alexclaber

When implemented well biamping is awesome. Solves all the problems of passive crossover designs, gives you more headroom, cleaner mids and highs, etc etc. The challenge is that the cabs have to be suitable for biamping - the usual 4x10" plus 1x15" rig is not a good candidate. It is both harder and more expensive to get a studio monitor to give you flat response with a passive crossover and external amp than with an active crossover and two internal amps, which is why biamp studio monitors can be amazingly cheap yet transparent. Alex

[quote name='stevie' post='241922' date='Jul 17 2008, 05:03 PM']The 3015 doesn’t have twice the useable bandwidth – look at the JBL spec sheet - nor twice the displacement limited power input capacity for that matter. It is lighter though (doh!), so you got that right. The 3015 may be the bee's knees, especially at its dollar price, but that doesn't detract from the fact that the JBL is a 2226H is still a superb driver.[/quote] The 3015 has significantly greater treble response than the JBL. The 3015LF (note LF) has 60% greater displacement limited power input capacity - 9.6mm Xmax vs 7.2mm. The JBL costs more than twice as much as either and weighs 2.5 times as much. [quote name='stevie' post='241933' date='Jul 17 2008, 05:18 PM']Also, - winsd doesn't model floor reinforcement nor (as far as I can remember) the cabinet response step. The curve you get in winsd is actually nothing like real life.[/quote] Floor reinforcement is simply half-space response, why would you need to model it? The baffle step is rarely of concern in the bass region (which is what T/S modelling is for). Alex

[quote name='stevie' post='241869' date='Jul 17 2008, 04:25 PM']I think you'll find there's a bit more to it than putting the numbers in winsd, Alex.[/quote] Indeed there is but the main challenge with amplifying bass guitar is getting good response in the sub 150Hz area and T/S modelling predicts this very accurately. If you run out of excursion before getting to a decent volume then all the clever cone design in the world isn't going to make up for the distortion that'll be causing. The main problem I've had with most non-Eminence woofer designs is that they are either designed as mid-bass or midrange drivers for PA and thus Xmax and Qts are too low or Fs too high so they can't handle or create the bottom or they're designed as PA subwoofers and the problem is reversed with a resultant loss of sensitivity and midrange output. If you can direct me to a better 15" for bass guitar, or even a good 10" or 12", I'd be very interested to see. Alex

[quote name='stevie' post='241762' date='Jul 17 2008, 01:56 PM']Companies like RCF, Fane, B&C and 18Sound are all making good quality drivers, but they cost from around £150 up. The problem with Eminence is that they are built down to a price to suit the OEM market, which means you are likely to end up with something that sounds very ordinary indeed. I know that's not going to go down well on this forum, and I haven't tried their latest speakers, but I tested the entire range at one time, and I just could not get a quality sound from them. I'm not saying 'don't use them', but I'm saying - be aware.[/quote] You do indeed need to update your information. I have modelled countless 10", 12" and 15" drivers from all those names and the Kappalites consistently come out extremely well regardless of price. The 2226H looks more comparable to a 3015LF (though has less Xmax and weighs a lot more) in that the treble extension is very limited and thus really needs a midrange speaker unless you only play dub/reggae. Alex

[quote name='RichardH' post='241705' date='Jul 17 2008, 01:05 PM']Recommendations?[/quote] Kappalite 3015 is an excellent standalone 15". Alex

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='241512' date='Jul 17 2008, 09:07 AM']Who the f*** is he?[/quote] He's bad, mmmkay. Alex

[quote name='coasterbass' post='240937' date='Jul 16 2008, 03:17 PM']One thing to remember about cabs vs. PA is that its not all about wattage, its about dispersal...Basically PA's are designed to 'throw' the sound throughout a room.[/quote] There is no such thing as 'throw'. Well designed PA cabs should have better off-axis response than a typical guitar or bass cab and obviously they're in front of the stage so output from them won't sound as loud onstage as output from an onstage amp that's having to fill the room with sound. However if the PA doesn't have subs then it is highly unlikely to be able to handle the bass or the kick drum without a huge increase in distortion which will make the vocals sound nasty. The best advice I can give when minimally PA'd is to experiment with cab positioning to try and use the acoustics in your favour. Alex

The Bad Cab leads me to believe that Tecamp have sacked all their engineers and replaced them with marketing muppets. I like the look of this 6x12" though I think a vertical 3x12" would do a better job for most bassists. Merton, I think my car is lighter than your 4x8" combo. That's the one where TE were still using the depleted uranium damping, right? Alex

Amp only if your PA is just simple tops on sticks. Amp plus PA if it has subs (and then try to keep the stage volume lower to reduce sonic clashes between bass amp and PA subs). Don't expect to get much useful bass through the monitors unless they're so big you can barely lift them. If you're not putting the bass through the PA I recommend not miking the drums and getting the drummer to use a less damped kick drum so it can be heard out front. Our drummer is fortunate to have two kits and he uses the big Vistalite one with barely damped 26" kick when we have a minimalist PA. Alex

[quote name='Snakey Lane' post='240756' date='Jul 16 2008, 12:06 PM']I have not got into that level of detail I'll take Robbie's advice, I guess, on what works best.[/quote] I think Robbie got quite a shock when my specs for the bass turned out to be about as long as a Phd thesis... Alex

First coat of finish is on. Very nice! Alex

[quote name='geoffbassist' post='240242' date='Jul 15 2008, 05:45 PM']hey guys, eden said they dont export and i have to go to the uk distributer, unfortunatly they are 'inbetween' distributers[/quote] I would go back to Eden and insist that they support their product! This is just another case of their appalling service since being sold. I know one bassist that had to take them to the US equivalent of the small claims court to get his amp repaired under warranty. Not on. You could use other speakers but you'd need to model the cabinet to find out which will work well and it'll sound completely different. The Eden XLT 10"s have quite a unique sound, very midrangey. Alex

[quote name='cheddatom' post='240229' date='Jul 15 2008, 05:29 PM']I accept all your points but I still haven't seen justification for the above. If we're talking about home practice only, say i've got a sound proof booth at home, and a pretty loud bass when played acoustic. In my sound proof booth is a sweet amp and cab. Option 1: I play unplugged. I can hear everything clearly, although the nuances of the sounds such as fret buzz, pick attack, note sustain or propegation (correct word?) or low notes will be quite hard to hear. You could argue with that I suppose, but i've never gone into a guitar shop, picked up a 5 or 6er, played the low B and then thought "Cor, I don't even need to plug it in to hear it!" Option 2: I plug in, turn up as loud, or as quiet as I like, I can hear the acoustic tone of my bass if I keep the amp quiet, with the amp up I can hear everything that the audience will hear such as fret buzz.........low notes, at a realistic performance volume if I wish. I know i'd go for option 2.[/quote] Regarding Option 1, if they're that hard to hear you're not listening hard enough. Regarding Option 2, I bet you end up with the amp gain louder than necessary and thus fail to practice using your full dynamic range. Very few guitar shops are quiet enough to test basses acoustically, though I would insist on it, it's the only true way of knowing how good a bass is (electronics can always be replaced). I have played very few low B strings that measure up acoustically, which is why I play a 36" scale. If I can sound like a bad mother****** acoustically then I know I'll be even badder once I'm plugged in. Likewise if a song sounds great on classical guitar or unplugged bass plus vocals then I know once it has the full power of a band behind it it will be even better. Music first, arrangement second, sound third. Alex

I believe Eden, Peavey and BagEnd are the only bass cab makers who actually make their own speakers. Eminence rules the roost for the rest. Alex

[quote name='cheddatom' post='240193' date='Jul 15 2008, 04:46 PM']I think you are far more likely to hear what your fingers are doing to the tone when you actually amplify it.[/quote] Depends how good your amp is. Too many practice amps are pretty rubbish. [quote name='cheddatom' post='240193' date='Jul 15 2008, 04:46 PM']Also, for working on technique, it's much harder to hear mistakes etc when you're not plugged in.[/quote] Depends on the level of background noise. In a quiet room (with no stupid computer fans creating a ton of low frequency noise) you can hear all your mistakes just fine. [quote name='cheddatom' post='240193' date='Jul 15 2008, 04:46 PM']On top of that, what is the point? You're never going to perform with an electric bass unplugged. What if you only ever practiced unplugged, and then got to play a gig with a rig, and realised you were crap? That'd be a nerve-racking gig![/quote] The biggest problem I notice with bassists is poor technique at gig volumes. This is usually due to practising in a quiet place with a loud rig, being able to hear themselves perfectly however poor their tone is, plucking far more gently than in a live situation, and then playing a gig and digging in far too hard and not having good control with heavier technique. Playing through your rig at home is nothing like playing through your rig with a band behind you. Also home practice through an amp tends to lead to excessive fiddling with EQ and sounds when these tones only have relevance in context. Furthermore fletcher-munson rears its ugly head when you take that rig to band practice and use the same settings because "it's your tone." Caveats - some electric basses are pathetically quiet unplugged. Also some very experienced and excellent players like Gary Willis take a very very light touch approach to bass playing which might make unplugged practice difficult. But if you play with a relatively normal range of force and have an instrument that speaks well then practicing unplugged can be very beneficial in terms of your tone and understanding of the instrument. Alex

[quote name='6stringbassist' post='240018' date='Jul 15 2008, 01:51 PM']Also I don't see how playing unamplified you can get the best from your bass.[/quote] It's an acoustic instrument until the pickups get involved. Get the tone you want from it unplugged, then use the electronics to give you the best interpretation of that once plugged in. Alex

[quote name='obbm' post='240121' date='Jul 15 2008, 03:23 PM']Alas full-size PAs are a luxury on my local pub ciruit. Firstly there is rarely room. Sometimes you're are lucky if you have any vocal foldback and as for putting a bass through the PA? Hah! The only time I've ever used a decent PA has been at outdoor festivals and a few major venues that have their own house systems and engineers. In most cases your amp is your backline and monitor and if you want to sound right and hear yourself then it's your personal responsibility to get the level and the EQ right because no-one else is going to help you. That's when decent gear helps. Nicely put Happy Jack, I'm with you 100%.[/quote] Absolutely. For us working stiffs, semi-pros or typical originals acts then you can't always rely on the PA for FOH, you certainly can't rely on the PA for monitoring and roadies are a figment of the imagination. I'm pondering a small midrange cab with highpass filter to put on top of my rig and point at the drummer so that he can actually hear what I'm playing when I'm not going through the monitors. Alex

Unplugged in a quiet room. There is a huge variation in acoustic volume between different electric basses - mine are both very resonant and loud and I can easily hear myself and how my playing is affecting my tone. Alex

[quote name='NoLogic69' post='239610' date='Jul 14 2008, 10:59 PM']...my worry with the LMII is the lack of level control on the DI.[/quote] I have never needed a level control on a DI. It only takes a small tweak of the EQ to take most amps from sterile to warm and vice versa. IMO sterile is a word used by bassists who are either too new to the game to know otherwise or too paranoid about their own tone to trust in a transparent amp to produce fat bass. Alex

These new Hartke heads look like great designs for very affordable prices. I suspect the preamp is based on the classic Fender/Alembic/etc tone stack with all passive EQ where 'flat' is ~2, 10, 2 on bass, mid, treble. Alex

I'm quite good at scaring these fools into a muttering confused retreat... Alex

[quote name='Born 2B Mild' post='239360' date='Jul 14 2008, 05:42 PM']As I see it, the LMIIs, F1s & Shuttles are great & increasingly popular. However, for cafe/rehearsal/practice rigs, I think a single speaker cab, in similar proportions to these new micro amps could be made.[/quote] It makes more sense to make a speaker cab light than try and make it that ridiculously small. The only tiny cab that delivers decent bottom is the Acme Low-B1 and it does so because of having a very unusual woofer and unique design. I've looked at the majority of 8" and 10" speakers available to the DIYer and in my opinion none fare that well. Those that do ok cost far more than I can see most people spending on such a small cab. Alex

[quote name='ste_m3' post='239303' date='Jul 14 2008, 04:56 PM']Well you dont look as if your pushing 40! And thats an incredibly good point about the textured finish. Hope alls going well![/quote] No, 30! First decade is 0-10, etc. [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=447622&page=2"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.p...7622&page=2[/url] Check out post #24, 34 & 36 - bodes well... Alex

I'm getting to know the Q-Tuners and passive electronics better and I can't get over the versatility of such a simple arrangement. Are you going for the same pickup spacing as me, though adjusted for 34" scale? Alex

I'd spend the money on improving the weak link, whether it be bass, amp or player! Alex