Sugden

Thats looks fantastic. Those pickups look brilliant in the body.

Hey dave thanks for the pics looks like its coming along swiftly. Going to be a nice full box by the end of things.

You lot should write for star trek

[quote name='DHA' post='65552' date='Sep 25 2007, 09:31 PM']You will have to wait and see what father chrismas brings (early) if you want flashing lights. Dave[/quote] Rats I dont have a chimnly to egarly wait at the bottom of and set up a tree. I'll have to start sleeping on the roof.

Ooo I knew id ruin my fun taking out that second channel. Im sure 5 will do me fine though. Shame VT6 had a lovely ring to it. Cheers dave, glad your having fun making it always a good sign to get a labour of love Hope you'll want to let it go when your finished. O I didnt mention its coming in the blue with red spatter finish which I really took to the first time I saw a picture of it on the VT bass rack. Do I get to have lots of flashing light dave? Im abit of a sad old man loving blue flashing lights.

Well after hunting for a few things and searching for a tube power amp and another couple of avenues I ended up speaking to Dave hall about being involved with a proto type bass head. I thought it would be good to make a thread following the build keep people who were interested up to date. The general theory behind the amp is a small all-valve amp being backed up by a solid state power supply, very much like running a valve head through a PA. Taking the valve tone we all love from the small valve head and amplifying it with a solid-state power section. This appears to be a great concept to me and rids a huge amount of cost and weight involved with a full valve head at anywhere near 400watts. So here's the spec and blurb: 2U rack head VT5-400 - 400W single solid D class power amp backing up an all valve 1-4watt bass amp It’s packing 5 valves in total including the single 1W output stage. There will be a 2W output transformer in the valve output stage to help produce valve output distortion. There’s even a mullard in there. At this point in time it has a passive EQ keeping the whole thing apart from the SS supply valve pure. I asked Dave to look into an active circuit but I don’t think it will be really necessary. There will be a by-pass in case I want to use a rack or pedal EQ at a later date. But at this time I’m using my ACG basses for almost all my tonal changes. There will be a tuner mute, valve compressor and valve blender FX loop all selectable with the channel select via the front panel and footswitch. There will be a DI and line out as well as 1W valve stage outputs plus 400W SS output into 4ohm. There will be a master volume for the SS stage and a valve stage volume. So there we go Im pretty excited I think it will suit my ACG basses a treat and hopfuly I will be coupling it with a pair of omni 10.5 crossfire cabs so should create a rather fantastic sounding setup.

The omni will sound huge in comparison to your 4x8 you literaly just get so much more from them. I was a great fan of my old 4x8 ashdown when it was paired with its 1x15 brother on their own I never thought they quite cut it but they did sound lovely together. Then I moved to the markbass which I thought did the same job as two cabs on its own. I recently spent a day at thumpers house playing a variety of the omni cabs. 10.5, 10.5 crossfire, and normal omni10. Initialy I thought they sounded abit harsh and mid heavey but after playing through them for an hour or so then going back to my markbass it just sounded very dull incomparison because you get all the mids with the treble and the bass not scooped at all. I should be placing an order for two and Im going to attempt to make one myself as well. Id say Id make them all my self but having a place to store bits and peices and being in my 3rd year of uni and 27hours time tabled a week I think it may just fall flat on its face. neds cabs look stunning I really like the front grill makes the cab look alot more normal incomparison to the horn approch you get with the standard way they are finished lovely touch.

[quote name='theosd' post='64523' date='Sep 23 2007, 10:25 PM']Yes, I would like a budget (no more than £30) stand that is solid and will hold a musicman 'ray 5. Any suggestions would be great!![/quote] [url="http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~Hercules-GS414B~id~2017.asp"]http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~H...14B~id~2017.asp[/url] Job done they are great stands very sturdy. Some more detail: [url="http://www.herculesstands.com/guitars/GS414B.html"]http://www.herculesstands.com/guitars/GS414B.html[/url]

Got some great cables from OBBM today just like my last set lovely and the muting jacks work a treat too. Thanks alot for the fast service as well. Cheers Sug

Looks really intresting surly the fact the control cavity having the electronics inside will hinder the effectiveness of the joint cavities idea? Im sure Im just being stupid though. Going to be a stunning bass eitherway looks fantastic so far.

I had some swordsteels awhile ago infact I still do lerking at the bottom of a draw I didnt use them for long. They had a tone of clarity and were really bright. I just prefered my DR nickle sunbeams. They were really easy on the fingers and the different tensions was a little weird at first. I dont think they are worth the money tbh but then others seem to dissagree. Just abit of a DR convert myself I love the warmth from the nickles.

Cheers thanks alot for the help guys looks like big and old or something inbetween via DHA will be the way I go or just stick with my walkabout. I'll see you at bassday dave see where you have got to in your searches. You never do anything by halves do you. Thanks alot.

I saw this on saterday in the case it is a real beauty. Pictures seriously dont do it justice I think you maybe a little happy with the bass

Cheers guys Iv gone off searching for all manner of old school things. Hard to find though well at least purchase.

I love the smart alik answer I'll have you know I always use the search facility and the topic which brought it up got changed straight away to tube pre amps and was talking about tube guitar power amps . If theres a different one it didnt come up with a search of "valve power amps" Only the aguilar power amp was mentioned so I made this one which was abit more specific. Looking for alternatives not tube pre's maybe some tube PA power amps etc.

Ok well after a couple of discusions with people mainly alan I thought I might see what was out there and peoples views. Also seeing Oxbloods lovely setup got me thinking too. Im thinking about getting an all valve power amp and using a basic pre amp strip and leaving things pretty flat. I mainly use the pre-amp on my basses to do most of the fiddling and changes due to the variety I can get from the ACG's. Only all power amps I know about are the eden wt1550 and the Aguilar tube power amps so anyone know any others? Cheers Sug

Cheers :wub: little love struck so far can't wait. Not long now tho going up on saterday to pick it up, and some blue DR strings arrived today which will be replacing the sunbeams if only for photos lol. But then I do have some thomsik flats to try out on it and dr lo-riders in nickle (ok it was a little bit of a large order from the states) Its coming back on sunday straight into a band practise then a gig thursday night if my fretless playing is ready then one down in london next saterday so I'll have a full report then.

Got to say Im not sticking up for Pacific Sound & Light Ltd in birmingham. I took my amp to them about 2 weeks ago and got told he was busy but had a turn around of about 2 weeks I said great. Thinking in my head either way I'll be fine for my gig on the 15th. Ring up yesturday to be told o yer your amp hasn't been touched and the guy gets back on the 14th from a two week holiday. Didn't even mention it and didnt call me like he said or look at them a week and half ago like he said too. Terrible way to treat a customer I think. So Im taking them across town to steve as recommended above. He at least said he wasnt going on holiday and would do the best he could.

Well I'll back up the blue and custom range with my new ACG harlot its so new I haven't even got my hands on it yet. This weekend though

You spoil my bass rotten, I'll never leave it in a room with you or I'll come back and it will prefer you to me. I dunno I think your bass will give it a run for its money I have to say I love all of the basses alan has finished to date which is abit weird for me as Im normaly quite pickey but I maybe bias. But I think yours does push the custom built envelope the top just yells top quality custom it looks like a bass worth easily twice as much.

Its all down to alan really can't thank him enough really nice guy and puts out great basses to boot. Thanks for the comments guys. But think Id rather loose the bass than my hands I'll just have to get alan to make me another and this time run faster otherwise id have no way to play the basses he builds me, which would be a great dis-service Nothing like getting hold of the bass is there Peter I had some major work to do last year but when it turned up at my door couldnt put it down for hours and thats not including the time you spend looking at it. Take a trip up or get it sent down if so bet its nice at alans atm with all these great basses around. Im going up on the 8th simply can't wait.

That is a total gem. Alan has been seriously busy lately 3 totaly stunning basses rolling out and one more to come. I bet that sounds huge. The finish really has brought out that wood its something pretty special. That top is worth every penny.

Ner just each of your basses have too many strings mate. 4 is the magic number (ok ok i know 3 is the magic number that just wouldn't work as well) It is indeed the filtered pre. I dont really have the facility to record at home when Im at uni I shall so in awhile I will at least have a track recorded by it. I will be bringing this little number and my recurve to bassday UK though.

Well hardware colour couldn't be anything but black so it all ties together well but here she is im totaly stunned I rather pleased to say the least O had to update the title of the thread and quoted paul, hope you dont mind. But I think it covered it better than a purple world as its more trans blue. Alan said its blue straight on and then from certain angles a purple. So the best of both worlds.