Alien

Their company manifesto rocks! [quote]KRAPPY GUITARS--Krapmeister Kevin Siebold relays the philosophy that guides our efforts: Our instruments are built for frugal people who aren't very concerned with regard to quality, construction, materials, or safety. The instruments are crafted from whatever we find suitable. Pedigree of wood is not a priority for us. We might get it from a local hardware store, or use some old shipping crates, or skids. Who knows??!! If you are intrigued enough to purchase, we will provide you with a complete history for your instrument. The history might be akin to this: Wood: leftover 2x4 from a construction site. Strings: used about 3 years ago on an old guitar. Pickups: some buncha crap we snagged from some guy. Electronics: whatever we can scrounge up! Our warranty: There is no warranty, expressed or implied. We fully acknowledge our product is crap, and your purchase signifies that you have entered into an agreement to buy a product that is lacking in quality, contains poor materials, and is worthy of much abuse and destruction. We will in no way provide any customer service, so don't even waste your time!!![/quote]

Mostly out of curiosity (but not entirely ), I'm looking for the smallest thing you can plug a bass into. There are a couple of criteria that must be met though : 1. It's got to have a speaker, so headphone amps are out. 2. It has to sound reasonably like a bass (ie. not something like the Ibanez GA1 - tiny though it is it sounds like someone farting in a tin can) 3. Ideally wants to have at least the option of running off batteries, but not essential. 4. Must be capable of keeping up with an acoustic guitar. Extra points will be awarded for thinking outside the box. So guys and gals, what can you come up with? Andy

I suppose in theory the best way would be to run a cable from your amp to each cab, and then another between the 2 cabs. That way each cab is fed from both sides, which should minimise any bad effects from dodgy connections and differing power requirements due to frequency response. As Bill said though - unmeasureable and inaudible in all likelihood.

[quote name='Prosebass' post='279979' date='Sep 8 2008, 08:38 PM']bit like the anti nazi league without the Nazi's....[/quote] Wasn't that the whole point of the anti nazi league? Let's face it, if they'd been up to their arses in nazis they wouldn't have been much of a league now would they? Andy

Why not ask the man himself? He has his own section in the affiliates forum. Andy

[quote name='markytbass' post='279435' date='Sep 8 2008, 12:04 AM']On a serious note I think it was Peter or Henry Fonda who played a double bass player in a club and was acused of doing a robbery he didn't do cos someone else did it.[/quote] It was indeed Henry Fonda. The film was 'The Wrong Man', and it was based on a true story. [url="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051207/"]imdb linky[/url] Andy

Impedance isn't an issue with piezos, but voltage is [b]very[/b] important. It's not a good idea to run a piezo at much over 25 volts, which is about 150W @ 4 Ohms, 75W @ 8 Ohms. If your cab runs more power than this, you'd be well advised to run 2 piezos in series, which allows a 4x increase in power handling. Piezos can sometimes cause oscillation in amps, so you'll want to put a resistor in series with the piezo(s) - something around 10 Ohm 10 Watt will do. Piezos should be wired in parallel with your woofers. Andy

I'd use [url="http://www.rustins.co.uk/product.htm?chgprod=PCGL"]Rustins Plastic Coating[/url]. It's a 2-pack acid catalysed lacquer, tough as old boots, pretty much everything-proof. Andy

[quote name='s_u_y_*' post='271428' date='Aug 27 2008, 11:35 PM']Alien Audio... sounds cool! Cool logo too. I hope you numbered it number "001". When you launch your successful amplification business empire, I wanna be able to retire on this baby. I'll be waiting patiently by the door (though I am away most of next week). Think I've got a gig next Saturday, perfect opportunity to test it out on the field.[/quote] Pre-production prototypes never get numbered Hopefully it'll be with you tomorrow, possibly Friday. It went out this afternoon via Citylink. Andy

It should be pretty simple. Use an expression pedal with a similar value to the internal filter sweep pot, and a switching jack to disconnect the sweep pot when the pedal's plugged in. There you go - easy. Andy

[quote name='Merton' post='270998' date='Aug 27 2008, 01:51 PM']Utterly brilliant. How much?[/quote] If I could get enough interest to do a small production run (say 5 or so), it's looking like about £375 - £400. Andy

Final installment time. I've put on a few labels (rating plate, output/load info plus the standard 'arse covering' one about not using it in the bath etc.) and it's all ready to go. Final pic before boxing it up: [attachment=12677:PICT0512.JPG] Nice snug fit in its shipping box, on the way to its new owner [attachment=12678:PICT0516.JPG] So, any requests for the next project? Andy

[quote name='Bigwan' post='269984' date='Aug 26 2008, 08:40 AM']I always bought into the whole "an extra 200 watts won't make any real difference" theory... until I modded my Ashdown ABM combo (from 300 watts to 500 watts). I don't give a monkeys what anybody says - it made a difference![/quote] I assume you did this upgrade by changing the speaker for a 4 Ohm one? If the new speaker had more sensitivity (even a couple of dB) then it will sound louder. Also, you get more dB's if the speaker is running in an undersize box - at the expense of lows. Andy

You could try getting a ball end hex key. They allow the bolt head and the driver tip to be up to about 20-30 degrees out of alignment. Oh, and if they're available, pay the extra and get Bondhus - they're by far the best you can buy. Andy

Exactly the same thing with my Schecter. I was trying out a 5-string when the guy in the shop (an old mate of mine actually) pointed it out to me. Felt right from the minute I picked it up. Andy

[quote name='The Funk' post='266551' date='Aug 20 2008, 07:24 PM']Prince Charles' birthday.[/quote] Mine too. Andy

Oi, you're ill - the only noises you should be thinking about making are quiet groaning ones! (And we're back to w**king yourself comatose again) Andy

Generally speaking, studs are located at 16" centres, with any extra being accomodated where walls meet. This means that you'll find studs at distances of 16, 32, 48 etc. inches from a doorway Remember to add an inch or so for the door aperture, and allow for the stud being 2" wide, so you should hit the middle of the first stud at about 18" from the inside edge of the doorframe, with 16" gaps to each next stud. This is less reliable in modern houses, but should hold true in a '60s house. Push a pin or a small nail through the plasterboard where you think the stud is - if it goes in 1/2" and then goes loose then you've hit air, but if it goes in 1/2" and stops then you're on the stud. Hope this helps Andy

I'm guessing that this isn't [i]entirely[/i] hypothetical... Are you in a position to give more info, or does this 'friend' want to keep things off the radar for the moment? Andy

[quote name='bnt' post='254997' date='Aug 5 2008, 01:08 AM']Alternatively, if you fancy a bit of DIY, I've cobbled together a wiring diagram that ought to work. It's passive, but requires a 3-pole dual toggle switch for the A-B / B-A switching, the kind that [url="http://www.wah-wah.co.uk/price4.html"]these guys[/url] have for £ 6.00 each, and I think there are also some on t'Bay. My diagram is a bit rough, thrown together in PowerPoint, but I hope it looks like something: [attachment=11601:AB_BAswitch.gif] (In case it's unclear: the bottom left pin on the 3PDT is connected to both the top right pin and Return 2.)[/quote] I'd make the bypass switch a DPDT to give true bypass, otherwise you'll have the inputs adding crud to/sucking tone from your signal. Using a 3PDT works, but you get no indication of what's happening. You'd need an extra pole to work a LED. Andy

I've always put it down to adrenaline. The after effects of a protracted adrenaline rush (like, say, a gig) is like coming down off speed - not much fun. Andy

I've built a double loop pedal with that facility - gave it away as a raffle prize at the last bash. I've still got a prototype pedal that I call a Twister, which is designed to re-arrange your pedalboard or bypass the lot. It was originally intended to allow guitarists to go Wah -> Fuzz (Hendrix style) or Fuzz -> Wah (everybody else). Switching options are: Bass ->Loop 1 -> Loop 2 -> Amp Bass ->Loop 2 -> Loop 1 -> Amp Bass -> Amp (bypass) The pedals use relays rather than switches, so they do need power. PM me if you're interested in this or anything else. Andy