Mr. Foxen

When I buy stuff, I'd rather pay for half a day of a model and a photographer's time than for "a huge amount of usually expensive research" into deciding what they choose to tell me. The raw engineering data from the design process will do me fine.

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1340794298' post='1709607'] Right, hanging on by a thread here. Yes, I understand that switching a circuit in or out will change the impedance seen by the pickup and so changes its characteristics. So if you buffer it you change it to be equal to that for the effect electronics when in 'bypass'. (I also understand how a pup will 'see' only an active circuit and so what happens after the active circuit doesn't directly affect it, thanks for that.) But I don't see how going straight through is any worse than a longer lead (and any effect the switch has, which should be pretty minor). If you like the sound of your bass without the effect then surely this is the nearest to not having anything in the signal path even if the pup has a different characteristic when the effect is switched in? (sorry to divert the thread) [/quote] It is like constantly changing the lengths of the lead depending on what pedals are on or off. A buffer means you have a consistent impedance load and thus a consistent sound from your instrument before adding effects. It means a shorter signal path because it goes as far as the buffer, rather than a varying signal path, and thus a consistent tone for you to eq at the amp end. The buffer provides a constant impedance so that it doesn't change when you turn on the effect, although its kind of built into the pedal in most circumstances, it isn't part of the effect circuit, its guitar to buffer, then to effect. Plus the pop you get with true bypass gain pedals is the sound of the switch not being minor, they are pretty far from perfect devices.

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1340787756' post='1709479'] ok, True Bypass thicky here. If you add a simple switch in the signal path of a bass how does this change anything? There are pickup switches on some guitars/basses, they don't cause any trouble. I can understand how sending the signal round an electronic circuit may effect the pickups differently to bypassing the electronic circuit but if the bypass simply sends the signal straight through to the pedal output I can't understand why that's wrong. Do active/passive switches cause this? Single syllables please. [/quote] The impedance on the pickups changes when you go from the input of a circuit to all the cable before and after the bypassed pedal and the amp input, impedance on a pickup determines how it responds. So if you have a pedal such as some Sansamps with high input impedance (which tends towards making them sound better, see the Zvex super hard on which is a high impedance buffer) and a buffer, your pickups are constantly at the same impedance if the effect is on or off, but if you 'true bypass' it you change the impedance changing the basic tone from your pickups. Additionally the switch won't be perfect and has its own impedance and such as well as not being shielded and making a pop when you switch, all of which can be avoided in a buffered circuit. Switching from active to passive will also change the impedance, as the active circuit is an impedance buffer itself, being active means you aren't subject to the variable of the impedance of external devices. Impedance issues are most noticeable with piezo pickups, which is why they usually come with an active preamp.

Mike bought my bass, simple and direct, no messing, just the way I like things.

That said, chances of an audible 40hz are fairly slim in a lot of circumstances.

There's enough music that doesn't sound like it at all that there is no excuse.

[quote name='PlungerModerno' timestamp='1340735449' post='1708950'] Aye. If you have some working formulae, like V = IR, F = ma (in SI), basic algebra & trig, and the other basic problem solving tools... you can go far. Stuff like "High voltage is an arcing risk" or "High current means heating" are pretty useful too. I think the best lesson a little knowledge gives, hopefully, is when to know when you're over your head. E.g. If you understand a tube amp has High voltage circutry... be very careful or give it to a good tech... and if you do open her up.... UNPLUG THE POWER!!! [/quote] The danger part of a tube amp is that unplugging it doesn't stop it biting you. Which is the best lesson on electrical safety.

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1340740920' post='1709064'] Right confused again! What do they put the watt rating on for? and what is the important information? That's a lot of What watts! [/quote] Its the biggest number, so the most impressive. The fact you consider it when thinking of buying an amp is all of the reason. The important information is a maximum SPL chart, and an SPL at a given input voltage chart, so you can see if it goes as high and low, and in the middle as you want with the amount of power you have. The generalised versions of these are the sensitivity rating, which tells you how loud, and the min/max frequency range, but both those are a bit fiddly and only useful for comparing cabs among one manufacturer, since they all fiddle them in different ways. The charts are harder to fiddle without it being obvious. Lots of manufacturers don't supply them, but plenty of people pay money without knowing what they are getting so it works fine for them.

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1340739354' post='1709027'] So in the situation i'm talking about would i be better getting to 500w cabs then? [/quote] Better ignoring watt rating because they don't mean anything. You 500w cabs might be quieter with the amp output than the 300w ones, so you'd have to put more into them anyway, and they might fart out at 100w whilst the 300w rating ones might fart out at 150w. Need to look at the important info, not the meaningless wattage.

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1340732602' post='1708865'] Can you clarify this? Does that mean of the 250w only 150w get efficiently used? [/quote] Only 150 makes clean sound, any more makes farting noises. The 300w cab rating is the melting power, farting comes around a quarter to a half of that, unless you have fancy speakers (like a woofer/midrange cab).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDW_Hj2K0wo

Watts don't mean anything. Need to know your SPL requirement, since that is the important thing.

The distance required before you can hear bass thing is made up, but sort of observable in some circumstances, mostly a flat ceiling and a source without mids.

[quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1340711794' post='1708375'] Okay, thanks. I knew the correlation between size of output transformers to low frequency response, to which my view is that it be great if every bass amp should have 'overdimensioned' transformers. [/quote] Its only good if you like really heavy amps that don't sound very valvey. A whole bunch of the characteristics of a valve amps tone is down to the limitations of the transformer, the high pass nature is what keeps cabs happy, and there is some compression stuff too. Get big enough and might as well go SS. My green Matamp has an output transformer the size of a child's head and sounds no different to my SS Matamp power amp, until seriously cranked.

The dimensions of the output transformer are pretty much directly related to its low frequency efficiency, so pretty fair statement. Loads of valve amps are designed not to perform at maximum level at all times, its called power supply sag, and its pretty common in amps, they have restricted capacity power filtering which adds compression.

What do you mean by 16 (4)?

Ashdown will do fine for your purpose. They do such a range of stuff under the same label that people criticise the cheap stuff as if it were the expensive stuff. With practice amps, there isn't much by way of a long run, they are only good for practice. Get whatever and practice playing, and take every opportunity to try out other stuff for free, whilst you save for serious toys.

[quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1340645181' post='1707525'] Elixir strings marketing puff, which gets regurgitated and quoted on these boards as if it were fact. What is most annoying are the idiots who quote this sh*t without doing even the most basic of research or who, when presented with patent information which disproves their idiotic assertions, simply refuse to take on board facts. [/quote] What bit is the marketing puff? [quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1340646109' post='1707544'] Oh, I don't know. Used various other brands for decades, tried Elixir, got 'em on everything now, acoustics (bar one), electrics and basses. The J's had a set on for about 6 years now and it's still fine, if you don't need the zingy-zing sound. They're workable on the guitars for about 6 mths - year if you're just bashing around and you don't have bat-ears. BigRedX mentions flaky bits if you use a pick. True that, but it doesn't bother me too much. Oh, and I've never had one Elixir string break. Ever. [/quote] I like the bit where they don't squeak so much if you slide a finger across them, means with my chordyness and loads of treble I can be slightly slacker with my technique without nasty ear shredding sounds. also fingers, so not had the dandruff thing. Never changed any, but not been using them that long in the scheme of things.

I've seen my amp up for sale on US Craigslist, I reported it, and it stayed up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJy3TscsL-U

Roasted necks.

Its probably a generic cheapy, internet has nothing on them. If it is no money, and makes sound, be fine, but unlikely to be inspiring. Put a wanted ad with your budget in the wanted section and someone will sort you with best value for money.

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1340575308' post='1706582'] Question needs more info. I understood it wasn't just the diameter of the speaker but how far they can move in and out. Double the couple of mill they move by a couple more mill and you have the equivalent of two speakers. [/quote] That's a degrees of equivalence thing, if you are talking linear measurements, its all about area, once you get into volume displacement, new game, area still tends toward sensitivity to voltage, but more excursion means more power handling, which can make up your max SPL.

The blue Ashdown drivers don't have very high excursion, so the 4x10 is very unlikely to handle 600w alone, 300w it might just about be able to do, so best off with 8 ohm one.

What sort of tidy up? General quality of neck to start with?