xgsjx

About 1 1/2 years ago I started to look for musicians here in Perth to put an originals band together (preferably to do some songs that I'd written that just needed lyrics, but it didn't have to be them) & went through the slow process of trying to find musicians. Finally after many folk coming & going (some I kicked out, some left due to other commitments), I got a band together that all gets on & can play. We started writing, but every time we started, things happened & we got sidetracked & we've been getting nowhere for the past couple of months. So, I called a band meeting. cancelled the rehearsal room a couple of weeks ago & we met in a pub tonight. The singer isn't comfortable writing lyrics as this is the first band he's been in (he's a good singer & works well, so understandable) & one of the guitarists can't write to save himself. So we've decided to be a covers band &, depending on how it goes, get into the function scene. Funny how things change. I'm happy enough to do this, but I dare say I'll end up starting a side project that does the things that I originally set out to do. So here's the songs we're gonna try next week... Mr Blue Sky - ELO Local Boy - Stereophonics The Circle - Ocean Colour Scene Crazy - Gnarles Barkley Breakout - Foo Fighters Superstition - Stevie Wonder Whisky in the jar - Thin Lizzie Staying Alive - BeeGees Johnny B Goode - Marty McFly (I think)

So by "out grow" you don't mean as a kid, bought a cheap short scale bass & then grown up & need a longer scale?

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1394586812' post='2393129'] I use a single 4 ohm speaker cab with mine for the full 550 watts. Or if I wanted I could use both speakons, to connect two 8 ohm cabs in parallel, which would also bring the impedance down to 4 ohms and allow me to utilise the full 550 watts. [/quote] That really depends on what cab you're using & if it knows what to do with that "full 550" watts.

The back panel does make for confusing reading & there's not much on the web. I'd get an amp that I could rely on.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1394537462' post='2392324'] Trouble is, the onus is on you to inform the insurance company of any 'material facts' and the standard advice is that if you are in any doubt about something then you should inform the insurer so they can clarify their position. In general, house insurance is for personal items and not for items used in connection with a business. Do paid gigs constitute 'a business'? - well who knows how each insurance company will treat such things, hence the advice to tell them. If you tell them and they still offer cover then fine. If you tell them and they decline cover then it might be annoying but not as annoying as having an actual claim refused because you didn't disclose a material fact - not to mention the waste of money paying premiums that won't actually cover you in the event of a claim. I'm no apologist for insurance companies, but fair's fair - they have to know what risks they are insuring. [/quote] Correct. The onus is on the customer to make sure the insurer knows everything. In the event of a claim, you then have to provide proof (which isn't hard to do). IME business use is defined as a source of income. Under my insurance, as the gigs that I currently do don't amount to more than the cost of fuel, it's not deemed as business use. Phone the insurance company though, as each underwriter has different criteria. Let them know exactly what you want & see if they can accommodate. Make sure that they put it in a note saying what you asked for & what was offered, on the system (the insurance quote system that is).

I used new moon a couple of years ago & you get PLI as standard all for a good rate. But I never had to claim, so can't say if they're any good. [quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1394476854' post='2391737'] That's an interesting point and could mean that home insurance wouldn't cover [u]any[/u] 'music gear' at all if they find out the person concerned plays paid gigs, no matter that the gear in question is only rarely used for gigging. [/quote] It really depends on who you insure with. It always makes sense to check what the claim side of things is like.

I insure my gear through my home insurance. What you need to check is for the restrictions. what is covered for theft from an unattended car, venue,etc & if covered for gigging. The cover you need is called Personal Belongings/Possessions cover & you need to check it covers gigging. This depends on the level of gigging (paid, etc) & whom you are insuring with. Some even allow musical instruments to be insured for gigging (classed as "tools"). I don't go through a broker & insure directly with the insurer (whom I work for).

It really depends on the effects being used & the type of music. In my current band with 2 guitars & a drummer it's this... I don't have my distortion or chorus fully cranked. The dirt is at @ 3/10 & the chorus is about 7/10 on depth (speed varies). The octaver is 100% wet at -1 oct & depending on the song, I'll add 50-60% dry (which still goes through all the other fx). Also the Bass Murf isn't fully overdriven, it just has a little grind to it. You don't hear it in the mix, but you know when it's turned off. The LPF is 100% wet. My previous band which was acoustic guitar & mandolin/penny whistle, you could hear everything on the bass. So most effects only needed to be mild.

She's done a great job on the colour. I take it will now be slung round your belly!

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1394298173' post='2390048'] Why buy an amp which has inferior sound? That's one trend I won't be following. [/quote] +1 You can get some awesome amps 2nd hand for the same a new cheap.

I grew up listening to most of the 80s pop music from Depeche Mode & The Human League to Talking Heads & Marillion. Just about anything you could mention, I was subject to it. I really enjoyed the early electronic era & loved Tangerine Dream, J M Jarre & most of the techno/house from the 90s. Who knows why I took up bass? I loved my synths! I suppose it was my love for rock & metal as a teenager.

The problem with the ipad is when you type a reply & then quote someone, it gets rid of what you typed prior! But I would say an ipad might be a good option. iOS apps handle latency really well. For laptops, there's lots of good things in all budgets. I've got an HP G62 which has the fan in the bottom corner & is prone to clogging up & overheating. To get to it, you have to take the entire laptop apart & it's underneath everything (literally). It takes about 3-4 hours with a map & tools. If I had the pennies, a MacBook Pro would be mine.

[quote name='lemmywinks' timestamp='1394276950' post='2389762'] I [/quote] Good to see you back. I had hoped you was ok & was just thinking last month that I hadn't seen you on here for some time.

If I was using a DHA for dirt, I'd do the same as sk8. If I was using the DHA as a pre amp, I'd put it last. But, that doesn't mean I wouldn't shift things about to see how they sounded. Always do that & see what you like.

[quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1394264606' post='2389617'] But again this isnt what you said, most ppl will run a 8 ohm 410/115 or use two cabs. If ppl want to use a 4 ohm 410 they should be able to without ppl like you telling them they are putting strain on there amp. [/quote] I know never said running a single 4 ohm cab is rubbish, I just advised that it puts an extra strain on the amp. You do realise that most bass amps are effectively 2 amps? There's the pre amp & the power amp. If you've set the volume on your bass quite low & set the input gain to just under clipping, then turning the instrument up would cause the pre amp to clip, which could damage the cab's drivers. Increased current draw increases the chance of the power amp clipping. I never said it would cause the amp to fail (though it could, especially if the amp is 2nd hand), but more likely to need serviced sooner. If someone is given advice to get a single 4 ohm cab, don't you think it's wise to know the pros and cons? It's like telling someone with a car that it's good to run upto the red line before changing gear as you'll get there quicker.

[quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1394233788' post='2389497'] its rubbish as by meaning that your stating a point that doesnt need to be said! your saying it will increase the heat, which yeh it will but turning the bass up will increase the bass neither will break the amp, and if it wnt break or hurt the amp then why put it on a forum that has alot of beginners who may panic thinking they are hurting there amp. andy [/quote] Don't you think that letting people know that "running a single 4Ω cab to get the best from the amp" is really telling them rubbish though?

[quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1394216469' post='2389298'] the point you are making is rubbish! any amp is tested and will be fine! the extra heat your talking about is designed in to the amp and wint hurt anything in it, im mean if your that worried about the components im surprised you ever turn your bloody amp on! and the extra headroom increases the chance of clipping?! [/quote] How do you work it out to be rubbish? I've tried to explain it simply, but I think you're either missing what I'm saying completely or think I'm meaning it'll kill the amp (which I'm not). I'm not saying don't run at 4 ohms. I run mine at 4 ohms when needed at a gig. Could you explain how it reduces the potential for clipping? I'm not asking to make an argument, I like to find out a much about gear as I can & how things work, which is why I spend time reading on here, the Barefaced site, BFM's forum & anywhere else that discusses sound systems. I like to get the best from what I have.

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1394195973' post='2389004'] Yes but you are gaining something - the extra power headroom. Yes it might only be a couple of DB in practice but why throw it away for some unquantifiable supposed reliability gain. If were going to swap car analogies then its like buying a 4 seater car but never carrying more than 2 passengers on the basis that it will wear out less quickly - in the vast majority of cases it wont make any measurable difference over the expected time span of use. [/quote] Bill worded that the opposite way round from you. his words were "[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Voltage sensitivity is increased by 3dB, but that's at the cost of doubled current draw"[/font][/color] [font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"][color="#282828"]​So you're willing to have twice as much heat going through your amp for 3db if you're using a [/color][/font][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]single cab[/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]? It's your choice, I'm only giving information that I've [/font][/color][font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"][color="#282828"]acquired.[/color][/font] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]The "extra headroom" also increases the chances of clipping. You've got twice as much current going through things.[/font][/color]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1394185279' post='2388776'] Its doing what it was designed to do and the vast majority of people using amps in this way will get a lifetime of use out of them. [/quote] I never said that it wasn't. I said "why use a single 4Ω cab if there's an identical 8Ω cab as you're not going to gain anything other than putting extra load on the components". It's really that simple. I don't know how you're managing to find it so difficult. You like sports cars. You drive it like an every day car & you only need to service it once a year. You start racing it, you put more strain on the components (they're working harder). They are designed to deal with it but you might find that it needs more servicing. If you're using a good quality amp, then you might find you rarely need to service it, but it will need a service sooner if it's been running at 4Ω rather than 8Ω. If you're using a cheaper amp, then the parts are less likely to handle the increased heat.

Just had a google & the Mothership can be got over here easily enough. It's not the cheapest though.

Actually, there is. Pigtronix Mothership. It's a synth pedal that doesn't need MIDI or CV to trigger it. & there's the Guyatone MOM5 Both US made & not easy to get in the UK (unless you have a US friend).

[quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1394137800' post='2388433'] never had a problem with if you run your amp at full volume and gain it will die pretty quick! but xgsix said was that this strain could also be caused by running your amp at 4 ohms or whatever your lowest impedance is. [/quote] So are you're saying that running an amp at gigging volume into its minimum load isn't affecting the amps components?

I don't believe there is such a thing in pedal format without going down the MIDI / synth route. The closest I've managed to get is the Boss octaver into a Moog LPF (I've even got flats on the bass to keep things as O as poss).

[quote name='Prosebass' timestamp='1394102030' post='2387885'] Sorry to be a pedant but the lower the resistance = more current drawn [/quote] I did mean that, but was trying to word it to make it easier to understand (which isn't a good thing, as it then sounds backwards).

I never said that either Chris. Yes, it's safe to run an amp at 4Ω (or in your case, 2Ω). But the higher the resistance you put on it, the more current is drawn, therefore the hotter the components get. It's really that simple. The amp should be built to withstand the extra load, but if you don't need to put the extra strain on the amp, why would you want to? Your car's engine is designed to run up to the red line without any damage & racing cars run regularly to that & get regular services, whereas with my car, even though it's safe to do so, I don't run my car to the red line all the time as it means I'll need more servicing to keep it in good nick.