flyfisher

I agree with the "generally get away with" thing, but why put up with something mediocre when a far better solution is readily available at insignificant extra cost? It's poor engineering really and the result is many discussion topics about noise problems and cavity shielding as a consequence.

It's also less about the actual temperature than maintaining that temperature over a wide range of different soldering tasks. Imagine soldering the lead of a, say, capacitor, to a PCB track. The cap lead and PCB track have little mass and therefore require little heat to get up to the set temperature - in other words, the tip of the iron will not be cooled down very much by the 'thermal mass' of the item being soldered. In this case, a fixed low wattage iron would be fine. Now imagine soldering the same cap lead to the case of a tone pot. This is a much larger piece of metal with a larger thermal mass and will cool down the tip of a low wattage iron, making it impossible to melt the solder until the iron has recovered its (and the pot's) temperature, meaning the iron needs to be applied for longer, meaning that the heat travels to other components possibly damaging them. In this case, a high wattage iron is needed that will quickly get the work up to temperature and make the joint without leaving the heat applied for a long time. So, if you have two (or more) sizes of irons then you'll be sorted for a wide range of jobs. Or, use a temp-controlled soldering station that like the one mentioned and be able to safely use it for a wide range of tasks. If you only ever use a soldering iron for making up instrument leads, then a suitable fixed wattage iron will be fine.

Outsourcing is all the rage these days isn't it?

XLR leads are readily available in any decent music shop aren't they? Funny how we wouldn't dream of using an unbalanced jack for a microphone yet are quite happy to use them for guitars/bass . . . . and then go to all the trouble of taking them apart and lining the cavilty with copper tape in order to minimise noise problems! Plus they would facilitate phantom powering, in the same way as condenser mics, and banish the need for batteries in the guitar/bass. But jacks are most definitely the standard and it seems that none of the mainstream manufacturers want to buck the trend, so we're stuck with a mediocre design.

Sorry, but that's a proper bodge job. It's not a repair but a modification - and not a good one. There are only two ways to connect 16 and 4 ohms speakers and the result will be 20 ohms (series) or 3.2 ohms (parallel). If it has been wired in series to give a 20 ohm cab, then adding a second 8 ohms cab (in parallel) would give a total load of 5.7 ohms, so perhaps that's what he meant by 6 ohms? But if the speakers are connected in parallel (as they were in the original cab) and he has done the same with a 4 ohm speaker, then he's left you with a cab that is below the minimum requirement for your amp and therefore the possibility of damaging the amp.

Looks good. Chinese made, of course, but that doesn't mean low quality these days. Here's the manufacturers info: http://www.atten.com/product/at980d-soldering-station/ If I didn't already have a Weller soldering station I'd certainly give it a try at that price.

If the 210 cab was originally 8 ohms then that means two 16 ohm speakers in parallel or two 4 ohms in series. A replacement parallel speaker would have to be 8 ohms to give '6' ohms (8+16 = 5.3 ohms). A replacement series speaker would have to be 2 ohms to give 6 ohms. When connecting two speakers/cabs in [u]parallel[/u], the resulting ohms will [u]always be less[/u] than the lowest value cab/speaker. It's not clear why the OP had one speaker replaced, but if it was supposed to be a repair then I'd be sending it back and asking that it be done properly. Here's a useful calculator for parallel resistances: http://www.1728.org/resistrs.htm

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1398244965' post='2431933'] I agree, ff, it is difficult but I just don't have much sympathy when it goes wrong. [/quote] Fair point, though in our situation it can't really go wrong as there is nothing promised and nothing expected because we're happy to effectively waive a fee in return for not having to put in any effort for finding gigs, negotiating terms and policing contracts. That's when it becomes more of a business than a hobby and its a line we don't want to cross. [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1398244965' post='2431933'] The only thing I can offer about your situation is... that you are sensible enough to cut your deal and the money doesn't matter and you are prepared to pay for the priveledge. [/quote] I wouldn't say we pay for the privilege of gigging. Yes, we spend money on gear and a bit of travel and sometimes rehearsal studios, but we'd be doing all of that whether we gigged or not - we all spend money on what we enjoy doing, don't we? Though I'm beginning to take your point that there could be some money for the asking, if only we pushed for it. Hmm.

I like those two tracks very much. Hope it works out well - sounds like a good project.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1398238819' post='2431855'] This, I'm afraid.... and this is why there is a persistant argument for not paying for silly money. Don't want to derail the thread but if a constant stream of bands break this 'ethic' then why will people change the habit. Don't be kidded that they are interested in bands or what they play when they treat them like this. It may not always be the promoters fault as such as the venue probably rents them the venue so this is all part of how people get paid. I sympathise with you getting ripped off, but you are perpetuating the state of affairs....as will the next band and the next band.. bla bla......... [/quote] We've discussed this before, but you make a very persuasive case and are also clearly on top of the 'business side' of being in a band - and all respect for that, it has given me much food for thought. As I've said before, I play in a 'hobby band' with a bunch of mates and we play about one gig a month. We play for enjoyment with little or no interest in making any money, or even covering our costs (though we've had a few gigs where we've been paid, but more as a 'tip' than a prior arrangement). This topic is a good example of the importance of the 'business side' of things if a band is going to make decent, regular money. And there, I think, is the issue. Because my two bands (and others like us, I guess) are not particularly interested in the money, all the 'business' stuff represents an unwelcome overhead that we really can't be bothered with. We don't want to put in the time and effort to promote ourselves or our gigs (beyond telling friends and colleagues), print posters, send out demos, cold call venues, discuss T&Cs, sort out contracts, etc. We don't have music business ambitions and are happy just to write our own songs and play a few favourite covers, so we're not 'chasing a dream' - we're just having fun and all that 'business' stuff would detract from that fun. Thus, our Good Friday pub garden gig last week was the result of a chance discussion with the Landlord of a local pub where both bands played for a couple of hours for free beer to about 50 people, mostly friends, family and acquaintances, and it was a happy afternoon for all concerned. Next week we're playing at a local football club 'supporters day' and we have a couple of charity gigs in the pipeline, including a spot during the Hertford Music Festival - all from informal, word of mouth discussion/invitations and typical of the sort of events we've played for the past five years or so. Also, a couple of band members play at regular 'folk nights' in local pubs, again just for the fun of a musical evening with friends. So, against that background, what are we expected to do? I can't believe we're unique.

[quote name='topheteatwo' timestamp='1398198471' post='2431634'] Like I said, we cleared our inbox and the e-mail got deleted so the agreement was gone but yes, I can remember asking for petrol money and they had said yes. [/quote] Well, it's never a good idea to destroy legal documents when they are your only protection against sharp practice - but I guess you know that now.

When you say . . . . [i]"Prior to the gig we had agreed to a £20 petrol fee in order to get us from Manchester to Liverpool for the ferry to Dublin and right back up to Belfast and they had humbly agreed to this."[/i] . . . . did you get their agreement in writing? If so, why would you not want to 'name and shame' someone who has clearly broken a contractual agreement in order to help prevent other bands falling victim to this sort of desicable behaviour. If not, er . . . . . at least you now know how much verbal agreements are worth.

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1398179780' post='2431254'] You mean like 'KawASSaki' as opposed to 'KawasAKi'? [/quote] Probably (tricky stuff, writing about pronunciation!), though now you've reminded me that I usually pronounce it 'kawa sarky' . . . . so that's a third option. Arrgh!!

It's just a matter of em-fasiss. I once knew someone who called Kawasaki motobikes 'kawass-acki' (if that meakes sense - difficult to write it down!)

[quote name='Thurbs' timestamp='1398156943' post='2430912'] It's probably worth pointing out that not all "playing live" is in sh*tty pubs to pissed punters. Why not try somthing new & different? [/quote] Quite. Some people must enjoy playing live in 'sh*tty pubs to pissed punters', because it seems a pretty tough way to make £40 or £50 otherwise..

Interesting piece here about the growth of Amazon over the past 20 years: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27055407 [i]Every man, woman and child in Britain spends an average of more than £70 a year on Amazon. That's more than half the country's entire online retail spend. It's an impressive result for a business started on a couple of computers exactly 20 years ago. [/i]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1398035475' post='2429813'] . . . but this is an Ampeg head we're talking about here. [/quote] Exactly. My answer won't necessarily apply to other amps or combos.

Cool

[quote name='jonsmith' timestamp='1397930907' post='2428792'] Quite - and I have downsized my rig considerably (in fact I was a pretty early user of the RH450). However even my RS212 becomes pretty large & heavy when I've carried it half a mile (from the nearest available & legal place to park). Weighted 88 key keyboards tend to be rather awkward too, as are Taurus 3s. Most decent people will get out of the way when they see you carrying a kick drum, but there are often people who don't. However, to be honest I have the same gripe about people being deliberately awkward when I'm carrying a guitar stand - someone blocking the way to the stage is behaving ignorantly regardless of what I'm carrying. [/quote] Yep, I wouldn't like to carry the RS210 half a mile, never mind the 212. I'm fortunate to have Mrs FF as a driver at most gigs, so she'll park up outside the venue while I unload and then drive off to park somewhere. There are certainly some places I wouldn't want to play without such an arrangement. As for people being deliberately awkward, I think I've been generally lucky to avoid them, though I can recall a few such occasions. If it was a regular thing, plus carrying gear long distances, then I'd also think very seriously about not bothering.

Unless you live next door to a bass shop that stocks what you want to try then travelling somewhere that does has a cost as well - financial as well as your time. As you say, many online retailers offer free return postage so the cost of trying something in the comfort of your own home can be zero, especially of you use a credit card, which is a good idea for all sorts of reasons, and don't have to pay the bill for 4 weeks, which is plenty of time to return the item and get a full refund. However, if you 'just don't like the idea' of using that sort of service then fair enough, it's your choice of course.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1398000964' post='2429372'] It's interesting to watch the online pricing strategies of the really big retailers. I track a number of lines across two particular suppliers and the biggest of these has been quietly pushing prices up over the last 18 months. I'd initially thought some of his was currency fluctuation stuff but I've noticed that both € and £ prices have risen. I've discussed this with distributors and manufacturers and there's definitely a view that prices are quietly increasing on some key product lines. It seems that the bigger they get, and as their completion stutters and fails, the more they are able to dictate market prices. Unsurprisingly they seem to be using their dominance to increase their operating margins. It'll be interesting to see how things develop as traditional bricks and mortar businesses fail. Basses are, essentially, quite a niche market compared to those that have most obviously been a success online. If we end up with just a couple of really large online retail outlets I'd surmise that prices will rise rather than fall and that range of stock will reduce because profits will be easier to maximise from a limited stock holding. [/quote] I'm sure you're right about. Market domination by a few big players is probably not good news whether they are shops or online, but markets are dynamic and subject to constant change. There have been instances of large supermarkets moving into a town, pricing aggressively to drive out the competition, then creeping up their prices. But then that lets in new competitors and so it goes on. I read that Tesco is now under pressure from the likes of Aldi and Lidl, which is a similar sort of scenario.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1398009775' post='2429482'] I'm wasn't moaning, I asked a question and then responded to an answer. Anyway music topics in 'Off Topic' is quite normal and I wouldn't expect any different.. But I'm just one of the people who prefers to avoid 'Off Topic' and instead talk about music. [/quote] Sorry, I wasn't having a go at you. Re-reading my reply, I think it was tainted by some of the ridiculous arguments on the other website forum I had in mind about topics added to the 'wrong' sub-forum. In fact, they could probably have a whole sub-forum devoted to arguments about topic classifications! Anyway, you're right that this isn't really 'off topic' given that it's very definitely music related, so my apologies for that. Perhaps a friendly mod will nudge it into the 'general discussion'?

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1398004962' post='2429430'] So that's still 'General Discussion: If its bass or music related ....' [/quote] Feel free to copy it somewhere else if it's a big problem. Personally, I've never bothered with any of the forum categories. I always use the 'view new content' button, having selected the 'new since my last visit' option and if I want to search for something then I just search 'forums' and it covers every category anyway. Another website I use has a huge number of forum categories and as regular posts complaining about whether almost has been added to the correct forum/sub-forum, while another website has a very active forum with only ONE category heading and the individual posts titles are self-explanatory. I can't honestly say that either method is particularly better than the other, except the latter one doesn't get clogged with posts moaning about where a topic has been posted

It's worth digging out the manuals and reading through them - they generally explain these things pretty well. Basically your combo has a 4 ohm internal speaker ( two actually, but the important thing is that they combine to be 4 ohms). Adding an external cab will reduce this impedance, so it,s important to know the minimum safe value, which in this case is 2 ohms. This means you can add a 4 ohms external cab to give an overall 2 ohms and get the maximum power from the amp. If you connect an 8 ohm external cab, you'll get an overall impedance of 2.7 ohms, which will be fine but you'll get slightly less than the maximum power from the amp. In practice I'd be surprised if you hear any difference and the type of cab you connect will likely make a bigger difference than the extra 0.7 ohms. So, ohm-wise, you can safely connect any external cab. Indeed, as jack points out, you could connect a second 8 ohm cab if you wished, which would give you a total of 2 ohms. This handy calculator can be useful to figure out the options: http://www.1728.org/resistrs.htm. Keep the overall result at 2 or more ohms and the combo amp will come to no harm. Of course, the audible effect of multiple cabs is another matter altogether, but at least you'll do no harm while experimenting. The other consideration is power. With a 4 ohm external cab, the available power will be split 50:50 between the combo and the external cab. With an 8 ohm external cab the power will be split 67:33, I.e 2/3rds to the combo and 1/3rd to the external cab. So assuming 500W with an 8 ohm external cab means about 167W to the external cab. So, again, almost any external cab should be fine.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1397994997' post='2429281'] As I see it, the primary advantage that a local shop has is that you can try the actual instrument out and see what you think of it. I find that there's enough variation in the same make and model that it's a big plus. Also, with lower and mid-priced instruments, if the shop sets them up properly before purchase, that's another big bonus which I would pay +delta for. [/quote] But you have a legal right to return anything bought online if you don't like it, so would you prefer an hour or two in a shop or a few days at home? Fair point about set ups. That could be a service differentiator for shops that offered a free set up to the customer's exact requirements. Wouldn't be much use for gear and accessories though.