xgsjx

Ahh, that is old MB cabs. Are they B&C drivers in those? First thing to try is putting the 2x10 on it's side (you can turn the badge if it bugs you). This will do 2 things... 1, bring the drivers higher to ear level & 2, increase the dispersion from the mids so that you & the band hear things better when not stood straight in front of the cab. Personally, I'd sell the 15 & get another 2x10 (or vice versa). But if you try another amp & the cab's still ain't doing it for you, then get yourself either to a good music shop or a bassbash & try out some gear. I'd never suggest buying without trying (even though I did! But I did like what I got).

Are they STD or Traveller cabs? The STD has the same frequency range regardless of 2x10 or 1x15. It might be your amp that's the factor? Try borrowing an amp from a fellow bassist (or even a local music shop).

Neither is a good 2x12. My Markbass 2x10 wasn't quiet either. I never went through the band's PA & had no trouble being heard. What's your current rig?

Why a 4x12? Why not get a good 2x12 & if you need to play large outdoor gigs with no PA support then get a 2nd.

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1410273494' post='2547708'] Technically speaking, it would want to be before the trem, because evening that out too much would stop it working, and before the reverb, because a natural decay is all part of reverb sounding like reverb. Given that the most likely use of the comp is to level playing dynamics, logic and probability still make the start of the chain the default. Envelope filters are most likely to require a comp after them, but I'm simply taking the Mr Spock approach here! *EDIT* "Dammit Jim- I'm a bass player, not a psychedelic space-rock noise merchant!" [/quote] You make a good point, but to get the compressor to sustain things that much, it would need to be set to some pretty extreme levels. For a starting order, then there's nothing wrong with your suggestion.

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1410271859' post='2547688'] There is no law as to how to use effects, of course, BUT, there is a standard logic to how effects [i]usually[/i] go. The standard starting point with the effects you have mentioned would be Compressor, Dirt, Modulation (Trem + Chorus), Reverb. That is how a multi-effects unit would be likely order them. I won't go into why it's that way, getting your head into the signal chain is all part of the fun! Naturally, with that being the most sensible order, it might be [i]too[/i] sensible! Just depends on what you wish to achieve with the effects. [/quote] But is that being more sensible than putting the compressor at the end to even things out? I found the best place for the compressor was the guitarist's pedal board.

[quote name='Jesso' timestamp='1410213384' post='2547286'] I've got 2 channels for my tops (per power sub) that will go as low as 4 ohms. I used to run 2 speakers (8 ohms each) from each output, so I know the amp is happy to run 4 ohm speakers. So long as I don't clip the hell out of my amps, I suppose the speakers should be happy enough with "only" 500 watts each. I'd like to buy the matching subs too.... but at the guts of 3 grand a side that's not going to be happening any time soon! Plus I'm pretty happy with our subs in terms of power. Thanks for the input everyone. [/quote] If it's 4Ω per side, then there's nothing to worry about. As for the watts, there's nothing to concern yourself about there either. Just keep an ear for how it sounds. This might be of interest to you (skip the first post & the link)... http://basschat.co.uk/topic/244784-sharing-a-link-amps-speakers-watts-ohms/

If the cabs are rated at 4Ω each & your amp runs a minimum of 4Ω then you can run 1 cab. Watts don't make decibels. It would be wise to read some of the info in the Amps & cabs section or visit either Bill Fitzmaurice's or Barefaced Bass's websites to gain a better understanding.

IIRC, how they measure the watts on an amp is by using a dummy load and a sine wave & measure the voltage with an oscilloscope. Now depending on what frequency the sine wave is, the amount of watts can vary greatly.

[quote name='Jack Cahalane' timestamp='1410172448' post='2546712'] Oasis' first bass player Guigsy was so bad he didn't even play on their first album according to the original drummer's book, it was after he left around 2000 and replaced by Andy Bell (brilliant guitarist) that the bass started to move away from the root notes and get a bit more creative , probably due to Noel letting the others contribute a bit more to the songwriting around the same time as well. Like you said though, their music was never focussed on the instrumental side of things! [/quote] I didn't know that (though I was never a fan, but I did have their first album).

[quote name='Jack Cahalane' timestamp='1410168948' post='2546660'] I wouldn't say every song, some of their later stuff and a few early B-sides had some decent non root note only basslines. Go Let It Out Listen Up Soldier On Hung In a Bad Place To Be Where There's Life The majority of their stuff is just root notes though. [/quote] Sounds like the bassist got to put his own thing down, maybe? TBH I didn't think any of them had a bassline that I would remember, let alone want to learn. I know they wanted to sound like the Beatles, but every member of the Beatles was a talented musician. Taxman is one of my fave songs of theirs & I struggle to play the bassline. It could have been a simple root note affair, but they settled for better.

Have you considered Shep's MP-201 in the classifieds? It's the be all-end all of expression pedals.

Oasis are like most singer songwriter acts, it's all about the vocals. The music is there to provide a canvas, it's not part of the artwork. The bassline is there just to do a simple foundation. They could have easily have had better basslines on every oasis song.

If you're using your fx send & return, then the send is the output that goes to the input of your first pedal. The out from the last pedal in your chain then goes into the return. However, with pedals it is usually to plug the bass straight in to the first pedal & then the out from the last pedal should go to the input on your amp & not sing the fx loop at all. The reason? The fx loop is usually designed for rack fx, which have a different line level. So some pedals may not work as well in the loop as they would in line. As for pedal order... Mikebass says it all, there is no right or wrong.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1410052085' post='2545735'] That's a low blow! Oasis would have replaced Guigsy in a heart beat, or at least brought in another bass player for the record, if he hadn't played exactly what they wanted. [/quote] I thought Liam played the bass on the record?

You could possibly pick up a 2nd hand Korg M50 for @ £400. Has a fully fledged sequencer & a good palette of sounds.

But there's also loads of Coldplay & Snow Patrol fans who would say the opposite (I find both rather bland). Free had some great basslines. With music, for non musicians (e.g. most people), it's solely about the finished sound & how they can connect with it, not how technical it is. For most rockers a great song has a guitar riff (or maybe even a bass riff) at the start, then the music comes on full & then falls back a notch to allow the singer to assist the listener in his/her vocal abilities. A solo to allow for some air guitar & then back to the final verse (usually the 1st verse again, but not always). It doesn't matter how technical the bassline is, but I do think that there's many bands who could have put a bit more effort into the basslines.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1409988473' post='2545136'] Hey dont get me wrong I went to the Yanek Gwizdala workshop!, I dont mind a bit of twiddling but it has to be right for the gig, If I had gone to see Yanek and he showed us a few Coldplay numbers I would have wanted my money back on the other hand AC/DC have done rather well without any two handed tapping, in fact instead of watching one guy tapping Cliff Williams got millions of peoples feet tapping! I dont think they will be too worried about xgsjx's lack of purchases due to a lack of fourths and 9ths missing. [/quote] I agree. Just because I find them a bit boring after a while doesn't mean they are rubbish. They know how to sell. Write good riffs & keep the groove simple. I myself preferred Van Halen to ACDC as their basslines was equally as simple, but more fun to play when learning.

[quote name='Damonjames' timestamp='1409949124' post='2544996'] I am rediscovering some music I would have possibly condemned in the past based on the fact it was root note only type bass lines. The simple fact is this: Sometimes, that is all that is required. There are many players, granted most from a bygone era, that made a career out of this type of playing (cliff williams springs to mind) the fact is that it "is all that is required", could you imagine ACDC with an over complicated bass line? It just wouldn't work. The important thing I think is, Don't assume that the bass player only played root notes because that's all they knew how to play. Someone else has alread mentioned, it does take great restraint and focus to do this style of playing (if you know anything about the instrument you are playing of course!) [/quote] Or a severe lack of imagination. If ACDC would have put some thought into the basslines, I might have bought more than 1 album. You don't have to be a great player to come up with a decent bassline. Had Duff put a straight 8 bassline to every GnR song, people would have said "but that's all that it needed". Sweet child o mine could easily have had a Coldplay style bassline, but a little imagination & he put a bit of bass under the intro & popped some simple fills in to break the monotony. Even the most slagged off bassist has some good basslines (Adam Clayton). There's nothing wrong with playing a straight simple bassline if that's all the song needs, but to play like that for every song goes past restraint. I'm not just talking about ACDC either.

The good thing about Macca & Sting & even Adam Clayton is that they only play the root note to songs that need them. When a band does it for virtually every song, then I find I lose interest as all their songs start to sound the same (AC/DC are a prime example. Yes they have some great songs, but then they have about 15 albums that stick to the same format).

The chances of JJ knowing or caring about a 1x15 being a weak link is slim to none. Back when he started playing, he, like many others would have been lead to believe that you need the 4x10 for mids & the 1x15 for low end. The rig in the pic is mostly for visual purposes. Anytime I've added a 4x10 to my 2x10, I've had little to be gained compared to adding another 2x10. I'd heed Bill's advice.

Only you could answer that by trying one out. Personally, I'd try as many cabs as you can from every other manufacturer that you can find.

For the 4x12, you could disconnect 3 of the drivers & just connect one of the top drivers, this would give the cab a better sound for guitar. One of my previous singers at a rehearsal said "my vocal needs more bass" & went to the desk, turned up the bass & got loads of feedback. I explained to him that bass on the vocal is actually mids, turned the bass down & increased the mids & he was happy. The guitarists also need to know to leave room for the vocals. An eq pedal can be a great tool for the guitar, cutting out the mids on the lead during the vocal & bringing them back for the solos.