itu

Well, any passive component put to the high impedance (hi-Z) signal path naturally affects the sound. Isn't this a no-brainer? Guitarists put treble bleed capacitors to their guitars, because that volume pot alone changes the load to the pickup and reduces high end reproduction when turned down. If you use an active signal path, the load is practically eliminated and the pots do not change your sound. The change from hi-Z passive electronics to lo-Z active gives the possibility to use adjustments that do not affect each other. Blend should not be a tone or...

A valve (tube) is very close to an electro-mechanical component because of the size, parts and manufacturing tolerances. It is no wonder that the parts differ that much from each other within one model. This is actually very much the same with nearly any other electronic component. Now I simplify a lot, but overall you might say, that the system works through choices of manufacturing and testing: Plain and simple resistors have nine (yes, 9!) tolerance classes: from 0.05 to 20 %. Batches have certain tolerances and the process has many parameters. Accuracy has its price. There are these manufacturing lines that produce a variety of carbon resistors without specific resistance. Then these parts are classified and they get their markings. Remember: a cheap 1 kohm carbon film resistor with 20 % tolerance may lead from 800 to 1200 ohm unit - the difference between these two is 400 ohms! Don't talk about precision, talk about price. And how many of these cheapest resistors your amp had? It is not only the single valve that affects the performance. It is the parametric jungle that the signal sees while wandering through the different (sic!) components. If you need to copy some design accurately, beware that it is expensive. Even digital systems suffer from the same issues, because parts from resistors to microprocessors all have the same production issues. Some microprocessors are faster and still they come from the same silicon and the same process. Please take a look at Claude Paillard's tube "factory". Notice those simple tools and give a thought to tolerances. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzyXMEpq4qw

...or was it the text? Have to admit that this time the duel between the brown and the BW wood goes to the body. The contrast and that red stripe in the neck... wow.

Try well known brands like Weller, Hakko, Metcal etc. If you have any money, your choice is a soldering station. Modern tins that do not contain lead (Pb) are harder in the process. I suggest to find one 500 g roll of 1 mm tin-lead (60-40 or even better 63-37). If possible, buy two rolls. That should be enough for years to come. If on a budget, you may find a simple 25 - 50 W iron, but as an example, Weller's basic models are attractively priced at around 100 €: https://www.weller-tools.com/consumer/EUR/en/Weller+Consumer/Soldering+Stations/Electronic%2C+Repair%2C+and+Everyday/WHS+40+(UK) More sophisticated Metcal has heftier pricetag, prepare to pay around 500 € for a good station.

So you upgraded from a gutbucket...? (...taking me coat...)

My choice for years has been Glockenklang Soul combo. Sound is perfect. Weight is not, 38 kg = 83 lbs. So I took them apart and as the amp is 11 kg, the set is far more convenient to carry around. I had to replace the elements because of an accident and guys at G. offered me an option of neodyme elements. The cab is now 22 kg and far easier to carry. So I have two cabs, that Soul 2 x 10" and an Alusonic 2 x 12". They sound different. The other is tight & nearly sophisticated (follows me very well) and the other is a bit more rough & rock. As you have found a pair of nice sounding cabs, I would not part with them.

No, I just mess things up and introduce you to the Hypergravity. If you want to tweak a week first and maybe then get a decent sound... but live sound adjusting possibilities are far better than with Spectre. Sorry, Spectra.

https://www.mouser.co.uk/Wire-Cable/Wire-Protection-Management/Heat-Shrink-Tubing-and-Sleeves/_/N-5ggz/ You have over 7 500 choices, so some filtering is needed. Let's make a guess that your cable is 1/4" thick. Then choose a shrink tube that will be less than that after heating it up, like 5.5 mm or so. Place an order. I would not use the glue version, it is overkill. If the tube is clear, you can put your initials or whatever under that. If your patch cables will be steady in place, you may consider omitting the tube. If they move even just slightly, or you need to bend them a lot, the tube is good.

A tiny wire may just disappear in the air (to tape, under some part or so). Now draw the schema to understand the signal path. Then find all wires and name them. Then it is easy to understand what is happening down there.

I would add that the high end response is nice if soloed. But in a bigger band context it does not matter so much. Other instruments take that space from us bassists. We are the band pass filters (BPF) that do not get the lowest nor the highest. Oh dear...

Find the lightest you can a put a capo to shorten the scale?

It does not look impossible at all, you just have to find out the signal path and it will open up. Someone able to do nice solderings will be your dear friend. And sorry, I certainly live too far from you.

In the first picture the ground wire is missing from the output jack. Probably the battery wire, too. In the second picture I can only see that lower left corner, where the (Volume?) pot has no wire in the lowest leg on top of the red wire. There has been something soldered to it. The black wire from the output jack - where does it go? That third picture has a shielded wire. The inner one is most probably signal and the outer mesh is a ground. Where from, where to? From the fourth I may see (?) that the missing wire (referring to the second pic) and the lug are soldered to another lug of the pot. Is this Volume? The output needs to have three wires (in case of active bass): Ground, -9 V and the connection to the preamp that connects the 9 volt battery minus to the Ground (and the preamp starts to work). Naturally the preamp needs the 9 volt plus connection. If you take some time, try to find which are the signal cables from the pickups. They should go to the Balance/Blend pot and then to Volume. From Vol the signal goes to the preamp input. There should be few wires from the preamp to B&T (dual?) pot. Then you need a few wires that are connected to the ground. Every part has something to do with the ground, so take your time and find the connections. Use permanent pens or tiny paper stickers to name them and you can conclude the signal path. Basic idea is: pickups - Blend - Vol - preamp (B&T) - output Bass and Treble are in a "side chain" so the preamp has one signal wire going in and another going out to the output jack. It is probably close to this one (or another similar setup): https://shop.warwick.de/en/Parts+for+Instruments/Parts+for+Basses/Electronics/MEC+Active+BEC+2+Electronics+for+active+Pickups+-+_Vol+PP+_+Bal+_+T+B_ https://shop.warwick.de/en/Parts+for+Instruments/Parts+for+Basses/Electronics Hope this helps.

Some professionals have told me that with fretless they prefer Nickel because of the middle growl. My choice has been stainless for ages. Roundwound for fretted and fretless. Flatwound only for double bass.

Just a rule of thumb: multiply RMS by 1.4 - 2 depending on the amp. I suppose that the QSC is able to push around 1 - 1.2 kW RMS. Remember, that there may be several amps in the box. Simple addition of the powers does not always give very good idea of the perceived loudness level.

I have a far more simple solution. I added a X-over to my effects and the sound changed a lot. Now the low end under 400 Hz has no effects = no mud. This way my rig is bass - effects - amp - cab. Biamp or two amps might be the ultimate, but too big and cumbersome to carry around. I understand the choice of using a PA speaker very well. I have had the chance to try our band's JBL PRX 735 that has really convincing and truly powerful sound. It is almost 4 feet tall... just too big to carry around in my small and old car. I do like that different sound of a PA box but it just isn't my thing out there in the bigger venues. And only seldom I have connection to the PA. This means that I need a powerful and compact system and traditional amp & cab is fine for me.

I was thinking that your current amp is just fine, but if you want more of that lowest end, there is nearly no limit... Your choice is probably something like a 900 W class D amp. Flats and very low end means really big power levels. It is not very much louder, just different.

I use that RCF745A as a reference: https://www.rcf.it/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=f5efcbdd-7c61-42c2-bff6-14e1aa148f97&groupId=20195 The 15" driver has a 500 W amp. I think this is adequate. The box is relatively small and at 20 kg also pretty lightweight. Partly because of the small size, the SPL is only 125 dB at 1 meter distance (at what frequency? 1 kHz?). It is not overly loud, but if this is going to be a monitor or the use is in smaller space, you probably manage well. I am not so sure, how low the box can really go as there are no reasonable specifications about the frequency response (you should find out, where the -6 dB point is). At 45 Hz the level may be -20 dB and that you can hear in quiet studio but not on stage. Producing very low frequencies equals very much energy. Remember that is not that important, as the (approx.) 60 - 150 Hz area gives more audible stuff to the audience. The panel has only few adjustments. If you need to tweak the response, you need a bass or a preamp that can do it. The angle of the back gives few possibilities to put it to the floor as a monitor. I would say that this box works well with vocals and piano and whatever, but it would not be my choice for bass. There is a reason and place for a dedicated bass amp. This RCF lacks adjustments, very likely the lowest end power and this FRFR nonsense has nothing to do with really flat response with this box. *** Some technical stuff related to physics: If you know something about photography, you have to choose from the Trinity of Time (volume), Aperture (size), and ISO (sensitivity). It is the same with bass speaker box: you need to play with the Box Volume, the Lowest Frequency and the Sensitivity. You change one parameter and at least one other will be affected. If you make the box bigger, you can go lower or you get louder box (enhanced Sensitivity). A small box like this RCF has very likely a somewhat limited low end response. If you use an EQ to straighten it (to get more of the lowest end), you need to attenuate the power from the middle (because of the limited loudness reserve) and the max SPL may be only in the ballpark of 100 dB or so.

Although rare, there are ss amps that love load and tube amps that survive by themselves. So I would say that without consulting the manual, the load equals better safe than sorry.

The difference between 9 and 9.6 volts is just 7 %. It negligible. If you use more pedals and your EH needs just 125 mA, you can use the same output to other pedals, too. Just find a cable with two or three connectors.

I tried a few. Then found out that compressors are a bit like fuzzes. If your bass is active or passive, the comp (or that fuzz) acts differently. If your equipment contains both types, try several. When you have found the one (for each), keep it/them. My passive bass compressor is a Daring Audio Phat Beam. It also includes an LPF - a dream with fretless. Not transparent at all, and like Fairfield Circuit's The Accountant, has good growl (this is purely subjective). For active my choice is tce Hypergravity. Beware: not an easy machine at all. Its functionality is weird and slow, because the pots are actually 5-position switches. Toneprint is a must and setting the unit takes lots of time. If you need really good help, start from: http://www.ovnilab.com/

...or an SWR Mini Mo, or a tce 1144 Bass preamp (that is a renamed 1140) or a tce 1210 Spatial expander, or a Drawmer compressor, or...

Sadowsky has now a bass that is constructed from two hardwoods and soft spruce in between. Would be interesting to see, how much spruce was left, as they tend to produce light instruments. A side note: are you putting some kind of serial numbers to your instruments? After a while you have a production and these first models may disappear because of no written history.

It would be reasonable to take some sandpaper and open the paint. The cutting surface is rough, but MDF, no way José.