thinman

[quote name='gilmour' post='240621' date='Jul 16 2008, 09:24 AM']Nice one, congratulations. You'll find that the Bass response improves over time as the Drivers 'Break In' I used to think all that stuff was a load of rubbish, but after a few gigs/rehearsals I really noticed an improvement in the bottom end. There are other methods that are quicker an more efficent at breaking in the drivers that don't involvoe just playing through it, check Bill's forum.[/quote] +1 to that. It takes a while to play the drivers in - I reckon a good 6 hours at reasonable volume as I didn't break mine in pre-install at all but it really improved appreciably. I'm really, really pleased with mine.

[quote name='peted' post='239727' date='Jul 15 2008, 07:14 AM']I'll sit down and add up all the receipts when it's finished. I reckon it will be close to £300. I'll also weigh it when it's finished. It's not light though (and cumbersome as I haven't put any handles on it yet!).[/quote] Sorry for jumping in here. I built one earlier this year and reckon it came to about £220 all in. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=15187"]Omni10 build[/url]

[quote name='Toadonroll' post='238506' date='Jul 13 2008, 01:26 PM']I notice a lot of people saying they get their Ashdown ABM heads serviced every [i]x[/i] months/years. I've had mine for 18 months now and feel like I'm missing out on something. What's it all about? What do they do when servicing an amp and should I get mine done? Should I send it to Ashdown? So many questions, so little knowledge. Ta Kieran[/quote] I always wondered what a service on a thing with no (pots aside) moving parts is about - especially if there's nothing apparently wrong. How many people get the hi-fis serviced? With most amps there's not a lot that needs doing apart from maybe hoovering out the dust as a build-up can cause problems and perhaps a bit of contact cleaner on the jacks. Personally I'd leave pots alone unless they're getting noisy. Valves do need to be replaced occasionally but pre-amp valves will last a fair few years but that depends upon use. With power amp valves they can need replacing and you do need a tech to bias them. After about 10 years it can be worth having the electrolytic capacitors replaced as they definitely degrade leading to hum and funny overtones or be more prone to going pop altogther. It would be good if a someone that carries out services could comment here as I'd also be interested to know what people are getting for their money beyond a hoover out.

Can't really disagree with Old Git's rationale on the whole thing. There's no point in ranting about not getting paid what you think you're worth if a venue makes little on having you there. It doesn't really matter how good you are - it's the trade you bring with you. Hower, sometimes pubs and bars are taking a risk on some acts who are perhaps just starting out. I know some places did with us and you can't expect them to promise a lot of dosh for no guaranteed return. And sometimes it's not about the money. We do the odd charity thing because we like to. If you're on the small pub-level circuit for the money rather than enjoyment then I think life could b a bit of a let-down!

[quote name='tom_683' post='237635' date='Jul 11 2008, 09:37 PM']theres no mute switch on mine. and i dont use the effects loop. i will have a look inside over the wknd, is it obvious just by looking if those fuses are blown? cheers[/quote] It's usually fairly evident that a fuse has gone - the inside can be blackened. Normally they have a conical spring shape in them.

Hmm. They are rather prone to blowing their mains transformers. Mine did but the whole thing didn't function. It could have just blown the secondary for the power stage such that it's open circuit and won't blow the main fuse. There's a pair of internal fuses on the main board for the power amp rails. If you're willing to take the lid off have a look to see if they're still intact but beware if the amp has been on recently as the smoothing caps can still store a fair bit of charge. Do you use the effects loop? The jacks that break the "through" signal when something's plugged in may have got dirty.

[quote name='ben_eat_pie' post='237613' date='Jul 11 2008, 08:59 PM']hi there, I'm looking to remove the head on my combo, rehouse it, then add tweeters in the big hole. If people could let me know the best way to go about it that'd be great. Also if people could recommend some good tweeters to put in the hole and how to mount/house them for the best sound. If it helps it's an ashdown mag 300/115 combo. Is it even worth doing?! lol... cheers guys, ben[/quote] I did similar to the same combo. I made a dummy amp that had a front, back and sides that was the same size as the amp chassis from 18mm ply. In the back I fitted a connector plate with teed speakons. I also mounted a 1/4" socket on a bracket inside and wired the speakons to that. The flying lead from the speaker was plugged in to that. The whole thing was secured using four screws in the original mounting holes so nothing on the cab was hacked about. I'd have posted some piccies but I've sold it now! It would have been good to fit 2 or 3 piezo tweeters in the dummy front panel. Two or three of CPC's MPT-016 piezos wired in series with each other and a 10-20W 8-ohm resistor to guarantee a minimum load would probably add a bit of zing. These would be wired in parallel with the main driver but a switch would probably be a good addition in the piezo circuit. I've got 4 of those piezos in my BFM Omni10 but they're aligned vertically which is supposed to be a better layout for dispersion but without an additional box or hacking the MAG cab about would not be feasible. You could put the feet on the side and use the cab "horizontally".

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='236827' date='Jul 10 2008, 07:49 PM']... did you get your bassbase 250 off me? I sold the standalone amp and a combo locally some years back and I can't believe there'd be too many of them kicking about the Newcastle area![/quote] No - I've got the standalone, well one of them - sounds like there was a whole flock. It now lives in Kent.

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='235838' date='Jul 9 2008, 04:18 PM']i recently had a noodle around on one of the websites selling speakers, and they do sometimes tell you the volume of enclosure required to use them correctly, and in doing so allow you to match to either the enclosure you have or intend to build. so if you could measure the internal dimentions of your cab you could then work out the internal volume and match to and appropriate driver. alex or bill though would be better suited to giving a detailed idea of what to do.[/quote] It's a bit more complex than just volume though - if you have ports, which many bass cabs do, their diameter and length are part of the cab tuning and that may affect driver choice too. Hopefully Messrs Claber or Fitzmaurice will be along to give a definitive answer here. Of course, you might strike lucky with a randomly or inexactly chosen driver but on the other hand you might waste your money! If you're going to fork out on an expensive driver like an Eminence Deltalite or the like then build a BFM cab around it - it'll probably be better than the cab the drivers were intended for anyway and a butchered "name" cab will probably be devalued.

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='235273' date='Jul 8 2008, 09:10 PM']Its not really a question of buying the most expensive drivers you can get but buying drivers that are the best match for the cab. When I was a lad and the only decision bass players had to make was whether to use one or two 15 inch drivers Electrovoice were the dogs danglies.[/quote] + 1 The cab and driver can't be considered in isolation. Take Bill Fitzmaurice's designs for example - he doesn't necessarily specify the most expensive drivers - in fact some are quite low-end - but they are matched to the enclosures and give good results. Unless you have access to the original driver's specs or can model the cabinet in one of the bits of software about it will be difficult to know what to use. Don't buy an expensive driver and hope it will give good results - it might be awful.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='234621' date='Jul 7 2008, 11:40 PM']I guess it depends if select post or pre eq on your DI output. What festival did you go to mate?[/quote] It's a pretty small 3 day job called Gazastock! Good place and nice people. Would like to play there next year.

[quote name='peted' post='233291' date='Jul 5 2008, 07:59 PM']Did LOADS today due to the great weather. Best bit had to be the 6 layers of tuff-paint with light sanding between each. [attachment=10456:SNC10394.JPG] [attachment=10457:SNC10395.JPG] [attachment=10458:SNC10397.JPG][/quote] Pete, I've built one of these and I'd recommend doubling the number of screws holding the baffle board in place. I assume you've got some weather strip in there too as air leaks around the baffle are apparently a common problem. If necessary make a couple of cutouts in the back brace so you get some screws inside there too. I also found that after a few weeks it's worth opening the box up again and tightening them all again.

Having spent some time at a local music festival this weekend the overall PA sound was pretty good for all the bands - very clear and controlled. But, it started to irk me a bit after a while that regardless of who was playing bass and whatever they were using it always sounded the same - a lot of bottom and probably very compressed and totally lacking any individuality. Is this a common problem - you strive for your favourite tone then end up sounding totally different out front?

I recently did the same with a MAG 300 C115. Wanted a spare head so I made a sleeve from 4 bits of 18mm ply, rounded off the edges and put feet and cab corners on it (and lined with alumimium screening like the original). Drilled mounting holes where the combo had them and painted it black. Looks fine. Wasn't too much trouble but them I'm comfortable with woodwork. With the remaining combo I made a dummy "amp" insert that slotted in and fixed using the original fixing holes and fitted the dummy with some speakons so it could be used as a cab without looking too daft. I sold that to some one here. Seemed to make economic sense given I wanted a backup head of a similar spec to the MAG and I think that worked out better than selling the combo then buying a similar head.

[quote name='bassace' post='229242' date='Jun 29 2008, 08:41 PM']I've always used the compressor on my Gallien Krueger, it seems to give me a 'tighter' sound on URB. However on my more recent amps (AI Clarus, eg) they don't have a comp and I don't miss it, so go figure. Bassace nostalgic/boring mode - I played with Ted Fletcher in the sixties and he made me a compressor on his bench in ten minutes - first ever Ted product? Basically a lv light bulb was connected across the speaker output so the greater the output the brighter the bulb. The brightness was picked up by a photocell which then limited the volume peak if the output got too much. At least, I think that's what it did. Ted Fletcher, for those that don't know him is the father of Guy Fletcher, keyboards with Roxy Music and now Dire Straits/Mark Knoffler, also father of Konrad Fletcher sound engineer on Weakest Link etc. He is also brother of Guy Fletcher (Guy's uncle - confused?) who is a big noise in PRS and wrote lots of top ten tunes incl one for Elvis, Hollies, Cliff, Frankie Valli and 'discovered' Chris de Burgh, although we won't hold that against him. He is the dad of Justin Fletcher of CeeBeebies fame. A talented family. I think I'll lie down now.[/quote] IIRC he was behind the "Joe Meek" brand (lurid green boxes) which became "TFPro" (lurid red boxes) and (I may be confused here) has gone back to Joe Meek (or some of it has). I've got aTFPro Q1 preamp/optical compressor which I use for both recording and live and it's a great bit of kit. I bought Ashdown's dual band pedal but it's pants in comparison.

[quote name='bnt' post='228707' date='Jun 28 2008, 08:25 PM']Something like that, though other factors will come in to play, such as the coupling with the body etc. Here's how I understand it, after studying springs a bit last year - the amount of energy stored in a spring is proportional to the square of the displacement (the distance it's stretched by) - so there is a law of diminishing returns in that sense. Pulling it twice as far takes four times the energy. - the string is vibrating at a given frequency, so if you pull it further off centre, it has to move faster to cover the distance at that frequency. Air resistance is proportional to the square of its speed, and I think the same is true of magnetic field resistance (over the pickups, especially if they are too close). This is all very theoretical, though! I imagine huge differences between e.g. an old Fender P-bass (wood, dead spots, strong magnets) vs. a neck-through Modulus Graphite with EMGs (extremely rigid construction, weak magnetic fields).[/quote] Sounds reasonable to me. In reality it seems pretty obvious that you can't easily get louder and louder by hitting/plucking the strings harder and harder - some limits start to have an effect.

I'm really just guessing here - someone who understands the physics of springs etc may be able to give an authoritative view - but is there some law that means the further a string is initially pulled the faster the initial energy will be lost? I'm just thinking that the harder a string is initially plucked the more it is stretched/tensioned so the faster it will want to retract thus dampening the extra movement, i.e. some sort of law of diminishing returns dictating the amplitude of movement? Probably a load of baloney but just a thought.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='227335' date='Jun 26 2008, 01:31 PM']You've bought the bass - now buy the t-shirt! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Guitar-T-shirt-Fender-Jazz-Precision-Rickenbacker_W0QQitemZ250263212225"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Guitar-T-shirt-...emZ250263212225[/url] Jon.[/quote] Not sure if they do it in my bust size at my age.

Bought one of these Jet Kings in black last week as a backup bass for my MIM Jazz. Paid £209 for it inc P&P. Size/shape/weight: Having played it for 3 hours at band practice I have to say that I find it a real joy to play - it feels really comfortable with and easy action and comfortable shape for picking - much more so than the Jazz. The body shape also make access to the upper frets very easy. It's also surprisingly light compared to the Jazz so can be played for long periods without any fatigue. Unlike some previous posts I found the neck really comfortable too. Setup: The only concern I have is with the intonation. It was a bit flat on the D & G as delivered and I had to go to the full adjustment to get them right - this might be a problem with heavier(?) strings so maybe the bridge should have been a few mm further forward. Unlike my jazz there are no noticeable dead spots or wolf notes! Build quality: For the money it's not bad. The pickguards seem a bit cheap with slightly wobbly edges. An extra screw seems necessary near the pots. Also, the scratchplate and pickup cover screws could do with a bit more countersinking and some aren't in that straight. The knobs wander in height when turned too. Otherwise, the stuff that matters like the bridge and tuners seem pretty good. Sound: As has been said before, this bass has a very warm tone - it doesn't do biting treble (the Jazz has wizard 84s on it too so the tone is somewhat different). In all I'm really pleased with this thing for the money. Some of the minor gripes above can probably be sorted out easily enough so for anyone looking for a good cheap retro-style bass I'd recommend a go on one of these.

I don't think there's enough differentiation in this debate between the cabs and heads. I had MAG C115 combo which I thought had a good bottom end on it. Then I built a BFM Omni10 and have used the MAG head on that. With the C115 I ran that head with the pre-shape on and a bit of low boost. With the Omni10 I run the MAG eq totally flat and there's loads more bottom end. So, in my experience the Ashdown tone is more a product of the cab than the amp - the MAG doesn't sound too different to (but not as nice as) my other K&K head through the BFM. So, to the OP's question, you might want to think wider than only pairing same manufacturer heads and cabs and maybe choose from more than Hartke and Ashdown.

Should you ever build a BFM cab Bill gives options on carpet type coverings and paint such as Duratex. There doesn't seem to be any sound factor in these choices - that's a more fundamental aspect of the design in his case. I suspect if you're renovating something it would be best to stick with something akin to the original cover?

And I'm a butcher.