bigjohn

I think I sold mine for £450 a couple of years back. Was in good nick though.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1184612' date='Apr 1 2011, 12:43 PM']I see what your saying then, [b]Im a ham fisted get probably from years of playing with too small a rig[/b].[/quote] I didn't say that! We play too loud really. We can be quite dynamic, but often we start off or play the[i] less loud[/i] parts too loud - which means we play the louder bits too loud - not that we get complaints, we just get described as loud! We've also got two guitarists, one of which uses a fair bit of bass of in their sound, which forces me to delve a little lower in frequencies than I might do otherwise. I like it, but I wouldn't bother if I didn't have too. I use a dual compressor / limiter to do that which again means I need a bit more power sometimes as I cut out some higher mids which would normally be present. I'm sure I could do a similar thing with an RH450 - but what I'm not sure about is if I'd be looking for a bit more power. 600W seems be about my sweet spot. The thought of 750 gives me the horn a bit. But then I wonder if it's a grass and greener thing.

Just came across this thread! Seems like a pain in the arse has had a happy ending. Your amp sounds sweet. I'd have never of guessed it started life so messed up And you do need a bit of umpf to play with Nick Chambo is a great guy - his mate John Wood is also a fine chap who repairs solid state amps as well as making bespoke valve HiFi. We're so lucky to have top men like them around here.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1184219' date='Apr 1 2011, 08:02 AM']What sort of venues have you played where that's both plausible and what was required to have the power amp flat out? That's not a dig I'm serious and curious, The biggest venues I have played at would either be through the PA aswell as my rig where most of the time the sound guy has had to tell me to turn down my rig as it's too loud from centre stage for the audiences point of view balance wise or when used outside at festivals where it would either be dIed again or even as a backline at a smaller affair where amps always sound good and have even more perceived volume than inside. My ABM before the Genz and the Genz have never been over about half on the master outputs ever so I just can't think of a venue other than maybe a 10'000 + seater where you could run a big amp flat out even then you would have extra monitoring anyway? Ta[/quote] I wouldn't dream of running my rig flat out and EQ'd to sound LOUD. A decent amount of some EQ settings though, especially if I'm turning the gain down on my preamp to get a cleaner tone, and the tone knob turned down on my bass, and I quite like the full 600W sometimes. Even in a relatively small venue. It's not like I'd be whacking at the strings with a pick either And I use flats. And passive basses. I've played to 150 people or so with a 100W amp a few times - I know it's possible - but more headroom means I can EQ to sound like how I want to sound like rather than EQ to cut through.

[quote name='4 candles' post='1183992' date='Mar 31 2011, 09:56 PM']sold mine. very low output[/quote] This is what worried me about them. Not that I've tried one. But I like plenty of volume. I'm comfortable with 600W of reliable mosfet with a nice chunky transformer. I don't really mind it weighing 15kg. I've pretty much bust or had repaired every poweramp I've ever had apart from valve stuff and my current C-Audio. Always after turning them up to 11. My Marshall JCM800 was too quiet.

I don't mind the odd ding... But bucklerash? No thanks

Not really my usual cuppa but I like it. Bassline is from "A Spectacle" by Can - Inner Space (1979)

[quote name='Davebassics' post='1179717' date='Mar 28 2011, 04:35 PM']Another point I've came across is that putting a attentuator in series will means (give or take) 50% of the power will make it to the cab and 50% will be dissipated as heat from the dummy load. [b]Basically the moral of the story is get 8 ohm cabs![/b][/quote] I reckon you'd be quite hard pushed in a blind test to to tell the difference between 2x8 Ohm cabs / 4 Ohm @ 500W and 2x4 Ohm / 8 Ohm @ 300W.

[quote name='Salt on your Bass?' post='1179642' date='Mar 28 2011, 02:44 PM']I didnt think this would make much of a difference, or does it? I'm probably well out of my depth here, but if its based on running say a 500W amp at 4ohms into a single cab, you (roughly) half the power by running at 8ohms (300W). You'd lose around 3db than you'd have running a single cab at 4ohms (assuming your cab is up to it of course). If then you add a second cab, each would recieve half the power of the 8 ohm power output (300w), so 150W per cab. .....this is where I'm skethchy now... ....running two cabs moves more air, and reinforces some of the lows, and adds a speaker more at ear level, but I thought it only amounted to around 3db anyway...??? So the net gain isn't worth running 2 cabs in this senario, as you're better off running a single speaker at full power (again, assuming the cab is up to it....) Is this right, or am I full of .....(Insert your preferred word here). [/quote] The maths is right. But you're assuming that the one cab scenario is actually drawing 500W, and that the 500W is being used as efficiently as 2x150W. And that's before we even get to the surface area, sound re-enforcement stuff.

You can get attenuators. You use em for overdriving your valves whilst keeping the volume down... [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ATTENUATOR-TRAYNOR-ORANGE-VOX-AMPEG-MESA-GUITAR-AMP-/200559935676?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb24dc0bc#ht_2598wt_905"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ATTENUATOR-TRAYNOR-O...c#ht_2598wt_905[/url] I don't really get why you'd want to do it for any other reason though. You'd just be bleeding power. In your example a 4Ohm minimum amp could run 2x4Ohm cabs if they were in series (=8Ohm). So what would be the point?

I use a Mosfet power amp, a 2x12 and an ampeg (SVT IIP) preamp. I can get it to sound pretty SVT like. Esp. with a compressor. Heaviest thing I get to carry is the (2x600W) power amp which is about 14kg. So there are ways around it. The TC's are good for this too according to them who have them on here.

Hmm... Not carrying a spare set of strings can be disastrous... but I've always been able to improvise with anything else... I sometimes take a swiss army knife, but often forget it.

Looks like good times!

Ok - I might have solved the paint... Handle end of a table knife got most of the spatters... fine wire wool takes care of the rest. Wire wool has also cleaned the bridge up nicely... definitely getting somewhere...

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1170858' date='Mar 21 2011, 04:35 PM']OK, a quick heads up. You have a neck pickup (which makes a bassy sort of noise) and a bridge pickup (which makes a trebly sort of noise). It follows that the BASS ON/OFF switch will switch the neck pickup on/off, on for more bass, off for less bass. Close, but no cigar. Another way to make the sound more bassy, y'see, would be to switch the treble pickup off. So switching to BASS ON actually turns the bridge pickup off. Another way to make the sound more trebly, of course, would be to switch the bass pickup off. So switching to TREBLE ON actually turns the neck pickup off. You can see where this going, can't you? You're way ahead of me. It follows, with dreadfully Germanic logic, that switching both BASS ON and TREBLE ON actually results in ... erm ... switching off everything. Don't get me started on the SOLO switch.[/quote] Ha ha. Excellent. Ok - well the strings are off at the moment as I'm cleaning the fretboard up... I reckon then, that the TREBLE ON switch is actually jammed ON... But then I wasn't thinking quite so laterally when I was testing her out before... So what about this SOLO switch... it seemed to sound a little phased when on...

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1170818' date='Mar 21 2011, 04:16 PM']Can you pick the paint off with your thumb nail?[/quote] Nah. I've tried that. Might give it a go with a magnifying glass and a table knife... the some of the spatterings might succumb to that... Not sure about the ones one the scratchplate. And where the paint is brushed on...

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1170792' date='Mar 21 2011, 03:51 PM']WD40 is worst thing you can use on electrical components. Use something like Servisol instead.[/quote] I'll give it a go... Not sure the servisol will cut through the rust though...

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1170643' date='Mar 21 2011, 01:39 PM']I'm no luthier, so I'll refrain from offering useless advice, BUT before you start messing with the electrics, make sure you really really understand how it's wired up and what it ... erm ... seems to do. The old Hofner control plate is one of the weirdest pieces of work you'll ever see. Ideally, start by finding someone with a fully-functional Hofner using the same controls, and spend some time working it all out.[/quote] Ok - relatively good news... The jack socket was a bit loose - I seem to have fixed that by removing and putting the nut back on. I'd imagine that won't last Volume 1 works perfectly. Treble switch makes no difference. Bass switch cuts sound completely when on. Off it's fine. Rhythm/Solo switch seems to work well. Volume 2 is seized up. 2 out of 5 ain't bad. Got a great sound! Any ideas how best to get the paint off? Anyone got any ideas other than WD40 to unseize Volume 1?

So far I've taken the strings off and cleaned it up with a damp cloth. Not sure so far if the bass actually works! I thought all my amps we're out of the house, but I've just remembered about another two I have stashed... which will at least tell me if it works, even if it doesn't reveal fully what it sounds like. There's a few minor problems I've discovered so far that need attention : 1) There's paint on it. Someone has decorated and not covered her up. So there's flecks of paint AND worse, there's parts where the body looks like it's been accidentally brushed with a wet paintbrush. 2) The tuning head posts, although fully working are a little bent / wonky and one in particular (the A) is worse than the others. The bushings have popped out a little. The strings have probably never been changed and they've been left under tension for the last 40 years. 3) The "Vol 2" knob is seized up. Could be a lot, lot worse. The neck looks straight, there's no massive dings and no missing parts apart from the bridge cover... Anyone got any ideas how best to fix her up?

Ta for info... Not really that bothered how much it's worth as I'd never sell it (he says in his best Antique Roadshow). Actually, more like I'd never sell it as technically it's not mine and 'Er Indoors would wear my b'llocks as earrings if I sold it on. I'll start cleaning it up tomorrow... stick some pics in the repairs forum. I need to find some short scale strings.

Very similar to this [url="http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/hofner/basses/bas20.html"]Hofner[/url] Except with slightly different pickups. If the serials are sequential, it's older than this one. It's a bit covered in crud, but seems solid enough... I've not plugged her in yet, needs a good clean up and a restring... Is my girlfriends fathers. I never knew he had it 'till this weekend... I've now got it my possession Anyone know anything about em?

Nice. Have done this as cover... on hearing that didn't really get close to the right notes

Whole album for free : [url="http://www.4shared.com/playlist/k4eq9eKo/The_Curtis_Whitefinger_Ordeal_.html"]Inner Days Download[/url] I like some of it... I think I could have produced certain parts of it a little better but was not allowed

[quote name='danhkr' post='1157918' date='Mar 11 2011, 12:15 PM']Fair points, perhaps my analogy was a bit harsh, but I have to disagree that they're indistinguishable from a US bass. Although lovely to play and spotlessly finished, there was a clear difference in feel and quality when compared to both usa standards I've owned. Also whilst one of the pickups (the noisless jazz) is USA made, I'm not sure the p-bass pickup is and the machine heads certainly aren't. Like I said, I really like them, they're a brilliant 'all-round' bass, and the pan control between the two pickups is really effective, I just feel that unless the actives are a must, brand new they're top-dollar and second-hand USA stuff and maybe even the MIM classic series probably represent better value for money.[/quote] The P bass pickup is a US standard, the machine heads are exactly the same machines as Highway Ones (same part number). Perfectly good machine heads (although I have replaced mine with 20:1 Hipshots) I didn't say that they're indistinguishable, I said mine is! But then mine is an also FSR matt black passive, and is lovely.