alexclaber

[quote name='Badass' post='627715' date='Oct 16 2009, 11:45 AM']Maybe an 'L' shaped badge, so it looks correct no matter which way your orientate the cab. Just a thought [/quote] Unfortunately I still have a few hundred of these badges to use up! Alex

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='627653' date='Oct 16 2009, 10:55 AM']Can you affix it at a single point, anchoring the left of the badge to the top-left corner of the grille? Then people can swing it around to their desired angle. A bit like the logo on the disc tray of the PlayStation 2.[/quote] Unfortunately not - the way the badge is affixed helps damp grill vibrations, plus any moveable mount could rattle. Alex

Simple question - which way round should the badge on the Midget go? I've done the first two like mini versions of the Compact. However this means when stacked on a Compact that the badge is sideways. Alternatively the badge could go sideways on the Midget (but does this mean people will use it sideways instead of vertically? which I don't want happening) so that when stacked on a Compact it's the right way round. But then if you stack two Midgets both badges will be sideways. Aarghhh!!! Suggestions/votes please! Alex

[quote name='wayneyboy' post='627475' date='Oct 15 2009, 11:40 PM']also may seem a bit weird has just one cab that is about 12inches high[/quote] If you have a cab that short then you'll usually benefit from tilting and/or lifting it up somewhat, otherwise all the more directional higher midrange and treble will shoot past below your knees whilst your ears will just hear the lower frequencies. Most short wide cabs perform better when stood up vertically as well, even if the feet/badge aren't set up for that. Alex

One of those pre-Peavey Trace Elliott 500W heads (the smaller sister to the triamp thing from about 1999), a Mesa/Boogie 1516, DI'd to the oversized FOH in the Prince Albert in Brighton, played by a young chap who'd only switched from guitar 6 months ago, with a fairly cheap 4-string P/J thing. Not his rig, don't think he'd touched any of the settings on it, yet the resulting sound was the closest I've ever heard to one of the overdriven but not fullbore distortion sounds Tim Commerford got on RATM - Evil Empire. Said bassist was frankly flabbergasted when I told him this - am guessing the stage sound wasn't as perfect but out in the room it was one of those - "that is IT" moments. Good playing too. Alex

[quote name='Phil Starr' post='627485' date='Oct 16 2009, 12:11 AM']Fane speakers in the UK are made in the same factory as Eminence...[/quote] Nope, no Eminence drivers are manufactured here although the distributor used to be the manufacturer of Fane and PD. As Phil said you will need to retune the cab unless you're very lucky. A lot of different 15"s will work in that enclosure size, it's big enough to not cause bad mid-bass hump problems but lower Xmax drivers may be prone to farting. Stevie's tips are on the money. Alex

Works for me! Is it easier without a few dozen bassists staring at you? Much as I'd like join in the fun, following your workshop I've resolved to get on with this walking malarkey and am starting simple with jazz blues in various keys. I'm not quite as bad at it as I thought, which is nice, though I just tried the rhythm changes and they totally foxed me. Back to an easier sequence... Alex

[quote name='mark54' post='627124' date='Oct 15 2009, 05:23 PM']an as far as money goes well to be honest the least i can spend with out compromising the sound[/quote] Unfortunately everything compromises the sound to some degree, however much you spend! 200-300W is a good realm to look at because many want more power nowadays - put that through four 10"s, two 12"s or one or two 15"s and you'll sound much better than through your current rig. The bigger the cab, the less power it'll need to play loud and fat. Alex

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='627107' date='Oct 15 2009, 05:06 PM']Yeah, I was proud of it myself. You can imagine how I felt when not a single person acknowledged it.[/quote] Do we need a facebookesque "bassist X likes this thing" thumbs up? Alex

[quote name='Shockwave' post='627054' date='Oct 15 2009, 04:24 PM'](I dont want a Ampeg or Barefaced destroyed and the other guy running off)[/quote] If you're using a high power amp bridged, then I'd be inclined to switch it to non-bridged mode (and change the speakon over) when letting bassists you don't know share your rig. With one channel of the SVT5 driving the Vintage it'll still be damned loud and be virtually 100% safe from damage. Alex

[quote name='alex09' post='627051' date='Oct 15 2009, 04:20 PM']Purchasing in-ear monitoring is a choice that entails more then just hearing ones self. Its about reducing decibels levels ensuring that later on in life you can enjoy the sound of your instrument and more importantly conversations with fellow low end freaks.[/quote] If you don't want to go in-ear, then proper musician's earplugs like ER15s provide clarity and protection. Bear in mind that if you do use in-ears you should be aware that as with all headphones they can go loud enough to cause hearing damage, and feedback screeches can be very dangerous indeed. Alex

^ Outgunned by WOBD ^ Alex

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='626860' date='Oct 15 2009, 12:55 PM']Alexclaber found several shortcomings in basses he owned, knew exactly what he wanted and took the steps to ensure he had an instrument which suited him.[/quote] Just the one bass actually! My bass history is: 1996-1999 Hohner Jack 1999-2008 Warwick Streamer 2008 onwards RIM Custom 5 I also played essentially the same bass rig from 1999-2008 (and then I started building my own cabs to improve upon what I'd had before, again because no manufacturer built what I wanted). I don't think the aesthetic issue should be overlooked - what if your favourite bass is in some hideous shade of pink with a pointy headstock (you bought it when you played hair metal) but you're too embarrassed to be seen out with it now that you're in an old school funk band, yet every production bass you've tried didn't live up to the tone or feeling of it. Why not get a luthier to make you a bass that retains the sound and feel but doesn't look like an '80s nightmare? Here's another way to look at it - if you are going to spend £1k+ on an instrument, why wouldn't you want to give that to a local craftsmen instead of splitting it between a shop, a distributor, a few freight companies, a manufacturer, their shareholders, and finally some for the people in the factory that made it? It's not like choosing between a handmade kitchen and a mass-produced one - as long as you go for a luthier that doesn't have a great long waiting list and a famous brand you get awesome value for money. Alex

Go talk to Anthony Jackson. If you think it's just aesthetic then you might be that kind of person that thinks the only reason people buy sportcars is because they look nice. Just because you come from an art background and thus think it must be all about pretty things doesn't mean that everyone else thinks like you. The only aesthetic decisions on my custom bass were the headstock style (Robbie's idea), the black pinstripe, and the colour of the hardware. Every other decision was based on tone and ergonomics. Not dissimilar to the original Mini - form follows function. Alex

A Fender Jazz and Fender Precision are essentially identical instruments, just with different pickups. Do you really think that all those who choose to have custom basses didn't bother learning their craft before getting a custom bass? And likewise would insist that they can only get their sound on their custom bass. Honestly... If you're going to start a knowingly provocative thread, you could at least do those who respond the courtesy of reading their posts and even engaging your brain when doing so. Alex

My Warwick is 22 this month but I don't know the exact date. Unlike your Vigier it took early retirement just before it turned 21 and is enjoying the easy life now... Happy Birthday! Alex

[quote name='Mateybass' post='626588' date='Oct 15 2009, 12:21 AM']I did say it was a simplified example but regarding lowpass filtering, I would suggest that it would make it more severe when we are talking about the open A string of a bass guitar at 55Hz with severe clipping. As that is the fundamental frequency being reproduced, lowpass filtering won't have any attenuative effect on it.[/quote] The extra energy in a 55Hz sine-wave which has been subjected to full clipping to thus produce a 55Hz square-wave is all contained in the overtones. There is no more power in the fundamental than with an equal magnitude sinewave. The voicecoil inductance acts as a lowpass filter by increasing the impedance and thus reducing current flow at higher frequencies so the square wave becomes less square and thus the energy content is reduced. [quote name='Mateybass' post='626588' date='Oct 15 2009, 12:21 AM']I didn't mention compression and as you know, compression provides a different audio function than clipping/distortion. You're absolutely right about it being a question of power delivery to the speakers, as I previously mentioned, and possibly the reason why most bass amp manuals tell you not to exceed input gain to the point of excessive clipping.[/quote] They recommend this because it sounds better on many s/s preamps. They do not recommend this to protect your speakers - and when manufacturers do recommend avoiding clipping it is power amp clipping they want you to avoid! [quote name='Mateybass' post='626588' date='Oct 15 2009, 12:21 AM']Thanks, I'll disconnect the tweeters from my bass cabs immediately [/quote] There is much less energy in a bass guitar signal, even when heavily clipped, in the treble than in a fullrange PA mix. Also the tweeters in bass cabs are crossed over much higher than in a PA, hence they're at less risk of damage. But plenty of bass cabs have protection circuitry to prevent tweeter damage when an amp is pushed too hard. [quote name='Mateybass' post='626588' date='Oct 15 2009, 12:21 AM']Ok, if you're still not convinced you could try a little experiment though I will add the disclaimer that if you follow these instructions, I take no responsibility for any damage whatsoever caused to your equipment or hearing.... try turning all your gain/EQ controls to max so you get a nice clipped sound... then whilst striking the open A string, gradually turn up your master volume control until you've reached full volume and see how far you get before your speakers/tweeters start rattling. [/quote] For starters if you turn everything to maximum you're unlikely to get a nice sound due to the many stages all clipping - the probably of every gain stage clipping in a sonically satisfying manner is minimal. Secondly, 'rattling' noises are no indication of speaker overload - farting noises are but they are indicative of over-excursion, not of thermal overload. In fact, thermal overload as you suggest will happen doesn't have an obvious sound - the speakers will get gradually less efficient, it'll get boomier in the high-bass as its T/S specs shift and then it'll die. Alex

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='626256' date='Oct 14 2009, 06:20 PM']I can attest that 40ft definitely does. I once tried 20ft -> pedalboard -> 20ft and it was shockingly dull-sounding when I true-bypassed the whole board, even with active basses.[/quote] I used to run 30' from bass to board, 30' from board to amp. Any decent* active preamp should be able to drive this with no change in tone whatsoever. * But so many aren't. My bandmates don't move enough for me to get tangled in them! The Q-Tuners on my passive bass don't appear to have a problem with the load from a 30' cable, which is nice... Alex

What's the point of buying anything other than a standard new build house? It's not about what you live in, it's about how you live your life. Alex

Your sums aren't quite right, which means you're exaggerating the issue. You've also failed to take account the lowpass filtering caused by the voice coil inductance, which makes the problem less severe. Anyway, the fundamental issue is not one of whether the waveform is clipped or not, it's how much power is being continuously delivered to the voice coils. If you prefer to run dirtier and more compressed sounds then it makes sense to have more thermal power handling than if you like a clean uncompressed sound. The main issue with any harsh fuzzy distortion, especially power amp clipping, is the increasing energy in the high frequencies. Woofers will filter this out but if you have tweeters they will get much more power and thus will be more likely to blow, hence the advice given on that site regarding amp:cab power ratios. Not so relevant with bass guitar cabs. Alex

How big is the enclosure? If it's not huge nor tiny then the Kappalite 3015 is definitely the most pound for pound. You can tweak the tuning to suit. Alex

Try the 1/4" line-out - many XLRs are set to mic level which is a lot quieter than line level. Alex

[quote name='NickH' post='625999' date='Oct 14 2009, 01:55 PM']How can a unit with a 1.5V power source, ergo a 0.75V headroom, handle my signal without severe compression?[/quote] I believe analogue wireless units use compression and expansion, like the dbx noise reduction on cassette 4-tracks. I think some of them also have highpass filtering (and possibly corrective EQ afterwards as on an RIAA curve preamp). Fortunately most bass rigs have sufficient colouration to hide the deficiencies of wireless, especially once the band is playing! Considering how static most bass players seem to be, I'd have thought a 30' lead would be a better solution to walk the floor during soundcheck (something I regularly do). The only times I have problems with being tethered is if I dance predominantly in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction... RCDs are probably a wise bet if you're a singing bassist - better take my own advice and get one! Alex

I shall definitely be attending this as Dave likes the idea of having a wall of Barefaced cabs on show! I'll be doing a workshop on acoustics and tone at 2pm, which unlike the other workshops will be free, because I'm worth it. Alex P.S. Just noticed I'll be Herbie Flowers' warm-up act. Am scared...

[quote name='Rich' post='625969' date='Oct 14 2009, 01:23 PM']The build process of my bass -- from initially visiting Jon to select woods and decide on finish & hardware, right through to collecting it and having the dream realised -- was one of the least 'hassling' things I have ever done! If the rest of my life was as much 'hassle' as that, I'd be the most relaxed man alive.[/quote] +1!!! As may have already been noticed I'm very curious about sound and I really enjoyed learning more about what I needed to get the tonal range and responsiveness I wanted. If Bilbo can suggest a production bass with the B-string tension of a 36" scale, the unplugged loudness and response to changes in plucking of a lightweight chambered body, the perfect balance of midrange growl and smoothness and tight big lows of a wenge/ash thru-neck, the clean open treble, midrange punch and bass depth with zero noise of Q-Tuners pickups, the upper fret access and balance of this body shape, the convenience and simplicity of all passive electronics, the neck feel of a wenge board and tiny frets, the resistance to fretwear and the brightness of stainless steel frets, the lowlight clarity of giant aluminium dots, the stability to never need a guitar stand when against a wall, and do all that at well under £2k then I'll be very interested! Alex