alexclaber

[quote name='budget bassist' post='373178' date='Jan 7 2009, 03:59 PM']When i played the same notes on the E and B strings on my 5 string, it always sounded muddier on the B, but that's probably because my 5 string was crap![/quote] Possibly partly true, definitely not wholly. Play the same notes on the A and E strings on a 4 and it will sound thicker, muddier and boomier on the bigger string. Same with D and A or G and D. Just because you have another string it doesn't mean you should always use it for those notes - just use it when those notes sound better on it than on any other string. Alex

[quote name='LWTAIT' post='372133' date='Jan 6 2009, 04:20 PM']...i hate passive basses - to me they always sound bland and quiet[/quote] This is why too many beginner instruments contain appallingly nasty active circuitry - because louder always sounds better, it's the nature of the human ear, and this is particularly apparent with lower frequencies. If you want to compare a passive bass and an active bass you have to match the levels. But if you want to sell basses to beginners it's easier to stick a cheap circuit in that boosts the output and bottom than try to educate them to the benefits of passive basses. Now I'm not saying that all active basses are bad - but even the MEC circuit in my Warwick Streamer sounded rubbish compared to bypassing it or the Aguilar OBP-3 that replaced it. Quality active onboard circuitry cannot be done cheaply though it doesn't have to be very expensive. Alex

If you're going to be screwing things on and off repeatedly then you'll want to epoxy the nuts in place as well as forcing them into the clamp or bolt and large washer. They are the biggest pain in the neck when they come loose so be safe not sorry! Alex

[quote name='Born 2B Mild' post='372020' date='Jan 6 2009, 02:28 PM']Yep. Commonly found in orchestras, Martin.[/quote] Indeed. And if you haven't got a low B-string then you're likely to have a fingerboard extension up the headstock on the low E-string so you can double the 'cellos down to low C. Obviously a fretted low E sounds different to an open low E but just because you can fret that note it doesn't mean you can't play the open string! In the Dec '08 issue of BP Mike Pope has a very intelligent column about the 6-string which is equally applicate to 5 or 7+. Four string advocates would do well to read it too... Alex

[quote name='Merton' post='372042' date='Jan 6 2009, 02:43 PM']Hell yes. Just downloaded Pro last weekend, very interesting indeed![/quote] I became quite depressed when I first started using it as just about every driver I tried was so miserable below 100Hz! I wonder what the mass market's ad people would make of it... Alex

[quote name='billynoband' post='371949' date='Jan 6 2009, 01:20 PM']I would not worry too much as far as 15s go they are all a much of nowt and seem to work averagedly no matter what.[/quote] Not true at all, there is a huge difference in specs and performance between different bass guitar suitable 15"s. I'd expect the 3015 to be a significant upgrade on the original TE driver. The existing port tuning will probably work just fine. If you're going to mess with WinISD suss out the Pro version - the max power & SPL plots are a very valuable feature. Alex

Regarding all these kind of threads and much more, everyone would be well served to read "This is your brain on music". Very enlightening indeed. Alex

Tried in it band practice last night using preshape 1 on the U5 to even out the current midrange hump. Hands down the best live bass sound I have ever heard and incredibly consistent around the room. I did think that The Compact was so good that The Big One might be a lot of extra cost and a fair bit more size for little improvement but it is truly in another league to every other bass cab I have ever used. Depth, fatness, growl, punch, thickness, clarity, the lot! Am dead chuffed. Alex

What does "best" mean? If your muting is poor then the fewer strings that are likely to be ringing then the better you will sound - but that's not the bass's fault. If all else was equal then the greater coil inductance in the pickups would change the sound (hence why it took some years before you could get 5-string J-bass pickups that really sounded like an old Jazz bass) as would the stiffer neck, but that's never the case - in fact I'd bet that many 5-string necks have less cross-sectional-area as a P-bass or a modern 4-string Warwick. I will tell you one thing - I have never ever ever heard a bass sound as good as my RIM Custom 5 did last night whilst trying out The Big One in rehearsal for the first time. Absolutely HUGE sound! So on that basis that 5-string sounds best. End of. Alex

It just goes to show why accurate crossover design is so critical - I felt I'd done a pretty thorough job of modelling the system but in reality the midrange speaker turned out to have more output from 400-1000Hz than expected, which resulted in a fairly broad hump across the midrange. Once I took the measured response for the mid in-situ and put it into my model the model then predicted the response which measuring of the full system had shown - phew! The new crossover should give that flat midrange response I wanted and it also flattens out the higher treble much more (if you want it to). The only downside of this crossover is that the old one had six components whilst the new one has fourteen!!! Alex

[quote name='WHUFC BASS' post='371178' date='Jan 5 2009, 05:50 PM']Its possible, that B string will add some extra tension to the neck.[/quote] Or more likely the exact opposite. Alex

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='371147' date='Jan 5 2009, 05:26 PM']Selling your RIM?[/quote] Do I look mad? Alex

I don't have GAS myself but I'm more than happy to supply and fulfil it for others! Alex

The soft limiter comes on at 6dB below full power, i.e. 150W, so I'd expect most users to see this LED light up frequently. Overdriving the valve will not damage it. Alex

Indeed, generally those Fender tone-stack amps are closest to flat when bass/mid/treble are set 2/10/2. 5/5/5 is quite a big mid scoop. Alex

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='365856' date='Dec 29 2008, 11:03 PM']I'm not quite sure I can follow the technicalities of what you're saying exactly, so instead I look forward to hearing it in action at some point soon![/quote] Good polar response = your cab sounding the same wherever you stand - much easier to get a great tone out front, on-stage and even over to your guitarist standing the far side of the stage. Almost like magic! Yes, great Xmas doing very little at all. Rather festively cold down here isn't it? Alex

Full power at 4 ohms will put 225W into each 8 ohm cab, thus 225W into the 15" and 56.25W into each 10". But it's all pretty irrelevant as you only hit full power on the loudest peaks and in that case it's the excursion limited power handling that matters, which unfortunately no-one specifies. Alex

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='365742' date='Dec 29 2008, 08:38 PM']So there is f*** all difference between the sensitivity but a huuuuuuuge difference in the frequency response, and I would expect the extra 3-18kHz of the 4x10 (depending on tweeter setting) to be more audible than the extra 50-60Hz of the 15.[/quote] If you're not into tweetery bass sounds and those specs are close to honest then I'd expect the extra 10Hz extension for the 15" to be more worthwhile than those few octaves of treble from the tweeter on the 10". I wonder what qualifications are required to be a "Product Specialist" at LOUD Inc? Alex

And here's a comparison of on and off-axis response. The joy of a having a full crossover to a midrange speaker with a low crossover frequency and steep filter slopes is that you get smooth flat midrange response wherever you stand in the room - no woofer+tweeter cab can achieve this and no 3-way bass cab I know of uses a crossover topology that can achieve this. To get smooth off-axis response in the treble region would need an additional tweeter which I'm working on but I think this would be rather wasted on us bassists - should be an amazing PA cab though! Alex

Bit more tweaking with switchable bright boost also shown... Alex

Extremely cunning new crossover design for The Big One completed. Here's the new predicted response - also looking to add independently switchable midrange and treble boost. Alex

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='365013' date='Dec 28 2008, 06:11 PM']Am I right in thinking 'The Vintage' will be ideal for my horible downtuning into old valve heads, as the heads aren't particularly high output (100 and 130w), and aiming to produce sort of volume that vibrates your eyes in your head and makes your vision wibbly? Whilst also looking vintage and 'Doom'.[/quote] Yep, sounds just the job for that! Mind you, unless your eyes are particularly loosely connected to your head or you intend to rest your head on the cab whilst playing I think you might need two cabs to get those internal resonances. Or maybe you were exaggerating... Alex

In: RIM Custom 5 Lots and lots of speaker components, plywood, testing gear and so on. Out: Two Acme Low-B2s The first few Barefaced Compacts! Alex

If you want killer sound and have no intention of using it in a band then I don't think you can beat the PJB Bass Briefcase. Every other small combo is either compromised to get enough loudness or to get the price low enough - the Briefcase doesn't play loud at all but it ticks all the tonal boxes of deep bass extension, midrange punch and smooth clean treble. The MB150 is great for gigging because it's very loud for its size and weight but the tone is a matter of taste - I like it for some stuff but it's quite restricted to a rather midrangey vibe. Alex

I wonder what they'd make of my RIM Custom 5? So much tone, such a huge sound - but I doubt the average reviewer would like the extra-long scale, heavier strings, higher action and all passive electronics that are so fundamental to the sound and feel of this instrument. I can understand reviewing high-end but non-custom instruments but once you get down to instruments like mine, or indeed that GB, it's down to how similar your tastes are to the reviewer's. I guess it sells magazines and gives custom builders more exposure which can only be a good thing, but this kind of shoot-out with rankings is rather bizarre. Alex