alexclaber

Also, what's going on with the PA? Is the bass running through it? That gives you a whole other set of problems. Alex

I spent some time on Havona at the end of last year. Am currently learning If You Want Me To Stay and Hit With Your Rhythm Stick. I have to sing lead on both so it's an interesting challenge... Alex

Boundary issues are only significant in the lower frequencies, below ~150Hz. Are your problems in the lows or is it actually a midrange issue? Alex

[quote name='peted' post='231283' date='Jul 2 2008, 01:14 PM']I'm building the 500 Watt Deltalite 2510 version. I'm paranoid that if I go with a resister that can handle less thermal wattage then I'm going to end up cooking it. I've ordered a 50watt 4R7 (I think that means 4.7 Ohm???) resistor to see how I get on.[/quote] As the piezos are a predominantly capacitive load and have extremely high impedance below 8kHz (very little bass energy beyond there) the resistor has to handle very little power. I believe a 10W resistor should be fine. Alex

[quote name='mcgraham' post='231336' date='Jul 2 2008, 02:14 PM']If this is the case, would I be right in saying that by increasing output SPL (correct me if I've got the term wrong) using the gain control rather than volume control, I will be getting a 'less coloured' resultant output?[/quote] Preamp gain low, volume high. However this is likely to raise the noise floor of your amp which could be a problem if you're a tweeter person. Alex

[quote name='mcgraham' post='231255' date='Jul 2 2008, 12:40 PM']I was under the impression that there was some kind of a difference running an amplifier in this way. I could of course be wrong, and I wouldn’t be the first (or last!) musician to imagine that they’re hearing something that isn’t [i]actually[/i] there, but I felt it helped improve the clarity of the sound, i.e. tighter bottom, cleaner/clearer top.[/quote] If the preamp doesn't have much headroom or is designed to add compression/overdrive then preamp gain can sound quite different to power amp gain. I wouldn't be surprised if the Thunderfunk is obviously like this. Alex

[quote name='mcgraham' post='231177' date='Jul 2 2008, 10:55 AM']Alex, can you perhaps explain to me what the difference would be between setting the gain on your amp to max and setting the volume control to achieve a given perceived sound level, and setting the gain lower (say half?) and then setting the volume control to achieve the [i]same[/i] perceived sound level as in the first scenario?[/quote] If there is one I can't hear it! There is a ton of nice EQ on the Thunderfunk so you should be able to get the shape you want. However whether you can get quite as clean is a different matter as there is a smidgeon of dirt and compression added by the preamp design, increasing at high volumes when the power amp supply is sagging. Alex

I don't know if you tried my U5/PLX rig - that's about as clean as it gets. A lot bigger and louder than the heads you're comparing though! Maybe what you're hearing is added bass extension and you're perceiving the added warmth as a lack of cleanness. My U5 has a very warm sound if you play a warm sounding bass through it - tons and tons of bottom. Change the sound from the bass radically and the sound from the amp changes just as much. If you really do want a clean and true sound then your choice of cab is a little perplexing! Alex

You're more likely to be hearing a difference in the preamp unless you're bypassing it. The Thunderfunk has a definite voicing to my ear. Decent power amp sections vary little in tone. Alex

To expand on my earlier point you have two limiting factors - string stiffness limits the higher harmonics and string length (or lack of it) limits the lower harmonics particularly the fundamental (due to the nature of wave theory). Curiously despite upright basses having a longer scale length their acoustic nature means that all the fundamental energy is lost extremely quickly - they actually have hardly any output below 100Hz. Increasing string thickness tends to not increase the amount of fundamental but actually decreases the amount of higher harmonics whilst allowing you to play slightly harder and giving the pickup more metal to sense, thus further increasing the output. Similar to turning a passive tone knob down and the volume up. Alex

[quote name='6stringbassist' post='230815' date='Jul 1 2008, 07:37 PM']Why then do players like Mark King, Jonas Hellborg, John Entwistle, Matt Garrison and Michael Manring, to name just a few, spend years working with luthiers and amp manufacturers to perfect the instruments that they play, and the amplification that they use.[/quote] Because it shifts their default tone to the centre of the tonal circle they wish to occupy, which is exactly what I have done with my gear. This does not mean this circle no longer overlaps with many other tonal circles (continuing the venn analogy). Alex

Longer scale doesn't make tone better or worse it, it makes it different. I've already written a ton on this elsewhere but you only have to experiment with different tunings to see how it affects things. To over-simplify, shorter equals more midrange, longer equals more top and bottom. Alex

[quote name='Oscar South' post='230751' date='Jul 1 2008, 06:22 PM']I'm quite a fan of Fieldy's slapping with Korn, I'm not a huge Nu-Metal fan but Korn just hits the spot sometimes.[/quote] Korn's eponymous debut album is fantastically dark and grooving. Their 3rd album (Follow The Leader) is pretty damn good too though less consistent. The 2nd (Life Is Peachy) is a less good imitation of the first (but better than most nu metal). The 4th seems pointless and I don't know about the rest. Not your typical slap playing for sure! Alex

The Best of Graham Central Station is laden with choice cuts of juicy slap. None of those cheesy eighties antics, proper full fat funk. Alex

[quote name='6stringbassist' post='230496' date='Jul 1 2008, 01:25 PM']No matter how I play it can't make the 'other make' 2x12 sound like my 4x10.[/quote] Try harder! Seriously, for all the obsessing that goes on over gear it is quite remarkable how if you understand all the sonic details of both the instrument you're playing and the amplification system you can generally get very close to the sound you want regardless of what you're using. Think of it as a big venn diagram where every combination of gear has a wide range of sounds depending on the user and most of these circles overlap significantly. Alex

Doesn't look a great idea to me because the Kappa and Gamma speakers are midrange speakers, not true woofers. The thermally limited power handling may be high but the excursion limited power handling (basically Xmax) is very low, which equals farting at low volume with even moderate amounts of bottom. Fine if you're biamping and using something else to carry the lows though. Alex

Given a bit of EQ and strings that aren't totally dead I'd say I can make most basses sound close enough to most other basses that you'd rarely be able to tell in the mix. Alex

My brain, usually a sub-conscious bit if things are going well. Alex

I should be able to make it and will bring some of my new cabs with me! Alex

If I was a luthier and a bass ended up that bad I wouldn't want to have my name on it let alone force a customer to pay for it. I think if you're having a bass custom made and you haven't forced the luthier to do things he believes are a bad idea then I think you can be very confident of getting a great instrument. Deadspots aren't as arcane as many think - simply a matter of resonance causing neck vibrations out of phase with the witness point on the fret. Make the neck stiff enough and you can shift them higher and reduce the lower harmonic component, hence the reduced problems with composite necks. Wenge and ebony laminates help with this due to their stiffness. Wood makes a huge difference despite Argh's insistence otherwise as the instrument is fundamentally an acoustic and resonant system - it isn't the species that matters though so much as the stiffness, self-damping and density. Within any given species you have variations but the combinations of these factors lead to repeatable sonic effects. Alex

See now I have this belief that there's a lot of bassists missing out on what a really good 15" can do on its own. People equate 'punch' with 10" speakers probably because most of the 15"s they hear are the terrible ones in cheap combos. I shall bring a couple of my cabs to the SE Bass Bash and see if I'm not alone in my enjoyment of that big speaker goodness. Alex

[quote name='bassace' post='229242' date='Jun 29 2008, 08:41 PM']Bassace nostalgic/boring mode - I played with Ted Fletcher in the sixties and he made me a compressor on his bench in ten minutes - first ever Ted product? Basically a lv light bulb was connected across the speaker output so the greater the output the brighter the bulb. The brightness was picked up by a photocell which then limited the volume peak if the output got too much. At least, I think that's what it did.[/quote] These types of compressors work very well on bass - I believe that's what's in the Punch Factory though with an LED rather than a bulb. I have one in my TFPro vocal stage that I use for recording. I have never ever heard of a recording that doesn't use some compression on the bass. Live it's a matter of taste and technique. I used to but I haven't for ages. Alex

[quote name='mr_russ' post='227842' date='Jun 27 2008, 09:53 AM']Official 'Bathroom Scales' weight of my new 1x15: 17kg/37.5lbs[/quote] Damn, I was hoping for even lighter! Still, it feels very light and that's what counts. 2/3 the weight of a same-sized cab from Markbass and more output can't be bad. Looking forward to hearing how you get on with it! The Compact should shave a few lbs off due to being smaller, so hopefully dead on 35lbs. The Big One is about the same volume though taller but with more components so I think just under 45lbs should be the reality. Alex

[quote name='Musky' post='222991' date='Jun 20 2008, 03:08 PM']The only thing I could think of was that maybe the power supply couldn't cope with with the extra demand.[/quote] Exactly! Alex

[quote name='david_l_perry' post='223002' date='Jun 20 2008, 03:22 PM']The tuffcab/Aldcroft speaker paint does not hold up too well to life on the road, but it is very simple to get a good finish straight off.[/quote] Ah but with cabs this compact and light they definitely get bashed about less than big heavy ones - I'm having plastic corners too - and the paint doesn't pick up smells, hair or fluff and can be touched up or repainted easily. Alex