Wilco

As much as I've come to love my Hartke LH500, it's a pain that the built in DI out is pre effects & EQ. Stupidly there is no pre/post button & no separate line out jack on the amp. I use effects, so to save farting around micing up my cabs at gigs, I'm thinking of investing in a DI box. To add to the set up confusion, my EHX Big Muff is plugged into the amp input & my other effects go through the effects loop. I'm thinking then that one of the amp outputs would have to go into the box input, there would have to be a through out to a cab, & then the XLR out to the pa. Would that work? If so, what would work best? I'm looking for a simple box that won't colour the sound. Thanks, Wilco

I bought my first pack of Sunbeams from Stringbusters over the weekend, & got to say on fitting them tonight they are excellent. I am normally a diehard Kerly Kues user, but the Sunbeams might just have the edge over over the KK's. Saying that, they are quite a lot more expensive so perhaps they should!

I've got an LH500 with two Ashdown Classic cabs (a 2x10 & 1x15) & play in a loud rock band. Volume knob is generally set at 4 (out of 11, sorry I mean 10!) & it easily competes with the rest of the band. And echoing an earlier post, that cab configuration is way more portable & flexible than a 4x10 in my experience.

[quote name='chrismuzz' post='1126478' date='Feb 13 2011, 09:47 PM']Apart from my compressor and sansamp, which are both almost always on, and still have very good bypass, all my other effects are true bypass. I am kind of leaning towards the small stone at the moment, but does true bypass really make that much of a difference?[/quote] I wasn't sure but then did my own extensive test with various pedals, basses & amps & decided there was definitely more dynamics in the sound with the true bypass stuff. For example, I put my Geddy Lee Jazz straight into an amp & then compared that to the sound with only a Boss TU-2 in the signal chain (obviously switched off!!) & there was a difference. The sound with the TU-2 in was noticeably duller (hence I know have a Korg Pitch Black tuner!) Each to their own on sound though.

I've got an LH500 & on the whole I like it. When I first got it, I was a little concerned about hiss with the volume control past 5. Needn't have worried about that as even in a loud rock covers band, I don't need to put the volume over 4...... (into [i]two [/i]8ohm cabs mind). I like it's simplicity, build quality & headroom. The things I don't like about it are 1/4" jack outputs instead of Speakons & I've never found a workable sound with the 'brite' switch engaged. By far the most annoying aspect of the amp for me though is the DI output set pre EQ & effects loop. The whole design would have been better if they had ditched the brite switch & gave a pre/post option for the DI instead.

[quote name='Gunsfreddy2003' post='1125583' date='Feb 13 2011, 12:27 AM']+ 1 for the Diago Powerstation.[/quote] Another +1 for the Powerstation (small, silent & in my experience reliable)

I have a Small Stone & it works really well. From memory, the Small Stone is true bypass & the MXR isn't. Might not bother you but thought worth mentioning.

I'm only happy when playing a 12 string fretless ERB Am I bollox! Seriously though, don't really understand why 5 strings hasn't become the standard. I play my 5 's way more than my 4's.

I liked mine at first, but during the process of checking out a couple new amp heads, i realised that it was noticeably reducing the output of the amps (& yes, i had read the manual & was aware of the level controls etc!). After a bit more investigation, I noticed my sound was also lacking in dynamics & that it was a bit dull/flat That might have been the compressor working but whatever, I didn't like the end result so I sold it. Ironically, I wouldn't recommend it for live use. I can see how it mught be useful on your course though - if you are going to cover many styles of music , the range of sounds on offer from one box will be useful. So will having the tuner & effects pedals all in one unit too. imo , individual true bypass stomp boxes are a better quality sound option, but for a bass course, it'll sound fine & probably will be quite convenient.

[quote name='0175westwood29' post='1112915' date='Feb 2 2011, 07:53 PM']i thought stomp boxes and gain effects can be bad through an effects loop? does the big muff cut the output down like my my muff not used on in anger? not noticeable but it was really bad when i ran two of them the second had to have twice the volume of the first to sound the same! andy[/quote] I think you mis-read my post. From what I can gather:- Compressor first in chain as then that will work on just the basic signal of your instrument which is what you want it to do Distortion & gain pedals straight into front amp input Modulation & ambient effects & the like through an effects loop if you've got one.

[quote name='0175westwood29' date='Feb 1 2011, 09:31 PM' post='1111657'] this is the way im looking at wiring it all up, any suggestions? ive put the bf-2 in the loop with the muff so i can choose to go a bit crazy and to be honest i did this with my old boss flanger and its sounds cool at least to me when it was between my distortions. i know theres a lot of boss but they have never let me down and they always sound good plus they are like mini tanks! not sure what id put on a feedback loop tho? im thinking for weird noises the ph-3 and wah? andy [/quote I route my Bass Big Muff straight to the amp input & the rest of my pedals go through the effects loop of my amp. The BBM works sooo much better that way - I don't know but could be the best routing option for any distortion pedal. +1 for the Diago Powerstation - small, cheap, powers loads of pedals & completely noise free - 1000 for any Boss pedal but perhaps that's just me! What about an EHX bass balls for some funky fun!!

IN:- 1983 Aria Pro 2 SB Special 2 Hartke LH500 Two x Ashdown Classic Neo Cabs EHX Bass Big Muff EHX Small Stone EHX Bassballs Guyatone MCm5 micro chorus Korg Pitch Black tuner Diago Powerstation power supply OUT:- Cort Curbow Fretless 4 Two x Ashdown MAG Cabs Line 6 Bass Pod XT Live (affectionately nicknamed 'The volume & tone sucking box of s**t') And pretty much every model in Ashdown's Class D range of amps ie a Superfly 500, a Superfly 1000, a LG350 & an LG1000 (to be fair the LG1000 would have been a keeper if it hadn't gone up in smoke......) Wilco

I recently purchased a 1983 Aria Pro 2 that has spent the last 10 years in it's case under a bed! As you can image, it needs some care & attention. The pick-ups are too far away from the strings - the bass was stored with the pickup screws very much screwed down, & the foam under the pickups has hardened in a 'squashed' position. I want to put some more foam under the pickups to heighten them & bring them closer to the strings, therefore increasing output. Yes, I know you can buy foam in various guises from various sources that would probably do the trick, but can I find any specifically designed for guitar use - bugger can I! Does anyone know where I can get some? The pickup screws could also do with replacing, purely for looks. Something else that I thought would be straightforward but is turning out to be a lot harder. I've tried the obvious online shops eg Axes r Us, WD Music etc but with no luck. The screw dimensions are:- head diameter 6.5mm, domed head with Philips (+) slot, total screw length 32mm, thread length 30mm, thread diameter 3.5mm - preferably in black, or alternatively chrome. Any pointers where I could get these items from would be much appreciated. Thanks, Wilco.

[quote name='Conan' post='1088025' date='Jan 13 2011, 02:10 PM']It's interesting that a lot of us long-term Rush fans still love the band but are not keen on their recent material. The cut-off point may vary (for me they became inconsistent after Roll the Bones, but I still really like Test for Echo. I just can't get away with the last two studio albums). To me it just feels that they have become rather stagnant and are going through the motions to a certain extent. Back in the seventies and eighties, and even into the nineties, every new album had something new or different to it's predecessors. Not any more IMO. What does that say about us as fans or indeed about the band themselves? I wonder if there are fans of 'modern' Rush who hate the earlier stuff? I guess there must be, but I'm yet to meet one![/quote] I'm an oooh, 30 year long Rush fan, & like both the old & the new stuff they've done. Actually, it's a couple of bits in the middle I'm unsure about - have struggled to really like 'Presto' as an album & 'Dog Years' off of 'Test for Echo' is the worst song they've ever released...... 'Secret Touch' off 'Vapor Trails' is a song I listen to a lot, & I reckon 'Far Cry' from 'Snakes & Arrows' is up there with the best songs Rush have written. After such a long career & with so many varied sounds & styles, I can understand why somebody wouldn't be into all their albums though. (PS: my son is 20 & has 'Tears' from 2112 & 'YYZ' on his iPod. Ok he's not an out & out fan, but there's a young 'un liking a bit of the older stuff!!)

[quote name='crplumb' post='1086529' date='Jan 12 2011, 11:37 AM']Some good early footage of Ged and the boys. Love the Rick, pity it was effectively retired for many years. I'd love to know what happened to that Steinberger bass he played for a short while in the 80's???? He is one awesome bass player - maybe not as good as he used to be but still great![/quote] Yep, parts like Malignant Narcissism & the breakout part of Caravan for example clearly show a bass player in decline........

I am giving an '80's bass some long overdue TLC. I would like to make a better job of screening the control & pick up cavities. The bass is black so it would look a neater job if the screening paint was black too. Could anybody suggest a good quality brand? Thanks in advance. Wilco.

I've just acquired one of these which is a little beat up & needs some TLC to get it playable. I wonder if someone could help with a control query. There is a three way toggle switch on the bass which I believe is a pick up selector. There are also two, two-way toggle switches which are I think a 'dual sound' switch & a coil tap. With both the two way switches down & with three way switch set at either up or middle I get sound. With all three switches in the down position there is silence.... If I then put the most rear-ward two way switch up (coil tap). I get a thin sound from I think the back pick-up. Not sure of that's by design but it feels like a fault. Anyone got one of these (or the ZZB model) & could let me know if the above mirrors their instrument? Many thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Oooh look, fat bassist What? You want to see up my nose? Gigging in the middle of a field outside Tetbury. (Wasn't at all worried about electrical safety. Much...)