4 Strings

[quote name='AndyTravis' timestamp='1288136767' post='1001942'] ... Watched it being played by the lad i sold it to last month, deep thumpy supportive bass. Lot to be said for a pickup near the neck... [/quote] That's where I place the strap on mine

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1321380796' post='1438522'] [url="http://www.highendcable.co.uk/Nordost%20ODIN%20Power%20Cords.htm"]http://www.highendca...wer%20Cords.htm[/url] 1.25m £8,495 2.5m £12,625 5m £20,495 [b][size=5]FREE P& P [/size][/b] Money for old rope [/quote] "Let Odin feed your system and get ready for improved noise floor and resolution, increased transparency, dynamic range and freedom from grain, more believable sound staging, more natural life and musical dynamics, a breathtaking range of tonal colours. Suddenly the music will step away from the system producing it, taking on a life of its own, becoming a real performance – all because the power on which your system depends is cleaner and arriving quicker" Arriving QUICKER? Wow, that is an achievement. Surely this means that is we all had them we'd empty the power station before it could fill up again!

You won't find them at the BBC either. To give our Victor the benefit of doubt (after seeing him at the Hartke event last year when he came across as an honest, good bloke and incredible musician) he may have been contacted by a 'high end electrical components' firm who make highest quality stuff and offered him a lifetime supply of mains cable made to the highest specifications if he'd let them know what colour he wants. Would they be allowed to quote that he chose that colour? Yes. Otherwise he's lost a bit of credibility with me too.

Goodness! Looking forward to the result. That colour is asking for a matching headstock

[quote name='BT!' timestamp='1321280708' post='1437244'] First show with a new band - Slipt on a cup of water and screwed up my knee. Spent the rest of the set on one knee. Halloween show with the same band - Repeat of the water incident but this time caught my head on the bass drum as i came down and knocked myself out for 2 minutes. This was the result Other than that just occasional accidents like hitting the tuner at the same time as another pedal [/quote] Great stuff - PROOF of embarrassment!

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1321314106' post='1437846'] [i]"The cords are also heavily shielded to block RF interference and other outside noise."[/i] So does Mr Wooten really believe that shielding the last metre of mains cable into an amp really makes a difference when the couple of hundred miles of mains cable back to the power station is all unshielded? [/quote] No he doesn't, all it claims is that he likes purple. The shortcomings of hundred miles of cable, use of fuses, plug connections involving pieces of metal just touching each other etc common in leads costing £5 - 5,000 is all irrelevant. In amp design (tranny or valve) the mains supply has nothing to do with the sound. After processing through transformers and a host of other components it merely applies a voltage to one side of the components to amplify the signal side. As long as that voltage is correct and stable (neither having anything to do with the mains lead) the important sonic components on the signal side will operate as designed and give you lovely sounds. If you're taking about signal leads, that's different, and you will (should) hear the difference between a long (>6m) and short (<2m) guitar lead. The long one loses treble - but that's all for another argument.

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1321311790' post='1437804'] [url="http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2011/11/08/essential-sound-products-announces-victor-wooten-and-gerald-veasley-signature-musiccord-pro-power-cords/"]http://www.notreble....ro-power-cords/[/url] [/quote] In trying to be fair to Victor Wooten, the only claim is that VW chose the colour, and, frankly, I'm disappointed he did that. (The only other claim is preceded by 'it is said that ...' - probably by the MDs parrot which would be enough to keep them out of court.) Do they use gold fuse wire to ensure complete passage of the firm bass foundation and transient? Or am I thinking of another passage?

[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1321283048' post='1437297'] haha, I really want that to be true. I also heard of an AB test of identical speakers: consistently different results depending on the colour of the grille cloth, where pale colours always led to a perception of a 'brighter' tone. [/quote] Rather like maple fingerboards are heard to be 'brighter' sounding than the harder rosewood.

[quote name='gelfin' timestamp='1321219216' post='1436718'] Back to Mains cables. Yes I agree that there is little point spending loads on them however The Naim Audio Powerline mains cable does buck the trend when it comes to Hi FI systems. On a high end system the benefits can be heard. [/quote] No they can't. However, I bought a new battery for my car last year, I could discern a slight increase in acceleration and more responsive revving. Its the same. The battery provides the right voltage for the engine components to work. Same as the mains supply in your amp. Nothing is gained or lost by the voltage being 'more right'.

Great signature pic, Farmer61!

It doesn't matter how big the band is, well respected the musician, how kind he is and how blindfolded he may be, or even how near crashing cymbals his ears may spend their time, it is not possible for a correctly functioning mains lead to affect the sound (unless it is a particularly bad one with poor connections and causes crackles etc - in which case it is not functioning correctly). You're right, I've said it three times now. I'll stop.

Yep, would love to .... Hope yours is still making you happy too - followed that little story with interest!

I'm sure I could tell red from white too. But, can we accept that the mains lead thing is totally perception/psychological etc as it is physically impossible to make a difference (unless the mains lead is so poor it can't carry the current reliably and crackles etc or it is dangerously linked somehow to the actual signal - you'd certainly tell the difference then, unless you play with rubber gloves!)?

Out of fashion but the Laney Nexus appears to be quite something, not tried one yet though, but could save you a few bob.

I would dearly love one.

[quote name='gelfin' timestamp='1320963401' post='1433931'] One of my favourite answers to customers asking what cables they should upgrade to is to tell them to buy some new music a good bottle of wine or favourite tipple and just listen to the MUSIC. [/quote] Excellent advice, will enjoy the music so much more (and will actually make a difference!)

Mine rather added insult to injury. Playing on stage blocks, I used to be the 'movement' one in the band, and the stage blocks parted beneath me. My stance astride got ever wider as the blocks parted, the more I tried to get off one, the more I pushed them apart until I finally had to give up and jump down the hole (fortunately not more than a couple of feet) my strap came off. The insult bit came when, having climbed back to glory, still playing of course but struggling with the bass, I saw the drummer, while warming his upper legs with laughter, nodding to my now gaping fly-hole. Laugh? I nearly did.

Just another to say its pure fallacy. Yes its the last couple of metres of several hundred miles, also gold plated connectors are only going improve the transmission of an imperfect mains power supply (if indeed they do anything other than look shiny). i'm sure they're built to amazingly high standards but there can be no sonic difference, its impossible, if you read it carefully the Superkord actually make no claims of improved sound quality. Buy yourself some new strings instead.

So the variations in colours etc are all from the US chappy using the Matamp design, and only a Matamp can be bought from Matamp (as it were) and in black?

Could anyone explain the 'Green' thing? I found this; http://greenamps.com/ Is this the US side of things? I also found this; http://www.planetoftheamps.com/orange-amp-parts-makegreenmatamp.html is this a conspiracy theory?

£7 is worth it if its a simple swap. My HA5000 fan is as noisy as the one in its HA3500 predecessor. Two other improvements I'd like to make is to Speakons and to a power supply that is fixed in some way.

The Blockhead vid is top quality in many respects, great drumming too!

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1320869649' post='1432642'] Palm mute with thumb with a pick type action. You aren't going for much speed here. [/quote] Fair point but there's plenty of grace notes and 'feel' type strokes which I can't manage with just a thumb. Gets a nice new blister as it is!

I use a '76 Precision for my Motown band, put the bridge cover on to use the rubber mutes and found it pushed the strings down so that the action was too low! Now foam UNDER the strings, there's an idea. I've learned to play palm muted when I need to using index and thumb. I thought the Staple bass player sound was fine too, strap way too long for me to play as well as he did.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1320275220' post='1424843'] You listed the SB2 as a possibility when it was discontinued in 1967 and replace with the SB2A... [/quote] Ouch!