obbm

[quote name='Finbar' post='84612' date='Nov 6 2007, 09:00 PM']Just 2, Dave.[/quote]

Consider them yours.

[quote name='Finbar' post='84596' date='Nov 6 2007, 08:14 PM']Got a new problem though - where can I get those things you can connect two pedals of the same type by? They are basically a double ended 1/4" jack with about an inch between them. I have no idea what to call them to do a google search I need a couple of them.[/quote]

Chris I think I've got some that I bought for my non-existant pedal board. How many do you need?

have a read of [url="http://www.doctorproaudio.com/doctor/temas/powerhandling.htm"]this[/url]. Don't give up after the first paragraph. What you want to know is in there.

Thanks Andy, it'll be interesting to hear how it works.

The last two gigs have been at venues where we'd played before with no problems even though they have hollow stages. The only difference has been an open-backed Fender 1 x 12 combo + 1x12 extension cab v. a closed back Marshall 2x12, both sitting on the floor.

Hopefully I will be armed with my Gramma and my in-ears for next weekend, where I know there is a hollow stage. I will put the amp on the Gramma, plug-in the monitoring and turn the bass level down until it's inaudible and wait.

[quote name='stevebasshead' post='83962' date='Nov 5 2007, 01:48 PM']I've not used one but the idea appeals, especially as I'm starting to think I have a similar problem in my band.

I'm not sure from the Auralex site whether the top board is carpeted foam or carpeted wood, if it's the latter then as an alternative to the Gramma platform you can buy the Auralex "Platfoam feet" separately and make your own board custom sized for your cab. It should work out cheaper too, the Platfoam (as well as the Gramma) are available here:

[url="http://www.studiospares.com/pd_461330_AURXPLATFOAM%20x1%20PIECE.htm#"][url="http://www.studiospares.com/pd_461330_AURX...x1%20PIECE.htm#"]http://www.studiospares.com/pd_461330_AURX...x1%20PIECE.htm#[/url][/url]

Regards,
Steve.[/quote]

I bit the bullet and order one this morning as Studiospares seem to be the best price I could find. When I get it I'll let you know how it's made.

I've hit a real problem at the last two gigs.

1. The lead guitarist has started using a Marshall Amp with his 2x12 cab sat on the floor instead of his usual Fender.
2. They've both been on hollow stages.

Result is that I keep being blamed for the sound being too bassy even though I'm running the amp flat, the DJ4 biased well back to the bridge pick-up, the bass wound down on the J-Retro and a slight mid boost.

I stood out front during sound check yesterday and the Marshall was just so muddy it drowned out any bass. In order keep my house in order I think I need to isolate my bass cab from the stage.

I think that a Gramma pad is the answer. Anybody use one and where is the best place to buy?

Failing that I'll use my in-ear monitors and turn the amp right down so there is no bass guitar and see if people still complain.

Oooh. a twin to mine.

I must resist the gas.

I must resist temptation.

If you are in a confined space with a solid wall behind you the rear ported is great, but if you are in the middle of a large stage or out of doors, then forget it. Your low end just evaporates on the breeze.

What cabs have you got?

Welcome from the Farnham area.

[quote name='dood' post='82996' date='Nov 2 2007, 11:49 PM']Come on UK! You can do better![/quote]

Maybe Basschat should take the lead and have a stand. Just look at the variety of equipment we could wheel out It would put the manuafcturers and distributors to shame..

[quote name='Gwilym' post='82950' date='Nov 2 2007, 09:39 PM']i agree, but I'm not really after total vintage "authenticity", just less of that high frequency toppy-ness, for want of a better technical description.[/quote]

Then you might need one of these:-

Too far to go for too little.

If you are going, then go and say hi to Joe White, my local luthier and all-round good set-up guy. Have a look at his relics. If you want a '62 jazz, he'll make you one from scratch and you won't be able to tell the difference.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2x12-Retro-Brown-Woven-Mesh-Bass-Cabinet_W0QQitemZ160174964928"]2x12-Retro-Brown-Woven-Mesh-Bass-Cabinet[/url]

Nice one Sean. I like the purple strings too.

I'd be very interested to put your and mine side by side and see what the differnce is between the Aeros and the Fralins. My DJ5 has Aeros and they are great but the DJ4 has Fralins. Perhaps I should fit some Wizard 80s and see what happens.

My DJ4 is my bass of choice and I use it all the time. It is just so playable.

[quote name='Weird War' post='81042' date='Oct 29 2007, 10:33 PM']Looks a stunner and I love the colour - congratulations. [/quote]

+1

[quote name='jwbassman' post='80921' date='Oct 29 2007, 06:32 PM']I was considering looking for one with Jazz neck - does it make a massive difference or is it just personal preference?[/quote]

It depends to some degree on the size of your hands and the length of your fingers. I used to have 76-ish Jap Precision. Lovely bass but too difficult to play. Now I have a '78 P, factory made with a Jazz neck, and it suits me just fine. It doen't come out too often because of it's age however I regularly use a Lakland Duck Dunn which has a jazz neck and is very easy to play.

All you can do is go and try and see it it works for you.

[quote name='originalfunster' post='80717' date='Oct 29 2007, 10:55 AM']HI Ob,

So would the ashly pre-amp give any benefit being attached to the Ampeg, or am I better off just sticking with the Ampeg on it own?

Cheers

Gary[/quote]

Never having used either I'm not in a position to comment but my gut feeling is to go with the Ampeg.

Perhaps someone more familiar with the equipment could comment.

[quote name='originalfunster' post='80067' date='Oct 27 2007, 11:32 AM']Hi all,

I have a trace elliot RA300 twin channel power amp and an Ashly BP41 pre amp, however I have just got hold of a 2nd hand Ampeg svt3 pro (you have to understand I am a bit of a Bass Junkie... Isee something and just have to have it.......) anyway getting back to the point

the other thing you need to know is that I have only been playing about 16months and do not know the first thing about anything to do with amps etc.[/quote]

Firstly how are you operating the Trace power amp. I believe it's a 2-channel device.

- Are you just using just one channel?
- Do you have each channel connected to separate speaker cabinet and if so what impedance are they?
- Are you running it in bridged mode and if so what cab are you driving and what impedance is it?


[quote name='originalfunster' post='80067' date='Oct 27 2007, 11:32 AM']so first off what is the purpose of a pre amp?
and could / should I use it with the SVT3 Pro?[/quote]

A pre-amplifier provides the inital amplification stages to raise the instrument output (a few millivolts) up to a voltage level suitable for driving a power amplifier - in your case the Trace RA-300. Pre-amps also have tone shaping circuits and sometimes a compressor, a direct output stage for sending a balanced line signal to a mixing desk, etc.

The Ampeg is a complete system and includes a pre-amp and a power amp. You could use the Ashly with the Ampeg power-amp stage by connecting it into the effects return jack. You might be able to connect it to the input of the Ampeg as long as you set the levels accordingly.

[quote]what I have noticed is that with all the knobs ie: gain, tube gain, master etc set at the half way point on the SVT and doing likewise with the Trace and Ashly pre amp, the trace is approx twice as loud[/quote]

Controls are not linear and half way up on one piece of equipment is not necessarily half way up on another so your comparison is not really valid

[quote]I know the Trace is 300w and the Ampeg is 450w so is the Ashly providing all that extra power? or am I just being a complete muppett not understanding how amplification actually works???????[/quote]

As previously said the Ashly is a pre-amp and only serves to increase the signal level. It has no effect on output power. The only true comparison is to run both amps into the same dummy load, monitor the outpout on an oscilloscope and measure the voltage at the point where the signal starts to clip. That would give you a comparison of output power. Any other differences are down to settings and internal levels in the two amps being different.

Final value fees are not charged on postage/carriage.

Lower the price. Raise the postage. Go figure.

Stew, I've used a variety of mains cable as speaker leads. Occasionally I do a small PA rig for after-dinner speeches and for that I use orange lawn-mower power cable. Orange so I know exactly what it is, as it has jack plugs on each end. This is 0.75 sq.mm. cross section. In fact I've used it for higher power speakers as well. In the days when I was designing and building TV and radio studios and OB Trucks we always used mains cable as speaker cable but amps were never much above 50-watts.

For reference:

0.75 sq.mm. = 6-amps
1.0 sq.mm. = 10-amps
1.5 sq.mm. = 16-amps
2.5 sq.mm. = 25-amps


On thing you need to consider is just how much wear and tear the cable will be subjected to. If it's for a band PA that will be set-up and taken down regularly then the cable itself ideally needs to be very robust and flexible and I would suggest that you use rubber covered flexible. This is designed for floor extensions. Do not use pvc cable as it is very infexible and has a memory, so it will take time to change shape having been coiled up, and will be difficult to lay out flat. You can get this sort of cable at any electrical stockists.

I've just been looking at the web site of tlc-direct.co.uk. Interestingly a 100-metre reel of their 2.5 sq.mm rubber covered is about the same price as I pay for a 100-metre reel of Klotz 2.5 sq.mm. but the Klotz is a much better cable as it is finer stranded and therefore has a better frequency response. Remember that mains cable is deigned for a single frequency, 50Hz.

In the end you pays your money and you makes your choice. If it's cheap enough then get some and try it. I doubt that it'll do any harm and you might have found an economic solution.

If your Nordys have 5 wires coming from them, then they are configured to work with the SR5 pre-amp. Like I said there is a work-around (as our colonial cousins would say), but you need to mod the pick-up and get a 3-way 4-pole switch for the coils switching.

This is where it gets difficult for you because the coil switching is an integral part of the MM SR5 pre-amp.

In series and single coil + phantom mode the point where the coils are connected is at ground and the other ends of the coils go to two separate op-amp stages out of phase with each other. This cancels any external interference.



On my Stray5 with a Nordstrand and an East MM style pre-amp I separated out all the coils by adding an extra wire to the bundle that runs from the pick-up to the pre-amp and designed my own switching using an MM SR5 lever switch. It works but there is a level difference between the different settings. MM fix this by using a spare set of switch contacts to change the stage gain. Neat design. I've yet to tackle that one.

If you've got 2 pick-ups then you are going to have twice the fun trying to sort it. Good luck.

According to the manual the Ampeg SVT-3 PRO has a solid-state output stage so you can use either a single 4-ohm cab or two 8-ohm cabs to extract the quoted max power of 450-watts You can also use a single 8-ohm cab to achieve a reduced ax output of 275-watts.

If it had a valve/tube output stage then you would have to match the cab(s) to the amp.

[quote name='chris_b' post='77245' date='Oct 21 2007, 11:27 AM']I believe they are Klotz?[/quote]

I take great care to respect the non-commercial nature of this Forum which is why I try to never get involved in these discussions and never blatently advertise or promote, except where already agreed with the Mods. There are plenty of members who can provide appropriate comment.

However on this occasion I wish to clarify that I currently use Klotz for the speaker cables and Vandamme for instrument and mics.

In my corporate working life I was involved with building literally hundreds of studios, edit suites and outside broadcast trucks using Vandamme with never a problem. It's comparable with Klotz but comes in several colours which is a benefit to some. If anyone wants Klotz then I can do that as well.