Lfalex v1.1

Er... Don't know where to start with this, but I'd reckon the only cabinet that'd cut it in all three scenarios would be a really good (read large!) Stage monitor, otherwise a B-I-G Studio monitoring system. Hi-fi (whatever that is) speakers may be many things, but capable of being driven to death probably isn't one of them. They're also physically too delicate / cumbersome / heavy to withstand being bounced about in a gigging context. Whilst I haven't heard many bass cabs having full-range music played through them, the ones I have heard (even with PA power amps doing the driving) were not pleasant. Studio monitors (the big far-field boys) would probably sound good and withstand high SPL abuse for long periods, but are they tough enough? I doubt it. You might be able to mod them with decent corners and some sort of covering, though. I suppose stage monitors might be "lower-fi" than their studio brethren, but they'll be tougher in standard trim. Just my 2p...

If you want something that matches the HA3500, try a 4.5XL (4x10). It's the [i]expensive[/i] one, rather than the transporter series. As they're old school heavy and have been superceded by the Hydrive models, you might score a good second-hand one for sensible money....

MEC do a JJ (like two Js stuck together) but no open pole-pieces. They've got blades under the covers.. They're good though. As seen in the Warwick Dolphin, Infinity, Vampyre etc.

I was going to start a thread of this nature just today. Then I forgot. I bet there's some "famous" players lurking or posting under [i]noms de voyages[/i]... That's what I'd do. (Raps BC with knuckle to see what comes out of the (exotic) woodwork...) Edit - The last famous bassist that I know of that was asked DID know of BassChat. And No, I'm not saying who that is!

Have you tried going to a nearby (bass) amp stockist with your Ripper and giving it a whirl through various different gear? I have encountered a similar syndrome but to a lesser extent with some of my gear. In particular, my Ampeg SVP-Pro flatters my Fender Jazz and Fretless 'Ray 5, but not my Yamaha or Status. My Vigier sounds phenomenal through anything. Dunno why. It just [i]does[/i]..

[quote name='krispn' post='1110824' date='Feb 1 2011, 11:54 AM']That's what I expected but thought it better to seek the collective knowledge. The amp will do 900w bridged at 2 ohms if the memory serves me correct. Thanks again guys. Possibly the greatest web resource ever Gavin[/quote] AND you got a consensus of opinion, too!

I'm not familliar with the WT1000 [i]per se[/i], but I do use a power amp myself as a part of my gig/practice rig. Can you bridge the WT1000? If so, what's the lowest impedance it'll tolerate in bridged mode? In 2 channel (read: Stereo) mode, it [i]ought[/i] to be [b]half[/b] that per channel. An example; My QSC PLX1202 will give 1200w into 4 Ohms/700w into 8 Ohms in bridged mono. It'll also give 2x600w into 2 Ohms (per channel) or 2x350 into 4 Ohms per channel, and I guess it'll do about 2x175 into 8 Ohms per channel. I'd assume that the WT1000 has facilities akin to those on the QSC- thermal/dc/short protection, LF roll-off filters, clip limiting. All of these can help prevent the aforementioned meltdown. You are right about the potential for differing output from the two cabs due to impedance differences. It may not be so bad, as other factors come into play, such as cabinet efficiency, and even the frequency response. If the WT1000 has 2 channel attenuators on the front, these could be used to match the cabinets' respective levels. Hope that helps a bit. Alex.

It'd be nice if they offered a choice!! Ceramic, Alnico or one of those brutal Neodymium ones from the Bongo. In fact, EBMM, just do this; 1) Select body shape/ number of strings, fretted or fretless 2) Choose pick-up complement H/HH/HS/SSS 3) Choose pick-up type Ceramic/ AlNiCo/ Neodymium 4) Pick an electrics package 2,3 or 4 band. Coil and or pick-up switching 4) Other options- colour, matching headstock, fretboard Cor! Am I onto a winner with that idea. No nicking it now, naughty Mr Ball... And please change your name by deed poll (or the US equivalent) to Johnny.

What strings are attached... Pun intended.

A picture is better than a Kiloword. [attachment=70565:Albarhouse.JPG] [i]That[/i] kind....

The reason it looks like a lash-up is that it was based upon this; But when tidied up, it they [i]can[/i] look like this (mine) Made in Japan! Di Marzio WillPowers as standard. Hipshot manufactured De-Tuner, not a licensed one. The other 3 are Gotoh.. I didn't pay list price in 2003. I should've bought the other one, as the best offer (unsolicited) I've had for this is five times what I paid for it! The worst offer was that I should pay them to burn it. I guess the colour polarizes opinion a bit. I really must string it with something decent, I never seem to bother. It deserves something DR flavoured; FatBeams/ HiBeams/ SunBeams or maybe Black Beauties? I don't think Neons would go very well, would they?

There's always the BB714BS... I guess that'll be cheaper. Think I'll keep my 10th Anniversary for now, though.

Give up now before; You have to buy a bigger car. You ruin your back. You permanently empty your wallet. You go deaf. You get Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. You die from drowning in a pool of your own vomit. Need I go on?

[quote name='neepheid' post='1100851' date='Jan 24 2011, 02:37 PM']Charity shop basses with through body stringing for 60 notes? Dare I say it not the ugliest P copy headstock I've ever seen? If it's reasonably well put together then am I the only one struggling to see the down side here?[/quote] I think that you have overlooked the fact that the extra [i]holes[/i] for the thru-body stringing cost £60. The rest of the bass is extra.

At the risk of being a bit anti-establishment, I can't see why people buy heads any more unless it does something very specific that you just must have or you really like the sound. There is another way, and once you've tried it, you might not go back... I've gone this way in the last 18 years> No amp for 2 years S/H 1x12" 80w combo (loud at home, inaudible against a drummer!) S/H Trace Elliot 1110 4x10 combo (just loud enough in a band, but SO heavy) Trace Elliot 122HSMX 2x10 combo + 1048h cabinet. Added a Trace 1153 1x15 (s/h £100!) Then Cut the Trace 2x10 combo into a head and separate cabinet so it'd fit into the poxy boot in my Fiat Punto... Still wanted MORE power and headroom to spare. I already had a cheapo mixer I'd bought for something else entirely, and discovered it had enough gain to directly amplify even a quiet passive bass cleanly to a level sufficient to drive a power amp well. Tracked down a second-hand QSC PLX1202 power amp (from a nightclub refit!) and built a small "box" for it and the mixer from some off-cuts of MDF from the garage. End result and (more importantly, cost)? The cheapest set up I have is the mixer, power amp and a 1x15 cabinet. Can hold off a drummer and guitarist/s comfortably. It delivers 700w into 8 ohms. (Chuck in another 8 ohm cabinet, and its 1200w into 4 ohms..) Cost: Mixer £80 Power amp £180 Cabinet £100 £360. For 700w into a 1x15?! Smallish, not too heavy, and as flexible as you want. Last week, I set it up at a gig, and all the bassists used it. We set up and EQ'd a channel each on the mixer for on-stage, and D.I.'d into the desk for FOH. Different basses, different FX, EQ, the lot. No worries. They even used my lead, and just swapped channels between bands. Soundman loved it!

[quote name='Rich44' post='1092999' date='Jan 17 2011, 07:47 PM']In terms of sound, can someone explain what frequency responses are about?[/quote] A qualified "yes"! As such, they are more or less "irrelevant" as long as the response is relatively well extended both up into the treble and down into the bass regions and is otherwise relatively flat/smooth. Bear in mind that the fundamental tone of open E is around 42Hz. Low B is around 31Hz. Treble-wise, harmonics go on well up into the teens of kHz. Probably further than some of us can hear! Now the good bit! Headphones as a breed are unencumbered by many of the disadvantages of any kind of cabinet, no matter how well engineered or voiced they may be. It's relatively easy for any headphone manufacturer worth their salt to engineer a headphone driver that has a frequency response which can comfortably exceed the best moving coil loudspeaker/cabinet. There's no crossover, as most headphone drivers cover the whole frequency range, and none of the time smear that these can cause. Sensitivity is seldom an issue, either, though impedance may be, as they used to vary quite a bit. These days they seem to be either 16 or 32 ohm, so relatively easy for even battery-powered devices (phones & MP3 players, plus Tascam/Korg devices and headphone amps) to drive without hammering battery life. Downsides I've encountered? The lack of obvious, floor-shaking bass can lead you to turn up the volume more than is sensible! It initially can sound a little lean in the bass compared to what we may experience from a cabinet, but you soon adjust. If you have a very clean/hifi-sounding instrument (think Status, for example) you will perceive a LOT more finger/string/fretnoise than you'd expect... BUT, that helps to train you to control or damp it better. When going back to an amp in a room environment, by comparison, it's apt to sounding a bit sluggish and reverby, simply because of the speed of headphones' delivery (look how much smaller the drivers are!) and the lack of interaction with the room that they exhibit. I've grown to like headphones (I use Sennheiser HD 415 mk1s or suffer Sennheiser CX300 II earbuds when I have to!), primarily due to the fact that I can still have a full-on practice at 3 AM if I so desire without disturbing anyone. In terms of source, I generally use an MP3 player or my phone into either a cheapo 4 track mixer (which is so good, I use it live as a pre amp for my QSC) or a Korg Pandora PX-4D- which'll merrily do guitars, too, along with a raft of FX and other features. I know that was lengthy, and that you've already purchased a pair of cans, but I hope it helps either yourself or anyone else interested in quieter ways of practising.

For me, it was all about; Big Country Xtc Nik Kershaw The Police (and in my other persona) Metallica Megadeth Iron Maiden Slayer etc..

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='1094742' date='Jan 19 2011, 03:50 AM']For the history buffs, Vigier introduced the Nautilus System in 1982 which was a programmable micro computer controlled memory system for the settings.[/quote] A slimmed-down version of which continued in the Arpege until the introduction of the Series IV instruments, IIRC. Gamechanger? If it changes it TOO much, it won't be bass playing anymore. And if it isn't bass playing, I doubt I'll be interested. Thanks, but no thanks.

[quote name='Doctor J' post='1086078' date='Jan 11 2011, 09:02 PM']No corpse is safe with Dean around. The amount of junk Darrell Abbot has somehow released through Dean from beyond the grave is a farce.[/quote] And HJ Heinz & Co. Have jumped on the Entwistle bandwagon, too.. They do [i]Ox[/i]tail soup now.

[quote name='dmccombe7' post='1070853' date='Dec 28 2010, 11:43 AM']I've recently put a set of Elixir strings on my Warwick and like the tone and feel of them. Very easy to play which I put down to the coating. Had a few worries with the coating though which Strings Direct & BC readers have now put my mind at ease as nothing to worry about. I've tried the Fender nickels and thought they were pretty good and seemed to last quite a while. Liked the elites that came with my Warwick in 1989 - were ok but hard on fingers. (i think they were stainless though ?) Tried several Warwicks (red, black, etc) and they were a nightmare and didn't last very long either. Because of this thread I'm gonna give the DR's a try soon. Good luck. Dave[/quote] Sounds like my experience with string brands. Started with Rotos Moved to Elites soon after. Stuck with them for a while, and will still use them as a cheaper option or in a pinch. Discovered Elixirs when an Ibanez I bought came with them on. Liked the durability. Still do, but they aren't cheap, and can sound a bit plasticky on basses with phenolic fretboards. Still use them on my Warwick, too. Tried DR MM FatBeams on a Squier VMJ I'd modded to be halfway to a Marcus Miller Jazz... And... Sold! Have now put FatBeams on my Vigier and Sunbeams on my MIA s-1 Jazz, and it's all good. Alternatives to Sunbeams? Both mine are cheap and more cheerful than their price points suggest; Fender 7250s Warwick Yellow labels I've tried Warwick Reds (not good) Yellow (Nickel, and MUCH better) and EMP (expensive and still poor) Haven't tried Blacks, and in spite of what I've heard, experience urges caution. No go areas (for me) Ernie Ball, Ashdown. Recent discovery- Status Hotwires. Have a look, see what Rob and Dawn can do for you. Huge range of types and gauges, plus they're well made, sound good and are durable.

[quote name='bh2' post='1086385' date='Jan 12 2011, 08:22 AM']A pint of Fullers ESB at my local is now £3.80. Enough said.[/quote] Yeah, but one of those and I fall asleep... Making for a cheap night!

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1081692' date='Jan 8 2011, 12:14 AM']I think it's quite a talent to get a bassline note perfect but I always prefer the creative process of putting my own stamp / twist on something.[/quote] I can see both sides of the argument. Why not do both; Note perfect for when it's absolutely necessary. Add a personal interpretation for when it's not. Simples!

[quote name='icastle' post='1082741' date='Jan 8 2011, 11:28 PM']What you ducking for? That's totally correct ya big wuss [/quote] It IS correct, but if you're running the tone control @ 100% "open" all the time, why have one at all? (see the post about the Punisher earlier on) If there's a specific tone that having a 250k pot in that position gives you, a 250k resistor would work just as well! Then you could ditch the tone capacitor altogether and have a tiny bit better (read shorter, simpler, more robust) signal path. If that bothers you at all. What exactly are you trying to achieve by changing the pot value? Dogma says (in passive instruments) that the convention is; 250k volume pots (audio taper/log) for single coil pick-ups 500k volume pots (audio taper/log) for humbuckers But that's VOLUME. The only tone control convention I'm aware of is that tone controls are usually linear pots. That, and the general acceptance of either 0.47pf and/or 0.22pf capacitors for tone control purposes. In any event, none of these components are expensive enough to preclude you from buying every single combination and simply trying them out to see what sounds/works best for you...

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1082180' date='Jan 8 2011, 03:04 PM']I play both given the circumstances. I also have basses with both options.[/quote] Me too. And I have an active bass which allows the pick-ups (active) to remain "active" while the EQ is bypassed! This is why it's necessary (IMV) to have a bit of a collection going, so as to cover all the basses (sic). To wit; Active, passive, single coil, Humbucker, 1,2,3 or more pick-ups, piezo etc. And that's ignoring construction, material choices and obvious stuff like frets/fretless/half fretted and number of strings / tuning