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Topics - Pilgrim

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346
The Outpost Cafe / We gotcha Monsta Cablez right hyeah...!
« on: March 28, 2009, 07:51:55 AM »
Possibly old news...but....

If you find Monster Cables as overpriced and silly as I do, then the story at http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/blue-jeans-strikes-back is well worth reading.  Monster made the mistake of picking on Blue jeans Cable about their Tartan line...not realizing that their CEO is a former lawyer. The story linked is dated April 2008, so please pardon me if you've read it - but it's amusing enough to be worth a second reading.

In regard to my attitude about Monster, I will quote the estimable Edwin Hurwitz from another list I follow: "They charge way too much for cables that don't sound that great and break way too easily. People often counter with the free no questions asked replacement warranty, but in my experience, they need that warranty way too often....I also don't like their business model of suing everyone who makes a cable in order to force them to pay licensing fees, simply because they can afford a lot of lawyers."

Myself, I think any of us with decent quality bulk cable, good connectors and decent soldering technique can make our own cables that work as well (or better) as anything Monster makes for a fraction of the price, and which don't have oversize connectors that ruin the output jacks of our instruments.

347
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / How to break glue bond?
« on: March 27, 2009, 01:27:48 PM »
I'm actually trying to work on the Aria bass I got that's the predecessor of the Hi-flyer.  It appears that when I re-glued the top half of the fretboard (it was loose) I may not have gotten out all the old glue.  As a result, one side of the fretboard is just a bit higher than the other and there is a tiny gap between the rosewood and the neck on that side.  I may or may not be able to live with the result.

I used Titebond to glue it - can heat or other measures be used to soften that glue?  I think it would be wisest to remove the freatboard and re-glue it - although I really am not that enthusiastic about the idea.

I will archive advice received for the possibility that I'll have to remove the fretboard......sigh.

348
Bass Amps & Effects / How many 4x10's around here?
« on: March 09, 2009, 11:41:52 AM »
Idle curiosity - how many people on here use a 4x10 as their primary cab, either with or without a 15 or other add-on?  I suspect that many of us have gone that route.

I have a new GK Goldline 4x10 that's my gig cab. I can add a Peavey 15" cab (with Eminence speaker) if needed, but frankly we're not that loud a band, so there isn't really a need for it most of the time.

(stock photo...)

349
Bass Amps & Effects / A moment of wisdom despite temptation?
« on: March 01, 2009, 11:26:01 AM »
Yesterday I stopped by one of my favorite pawn shops.  I never know what I'll find there.  This time is was a Peavey 210TX combo - a 2x10 combo with an adjustable tweeter, amp section with nice EQ, compression, etc. and 210W through internal 4 ohm speakers, 300W with a 4-ohm extension cab.  Price was $186 "on sale", meaning that if I waved cash I could probably buy it for around $160-$170.  It would probably handle 60% of the gigs I play.  The online reviews are all very good, with one exception  - they all agree that the darn thing weighs nearly 100 lbs.  I can't find a manual for the combo, but the cab version without amp is 58 pounds, so it's safe to ssume that the rather large head adds 20-30 pounds.  I hefted one side and it was plenty weighty.

BUT - I have:
- a Hartke 120W amp, nice and portable for small venues
- a Behringer 400W amp, luggable and very dependable
- a single 12" extension speaker, 8 ohms (Homemade cab) rated 300W (works great with the Hartke)
- a single Peavey 15" cab with 8 ohm Eminence speaker rated 400W (great 60's sound with Behringer)
- a brand new G-K Goldline 4x10 rated 400W (great modern sound with Behringer)
- for practice, a 1980's Fender Bassman 120 combo with single 15" speaker

The idea of a 2x10 intrigues me, but that Peavey is supposed to be heavy as a boat anchor.  It weighs darn near as much as my heavy 4x10 cab weighs.  I do NOT need another boat anchor to move around...and I already have cabs which are adequate to overkill for any gig I play.  Lord help me, I could even team up the single 15 and the 4x10 cabs and shatter windows with that 400W at 4 ohm head...if I want to fill most of the back end of my Blazer with big cabs.

So was I nuts, or did I just avoid wasting $170 on a combo cab that would only have duplicated functions I already had covered?

350
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Anyone heard of the suitcase bass?
« on: February 22, 2009, 04:01:10 PM »
This smacks of something invented in the 50's....

http://www.harpkit.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=bass

Here's a PDF with the entire assembly manual for the kit version:

http://www.harpkit.com/Merchant2/pdf/Instructions/basskit.pdf

351
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Lyle SG-Clone just arrived...
« on: February 10, 2009, 11:51:44 PM »
I picked up this little gem on Ebay for $85 including shipping.  The seller said in the auction that he thought it was the wrong neck, but on asking, I learned that he just thought the neck should be painted to match the body.  It certainly appears to me that the neck is correct and original. That's good evidence that the seller knows diddly about guitars and basses, as there is a neck problem that wasn't mentioned in the auction.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=380099502927

It's in good condition overall, but there is a hump in the neck (toward the strings) from the 5th through about the 12th fret.  It's symmetrical, not a sharp hump.  I'm going to loosen the truss rod and put the neck in a simple jig to press it back into straightness.  The bridge is jacked WAY up to get the strings over the hump, and it's actually somewhat playable as is.  I believe the problem can be fixed, and straightening the neck should allow me to bring the bridge back down to a normal height.

I'm a bit of a sucker for this body style, and for Lyle and other Matsumoku basses..and the bass isn't beaten up.  If the neck comes out OK, it could be a pretty fun bass, and the price is right.


Any other suggestions?  I'm traveling through Sunday, so I won't get a chance to post more pix till late that day.

352
The Outpost Cafe / Dang - tough loss for AZ
« on: February 01, 2009, 08:16:27 PM »
I was rooting for AZ- but their pass defense really let them down on the Steelers' last drive.

I never knew Ben R. was so elusive - I'm amazed he wasn't sacked a half-dozen times.

My hat's off to the Steelers - I didn't like some of their play (Harrison is the guy you hate when he plays on the other team, and love when he's on yours) but they did what it takes. Coming back with that last drive was championship stuff.

353
Gibson Basses / Comments on the EB-3?
« on: January 19, 2009, 08:05:47 PM »
I recently got an Epi EB-3 (not a Gibson, I know, but still....)

It's heavier than I expected - has a very nice neck - and I'm finding that leaving both pickups on sounds best to my ear.  it's also more of a neck-diver than I expected from my previous experience with the EB-0, but that's surely due to the 34" neck.  I'm thinking this bass would be even better with a 30" neck.

Anyone have experience with the new EB-3 series?  Are there any creative things that can be done with that 3-position pickup switch?

354
Bass Amps & Effects / I couldn't help it!
« on: November 12, 2008, 04:45:42 PM »
Every now and then my 'satiable curiosity gets the better of me.

I just bought a Bad Monkey overdrive, modified by Humphreys for bass service.  It ought to be here next week - about the time I go out of town for four days.

Review coming as soon as I get a chance to mess with it.  It will have to be pretty sweet to displace my Boss SD-2, but if it sounds different enough it may join it on my board.

I think I'm having too much fun playing with OD and distortion, even when I don't use it much.



355
The Outpost Cafe / Jack the Ripper and Ukelele
« on: November 07, 2008, 03:45:20 PM »
This is a fun clip....featuring rhythm ukelele.  Note that the bass only has three strings, which still works pretty darn well on this tune.

(How do you get the text/code not to show????) [fixed it for you -- Dave]






356
The Outpost Cafe / Just got in from KC blues club
« on: October 16, 2008, 09:17:54 PM »
Just got in from an evening at BB's Lawnside BBQ in Kansas City.  Great band, nice guys...I talked with then during their first break. The band was John Paul's Flying Circus. The bass player Len Bacoski is lsited in a CD he gave me as "Fender Bass"...a very nice traditional touch. He was playing an American Jazz with a Moses graphite neck (bought on Ebay) thru a Hartke amp and Hartke 2x10. Very punchy, very nice base for the entire band, and he used a number of plucking techniques to vary his dynamics.  Guitarist Bill Dye was outstanding as usual.  Turns out that Len, Bill and a drummer (who sat in for the second set) Jaisson Taylor nave a band called The Hatchlings.  They are definitely worth hearing if they play in your areas.

Dang, now I need to wait before going to bed....got to wear off some of these Boulevard Porter's.......

357
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Loose pin on Epi 3-point bridge
« on: October 10, 2008, 02:54:10 PM »
I just scored what I think will be a nice Epi EB-3 on Ebay.  One bridge mounting pin is loose, which - based on past threads I've read - is not unusual.

Link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=380069556279&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=025

Any recommendations no how to secure that loose mounting pin? I'm thinking super glue, because I don't think I'll ever want to remove it again.  But before I start using super glue on anything, I like to consider less drastic alternatives.

358
Bass Amps & Effects / 'Fess up! How many Behringer Amp Users Here?
« on: July 31, 2008, 11:30:25 AM »
OK, true confessions.  My gig amp is a Behringer BX4500H that I bought about 18 months ago.



So far, I absolutely cannot complain about this amp. It has worked flawlessly, it's quiet, and it has about twice as much power as I have ever needed playing in a surf band that's not in the bleeding-ear biz. I've read many threads in many forums, and the sense I get is that this particular amp (the 4500) is a good performer and many people are using it without problems.  The amp is a great value - I have about $150 into mine - and I'm hard-pressed to find any fault with it. It seems like most others have had the same experience; although the initial and short-term failure rate seems higher than most, which is probably accounted for by its budget origins. 

I've been playing it through a Peavey BX-115 (single 15") cab with an Eminence speaker, and it has performed very well. I recently bought a G-K 4x10 cab to use with it, as I want better note definition while playing and I don't think the single 15 is going to deliver that definition.

I don't really fret about 'tone", I just look for a sound that pleases me.  But so many people agonize over the concept of tone (and often much too obsessively, I think) that I sometimes wonder if I'm missing something.  shoudl I be more discriminating? Should I be looking at other amps just because they're often claimed to sound better - and I'm just not noticing something that's missing?

And what about others who own Behringer amps?  I see that now they have the BVT 4500H (and 5500H) which include tube modeling. http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHBVT4500H .  They're moving along with their offerings.

Kindly discuss.....


359
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Hi-Flyer Project!
« on: July 23, 2008, 08:24:06 AM »
Yesterday I won an Ebay auction for something I've been wanting for a long time - a Mosrite copy. Most copies are Univox, which I like, but this one is an "Aria Diamond", which is a totally new one on me.  it's a project that will need pickups and other pieces as well as a refin, but I'm excited at the prospect. 

The headstock is natural finish, and I would rather not mess with it.  I'd like to leave the original decal intact.  The body wood looks pretty decent, so I may go with a natural finish.  Natural would look good with the pickguard material. Any opinions?  And does anyone know more about the Aria Diamond basses???

Photos follow.....





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