flyfisher

Mains voltage variations might affect the DC power rails in old designs without stabilised PSUs, but I'd hope that more modern stabilised PSU designs would adjust for variations in mains input voltages. Also, the nominal mains voltage is 230Vac, +10% and -6% or a range of 216-253 Vac, so any amp (or other device) that can't cope with such variation could be argued to be unfit for purpose.

[quote name='ped' timestamp='1349958288' post='1832688'] We've also had 2.376 million unique visitors to the site. [/quote] There are 2.376 million bass players out there?

This topic certainly seems to be contentious, but it's interesting that it's the people who don't want to play for free that seem to be keenest to tell everyone how to run a band, even though they then go on to say that bands playing for free don't affect them. If no one is affected, what's the problem? We've had eloquent defences of both sides of the argument so why not just let people get on with their bands as they wish? Oh, and what's wrong with fishing anyway?

+2

I couldn't stand the jerky video long enough to be bored by the slapping.

Curious! Bad connection somewhere within the amp perhaps? I'm not saying it [u]couldn't[/u] be 'dodgy' mains supply but it still wouldn't bet on it. Reproducing the problem is usually the key to solving it. I always use one of these little gadgets at a new venue to verify that the mains socket I'm using is at least wired correctly: http://www.maplin.co.uk/mains-socket-tester-9800 I've also got one of these, which will measure the mains voltage and current being drawn: http://www.maplin.co.uk/plug-in-mains-power-and-energy-monitor-38343 These two devices should reveal any significant problems with the mains power supply and are generally useful things to have for peace of mind. Incidentally, I once had a problem with my Ampeg combo briefly cutting out with all the signs of an intermittent connection somewhere. I opened it up and, sure enough, the PCB trace to one of the large resistors in the power circuitry had cracked and come away from the board and was only being held in place by the resistor leg. Vibration was causing the contact to be unreliable, hence the cutting out. Obviously I can't tell if this is the sort of problem with your amp, but it's an example of what can happen with bass amps and - I'd say - is probably more likely than a faulty mains supply. Good luck with a solution though - I imagine it is very frustrating!

[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1349813169' post='1830990'] Tech and performance are two seperate things. Good music can use both in very creative ways. [/quote] Yes. A lot depends on your perspective. If you think a live performance is the most important thing then loads of multi-tracking techno-tricks etc will probably not be your thing. But if you're only interested in the end result of a piece of recorded music then surely anything goes. The photography world has similar debates about digital image processing and the use of photoshop etc. If you think a photo should be a snapshot of a moment in time then photoshopping can obviously be controversial, but if it's just the image that is important then why does it matter how it has been achieved? In other words, there is no 'good or bad'. It all depends.

Often? There's certainly a limit to the number of watts that can be obtained from a single mains socket (about 3000 in fact) but when you get to that limit things won't start 'acting up' - in fact, things will just stop working when the fuse blows. If the electrics are so dodgy that someone has replaced the main fuse with a big nail then things will continue working normally until the overloaded wiring melts or starts a fire. I suppose it's possible that poor wiring could result in a significant voltage drop, which might cause problems, but I've done outdoor gigs with a six-piece band all powered from a single mains socket on the end of a 40m extension lead with no problems at all, hence my doubts about 'dodgy electrics'.

I reckon you're clutching at straws regarding 'dodgy electrics'. UK mains voltage is very well regulated and things like voltage drops are very rare, so 'dodgy electrics' is likely to be mean faulty venue wiring but even then there are limited faults that will occur. Typical things like a missing earth connection or reversed live/neutral might be dangerous but are unlikely to cause your amp to behave as you described. I'd suggest you give your amp a workout at home or a rehearsal studio where you can rely on the mains supply and check if it is still playing up.

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1349703496' post='1829285'] Well, you should care. There are musicians who perform for a living and depend upon being paid for gigs. These are generally the higher-quality acts who provide pro entertainment. Every time some of us play for free ....... we spoil the market for other who [u]need [/u]to be paid. [/quote] How about if we applied this sort of logic to other forms of paid work? Every time you clean your own home . . . . you spoil the market for cleaners who [u]need[/u] to be paid. Every time you change your own strings . . . . you spoil the market for luthiers who [u]need[/u] to be paid. Every time you decorate your own home . . . . you spoil the market for painters who [u]need[/u] to be paid. Every time you [[i]insert job example here[/i]] . . . . you spoil the market for someone who [u]needs[/u] to be paid. That's life - get used to it.

I sometimes can't remember how a song starts so I always make sure my set list contains the key and the first note I play. As long as I have this then I find I can usually play on automatic pilot. I guess we all have our little quirks and foibles but as long as we can find a way to overcome them then all's fine - it's the actual performance that matters, not how it is achieved.

[quote name='Starless' timestamp='1349528961' post='1827396'] 6 years. Hilarious quips work better when the hilarious quipper gets their facts straight. [/quote] You flatter me with the 'hilarious' tag, but you're right about the 6 years. I must have been confusing Hey Jude with Let It Be.

I watched the documentary on iPlayer and it reinforced my previous understanding of Jeff Lynne's talents. I loved his down to earth descriptions of getting to know George Harrison during a visit to an F1 race. Top man!

All we need is a half-decent voice synth and recordings could be made made entirely with technology. They would probably be note-perfect and dead-on the timing . . . they'd also probably be devoid of any emotion and humanity. We don't often hear the word 'muzak' these days, but that's the sort of thing I'd imagine. Dad3353's above post puts it all into perspective for me (as well as making me regret I wasn't at that gig!).

Didn't Macca play drums for his Band On The Run album? Seemed to go down fairly well. Wasn't it Lennon who said that Ringo wasn't the best drummer in The Beatles?

Reviving an old thread, I know, but I saw Ray Davies last night at the Royal Albert Hall and Nolan was introduced as the bassist in the band. I must confess to not having heard of Nolan before, but Ray was in pretty fine form!

I would never criticise someone for doing their own cover version. Indeed, a perfect note-for-note copy would seems a bit of a waste of effort really because you might just as well listen to the original. So, for my money, covers are all about a different interpretation of a song. Might be fairly similar, might be completely outlandish - anything goes really. But not criticising an interpretation doesn't mean I have to actually like or enjoy it.

Stanley Jordan was doing this sort of thing - all on his own - in 1985 . . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ruEkWMtdM8

I'd also look for a transformer-based PSU, although most of the 'noise' from a switch-mode PSU will be high-frequency (and usually well out of audible range). But beware of really cheap transformer PSUs in case they skimp on the DC smoothing capacitors, leaving a 50Hz ripple on the DC power output. The audible effect of this will depend mostly on the devices connected to it but can also be affected by how close to the max rating the PSU is being operated. In this respect, choosing a PSU with at least twice the required power is a good idea. If hum problems do manifest themselves, it might be worth experimenting with adding some additional smooting capacitors to the PSU output.

The following specification drawing (from the switchcraft link in my previous post) gives a diameter of 0.173 inches (4.4mm) for a TT (tiny telephone) jack: http://www.switchcraft.com/Documents/2p2003_cd.pdf So, definitely smaller than a 1/4 inch jack.

[quote name='Dr.Dave' timestamp='1349096867' post='1821683'] Just to be a misery and upset everybody............... If the state of the economy means that we're all more likely to get on with making music with what we have rather than continually seeking to blame our tools and hankering after something 'better' - I think that's no bad thing. [/quote] I tend to agree. I'm sure we all like new toys but the fact is that almost any bass and a half decent combo is all that's required to play great music. I'd bet any one of our bass hero's could use our own rigs and deliver a stunning sounding performance. A few years of concentrating on improving ourselves and getting the most out of what we've got might not be such a bad thing.

Wow! I didn't think I'd have the time or patience to listen to all the entries but I got sucked into it and listened to all of them at least twice. Great stuff indeed and thanks to everyone who composed an entry.

Excellent! Though I must concur with the above comment about drum sticks . . . poor deprived child

This sort of thing? http://www.switchcraft.com/category.aspx?Parent=945

I generally use Liberon products on wood where necessary (though I've not done so with a bass). Something like this formulated from pure beeswax and turpentine: http://www.axminster.co.uk/liberon-liberon-beeswax-paste-polish-prod21629/#bottomsection