EssentialTension

[quote name='theFALLEN' post='803950' date='Apr 12 2010, 05:49 PM']...But that was twice the size of the head I have? [/quote] And twice the cabs.

[quote name='theFALLEN' post='803897' date='Apr 12 2010, 04:49 PM']Hey guys, Need a bit of advice if you'd mind giving it! Basically I am wondering whether an Ashdown ABM500 EVO II head would do a good job of powering an 810 cabinet? Obviously if the impedances matched etc etc. Would the head be able to power the cab sufficiently or would it be under powered? A bit about me: I play a Musicman Stringray 3EQ in a heavy rock band with a similar sound to KillSwitch Engage/ Avenged Sevenfold. I am up against a lot of electronic samples, two EVH5505 guitar sticks, a lot of backing vocals and a big a$$ drumkit... I am aiming for a warm, low, punchy sound (which I am achieving currently) but need it bigger and much louder! Thanks guys, any advice that you give would be much appreciated.[/quote] I've used an Ashdown ABM900 head (575+575 watts) with an Ampeg 8x10 and an Ampeg 6x10. It was absolutely fine.

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='803431' date='Apr 12 2010, 09:44 AM']D'oh! I should have thought that through more, especially since I read that link last time you posted it! [/quote] You're not the only one though, I've been there myself. I've posted that link several times now; it ought to be compulsory reading before anyone talks about tension.

[quote name='faceman' post='802608' date='Apr 11 2010, 02:01 PM']c.) Adjust Pickup Height - How should they be aligned? At the moment they are angled unequally but are they supposed to be? Or should they be flat/even with each other?[/quote] Adjust the height of and angle of the pickup so that the volume from the four strings is even.

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='793566' date='Apr 1 2010, 06:17 PM']There are a whole host of factors which affect tension.[/quote] Only three factors affect the tension of a string: the pitch the string is tuned to, its vibrating length, and its mass (weight) per unit of length. [url="http://www.liutaiomottola.com/myth/perception.htm"]Lutherie Myth/Science: Human Perception of String Tension and Compliance in Stringed Musical Instruments[/url] [quote]The tension of the string of a stringed musical instrument is defined completely by the pitch the string is tuned to, its vibrating length, and its mass (weight) per unit of length. This is a matter of basic physics. But there are all sorts of other quantities and qualities that are said to affect string tension. They do not, but (and this is a big but) some of these may indeed affect the compliance of the string, and this will affect how tight the string feels to the player.[/quote]

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='801840' date='Apr 10 2010, 03:01 PM']No probs - don't forget post some pics if you buy one [/quote] I've been considering a set of lollipops (and D-Tuner) on my Squier CV Jazz. However the closest Hipshot replacements seem to be the HB3s whereas the HB2s (the ones available as lollipops) would need new screw holes so I am hesitating ... but maybe not for long. I already changed the pickups (Wizard 64s) and the scratchplate (white pearl) and I've been considering a J-Retro (not sure it will fit).

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='801302' date='Apr 9 2010, 09:57 PM']I got mine from joshmsr on ebay. He's a good chap to deal. Looks like he still has some: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290395854410&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...e=STRK:MEWNX:IT[/url] Blummin' good price even with the delivery charge added on.[/quote] Thanks very much.

[quote name='Paul S' post='801131' date='Apr 9 2010, 06:24 PM']Possibly a stupid question but would extra long ones be ok - is it just a question of winding them round more?! They are the same price.[/quote] With flats, it can be risky to wind the unsilked portion of the string due to greater likelihood of breakage. I wouldn't recommend it - nor through-body stringing.

You're correct, Thomastik don't do different gauges. I use TI Jazz Flats on my fretless with a D-tuner and on the odd occasions I drop the E string to D it copes but I don't know that I'd want it that loose all the time. You might be better off with something a little more tense such as ... well, any flatwound compared to the TIs.

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='800326' date='Apr 8 2010, 10:37 PM']... one tuner has now been replaced with a lolly D-tuner ...[/quote] JLP, where did you get the lollipop d-tuner from? I can't see them on the Hipshot website.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='800740' date='Apr 9 2010, 12:20 PM']Heh.. there was a subtle reference in my comment, but I guess it was just too subtle. [/quote] I'm sure some of us got it.

[quote name='andyjingram' post='799071' date='Apr 7 2010, 07:00 PM']Hi guys, I'm looking to put some flatwound strings on a bass. To keep the subject as simple as possible, if I was putting a new set of rounds on, I would up the gauge from 40-100 to 45-105. As it seems to be the concensus that on average the tension will be a bit higher, do you think that using 40-100 flats will give me something akin to the extra resistance of higher gauge rounds, or is the tension difference not that noticable? I'm hoping that I can get the extra stability without the hassle of tweaking the nut! Thanks, Andy[/quote] I don't know the best answer to your exact question but be aware that the tension of flats is quite variable - e.g. TI Jazz Flats are very low tension, whereas La Bella flats are much higher tension - so whether you need to tweak the truss rod won't merely depend on the gauge of the strings.

[quote name='umph' post='793833' date='Apr 1 2010, 10:49 PM']i have really bad gas for a bass VI or similar type instrument at the minute and was wondering what're my options that are going to cost under a grand. I already know about the schecter and the burns ones just wondering if there was anything else similar about![/quote] Gretsch G5265 Jet Baritone - about £300

I like it ... but I also have a Decade which looks better, undoubtably sounds better, and was a third of the price.

[quote name='Bilbo' post='791611' date='Mar 31 2010, 10:11 AM']Many of you know I work with offenders. One of the tools we use relates to enhancing thinking skills and to do that, it is necessary to understand how we think. One of the interesting aspects of this relates to the ways in which people justify their behaviour (any behaviour, even murder). There are all sorts of ways; denial, self deception, minimisation (I only steal for companies not from individuals, I only drove 300 yards, I had to get home because the kids were ill), justification (everyone does it, I drive better when I have had a drink, it was only a bit of puff etc). The important thing is that most offenders don't actually know they are doing this. Anyway, in looking at the way people think, it long ago dawned on me that these traits were not just about offending but about ALL behaviours. And, as with offenders, people generally don't know they are doing it. Think about people who diet, who give up smoking, who shop with credit cards etc. They will talk themselves into it even though they know it is ultimately harmful. Relating this to the topic under discussion, what we have here (in general terms; this is not an attack on anyone), we have a situation where many members of the musical community seek to find ways to justify their decisions so they can still feel ok about their abilities. When the likes of the Major, Doddy, Jakesbass and myself advocate for musical literacy, there are always those who respond with the 'X is great and he can't read' argument, or the 'I knew a guy who could read but couldn't groove' position, or 'readers don't play with good feel' etc etc. The arguments presented are what I would call justifications, position statements that allow individuals who haven't learned to read to justify their lack of a well established, legitimate and tried and tested skill. They avoid the simple 'I can't read because I can't read' admission in favour of 'I can't read because I don't need to', 'its a waste of time', 'it will ruin my feel', 'it will undermine my creativity', 'I don't need it', 'it will undermine my originality', 'it will make me lazy', 'it will ruin my ability to play by ear' - its all b/s. Its not rocket science. Readers who can't improvise can't improvise because they haven't learned how, not because they can read. Classical musicians can't play funk or jazz because they haven't spent time with the genres, not because they can read. There is no causal link between reading dots and any musical shortcoming whatsoever. People who can read can do something others cannot and will get gig unavailable to others - end of. It doesn't mean that others can't do something that the reader can't do; the two things are unrelated. If you can read, you can read. No more and no less. Its a skill that is worth acquiring - and, incidentally, is of considerably more use than double thumbing, tapping, raking or crimping. You wil get calls for gigs you wouldn't have got before (of course you didn't need it before. Noone would call you for a reading gig if you couldn't read). I can see NO reason why anyone who can read would tell someone who couldn't read to learn to do so so that they would be worse musicians. I CAN see why people are dismissive of the skill; if YOU don't learn, they don't have to feel bad about their own musical illiteracy and, more to the point, YOU won't get a gig in place of them. Do it. Start now.[/quote] Very neatly put, Bilbo.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='791830' date='Mar 31 2010, 01:07 PM']Glad its not my "special hand" [/quote] Ah, now we see the importance of the extra fingers.