Sunday 21 February 2016

I'm moving to Wordpress....

Following consultation with my wife, who knows about these things, I've decided to switch allegiance to Wordpress. Click here to be taken to the new blog.

Friday 5 February 2016

New Project - Turning a Sow's Ear into a Silk Purse....

This is my step son Dan's old bass. When he moved out, he left it behind and said he didn't want it any more. I've always wanted a Music Man but can't be bothered to save up for a real one, so I thought I'd take this ancient relic and do it up.

It needs:
  • A new bridge
  • New tuners
  • New volume/tone knobs
  • New nuts to hold the volume/tone controls on
  • New strings

I've sourced replacements from e-Bay and will shortly start rebuilding it. It's a Nevada clone, so probably not worth much more than the cost of the replacement parts, but it's a challenge and if I can make a daily player out of it, it will be money and effort well spent.

Wednesday 27 January 2016

Check your intonation - it's simple and makes a huge difference

I recently bought an amber Squier Precision Bass off e-Bay. Whilst I was very pleased with it having purchased it unseen, I did think that the bridge saddle arrangement looked odd. The other day I got hold of a Boss TU-3 tuner to replace the Boss clip on tuner I've used for a few years. The clip on tuner was ok, but not really that simple to use, and not a great amount of use for my headless bass!

Anyway, I thought I'd check the intonation on the Squier. The G string saddle was almost hanging off the bridge, so I hoped that something was wrong. It was. When I checked the tuning at the 12th fret, the fretted note was way too sharp. After screwing the saddle back towards the bridge about 10mm, the note was correct. The other strings were way out too - all too sharp by quite a margin. After fixing them, my Rocksmith scores improved dramatically as with a properly tuned bass, the game believed that I was playing the right notes again.

Don't be put off thinking that checking a guitar's intonation is a job for an expert. With a tuner, a screwdriver and a few spare minutes, you'll have the guitar in perfect tune in no time.

Friday 22 January 2016

Now this IS an eight string guitar...!

I finally got it on Tuesday. After having to cancel my order for the ESP LTD 8 string with one vendor, I then went to GAK in Brighton who told me that the ESP basses were impossible to get. The Dean was supposed to be on a massive lead time, but GAK managed to get it in a week.


I really like it. The sound is amazing. It's not noticeably heavier than a P bass and certainly doesn't seem to suffer from neck dive. The only snag is that it's a bit loud when playing Rocksmith, and I've managed to wake my wife up....



Over 1,000 downloads for Life on Mars? !

No doubt this was helped by his untimely death, but my custom of Life on Mars? has just passed the 1,000 downloads mark. Ashes to Ashes has gained nearly 200 downloads in the past fortnight too.



Monday 18 January 2016

List of Rocksmith Customs

I've put these here as direct links to the files on Dropbox in case any go missing on CustomsForge again.
  1. 10cc - Dreadlock Holiday
  2. 801 - Tomorrow Never Knows
  3. A-ha - I Call Your Name
  4. Amy Winehouse - Love Is A Losing Game
  5. Aretha Franklin - Chain of Fools
  6. Arthur Conley - Sweet Soul Music
  7. The Babys - Isn't It Time
  8. Bad Manners - Can Can
  9. Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas
  10. The Bangles - Walk Like An Egyptian
  11. Barry White  - You're the First, the Last, My Everything
  12. The Beatles - Rain
  13. The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
  14. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
  15. The Beatles - The Long And Winding Road
  16. The Beatles - When I'm Sixty Four
  17. The Beatles - The Ballad of John and Yoko
  18. The Beatles - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
  19. The Beatles - Flying
  20. The Beatles - Doctor Robert
  21. The Beatles - Carry That Weight
  22. The Beatles - She Said She Said
  23. The Beatles - Getting Better
  24. The Beatles - Lovely Rita
  25. The Beatles - Hello Goodbye
  26. The Beatles - Dizzy Miss Lizzy
  27. The Beatles - One After 909
  28. The Beatles - Glass Onion
  29. Billy Joel  - Uptown Girl
  30. Billy Joel - My Life
  31. Billy Joel  - Just The Way You Are
  32. Billy Joel  - You May Be Right
  33. Blondie  - Rapture
  34. Blur  - Country House
  35. Bobby Hebb  - Sunny
  36. Boney M  - Rasputin
  37. Boney M  - Daddy Cool
  38. Bryan Ferry - Let's Stick Together
  39. Captain Sensible  - Wot
  40. The Cardigans - For What It's Worth
  41. Carole King  - It's Too Late
  42. Carole King - You've Got A Friend
  43. Carole King - Will You Love Me Tomorrow
  44. Chris Cornell  - You Know My Name
  45. Chris de Burgh  - The Lady In Red
  46. Chris Rea  - Road To Hell
  47. Chris Rea  - Driving Home For Christmas
  48. Classics IV  - Spooky
  49. Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up
  50. The Damned - Wait For The Blackout
  51. The Damned - Love Song
  52. David Bowie  - Life On Mars?
  53. David Bowie  - Ashes To Ashes
  54. David Bowie  - Boys Keep Swinging
  55. David Bowie  - Five Years
  56. David Bowie - John, I'm Only Dancing
  57. David Bowie - Kooks
  58. David Bowie - Rock 'n' Roll Suicide
  59. Deep Purple - Anyone's Daughter
  60. Deep Purple - No One Came
  61. Deep Purple - Might Just Take Your Life
  62. Dexy's Midnight Runners - Geno
  63. Donald Fagen - Security Joan
  64. Duran Duran - Anyone Out There
  65. Echo & The Bunnymen - The Cutter
  66. Eddie Floyd - Knock On Wood
  67. Eels - Susan's House
  68. Electric Six - Gay Bar
  69. Elton John & Kiki Dee - Don't Go Breaking My Heart
  70. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Oliver's Army
  71. Eurythmics - When Tomorrow Comes
  72. Faith No More - Midnight Cowboy
  73. Fontella Bass - Rescue Me
  74. Freda Payne - Band Of Gold
  75. George Michael - Kissing A Fool
  76. Glass Tiger - Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)
  77. Grace Jones - I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)
  78. Grace Jones - Private Life
  79. Heart - Who Will You Run To
  80. Hoodoo Gurus - I Was A Kamikaze Pilot
  81. Hoodoo Gurus - Bittersweet
  82. The Jackson 5 - ABC
  83. The Jam - Down In The Tube Station At Midnight
  84. The Jam - Start
  85. The Jam - The Eton Rifles
  86. The Jam - Town Called Malice
  87. The Jam - Batman Theme
  88. The Jam - Absolute Beginners
  89. Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg - Je t'Aime, ... Moi Non Plus
  90. Janis Ian - From Me To You
  91. Janis Ian - At Seventeen
  92. Jilted John - Jilted John
  93. Joe Cocker - Delta Lady
  94. Joe Cocker - With A Little Help From My Friends
  95. John Paul Young - Love Is In The Air
  96. Kajagoogoo - Too Shy
  97. Kaiser Chiefs - Na Na Na Na Na
  98. Kasabian - Butcher Blues
  99. Kraftwerk - The Model
  100. Labelle - Lady Marmalade
  101. Larry Adler - Groovin' With Mr Bloe
  102. Level 42 - Something About You
  103. Level 42 - Lessons In Love
  104. Level 42 - The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)
  105. Level 42 - Hot Water
  106. Level 42 - Follow Me
  107. Level 42 - Kansas City Milkman
  108. Lulu - The Man With The Golden Gun
  109. Lulu - To Sir With Love
  110. Madness - Baggy Trousers
  111. Madness - Night Boat To Cairo
  112. Madonna - Crazy For You
  113. Manic Street Preachers - Australia
  114. Manic Street Preachers - Kevin Carter
  115. Marillion - Market Square Heroes
  116. Mark Ronson ft Amy Winehouse - Valerie
  117. Martha and The Vandellas - Nowhere To Run
  118. Maxine Nightingale - Right Back Where We Started From
  119. Midnight Oil - Truganini
  120. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells Pt 1 Ending
  121. Mountain - Nantucket Sleighride
  122. Norah Jones - Cold Cold Heart
  123. Omar - There's Nothing Like This
  124. One Night Only - Just For Tonight
  125. Otis Redding - I Can't Turn You Loose
  126. Paul McCartney - Maybe I'm Amazed
  127. Paul Simon - Graceland
  128. Paul Young - Every Time You Go Away
  129. Paul Young - Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)
  130. Peggy Lee - Fever
  131. The Pogues - Tuesday Morning
  132. The Pogues - White City
  133. The Pogues and The Dubliners - The Irish Rover
  134. The Police - Spirits In The Material World
  135. The Police - Fall Out
  136. The Police - Invisible Sun
  137. The Police - Bring On The Night
  138. The Police - On Any Other Day
  139. The Police - Born In The Fifties
  140. The Police - De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
  141. The Police - Shadows In The Rain
  142. The Police - Driven To Tears
  143. The Police - Man In A Suitcase
  144. The Police - Contact
  145. The Police - The Bed's Too Big Without You
  146. The Police - Mother
  147. The Police - Does Everyone Stare
  148. The Police - Landlord
  149. The Police - Visions Of The Night
  150. The Police - Next To You
  151. The Police - Deathwish
  152. The Police - Reggatta de Blanc
  153. The Police - It's Alright For You
  154. The Police - No Time This Time
  155. The Police - Voices Inside My Head
  156. The Police - When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What's Still Around
  157. The Police - The Other Way Of Stopping
  158. The Police - Truth Hits Everybody
  159. The Police - Peanuts
  160. The Police - Canary In A Coalmine
  161. The Police - Dead End Job
  162. The Police - Darkness
  163. The Police - Demolition Man
  164. The Police - Secret Journey
  165. The Police - Too Much Information
  166. The Police - Walking In Your Footsteps
  167. The Police - Oh My God
  168. The Police - Low Life
  169. The Police - Bombs Away
  170. The Police - Hole In My Life
  171. The Police - Be My Girl/Sally
  172. The Police - Masoko Tanga
  173. The Police - Nothing Achieving
  174. The Pretenders - Kid
  175. The Primitives - Crash
  176. Public Image Ltd - Public Image
  177. Queen - Sleeping On The Sidewalk
  178. Queen - It's Late
  179. Queen - Save Me
  180. Queen - Spread Your Wings
  181. Queen - Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy
  182. Queen - Need Your Loving Tonight
  183. R.E.M. - Radio Song
  184. R.E.M. - Near Wild Heaven
  185. R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe
  186. R.E.M. - Gardening At Night
  187. R.E.M. - Stand
  188. Robert Plant - Big Log
  189. Robbie Williams - Life Thru A Lens
  190. The Rocky Horror Picture Show - The Time Warp
  191. Roxy Music - Virginia Plain
  192. Roy Budd - Carter Takes A Train
  193. The Ruts - Babylon's Burning
  194. Sade - Paradise
  195. Shakin' Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone
  196. Shocking Blue - Send Me A Postcard
  197. Simple Minds - The American
  198. Simple Minds - Waterfront
  199. Simple Minds - Love Song
  200. Simple Minds - Theme For Great Cities
  201. Skunk Anansie - I Can Dream
  202. The Specials - Night Klub
  203. Split Enz - I Got You
  204. Squeeze - Another Nail In My Heart
  205. Squeeze - Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)
  206. Stanley Clarke - School Days
  207. Status Quo - Big Fat Mama
  208. Steely Dan - Deacon Blues
  209. Steely Dan - Hey Nineteen
  210. Steely Dan - Peg
  211. Steely Dan - Babylon Sisters
  212. Steely Dan - Dirty Work
  213. Steely Dan - Kid Charlemagne
  214. Stevie Wonder - Living For The City
  215. Stevie Wonder - Isn't She Lovely
  216. Stevie Wonder - My Cherie Amour
  217. Stevie Wonder - Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
  218. Stevie Wonder - Uptight (Everything's Alright)
  219. Sting - Moon Over Bourbon Street
  220. Sting - All This Time
  221. Sting - Seven Days
  222. Sting - Fortress Around Your Heart
  223. Sting - Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot
  224. Sting - Heavy Cloud No Rain
  225. The Stranglers - No More Heroes
  226. The Teardrop Explodes - Reward
  227. Talking Heads - Wild Wild Life
  228. Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
  229. Tears For Fears - Mad World
  230. The The - Kingdom of Rain
  231. The The - The Violence Of Truth
  232. Tom Jones - It's Not Unusual
  233. Triumph - Somebody's Out There
  234. U2 - Red Hill Mining Town
  235. Ultravox - All Stood Still
  236. Van Morrison - Moondance
  237. Wham! - Freedom
  238. Whitesnake - Long Way From Home
  239. Whitesnake - Fool For Your Loving
  240. Whitesnake - Help Me Thru' The Day
  241. Whitesnake - Trouble
  242. Whitesnake - Don't Break My Heart Again
  243. Whitesnake - Lie Down
  244. XTC - The Mayor Of Simpleton
  245. XTC - Senses Working Overtime
  246. XTC - Making Plans For Nigel
  247. XTC - Generals And Majors
  248. Zero 7 - Warm Sound

Thursday 7 January 2016

"This is an eight string guitar...."

Since hearing Sting say those words before launching into Bring On The Night live in at the Newcastle City Hall in 1979 (live on Radio 1 for those old enough to remember), I've been curious about eight string basses. Having played a 12 string acoustic guitar before, I appreciate what they might do, but have never played one. In 6 to 8 weeks (or however long Dean take to deliver an Edge 8), this will change :-)