bremen

[quote name='Ross' post='455349' date='Apr 6 2009, 12:52 PM']So hey, here i am, any recommendations of a good place to start getting back into it, much appreciated.[/quote] Join a band! Get a gig before you're ready! Welcome!

[quote name='Pookus' post='455426' date='Apr 6 2009, 01:47 PM']At rehearsal last night I got a really strong burning electrical smell from one of my cabs. I haven't had any problems before. This is a homemade cab with a 300w 8ohm 12" Celestion in it. I have recently ported the cab which has increased the bass response. The speaker cable looked a bit flimsy when I took the back off today so I have replaced it with some seriously heavy duty cable (same stuff I use to link my Ashdown gear with). Any ideas what could have caused the burning smell?[/quote] Could be the voice coil heating up the glue that holds it on the former. I've had that smell from time to time and it's been a bit scary but nothing's stopped working yet (says he, inviting disaster). It'd have to be [i]really[/i] flimsy speaker cable to give off a burning smell. 300W into 8 ohms is only 6 amps.

[quote name='OldGit' post='455360' date='Apr 6 2009, 01:02 PM']One of my favourite CDs of all time .. Love that version of Stairway to Heaven [/quote] It's astonishing to hear a big horn section play that solo note-for-note, complete with all the little twists and turns. One of the very many things I love about Zappa is that his pastiches were always sympathetic. Cruising With Reuben and the Jets really takes the piss, but you can tell how much he loved the music he was parodying. He was never one to bother about genres :-)

[quote name='dangerboy' post='455313' date='Apr 6 2009, 12:24 PM']Two basses, because you can't have too much of a good thing. I also sing, and tend not to play much bass when I do so, which means that the other bassist is more supportive when that happens. Then I play the supportive role in instrumental sections to let him go free and do interesting improvisational stuff (as at the start of 'There's No Such Thing as Bad Publicity'). Then sometimes we both bang a riff out for maximum crushing power (eg at the start of A History of Oil on the MySpace). The rest of the line-up is drums and baritone guitar.[/quote] Phwoarr, that's f***ing excellent. I'm a bit far away though, otherwise I'd love to be involved. [quote]Influences Transisitors, 6L6GC Valves, Diodes, 4049 chips, op-amps, JFETs, 3PDT switches, LEDs. Whiskey, Gin, Rum, Brandy, Tequila, Vodka. Van Rock, Cain, Gibbs, Haskett and Rollins.[/quote]

[quote name='MB1' post='454903' date='Apr 5 2009, 08:50 PM']MB1. ....Les Mcqueen/Rhythm Guitar/Creme Brulee................"This is the part,where you sh*t yourself!...i'nt it Jay?". [/quote] I did know who Creme Brulée were but I've forgotten...it was a terrible tale of betrayal wasn't it? Who was it? edit: It was League of Gentlemen, dummy. I did LOL and cringe my way through those sketches. There's a covers band have 'borrowed' the name www.creme-brulee.co.uk

[quote name='Twigman' post='455156' date='Apr 6 2009, 09:34 AM']I have decided that the final song in our set would be better played with a plectrum but all the other songs will be fingers. In the past I would stuff a plectrum between the body and the scratchplate but my scratchplate severely warped doing that. As the final song runs on from the previous fingered song in a medley style I have a mere 4 bars (@ something like 140bpm) to grab my plectrum and sort myself out.... I don't think a back pocket would work and I probably won't be able to see if it's atop my amp... Where do you keep yours?[/quote] Blu-tak or double-sided sticky tape it somewhere?

[quote name='steve' post='453498' date='Apr 3 2009, 04:43 PM']be on the safe side - buy a new bass [/quote] He's right. Pickups might only last a year and a half, but after two years the bridge and tuners begin to dissolve.

[quote name='bassicinstinct' post='451880' date='Apr 1 2009, 07:35 PM']+1 on the battery diagnosis.[/quote] And the guy that said 'pickups last a year and a half', was it last Wednesday morning he told you that? ;-)

[quote name='AM1' post='450917' date='Mar 31 2009, 10:01 PM']I am just about ready to scream. Please someone else share their band politics tales of woe here so I feel better.[/quote] Where to start. The last two bands I've been in have collapsed just as they were starting to get good, both due to one or more member's drugs or drink habits. The other thing that spells disaster is sex. Band politics are bad enough, but to get involved in a marital between the singer and the drummer is enough to drive a bass player to drugs or drink. I'd go looking for a straight-edge group, but I do enjoy getting pissed as a c*** in moderation.

[quote name='Balcro' post='452471' date='Apr 2 2009, 02:38 PM']No, it has one tone control and one volume control. My post was a little mis-leading. Having ruled out physical defects, fitted new strings and done a full set-up, I'm left with the same lack of volume on G & D as the OP. I couldn't tell you how it's wired up, but if you turn the tone control anti-clockwise it brings in the G & D. It acts in a non linear fashion and the boost to G & D is quite sudden and rises steeply, while the output from E & A holds up. No crackles or pops, just a very non-linear action. Put the tone control in the middle and I have the same imbalance as the OP. Balcro.[/quote] The tone control on all the passive basses I've ever owned has just been a treble roll-off that affects all the strings equally. But there's no reason the two halves of a P pickup couldn't be wired to independent volume controls, or a 'balance' control.

[quote name='BASSISACE' post='452399' date='Apr 2 2009, 01:27 PM']It is a monster, very agressive as you'd expect, what a sound !!!, very wide neck[/quote] How wide compared to a Precision? How deep?

[quote name='Balcro' post='452357' date='Apr 2 2009, 12:58 PM']Snap, same problem. But then I've got an old cheapo "Precision" style bass with the combined offset pickups. In my case I think it's just that the potentiometer for the pickup under D and G, is very non linear. It "comes in" about 3/4 of the way through its travel. I've done all the other set-up stuff and the gap between pickup and string is pretty uniform across the strings at about 2.5mm. In my circumstances I can just live with it by backing-off the pickup for E and A. I know its a bit of a fiddle, but you could check out the all the "pots" and give them a good clean with an electrical switch cleaner. Or even check all the solder joints. Good luck. Balcro. Balcro[/quote] Your bass has separate volume controls for the EA and DG?

[quote name='Golchen' post='452374' date='Apr 2 2009, 01:06 PM']I've been wanting a fender jazz V for some time, and although one or two have shown up here, I'm kind of thinking about getting 'exactly' the model I want rather than something that's not quite there. I'm having trouble finding anywhere within reasonable distance that has anything to try, so I was thinking about getting one from somewhere like GAK or Thomman etc. but the only thing that worries me is the fact that Fender seem to have been so unreliable on quality over the years, is it a bad idea?[/quote] If you don't like it you can always send it back. Thomann (among aothers) give you 30 days to make your mind up, and send a courier at their expense if you decide to return the goods.

[quote name='ash_sak' post='452134' date='Apr 2 2009, 07:59 AM']Turn the pick ups around...hmm, nice idea. (Just to clarify, do you mean switching the two around or turning them 180 degrees, if that makes sense)?[/quote] Turn them 180 degrees, they won't fit each others' slots.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='452261' date='Apr 2 2009, 11:22 AM']I suggest an all day e-masturbatathon.[/quote] What must I download before I can join in?

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='452167' date='Apr 2 2009, 09:48 AM']Some marvellous recommendations for Big Band listening: Anyone got any more?[/quote] Yes, hear it live. An unforgettable accoustical experience.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='450591' date='Mar 31 2009, 03:23 PM']- other manufacturers' claims may be a little more impressive on paper...[/quote] No kidding. If it's fiction you're after, speaker manufacturers put Jeffrey Archer to shame.

[quote name='far0n' post='450606' date='Mar 31 2009, 03:30 PM']Ok, so what's the website ? I've currently got Online Business Bench Marking. [/quote] [url="http://www.bassic-bits.co.uk/"]http://www.bassic-bits.co.uk/[/url]

[quote name='ardi100' post='450573' date='Mar 31 2009, 03:03 PM']I'd probably need it to run for a couple of hours and then charge it. I'm not really sure. The scenario is a backpacking mini tour of Europe with some powerless, truly accoustic gigs thrown in. I usually play Double Bass for these but won't be taking it. I was thinking along the lines of a really small D class amp (Crate powerblock is 150w into 8 ohms) and mini cab.[/quote] Good choice. Assuming you're not using heavy compression or fuzz, an efficient Class D amp won't be taking more than 20W average from the power supply. Assume the inverter is 50% efficient, you need 40W from the battery. That's 4A max from 12 volts. So you only need 8AH for 2 hour sessions. Add 50% for encores: [url="http://uk.farnell.com/camden-electronics/bev120120/battery-vrla-ev-12ah/dp/1577879"]http://uk.farnell.com/camden-electronics/b...12ah/dp/1577879[/url] edit: if I was doing it I'd do as Alien suggests, but note that a 150W amp isn't going to take anything like 150W continuous, so his estimate of how big a battery you need is very pessimistic.

[quote name='ardi100' post='450544' date='Mar 31 2009, 02:41 PM']Thanks Mottlefeeder. Is there a minimum ah ( I don't even know what this means!!) I need from the battery? Could I use one of the really small ones or do I need a larger one? I was thinking a small battery and inverter with a tiny head and speaker on a small trolley could be pretty manageable.[/quote] AH is amp-hours. A 100AH battery will provide 100 amps for an hour, or 1 amp for 100 hours. So for low power use like you need, it's just a matter of how long you want it to last. How powerful is the amp you want to use?

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='446599' date='Mar 26 2009, 11:24 PM']Couple of issues with this: 1) Not enough asterisks were inserted, giving the impression that the word "xxxxx" is unacceptable. Is it? 2) Whoever got offended enough to do the edit neglected to edit the same word quoted by the guy immediately after me.[/quote] The word 'xxxxxxxx' isn't illegal here is it? 'On the album's release, more controversy surrounded the band when police took exception to its title being displayed in a shop window. The Sex Pistols were charged with the Indecent Advertising Act of 1889! "xxxxxxxx" is a slang name for testicles; however, the Pistols' lawyer proved that it was actually derived from a nickname for clergymen. The band were found "reluctantly" not guilty. xxxxxxxxx was legal!' [url="http://www.sexpistolsofficial.com/index.php?module=discography&discography_item_id=32&discography_tag=albums"]http://www.sexpistolsofficial.com/index.ph...aphy_tag=albums[/url] edit: clearly not. Thisnameistaken must have said 'boo-she-it!'

I played my first gig with The Much Vaunted Surge on Saturday. We'd had 3 rehearsals and not written any songs, so we decided to wing it. Line up is bass(me, fretless), drums, guitarist (been playing about 2 months, got her first electric [a Peavey, weighs a ton] a week ago), amplified Slinky, theremin and xylophone. And a WS Burroughs record on the wheel of steel. We played in the corner of an art gallery full of lefty anarchisty feministy works and a lefty anarchisty feministy audience. We were behind a sheet, onto which strange images were projected. So for an hour we made a horrible grinding clanking bashing vavazooming racket...I couldn't see the audience and assumed they'd all leave but they stayed, listened and even clapped at the end. Astonishing how a couple of quarts of beer can fix it so the intonation does not offend the ear. High point for me was the novice guitarist pulling out a 'solo' at exactly the right moment that sounded so like one of Roland S. Harvey's worst nightmares that I had to stop playing and tell her that she must have my babies, immediately. Haven't got any more gigs lined up but I met a guitarist later who asked me to audition for his group. Ho ho! They write songs and everything, and probably tune their instruments.

+1 to all the suggestions of exercises, particularly the TVA and Pilates. What's worked for me (following a herniated disc in my 20s) is walking, walking and more walking. But if you're set on a lighter bass, I have a Hohner B2A for sale :-)

[quote name='Macko1968' post='447337' date='Mar 27 2009, 02:52 PM']Jeez, that's madness. Great line in the add though; [b]never been out of the case (except for gigging)[/b].[/quote] I liked that. As if to imply that basses are normally taken out of their cases for use as cricket bats, battering rams, surfboards and so on.