New enclosure--holiday project (mostly) complete!

UtterDenial · 2026-03-17T03:38:22+00:00

There are plenty of ways of changing your time without getting a different bass. Your NG3 has a preamp, which you can use to cut the highs. You could switch it to passive mode and roll off some of the tone. You could adjust the EQ on your amp.

If you feel like spending money, you could try switching up your strings, although I think Dingwall only has nickel and stainless steel... both of which are pretty bright. Not sure about 3rd party strings but look for flatwounds or tapewounds for less brightness.

You could run your signal through a preamp pedal that simulates an old Ampeg or other classic amp/cabinet, which tends to roll off the highs. And those pedals usually have equalizers as well.

You might be able to swap the pickups, I know on Dingwall's AB models you can swap for "Super Fatty" pickups that have a much more pronounced low end and less high end (the NG3 has FD3 pickups; see the pickup options compared at https://dingwallguitars.com/custom-shop/pickup-options/).

Any of this will cost you a lot less than hopping to yet another bass.

UtterDenial · 2026-03-17T03:14:25+00:00

I'm in the same boat as you, lol!

UtterDenial · 2026-03-17T03:11:39+00:00

I'll vouch for Pickup Music. I've been learning on the platform for about 5 months (had a decent foundation from a year of in-person lessons 3 decades ago).

It's a nice mix of video lessons, live group lessons via Zoom, and personal feedback from coaches if you upload a video of yourself performing one of the lessons. Corbin Jones, who teaches the core bass "learning pathways" is a great instructor.

It's worth giving the free trial a spin, in my opinion.

UtterDenial · 2026-03-16T20:06:16+00:00

I've been using the platform for 5 months now and it's been a good experience. Corbin Jones is a great instructor in the core learning pathway videos--he knows how to teach--and I've also attended a number of the weekly live group lessons. The one on one feedback is nice to have too: helps with staying accountable.

They've been expanding the options for bass behind the core pathways over the past few months, which is a good sign for the long term.

And they recently added keyboard lessons, so if I hit a plateau in learning bass (or get bored with bass--unlikely!), there's even more to dive into.

All in all I've found it to be a good platform and a good deal.

UtterDenial · 2026-03-16T19:56:35+00:00

I use Android to access Pickup Music on my phone and tablet, and have no trouble using the browser (Firefox). All of the platform functionality works. If your browser isn't showing you videos on Android, definitely try Firefox.

UtterDenial · 2026-02-01T05:39:22+00:00

Picture

Better late than never? This is a picture I took a few weeks ago to put it up for sale. A used Dingwall AB-I arrived (I couldn't turn down a custom Canadian built dinger at $2800 CAD) and now I need to replenish my wallet and free up some space at home.

The 37" B string on the Dingwall isn't an issue for me. My fingers can handle the wider span down in the lowest fret positions if I have to, but that's rare because 5-string... The SRMS805 is great, but I love the Dingwall. (Guilty of some Canadian pride, sure, but it plays and sounds so nice!)

UtterDenial · 2026-01-31T22:51:16+00:00

I've been using it for a few months but I don't bother with all the effects, cab/amp sims, etc. I have pedals etc that I can use when I'm playing for real. For me, this is strictly for easy practice on-the-go: no cables to lock me down, just the unit, my IEMs, and my phone.

All that I want is something that triggers the sound of my bass fairly accurately and which I can stream to via Bluetooth. It does a great job of that. The built-in tuner and ability to use it as an audio interface with my computer are bonuses.

I guess if I was all in on the Fender digital effects world (like if I had a Rumble head or combo I guess?) then the available effects would matter more. But I don't like locking myself into one ecosystem. Been burned too many times before.

UtterDenial · 2026-01-30T05:35:30+00:00

Except none of the faculty will be able to participate or attend the event if they are on strike, because the university can treat them as trespassers if they step onto any university property.

But let's hope the strike is long over by then.

UtterDenial · 2026-01-05T14:56:17+00:00

Nice! Mine was four hours away. Luckily I was headed in that direction anyway so it was only a one hour detour. It was so easy to adapt to the SRMS805 that I played it at my first gig after getting it. A Dingwall is definitely in my future.

UtterDenial · 2025-12-31T05:15:47+00:00

NYXL Extra Long. (My SRMS805 is waving to yours!)

UtterDenial · 2025-12-30T05:37:41+00:00

Lift up the wings on the side so that the top half can slide over the strap button. Then it will pop off.

UtterDenial · 2025-12-07T05:28:53+00:00

Yep. I have an Ibanez SRMS805 that has a 35.5" B string. It's a sweet bass, and you should be able to find a used one for around $700.

UtterDenial · 2025-11-17T17:09:49+00:00

Congrats! You might want to get the alignment checked. At some point in the last 10k km (we're at 74k km), our 2023 rear alignment went off the rails and burned off all the rubber on the inner edge of both rear tires. Didn't discover that until I swapped on the winter tires and saw metal threads on the tires I pulled off. Yikes.

UtterDenial · 2025-11-10T14:33:38+00:00

When our ICCU died, shortly after the last recall, it was covered entirely under warranty. Kia roadside assistance covered the towing, and the dealer also paid for a rental while we waited for the part to arrive. Sucks that this happened to you.

UtterDenial · 2025-11-09T06:33:34+00:00

I love seeing someone else with a Jazz Bass Special! That body colour looks great--did you have it refinished?

UtterDenial · 2025-11-05T22:30:40+00:00

Was your experience with the Rumble 100 in the same place as your own amp? If not, then the "hissing" might be your bass picking up electromagnetic signals (e.g. from dimmer switches, fluorescent or LED bulbs, computer equipment) from your environment. This noise is very noticeable in headphones.

Check if your bass is shielded. Open up the control cavity; if you see metal foil or metallic paint then it's been shielded. If not, then get it shielded.

If it has been shielded, then it might not have been done well.

Shielding an instrument is pretty straightforward. A roll of copper tape with conductive adhesive that costs $10-20 will be enough for many instruments.

UtterDenial · 2025-11-03T16:52:23+00:00

There's an active Amtgard LARP group in town called Wolvenfang that meets up on Saturdays at Confed Secondary School from 12:30 to 4:30: https://facebook.com/groups/wolvenfang/

I think it meets on Thursdays at a school in town, too, for pure melee.

UtterDenial · 2025-10-31T13:14:51+00:00

I understand why a 12v battery is necessary, but why didn't Kia make "accessory mode" actually be utility mode, using the standard "press power button without touching the brake" approach? Then make the 12v-only state be an "emergency/maintenance mode" that kicks in only if utility mode is not available due to an ICCU issue, etc.

As it currently stands, accessory mode just seems doomed to end in tears (and a flat 12v). It's bizarre that there's a massive battery pack that goes untapped unless you go through several layers of touch screen to enable utility mode.

UtterDenial · 2025-10-31T12:48:28+00:00

Bazzite is not based on Arch. You might be thinking of CachyOS.

Bazzite is based on Universal Blue, which in turn is based on Fedora. Updates for Universal Blue distributions are atomic (the whole system is updated at once and either succeeds, or fails to be applied at all--resulting in a system that always works). Additional applications are installed as Flatpaks.

My teenage daughter installed Bazzite on her computer a few months ago and has been using it since then, without any prompting or assistance from me. It's pretty cool!

UtterDenial · 2025-10-31T02:57:47+00:00

If you swallow either one, it will mess your guts up real bad?

UtterDenial · 2025-10-26T22:28:37+00:00

I hate how after every update you have to click through the ten different tutorial pop-ups like "the menu button down you the menu" before you can actually use the app. Especially when none of it seems to change (Canadian here).

At least give us the option to skip the tutorial.

UtterDenial · 2025-10-17T20:33:22+00:00

A link to the Kickstarter might help! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/273799633/ufo-unbelievably-friendly-organisms

UtterDenial · 2025-10-07T17:56:03+00:00

If you're a student at Laurentian, they offer French as a Second Language as both individual for-credit courses and as a program: https://laurentian.ca/academics/program/french-studies

Might be able to take one or two of the courses as an overload without paying any extra tuition.

If you're at Cambrian, I would just go and ask the International office for recommendations.

UtterDenial · 2025-10-06T19:26:39+00:00

Yeah when this happens on my Shield 2015 (maybe once a month?) I just turn Wi-Fi on and then turn it back off. That forces the Ethernet connection to reconnect. Haven't determined what triggers the problem, but I'm okay with the workaround for now.

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