alexclaber

Aarghhh, my laptop is dying... Alex

[quote name='Finbar' post='643650' date='Nov 2 2009, 05:53 PM']That was my 900W power amp running at about one third of its volume control into an 800W cab o_O[/quote] If your volume control is 1/3 of the way up you could easily be getting full power - I mean really easily, probably full power, not merely possibly full power. But even so that cab is only rated at 800W thermally - as you discovered the excursion limited power handling is much lower! Alex

That looks like the voice coil has run beyond Xlim and the impact has split the dustcap and cone joint. So how much power did that take?!! Alex

The 715X has a larger enclosure so it'll be a bit more sensitive in the lows (sensitivity is the loudness you get out for each watt you put in). But it is a big old lump! Once you get to gear of that output IMO you're best off going with separate amps and cabs, especially if they're heavyweight ones. Alex P.S. You don't hear watts, you hear dB SPL. The difference in dB SPL between 100W and 200W into the same cab isn't very much at all. But get a bigger and more sensitive cab and 100W can totally flatten 500W into something smaller and less sensitive.

An active preamp/DI at the end of each pedal chain is all you need (which can then drive the two long unbalanced runs without signal degradation). But I'd take the stompboxes out of the FX loop to simplify things. Alex

[quote name='BarelyL4' post='642415' date='Nov 1 2009, 11:31 AM']My only observations / recommendations for modification (allbeit very picky!) would be : the corner protectors could be a bit more beefy and the addition of a second carry strap, maybe on top.[/quote] All cabs now have metal corners and with the new ply the weight is 6lbs less so I think that gets round the second handle desire! Alex

[quote name='Rich' post='641060' date='Oct 30 2009, 01:22 PM']I come from the age of vinyl, like the author of that article -- when you went into town on Saturday afternoon with your few quid and scoured the record shops, coming home with 2,3, maybe 4 carefully selected albums. You put on an album, you listened to the whole thing, all the way through, carefully. Listened again. And again, if it really grabbed you. And again, if it was an instant classic. Back then I think I probably knew every lyric to every song on every album I owned, because music was very definitely finite and so we listened more carefully. Perhaps we even treasured it more?[/quote] I come from the CD era and it was just the same for me - you might make a copy of CDs onto cassette but you'd still buy the CD if you liked it because the sound quality was so much better. CDs, like vinyl before them, were expensive and I can clearly remember those early years when my CD collection was so small there was no option but to listen to the same things over and over again. Then CD writers appeared, then MP3s and everything changed! Alex

So what sort of stringing does my RIM Custom 5 have? Alex

[quote name='deaky' post='640953' date='Oct 30 2009, 12:01 PM']I just grabbed a Puma 112 combo. Just one question..its got a small gap to the bottom right hand side around the back. Does anyone know what this is for??[/quote] Port? Alex

[quote name='alexclaber' post='640839' date='Oct 30 2009, 10:40 AM']...one of the finest slap sounds of all time![/quote] [url="http://www.bassplayer.tv/"]http://www.bassplayer.tv/[/url] Artists - Bobby Vega - Introduction, 1min41 in. Pure badness. Alex

I have these on my old Warwick Streamer. It hasn't had as much time on it as I'd like so they still sound a bit fresh but they're the source of one of the finest slap sounds of all time! Alex

[quote name='51m0n' post='640776' date='Oct 30 2009, 09:32 AM']OR better yet buy 2 Barefaced Vintages (4 Ohms each) and run the whole lot [b]not[/b] bridged.[/quote] Or two D.M.s in series, bridged. One scary 4x12" rig! Alex P.S. If you check resistance with a multimeter it'll come out as ~65% of the nominal impedance, so 5-6 ohms for an 8 ohm rig.

[url="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8330633.stm"]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8330633.stm[/url] Discuss. My main concern is that since my iPod broke and I returned to listening to the same CD over and over again in the car, I've found myself really getting into and appreciating new music because I was forced to give it enough plays to get it. Does infinite music mean music needs to be instantly gratifying? Alex

[quote name='51m0n' post='640763' date='Oct 30 2009, 09:21 AM']Nice one mate - now all you've got to do is figure out which of the arsenal of amps and cabs you've been squirrelling away you want to unleash on them first [/quote] I used to really enjoy only owning one rig and thus only having the take own rig or use provided backline option - what have I got myself into now?! And if I had multiple basses to choose from... Alex

I always enjoy the period preceding a change - I'm an optimist so I assume it's going to be marvellous and we'll take over the world and even if previous occurences haven't proven quite so perfect, I still go in thinking I'll get lucky this time! If you're all on the same musical page that's half the battle won. If it doesn't work out you're not going to be short of potential bandmates in London, one thing it isn't is provincial! We're trying out a new singer (to replace me) on Monday so here's hoping for that too... Alex

Bear in mind that on a jazz bass running all the knobs up full gives you quite a scooped sound. Try backing off the neck or bridge pickup to get some punch back. Alex

Nice cab! As it's one of the HS (high sensitivity) designs it doesn't need much power to get loud, nor can it handle a lot of power without the THD (total harmonic distortion) going through the roof as the woofers over-excurse. So your Hartke should be plenty powerful enough - obviously if you want a tonal change then that's a different matter entirely. But I'd give it some time so you can get a feel for which direction a change should take you in. Alex

You don't hear watts, you hear dB SPL. Sensitivity is the measure of how many dB SPL you get out for 1W input. With 10W input you'll get 10dB more, with 100W input you'll get 20dB more, with 200W you get 23dB more, 400W 26dB more etc. With a bass cab the low frequency (LF) sensitivity is determined by a combination of cab size and low frequency extension (-3dB and -6dB points). The larger the cab and the higher the -3dB & -6dB points, the more sensitive it can be in the lows - this comes down to physics and no amount of money will allow you to beat this. However the dominant limitation in the lows is the real world power handling (usually a fraction of the quoted power rating), so two cabs of equal size and LF sensitivity could have very different max LF SPL. HOWEVER (and this is worth of capitals!) most manufacturers do not quote an honest sensitivity figure. Aguilar have been very honourable in changing the sensitivity spec on the GS112 to 95dB (after I pointed out to Dave B that their previous claim of 102dB was impossible) but many manufacturers persist with claims which are so outrageously far from reality that if they were true no-one would bother with big PA systems for stadium gigs, they'd just use a handful of bass cabs! I've spent a looooong time trying to work about a good way of explaining my cab specs so they are transparent and the solution I've come to is to quote multiple figures - one for LF sensitivity (basically the sensitivity at ~100Hz), one for broadband sensitivity (basically the average sensitivity between ~200Hz and 2kHz) plus the two related power handling limitations (peak LF excursion-limited and continuous thermally-limited). If you look at my various models you see that those that go loud but are small compromise on the lows, whilst those that go lower compromise on the loudness, whilst those that are larger manage to be both loud and go pretty low. You can get deeper lows by adding bass boost on your EQ - but by doing this you are effectively adding extension by lowering sensitivity - no such thing as a free lunch! Have a look at the attached chart to see how these specs interact. Alex

[quote name='WonderHorse' post='639856' date='Oct 29 2009, 11:01 AM']You lost me at 1+ 1-. You could have jsut said yes, a speakon to jack cable will work.[/quote] If you open up a 2 pole Speakon it has two screw-down terminals for the cable, one labelled 1+, one labelled 1-. However if you open up a 4 pole Speakon it has four terminals, 1+, 1-, 2+, 2-. If a cab is wired for biamping (like a GK cab) the woofer gets connected to 1+ 1- whilst the tweeter is connected to 2+ 2-. Whilst if an amp is bridged it uses 1+ 2+ but then that connects at the other end to 1+ 1- (so if you use the cable the wrong way round it doesn't work!). I only mention this because many Speakon cables are made for PA systems which do often involve biamping and bridging, hence non-standard wiring. OBBM's cables are all wired for standard bass cabs (unless you request otherwise) which avoids that problem! Alex

Static string tension is determined by mass per unit length, pitch, and length between witness points. Nothing else matters. However, dynamic string tension (the range tension moves within when you pluck the string) and feel is also affected by movement over the witness points, string elasticity, string stiffness, note envelope and response (a bass with greater fundamental will have a softer feel than one whose fundamental dies almost immediately). Furthermore ergonomic issues such as action (obviously) but also pickup height (if you rest on them), neck size/shape, string spacing, string roughness, etc will affect your perception of the dynamic tension (though won't actually affect the dynamic tension) and thus the feel. Alex

The only time I really have to look is when leaping from low down to playing chords above the 12th fret, which as I've been singing at the same time means I have to wear contact lenses not glasses or all I see is a blur. Alex

[quote name='WonderHorse' post='639456' date='Oct 28 2009, 09:08 PM']Am I right in thinking that your cabs only have a Speakon input? I've never used a Speakon cable so do I need a 2 pole or 4 pole Speakon?[/quote] Yes you are! Either 2 pole or 4 pole Speakon will work fine, needs to be wired 1+ 1- at the speaker end (which is standard wiring for a 2 conductor cable). At the other end of the cable you want Speakon (same wiring unless bridged in which case 1+ 2+) if your amp has it, or 1/4" if not. 8 pole Speakon won't work, it's a different size entirely. Alex

[quote name='4 Strings' post='638925' date='Oct 28 2009, 11:25 AM']Just a quickie about matching speakers and amp power. Consider them like the chassis and engine of a car. A 10W amp going into 500W speakers would be like running a 10bhp go-kart engine in a 500bhp Le Mans racer. It will hardly move it. The other way round, a 500W amp into a 10W speaker will, like a 500bhp Le Mans racer engine in a go-kart, blow the thing to pieces at anything above tick-over. 10W into a 10-20W speaker gives enough headroom for safety without too heavy a burden and it will go like a go-kart. 500W into 500-1000W of speakers will fly like a Le Mans racer.[/quote] Almost 100% wrong. (500W into a 10W speaker will blow it up pretty easily, so that's the fraction that is correct). Not a good analogy at all. Alex

[quote name='carlitos71' post='639291' date='Oct 28 2009, 05:52 PM']How do I get on the list then?[/quote] Copy and paste the current lists and stick yourself in a geographically logical spot (as Mr W. Horse has done above)! Alex

I've never heard anyone since Jaco with such a unique voice on fretless bass. I leant this album to a friend years ago, maybe I should buy the reissue... Or would anyone like to invite me to Spotify? Alex