alexclaber

If you have a look inside to find out the exact component values then this simulator will show you what different tone controls settings will do to the response: [url="http://www.duncanamps.com/tsc/index.html"]http://www.duncanamps.com/tsc/index.html[/url] Alex

Don't forget y'all that flat is 2,10,2 on the EQ, not 5,5,5. If you have the treble pot much above 0 then you're likely to be boosting the highs which will accentuate any noise. Effectively bass is boost only, mid is cut only and treble is boost only. Alex

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='380072' date='Jan 14 2009, 10:48 AM']Well obviously you need to have a stiff neck and a solid body... I was taking that as a given.[/quote] Not so much a solid body as a body that resonates easily and doesn't have much self-damping. But the variations in how different bodies resonate and how rigid different necks are makes a really big difference to the sound of the instrument. One reason certain P-basses sound so good is they have a really strong stiff maple neck yet a light resonant body. Reduce the neck stiffness by reducing its cross-sectional-area or using a quicker grown piece of maple and increase the self-damping of the body by using a more resinous wood with a tighter growth pattern and the tone will change significantly. One of the reasons people are willing to pay so much for a Sadowsky is that they have a really good understanding of which pieces of wood to use and where to use them and which should be kept for the furnace! Along those lines the most over-rated basses have to be early Fenders because it's a matter of luck whether you get a gem or a lemon! Alex

It really depends on how much the importers have been hedging their exposure - the impression I've had so far is that a lot of people haven't covered themselves due to years of sterling being overvalued and thus forwards seeming unnecessary (though it's gone too far the other way now) and they're really being hit hard on their margins. I'd expect to see a series of gradual increases on all prices of imported goods because if you correct your prices by 25% in one go you're likely to see your customers go elsewhere. On the flip side the cost of raw materials is going back down again so we should see some correction from that. Alex

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='379659' date='Jan 13 2009, 08:53 PM']Its all sound. Theres more to a bass than sound, if it plays and looks awesome but its acoustics are crap, a pickup that ignores that, and just sounds good whetever its stuck in is going to be a good sounding pickup, and make a good sounding bass. Same pickup might totally waste your custom built to a thesis sized spec bass.[/quote] There is no such thing as a pickup that can ignore the sound of the bass itself. The vibrations of the string that are picked up are entirely dependant on the resonant systems of the string, hardware, neck and body. I've discussed this at length in other posts and if you dismiss it thus: [quote name='EBS_freak' post='379906' date='Jan 14 2009, 01:37 AM']Indeed. I think all the "tone wood" theories are not as applicable on electric instuments where the majority of the tone is generated by string interacting with the pickup. Acoustic instruments on the other hand...[/quote] then you aren't thinking hard enough. Yes, people get too bothered about the minutiae of tone but when you come across one of those basses where the neck just isn't stiff enough or the body is so dead that it only absorbs vibration and fails to return energy back to the string then whatever fancy pickup or electronics you put it you will not be able to get good tone. Alex

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='379278' date='Jan 13 2009, 04:35 PM']A synth which theoretically could produce extended and even response doesn't mean that the sound that is produced is tonally pleasing does it...?[/quote] The pickup does not synthesise the sound, it picks up the sound of the instrument. If the instrument sounds good (with the given player) and the pickup is transparent then you'll get a good tone. A synthesiser on the other hand creates the sound - you can't really use that kind of processor/mic/speaker response terminology to describe it, you instead need to look at the overtone balance and the envelope. Alex

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='379214' date='Jan 13 2009, 03:48 PM']I wouldn't go that far... whilst the theory in which they work is very similar, how you implement the design has a massive influence on how they sound. The neo magnetic thing is a huge marketing hype also... like most things.[/quote] The magnet material doesn't make much difference - there seems to be a tendancy with neo magnets to have reduced eddy currents within the magnet itself and therefore lower distortion but it's not a big deal. The bigger deal is the use of air core coils around a horizontal axis which manages to achieve a very high resonant frequency and low inductance despite achieving high output. [quote name='EBS_freak' post='379214' date='Jan 13 2009, 03:48 PM']You mention high ouput, even response, extended treble and no hum... but does that actually mean you get a good tone? For me, I can't get past the ugliness of the Q-Tuners.[/quote] Well you can get normal looking ones if you don't like the transparent look. If your bass sounds good acoustically then the Q-Tuners will make the most of that. I honestly cannot get over how good they sound - big and fat and clear and dynamic - properly responsive to how you play. If even and extended response didn't mean good tone what would it say about your bass and your playing? Alex

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='377569' date='Jan 12 2009, 12:28 PM']The pickup game is full of BS. All these guys who reckon that brand x sounds wicked and has some sort of special mojo in it etc... I'm not going to even start on the science of pickups...[/quote] I think you're probably right about most pickups because they're all so similar in design. The Q-Tuners are very different, as are Wal pickups, and a few others, and to my ears achieve something that few of the others can - high ouput, even response, extended treble and no hum. [quote name='tauzero' post='379062' date='Jan 13 2009, 02:30 PM']There's no [b]need[/b] for six-string basses. They have a niche. Most bassists can live without reaching into that niche.[/quote] Indeed - even Anthony Jackson says that and he invented it! Use them if you find an advantage, don't if you don't. Alex

[quote name='simon1964' post='377521' date='Jan 12 2009, 11:49 AM']I tend to agree with this. I think metronomes and drum machines actually perform slightly different roles. A drum machine is great for practising feel, and locking in with a groove (a good real drummer is better mind!). A metronome is great for playing in a disciplined way, and for beginners especially, simply learning to count properly. You don't always learn that with a drum machine, which can sometimes hide some sloppiness (at least in my playing it can!)[/quote] I disagree. A metronome is much better for practising feel and locking in with a groove than any drum machine because it is down to you to bring that groove! It strikes me that too many bassists spend their time playing along with things when they should be focusing on being the source and foundation of the music and to be that you need to be it - make the music on your own and just let the click lay down the 1/4 notes or the backbeat. The benefit of using a drum machine is it can help you start getting to grips with certain feels and groove but at some point you need to take off the virtual stabilisers, strip the backing back to just a click, and bring all the feel and groove yourself. Alex

If you really want to understand what the EQ does then head over to talkbass, find the user 'fdeck's homepage and use his simple RTA software to see plots of what happens to the response as you turn the knobs. I've done this with my old amp and it was very enlightening! Alex

12 years ago - a secondhand 1990 Hohner Jack for £200. That would be £264 now which isn't a lot more but how much more bass would you get for that money now?! Alex

[quote name='Mentira' post='377641' date='Jan 12 2009, 01:28 PM']So - considering the Hartke LH500 with an 810. Is 500 watts enough to compete with a big marshall, and an even bigger Rivera guitar cab driving 412s in a metal band?[/quote] If there is a volume war you will always lose on bass and if you manage to miraculously win it'll be a hollow victory. 500W pushing a sensitive cab that can really handle all that power will be loud (bear in mind that requires sufficient cone excursion - hardly any cabs rated at 500W can actually cleanly handle 500W in the lows where you need it). Although you can certainly get big loud deep bottom from lightweight cabs you cannot get it from small cabs. I know what I'd want to use but I'll stay quiet on specifics. Alex

You're better off learning what the different knob positions sound like than what the frequencies are - just like when learning an instrument it's usually more useful to be able to hear a note and play it than read a note and play it. Boost the knob all the way and sweep it to suss out the sound. Do the reverse to suss out what losing that region does to your sound. Alex

Something that's always bugged me is how theory and technique is such a mislabelled backwater - "for those who like to push the boundaries"??? "For those who'd like to learn" would be a much better statement. A sub-forum that is really centred on developing your bass playing would be a great thing and maybe a 'beginner/learning' rebranding would be a good move for pushing more traffic towards "theory and technique". It may appear that I spend all my time talking about gear but I'm a big advocate of really getting deep into what bass playing is about and I spent much of my early time on the web and forums hunting for the hows and whys of being a bassist. Alex

[quote name='WarPig' post='377815' date='Jan 12 2009, 03:35 PM']Although after a quick ponder.....i suppose its more to do with how much air you push?[/quote] Indeed. The nominal impedance and the (thermal) power handling rating are two of the least significant specs yet two of the few that tend to be quoted - annoying isn't it?! The sensitivity, particularly in the lower regions, has much more impact on how loud a bass cab will be with a lower powered amp, whilst the excursion limited power handling determines how loud a bass cab will go with a heftier amp pushing it. Unfortunately with smaller and less pricey cabs you often suffer from a lack of low frequency sensitivity and a lack of excursion limited power handling. The Kappa driver in Andy's cab is in a different league to that you'll find in most commercial cabs, total bargain at the price! Alex

I've posted a couple of useful plots over in the build thread so you can see how the new crossover will change the sound. Regarding the LH500 not tending to overdrive (which is common to all the Fender/Alembic variants) have you considered trying a clean boost pedal in front of the amp? Alex

[url="http://www.metronomeonline.com/"]http://www.metronomeonline.com/[/url] Playing along with a drum machine can't quite do what playing with a metronome can - a metronome is a much purer form of time so it puts all the onus on you to make the music with it. Alex

[quote name='ped' post='376633' date='Jan 11 2009, 10:24 AM']With the volume of posts every day I think a lot of people use the 'view new posts' feature...[/quote] Never noticed that... Alex

Just so you can compare how it sounds now to how it will sound... Alex

SWR have a long history of making up laughable specs so nothing's changed there. Other than that I'm sure they're decent cabs, certainly no worse than their non-neo models. Alex

[quote name='AM1' post='374674' date='Jan 9 2009, 12:24 AM']Mentoring is exactly what I had in mind...[/quote] I'm glad you said that, I was getting a horrible vision of the blind leading the blind... What could be quite useful in the sense of a beginner forum is that we're not all equally well rounded bass players and some who are very experienced at playing bass may be relative beginners at certain facets of bass playing and could thus benefit from an environment where that facet can be addressed from the most basic level. For instance I'm incredibly slow at reading music and not much cop at jazz thangs like walking and soloing but on the flipside in the musical scenarios I normally create I'm the baddest of badasses. It doesn't feel that long ago that I was starting out (ok, twelve years isn't exactly last week) but I can still remember so many things that seemed so hard which I can do in my sleep now. Alex

Proper musician's earplugs. The best £150 you can ever spend on tone. Alex

[quote name='LWTAIT' post='374220' date='Jan 8 2009, 04:56 PM']when i ask questions, i like it when people go off talking about other things, i then look the other things up or ask about them, and not only do i learn what i asked about, but i learn about other things too. i always find any questions get asked, and i think discouraging a "discursive" nature in the general discussion section will ruin the community spirit we have in basschat.[/quote] Exactly! Alex

[quote name='Jase' post='373358' date='Jan 7 2009, 06:47 PM']All this super low frequency.....it's for whales and things, why any bass player would want to bury themselves further into the lower register is beyond me.[/quote] Since when did the fundamentals of the additional low B string notes become 'super low'? And more importantly the 2nd harmonics of these notes land in a very useful sonic spot. In the months I've been playing a five I've noticed that the extra lower range allows you to step back and drive a groove in an almost subliminal way. But if you don't want that extra range then I've no problem with that, I only decided to go to a five when designing my ideal custom instrument but I was perfectly happy and effective on my previous four string bass. The ability of humans to build defensive cliques is quite unparalleled... Alex

[quote name='endorka' post='372727' date='Jan 7 2009, 09:02 AM']According to the "Setup And Repair of the Double Bass for Optimum Sound: A Manual for Players, Makers, And Repairers" by Chuck Traeger, the quality of sound of a double bass is adversely affected by the move to 5 strings. If I remember correctly, one factor in this is something to do with the increased tension and additional neck width required for the extra string making the instrument less free to vibrate, and consequently the sound is not as good.[/quote] The double bass is a rather different kettle of fish because a big part of the sound is how the strings transfer their vibrations through the bridge and into the top. To a degree this is analogous to the voice coil of a loudspeaker transferring its vibrations into the cone. Add another string and whilst that string is static you are doing the equivalent of increasing the stiffness of the speaker suspension and this lowering of compliance will raise the resonant frequencies of the top and reduce the Q, giving less weight and depth to the bottom. Or to put it more simply, the added string tension and thus pressure on the bridge makes it harder for the top and thus the instrument to vibrate, which inevitably changes the tone. Alex