alexclaber

[quote name='mike257' post='589520' date='Sep 4 2009, 11:34 AM']I guess it depends on the kind of gigs you're doing - if you're playing gigs where FOH is carrying your sound, and your amp is just on-stage monitoring, then a pre-amp means you've got some control over your tone before it hits the DI box and the audience's ears. If your backline is what the audience are hearing, then there's little reason to add yet another set of tone controls to the ones already present on your bass and your amp, unless the tone you want ain't in there.[/quote] I think that sums it up very neatly! I use my Avalon U5 both as a preamp and a DI - when gigging with the Big One I just tell the soundman to leave the EQ on the board flat unless the PA is weird, whilst with the Compact I ask him to roll off the highs on the board to replicate the roll-off of the 15" driver, otherwise the I'll end up adjusting my tone with my playing to suit the song but that'll be based on a stage sound which is dissimilar to the FOH sound. I haven't yet gigged with my Shuttle 6.0 but I presume with that I'll run the DI pre-EQ with the Compact but post-EQ with the Big One or T'Midget/Compact stack. Alex

Actually, is it what comes around goes around? Max Cavalera 'sang' it anyway... Alex

Come on people, what goes around comes around! Karma and all that... Corrugated cardboard and parcel tape should do the job. Still got the polystyrene corners? Alex

I had a fairly painful experience when I last bought from them as the items were lost in transit. Took quite a while to get it sorted out and ended up being debited twice and then losing money on the refund due to the exchange rates. Is the saving sufficient to justify the less personal service you'll get compared to one of the smaller UK dealers? Go to them with the Thomann price and see if they can get close enough for you. Alex

When speakers with non-rubber/foam surrounds/suspension are new they require a good few hours of use for the suspension to loosen up and the speaker settle into its long-term characteristics (basically the bottom end gets bigger). If they're old but haven't been used in ages that shouldn't affect the suspension (unless it's foam in which case it could have perished), so all you need to worry about is making sure they're not damp - give them some time in a warm dry room to ensure there aren't any moisture related problems (damp cones will crease more easily under high excursion). Alex

If they are using the truly comic PMPO 'standard' then by that measure the power amp in my U5/PLX rack is 12000W. Pwned, I do believe. Alex

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='588848' date='Sep 3 2009, 04:56 PM']I have to say, I really liked the long, complicated manual. But maybe that's just me.[/quote] Well I hope to house that deeper info on the site for those who want to learn more. I too like giant techy manuals, am just concerned that those who most need to read them are those that are least likely to! Alex

[quote name='Uncle Balsamic' post='588831' date='Sep 3 2009, 04:41 PM']D you have a manual for the Big One yet Alex?[/quote] I had a giant generic Barefaced manual but it's too long and complicated so I'm trying to write some more easily digestible ones. The Big One is on the to-do list! Alex

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='588734' date='Sep 3 2009, 03:31 PM']It works OK fer me. As a result of reading it, I've just bought some earplugs.. cheers, Alex![/quote] Great, earplugs are invaluable! I'll be doing a similar manual for the Vintage (though that's so damned loud it should pretty much look after itself!) and the Big One. The Big One is definitely the problem child as it really shows up limitations in both technique and amplification, but if those issues are sorted then it's a joy to use as its huge max SPL (similar to the Vintage), relatively uncoloured sound and fantastic polar response make it very resistant to problems with venue acoustics, noisy bandmates and so on. But it's not quite so plug and play. And the Big Baby will be even worse because that'll just eat power. Anyway, one step at a time! Alex

Only Behringer would be so desperate to attact attention with such a powerful amp that they feel the need to talk in peak power rather than continuous RMS power! Despite it only having about half the claimed power it's still more than enough to kill any of their cabs... I wonder how much of the R&D on this amp involved a competitor's product and a photocopier? Alex

The Ernie Ball Jr.s are nice. But with practice you should be able to get just as much dynamic range with how you pluck, and they'll sound like real dynamics due to the resulting change in timbre. If you do get a pedal, make sure the pot value is similar to the volume on your bass (so 250-500k for passive pickups, ~25k for active pickups) or you'll either lose a load of highs or have a very uneven sweep. Alex

[quote name='v8bass' post='588747' date='Sep 3 2009, 03:44 PM']which gives me sleepless nights .. Gary v8[/quote] Looks like a Carl Thompson but is it? Alex

There've been a few threads about them and Musicman20 has tried them out. I'll be very interested to see how they perform in the real world... Alex

And here it is - shorter, sweeter and less scary. Any suggestions from owners always appreciated! Alex

The latest Vintage and Compacts are now in stock. New Big Ones imminent. Midgets getting ever closer... Alex

[quote name='bubinga5' post='588472' date='Sep 3 2009, 11:53 AM']Are you saying Alex that if i bought a Tone Hammer it would sound exactly like my AG500?[/quote] That depends on the circuitry inside both preamps. If the EQ and overdrive are voiced the same, then yes, if not then no. Put it this way - adding an outboard preamp is no different to adding an EQ pedal and/or a distortion pedal (depending on what that preamp does). The different between an outboard preamp and an onboard preamp is that the latter buffers the pickups much more directly, removing treble loss due to cable capacitance (see the Audere website and Z switch for more info on how pickups interact with cables and input stages). [quote name='GreeneKing' post='588449' date='Sep 3 2009, 11:35 AM']I'd love to hear the RH 450 through a Vintage Alex [/quote] The most recent Barefaced Vintage has gone to an RH450 owner! I bet it's quite loud... Alex

Best at what? Using an outboard preamp pedal to make a passive bass 'active' is no different from claiming plugging a bass into an amp makes it active! It's just a load of extra EQ. Alex

Don't add any more effects now, just revel in having more space to fill if you want to. I've played in one guitar bands for such a long time that I can't imagine having another guitar getting in the way! You may eventually conclude that some songs need some overdrive to fill space in a generic rock way but before you get to that point I recommend turning up your amp and reducing any boost in the lows - more loudness in the midrange to fill the space. Simple chords and octaves can be very effective. Also when writing new material, don't instantly play the lowest root note you can, start further up the neck and on the thinner strings. Alex

I'd been playing exclusively 4-string for almost a decade when I got my RIM Custom 5 but I took to it like a duck to water - really thought it would take me a lot longer to adjust! Alex

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='588102' date='Sep 2 2009, 10:26 PM']good question, I will be wanting to see how my LM2 does. In comparison with my 8 ohm Markbass 4*10, how load will the Big One be???[/quote] I'll let you find out for yourself without putting any ideas in your head! Alex

When we say 'floating' do we really mean floating? I still stand by my belief in the benefits of resting (not anchoring!) AND shifting. Alex

[quote name='Uncle Balsamic' post='588035' date='Sep 2 2009, 09:50 PM']How loud do you reckon a Markbass LMIII with the big one would be?[/quote] Good question! I don't honestly know. The Markbass heads are very well proven with the Compact but if the LMIII makes annoying farting noises at the limit (like the LM800) then it depends on how often you reach that limit. The Big One is horribly good at showing up the deficiencies of amps at their limits - the perils of low colouration cabs with extremely high power handing! Won't be quiet though. Alex

My RIM Custom 5. The joy of a 36" scale thru-neck wenge/ash five with chambered body and outstanding passive electronics. Incomparably HUGE sound and so tonally and dynamically responsive to your playing. Alex

Too stressed, you'll have to wait until next week because Fedex don't deliver on Saturday and I don't want to rush it out tomorrow! Alex

Briefly tried the Shuttle 6.0 on the latest Barefaced Vintage today. Preposterously loud when the signal light is barely blinking. Calculated max SPL of the rig is about 130dB (and I wouldn't be surprised if that's eminently possible in reality) which is just stupid loud, stupid stupid LOUD. Sadly I think the Vintage weighs a smidgeon too much for the whole rig to come in under 50lbs but it's close! I've attached an low-frequency RTA of the Shuttle 6.0 with EQ set flat and LF boost on and off. Nice highpass filtering built in, not dissimilar to the 35Hz 4th order LR highpass you usually run on live sound systems (subs included). What's notable about the LF boost is it actually shifts the highpass filter upwards which makes it possible to get big bottom from your cab without over-excursion. Be interesting to see how everything else compares at the bash! Alex