Mottlefeeder

I moved to a 5 a couple of years after I started playing, and that 5 was my only bass for about 15 years. From what I remember, it took me about 3 months to change over, starting with playing all our songs in key x then moving on to all our songs in key y and so on. I've recently started playing a 4-string bass uke, and I really miss the B string. David

Some amp manufacturers are reputed to build in an eq'd sound even with the tone controls flat, so by buying an acoustic amp you may get a different sound, but nothing that using the 'user eq' can't put right. You may also get a different front-end, with an input designed for piezo pickups and possibly a balanced mic input as well. David

If you are going to be doing a lot of transposed work, consider a 5-string bass. Having more options about where you play the note hepls you move away from using open strings, but you may not like the sound of a B string higher up the fret board.- it has a different mix of harmonics. David

[quote name='RickyV' timestamp='1433187370' post='2788749'] Hi David. Hope you dont mind me asking, but where did you source the corner protectors for your cab build? They look like just what I need to replace some damaged ones on an Ashdown combo. Cheers. [/quote] Blue Aran in Southampton - [url="http://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?browsemode=category&category=Hardware&masthead=Corners_!amp!_Braces&subheadnew=Corners"]http://www.bluearan....headnew=Corners[/url] They do that style in two sizes and mine is the smaller of the two. David

Just out of interest, I went back to my WinISD calculations and tweaked the numbers to suit your cab. Then, since the original speaker is probably fairly close to a stock Eminence item, I substituted an Eminence Beta 10 and an Eminence Alpha 10. The graphs are shown below. Assuming that speaker, port and amp volume take up 0.3 of a cu ft, I'm working with a net volume of 1 cu ft. A port of 37cm by 2cm by 7cm long gives a box tuning of around 70 Hz, which sounds high, but may not be if the amp is voiced for it. Colour coding of lines [url="http://s285.photobucket.com/user/Mottlefeeder/media/Speaker%20key_zpsdxubfoxz.jpg.html"][/url] Response of box and speaker - a hump of 2-3dB can be ignored. Above that figure and you may hear some boominess. [url="http://s285.photobucket.com/user/Mottlefeeder/media/Speaker%20response_zpshbdyts1w.jpg.html"][/url] Maximum power handling - note that your fundamental and lowest harmonics share the power between them, so 40 watts maximum at any one frequency is not a disaster, assuming that the amplifier filters out the frequencies below 50-60 Hz. [url="http://s285.photobucket.com/user/Mottlefeeder/media/Speaker%20power%20handling_zpsxqtstvr5.jpg.html"][/url] Cone excursion - As above, this is the killer unless the amplifier has a high pass filter built in. The straight red line at about 3mm is the limit for 'undistorted' sound. [url="http://s285.photobucket.com/user/Mottlefeeder/media/Cone%20excursion_zpsknqmaygb.jpg.html"][/url] Air velocity in the port - OK assuming no single frequency gets more than about 40 watts [url="http://s285.photobucket.com/user/Mottlefeeder/media/Rear%20port%20air%20velocity_zpssspdxllc.jpg.html"][/url] Of then three speakers, the Basslite is the best controlled, and also the most expensive at about £70. That's my interpretation - others may have different opinions David

I built a small 1 by 10 cab using the Eminence Neo Basslite S2010 with a volume of about 1 cu ft and a port of 12 by 1 by 7 inches (overall size 15 by 12 by 13 inches, built with 9mm ply) - it sound very good, and is in your ballpark volume-wise - [url="http://s285.photobucket.com/user/Mottlefeeder/media/DSCF0972_zps22a94527.jpg.html"][/url] Also, some other designs from Eminence - [url="http://www.eminence.com/pdf/Basslite_S2010_cab.pdf"]http://www.eminence....e_S2010_cab.pdf[/url] Hope this helps David

[quote name='tedmanzie' timestamp='1432734381' post='2784388'] Max at SFX has quoted me £250 to custom make a variable high pass filter pedal (20hz to 1khz) with either 12dB/Oct or 24dB/Oct filter. Quite expensive just for this, but it's custom made, so to be expected I suppose. If anyone here is interested please PM me, I guess (haven't asked yet) he might be able to do it cheaper if there were a few orders. [/quote] This one was £73 (inc p&p) 14 months ago - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/232358-fdeck-clone-made-in-uk/http://basschat.co.uk/topic/232358-fdeck-clone-made-in-uk/"]http://basschat.co.u...one-made-in-uk/[/url] David

I designed a small 1 by 10 for busking with a 5-string (low B), and the compromise to get it small was a cabinet resonance of 55Hz. I use an HPF set to 55 Hz to make sure I do not overdrive the speakers, but I still get plenty of low end and low end clarity from it. At the Moffat bass bash a heavy metal player was playing an F below bottom E through it, and you could hear the note without the mud that you usually get when speakers struggle to get that low. Another benefit is that you use less power if you filter out the fundamental - my battery rig lasts about 25% longer with the HPF than without. For those of you who are interested in getting an HPF, Fdeck over on talkbass designed one, but only markets it in the USA. There are threads on this forum about getting a friendly talkbass member to buy there and post it to you, or alternatively, someone in the UK is making them to Fdeck's design. David [Edited to remove rogue emoticon]

[quote name='Musashimonkey' timestamp='1431937798' post='2776268'] I'll take a photo and forward the battery pack details I'm using with my PJB double four, later tonight when I get home. Nothing on their website, can't remember how I originally found out about it... It's sold as an external battery pack for 'laptops', ... [/quote] OK, that's a different ball game - that battery pack will have the fuses and over-temperature sensors built in to it - a battery pack borrowed from a laptop probably won't. David

Just seen McNach's reply - in mitigation I would point out that the specification does not mention a battery power supply, and the socket is only listed as an input socket! [quote name='ambient' timestamp='1431898152' post='2776089'] Thanks guys, I wasn't aware that laptop batteries would power an amp. A few options there then [/quote] Laptop batteries contain lithium cells which can explode when abused. They also operate at voltages which are different to car batteries etc. I would be very wary about connecting a laptop battery to anything that was not specifically designed for it. You would also need to work out a safe way of charging it. Decent car amplifiers are designed to connect to 12-14 volts, and contain voltage convertors to provide the higher voltages needed to give you a higher power output - they tend to shut down if the applied voltage is not what they expect to see. A laptop power supply runs at about 19 volts, so it is unlikely that the laptop battery will provide enough voltage to give you enough power from a simple amplifier, or to allow a car amplifier to turn on. A 7AHr lead acid battery will cost you about £15, The same amount of energy in NiMH 'D-cells' will cost you about £80, and in Lithium-whatever will cost you well over £100. Your lightest option is lithium, but your cheapest option is a small lead acid battey, or if you want a longer gig, a larger lead acid battery and a trolley. Another option is to use a mains invertor to run your mains-amp from a 12 volt battery, This minimises the amount of new kit you need to buy, and allows you to use gear whose tone you already know and like. However, some basses and/or amps pick up a buzz from the invertor, so it is definately a try before you buy option. Piezo pickups and class D amplifiers seem to be better, The standby current for the invertor and amp is likely to be 1-2 Amps, which will mean you get less playing time out of that system than you would out of a system specifically designed for battery use, but it is a cheap way forward. Having said all that, some bass players have been very happy with Roland amplifiers running off 6 AA batteries http://www.roland.com/products/micro_cube_bass_rx/ - I was not impressed when I tried one, but it may have had half-dead batteries, or just not been capable of producing the sound I wanted. David

[quote name='Musashimonkey' timestamp='1431846953' post='2775415'] PHil Jones Bass 'Double Four' with a laptop battery back?... [/quote] I can't see anything on the PJ website to confirm that this will run on batteries - it appears to be a mains-only practice amp. The PJ Briefcase will take the same battery that I used in mine. David

I don't know if you are into DIY, but you can run a car stereo amplifier in bridge mode to give about 90 watts into 8 ohms, and a 12v 7AHr lead acid battery will give you 3-4 hours of use in an acousic pub setting, or about an hour outdoors keeping up with with guitars and vocals through a small pa. The amplifier input will match the output of an active bass, and you can walk to a gig with a 1 by 10 speaker in one hand, the amp/battery assembly in the other, and a gigbag on your back. [url="http://s285.photobucket.com/user/Mottlefeeder/media/DSCF0972_zps22a94527.jpg.html"][/url] The speaker is 30*30*40cm (12*12*15 inches) and the amp 'plate' contains the battery in the box with the logo. Ignore any idiot that chips in with 'don't believe the specs of car amplifiers' - the better brands now quote true RMS outputs in the specification (as well as painting peak outputs on the casing). David

You can also thread them through in reverse - feed them into the body at the bridge, and keep going until the end is wtthin reach at the sound hole. Tie a knot in the string and pull it back through again until the knot is under the bridge. David

[quote name='alstocko' timestamp='1421716027' post='2664353'] I'm based in Warrington and could give some technique/posture lessons to help relieve the strain. [/quote] Thanks for your interest - I'll send you some more information in a PM and then we can decide how to play it. David

Thanks for that - I've had a quick look, and the nearest ergonomics specialist is in Birmingham - that's too far for regular sessions to look at my technique. David

I have a health problem that causes my thumbs to go into cramp after about 90 seconds of sustained use. I'm currently using work-arounds and sloppy technique to get by. Any bass tutors in the Warrington / Manchester area interested in exploring whether I can improve my playing? Thanks David

In some cases, the position of the jack socket and the style of guitar stand will dictate whether you can use one plug or the other. A right-angled jack is more likely to get in the way of a bottom-supported stand, and a straight jack is more likely to make the instrument too long for a top-hung stand designed for shorter guitars. David

I've been to several open mic nights, varying from the 'We only cater for singer/songwriters' through to 'Pick a song and I'll lead on it and you play bass'. I've been to one where the self-styled 'resident bass player' told me to move on, and I've also stumbled into helping to organise one. In my view - Week 1; go early, without the bass, talk to the organiser and then check out who is playing what. Try and get a list of songs that feature regularly, and their keys. Practice some of those songs. Week 2; take the bass, arrive early, talk to the organiser about what you would like to do - give him/her a better chance to find you a slot that suits. David

One of the issues with changing a port is that the air speed through it changes, and that can give you problems. You could try modelling a cab similar to the one you buy, and then model the half size version, and check that the tuning and port air speeds are as you want them. Having said that, if you are already playing with WinISD, you may already have considered this. David

I bought a 5-string acoustic about a year ago, and it is now my main bass. At home, I don't need to plug it in, and at the venues I play, an acoustic fits where a solid body would not, and I like the sound it produces. Having said that, it is always amplified when out of the house - I have a battery rig for rehearsals and outdoor gigs, and a mains powered amp for the others. Also, based on past experience, if I am not controlling the PA, I would probably fall back on the solid bodied bass. Some PA operators have no idea what to do when an acoustic bass starts to feed back. David

The biggest issue with this type of modification is likely to be the porting, and you do not have any, so it should work for you. However, there is a health warning that one speaker will give you less than half of what you got from the pair, but you probably already know that from your current se-up. David

From what I have heard, a semi-acoustic instrument will be better regarded in Jazz/Folk arenas than a solid bodied one, but I never reached the point of using an EUB in either situation. Also the Stagg/Palatino style is longer, and more difficult to transport - the NS ranges have short bodies and longer stands, which makes it easier to fit them in a car, but they do look 'different', Some of the NS ranges also accept standard DB length strings - the excess length below the bridge goes through the body and fixes into slots on the back, so you are not locked into a limited number of string options. David

My experience of AT goes back several years, as I recovered from a back injury. The initial results were amazing, but then seemd to tail off. When I started asking about the next milestones we were aiming for, the answers gave me the distinct impression that I was part-way through a standard course, and I was going to pay for all of it whether I needed it or not. I stopped shortly after. David

Interesting to hear all the opinions, but I have a question for those who feel you have to get it absolutely right - are you in a covers band or a tribute band? Apart from the distinctive riffs, if there are any for that song, surely a covers band needs to play something that sounds tight, good, and recognisable in total, while a tribute band has to be as close to the original as they can get. My background is in playing generic songs from chord sheets - it is only now that I am having to think about how 'accurate' my bass lines should be. David

[quote name='Mottlefeeder' timestamp='1386681098' post='2302985'] ...The 300W rig I referred to was my normal gigging setup at that time, pressed into service for an outdoor event. It was powered by an invertor connected to a caravan battery (85AHr). It worked, but is not a serious contender for this job (Hartke HA3000 - 12kg-ish, Hartke VX115 - 20kg, battery - 18kg, trolley etc - 5kg: total 55kg-ish - doesn't do stairs)... [/quote] Just found this picture while looking for something else. [url="http://s285.photobucket.com/user/Mottlefeeder/media/IMG_0099_zps7398178f.jpg.html"][/url] David