LawrenceH

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1320594607' post='1428710'] Muddy sound at festivals being attributed to the wrong mic choice on bass cabs by ill-informed/lazy/deaf sound technicians is an interesting theory. I just can`t understand why it still goes on what with all this excellent advice on the tintanet.. Nice to know the profession is respected. [/quote] I certainly didn't say the overall sound was muddy - just that I happen not to like the bass end, in particular the interaction with kick and bass, and often find that the bass drum doesn't sit in the mix well with folk-y/jazzy bands, being far too dominant. It's just an opinion, but then if I'm there are as a punter my opinion is just as valid as anyone else's including that of the engineer as to whether the sound is any good.

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1320535117' post='1428225'] so I suppose all the worlds working engineers must be wrong. I`ll let them know. Ta. [/quote] Yes. They are... At least at festivals I've been to. Inappropriate 'rock' style scooped kick and bass mic-ing, with overly dominant kick drum and poorly defined bass seems to be the 'festival sound', regardless of genre. Oh look, it's an acoustic guitar, a violin and some ethereal, gentle female vox. Right, better whack up the bass drum, drown all that boring rubbish out

[quote name='squire5' timestamp='1320345562' post='1425717'] Heads up on this guys.My German friend has just been in touch.He's checked the p/up and has declared it dead.I now have to find a replacement.Any ideas? [/quote] EMG soapbars are 1.5" high...a quick check reveals that the 6-string 45 series are 4.5" wide as well (not the 40P but the others). You can get active and passive variants, there's probably something in there that'd give the right sound for you! http://www.emgpickups.com/products/index/124/29/2 http://www.emgpickups.com/products/index/239/253/2

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1320240735' post='1424153'] How about the Eminence Basslite s2012 for a pair of smallish 1x12s? I've seen them at decent prices, they have lower Fs and Eminence have designs on their website for sealed or ported 1x12s. [/quote] Blimey! I wouldn't be worried about the bass response for the BN12-300s as a pair would still outdo a single deltalite down low but with more mid/top as a bonus (I had a quick play in winisd), but at that price ouch! No way. I think the 4ohm variants would be too problematic for use with your other (SS) head. Alex's options are all good, just be sure with the basslites that the whopping 9dB sensitivity peak around 2.5k versus average is something you can live with! I'd personally find it a bit harsh. Given the availability issues, for the DIY route if it were me I'd go for the single deltalite in a 60-odd litre cab. Use Alex's construction method with light ply and you'll literally be able to throw it in the air - we built a pair of BFM Jack 10s, one normal cheap ply and one poplar. They're about 75 litres external volume and fair more heavily braced than a simple ported box, and they are stupid light especially the poplar one (not so keen on the sound but that's another story).

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1320221748' post='1423811'] DIY is not entirely out of the question, but needs an empty house for a couple of days so that I can get my workmate out and take over the kitchen! For some reason, I'm happy to to do things with instruments and valve amps, but wary of cab design as I feel like there's a lot I don't understand thoroughly. I also considered selling the Wizzy 10 and the big ol' 1x15" and going for a pair of 1x12" cabs, so that I could use one or two with either my Clarus head or the Carlsbro depending on the situation. [/quote] I might get slated for saying this, but the good thing about bass cabs is that they are generally pretty rubbish from a hi-fi perspective and it doesn't really matter...as long as you choose a ball-park size and tuning that suits a driver you're ok. All of the hi-tech is really in the driver design. You'd easily have the skills to make a cab that was stiff enough and airtight. A pair of 112s is similar to my thinking with the 10s, flexibility at the price of increased cost and a small increase in overall weight. Apart from the cost I'd hesitate to use the deltalite for this if you wanted to make them tiny, but 60l+ internal volume and you'd have a monstrous set-up. For a pair of 112s I'd maybe look at some cheaper, pressed-steel frame woofers. As a rule they don't sound as controlled with power in the bass as the cast chassis, but they're generally lighter and at your power levels it wouldn't matter too much. If you can find them at the old, cheaper price or secondhand you might consider the celestion orange label neos, not many people here rate them on spec because everyone's focused on xmax but they extend nice and high and with good sensitivity again, I think they'd be voiced to your liking http://professional.celestion.com/bass/pdf/BN12-300S8.pdf There's a 4-ohm version as well. I have to say I haven't modelled the bass response but I've heard a cab loaded with orange series drivers and they sound articulate. Btw even xmax figures are presented differently by different manufacturers so I wouldn't be too put off even for higher-power SS applications - esp on double bass. I'd also agree with BassBod, if you're not DIYing secondhand is definitely the way to go - in some ways the lightweight end of the market is less advanced than it was a few years ago because raw material prices went up so much.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1320085072' post='1422135'] I got this response from TC, having asked them if they had a 1w/1m sensitivity figure for the BC212; "I'm sorry, but we don't have further details on this available at this point." Poor show, IMO. [/quote] Hi dude. Sensitivity specs can be fairly meaningless anyway because they don't tell you where the volume is distributed, you get a better idea of how it'll sound/perform in that respect (LF notwithstanding) from the freq response chart of a driver. This has a big influence on perceived volume depending on how it relates/interacts with your bass' output frequencies. The Eminence Kappa 15 has several variants, have a look at Eminence to see the charts, matching it up with what you hear'll give you an idea of what you're getting/lacking and can compare to other drivers. You won't find many single 15s and definitely not 12s that are louder than them at the lower end, but there're plenty of 12s that extend further up top. Working out which frequency range you count as 'upper mid' helps! Coming from PA I tend to think of about 4k and up, but I think for a lot of bassists it's anything above 1.5kHz! I suspect you're looking for some extension between 2.5 and 4k-ish, but correct me if I'm wrong. The other aspect of the 15" drivers is the dispersion, it's generally pretty rubbish so if you're off-axis to the woofer it sounds a lot duller than right in front. Smaller drivers will help this, and is one reason I've gone for 10" drivers in my miniature rig I'm building! Stacking them to get them higher up helps lots too. The trouble there is that multiple chassis/magnets add weight and cost compared to a single larger driver. One thing in your favour is that with 100 watts you really don't need the power handling of the kappa 15s, which helps keep the weight down and sensitivity up. 2- or 300 watts total handling should be ample, a single reasonably decent and high sensitivity 12" in a decent-sized box would probably get you close enough to where you are currently, or a pair of cheaper/lighter/lower sensitivity ones. 2x10, you may struggle without sacrificing low end. I know you've said the space is a problem but I'd be really tempted to DIY with an Eminence Deltalite II 2512. http://www.eminence.com/speakers/speaker-detail/?model=DeltaliteII_2512 For your purposes this is pretty much the ideal driver - high sensitivity, rising midrange response extending nice and high for a 12, and the reduced power handling compared to the more expensive kappalite 3012HO (used in the barefaced midget I think) is irrelevant. Build it into a bigger box than the Midget and it would have more natural bottom end. In fact, playing around with WinISD, it's excursion limited at 100 watts in 80 litres tuned to 50Hz so given the other specs 60-80 litres would probably suit this driver very well. Unfortunately, 112s built around this driver are quite expensive. I do have some spare poplar ply down in Devon that would be perfect for this...

[quote name='Batfastard' timestamp='1320068403' post='1421804'] Thats true, but there is the fact that the rod is a long thin piece of metal and it can be depresssingly easy to deform something like that. [/quote] Surely that'd only be if it was forced beyond its elastic limit? Given that it's safely encased in wood and a truss rod curve is pretty gentle, I'd be surprised if you could do it. Besides, for a single action rod it wouldn't matter anyway - the leverage against the neck channel with the anchor points at either end would still force it towards straightening. Dual action...they often tighten the other way to normal right? You might have to go through a bit of slack where not much appears to happen before it starts to push the other way.

I had an Aulos descant when I was at school, easy to lug around and did the job, bit shrill though... ...(dons coat)

[quote name='orys' timestamp='1319984367' post='1420804'] <tongue-in-cheek> I listen to plenty of music from all over the world in all sorts of languages, but very little from Britain, because it has an aestethic I don't find particularly appealing. Though I really enjoyed this celtic music I heard once in Scottish pub on Outer Hebrides. But apart of that - it's all the same. I heard this, how they were called, Travis, and the other day, when I was on holiday in Bulgaria, there was this English guy who was listening so something called Coldgame, or Hotplay maybe, it was something along these lines, and I have all this British songs are so similar to each other... Nothing really interesting, if you heard some, you heard it all, so I lost my interest about them completely. Ah, and there is this guy John Porter: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8y8MXFtkrk[/media] , he's all right, but he lives in Poland, that's why ;-) </tongue-in-cheek> [/quote] First up, I wouldn't listen to Travis, Coldplay or to be honest most modern UK mainstream indie because they are boring as f**k . Second up and more relevantly, there's a difference between music that happens to be made in a country but comes from another cultural tradition, and music that reflects an aesthetic developed in that culture. If I listen to jazz, it's jazz and often where it comes from is irrelevant unless it reflects something of the local culture that isn't just a clone of america - which is fine but then it's just 'anglo-american music' that happens to be made somewhere else, a bit like a made-in-China Fender. If I hear it and like it, makes no difference where it's from. But, if I'm going to actively seek out Polish music then I will look for something that sounds musically Polish. Why would I search for a specifically EE (or whatever) clone aping a musical tradition developed elsewhere unless it added something of a local flavour to make it unique? It's like going on holiday to Turkey and eating fish and chips As for the more indie/punk stuff it sounds equally crap to me whatever language it's in, but

I think often they just go by the amp module rating with an underspecced power supply so it can't sustain it. Plenty of cheap amps struggle with bass for this reason

Problems with Peavey: Their stuff never fully dies, so the cheap crap ones don't disappear although semi-knackering a black widow seems quite easy judging by the sound of a lot of them. Said cheap crap ones fill rehearsal rooms/house amp spots the length and breadth of the country, trashing their reputation. Weight They have strange, inconsistent controls that do crazy stuff to your tone unrelated to the name of the control and as a bonus are like stealth controls that you can't easily see are turned on or not. Played through a house Peavey the other day into a 1x15 and 2x10, and the amp there had 'punch' and 'bright' buttons, on (very) close inspection both were engaged. Band before me the bass sound was awful. This appeared to be the 'punch' button which on experimentation revealed that turning it on was designed to remove all punch, and upper mids from your playing. The bright button was a decoy button that did pretty much nothing. There was a crossover control as well but no indication of what it fed. Tone after disengaging all the mystery controls and putting a reverse-smiley face* on the graphic was semi-decent, until hitting actual playing volume and then the amp power stage clipped. Into a 1x15+2x10. In a jazz bar. I don't really like Peavey stuff. *ie a frown

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1319920133' post='1420204'] can you measure the thickness in the centre please cause Sheldon asked for it but I didn't have a clue. Thanks [/quote] It's actually quite tricky to do without a large enough caliper because of the tapering...but at the neck joint lower cutaway where it's easiest to get a ruler in, it measures between 41 and 42mm. This is within a mm or 2 of my MIJ 75. The back profile is flat either side of the centreline for a total width of between 11 and 12 cm, before falling off quite sharply on the wings. The front has a more gradual contour that appears to start closer to the centre, maybe 6-7 cm around the centreline is flat at the bridge end. I can't tell if the radius is compound along the length the body but looks like it might be a bit. The body contours at their furthest (thinnest) edges from the centreline are just ~17mm thick, the horns at their furthest are ~27mm. It's a very comfy body shape to play except it could still do with the forearm contouring of a standard jazz. Hope that helps!

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1319817719' post='1418981'] Shledon said he wants to maintain a low weight and to achieve this either he makes it chambered or keeps the body thin, but not Aerodyne thin just something in between. [/quote] The aerodyne's not any thinner than a normal jazz in the centre (I just checked), it just tapers off outside the line of the neck. And mine is certainly nice and resonant.

For a thread about all the world's music that's not anglo-american, there's a disproportionate amount of eastern European stuff here, including a lot which is very Western-influenced...gypsy's not the only alternative out there! What about Fairuz and other arabic artists? Indian subcontinent? Does Spanish/Portuguese-language South American stuff count? (And what about eg American migrant music that's not in English and comes from other traditions?) And what about African music sung in pidgin English? I listen to plenty of music from all over the world in all sorts of languages, but very little from central/eastern Europe because it has an aesthetic I don't find particularly appealing. Though I did really enjoy the folk-tinged jazz in Prague when I visited a few years ago.

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1319750626' post='1418300'] Akira Jimbo is a monster player...I saw him on his first UK clinic tour a few years ago. There weren't that many people there but he blew everyone away. [/quote] I think I called akira jimbo for my 'dream band' on a thread a few months back... I love Casiopea, despite the phenomenal flamboyant camp cheesiness. Oh and I don't play bass anything like that. Their kind of music is a very particular Japanese thing, I think they were an official yamaha 'demo' band at one point! Saying they don't groove though, I don't understand - maybe it's just a different groove. That clutterbuck stuff is all over the place (and fairly awful IMO) but these guys are always in control, and clearly having a great time. Unlike bands where they just w**k off in solos doing their own thing, a lot of the casiopea/t square thing is based around musical exchanges between players. Oh and also, unlike the clutterbuck stuff, their more extended solos have musical structure. I do wonder if the people slating this just don't share the same quirky sense of humour as these guys, the track's called eccentric games after all! Check out this earlier line up with tetsuo sakurai on bass... hilarious but kind of brilliant at the same time (hint: it's meant to be FUN) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMWQo9DQ0cU&feature=related

[quote name='rennie234' timestamp='1319736187' post='1417993'] Hey all. I'm planning on building a couple of 1x15 cabs or a single 2x15 cab. The speakers I've got are rated at 250w@8ohm each. The amp I'm planning on using is rated at 300w@4ohm or 450@2ohm Is it possible for me to do this without blowing the speakers or overloading the amp? If so how? Parallel or Series? etc.? All help is greatfully recieved. Cheers Chris [/quote] If the speakers are wired parallel (the standard way) then used together they will present a load of 4 ohms in total. Your amp will be happy with either 4 or 8 ohms total load, assuming it's not got a valve power stage in which case you have to select the appropriate ohm rating on the amp with a switch. A lot of amps claim to operate at 2 ohms but aren't too happy about it...4 is good and safe.

[quote name='Legion' timestamp='1319582183' post='1416153'] Currently theres not many people who can say more than that, if they also sound good then he's onto a winner [/quote] They look to me like they are based around a pair of eminence deltalite drivers and the alphalite mid unit. The crossover will play a large role in the tone, I'm sure it's very good indeed and I'd expect the sound to be excellent. But, IF I'm right about the drivers, then they can't shift as much air as the kappalites. Really though, who needs that much? Horses for courses, each prioritises slightly different things. I do like the ergonomics of the EAD 112s, very well thought-out. Wonder if they're close to being finalised?

[quote name='apa' timestamp='1319309775' post='1412646'] BTW Lawrance the worst case was done with all Plastikote paints since its black. Interesting! [/quote] Hmm weird, did that use a sanding sealer or grain filler that could have been acrylic or similar? If not then it may be something already in the wood. I have used the clear plastikote as a repair spray on a poly-finished Fender that had a few chips in, including one down to the wood. It didn't cause any problems there but the total area was pretty small.

Unless you're getting unacceptable noise from the amp with the gain cranked, it doesn't really matter - that's what input gain is for. If you like the sound of the bass then I'd look at shielding cavities to reduce noise before replacing pups. If the amp has a noisy crappy preamp circuit or the pickups are so quiet that you can't get the volume up even with full gain then hotter pickups will be useful. What type of jazz is it, US/MIM, year etc? I've not noticed US jazzes or recent MIMs having unusually low output. Could be worth checking the wiring too.

If you want to use the Halfords cans then you need to use an acrylic clear coat like Halford's own, not the poly-based plastikote. I've done this, worked well enough but it does take a LONG time for the stuff to harden. I think you'll have to strip it back unfortunately.

This sounds awesome...wait...Sky has a good channel? Wtf?

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1319203119' post='1411247'] Regarding the thermal thing Bill, one would hope that if a cab is rated at 250W its woofers have endured the usual 1000W peak 250W average AES test for two hours. Surely it would have to be a really crazily loud and long non-stop gig for the RH450 to exceed those thermal challenges? [/quote] I've seen woofers that have failed thermally when it seems hard to fathom given RMS ratings...probably because they were enclosed in a small, padded box. Porting aside, baltic birch, wool etc are rather good insulators! If given RMS specs are just based on driver ratings then they're not necessarily all that accurate in a given box. PS I effing hate the mastering on Californication, ruined the album IMO. The Stevie, though, is lovely.

[quote name='markorbit' timestamp='1319068547' post='1409655'] I was hoping to replace a Walkabout Scout but that decision is going to need more looking into. [/quote] I don't think it sounds much like a Scout...I think this is the problem of looking for a 'valve' sound, it really depends on how they're employed. I don't hear the F1 as missing something (except against a properly decent PA amp) more like the Mesa adding something.

"All Night Long" Mary Jane Girls [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brnG0auVYVs[/media] There's a LOT of good stuff in Pete Academy's epic long funk and groove thread