LawrenceH

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1350408132' post='1838449'] But that's not massively relevant to bass cabs - the important bit is the interaction of direct and reflected waves, which you didn't say anything about because you said you didn't know why your low B could sound quiet by your rig and knock drinks over at distance tables. That is why! [/quote] That will be why in a lot of cases, but to assume it's always like that makes an assumption that the size of your listening aperture is constant (and negligible). I'd like to know more about the neuro/mechanical integration of signals in perception of LF. Fletcher-Munsen curves for example could be dramatically influenced by the method of sound delivery if our brains are using different approaches at different frequencies. Eg whether differing pressure gradients across our body are perceived differently to a relatively constant pressure gradient, or how much we use direct vibrational sensing from our torsos versus mechanical resonance effects that are ultimately integrated at the ear (ie prior to the brain). People talk subjectively about bass kicking them in the chest and small cabs not doing that. A small driver/cab driven to high excursion would probably have a different distortion profile to a large driver/cab with inter-modulation distortion and Bl curves and all that, which could be one explanation - but it would also differ in nearfield sound pressure gradients, in areas occupied by the player's body. Has anyone actually tried integrating a small cab with something like a tecamp pleasure pump (ooer etc etc)?

I'd be interested in knowing more about how people perceive low frequency sound in the nearfield - subjectively, I think bigger cabs up close do sound more 'massive' than smaller ones. High excursion and more power can compensate for larger area in terms of overall SPL but up close, a larger cab would give a more even LF dispersion over a body than smaller - however this wouldn't be significant further away. How many people find that small 'super' cabs sound more like the real thing from further away? How vibration is perceived and integrated with signals from the ear strikes me as an interesting topic and I'd be curious to try those rumble packs like the tecamp one, see what difference they made.

[quote name='RichardH' timestamp='1349884644' post='1831812'] I can't comment on what would happen if you altered or omitted the crossover to attempt to get a more full range cab out of it - and the 3015LF is an expensive driver to trash! [/quote] It wouldn't do any damage but you'd get the unfiltered response shown on the datasheet, which IIRC has a big peak just above 1k and then drops rapidly, so it would sound quite clanky but lacking in clarity.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1350233963' post='1836087'] Oh no, that cab is definitely staying! It's my big ol' valve amp I might be reconsidering, so I had a fiddle around with WinISD just to remind myself of the capabilities of the cab. Trying the cab with your F1 made me wonder whether I really need to be lugging big lumps of iron around for the sound I go for, as there are clearly good sounds to be had from lighter amps. [/quote] Hah, I said it'd have to be a mad reason! You're obviously welcome to borrow the F1 if you've got any gigs coming up that'll push it a bit harder. If you think you'll take it to the limits, you've also got the know-how to build a decent HPF which would give a bit more breathing room, no? But I don't think you'd need it unless you had a really powerful amp, especially given that it's an 8 ohm cab

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1349990178' post='1833363'] it looks like WinISD uses one way peak figures (and I guess that's the convention?), so +/-4mm would be entered as 4mm. [/quote] Yup. As I've delved further I've found all xmax's aren't created equal and behaviour beyond xmax differs between different drivers in an audible way, so I reckon take the numbers as a rough guide and use your ears. Your cab with the B&Cs sounded reaaally nice I thought! If for some mad reason you want rid of it, let me know

Richard this looks great! I really hope you're going to expand out to cover some of the other GB cabs, the Crazy8 would get a lot of interest I'm sure. Glad to see two ply options too. I have to ask though, would you do thinner than 15mm ply in the poplar for those that are willing to add a few extra braces themselves? I've found the 12mm stuff perfectly adequate once suitably stiffened

Loads of overlap with 'post office' jacks in terms of name. But the jack that's closest to a 1/4" (type A) jack without being one and is probably the type B, have a look here [url="http://www.neutrik.com/en/audio/plugs-and-jacks/mil-b-gauge-type/"]http://www.neutrik.c...l-b-gauge-type/[/url] Similar enough to cause plenty of looks-like-it'll-fit-but-won't annoyances. Perhaps it's this one? EDIT one of these ones, I should say! There are a few variants...

Hah, I should've known that crowd would have been full of BC-ers. Thought all those who got up on stage did well enough, bassist laid down a lovely solid groove - though to say he was better than the big LG himself is going a bit far! Great night, the big US bands just know how to put a bit of theatrical energy into the performance in a way I've not seen from UK acts, good though many are

Can't help directly but the binding on the aerodyne is cream rather than white and matches up with a typical maple neck rather well (I defretted mine and used maple inlays, good match IMO)

I did rather more than 3 coats but that's because I wasn't using thinners to start with and had to sand back too much (with appropriate annoying waiting periods between). I think I made up about 50ml of the coating per go before adding thinner, which (obviously) made the coats thinner. I'd suggest applying that in several batches about an hour and a half apart, then leaving for the recommended few days (2?) in a well-ventilated warm environment, then repeating at least twice. The thinner I used, I actually mixed up myself because I had the chemicals handy - about 50/50 propanol and methanol I think, but just use the recommended Rustins stuff.

Hi Bob, sorry for the delay I've been away and only just saw your PM. Anyhow, I'd second the advice about not oiling the wood - it will likely mess up the coating and in any case it's totally unnecessary as the plastic coating itself will restore the natural lustre nicely. I think I used a bit of naptha-like spirits from my lab to clean the board (probably xylene) and it's probably worth a quick wipe to degrease, but I think you can overdo this. I found with my 'test' neck that cleaning too much eventually started leaching the colour from the neck along with the wood oil. The rustins was fairly forgiving to work with once I started using thinner, before this I found it was too thick and set too quickly trapping any bubbles, which are easy to form when brushing. I'd suggest starting with at least 20% added thinner. Mixing up in a glass jar and then leaving in the fridge for a bit with foil over was a good way of getting rid of excess bubbles at the beginning. Btw I used a radius sanding block for finishing, and it's worth getting the neck dead smooth before adding the coating as it's a b&*(^&r correcting even minor errors afterwards, as I learnt on my test neck. The plastic coating seems to shrink a bit over time a bit like nitro, so it starts flat but then little pores/dips begin to form if the wood hadn't been finished smooth. I'd even suggest trying the rustins grain filler if it's a particularly porous bit of rosewood. I waited about 2 weeks then sanded up to 1500 then T cut to finish. It was pretty mirror-like but to do a really good job I'd say go to at least 2000 first and use a higher quality 3M rubbing compound. Having said that the board already has snail trails from the roundwounds so probably not worth it. Only a very very minor cosmetic issue so far but I'll be interested to see how it holds up long-term. Hope that is useful, let me know if there's anything else.

look at buyer transactions. some tutorial books and a 'fender precision bass upgraded' back in 2010. I reckon he bought it as a Fender and got scammed unwittingly

[quote name='muttley' timestamp='1342008299' post='1727875'] <pedant mode on>It's [i]resonance [/i]</pedant mode> [/quote] Thanks, I will be sure to hit myself with a birch rod for besmirching our glorious language of course then I'd have to kill myself for insisting on saying 'tone' instead of 'timbre'! [quote name='Conan' timestamp='1342013167' post='1728043'] Not sure I understand. This post seems contradictory... The stereo output essentially splits the signal, one from each pickup then? So if you put them both into one twin channel amp and then into two stacked cabs, would the mids still be scooped? I'm confusing myself now! [/quote] With separate inputs you will not get the inductance change that alters the circuit tuning but you should still get the comb filtering effect, though this could be potentially further complicated if the channels introduce different phase shifts in the signal, which they will do e.g. with different EQ settings.

Great 80s bass line! Though probably divides BC users down the middle Dunno if it's the kind of thing you're thinking of since bass is pretty central to the plot (though I think that PR song is similarly built around the bass/drum groove) but how about Mark Adams (Slave) on eg Stone Jam? He was a master of fat grooves with a prominent bass personality [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd0GVUjBB08[/media]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1341870029' post='1725538'] He'll probably want to plug it into a combo or something. Be sure to mock him if he does. [/quote] Does yours go to 16Hz?! Surely his combo speaker blowing up at about 10 watts input will be sufficiently mock-inducing without any extra contributions . This looks a very cool and crazy project

Also worth noting that you can effectively separate the effects of changing capacitance/inductance from those of the phase cancellations if you have a pre-amp that buffers each pickup separately before the blend.

[quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1341875308' post='1725658'] It's not "phase cancellation" or "comb filtering." It's a function of[i][b] inductance[/b][/i] [/quote] The resonant peak of the tuned circuit is important especially for the upper mids, but comb filtering due to phase cancellations IS also important - if you move two pickups further apart the inductance remains pretty constant but the comb filter pattern changes as the OP talks about (scoop freq gets deeper) and this is really audible. There is/was a handy calculator that easily lets you visualise the comb filtering effect of pickup positions etc here http://www.till.com/articles/PickupResponseDemo/ But I think it's pretty old and sadly isn't working on my browser currently - if anyone can get it working it's great and you can see the first lowmid-scoop shift as you move the pickups apart.

This'll be great! Will be following the thread, very jealous of the CNC machine!

I'm not the greatest technician by a long way, but two things I'd suggest 1. While people build basic technique I've noticed they tend to tense their hands a lot and squeeze pretty hard as they try and force muscles to do things they're not used to. Once you get a bit better only the right muscles will be working (as opposed to lots in opposition to each other), and only as hard as they need to. In the meantime try consciously relaxing your hands while playing until all that's happening is the minimum necessary to fret the note clearly. 2. Make sure the bass is hanging right, look at your wrists to make sure they're not too cramped over. If they are, raise the strap and/or tilt the neck up. Basses round knees are a recipe for trapped tendons/RSI etc. Overall think about minimising the movement and effort needed to play, and making sure the basic position you're working from is comfortable and relaxed. If it's not then you're fighting uphill from the get-go.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1341620218' post='1722072'] Decent techs will be able to fix class D and SMPS amps fine. [/quote] Maybe, depending on the fault, but cheaply not so much - especially if the failure fries several components. Eg I have seen a PLX board burned out in several places to the point where the board was damaged. On a micro amp that is basically a write-off

All these switch-mode and Class D suggestions are great and all that, but as the OP talks about previous breakages its worth bearing in mind that they are difficult and expensive to repair if they do go wrong, which inevitably a few will. Stick with conventional power supplies and class AB topology and any decent tech should be able to mend it relatively cheaply. I don't know what the QC is like from the factory but those Hartke LH500s that were ridiculously cheap a couple of years ago had a solid, simple and proven design. Otherwise old SWR as mentioned, or Peavey. Pains me to say it given how annoying the stereotypical rehearsal room Peavey can be, but having picked up an old raxx pre recently I am very impressed by the engineering and have revised my opinion of their gear! That one is seriously undervalued. Crown, QSC amps though maybe avoid some of the early PLX series simply because they are a lightweight and therefore more complicated topology, and secondhand ones are likely to have been driven pretty hard so might be closer to the end of their lives.

A lot of bass cabs really aren't neutral at all... the Kappalite 3015 is a clean driver with a ~3dB rise in the upper mids and goes quite high on axis for a 15. I remember talking to Alex about this on here as coming from PA and hifi I felt even that 3dB was a lot, but really it's nothing compared to how bumpy other bass cabs are! If you are used to less clean drivers with big midrange spikes, which're exacerbated in cabs without much or any damping (most bass cabs!), then it might well sound a bit lifeless in comparison. You are much closer to neutral with the kappalite in a well braced and damped cab but neutral is a long way from typical with bass guitar! I also think 'neutral' cabs benefit more from a tweeter than other more typical designs, and the BF is notably tweeterless. Back more on topic. I'd hazard a guess that the 12" drivers used by Aguilar in both the DB and GS cabs are the same (but in different box tunings) and an OEM variant of the Eminence Delta 12/12LF/Pro series, using the cast frame of the latter with the smaller magnet of the former 2. They can tweak the designs to give more or less bass output and power handling, trading that off against overall sensitivity and upper-mid/HF (probably closer to the 12LF designs given the stated sensitivities). But that basic frame/magnet isn't going to match the output of a good 410, it won't have the excursion and to make matters worse you're dispersing the sound more broadly with 2 12s versus a 410 . The mostly ignored flip side of increased dispersion is reduced forward 'throw'. Similarly most neo 12s are variants of the deltalite 2512 (eg SL112), again this doesn't have the excursion to beat a good pair of tens. The Kappalites in the Barefaced are significantly more capable basic designs than these, but the HO variant of the 12s is voiced to give a strong upper-mid bite compared to the bass and low-mid. It'll kick out the bass if you throw power at it but the high sensitivity of the upper end will dominate the perceived sound unless you pad it back. I've no idea what crossover is in the super 12 but it could well play an important role in shaping the sound. It won't have the same low-mid hump as a lot of the delta/deltalite based designs either so the voicing at low volume is going to lack girth without EQ. There's no 'sound of 10 v 12' but there ARE common 10" and 12" drivers which dominate the market, with particular voicings and limits to their capabilities so in a sense people're right to say a 610 or even a 410 will beat a 212 - just important to recognise that it's just a function of which drivers are commonly used rather than inherent. Comparing 4 or 6 10s to 2 12s, you're at a point where which one comes out ahead in terms of bass output and total volume depends entirely on quality of drivers employed rather than diameter. With the market leading manufacturers the 410s will usually win. FWIW I think Bergantino use pretty hefty 10s, I'd bet on it going louder than the super 12 in the low mids but since it's sealed the BF could put out more sub-80Hz before reaching its limit, I'm guessing it'd need a lot of EQ to sound similar to the Bergantino though!

[quote name='EdwardHimself' timestamp='1341505144' post='1720217'] Possibly. I assumed the speakers were similar to what you would find in a markbass cab, which was similar dimensions to this one. I have bought a tweeter for this cab also, and as such have ordered a combination crossover/input panel with a frequency of 3.5 kHz, which is the top end of these speakers' frequency response: [/quote] The Markbass used to use something like the B&C 10hpl64, which has lower Fs and a tad more excursion. I don't know if they still do. Anyway, yours will hopefully sound great but if you get problems then an HPF, possibly combined with tweaking the porting, will probably help a lot.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1341502780' post='1720170'] That's much more of a concern with PA than electric bass. [/quote] Yup I'm sure this is correct - as I said my experience with this type of design is PA and for bass it probably doesn't matter nearly as much. [quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1341502780' post='1720170'] So long as you use at least 3rd order filtering on the midrange the response overlap zone is slight enough to minimize ill effects to the point of being virtually inaudibile [/quote] I differ on this from a PA perspective, at least crossed below 2k or so where individual frequencies are still easily perceivable as distinct musical notes. It might be a slight difference but if you're looking for it, it's there IME and will be more noticeable on things to which this register is critical. Really notice it on wedge monitor speakers where thanks to the angle you can easily move in two planes at once in relation to the drivers. However on bass, it may be audible but inconsequential... though I have to say for me the 1-3kHz range is really important whatever the instrument. All else being equal I'd rather have a system that didn't cross over in this region at all. [quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1341502780' post='1720170'] especially when compared to a typical commercial cab with woofers horizontally aligned and no midrange driver at all. [/quote] Absolutely yes... though if your nulls are only a few degrees off centre then whether it's horizontal or vertical, it's easy to move in and out of them. The advantages for bass may be small in practice, but properly implemented the only disadvantage I can see to crossing lower is cost, but that can be very significant!

Hi Edward, Those Celestions are decent but might struggle in a ported cab especially that size, would definitely benefit from a high-pass filter before the amplifier. The port area also looks a bit overkill for their displacement capability! I suspect they were designed with compact sealed cabs in mind, either a 410 or as part of a classic 210/115 stack. Good luck with the build, if the port tuning is in the right balpark it could sound very nice at lower levels!