paulbuzz

Interesting experience today with the amplifier from my Harley Benton BA5110C: I was doing an outdoor gig with little PA support so, knowing I would need a bit of extra welly, I was using the Harley Benton head with my EBS 2x12 cab, rather than in its 'combo' format. (Sidenote: what a great extra option it is to have this ability!) All was going perfectly for a while (bassplayer cockups notwithstanding) until the amp vibrated off the top of the cab and plummeted to the ground, followed by a deafening silence from the bass guitar. It was immediately apparent that the amp had landed on the input jack plug, bashing the socket into the innards of the amp. After a few brief curses, we replugged the bass directly into the PA to finish the gig. (It sounded bad!) Got home and decided to investigate the damage. I was fully prepared for the likelihood that the preamp pcb was shattered into several pieces and would be unsalvageable. However, it turns out that, unlike lots of modern amps with jack sockets perilously mounted directly on the main pcb, the Harley Benton's input socket is mounted on its own tiny pcb, and so was just floating loose inside the amp, dangling on its connecting cable. As it's just a standard plastic jack, I just needed to replace the retaining nut (got lots of them kicking about) and... all was restored to life - marvellous! On a little side note: it's been well documented here and elsewhere that this amp is extremely similar to the original Ibanez Promethean, and is, like the Ibanez, manufactured by Beta-Aivin. It has been noted, though, that the Harley Benton (and Red Sub versions) have a different preamp from the Promethean. However, when I had the input socket, with its little pcb, dangling free on its cable, I noticed something (mildly) interesting: the little input pcb has been created (in the manufacturing process) from a cut-off corner of the main preamp pcb. On the pcb, normally hidden from view when the amp is assembled, is printed a big logo: IBANEZ. So... things I learned today: 1) If you're using a lightweight amp, you really need to find some way of preventing it from vibrating off the top of the speaker cab. 2) The Beta Aivin / Harley Benton / Red Sub amps are constructed more sensibly / less flimsily than you might imagine. 3) The preamp in the Beta Aivin / Harley Benton / Red Sub amps may be slightly different from that in the Promethean - but similar enough that it appears to use the same circuit board...

Just bought a pedal from John. Quick and friendly responses to messages, speedy delivery. A+ stress-free transaction, would buy again! Thanks!

Sorry; late to the party on this one, but I can't miss the the opportunity to wholeheartedly recommend the [url="http://www.orchid-electronics.co.uk/"]Orchid Electronics Classic DI Box[/url]. Handmade in Devon by a one-man operation, these cost barely more ( £34.50 ) than the Behringer ones, but utterly outclass them in every way. They work flawlessly and virtually never break. Some of mine are close to 20 years old and still going strong. John at Orchid also produces a compact, stripped down version, and a version with a muting footswitch; also builds custom electronics at extremely reasonable prices. Sorry to sound like an advert; I'm not getting paid for this, honest! Just expressing some customer loyalty and appreciation!

Just another thought to throw into the murky pool... If you're getting all the top end you need via your "dirty" channel + Schroeder cab, then perhaps the other channel might be better served with one of Alex's Big Sub cabinets. This is, like the Compact, a single 15" cab, but (afaik) uses a different driver more dedicated to low frequencies. Essentially it's the Big One without the midrange driver. For your purposes, I would guess that the differences from the Compact might be the following: CONs: - Marginally more expensive (£450 rather than £400, according to the website) - I don't think he's actually made any of them yet! PROs: - Deeper bottom end - May also possibly solve your aesthetic issue with stacking the deeper Schroeder (16") on top of the shallower Compact (13.5") Not certain on this as there's no dimensions for the Big Sub on the website, but I'm guessing that, as part of the "Big" series, it may share the 16" depth of the Big One...? Don't know about its height, but possibly, without the midrange section of the Big One, it might be a similar height to the Compact (25.5")...? So, stacked on its side with the Schroeder (23.5"). this might work ok...? Disclaimer: this stuff about dimensions is really just guesswork; I'll have to rely on Alex correcting anything that's wildly wrong! cheers

Thanks everyone for your well-informed and comprehensive replies - I feel a bit guilty (Guild-y?) now, as it was only an 'idly-wondering' sort of question. I'm pretty sure Ali was using this when I also saw SLF on the Nobody's Heroes tour (1980?) in Aberystwyth. He's back in the band again now, (after spending time tour-managing and bass-playing for Sinead O'Connor and Moby, amongst others) but I haven't seen any recent pictures of him using this bass. I wonder if he's still got it... I can't decide whether I think the bass is pleasingly unusual, or just quite ugly...!

Oh my word; instant answers! Aren't teh internets marvellous! Prizes? Hmmm - sticky buns all round!

Anyone able to identify this bass? It was used by Ali McMordie of Stiff Little Fingers throughout the early part of their career. Sorry the pics aren't very good; couldn't find any better ones. Nothing vital hangs on the answer to the question; I was just interested, and then irritated when I couldn't find the answer! [attachment=16849:alibass1.jpg] [attachment=16850:alibass2.jpg]

So... it's fairly clear that his characteristic grindy sound would come out of a cranked valve amp, whether Hiwatt, Marshall or whatever; but when he switched to more hifi-ish gear later (eg Trace Elliots from early 80's on, through to Ashdown Lab Series stuff today ), what did/does he use to get the dirt for his early classic sound? Personally, I've never found a really convincing way of getting that sound [i]except[/i] via the cranked-up-valve-amp route. ( Oh no, perhaps I shouldn't have said that - let's not have the thread degenerate into a valves-versus-trannies argument... )

In about 1986, I humped gear for a Level 42 gig. At the end of the night, as we were packing and loading PA, Mark King's guitar tech was restringing EVERY ONE of the dozen or so basses that he had on the tour. Apparently he did this EVERY NIGHT, whether the basses had been played or not. The "old" strings were simply discarded on the floor of the hall. Me and the other bass players on the humping crew gathered them up and split them between us. I got about four sets that were essentially brand new. Since I had no money to buy new strings, these ones kept me going for a good couple of years... Nobody ever said that his strings made me sound like him though. (Just as well, since they were one of my least favourite bands ever...) The strings budget for their tours must have been unbelievable...