synaesthesia

Get a vintage boombox, aka ghetto blaster. Plug into the mic input of the cassette section, use our finger to trick the machine into thinking it has a cassette loaded or use a cassette, put it on pause and press record. You should be able to monitor the input to the speakers. Turn up the mic input if it has one and you will get fuzz distortion. One like this will work: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/vintage-1980s-philips-tro-885-boombox-ghetto-blaster_W0QQitemZ250296312995QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item250296312995&_trkparms=39%3A2|66%3A2|65%3A1|240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/vintage-1980s-philip...id=p3286.c0.m14[/url]

It really depends on your venue, if this is an install in your rehearsal room or a stage/ room where you are pretty much always in control, then you could either get a proper PA - either amp + cab or powered speaker cabs; and your stereo dispersion might work. If you are looking for a gigging rig and your gigs range from the dog and duck to the local sports hall, your stereo effect is pretty much a lost cause for you first, and for the vdrums next. Mono is better in those situations, otherwise your hard panned items will have width, but highly unnatural width. [/quote]

Sounds like a crossover component problem if you have extraneous noises. If your horn loaded tweeter is blown, you'd have no sound from it. And if that's the case, if yours is a common horn loaded tweeter design, you can pick up a replacement diaphragm for about USD$25. This is a easy field replacement that most people can do themselves.

Fast payment, clear comms on a BC sale. Great posts too.

[quote name='Alun' post='272788' date='Aug 29 2008, 06:51 PM']The cheapy Bespecos are remarkably good. Only plastic but I've had mine for over 10 years and haven't broken it yet.[/quote] I have a heavy EB one but I can vouch that the Bespecos will do the job fine; get the keyboard one if you have active electronics.

[quote name='GremlinAndy' post='272043' date='Aug 28 2008, 08:11 PM']That's true. They (the Powersoft amps) are VERY deep. They *will* fit in a Gator Rack, but they stick out of the back quite a long way into the lid... However, in fairness, the space behind amps is usually a wasted space, so 1U high *is* a bonus, even on a deep amp. You pays your money you takes your choice! Andy[/quote] A rail to rail 'depth' of an SKB is 15 inches, and front rail to back lid is about 18 inches. A powersoft D series is about 17 inches. You don't need a torch light on stage and you don't need to shove your head or your arm into the rear the rack case.

Send an email to diane at said company dot com, or send it to james (himself) at the company dot com; but if you expect a reply call them first and make contact, tell them who you are and tell them to expect your email. Otherwise you'll wait till the twelfth of never. The newer models usually have multitap transformers and the older ones don't. If yours is a multitap you can wire it yourself for UK usage. I've had two Demeters one old and one newer, the only difference is the tranny inside. That said, your DI may be high voltage but it does not draw much current, and a small step down will work. I had a US version triaxis that was fed off a Dick Smith inline step down, when I was living down under. Dick Smith is the Ozzie Maplin.

EQing by numbers is a recipe for disaster. Use your ears. Every room is different.

Take a pic of the preamp in the Moon. If it is a Bartolini preamp and if you have further information about the preamp, it can be ascertained whether you can change the preamp's overall gain easily, and what components you need to achieve this.

[quote name='XB26354' post='261240' date='Aug 12 2008, 10:57 PM']There isn't the demand. The Victor Wooten gig at the Jazz Cafe was well-attended (by musicians, mostly bass players) but I was near the bar and they were very quiet. When a more well-known act is on and non-musicians turn up they spend more, especially if they can dance a bit. That is just one venue in the centre of the biggest city in the UK. How about if he did a gig in Northampton, or Birkdale? How many people would turn up? Tribal Tech never toured here as the cost of getting here would not even be recouped as there would only have been small audiences. Jazz/instrumental music has never been a popular form of music in the UK.[/quote] That's my point - is there more demand in Jyvatslyka, Heidelberg or Rimini? Probably not, but they are booked to play in these smaller European towns quite a bit. I did see Scofield play in Coventry one time,....

There is only ever one rule: if the pianist is bringing a 7 foot Kawai grand, then you take out the 150 year old double bass, otherwise if the pianist is playing sampled piano an electric slab bass is always more authentic an instrument.

Red Box is Ok for live work, but as a speaker sim for recording there are many better ones..

[quote name='BassBod' post='259404' date='Aug 10 2008, 04:55 PM']I saw him here in Bristol a few months ago (with Bill Frisell..) so he does get here. Citron acoustic into WW and Hartke 4x10 - I was sitting right above him, so could hear his real on-stage sound, and almost read his music. It was good BB[/quote] Seen him a few times around the world. He rents a cab, but takes the same WW. But have a look at their tour schedules, and you'll see that they will typically play some remote locations in Italy or Finland, on a continental tour but not London.

Only bass player these days that will make me get up and get tickets....and on this topic...why do these US tour agents organise European tours for top musos like Messrs. Swallow, Scofield etc that always come as close as France, Holland and Belgium but never cross the channel? Surely there is money to be made in the UK? Hotels, taxes, licensing, venues, promoters in Paris are probably as bad as those in the UK, so what's the deal? These people have no pop entoruage, and no containers of gear. Steve Swallow uses a WW head FFsake....

Marc Johnson's Sher Publishing book, as above; if you read dots already. Also have a look at Bunny Brunel's Bass Power, less academic a bit more streetwise (viz. he makes up names for some scales) - but it takes you through the modes in various stages of complexity. Frankly, I'd look outside the bass genre if you are looking for improvisation books, the genre is no reknown fo this sort of material. And look for improv books with some thought to it... improv is improv and musically the harmonic ideas apply whether you blow a flute or pull strings on a bass. As per Mr Berlin, there are lots of 'improv' books out there which are 'copy my licks' only. Useful if you want to pick up someone else's licks. See e.g. Pat Martino's Hal Leonard series - monster player if there ever was one, but the book contains his very complex improv licks only. What he doesn't tell you is how he thinks about it, so outside the licks you've copped, you'd be pressed to apply in a different harmonic context.

I have the older style Fender double gig bag, less plastered with the name 'fender' and the zipper pull is not a stylised fender pick. You can have it for £10 + post.

[quote name='SteveO' post='254888' date='Aug 4 2008, 10:18 PM']digital systems don't suffer from a restrictive dynamic range,[/quote] Technically this is not true. the AD/DA process has limits.

[quote name='obbm' post='254448' date='Aug 4 2008, 02:40 PM']Not quite. The V8 is a more sophisticated version with 7 valves.[/quote] Thanks for the update.

[quote name='Catalin' post='249435' date='Jul 28 2008, 10:48 AM']Hello guys ! I have a Trace Elliot V-Type all tube head. The head have 4 preamp tubes: 2 are closer to the power tubes and the other 2 are lower situated and closer to the input - i think these are preamp tubes and the others are drive tubes, i'm right ? The preamp tubes are Tronal, what do you know about these tubes? Tnks ![/quote] Here is a 1996 schematic of the V type preamp, or preamp section. The first two v1 and V2 are in the preamp proper, other two ECC 83s or 12AX7s are in the input gain stage of the power amp section. The V type preamps are all the same , they are 2 valve preamps. FYI, if you are looking for these, across the pond they turn up cheaper and you can re-wire them to work in the UK.

[quote name='JimBobTTD' post='254269' date='Aug 4 2008, 11:44 AM']Hello What are the advantages of 18v over 9v? I'm going to put a pair of EMGs in a project bass, and EMG suggest using 18v. Not a problem - I'm going to cut a hole for one battery, so it's not much harder to do it for two, and I know how to wire them up to give 18v. Some questions, though: a) Why bother? "More headroom" is a little too abstract for me. What effect does this have on the sound? Does it sound "better"? If both batteries are dead, and I only have one spare, will it still work on just one? c) Anything else to add? Ta much in advance![/quote] This is one of those things that often devolves into mindless more is better thinking. There is a context to it all, it is not a generic thing. If you are using active EMGs, with an EMG circuit, yes there will be an audible benefit, particularly in a studio situation. I have had and still have EMGs in various basses with 18V, the results can be heard in the studio if you play clean and direct. If you run trough efx, or compress your signal, or distort your signal, there's no real benefit. Whatever headroom gained by 18V is subject to the consequential headroom of whatever you run it through. The batteries are in series and that's how you get 18V. The circuit I guess will work on about 5- 6V cumulative supply, so if one battery dies, the circuit should operate. FYI, an EMG system will work with very low voltage supply, you can hear the circuit distort. What voltage that occurs I cannot tell you as I have never bothered to to measure it. My guess is it is around 5 V. But if you are using other pickups and circuits, the answer really is, it depends. Some circuits are engineered to work with 18V, some not. Some will benefit, others will not.

[quote name='SteveO' post='253300' date='Aug 2 2008, 01:55 PM']Why wouldn't you want a compander? It seems to be used to give a better signal / noise ratio and to prevent the loss of dynamic range through radio transmision. both of these are good things aren't they?[/quote] A compander compresses a signal so that it travels with ease an then expands the signal again upon reception. Effectively, it is the sonic equivalent of reconstituted food.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='253058' date='Aug 2 2008, 12:00 AM']As for the "poorly skilled" whilst I don't condemn you for being depressed as you point out, I don't think it's fair to begrudge an individuals success (financial or otherwise) becasue they provide large numbers of people with something they enjoy. IMO that is no less worthy.[/quote] ++ Cf. Life of young George Benson, saviour of jazz guitar, heir to Wes Montgomery, jazz snob par excellence, plays rings around everyone young guns included, hated Hendrix grew up, sang pop songs, made a lot of money (but could have flopped big time), enner-tained millions, most of whom would not have heard him play, shows the world what chops he has at the same time, they are astounded but prefer the pop songs. Dennis Budimir, Tommy Tedesco, Hal Blaine et al were monster jazz players who played four to the floor rhythm for millions of pop songs....it's music people, it's enner-tainment, it's not even sports enner-taintment let alone competitive skill sports Post Beatles everyone claims musical integrity - to be a composer of artistic merit, or musician of accomplished merit. Once we had a guitarist in a funk band who said he 'wrote' a song. It was a 2 chord vamp without a melody. He was a guitar teacher, whose hero was Steve Vai. I've come across this more than once. I'd rather one of the pop idol wannabees whistle me a happy tune. Musical integrity my arse.