EssentialTension

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='756717' date='Feb 25 2010, 08:13 AM']At your gigs, do you get 'gearstalkers'...folk that, as soon as the doors open, gather at the front of the stage and check out your gear? Can you admit to being one?[/quote] At a gig a couple of years ago I'd finished setting up - LMII, Ampeg 410, Fender Precision, TU2, Punch Factory - when a guy wanders over and says 'Is that your gear?', I say 'Yes', and he says 'I bet you're one of those people who buys Bass Guitar Magazine'.

And now the custom shop reissue at $3,779.99 has a pic:

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='753585' date='Feb 22 2010, 11:05 AM']Just re-visiting the "things used to be cheap" argument, there are some excellent sites out there that will give you the present value of old money, or the old value of present money. You get slightly different results depending on whether you use the RPI (retail prices index) or AEI (average earnings index). I prefer the AEI for this sort of thing, since we're trying to establish what you could have bought with your wages. This does NOT apply to any specific item, of course. It's a "typical" calculation for a "typical" basket of goods. Please don't point out that "a Fender Precision didn't cost that in 1965" or whatever - I already know. In order to have the same spending power THEN as earning £1000 a week gives you NOW, you would have needed a weekly wage of: 2005 - £892 2000 - £734 1995 - £590 1990 - £469 1985 - £310 1980 - £201 1975 - £101 1970 - £ 48 1965 - £ 33 1960 - £ 25 Do these numbers have any validity? Well, my first proper job started in January 1975 as a trainee book-keeper in a small travel agency in the West End. I was earning £1360 p.a. (plus LV's - don't forget the LV's!) which is £26 per week. The M/D of the firm certainly earned less than £101 per week - in modern terms he was on about £40k which is about right for that role in a firm of that size.[/quote] Is that gross or net?

[quote name='bigjohn' post='749991' date='Feb 18 2010, 05:29 PM']I put a set of TIs on a string through bass and the A string snapped at the bridge before I'd even got it in tune.[/quote] I've used TI flats through body for years without a problem except once when the A string went at the bridge I always go through the bridge not the body now as I can't hear any difference in tone anyway. EDIT: I should add that the A string which broke had been fine for nearly two years.

[quote name='neepheid' post='749357' date='Feb 18 2010, 10:10 AM']The only flats I've tried are Rotos, and I hated them. Horribly high tension, could hardly play them.[/quote] I only use flats but I don't like the Roto Jazz either.

[quote name='bass5' post='749216' date='Feb 18 2010, 01:59 AM']... but unfortunately as soon as I've lifted the pickguard it showed where Squier has cut corners in order to keep the prices down.[/quote] They have to cut them somewhere. [quote name='bass5' post='749216' date='Feb 18 2010, 01:59 AM'][b]No.1[/b] First of all it is no surprise that these basses are shipped with a transparent adhesive film on the pickup magnetic poles if you play the bass with those stickie things on, then your finger will not get in contact with the magnetic poles and will not cause any interference but... the minute you remove the 2 sticky films and you plug your bass in, at the minimum contact of your fingers with the magnets you get scratching noises and buzz galore through the amp.[/quote] I've not had this problem. [quote name='bass5' post='749216' date='Feb 18 2010, 01:59 AM']Big downer [b]No.2[/b] when you lift the pickguard there is a great big gauping hole where the bridge pickup floats and it is held only by the frame of the pickguard and the 4 mounting screws, in other words if you fancied to play it a-la-Jaco without a pickguard you would have an unsightly great big hole in which you can store your mars bars in and maybe even a sausage roll, bad that, not cool! If I knew about that one before I bought it I would have declined the transaction. Why oh effing why is there such a hole under the pickguard?[/quote] I replaced my pickguard with a white pearl and it would never occur to me to have a Jazz bass without a pickguard anyway. [quote name='bass5' post='749216' date='Feb 18 2010, 01:59 AM'][b]No.3[/b]Under the control plate. My oh my, I reckon Stevie Wonder could have done a better soldering job while Ray Charles mounted the pots. They've all got to go. Pickups, volume pots, cheap plastic covered connecting wires, input jack, the lot.[/quote] For the price of the bass I thought the wiring looked fine - although I'd agree that some CTS pots etc would improve it. [quote name='bass5' post='749216' date='Feb 18 2010, 01:59 AM']As for the pickups I went for a set of matched stacked single coils by Seymour Duncan they are vintage voiced and stacked i.e. reducing hum as they act as humbuckers these are the models are: STK-J1n and STK-J1b these will be wired to the new 250k pots and capacitors and hopefully they will be noiseless and perfectly apt to the vintage vibe.[/quote] Wizard 64s in mine now - not that the stock pickups were unusable.

[quote name='evilLordJuju' post='748810' date='Feb 17 2010, 07:06 PM']Yes he did, Moog was a Norlin company, like Gibson, and so the electronics were designed by him. It was initially touted a the John Entwistle 'Spider bass' but he soon lost interest, and the product was never officially linked to him Theres some info on the design of this guitar here, although I've got considerable updates to this page that I haven't added in yet [url="http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/RDartist_timeline.php"]http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/RDartist_timeline.php[/url][/quote] Ah, that'll probably be where I read it! I think they look cooler than most have suggested. The guy in Nirvana had one.

[quote name='Hit&Run' post='748956' date='Feb 17 2010, 09:13 PM']I've been toying with the idea of putting some flatwounds on a couple of my harem, and have a few questions for those in the know on such matters. I had a look The basses I'm thinking of putting them on are a fretless (japcrap?) satellite through-neck P (through body strung), with an SD 1/4lb pickup; and, a fretted SX P with a wizard trad in it.[/quote] ... and a P bass always sounds good with flats (IMHO)

[quote name='Hit&Run' post='748956' date='Feb 17 2010, 09:13 PM']1) Would I need a different guage to my preferred roundwound guage?[/quote] As suggested above, they may be a heavier gauge but then Thomastik Flats are fairly light gauge - I wouldn't myself be concerned about the gauge as such but whether I liked the feel of the strings because flats, like rounds, vary a lot. [quote name='Hit&Run' post='748956' date='Feb 17 2010, 09:13 PM']2) I recall reading about TIs being a bit 'looser' feeling than the taut LaBellas. If I were to get some LaBellas, would I need to lighten the guage accordingly?[/quote] La Bellas do several sets of flats of varying gauge but TIs only come in a single gauge. So you could go for the lightest La Bellas (760FL I think) if that's what suited you. The La Bellas are more of an old school sound compared to the quite middy TIs which, IME, are very good at cutting through. Nonetheless there's a variety of sounds available from both. [quote name='Hit&Run' post='748956' date='Feb 17 2010, 09:13 PM']3) LaBella and TI seem to predominate the choices of many players. Does anyone use any other flatwounds? I'd seen a couple of references to rotosound and status hotwires; is there any more info on these, or any other brands like Picato, Elites, GHS, D'Addario etc..[/quote] I used to be all TI but then I had a D'Addario Chromes phase, then Joe Osborn Lakland flats, and at the moment Pyramid Golds on two basses. It's an expensive business getting into flats but they do last along time.

Didn't Robert Moog design the active electronics? And didn't Entwistle have some interest until he decided he didn't like the bass?

[quote name='tubepigeon' post='746716' date='Feb 15 2010, 11:54 PM']The first is an Epiphone Rivoli. I've dated it via the serial number and it's from 1955, and on the little sticker inside the body (from what I can make out) it says 'Style BBV 232' Not sure what the significance of that is? Nothing has been changed, the bass is in original condition.[/quote] I don't think the Rivoli was introduced until 1961(ish) - so if it is a 1955 it's extremely rare!!! And I think EBV232 was the code for a sunburst Rivoli; EBV232N for natural.

[quote name='fatback' post='747220' date='Feb 16 2010, 01:48 PM'][quote name='EssentialTension' post='746648' date='Feb 15 2010, 10:50 PM'] How about some pics? SELMER TREBLE 'N' BASS 50 SV [/quote] wow forgot about those things. Had one before I gigged. pure nostalgia [/quote] Nostalgia yes, but I don't wish i still had it.

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='744933' date='Feb 14 2010, 04:24 PM']Hofner Artist Bass Selmer Treble 'n' Bass 50 watt Selmer 4x12" I wish I still had the Hofner.[/quote] How about some pics? HOFNER ARTIST BASS SELMER TREBLE 'N' BASS 50 SV SELMER THUNDERBIRD 100W COMBO (the amp had been removed from mine)

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='746441' date='Feb 15 2010, 08:13 PM'][...] but I think you learn much more by playing gigs.[/quote] It was at a gig that I learned that I should have practised.

I can use 1fpf in the lower positions if I have to but I'm a much better and less stressed player when I use Simandl. In higher positions I'll move to 1fpf. The changeover region will vary but usually somewhere between frets 3 & 7 depending on the line being played. I do much the same on a fretless too. I guess if your hand and fingers were the appropriate length and shape then 1fpf all over could be fine but it won't be fine for everyone.

Hofner Artist Bass Selmer Treble 'n' Bass 50 watt Selmer 4x12" I wish I still had the Hofner.

[quote name='funkle' post='744446' date='Feb 14 2010, 01:13 AM']I enjoy this instrument more and more! It's great 'stock', and inexpensive enough that I don't feel bad about modding it a bit more to suit my tastes.[/quote] Mine is still wearing Pyramid Black Nylons but now also sports a pair of Wizard 64s - it's sounding good - and a white pearl pickguard. I've been considering some Hipshot Lollipop tuners.

Yes, been said many a time ... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=77129"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=77129[/url] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=69033"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=69033[/url] ... but it can't be seen too often.

I had one too but fivers aren't for me - or at least that one wasn't, because I found the string spacing too tight. However, a great range of sounds available such that I could be tempted by a G&L L2000.

I'd say they are nickels too.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='743493' date='Feb 12 2010, 08:50 PM']Great clip! [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=69033"]We dun it a little while ago, too...[/url][/quote] I thought we might have done it before but I ineptly failed to find it after several searches so there we are ... and anyway I was excited by clip.

Thanks, very interesting.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='707537' date='Jan 10 2010, 11:59 AM']Thinner pick, faster pace! I have done this before and you can get upto some very fast speeds. Awesome fun and once you pair it with a fast fretting hand it looks impressive. Thicker pick, more meaty tone but difficult to go incredibly fast.[/quote] I don't mean to deny your experience and I rarely play with a pic but I would expect a thicker stiffer pick to be faster than a thinner more flexible pick.

[quote name='Doddy' post='742247' date='Feb 11 2010, 04:27 PM']I play a lined fretless and have noticed that by playing right on the line you will be out of tune. In the lower positions you should be slightly in front of the line,while high up the neck you should be slightly behind.[/quote] I'm using an unlined Precision now but when I had a lined Jazz I noticed this same thing - Gary Willis refers to it on his website too. There have been a couple of threads on BC where I asked if anyone could explain why this was the case but no one seemed to have an answer and others denied that it was so.