Get off my LAWN! "Grumpy Old Farts"

[Passinwind]

What strings did you go with in the end?

I'm using GHS Pressurewounds, which seem to have just the right texture to work well with my ancient brass slide. They are promoted as being especially well suited to fretless basses and I tend to agree. Since the fingerboard is epoxy infused I may try out some full blown roundwounds eventually though. I currently have Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats on my other fretless 4, maybe I'll change to something more traditional in a few years when they start to wear out. I tend to stick with things that work well though.

 

[beans-on-toast]

I'm using GHS Pressurewounds, which seem to have just the right texture to work well with my ancient brass slide. They are promoted as being especially well suited to fretless basses and I tend to agree. Since the fingerboard is epoxy infused I may try out some full blown roundwounds eventually though. I currently have Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats on my other fretless 4, maybe I'll change to something more traditional in a few years when they start to wear out. I tend to stick with things that work well though.

I have an Ernie Ball glass slide, might be worth a shot over softer metal.

 

[Passinwind]

I have an Ernie Ball glass slide, might be worth a shot over softer metal.

I've tried that, but bear in mind that I often use the slide in my right hand, like a bow. So far the soft brass one works best for that out of what I've tried, which includes a wide array of pedal steel and dobro bars. Although the label on a beer bottle gets great traction for a brief time...

 

[GwenOnBass]

Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Didn't It Rain

This is soo good!

And I see you posted Sister Rosetta Tharpe on what would have been her 104th birthday. And see that when asked about music in the 1960s, she said, "Oh, these kids and rock and roll - that is just sped up rhythm and blues. I've been doing that forever."

So yeah R&B always holds my interest. Hard to believe this is a serious disagreement once held in the village of Ennistymon one afternoon before we even had tea? Yet we did take tea and scones and jam. Funny old world.

The Rapidograph - a technical pen that once held the interest of the boys in drafting class. No other pen holds a perfect line on a straight edge like that.

And it appears to me unclear when ordinary things we use every day went from something manufactured with pride to throwaway. Any vintage pen up for auction is flagged for chew marks the same way a vintage bass is flagged for belt buckle rash. Same thing, only different.

Totally up for taking a Thunderbird for a drive but going to take a hard pass on aircraft carrier duty. A boss of mine was a submariner (wore the dolphins) and yes I heard some tales of admiring the WAVES on the shores of San Diego. And no mean personal unfamiliarity with New Bedford, either, and sailed as civilian crew from Annapolis and beyond ....

 

[GonePlaid]

And I see you posted Sister Rosetta Tharpe on what would have been her 104th birthday. And see that when asked about music in the 1960s, she said, "Oh, these kids and rock and roll - that is just sped up rhythm and blues. I've been doing that forever."

So yeah R&B always holds my interest. Hard to believe this is a serious disagreement once held in the village of Ennistymon one afternoon before we even had tea? Yet we did take tea and scones and jam. Funny old world.

The Rapidograph - a technical pen that once held the interest of the boys in drafting class. No other pen holds a perfect line on a straight edge like that.

And it appears to me unclear when ordinary things we use every day went from something manufactured with pride to throwaway. Any vintage pen up for auction is flagged for chew marks the same way a vintage bass is flagged for belt buckle rash. Same thing, only different.

Totally up for taking a Thunderbird for a drive but going to take a hard pass on aircraft carrier duty. A boss of mine was a submariner (wore the dolphins) and yes I heard some tales of admiring the WAVES on the shores of San Diego. And no mean personal unfamiliarity with New Bedford, either, and sailed as civilian crew from Annapolis and beyond ....

You'll notice that the non-reverse(s)that I prefer have a more traditional shape to the body. The 67 is set neck while the Epi 5er is bolt on. Whatever, they both sound great. I got around to playing(unplugged)a 'normal' TBird at a GC, just for grins. I'd never held one, having had my 67 since 73. It felt remarkably familiar. BTW, Gibson made a short scale 'normal' TBird years ago. I'd like to have one but they're kinda rare and not cheap.
There were a lot of humorous(?)comments about WAVES when I was in the Navy; probably still are but also probably less tolerated now that ships are coed. They weren't in 68 when I left the "canoe club".

 

[GwenOnBass]

I've tried that, but bear in mind that I often use the slide in my right hand, like a bow. So far the soft brass one works best for that out of what I've tried, which includes a wide array of pedal steel and dobro bars. Although the label on a beer bottle gets great traction for a brief time...

Had (and used) a brass slide on my bass hehehe but not at this moment, the slide slid out of my reality a few years back ....

When I think of glissando guitar I think of Gong

​

 

[GwenOnBass]

Lots of strings like Pressurewounds and La Bella white tapes are interesting yet with the through body MM it's a harder hunt. I might be able to manage a 37 inch winding with a quarter inch to spare. Right now DR long scale work perfectly well with 38 inches from ball to winding. And the Black Beauties I have on there now are too new to swap out yet.

 

[beans-on-toast]

I tend to insall bass strings (TI flats) and never change them. ....Unless I want to experiment with something new. The TI’s always manage to go back on.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Had (and used) a brass slide on my bass hehehe but not at this moment, the slide slid out of my reality a few years back ....

When I think of glissando guitar I think of Gong

​

Gong wouldn’t last long on the Gong Show.

 

[GonePlaid]

Gong wouldn’t last long on the Gong Show.

They'd be de-gonged?

 

[GwenOnBass]

Gong wouldn’t last long on the Gong Show.

It certainly appeared to me Chuck Barris was coked out of his skull on camera .... a 70s thing

 

[rust_preacher]

Amps. That was the original domain of this GOF thread. And what is it about old amps?

I had a 220 W Dynacord amp at the rehearsal space and it sounded great through a matching cab. Both from the 1970s, but the cabinet was upgraded with an Eminence Kappa speaker. I was trying to sell my Ampeg V4 and two bass players wanted to buy it. I had tried it for bass as well, but I felt the preamp wasn't working for bass. But, since these people were interested, I decided to give it a try.

I hauled it to the rehearsal on Monday and since I was convinced the preamp wasn't going to cut it, I brought an underused (read: languishing in its original box) EHX Bass Metaphors pedal and plugged it into the effects return jack.

BOOM!

I got the Ampeg tone!

Now I hauled the Dynacord setup back home and tomorrow I will take a Laney 15" cab to the rehearsal space to play the Ampeg through. I am keeping it. The only one that is sorry is my back.

 

[Passinwind]

I tend to install bass strings (TI flats) and never change them. ....Unless I want to experiment with something new. The TI’s always manage to go back on.

I found that T-I Jazz Flats worked well for around 6 years on my Crescent Moon fretless and then the intonation tended to go wonky. The Cobalt Flats had turned out to be better match for that bass and my preferred tonal balance, but my new bass is already inherently brighter and now I have the chance to re-imagine the role of the first one. Or just sell it, which is a definite possibility.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Amps. That was the original domain of this GOF thread. And what is it about old amps?

I had a 220 W Dynacord amp at the rehearsal space and it sounded great through a matching cab. Both from the 1970s, but the cabinet was upgraded with an Eminence Kappa speaker. I was trying to sell my Ampeg V4 and two bass players wanted to buy it. I had tried it for bass as well, but I felt the preamp wasn't working for bass. But, since these people were interested, I decided to give it a try.

I hauled it to the rehearsal on Monday and since I was convinced the preamp wasn't going to cut it, I brought an underused (read: languishing in its original box) EHX Bass Metaphors pedal and plugged it into the effects return jack.

BOOM!

I got the Ampeg tone!

Now I hauled the Dynacord setup back home and tomorrow I will take a Laney 15" cab to the rehearsal space to play the Ampeg through. I am keeping it. The only one that is sorry is my back.

A V4 can be a thing of wonder as you experienced.

They can require a LOT of work to get it operating optimally. I think it's because these amps run so hot but contaminants also have a way of getting into everything.

It helps to decouple the problem to ensure that the issue is within the pre-amp. Connect an instrument cable to the EXT AMP jack (preamp out) and connect it to an external power amp. If this isn't possible, plug into the input of another amp. Since in the latter case you are caining to pre-amps together, you have to watch the gain level of the V4's preamp as it isn't difficult to overdrive the input of the second pre-amp. If you determine that the problem is in the pre-amp....

I usually do the following:

• Swap out the tubes first with known good ones. Always the first thing to try because it's easy.
• The tube socket contacts oxidize and need to be scrubed with Deoxit and a small soft brush (I use an inter-dental brush). Contaminents can collect under the plastic base. This can cause small continuity or added capacitance between the terminals. Sweep a pipe cleaner soaked in 99% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) back and forth under the base, between all the legs.
• Check where the input jack is in contact with the chassis. If there is any oxidation, clean it with deoxit. This is the main ground point for the amp, the contact has to be tight and clean. The wire from the jack to the PCB can break easily, be careful when moving it and check it afterward.
• Clean the PCB's with Q-tips/cotton makeup removing pads with IPA as well.
• Use deoxit on the slide switches. Those contacts can get quite dirty.
• Because of the heat exposure in these amps over the years, reflowing the solder joints can help. This has to be done carefully so as to not cause a problem. Don't forget the pot solder connections on the small PCB's, they have a tendancy to crack.
• DC voltages, at the tubes and the power supply need to be checked against references on the schematic.

• The brown rectangular (PEC) modules in the tone circuit have a tendancy to drift out of specification with time. All the vintage Ampeg amps used these. They are composed of a network of carbon composition resistors and ceramic capacitors. They are mounted on a substrate and encased. When they are out of spec, the sound can be dull. Replacing the PEC modules brings back clarity. There is a replacement circuit board but it's a lot of work to change. Do this as a last resort.

A lot of small details to check out. None of this includes trouble shooting issues along the signal path. Next comes the power amp.

 

[Raymundo49]

And I see you posted Sister Rosetta Tharpe on what would have been her 104th birthday. And see that when asked about music in the 1960s, she said, "Oh, these kids and rock and roll - that is just sped up rhythm and blues. I've been doing that forever."

So yeah R&B always holds my interest. Hard to believe this is a serious disagreement once held in the village of Ennistymon one afternoon before we even had tea? Yet we did take tea and scones and jam. Funny old world.

The Rapidograph - a technical pen that once held the interest of the boys in drafting class. No other pen holds a perfect line on a straight edge like that.

And it appears to me unclear when ordinary things we use every day went from something manufactured with pride to throwaway. Any vintage pen up for auction is flagged for chew marks the same way a vintage bass is flagged for belt buckle rash. Same thing, only different.

Totally up for taking a Thunderbird for a drive but going to take a hard pass on aircraft carrier duty. A boss of mine was a submariner (wore the dolphins) and yes I heard some tales of admiring the WAVES on the shores of San Diego. And no mean personal unfamiliarity with New Bedford, either, and sailed as civilian crew from Annapolis and beyond ....

I had no idea it was her birthday! I stumbled upon the Didn't It Rain video a year or two ago, had never heard of her, it blew my mind! I think she brought gospel into the mix also, simple and powerful! I also love SG guitars! Have had some that would sound just like a nice Telecaster sometimes by accident, but if I tried to make it sound like a Telecaster I couldn't! Had one with P90s that sounded killer!

 

[mikeoso]

Totally up for taking a Thunderbird for a drive but going to take a hard pass on aircraft carrier duty. A boss of mine was a submariner (wore the dolphins) and yes I heard some tales of admiring the WAVES on the shores of San Diego.

When I was in electronics school aboard MCRD San Diego in 1967, I used to notice a big office block sticking up over the roofs by the harbor. One day it was gone! I asked my gunny what happened, and he called me a stupid boot, and explained that I'd been looking at a moored carrier.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Ah, so many tangents, so little time. Should I go Turbo Tuner, Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph, or First Nation pictographs saved from flooding when Celilo Falls became an underwater feature of the Columbia River? There's probably a Woody Guthrie truism in there somewhere as well.

But no. Last night my new bass made it's official public debut at an open mike at a friend's place. The slide bass aspect was an especially big hit and the owner comped me my first margarita of the year. Spring has sprung, officially. Or sumthin'.

And this is my practice rig these days. I use a 112 when I play out, but this DIY setup lets me keep the mileage low on the little Thunderchild cab. I'm still thinking about buying or building a very small combo this spring, but the 112 is actually super easy to schlep around. This, on the other hand...

View attachment 3361763

That bass is a work of art and so is your amp @Passinwind !

 

[Raymundo49]

Check out this guy! I think he was one of the famous jazz players!

 

[12BitSlab]

Happy Birthday.....

104 years ago today, Professor Einstein published his ground breaking General Theory of Relativity.

Besides showing the space and time were intertwined and that space-time can curve, his work also predicted infinite curvature of space-time. The modern term for this infinite curvature is a “black hole”.

He was kinda smart.

 

[Raymundo49]

Happy Birthday.....

104 years ago today, Professor Einstein published his ground breaking General Theory of Relativity.

Besides showing the space and time were intertwined and that space-time can curve, his work also predicted infinite curvature of space-time. The modern term for this infinite curvature is a “black hole”.

He was kinda smart.

His thought experiments are awesome! Imagine you are in an elevator with an infinite shaft below you, and you falling fast, you have a ball in your hand,and you drop it. What happens??