paul h

[quote name='GarethFlatlands' timestamp='1382557618' post='2253713'] Nice, you looking to give it an upgrade and setup? [/quote] Set up yes...upgrade I am undecided on. It sounds pretty good to me so as long as it stays in tune I will probably leave it alone.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1382532161' post='2253249'] That's nice! Second hand I assume? [/quote] Thanks Brand spanking new! Found it on the "bay" £50 cheaper than anywhere else. I thought it was worth a shot for that price. First impressions are excellent although the action is quite high. It needs a day or two to acclimate before I start tinkering with it. I can't see any reason why I won't get it playing to my taste in a few minutes or less. EDIT: It also needs a polish

Just taken delivery of a Westfield E400 LP junior copy. P90, set neck and mahogany body for £100 Thought I would do a bit of recording with it, so for those interested what a £100 guitar sounds like... [url="https://soundcloud.com/robotrobotrobotmusic/food-fight"]https://soundcloud.com/robotrobotrobotmusic/food-fight[/url] [url="https://soundcloud.com/robotrobotrobotmusic/not-that-kind-of-boogie"]https://soundcloud.com/robotrobotrobotmusic/not-that-kind-of-boogie[/url]

You are always taking a chance with dice. Nice bass...it's giving me a slight stirring of gas.

Loved Master of Puppets.

Does this qualify? Rock Swings by Paul Anka [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUgvtHSrD9E"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUgvtHSrD9E[/url]

Basement Jaxx have a wildly varied back catalogue. And Good Luck is an awesome song!

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1381585889' post='2241008'] I don't know about guitars but I've experimented with a lot of my basses over the years. The first time I realised that the neck makes a big difference to the sound was when I bought a Geddy Lee. I loved it's playability but it was just too toppy and twangy (dare I say weak sounding) for me. I bought an Allparts neck for my Squier Jazz and as an experiment I fitted it to the Geddy. The neck was quite chunky and deep, compared to the ultra shallow Geddy neck, and made a huge difference to the sound. It deepened it out and made it a lot rounder. The affect it had on the sound was as pronounced as if I had fitted different pickups. Recently I bought a mighty mite Jazz neck, which I have fitted to my precision. I then fitted the Precision neck to my Jazz. The result is a much lighter and defined sound to the notes from my Precision and a deeper rounder sound from my Jazz. Which is exactly what I was looking for. I know a lot of people don't like messing around with the necks of their basses but trust me, the neck of a bass ( and presumably a guitar as well) makes a big difference to the overall sound. [/quote] This. I am a big fan of a P with a J neck. I put one on my Jim Deacon bitsa and it definitely makes a big change to the tone.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1381427600' post='2239045'] I'm not entirely sure what you mean here , but, in any case , I can assure you that I do not take Radiohead as seriously as they appear to take themselves. [/quote] Nobody does

[quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1381424830' post='2239002'] Distorted slap bass with a whammy bar [/quote]

With regards to The Buzzcocks...I had the Singles Going Steady cassette and although to this day I couldn't really tell you about the bass playing...there are some cracking songs on there! (Listening to Autonomy as I type )

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1381421642' post='2238920'] Randy coven is also good but never gets mentioned. I'll leave it there [/quote] I had Funk Me Tender on cassette. Distorted slap bass with a whammy bar? What's not to like?

James Arthur's new single is pretty darn good. But yes...I'm another Bruno Mars admirer. Give me matching suits, dance routines and good music and I'm sold!

I lasted 58 seconds through the first video. Do I get a medal?

If I was in a band I would call it Desperate Fart.

I like this one because you can't see my face [attachment=145686:IMG_3864.jpg]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1381315510' post='2237339'] [i]Fewer [/i]people. [i]Fewer [/i]members. See? I hate you now, too. [/quote] I hate you a little bit too

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1381315185' post='2237331'] But they're just like the new days. Only older. Or something. The more things change, the more stupid crap gets posted on the internet. You can quote me on that. [/quote] Ahh but less people hated me in those days. Or were there just less members?

I was there for Bassworld but couldn't say exactly when I joined. I miss the old days

I do love me a PJ

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1381236488' post='2236158'] What's the mystery? If you can use a screwdriver you can do a set up. Yet there's this notion that there are special people who do "good" set ups. Reality check... A "good" set up is like a "good" oil change. It's either done right or it isn't. There aren't variables. Bridge height is a matter of taste but other than that, the intonation is in tune or it isn't. The neck is either in a good position or it's too flat or too bowed. [b]That takes a bit of an eye and I understand that some people have it and some people don't. Some people can't hand a picture straight[/b]. But that doesn't make picture hanging a special skill. I believe everyone should learn to do their set ups. You won't hurt the instrument unless you do something ridiculously foolish. Everyone should also be aware what is needed -- either neck relief or string height. Sets ups do not fix humps or dips or warped necks. They don't make an Affinity Squier sound like Fender MIA. It's really just a step up from knowing how to tune a guitar. [/quote] I think you've answered your own question. Not everybody has the skills required so why not pay someone to do it for them? Sounds completely reasonable to me. I don't see how its any different to using a mechanic or a plumber. For the sake of transparency...I do all my own set ups

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1381237073' post='2236173'] Thanks, I'd forgotten the term... Still can't quite understand the need for them though.... EDIT: I assume they aren't set quite a deep in the fretboard as the other frets.... [/quote] The idea is to ensure a more even and balanced sound between the fretted notes and open strings. Originally a lot of cheap guitars had zero frets because it negated the need for a well cut nut. However some people do value them now for the aforementioned reason. I believe MTD and Sandberg use zero frets. I converted my main bass to have a zero fret after I owned and played a cheap MTD for a while. I didn't really like the tone of the bass and so sold it but it played beautifully and didn't suffer with an overly boomy open E.

White basses sound funky.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1381225268' post='2235914'] I don't think that anyone is saying that woods in themselves have no real effect. What I am saying is that there are simply too many variables involved to be able to say with 100% confidence that the change in sound is down to a single factor such as the kind of wood used for the fingerboard. For a start every piece of wood is different - even two pieces cut from the same tree. Then the traditional Fender style neck is made in an entirely different way depending on whether it has a maple or rosewood fingerboard. IMO construction has just as much impact on the sound as the wood used. I get the impression that when most people are comparing the differences in sound between a bass with a rosewood fingerboard and a bass with a maple fingerboard they are talking about 2 completely different basses. If we are lucky they might both be from the same manufacturer (most likely Fender) and hopefully if that is the case they are the same model, but other than that they probably have nothing else in common. Maybe not even made in the same year, let alone from the same batch of timber. If you believe that a certain wood gives the sound over and above any of the other variables in the construction, then that's your prerogative. I treat the bass has a whole thing and not a collection of its individual parts. It either works as a whole for me in terms of looks playability and sound or it doesn't. These days there are some many basses available that it makes little sense to get hung up in individual features. Look at the whole instrument. Either it suits you or it doesn't. [/quote] I hope you don't think my comment was aimed at you...it wasn't at all. In fact I am in total agreement with you. I actually believe everything from the callouses on your fingers to the humidity in the room will affect tone. However there are definitely a group of people now who totally disregard the tonal property of woods all together whereas I think every part of a bass goes into making that instrument unique. Thus fretboard wood is as equally important as any other variable. Also I have, more than once, swapped rosewood and maple necks on the same instrument and heard a difference. To further complicate matters I freely admit that in my opinion one of the biggest factors in amplified tone is down to Alnico or ceramic pick up magnets

In my experience I have found maple to be brighter but I have always put that down to the gloss finish more than the wood. I know it's trendy at the moment to claim that woods have no real affect but I have seen so many luthiers and world class bass players state that there is a difference, I am not going to change my mind due to a minority of internet heroes I am also a keen modder and many a time have rebuilt basses with different necks and bodies and they all always end up sounding different, even if that difference is very subtle. EDIT: Putting a J neck on a P body makes a difference too. Put that in your pipe and slap it.