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Obrienp

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Everything posted by Obrienp

  1. Obrienp
    I’ve been thinking of giving that a try. Presumably you need to use the bottom 4 strings out of a 5 string set, or get hold of a single B. The reason I haven’t tried yet, is that it will require opening up the nut slots to accommodate the chunkier strings. It would then need a nut replacement to reverses the experiment.
  2. Obrienp
    They have a lot going for them in terms of ergonomics: light and very well contoured. Another benefit is the string clamping mechanism, which allows you to use standard length strings and cut off the excess. This gives you much more choice and keeps the price down compared to short/medium scale strings. I had a 4 string EHB that had quite a wide neck but it was shallow and the profile was graduated, if I remember correctly. This meant it was still easy to play. The only problem I had, was often landing two frets out when playing without looking at the neck. I think it was something to do with not having a headstock in my peripheral vision. This might not be as much of an issue with the multi-scale EHB 5. The benefit of buying used is you might get one that has had the pickups upgraded to Nordies, or Aguilar. The original Barts weren’t everybody’s cup of tea. However, if you like traditional, they very much fall in that bracket. I note the new model EHB shorties have Nordies OEM.
  3. Obrienp
    I missed that. Just looked at their website and couldn’t see anything about it but I’m sure you are right. They had quite a lot of challenges with their Far Eastern manufacturing. It’s a shame as far as price is concerned but perhaps a bonus in terms of build quality.
  4. Obrienp
    People have already mentioned the Ibanez EHB models. They now do a standard 30” and a nicer looking version of the multi-scale but those are both well over the £1k mark now. Bass Direct have a MTD 5 string 32” scale at just under £1K. It looks like an upmarket version of the discounted Ibanez SRMD Mezzo medium scale but with better appointments and build (you would hope). Nordstrand have been threatening a 5 string version of their short scale Acinonyx for some time. That would probably squeeze in at around the £1K mark and might just be the fiver for those, like me, who can’t manage the usual neck width. It was meant to imminent but no doubt Trump’s clowning has caused a delay. Neck width was what caused me to part with the Talman 5. Mine had a neck like a cricket bat, as well as a body made of lead. I understand they vary quite a bit in this respect. A reasonable bass otherwise but you will end up spending so much on upgrades, you may as well look for a used EHB.
  5. Obrienp
    I’m out. Gave into the temptation of a second LFSys Monza, having considered many alternatives, including sticking with just the one. I have a significant birthday this year, so I decided on an early birthday present and I needed just a few more DB for the blues/rock band I play in. Life’s short, etc…. No excuse.
  6. Obrienp
    Ah! Sorry, didn’t notice that this was in the EUB and Double bass section, in which case my comments above are irrelevant. Have to say, I didn’t know they did nylon tapes for upright. They must cost a fortune!
  7. Obrienp
    I put LaBella black nylon strings on a large bodied fretless acoustic (Guild) and they suited it extremely well. It was short scale and they had the right amount of tension to prevent it from being too slappy but still give a bit of that upright sound. That’s where they excel IMO: fretless and acoustic basses. However, that’s based on one set of LaBellas, I haven’t tried any other makes and I haven’t tried them on a fretted bass.
  8. Obrienp
    My first and worst amp was a FAL solid state 50 watt thing in the early 70s which I played through a homemade cabinet with a Fane 18” driver. I think the cab was probably OK but the FAL …. euch!
  9. Obrienp
    I used to view folk club sing-arounds as creeping death. It really winds up your stage fright waiting for your turn to come around. I much prefer a jam.
  10. Obrienp
    How many publicans would be happy with you asking for free beer all night in return for the great publicity? Not to say I am not very sympathetic to their issues. It’s a real struggle to break even for many and paying a band means that it has got to lead to greater takings. Playing for free is fine for charities but in no other circumstances IMO. It undermines those who make a living from music and depresses the value of music in general.
  11. Obrienp
    Thank you for the explanation. I think that definitely puts the nail in the coffin of my idea to upgrade the drivers. it’s not that the Two10 isn’t loud enough, it’s that it starts to break up earlier than I would like. This happens particularly in the blues/rock band but also in another covers band that I dep for occasionally. What I would like is a clean, deep tone at medium volume, which happens to be around 12 o’clock Gain and Master on my two class D heads (500 watts at 4ohms), normally with no bass boost (the Two10 provides the vintage voicing out of the box). I’m coming round to the view that I would be better getting another LFSys Monza: the two would give me ample headroom and I can get to my preferred tone through EQ and amp voicing. I just wish I could turn the horn down a touch on the highs but I can get the same effect with a LPF. A plus is that adding the second Monza would give me a 3 db boost, over the single. It would also raise the output nearer my ears, making it even more audible. I’ve been told this several times by various people but I was trying to explore cheaper options.
  12. Obrienp
    Thank you for the offer. Generally I would be up for a self build but I have a DIY duty list as long as my arm at the moment. It might be something to consider for the winter, if I haven’t sorted my cab requirements by then. At the moment I don’t want to jeopardise domestic bliss by “getting distracted” 😏.
  13. Obrienp
    Interesting suggestion which I will investigate. Weight might be an issue for me as I am getting on but worth looking into. 👍
  14. Obrienp
    I think you are right but funds are an issue, plus I might need to buy another amp to cope with the combined impedance of 2 x Two10S. Both at 4ohms = 2, which my current amps can’t do; both at 12 = 8 ohms (according to BF) which reduces the output of my amp to 250 watts, so either way I might need a new amp. My other options is to get a second LFSys Monza, which would give me a 4 ohm rig capable of handling 1,200 watts AES. This would be a cheaper option and I could keep my current amp. I would need to play a lot with EQ to get the same tone out of the FRFR cabs. Also I’m not sure that two stacked cabs is quite the same as two drivers in one enclosure with a hybrid resonator and a LPF on one driver. It would be a cheaper option though. Obviously not as cheap as my plan to replace the drivers in the Two10 but that appears to be a non starter.
  15. Obrienp
    @bremen it’s covers 50s-90s, plus originals in one band but that’s not the problem; the other is blues and classic rock, which can get quite loud. TBH I’m surprised, even with the latter, that the Two10 gets out of its depth. I have two class D heads capable of 500 watts at 4 ohms but I rarely have either at above 12 o’clock on gain and master. I do like quite a lot of low end in my sound and occasionally some overdrive but nothing more than that. The Two10 has a tendency to go over to speaker overdrive when I don’t want it. I just think I need a bit more headroom. An old rule of thumb was that the cab should have an RMS rating twice that of the max output of the amp. Perhaps it still applies.
  16. Obrienp
    @itu I think that is what I wanted to know really. The size of the driver is not that important and they are not interchangeable. The issue was not so much not being able to hear myself (although that can be an issue), it was more that my Two10 loses its composure when I push the power near its maximum. I think it is better than most cabs on the market TBH but everything has its limits. It sounds like I am going to have to stick with plan A, which is either to double the cabs, or go for a 2x12, or 4x10. It’s going to be expensive!
  17. Obrienp
    I think you are right. It could be a £300 mistake. I forgot the Two10 has the hybrid resonator in it as well. I suspect that is very much tailored for the 10CR drivers. This article sheds some light: https://www.bassgearmag.com/cab-lab-barefaced-audio-two10/. The bit about reducing the drivers’ excursion in particular set off alarm bells for me.
  18. Obrienp
    Thank you for the offer. As I understand it, the drivers are custom made by Eminence to Barefaced’s own design/specifications. BF refer to them as 10CR but that may be their internal designation. I couldn’t find them when I looked on the Eminence website a little while ago.
  19. Obrienp
    Sorry to return to this subject and somewhat extend it. After some consideration, I may reconsidered my decision to stick to pre-made cabinets, largely for economy reasons. This is probably an idiot boy question 🙋‍♂️. The question for you knowledgable folks likes @itu and @nekomatic : I have a Barefaced Two10 that I like tonally but does seem to struggle a little at volumes approaching the maximum rating of 500 watts. I am assuming that the maximum rating of the OEM speakers is 250 watts each. There are 10” drivers on the market rated much higher than that: e.g. FaitalPro 10FH520 (600 watts). If I were to replace the OEM speakers with these higher rated drivers, would I end up with a cabinet of similar tone but much higher power handling, or would I just completely mess it up? To put the question differently, how much is the cabinet design (capacity, porting, etc) designed for a specific driver, or are drivers of similar size interchangeable? How could I check if this idea is viable, or is it a complete non-starter? BTW, replacing the drivers would be a much cheaper option than buying a second, or different cabinet (e.g. a 4 x 10) and reversible.
  20. Obrienp
    I am feeling proud of myself for having resisted the temptation of a number of Barefaced cabs that have been listed on BC. I have developed a procrastination coping mechanism: I sleep on it and by the next day some other BCer has jumped in and removed the temptation. I don’t think it would work if a LFSys cab came up again. One of the bands I am in used Plug Studios in Norwich for a rehearsal yesterday. There was an anonymous 4 x10 (alternative speaker cloth on it) powered by a Peavey Max 800 in our rehearsal room and it sounded brilliant. It has really given me GAS for a 4 x 10 but one I can lift easily, which kind of restricts the choice in the affordable range. A BF Four10 is out of my league, ditto a GR Bass but the newish Markbass MB58R 4 x10s look tempting. Fortunately, there are very few reviews on them out there, so that is controlling the GAS at the moment.
  21. Obrienp
    @Dan Dare it fits nicely in the pocket of a gig bag, so handy as a spare amp for gigs, or just for the extra portability. I agree, if you use the gig bag it comes with, why not go for a bit more and use something like an MB LM III, GK 500, etc and get a lot more headroom. I do think the ELF sounds better out of the box than a Warwick Gnome, or TCE BAM 200 but play with the EQ of those two and you get pretty close for less money.
  22. Obrienp
    Hmm, I’ll have to think about it. Trailing leads bother me though. Perhaps I can persuade a bandmate to get it 😀.
  23. Obrienp
    OK, would any of the following be a fail? a) Cover for my guitar amp, as I have to take it out of the house these days; b) Stage box/snake as the band has grown in size and requires more DIs and mics. Also I made a rookie mistake when buying my current stage box and didn’t think about returns. We now need at least 4 returns. None of the above are bass gear…….
  24. Obrienp
    I think it is the same bridge as used standard on Maruszczyk basses. I hated it immediately on my Elwood, partly because I wanted to experiment with strings and action. I found it really difficult to move the bridge saddles accurately with the strings in place to get the intonation right. I then spent ages trying to find a direct replacement with the four hole retaining screws (why don’t they go for standard Fender style 5 hole!?). I eventually found a Gotoh bridge with reasonable mass, plus screw and spring intonation adjustment. It also has quick load for the ball ends, which is an added bonus. It wasn’t cheap though for what it is: it’s not really in the Babicz league but nearly the same money. I bought the Elwood used. If I ever spec a Maruszczyk on the configurator (unlikely), I would definitely go for a non-standard bridge. However, if you are lucky enough to get the intonation and saddle height absolutely right, then the standard model is probably more stable in the long run than the conventional screw and spring intonation adjustment.
  25. Obrienp
    A friend got hold of a Lionel used last year. He loves it but he changed the pickup set within a few weeks. He said it just didn’t sound like a P. He hasn’t complained about the bridge but he had it set up by our local luthier when the pick up was changed, so perhaps he hasn’t wrestled with it yet.
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