alexclaber

[quote name='Changles' post='548816' date='Jul 23 2009, 12:39 PM']low passing sounds like the best option.......but does that remove or cloud any of the high end? i like a real bright sound y'see[/quote] Unfortunately yes, that's how it works. Does the DI hiss as much as the power amp out? Alex

Use a lowpass filter or cut treble afterwards on the recording. Alex

He's definitely a bit nuts but he really understands tone and groove. I believe it was a Stingray on RATM, Jazz thereafter. Then on Audioslave a Jazz tuned BEAD initially and I stopped taking much notice after the eponymous album. Amp-wise it was a dual SVT/810 rig on Evil Empire, one clean, one dirty. On Audioslave it was a triple amp/cab rig, one clean, one overdriven, one fully distorted. Clean rig always running, then adding other rigs on top. Pedals only going to dirty rigs. High action and rather Jaco right-hand technique - lots of attack and lots of dynamic range thanks to the good plucking technique and high action. Although his gear is very tweaked in I bet he'd get his sound on almost anything. Very little work for the engineer, almost everything just being the sound coming from his rig plus a smidgeon of DI (yes that's between 4 and 6 channels on the board!) Evil Empire isn't as accessible as RATM, their debut album was a blinding combination of hooks, groove and attitude, but the bass tones need to be heard by all. Battle of Los Angeles is cool too but a bit more of the same - Calm Like A Bomb, Testify, Guerrilla Radio and Sleep Now In The Fire being the stand-outs. I rather like Renegades, which is their 'covers' album - although some are relatively straight covers some are much further removed, like the final track Maggie's Farm - a classic RATM hard-grooving riff monster with lyrics by Bob Dylan. The first Audioslave album is worth hearing, especially from a bass tone perspective, but Brad's drumming doesn't work so well in a more traditional rock context and it's far from finding the magic that happens when there's an angry De La Rocha providing the lyrical ooomph. Alex

Regarding the scale length thing, I'm starting to wonder if the sonic difference has a significant effect upon how you play? I just feel like with my 36" scale I'm playing a bit more like on a double bass, more open strings, fewer notes, a more percussive BIG note vibe as opposed to slinking about. Like the opposite of Norman Watt-Roy on Rhythm Stick. Alex

Two routes you can take - a more powerful power amp and then a Compact or Big Sub. Or same power amp and a Vintage. Regarding the depth - how much time do you spend standing behind your rig? Alex

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='548646' date='Jul 23 2009, 10:31 AM']But as I say, with all things being equal. In other words, when I've been testing the Peavey against the Tapco, I've been running the VXL directly into the Peavey's power amp input. Oh, hold on. The Tapco is, of course, designed to ideally accept a balanced connection (but I'm running a TS jack into it at the moment), while the Peavey's power amp input is happy with standard TS jacks. So that means there's a potential 14 dB increase at my fingertips if I run a TRS input into the Tapco (if I correctly remember the difference between balanced and unbalanced signals)? That could compensate enormously.[/quote] 6dB increase if they're summing balanced inputs but some balanced inputs don't sum and have a floating side IIRC. The (very commonly) overlooked issue is that different power amps have different amounts of gain. If you look at the QSC PLX range all their amps have the same gain of 32dB (40x), but this means that their most powerful model (3400W) will have the same output as their least powerful (1200W) model with the same preamp output. However the Crest CA series have gains from 45x to 115x, so the more powerful the amp the louder it is with the same preamp (at equal settings) driving it. [quote name='BottomEndian' post='548646' date='Jul 23 2009, 10:31 AM']The VXL's about to be replaced in the chain with a Bass PODxt with a TRS output, so we'll see what happens. Sonic death, I suspect.[/quote] Death indeed. Doom? [quote name='BottomEndian' post='548646' date='Jul 23 2009, 10:31 AM']That might explain a lot too. So there's no apparent disparity between the ratings of bass amps and power amps like there is between valve and SS? (And yes, I say again: I know a watt is a watt, but there's all that lovely distorted headroom with valves.)[/quote] There is disparity because bass amp heads are rarely rated to such stringent specs as PA power amps. The few that are (like the DB750) are considered incredibly loud for their rating because they really can produce their rated power at essentially zero distortion (and if you push them harder they'll get louder still, just dirtier). Alex

As you're using a VXL to drive the power amp my guess is that you have a lack of gain so you're not reaching full power. Alex

The Peavey may have higher distortion levels which will make it sound louder. It may also have less flat frequency response, with more mids and less bottom, again making it sound louder. However your Tapco power amp should still go louder, just need to EQ it for the same sound and keep turning it up and up. I do know that some of the old Peavey heads actually used the same power supply and possibly the same power amp module as their PA power amps (hence the weight because the power supply was enough for two channels but one wasn't there!) Alex

There is a way to get valve amp tone but low weight and that's with one of the rare designs that use a valve preamp to drive a tiny valve power amp which drives a dummy load, and then you tap that dummy load to drive a lightweight power amp (or internal power amp module). DHA makes both an integrated head and a separate preamp like this, whilst there were some Warwick amps and preamps of the same configuration (quadruplet?) in the past. Alex

If your cab is 8 ohms you can add a second 8 ohm cab. If your cab is 4 ohms you cannot add another cab. Your cab cannot be both a 4 ohm cab and an 8 ohm cab, it has to be one or the other. If you add another cab it should have similar excursion limited power handling or it will fart out prematurely - that means any current 1x12"s on the market are unsuitable, likewise almost all 2x10"s. Plenty of 2x12"s and a few 1x15"s that could keep up but whether they'll prove a good match sonically is a case of trial and error. Why do you need another cab? Most players would find that 2x12" loud enough. Alex

[quote name='dood' post='548008' date='Jul 22 2009, 07:09 PM']Is there a Big One doing the rounds at the moment Alex?[/quote] No, it's extra size seems to make frequent shipping too much of a liability. However the Big Baby will be doing the rounds and it sounds all but identical, just ~5dB quieter. Alex

Hang on, is your 2x12" 4 ohms or 8 ohms? Alex

[quote name='crez5150' post='547848' date='Jul 22 2009, 05:14 PM']...I've never ever gotten round to having a bash at this one....[/quote] I have and it's the only thing that makes me want a shorter scaled and lower action bass! I used to play much more like this years ago but nowadays I'm more into bigger but fewer notes, so having to slink around at that speed is quite a shock. (Yes I could use my 34" 4-string but that's not the point!) We need some kind of "Basschat approved successful rendition of HMWYRS" certificate, a rite of passage like not drowning in the school pool on the way to a badge or two! Alex

Impressive! Alex

I love RATM so much. Possibly my favourite band. And the tone on Evil Empire is unparalleled. "Yeah, we better turn tha bass up on this one!" Alex

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='546109' date='Jul 21 2009, 10:33 AM']Wu divvnt, but wuz divvent forget wor 'E's on the end of 'Grille' neetha. [/quote] As someone that is stalwartly English in his spellings, far too fussy about words in general and has spent more hours than you can imagine thinking about grills, yet has never even considered writing grill as grille, I think you're fighting a battle that has already been lost! Alex

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='536074' date='Jul 8 2009, 10:43 PM']OK, here's another bit of startling info. Sorry it's all coming in fits and starts. I'm just posting stuff here when it comes to mind. Weighed the Vintage today (on the bathroom scales, so not completely accurate, but good enough): [size=4][b]56 lb[/b][/size]. That's 25.4 kg.[/quote] I shall be very happy if that's accurate! I have ordered some scales so I can take measurements myself rather that trying to manhandle a rather large cab into a rather small local Post Office... Alex

[quote name='buff' post='547422' date='Jul 22 2009, 11:21 AM']So volume wise would the lh1000 be an overkill in a band practice situation ?[/quote] No, it has a volume knob! It's also very nicely compatible with my favourite cab. Bear in mind that it's quite a bit heavier than the LH500 so unless you have a particularly potent cab that can truly handle the extra power when you want to go super-loud then you'll be carrying that extra weight to no avail. Alex

[quote name='davidmpires' post='547406' date='Jul 22 2009, 10:59 AM']If you type in Bass Chat on google the first thing that comes up is Alex's forum...[/quote] Nothing to do with me, I'm far too rubbish with computers to do anything that cunning! Alex

Agreed on both points. Many bargains in there and most cheap PA speakers really struggle with handling the lows compared to similarly priced bass cabs. Alex

[quote name='eude' post='542988' date='Jul 17 2009, 10:20 AM']There's no reason these days that basses have to enormous and ungainly... [/quote] My 36" bass is shorter overall than a Fender and the reach to the first fret is shorter than on my Warwick. Ergonomics! Good move on going chambered, I'm definitely a convert to its tonal benefits. Alex

I guess for those gigging less frequently the testbed will have to be the rehearsal room to stop the cabs taking forever to get anywhere. Alex

This is a standing wave phenomenon, so you get high pressure in the nodes at the reflection points. Although you can't escape it you can at least try to minimise cancellation nulls by correct cab positioning - extra bottom isn't going to hurt anyone or mess up the mix much, but no bottom really will spoil the vibe. A cab with good midrange response, especially off-axis, will suffer less from low frequency response variations round the room because so much of the tone is in the mids, just as a really good small hi-fi speaker is less likely to need a subwoofer to sound good than a cheaper but equally bassy small speaker. Alex

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='547343' date='Jul 22 2009, 09:45 AM']Maybe he needs to send another one round in the opposite direction? Then everyone gets to try it twice, and the person in the middle of the list gets to try a stack of 2.[/quote] I could do that or I could send a Midget round. I'd also like to let people try the Big Baby because I really want to find out how much power it needs to rock (as it isn't a high sensitivity design like the others). Alex

Your assumption is quite correct. There's also the matter of moving the 1048H! If 4x10" worth of speakers isn't enough you're either too loud or they're not good enough at bottom for you. Alex