ShergoldSnickers

I've just filled my yawny boring old Eden with heaps of lead shot and some 25 watt candle bulbs - they sort of look like valves, and I've now got the weight right up there. The change in tone is staggering. As are the smoke and sparks pouring from the top vents. Just needs some cardboard to change the outline, a fire extinguisher and then we're done.

A tricky one for me as all our stuff is made up on the night. We do have a large clock placed on stage with a set time limit - this gives us a rough idea of where to start winding things up. We always try to end together via visual cues and it almost always works. Failing that it'll be an atmospheric ending with copious looping and twattery going on.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='940779' date='Aug 31 2010, 11:07 AM']About 10kHz.[/quote] Damn - I should have posted as I guessed 10 to 12kHz Assuming it's the same type as in the BigOne, The mid driver is exceptionally smooth - no gritty sizzle or peaky ringing from effects units. I use a Boss GT-10B which can chuck out some weird sounds with lots of high frequency component. The mid unit handles it all with the style of Fred Astaire. Smooth, seamless and without apparent effort.

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='939837' date='Aug 30 2010, 10:50 AM']Steinberger necks are solid and are some of the best sounding and responsive graphite necks ever produced (IMO). However they are a completely different manufacturing process to monocoque "semi hollow" equivalents. While structurally rigid, monocoque construction doesn't always make for a pleasant sounding neck. However the most advanced monocoque designs (such as Status necks) incorporate fill material that selectively dampens some unpleasant frequencies. Technically superior doesn't always mean better sounding. I believe honeycomb construction for speaker cabs was discussed on the Talkbass thread but gluing the material became quite critical to its success. Thing is when you push the boundaries of any construction process, the costs go up as the manufacturing process becomes more sophisticated.[/quote] I think Celestion developed some Aerolam based hi-fi speaker cabinets in the 80s. Aerolam is essentially two sheets of aluminium separated by a honeycomb layer of aluminium with the honeycomb tubes at right angles to the sheets. They were also very very expensive. Wharfdale made some melamine sandwich speakers, also in the 80s - two sheets of melamine with a foam core, but for bass cabs I can't see any commercial cost effective advantage over conventional techniques incorporating lightweight ply and well planned and engineered internal bracing. Having said that, if I had the opportunity to build some carbon fibre cabs for minimal cost I'd be sorely tempted.

I really shouldn't go looking at Alex's designs. I just end up wanting one of each.

[quote name='Clarky' post='935664' date='Aug 25 2010, 09:41 AM']His bass playing in early Police was good and memorable (everyone plays Walking On The Moon, don't they, while noodling?)[/quote] Yes, but not everyone gets cautioned for doing it. :blush: Playing at a party and there was a police raid due to the noise, and we'd been told in no uncertain terms to stop. I couldn't resist just slipping in the bass line as the constabulary were leaving. Mistake.

I was looking at these earlier in the day and Wateroftyne has kindly set up this thread so I don't have to. Thanks and great timing. Looks like I may have to get one.

[quote name='TomTFS' post='933839' date='Aug 23 2010, 04:28 PM']Right, so I just purchased a Metro and it seems there is something wrong with the compressor on CH2. Setting both channels the same everything works as it should but whenever the comp kicks in on Ch2 it distorts quite badly. I can crank the gain right up on CH1 and it will get rediculously compressed with the compression light on solidly but with no distortion. If I turn the comp off i can crank the gain right up and no distortion, so it must be comp causing the problem. I've tried changing the tube inside but that didn't solve the problem. Is this what it's meant to do? Is there any way to adjust the compressor internally? Any other way to solve it?[/quote] Strangely I got this on my WT550 - a single channel amp - a couple of days ago. I only did two things before it went away: 1. Pulled the 'Enhance' out to disengage the compressor, and pushed it back in again. 2. Pulled the input gain out and then pushed it back in again, to activate and then deactivate the input level pad. Since then - no problem, it's been fine. The Metro has a similar layout on channel 2 to the WT550 as far as I can see, so is possibly a very similar design. I'll do another check tonight to see if I can get the problem to reoccur.

[quote name='Beedster' post='933544' date='Aug 23 2010, 12:41 PM']I have a set of monstrously heavy Atacama stands which I'm hoping will do the trick?[/quote] Should so nicely. Look very solid judging from the website.

1981 - current second hand fretless Marathon swapped for the fretted I had at the time. That originally cost £175 new. Add to that the cost of getting a bridge pickup added a few years later, and a Badass bridge at the same time, say £60, and then more recently a Wizard replacement for the bridge DiMarzio, and the Shergold pickup remagnetised at £75. Cheapskate territory really .

[quote name='51m0n' post='933354' date='Aug 23 2010, 09:17 AM']Re: Speaker stands:- I've had blinding result bolting up to three concrete breezeblocks together with coach bolts, costs less than £10 ea. if you look around, weighs as much as a neutron star and looks cool in an industrial way, or really really cool if you spray them black (but that costs a bit more)[/quote] Like it. Lots of mass, stable and can be recycled later.

[quote name='Beedster' post='933184' date='Aug 22 2010, 10:29 PM']Guys, you've both been a huge amount of help and I can't thank you enough. Both of you have no doubt saved me hours of time a a fair few quid so the beers are on me if we ever get to hook up! I'm going to take a few band tracks as well as a few orchestral and jazz tracks (I'm guessing on the basis of the above that things such as the sounds of pages turning and valves opening and closing should pick up nicely). C[/quote] No problem. It isn't going to be easy to differentiate between those speakers that reveal detail - like valve clatter on brass - because they have some part of the spectrum boosted, for whatever reason, from those that reveal detail as a matter of course due to good design. The former should get tiring to listen to after a while, and sound less natural over a wide range of material. A great monitor just gets out of the way, lets the music through and sounds like it's doing precisely that. If it's drawing attention to itself, it isn't doing the job. Just one final thought - whichever set of speakers you buy, try to get them up on proper stands. The idea is that you couple the mass of the speaker cabinets to the mass of your building and through that to the mass of the Earth . The energy available to the speakers for creating sound is then used to move the cones around, and not used to make the cabinets wobble about instead, as the cones will be the only thing that [i][b]can[/b][/i] move - the cabinets can't. This will mean stands that are rigid, and can couple properly to whatever surface you place them on. I've seen stands bolted to plates screwed into the floor, or alternatively spiked stands that dig into floorboards. This is all based on Newton's third law of motion essentially. You are preventing the reaction to the cone movement from actually moving anything due to the cone seeing a very large mass to push against. The cone gets all the energy. This usually really tightens up the bass end amongst other things. (Must have a think about a stand for my bass cab ) Placing the cabinets on a large flat surface will only encourage that surface to act as a sounding board, colouring the sound.

[quote name='Beedster' post='932254' date='Aug 21 2010, 08:58 PM']Thanks for the above guys Something on which I need some clarification: I've heard lots of no doubt very sound advice along the lines of 'listen to some tracks you know through several sets and go with the speakers you prefer'. But I'm a bit confused here; 'prefer' seems kinda subjective, that is, it makes sense with a hifi, but I'm not sure I get it with monitors. I would have thought I'm expecting something that may not be all that pleasing to my ear/tastes, but which should provide a pretty clinical representation of what was recorded? Problem is, how do I know when I've found it? I'm worried I'll end up with something I like and not something I need. Just interested in your thoughts really? Chris[/quote] Unfortunately it [i][b]will[/b][/i] come down to what you prefer, as even £18,500 pairs of speakers are not without fault. All speaker systems are a compromise. There are no true reference monitors, and no engineers with absolute golden ears. Cloth ears yes, absolute golden ears - no! This whole area can be immensely frustrating, as speakers are often subjected to all sorts of lab testing, can perform well on paper and yet there is just something not right when the brain gets it's cells on them. Measurements do not tell the whole story, but can also be immensely useful in context and with careful interpretation. It's partly down to the complex way our brains interpret sound - and we are all different and have different expectations of what constitutes the 'correct' sound - it's almost as subjective as defining 'a nice colour'. No speaker manufacturer designs a quality system without subjecting it to listening tests. If measurements were everything, they wouldn't need to. Comparison of a few models will help - each will tend to expose the flaws and strengths of the others, but you will have to choose which compromise suits you best. That is, at least in part, a subjective decision. If a system sounds right with a huge range of material - spoken male and female voice, orchestral, country, jazz, prog rock, punk, death metal etc, then that is probably a good starting point. The B&Ws I mentioned have just swallowed everything I've thrown at them so far - but DO NOT take my word for it. Do your own research and choose what's right for you. You finding them lousy will affect neither my opinion of them, nor my opinion of you. Charic has made some great points and suggestions by the way.

[quote name='Marvin' post='931736' date='Aug 21 2010, 10:52 AM']I must admit to have already watching these on your band/myspace site. Good stuff and good to see on BC.[/quote] Cheers Marvin - we don't take it too seriously and it keeps us off the streets! It's just good plain fun. For us anyway.

Heard some very interesting B&W speakers the other day. I went to a high end audio shop with a mate who was after getting some quality gear, and half seriously he asked to hear the top of the range B&W speakers as used for monitoring in Abbey Road. "No problem - I'll demo the bottom of the range as well, and you'll see just how good they are. Really." "Yeah, right..." we said. The 800 series beasts were stunningly impressive, and at £18,500 per pair ought to be. However, the diminutive bottom of the range B&W CM1 at £500 were also very, very good, and not at all phased by the monsters we had just heard. The clarity was a tad down, and deep bass extension was missing, but the overall sound was still revealing, open and didn't get in the way of the music. If there was something wrong - it was revealed. If the music gelled - it was revealed. The best smaller speakers I've heard in years. A pair went home with my friend. I've since been able to listen in depth round at my mates house, and my opinion of them has only grown. They would make superb monitors in my book. You won't get earsplitting levels from them, but monitoring like that is asking for trouble in any case. [url="http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=4621"]The 800 Diamond monsters[/url] [url="http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=1065&sc=hf"]The CM1[/url] Seriously, give them a listen if you can - the B&W website has a [url="http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=1426&cid=223"]dealer locator[/url] where you should be able to arrange to hear them. Edit: Added URL.

Hi there If buying an extension cab new - [url="http://www.bassmerchant.com/item_detail.php?product_id=449&category_id=2#"]this might be the place to go[/url] - very good price. No, I don't get any commission, but I will say they were very helpful when I chatted to them. I was actually thinking of getting this as an extension cab and then rewiring for parallel, before some very unexpected stray dosh meant I could completely rethink from scratch. The 2 by 10" cab looks to be quite sensitive, so should actually go louder than the combo speaker for a similar input of watts. At a later date, you could buy a dedicated amp, keep the 2 by 10", look at another cab to go with it and sell the combo. This gives an upgrade path should you want one. Don't worry about the 2 by 10" being rated at more than you technically require. As for the alternative of building a cab - that's a good one. With the right design, you'll end up with a great cab that outperforms lots of commercial ones and will probably make much more efficient use of the watts fed to it. [url="http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/"]Take a look here[/url] The 'Jack' range, Omni 12, Omni 15 or the 'Tallboy' versions of these are the ones to look at. There is no way of knowing how a built cab would integrate with the combo though, and you'd have to be careful with impedance matching when buying the speakers to go in it. It's tempting though. Snicks.

[quote name='51m0n' post='930077' date='Aug 19 2010, 05:33 PM']Not half! I reckon its the ultimate 'butter' sounding r&b/funk fingerstyle cab I've ever heard (well maybe the Berg NV215 was as good). Utterly gorgeous thick sound with all the articulation you could ever want. I love that cab, if I win the lottery I'm having one with a tweeter (+ attenuator) [/quote] A definite low register bloom there and it all sounds very even. The first gig where I'll be able to let the BigOne loose isn't until September 16.... can't wait. :ph34r: :brow:

I'm not one for P-type basses really, but that one has stopped me in my tracks. Everything about it is just absolutely right, and to be honest I think it sets a whole new standard. I really think it looks that good. OK, opinion of P basses duly amended.

[quote name='51m0n' post='929879' date='Aug 19 2010, 02:43 PM']OK here we go, after much mucking about he is the LH500 into the BigOne.[/quote] [quote name='51m0n' post='929889' date='Aug 19 2010, 02:50 PM']And he is the LH500 into the BigOne without any OD[/quote] Thanks 51m0n - appreciated.

[quote name='51m0n' post='929235' date='Aug 18 2010, 11:34 PM']The point of pairing up the LH500 with the BigOne and the Super12, rather than....... .........The BigOne, well thats the daddy, but it really does like to be fed a lot of juice, and my rig, well thats still my favourite, but its very close![/quote] I'd be really interested to know how well the LH500 powered the BigOne 51m0n, as I'm powering mine with a similarly rated amp, but I've not had the opportunity to really let it rip yet. How much further round the clock did you have to wind the gain on the amp to get the same apparent output as the Super 12 for example?

Just as a matter of interest - anyone got or tried a fretless Rick, 4001 or 4003? I still sort of hanker after a Rick, having tried a fretted one absolutely yonks ago at a guitar shop in Bradford. I just found the neck and sound perfect for me, but there was no way I could even remotely afford one then.

[quote name='Shonks' post='929263' date='Aug 19 2010, 12:11 AM']exactly!! 's what I tried to tell 'em [/quote] Could be cookies.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='928968' date='Aug 18 2010, 07:37 PM']I have to admit I found it really funny, but I also have to agree it was always going to be a one-joke thread. I think it was just a way to make us realise the forum can get a touch serious at times, and that it can take a bit of ribbing in the form of parody. Tony Goggle is brilliant. The Basschat Arms, too. I fully understand the Mods' actions, though. Just my opinion. [/quote] Don't think that's far off the mark there Pete. It certainly gave the idiots like me a sand-box to try out our.... er.... humour As do other little areas. We can be safely hemmed in and not alarm the residents living nearby too much.

The first sample sounds more even, with more of the fundamental note showing through. The second sample sounds a bit lumpy in the bass to me, and with less of the fundamental note. I'll stick my neck out - sample one is the Super Twelve combination.

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='925378' date='Aug 15 2010, 10:10 AM']Many years ago in the 1970s, a friend was in a band called 'Desperate Dan'. They received a cease and desist letter from the solicitors of D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.[/quote] My current band used to be called Desperate Din. Wonder if we would have got the letter?