alexclaber

[quote name='deksawyer' post='470217' date='Apr 22 2009, 11:48 PM']Seriously, I'd love one. I'll PM you my address.[/quote] Cool! (NB: Not to be used on non-Barefaced cabs, unless you want to put it on a Meyer Sound one or something like that. Placement on Behringer or Bose is punishable by death!) [quote name='deksawyer' post='470217' date='Apr 22 2009, 11:48 PM']Things are looking good. Do you need any help with the website?[/quote] Had a few basschatters offer to help (some of whom I now realise I haven't yet responded to - sorry!) but as it stands I'm not even sure what I want the website to cover or look like. I think I'll let it evolve over the next year or so and then replace it with something smarter, at which point I shall come back to all you web gurus! Alex

If you've come here via the forum instead of via [url="http://www.barefacedbass.com"]http://www.barefacedbass.com[/url] you might be wondering what a Barefaced cab is. The two current models in usage are the Compact (on left) and the Big One: The Compact is a 26lb 2x12"/3x10" competitor whilst the Big One is a 41lb 6x10"/4x12"/2x15" killer. Prices are £450 and £675 respectively, plus P&P. And the Vintage is an 8x10" beater costing £700 yet weighing only 46lbs. Whilst the Midget is the loudest 1x12" ever - a replacement for a 2x10"/1x15" which weighs a mere 20lbs. Next a mini version of the Big One - the Big Baby - and two Midgets in one box as a 4x10" replacement. And then some PA cabs... Alex

[quote name='51m0n' post='470886' date='Apr 23 2009, 04:10 PM']If I'm not careful I might work out what some of those arcane squiggles actually mean (I hope) [/quote] I looked at some of those arcane squiggles a couple of days ago and they made sense! I wish tab had never been invented by those damned medieval lute players, it's such a difficult crutch to escape, especially since so many transcriptions have tab lurking underneath. Alex P.S. If anyone needs some GAS they're welcome to borrow a cab or two...

Good move getting it secondhand. Decent rack tuners are nice to use but when you're moving your own gear the novelty of the flashing lights tends to wear off after a few years, in which case you can shift it to someone else without loss. You're racking a head that is tough enough to be used unracked so I'd get the smallest lightest case you can, it'll be more than enough protection. No serious DIY involved in cutting the holes above the fan - you can just drill lots of holes to let the air through. Bear in mind that most rack cases have about 1/2" of free space above and below the official rack area which may be enough space to allow the airflow you need without a free space or holes in the top. Alex

Don't forget that however many watts you have you're dependant on the speakers to turn them into sound. On the whole more/better speakers will make more sound from fewer watts. 300W should do you nicely as long as you have the speakerage to make good use of it. 100W into a good 15" will cope in many bands - but 300W into a good 10" will really struggle. Whilst 300W into even a low budget 4x10" will often be enough if you're sensible. Alex

Very impressive but definitely lacking vibe for my liking. Similar to my view of Return to Forever. Not that far removed from Tribal Tech but without some of the balls. Not a patch on the Mahavishnu or Headhunters at their best. And I don't think it's to do with the playing, then can all obviously play, but compositionally it seems rather lacking. I do wonder if the peril of going to Berklee is you end up playing for so many muso audiences that you start to lose touch with what actually moves people? Alex

Bargain! Alex

In that case with the EQ flat and equal power into either I'd expect the Vintage to be louder through the mids and brighter on top. If the Matamp is sealed I'd expect the Vintage to have quite similar bottom (slightly bigger in standard tuning, slightly leaner with first lowered tuning) but it'll be about 2dB louder across the board. If the Matamp is ported it'll match the Vintage for sensitivity in the lows but will still be about 2dB quieter through the mids and highs so it'll sound a bit fatter. Alex

I'd get a 2U, cut a hole above the the fan on the GK, and use any tuner other than an oversized overweight overpriced rack tuner. Alex

Many of the 'best' bass sounds are nasty - so shouldn't we use nasty gear to get them? e.g. Step forward Dusty Hill with the trademark 'farting in a trash can' tone. Nice. Alex

Ah, they look like they were made for each other! Look forward to the results from some full power testing... Alex

I think you're exactly right ped! Like hardly anyone bought the V-bass because it is just too complicated but those who embraced its potential love it. I'm a complete neanderthal when it comes to using my gear - I love just having a volume knob on my power amp and that's it (bar the few passive controls on my bass). But if you're willing to tune it in and have monitoring that can do it justice I think there's a lot to be said for the better modelling gear. Alex

[quote name='sk8' post='469512' date='Apr 22 2009, 12:42 PM']when i put it through the effects return the level was below 9 o'clock so i am confident it has alot more to give should it be needed. but you point is taken [/quote] That certainly bodes well! When I first got my Acmes and a Mackie M1400 to power them I hoped to drive them with my TE Dual Compressor but it was so quiet - that did result in a fun trip into the old Bass Centre to try out every preamp they had with my full rig - I came out with an SWR GP that I used for the next nine years. Not sure where it is now, think it did the rounds here and then headed elsewhere. Alex

[quote name='umph' post='469596' date='Apr 22 2009, 01:49 PM']me to since the matamp isn't anything fancy design wise its essentially two high powered speakers in a well made box. i'd love to see what kind of frequency response it gives though[/quote] Do you know what speakers Matamp use in their 2x15"? Alex

[quote name='sk8' post='469375' date='Apr 22 2009, 10:38 AM']the VT has enough juice. I've used it in the effects return of my shuttle so the vt was the pre and i was just using the suttles poweramp. It could give me a really cheap rig [/quote] Not necessarily - the level needed to take a power amp to full volume varies substantially and for pro power amps it's usually quite a bit higher than the level an effects return expects. Also the input impedance on power amps tends to be lower than that of effects returns. There's hardly any pedals out there that can push my QSC to full power but the Thomann amp is probably easier to drive. Alex

[quote name='steve-soar' post='469179' date='Apr 21 2009, 11:57 PM']Jamie Lidell, an absolute talent, check out his Supercollider stuff. Lady GaGa, is what Madonna would always have wanted to be like...[/quote] Both very impressive, his production is fantastic and she can really boogie on them keys! Alex

Fantastic! My favourite basses bar my own and that is exactly the sort I'd want. I have the same wood combo (bar the maple top) on my RIM Custom 5: I believe the Buzz Feiten system just spaces the nut and frets slightly differently to compensate for the greater change in static tension when you fret in the lower positions, hence everything's still perpendicular. Cunning. Alex

I can sing and play most stuff nowadays. I find the hardest songs are reggae tunes where the bassline is syncopated counter-melody with lots of space. I also find it much easier to sing and play if it's something I've written myself - just more natural I guess. Alex

[quote name='deksawyer' post='467824' date='Apr 20 2009, 08:33 PM']Damn, those badges look good!! :brow:[/quote] Good work that man! Would you like one? Alex

[quote name='bassman2790' post='469243' date='Apr 22 2009, 07:40 AM']I'll give it a blast at the next sound check. I always tend to have both pick-ups on full as it's a more sonically pleasing sound to my ears. I like using the front pick-up only if I'm using a pick. I've never experimented with rolling the tone off. I always thought the control was put there to look nice . I've noticed a few players that I've seen recently rolling it off a little for some songs.[/quote] Aha! I'm quite new to passive basses and have been discovering the joy of the tone knob. Regarding the pickups, on most dual pickup basses the soloed front pickup is closest to the natural sound of the instrument, that sound you'd get if you could mic it up acoustically. The back pickup gives you a whole load more growl and punch courtesy of increased upper midrange content. However when you use both pickups at once you don't get a halfway house between the front and back pickup sound, you get a totally different sound with a scooped out midrange. This is because the two pickups are most out of phase in the midrange so their output cancels there. So I generally use the front pickup as my default sound, the back pickup as my more aggressive sound and both pickups together as my more subdued mellow sound (although it has a touch more growl and treble than the soloed neck pickup it's rather a sweet growl and the midrange is much more subdued without all that grunt and barck of the soloed neck pickup). Where I used to use overdrive I now just switch to the bridge pickup and dig in. The further spaced your pickups are, the deeper and wider the midrange scoop will be with both on. Alex

[quote name='51m0n' post='468510' date='Apr 21 2009, 02:07 PM']I know Alex will understand where I'm coming from![/quote] Yep, you're right on the money! Alex

I'm sure if you play a correctly set-up POD through something like this: [url="http://www.meyersound.com/products/concertseries/mts-4a/"]http://www.meyersound.com/products/concertseries/mts-4a/[/url] it'll sound almost indistinguishable from what it's modelling. However I don't think it'll FEEL the same to the player - the way it responds will not be the same. But to amplify a POD to high SPL generally requires a much more expensive rig than one which provides its own colouration. If you always have a great PA and great monitors I can certainly see the appeal! Alex

[quote name='umph' post='468912' date='Apr 21 2009, 06:42 PM']any chance i'd be able to a/b one of these against my matamp?[/quote] The first one will be going to the far North-East so if you're up around there at any point there may be an opportunity! I'd be very curious to find how they differ. Alex

[quote name='Hamster' post='468721' date='Apr 21 2009, 04:25 PM']Why is it that Alex looks like he's wearing grip top stockings in his avatar - or is it me? :wacko:[/quote] You should see my stilettos! Alex

[quote name='AM1' post='468695' date='Apr 21 2009, 04:09 PM']Let's face it, if any of them had absolutely nailed it, Ampeg would be out of business.[/quote] If that was really the case Ampeg would have gone out of business too - I've lost count of how many threads I've read about how different (and how much better) the early SVTs sound compared to the current all-valve ones. And that's forgetting the solidstate and hybrid models. [quote name='skankdelvar' post='468696' date='Apr 21 2009, 04:10 PM']1. Your opinion is no more or less 'weighty' than anyone else's, however you deep may perceive your understanding to be. However I value your views on cabs and agree re variations between Ampeg Models. 2. An opinion is an opinion and cannot be proved 'inaccurate'. 3. Still a cheap shot. That's my opinion, which while not fixed, is less likely to change.[/quote] 1. My opinion on how to play jazz is far less weighty than Bilbo's. My opinion on how to play punk is less weighty than that of waynepunkdude's. My opinion on how to play funk is more weighty than either's but less weighty than some others. 2. At what point does an opinion become a statement of fact? And thus become true or false? 3. For a better cheap shot, check out AM1's other thread on ampage. Amazing what a guru she's become in a month. Alex