alexclaber

[quote name='BassBod' post='612907' date='Sep 30 2009, 12:40 PM']There, proved wrong by science (well, Alex) again. I've always considered SWR to be pretty faithful to the sound of the instrument, provided you are careful with the eq and particularly the aural enhancer.[/quote] I thought my SWR Grand Prix was pretty flat until I tested it and got quite a shock! With the EQ zeroed and aural enhancer off it was boosted in the lows and highs and scooped at 250Hz. By adding ~8dB of boost @ 250Hz on the semi-parametric the response was effectively flattened. The aural enhancer just added gain until ~10 o'clock with no change to the frequency response, but once you went past this point it started to cut yet more midrange centred @ 250Hz. Alex

Confused! What abour your drummer's kit? Or is he happy air-drumming? Alex

It's probably the speakers in the Ashdown that are getting in the way of the jazz sound - I'll be frequency analysing lots of heads at the forthcoming bass bash to find out what they all do and I bet the Ashdown head can be tweaked into near flatness whilst the woofers they use tend to be a very different kettle of fish. From the scopes I've seen of GK amps (which correlates with what I've heard) they're pretty flat through the mids (not scooped like SWR) but have a rising response in the treble and a roll-off on the bottom, which gives the characteristic bright, growly, tight tone. Alex

One other thing - a 140W combo driving its internal speaker and a similarly sized extension cab will be as loud or louder than a 300W amp driving just the one cab of similar size to either the combo or the extension cab, especially in the lows. Size matters! Alex

[quote name='JTUK' post='612829' date='Sep 30 2009, 10:57 AM']As to the argument about 15's and 10's... you need to see what freq specs the cabs have...[/quote] Ha! Such specs would be useful if they weren't plucked out of thin air by the marketing department 99% of the time... [quote name='JTUK' post='612829' date='Sep 30 2009, 10:57 AM']and more to the point how they work out in practise.[/quote] Exactly! Alex

[quote name='nash' post='612407' date='Sep 29 2009, 08:07 PM']yea i think each 2x10 is isolated on the 8x10 the 6 and 4 are both ported[/quote] The key difference between the 8x10" and the HLF cabs is the drivers - the latter have very little upper midrange, deep lows and high excursion. The original SVT drivers were guitar ones and they've changed quite a lot over the years but they're still much better at midrange punch and treble than the HLF drivers, but don't go as deep and rely on there being eight of them to handle enough power in the lows. The reason the HLFs are ported and the 8x10" is sealed is because that's what the different drivers need to perform well. The 8x10" is subdivided into four 2x10"s but that doesn't affect the tone, it's just a cheap but heavy way of making the enclosure more rigid. My bet is that the NV610 sounds closer to the early 8x10"s than any current Ampeg product. Alex

[quote name='Mr.T' post='612673' date='Sep 30 2009, 12:12 AM']Surely everything in the sound chain is 'coloured' from the strings, materials used to make the bass, etc.[/quote] That's just how the instrument sounds - the true tone. The subsequent amplification stages are where you can have more or less colouration, and in a high colouration rig this may be essential to your overall tone (as with electric guitars). A PJB Bass Buddy plus some decent headphones is probably the cheapest route to really hearing the true sound of your instrument. Or a Café Walter if you can get hold of one here. (Or the aforementioned Avalon U5 for a bit more money). Headphones can be a bit strange in how they represent the lows though the mids and highs should be much more accurate than all but the most advanced low distortion speaker cabs. Bear in mind that arguably the biggest contributor to tone is how you choose to play the instrument, especially as the most strongly defining part of the sound is the attack when the finger/pick strikes the string - hence allegedly crap gear sometimes sounding better than boutique gear - money doesn't buy talent! Alex

[quote name='chris_b' post='612698' date='Sep 30 2009, 01:11 AM']Alex has a cab travelling around the country being tried by Basschatters.[/quote] Two Compacts and one Big One actually! To find out where they are and where they're going see here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?act=SF&s=&f=73"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?act=SF&s=&f=73[/url] Alex

The closest to flat (at a sensible price) you'll get is an Avalon U5 into a PA type power amp. However the Markbass heads do stack up pretty well for low colouration. Many s/s heads can be EQ'd to be close to flat but the settings are often hard to find and that doesn't take into the dynamic response (what happens during the attack of the note gives much of the tone to any instrument). The speakers are the weak link, hence my obsession with them! If money and weight are no object the high-end PA cabs like Meyer Sound will perform very well (and mean you won't need a power amp). However if you like how your bass sounds through your highly coloured rig, then why worry?! Alex

[quote name='Snakey Lane' post='603608' date='Sep 20 2009, 03:10 PM']So, 15 months after commissioning the bass, and after a lot of excellent crafstmanship from Robbie, today I collected it from Robbie. It is A-MAZING. More photos to follow soon.[/quote] Awesome! Will it be coming to the SE Bass Bash to meet its big brother? Alex

[quote name='nash' post='612008' date='Sep 29 2009, 02:24 PM']4X10 HLF Classic[/quote] Good cab - but sounds absolutely nothing like an Ampeg 8x10"! Alex

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='612053' date='Sep 29 2009, 03:06 PM']Is there an alternative name for the T'Midget, for us (originally) Yorkshire folk? "T'T'Midget" is a bit of a mouthful... [/quote] Alex

I'll be starting a T'Midget tour quite soon, if you want to go first on the list! Alex

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='611740' date='Sep 29 2009, 10:53 AM']Yeh, the synth has a lot to do with it TBH but being the newbie, and given that he is a seasoned professional I don't feel inclined to say anything to him just yet... [/quote] An unnamed Barefacedite had some fun recently with a seasoned semi-professional keyboardist doubling all his basslines (which made it really hard to hear his bass but he couldn't work out why) and then denying doing it even after said bassist stopped playing and started miming yet the bassline continued (with a keyboardy tone). You couldn't make it up! Alex

Sounds like the cab simply doesn't suit your sound - something like T'Midget or T'Double Midget would be more up your alley. 'Sizzle' doesn't happen without a tweeter or midrange driver to get those extra highs. The D&G strings getting lost will be due to a lack of high midrange in your tone - but if that's the sound you like then you need a cab that can reproduce your higher treble to give you that cut. I'm still amazed at the number of people that comment on it having huge lows - with the proliferation of smaller lightweight rigs has everyone forgotten what real bottom end sounds like?! I boost my lows when using a Compact to get closer to the greater bass depth and weight of the Big One. Anyway, for your next rehearsal, get some more high mids into your sound and/or go towards the back pickup and you should cut through better. Note that adding more higher treble won't do much because the Compact cuts off fairly sharply at ~4kHz, plus it's quite directional in the highs. Getting the cab off the ground will make the treble more audible and reduce the lows, which sounds like a win-win for you! But regardless it's not the cab I'd recommend for you based on what you've said about your tonal leanings. Alex P.S. No carpet because lots of players don't like it - hence the ratfur nickname - with its pilling habit, and tendency to collect smells and hairs. And tolex rips too easily. And neither of those can be easily recoated when the cab is looking old and tired. P.P.S. All the new Compacts are lighter still!

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='609894' date='Sep 27 2009, 10:58 AM']Also, will anyone be taking any passive 5 string basses on the day, as I'd like to make a comparison between my two active Fender 5's and a passive 5..?[/quote] I will! Alex

[quote name='TheButler' post='611383' date='Sep 28 2009, 10:34 PM']How do they work? Is it a new technology they use for the transformer or something? I didn't know air had very good amplifying properties.[/quote] Switch mode power supply and Class D power amplifier. Alex

Unfortunately the black finish will make it much easier to lose down the back of the sofa... Alex

This was the very first Compact performing alongside a drummer who's playing a big Bonham-style acrylic kit with 26" kick and a guitarist using a 100W 2x12" valve combo. Only vocals and sax through the PA. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=34146&view=findpost&p=357133"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&sho...st&p=357133[/url] Alex

[quote name='BigBadBass' post='601358' date='Sep 17 2009, 02:49 PM']Any advice on tuning down and keeping as much tension on the strings as possible?[/quote] Heavier strings. However, I'd have a go at playing the riffs in standard tuning as it may give a nice difference in feel. Or ask him if he'd like to drop a semitone further to B standard tuning! Alex

[quote name='chris_b' post='601288' date='Sep 17 2009, 01:32 PM']Some light weight cab makers don't put feet on the bottom of their cabs, so they are resting on the plastic corners which don't give any grip. I put rubber feet, from Maplins, on mine. Now no more wandering.[/quote] Yes, that's a good point, one I cottoned onto recently. Alex

[quote name='onehappybunny' post='601252' date='Sep 17 2009, 12:59 PM']...and to prevent the chance of my instrument cable pulling the head off the top of the cab...[/quote] I put my cable through the strap handle on the cab to prevent this from happening! Alex

Am I right in guessing that so far you have the SVP BSP and are looking to build a clean/dirty rig around it? So two channel amp, two cabs, one for each half of the preamp? Your preamp only has a couple of valves in, I doubt it gets hot enough to cause problems - if you're worried then put the tuner above it because that's almost as good as having an empty space. Tons of good amps out there. Amongst decent ones (i.e. not cut-price 'DJ' models) you'll get the most amp for your money with a used heavyweight. If you're looking at new amps then I'd recommend the QSC PLX2 and Crown XTi as a good place to start. Alex

A well-designed power amp will not need any extra spaces for ventilation. Why not buy a ~1000W/ch power amp and turn down one side? Alex

I can't see it being of much benefit for your playing as the hands do such different things. I recently taught myself to airdrum left-handed which is useful because it increases your limb independance and encourages you to play non-standard patterns when you go back to right, but bass is quite a different matter! (I imagine learning left-handed piano could be quite useful for the same reason, if you could find a left-handed piano!) Alex