps as you can, preferably with your own bass, and see what sounds best to you.... One mans meat is another mans murder, or something like that! If you can disconnect the speakers in your combo, you could try the amp section through a variety of cabs to see if that makes a difference, you never know, you may end up keeping the amp and buying a cab instead!

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1194543' date='Apr 10 2011, 01:15 PM']I`d look at Hartke, Ampeg, Peavey or Trace Elliot. All have great sounds[/quote] No offence to Lozz but I'd have to say that in my experience, nothing could be further from the truth! I've never used Hartke, but at some time or another I've been forced to use gear by the other three (in various rehearsal rooms and gigs where we've shared gear) and I've never found any of them to sound better than my Ashdown gear (let alone my Acoustic stuff) I'm with JTUK on this, none of them are a step up (except maybe the high-end Ampegs, and even they don't sound that good to me) If you're sounding "muffled" I'd be looking at changing your basses pick-ups and/or strings! I was once given some advice that I believe to be true "an amp is an amp is an amp, but get some good speakers and even a cheap amp will sound good"