Kiwi

[quote name='Cantdosleepy' post='112167' date='Jan 2 2008, 11:08 AM']To be honest I probably will never attempt to learn the big names that are thrown around on this forum. I wouldn't attempt to learn any artist that slaps or pops, any speed freaks, any jazz masters. Not the sort of music I like to listen to or play. I know there's the argument 'you might learn something anyway'. I think that line of reasoning is true. Had I but world enough, and time, I'd probably try and learn that stuff. But as it is there's more than a lifetime's music out there that I already adore and skills that I covet more drastically. Why learn to slap on the chance I'll develop a taste for it when I still can't play my favourite bands' songs / skateboard / cook as awesomely as I'd like?[/quote] Its about what motivates you at the end of the day, innit?

[quote name='jammie17' post='111702' date='Jan 1 2008, 01:50 AM']Have to disagree with you here. No flames please, but I have been playing for over 35 years (on and off)...saw the intro to "slap" by the granddaddy himself, Larry Graham.[/quote] Larry who? [quote name='jammie17' post='111702' date='Jan 1 2008, 01:50 AM']And the "mids" have become so overrated as of the last 15-20 years. I can't, don't want to remember the concerts or bars I have been to that all you hear from the bassist is the "mids".[/quote] Dear boy, we're talking about [b]on stage monitoring[/b] so you need to listen to the BASS AMP, not the PA Any decent sound man will tell you mids (250-800Hz) are critical to hearing the pitch and note dynamics. Although to give Larry credit, 35 years ago mids hadn't been invented for bass and they were still trying to figure out how to play a bass guitar like a bass guitar [quote name='jammie17' post='111702' date='Jan 1 2008, 01:50 AM']I am a BASSIST. I play the LOW part of the music spectrum. I can FEEL it, HEAR it, sometimes, TOUCH it. Mids, to me, on many recordings as well as live performances sound hollow and woody. Guys, play the BASS! Feel the BASS. Live the BASS. Mids are for kids!![/quote] So what did anyone say that made you think lows were being cut out? Sounds like you got yourself a bit excited for no reason. Did you read the thread properly? Typing "I like Larry Graham's slap sound" would have probably made your point also.

[quote name='The Burpster' post='111624' date='Dec 31 2007, 08:47 PM']I know theres a couple of Valvophiles on here and I'll never be one of them, but a warm glowing valve is a wonderful thing to behold......[/quote] Nothing beats the smell of a warm tube amp, its nearly like the smell of a warm cat...

[quote name='Machines' post='111598' date='Dec 31 2007, 07:15 PM']Nicely done - looks lovely. That neck is gorgeous.. Looks like a pre 96 ?[/quote] The bridge isn't offset and still has mute pad springs so I'd put money on it being probably late 80's or early 90's. Not sure when the 3 band eq was introduced though. Whats the serial, if you don't mind me asking Legion?

[quote name='Machines' post='111590' date='Dec 31 2007, 06:53 PM']Just went for a bash on my ABM - the valve circuit has ceased to function ! The further up I turn the knob, the quieter the signal becomes (since it's a hybrid circuit). I did the best I could muster by taking it out, looking at it sternly and putting it back in, but alas it was the same. Does that just sound a like a replacement valve is needed ?[/quote] If the valve does anything other than gently glow orange when the amp is switched on, then its likely that it has gone in some manner. Can you check it in a darkened room? 12AX7's aren't too expensive thankfully.

Sounds to me like the bass had been kept in a damp place and the moisture had softened the paint and corroded the frets/strings - bit of a risky buy! Glad its turned out OK though. All sorts of warpage could have been encountered.

[quote name='bleedproof' post='111461' date='Dec 31 2007, 01:19 PM']The EA iamp 800 will put 800 into 4ohms and 1000 into 2... so it depends on what the cabs are! Stu[/quote] Well the Acme B2's need ideally 4-500w into each cab at 4ohms as a minimum and you can probably put up to twice that into them if you need to. Huge sounding, relatively even response (can be used as PA cabs) and nicely defined low end for 2x10's, they probably won't sound quite as loud as your Epi though if you normally run the rig at full tit. Given the price I've put them up at in the Gallery, you could easily purchase them as a back up and sell them on for what you've paid if it doesn't work out. The only reason I'm selling is that my Trace couldn't power both sufficiently and I already have a GK rig so a third rig was unnecessary if the cabs could sell. I tend to run my basses flat for slap, it saves on faff when switching from slap to fingerstyle and back.

[quote name='BeLow' post='111348' date='Dec 31 2007, 10:40 AM']Buying a rig is tricky - many of us have gone through more rigs than we would care to think about trying to get it right. From my personal experience which is not necessarily the most comprehensive :- Hartke I have found to be a little harsh, although this was using their cheaper paper coned speakers and I have limited experience of them. Generally they seem to do the business in terms of volume and gig worthiness, and a lot of people them use them as a stepping stone to their ultimate rig. Peavey is not a range I have tried much, I have heard some very nice sounding rigs. They have a reputation for reliability and being heavy. They tend to use slightly different minimum impedances - some going down to 2 ohms. Trace elliot up to about the series 6 range were very tough, they tended to be pretty bassy and scooped in sound - the power rating always seemed to be quite conservative compared to other manufacturers - have not tried the new stuff but apparently the bigger more sophisticated versions sound good (if you can afford them). Ashdown have a 'warm' or 'mushy' tone depending on your personal tastes, they appear to attract varying views from fierce loyalty to dismissive criticism. Personally I had a MAG 210 300 watt combo which was cheap, but probably not too efficient and tended to get lost in the mix of a live band, having said that I did try out an ABM rig a while back and it sounded rather nice. I think generally people move on from the MAG range when they can afford it. I have a Markbass little Mark2 head, which is 500 watts, light and efficient. The sound reminds me slightly of trace elliot although it is not quite as dated - occasionally it is criticised for lacking in top end warmth. I use this with an Ashdown styled 4x8 and a home built 1x15. I have just started using a self built BFM designed Omni 10.5 cab. The Omni is a single 10" speaker which is light and efficient. the combination of this with the larger 15" speakers gives clarity with a big slab of warm bass. This works well but if you play a lot of longer multi note slap fills it can sound a little mushy, but I do like the solidity of the bass response I get with it. Just to make things worse for you, as some one has mentioned the best sound in the shop environment can be misleading. When playing solo we often favour the classic boost of bass and treble and cut mids, while this can be a great sound for slap in the shop, if you are in a large guitar band you may find you have to be very loud to cut through in the mix. Alternatively you can boost the mids to improve how you cut through - but this does not sound as pleasing when you listen to it on its own. Again I woud re-emphasise the difference between what looks good and sounds impressive and what the working bass player uses made by others. Although some do use 8x10 cabs they are pretty dedicated and / or have helpful band mates, as they are tricky to move about. They are for most bass players slight overkill - although they do look great on stage. Even an 4x10 can be a handful, a sad reality is that you may start looking at sack barrows and estate cars longingly rather than sexy bass cabs.[/quote] Lovely bit of unbiased insight there, thanks! I've been taking notes.

[quote name='bleedproof' post='110905' date='Dec 30 2007, 12:22 PM']I may however look at getting a 210 as I've spent quite a lot of time playing through them and while I never disliked them, they may require reconsideration.[/quote] I guess the thing to watch out for with many 2x10 cabs is that the bottom end can sometimes sound poorly defined. Best sounding combination of speakers I've generally heard to date in a small to medium sized rig is a 2x10 and 1x15. The 2x10 adds a nice load of punch and the 1x15 puts out some tight, full bottom end. Also consider getting wedge shaped 2x10"s if you can find any you like. Having them angled up at you off the floor makes a tremendous difference to what you can hear. The other thing I haven't asked is what kind of slap sound are you after? There's a load to choose from Louis Johnson, to Mark King and Marcus Miller. I could also put a quick plug in for my Acme 2x10's but I'm not sure whether your EA head would put out enough for them. Generally they need 500w each.

I first listened to my Trace V8 400w through Tonyf's Warwick 611 and it sounded fine. If the cab is fairly sensitive (ie >100dB) you should be able to use it with a lower powered head with fairly satisfactory results. Why not drop Tony a PM and ask him about the heads he's used with his? Always try before you buy though.

Well the thing I'm aware of is how the mids get soaked up by the punters in a venue. Good mids are the key to any decent bass sound on stage so I'm wondering how much of your issue is caused by the venue and how much by your rig? If its caused by the venue, there's no point in getting better quality kit unless it solves a specific problem. If your rig is the issue then you should probably tailor your set up towards more mid emphasis. I'd imagine the EA is a pretty aggressive sounding amp in being solid state however I wouldn't have made Epiphani my first choice in cabs. They tend to be quite warm sounding and a bit lacking in upper mids generally but I have no way of knowing whether your EA amp compensates for that in any way. The Epi cab + solid state head generally seems to be a popular choice with other BC'ers (particularly GK and Epi) so there's an inference that it might be OK. But what I also don't know is how loud your onstage monitoring volume is. You'd probably find it more difficult to hear yourself if everyone else is playing loudly even if you had lots of power because the sound will get muddier as it gets louder. So if you do play loud on stage maybe the cheapest answer would be to ask everyone to turn down? FWIW Bass Central have a couple of EA 2x10 cabs for sale at the moment for £300 each I think. Given their light weight - might be worth getting them shipped over? [url="http://www.basscentral.com/2003/used.shtml"]<a href="http://www.basscentral.com/2003/used.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.basscentral.com/2003/used.shtml[/url]</a>

Bubinga sucks the treble out of many instruments I've tried, it makes them feel less lively to me but it can add warmth when used in small amounts in neck laminates. Rob has told me he reckons lots of woods sound the same if they have similar density and weight. I see so many graphite necked basses paired with ash and the combination sounds very brittle to my ears and with swamp ash, it completely lacks low end oomph and midrange. One thing I'd like to hear is a graphite bolt on necked instrument with a bubinga body.

[quote name='jonthebass' post='109885' date='Dec 27 2007, 03:20 PM']What make are you using now out of interest?[/quote] I'm just using a cable for the third bass but otherwise two other identical Trantec S2000 units. The only difference is the frequency. Didn't know that Trantec had a reputation... ...might be worth giving one of them new fangled digital units a go, methinks.

interesting, I used to have one Trantec S2000 diversity unit that worked on 177Mhz and I never used it because the signal was full of interference and noise. The other two I still have are fine and ran on 173.8 and 174.5. Is it likely the 177 didn't work because of a frequency issue or was it an electronic problem with something wearing out?

what do you mean by a "lack of feel"?

But at various times I've had the following bits of kit:

Here's both of mine currently. Trace Elliot V8 valve rig: Good for fat sounds, heavy sounds, and random internal decoration. GK SS rig: Good for the Smith basses and situations where I'm swapping between instruments often. Plus two 140w Burman Pro4000 heads: One of these has 10 hours playing time since new in 1984. My first decent rig was a Peavey TNT150 followed by a Trace AH250 Series 6 with a Peavey 410TX and then an SWR Triad cab. That all happened before I actually owned a camera. Photographic records started with this: and at one point it got as crazy as this:

I think there was one for sale for a long time in the classifieds. Might be worth having a trawl?

alternatively you might want to go for a bright zingy sound

I can't help you with the Mac, but you can get a Roland PC200 keyboard on Ebay for cheap as chips (quite literally I've seen 'em go for £6).