Ancient Mariner

[quote name='bob_pickard' post='911083' date='Jul 31 2010, 11:37 AM']Hi I've got a double bass and an electric and I was wondering if there is such a thing as a footswitch that can take two inputs and switch which one goes to the amp? If it was a pre amp with different settings for each input channel that would be superb - can't find anything though - any ideas? thanks Bob[/quote] There's lots of 'simple' switches around to suit every pocket. Behringer make the cheapest, although Musikding.de will sell you a kit that's slightly cheaper and more robust. From about £25 to silly money for a Lehle unit. I'm not aware of a pre-amp version, but that wouldn't be hard to create with a simple pre-amp pedal on each channel before the switch.

If that doesn't workout with ProseBass could I grab it? I work with a youth group, and a spare acoustic guitar might be handy. Out of interest, was this branded 'Melody'? I bought one for about 25 quid a couple of years back, and despite terrible build quality (the neck is apparently plywood with a rosewood veneer fingerboard!) it's actually quite usable after some work.

A key part is likely that people starting out will probably be buying cheaper kit that uses less expensive and lower efficiency speakers, probably in inefficient cabs too and being driven by an amp that is slightly struggling to reach it's listed output. A nicely made 100W or 150W amp through a great cab will likely be at least as loud as a cheap 350W half stack, but will cost 2-5 times as much. It's mostly about cost of entry, since few new players would justify buying top end kit from the off.

I really like compression for guitar, and developed my technique around making arpeggios fully as loud as strummed chords: difficult at low volumes with clean amps otherwise. For bass I like it as a limiter to control spikes but bass seems so much more compressed sounding that guitar when not playing percussively that it needs to retain more dynamics. I picked up a cheap compressor from someone on here before I got my Hartke HA3500.

[quote name='Delberthot' post='858456' date='Jun 5 2010, 08:58 PM']is this one of these Captain Beefheart Shreds Youtube videos?[/quote] YES! Even if that's how it originally sounded.

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='852832' date='May 31 2010, 06:52 PM']Thanks for the advice guys! Sounds like it'll be worth taking it down a bit, added to my 'to do' list. [/quote] There's a useful setup guide on the G&L site: gives specifications for relief, first fret clearence, pickup heights, all kinds of stuff. www.glguitars.com/faq/glmanual.pdf

I've no specific weight, but not very much: kind of goes with it not being super-robust. I'd guess about 1.5Kg.

Yup, I have one. With careful arrangement and cabling you can get a lot of pedals in there. It's not going to stand up to international touring, but for carting stuff off to the occasional gig it's more than adequate. I put a layer of foam about 1" thick on top of my pedals, then put my leads on top of that. At the gig I just lift the lid, run cables to amp & guitar, power supply cable to mains.

I'm a guitarist who plays bass a little. Although strictly speaking I suppose I was a bass player first and foremost, because I played the tuba at school and in military bands until I was 19, but only started guitar at 16. I also played bass for a couple of years until I was 21ish (now 48).

[quote name='aonindy' post='840391' date='May 17 2010, 11:57 PM']Any advice on the chunk of laquer gone on the headstock? ...[/quote] Black nail varnish for a quick and dirty repair.

It sounds like your bass may have an earthing issue - I'd look for a loose connection under the control plate.

What make were the replacement valves? They aren't all created equal, and there seem to be some 'nameless' types finding their way onto ebay from China. If you get a choice, JJs are my favourite current manufactured valve.

Absolutely. If you use the 2 ohm and 8 ohm in parallel that will give about 1.6 ohms (or something similarly daft - too lazy to calculate properly). Valve amps do not behave like SS amps, and need correct impedance matching.

I have a friend with an old Laney (IIRC) 1X15 combo, and guitar through that sounded complete pants - irritating, nasal and unbalanced. However last week I ended up playing guitar through a Hartke HA3500 and 1X15 Carlsbro cab, and it actually sounded pretty good. It was a little weak in the upper-mids, but fine and gritty sounding with a pleasing warmth. If it wasn't so heavy I'd consider using it more.

If the nut is too high then that can through off intonation too, with notes at the bottom of the neck sounding sharp despite the 12th fret being perfect.

Shadow are (or were) a German company who have made some fine sounding pickups in their time. I know no more about those specifically, but google may help. Their web site is here: [url="http://www.shadow-electronics.com/start.html"]http://www.shadow-electronics.com/start.html[/url]

[quote name='BassBunny' post='833890' date='May 11 2010, 07:24 AM']I've ordered from them in the past and they are great. The strings are really good and I suspect from reading between the lines, they are Ernie Balls. They marked the value down on the Customs Declaration as well, so paid less Import Duty.[/quote] Thanks BB, although I'm rather hoping it'll come through 'duty free'.

[quote name='SS73' post='834173' date='May 11 2010, 01:09 PM']Measure the Ohms yourself with an Ohm meter, my 410, 8 Ohm cab is actually 6.2 Ohms. Your cab may be higher or lower, but when you know you can make a better choice, which way to go.[/quote] Resistance and impedance are not the same thing, and what you are measuring is resistance. Impedance varies according to, among other things, the frequency of the signal sent through the speaker.

I was recommended to webstrings by a friend from another forum, and I wondered if anyone else has used them? Seem pretty good value at $11 a set for stainless rounds and $17 for flats, even with $12 shipping.. I've got a couple of sets on the way to try.