alexclaber

[quote name='Machines' post='110447' date='Dec 29 2007, 07:18 AM']I don't think that the Profet 3.2 will be able to drive that 610 properly - especially if its 900w RMS rated on the cab. The Profet could easily damage the cab if you were overloading it despite the higher handling of the cab.[/quote] Nope - two reasons why: Underpowering remains a myth. More speakers require less power than fewer speakers. Alex

Plus another Low-B2 for gigs. Alex

[quote name='Chopthebass' post='107864' date='Dec 21 2007, 09:07 PM']Some argue that the woofer/tweeter arrangement leaves a gap in the crucial midrange frequencies, particularly with a 15" & tweeter.[/quote] The woofer/tweeter arrangement works well if your woofer goes high enough or your tweeter goes low enough, but the former tends to compromise bottom and the latter is expensive. And once you get off-axis these problems get much worse as the bigger the speaker the lower the frequency as which the sound goes from dispersed to beaming, so although 10" or 12" plus tweeter cabs can sound even off-axis, 15" plus tweeter cabs will have a hole in the lower treble region. 3-way cabs are much preferable to 2-way woofer plus tweeter cabs IMO but I'm starting to think that for many bassists 2-way cabs with woofer and midrange are a more elegant solution. Alex

The same reason that bassists often record or provide the FOH with a pure DI'd signal but guitarists almost never do. Alex

[quote name='Joshbasscana' post='106578' date='Dec 19 2007, 04:59 PM']I wont be getting full bottom bass though with guitar amps will I?[/quote] You don't need it - that's what your clean channel through your bass amp is for. Alex

If you're just using it for your effects then I'd look at guitar amps instead. In fact I'd even consider guitar combos and/or guitar cabs for your effected sound, relying on your clean sound through your bass amp to bring the bottom. Alex

Just the two but a third in gestation! +2 798 Alex

[quote name='jammie17' post='104756' date='Dec 15 2007, 08:03 PM']Ported cabinets are very popular for this very reason, they are LOUD. But they are also BOOMY....sealed cabinets are "tighter" but don't get as loud, or quite as low as ported cabinets...usually requiring a more powerful amp...depending on how many speakers, sensitivity, etc.[/quote] No, not really. If you want to know why, download WinISD Pro and look at how response and group delay vary with cab volume and tuning for a given woofer. Alex

Set-up is definitely part science and part art. Years ago I read an article by Anthony Jackson that really helped me suss out what worked best for me and how to achieve it - recommended reading for all: [url="http://members.aol.com/jlsmith42/aj/setup/aj-setup.htm"]http://members.aol.com/jlsmith42/aj/setup/aj-setup.htm[/url] Alex

[quote name='jono b' post='103516' date='Dec 12 2007, 07:34 PM']I've been using a TNT I've shared it a few times, sounds alright, but I hate having people mess with the EQ.[/quote] If I were you I'd either mark your EQ on the amp (stickers, tippex, marker pen, masking tape) or write it down, and expect everyone to screw around with the EQ and to have to reset it when it's your turn... The classic situation I regularly encounter is someone applying the EQ they normally use with their rig to my rig and then expecting it to sound the same - duh! It'll be interesting watching other bassist's expressions when they encounter my rig at future gigs, since my rack now looks like this: Alex

Just to clarify, my last post meant, "Aha! There it is and doesn't it look like one bad mother!" 2008 will be a very fat year. (And one of arguments with tiles and expletives at plumbing...) Regarding zero frets I used to think they were a good idea because you'd expect them to make open notes sound like fretted notes - but they don't! Why is that? Because when you play a fretted note the presence of your finger upon the string behind the fret adds damping to the system and thus reduces the highs, particularly as the note sustains. To get the same sound with a zero fret you need to damp the open strings behind the zero fret, either with your fingers or with some kind of damping material in the 'nut' (more of a string guide than a nut). I suspect that the Bee Bass nut/zero fret design achieves this quite well with softer fingerboard woods. On the other hand, if you use a nut made of something softer than than the frets this material can provide the damping that your fingers do on fretted notes, hence the ebony nut on the RIM Basses makes a lot of sense. Alex

I've been letting people use my rig for years and it hasn't blown up yet. I do tend to point out that the amp is very powerful whilst the cabs are only small and that much less bass boost (if any) is required compared to typical rigs. Despite that it's had a lot of abuse from some LOUD bands and has yet to to throw in the towel. I always volunteer my amp as the backline because despite forums giving the impression that GAS is rife and the world is full of fancy bass rigs the amp I most often encounter is the ubiquitous Peavey TNT 115, which does what it does very well for the money but rather pins you into a certain tonal corner, to say the least... Alex

Aha! Alex

Remember that as bassists we have to deal with long wavelengths coming out from our cabs directly to us, coming out from the PA mains/subs directly to us (even if we're standing behind them), coming from our cabs and bouncing off the walls, floor and ceiling to us, and coming from the PA and bouncing off the walls, floor and ceiling to us. All those waves travel different distances so there is phase variation between them. If the phase difference it 180 degrees at a certain frequency they fully cancel. If it's 0 degrees or 360 degrees then they fully combine and reinforce. And although you gain 6dB when the sources combine you essentially lose everything when they cancel. Obviously you can't move the walls, floor etc, and you can rarely move the PA, but you can move your rig and you can control the volume and tone - remember adding lows to your rig could result in less bottom if it just causes more of the bottom from the PA subs that you're hearing to be cancelled out. The drum monitor could be what's killing your stage sound by cancelling out your rig in critical frequencies. Try taking your bass out of the monitors and see what happens, etc. Experiment - but don't faff about, be quick and methodical. I wouldn't buy or sell anything, your rig should be plenty for the gigs you describe, you just need to wield it more effectively. Regarding the GRAMMA, for £45 less you can buy the PlatFOAM from studio spares which is the key component to the GRAMMA, it does the exact same job and you can cut it to the exact lengths you want. It's also a fraction of the size and weight. Alex

I seriously doubt that more power will solve your problem. Either get more/bigger cabs or rethink your stage/FOH volume and PA usage. Also consider if the room acoustics are working for or against you. Alex

Have you considered going to a jazz workshop? Alex

Bass Rack Cabs x2 Bag of random things Alex

[quote name='steve' post='101475' date='Dec 8 2007, 07:10 PM']so are you saying in your respective (and respected) opinions,that I haven't got enough headroom with the Hartkes?[/quote] If it sounds bad, turn down. That's all you need to remember. If you want to know why search for some of my old posts on this subject. Alex

[quote name='steve' post='101410' date='Dec 8 2007, 04:21 PM']I assume my 450W into 4ohm Ampeg head be well matched to Hartke 2.5XL and a 115XL (or another 2.5XL), which are both 200W @8ohms.[/quote] Yes. For a sensible amp:cab power rating ratio I'd recommend within a 2:1 either way, i.e. an amp with between 200W and 800W power for the Hartkes. Typical power draw with program material (i.e. recorded music) with your amp running at full volume (i.e. clipping on the peaks) is 1/8 power. So an 800W amp will only be averaging 100W power output. For live bass guitar this ratio tends to be even larger. Alex

I'd start singing and writing songs immediately! Alex

I don't think I do GAS like normal people anymore, though I used to suffer when I was an effects junkie. It helps that my '87 Warwick is such a great bass that I have never played anything that I like better. I take so long to decide what I want that it's taken me over eight years to get a second bass built and I've been using the same rig for a similar length of time, only recently getting a new preamp. I have spent countless hours working on new bass cab designs over the past 18 months but am finally getting close to my ultimate cab, in the shape of an ultra lightweight biamped DSP managed ported 2x15"+6". But then I have to build it and first I need to get my new house in order! Alex

Replacing the speakers will make little difference to the weight or to the real world power handling. Good cab, midrange speakers make so much more sense than pairing woofers with tweeters and suffering a sonic hole in between. Alex

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='97273' date='Dec 1 2007, 04:54 PM']If you are going to have 2 bass instruments then one should be an ERB that can play above and below a 4 string.[/quote] Last I heard there was more than one note available on a 4 string bass. Alex

I put a 4U rack on top of a vertical 2x10" and it is completely stable. Alex

If the instrument we play had a more interesting and less unnecessarily self-defining name then I doubt we'd be having these debates. Alex