EBS_freak Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 A certain screw in a certain strap lock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 I can’t think of anything irritating with my current gear, but I do dislike: Heavy cabs/combos with only a handle on the top. Cabs with those flap out handles on the sides, rather than recessed solid handles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 (edited) 16 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: What are the minor annoyances you have with gear? I'll start: 1 - Hipshot only selling nickel plated extenders which look out of place on a headstock with chrome plated tuners. Also the nickel plated stuff used to be described as chrome plated, but the website has since been updated. 2 - Hipshot again - the lever on detuners look like they're probably unplated stainless steel, so it doesn't match the rest of the thing. 3 - Epiphone - fitting generic wilkinson tuners to the thunderbird vintage pro - I've upgraded both of mine to gotoh GB640s which have match the vintage aesthetic much better. 4 - Reverse tuners - why not fit tuners which look like the period correct vintage ones but turn the same way as all other tuners? Only Gotoh GB640s get this right. 5 - crappy output jacks - I always fit switchcraft jacks when I find one of the flimsy lookalikes in one of my basses which will eventually fail at the least convenient time. I can forgive a Squier for this but not a japanese fender. Cheapo jacks are often accompanied by cheapo mini pots also which need to be replaced with CTS or similar. 6 - Cheapo Jazz bass knobs - the proper US spec jazz bass knobs look great. The cheapo push-on ones that came on my CIJ Mustang looked nasty until I upgraded them to US vintage ones (after upgrading the loom to include solid shaft CTS pots) 7 - Silks on strings. Surely there must be a way to colour code the silks to make the strings immediately identifiable. eg: EB Cobalt flats come in different coloured packaging depending on the guage - why not make the silks the same colour as the packaging? Maybe a combination of colours to give a striped effect could be used to make each set unique? 8 - Straps. Most straps don't have enough adjustment to go long enough which limits the choice of suitable straps. You can't rock out with a thunderbird at nipple level. 9 - Not much can be done about this one, but its always struck me as odd that pedalboards have to be set up with the pedals right to left instead of the more logical left to right due top the placement of the input & output sockets on pedals. 10 - EMG don't make much noise about how their active bass pickups really need at least 18v to sound great. I'm sure people are put off using them when they don't sound particularly special with a single 9v battery. I use 24v from a pair of 12v A23 car plipper batteries in mine - which take up less room than a standard 9v. 1) Don't they make chrome AND nickel? I was convinced they did, but it's been a while. Mine certainly seemed to match the other tuners (chrome) 2) the ones I've had (a few BT-1, a BT-2 and a BT-7) looked just fine, the lever matched the rest. 4) I'm with you there... I really dislike reverse tuners. I owned a Classic 50 Precision for a few years and never really got used to it. 5) Being somewhat 'vertically challenged' I never encountered this problem 9) why would it be more logical the other way around? Unless you're lefthanded, of course. With the pedals in front of me, if I plugged into the leftmost one, the cable would get in the way between myself and the pedals. Edited January 17, 2020 by mcnach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 amplifiers without a mute button 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 FX pedals with LEDs so bright that you can't see what each knob is set at 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted January 17, 2020 Author Share Posted January 17, 2020 1 hour ago, neepheid said: I'm interested in your battery choice - specifically how do you mount them? It could be just my experience with my old 1986 EMG P where it sounded terribly compressed (but not in a good way) when powered with 9v. Using 18v brought it to life. I'm not using 24v with the expectation of achieving an improvement over 18v, its purely down to the convenient size of the batteries. This is my Squier SS Jaguar with EMG PJ-X & BTC System - I soldered a battery holder to a 9v clip - cost pennies to make The batteries fitted under the control plate when using the controls that came with the pickups, but the BTC takes up more room so the batteries are taped to the surface until I can get the body routed. Batteries tend to last ages with EMGs - I changed the batteries in this bass this week as it started sounding farty during rehearsal. I can't remember the last time I changed them but it was probably at least a couple of years ago. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thodrik Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 1) Hybrid/valve amps which have no standby mode, but which also take 20-30 seconds to 'warm up' and actually start working. I turn on my Mesa Walkabout at my gig. There is no stand by switch and it takes about 20 seconds to warm up and actually deliver any sound. This leads to 20 seconds of me going into a mild panic thinking 'what if it doesn't actually work this time? Wait, there is no sound still! Something is wrong, I'm going to be totally screwed, NOOOOOO!' Then it starts working. This has been going on for over ten years. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinB Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 2 hours ago, mcnach said: FX pedals with LEDs so bright that you can't see what each knob is set at Check these out: https://www.rockboard.de/en/accessories/led-damper Classier than a bit of sticky tape! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 1 hour ago, thodrik said: 1) Hybrid/valve amps which have no standby mode, but which also take 20-30 seconds to 'warm up' and actually start working. I turn on my Mesa Walkabout at my gig. There is no stand by switch and it takes about 20 seconds to warm up and actually deliver any sound. This leads to 20 seconds of me going into a mild panic thinking 'what if it doesn't actually work this time? Wait, there is no sound still! Something is wrong, I'm going to be totally screwed, NOOOOOO!' Then it starts working. This has been going on for over ten years. Even the mighty Demeter head has this issue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Bits of kit that are plenty big enough to contain a proper transformer with an IEC socket, but instead come with a flimsy plastic power supply with the thinnest cable possible, that is guaranteed to last at least a whole 10 minutes on a stage 20 different power supplies, each with different voltage, AC/DC, polarity, so that none are interchangeable - but all with the exactly the same style of connector 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Easy big first one for me... 1.Not everything being available in left handed!! You right handers are so spoiled for choice with amazing new basses and colour combos. It's only recently we've been able to get maple boards on basses below 1500 quid, for example. Granted, the likes of Sire are really looking after us now but I'd love some of the experimental Ibanez and so on... But then I'd probably have spent too much on trading basses for years so maybe it saves me from myself?! Who knows... 2. Whoever said no mute buttons on amps is spot on! Why would an amp not have this?! I'm going more and more just bass > cable > amp, no pedals not even a tuner these says, so a mute button is essential even to just protect the speaker when you unplug the bass. Also amps NEED to have an EQ bypass switch. 3. Lozz, top handles only on heavy amps... When I was a skinny 17 year old trying to hoist Marshall Bass State B150 around it was very hard work!! 4. PJ basses. Most, not all but most, seem to be P design bodies. J bodies look best for PJ basses IMO. And we all know better looking basses get played more. 5. Wireless systems. Now I've got one I haven't actually used it and won't on the next gig. Maybe the one after that. I don't know why I've bought it really except visions of jumping in with the dancers to get a disco number started... I'll probably knock someone out with the headstock and get the poo kicked out of me and it will all be a terrible mistake. 6. One bass to do everything... A complete lie, it doesn't and will not ever exist. Though a lot of music shops tell you it does... A jazz bass does not do a P bass sound with just the neck pickup, not even close. I thought my Stingray did 99% of what I need, and for my live playing it is pretty much all I need, but it's like having a monkey wrench when you need a little Meccano spanner sometimes if you want to get subtle nuances of tone out. If you're just belting out 80s rock for some sweaty drunks though a Stingray is realistically going to do the works. 7. Presets on amps always sound crap. Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Didn't think i had any annoyances until i read this thread. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Steve Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 basses that don't come with a five string option basses that come with a five string option but rather than just widening the neck and hardware, the manufacturer does a complete redesign so what appeals about the four string design is now absent 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 7 minutes ago, Monkey Steve said: basses that don't come with a five string option Oh yeah. I'd love a Hofner violin 5er bass. I'd be all over that. Otherwise, I would never choose to pick it up. It would just be in it's case and looked at now and again. And then sold cos I never play it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Blank Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Minor annoyances with gear? The cnuts attached to them usually. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasher80 Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 5 hours ago, uk_lefty said: Easy big first one for me... 1.Not everything being available in left handed!! Seconded. Honestly, just a few more options wouldn't kill some of these manufacturers. I wait with baited breath for even a classic vibe Mustang but it's never gonna happen. And if i never see another sunburst bass it'd still be too soon! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Plastic control cavity covers. My Wals have them... I wasn’t aware that Poundland sold control cavity covers but evidently they do 😐 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 9 minutes ago, CamdenRob said: Plastic control cavity covers. My Wals have them... I wasn’t aware that Poundland sold control cavity covers but evidently they do 😐 My Walls have cavities too. sorry couldn't resist. i'll get my jacket on way out Dave 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 (edited) I’m a big fan of Gallien Krueger stuff, but even after using their amps for donkeys years I still sometimes struggle to quickly make tone adjustments onstage due to the placing of the 4 eq knobs. From left to right they are treble , high mid, low mid through to bass . In my mind they should be starting with bass on the left, which seems far more logical somehow. Also active basses that require undoing a lot of screws to access the battery compartment -why? Those on MM Stingrays etc make far more sense. Edited January 21, 2020 by casapete Spelling. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 11 hours ago, CamdenRob said: Plastic control cavity covers. My Wals have them... I wasn’t aware that Poundland sold control cavity covers but evidently they do 😐 As found on probably 95% of rear routed basses - that's an unfortunate thing to get annoyed about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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