LawrenceH

AFAIK celluloid is a thermoplastic so heat should work. I'd want something a bit more controlled than sunlight though, and I'd also suggest that given the potential value of this piece it'd be worth trying on a repro made from the same material first and expecting the older one to be even more brittle, or as Ou7shined suggested, the tip. Water might be a good way to control the temperature as long as it doesn't lead to clouding of the plastic, but I'd be careful there as well.

I think analogue tape is often a big part of these bass sounds. Certainly that's how I've got closest playing about with recording bass.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1182373' date='Mar 30 2011, 03:48 PM']If they are all in the same box, when the bass drivers go out, they'll try and suck the guitar drivers in, and that messes with all the speaker /air pressure balance stuff that goes into making a cab sound right. If there is two compartments, then you'd have bass drivers in a too small box, so probably wouldn't be loads better off than just using it as a guitar cab, and playing guitary bass, with the low cut.[/quote] Actually half the box would still be big enough for a lot of tens, but looking at images online not only does it appear to be a single box but it is open backed. It won't work well at all I'm afraid.

The OP was talking about not having room for a bass amp, rather than money, and I think depending on your situation it's a viable option. In the past I've done sound for a functions band that didn't bother with amps at all, just DI'ed and used foldback. Worked fine out front but that was a situation where they had their own PA plus subs that were adequate for the job. Mind you, after a few years they switched back to using amps and it did sound better, though that was more obvious for the guitars. Half the time a decent bass rig is using PA-type drivers anyway. Just don't expect a cheap monitor to be able to thump like a dedicated bass amp! Also when I was a student I frequently let student bands use the PA rig for bass foldback. I often preferred it because they weren't in a position to be overly fussy about stage tone, I had no problem getting a nice clean signal and as a result I could get a better mix out front.

I've swapped maple and rosewood necks. The 'maple sound' that I've always associated with maple went with the neck. Doesn't remove all variables (neck density, fret profile) and really depends on your playing style and setup how much of a difference it makes, but I'm satisfied that it's real and pretty consistent. I'd agree with what Wayne said though and suspect that the difference would be greatly reduced if the rosewood was given a hard finish. Obviously switching between a jazz and a p makes more difference than the neck finish but it still makes enough of a difference to me to make it a factor in choosing a bass! Having said that the sound is what matters and if I got a great rosewood jazz that sounds to my ears like a 'typical' maple then I'd be perfectly happy with it.

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='1178959' date='Mar 27 2011, 11:06 PM']Cheers Lawrence! I'm just using the bog standard WinISD i downloaded ages ago, i'll get the other one. What are the differences? I have got the file pretty much done, was just short of the Sd value. Ta Steve[/quote] Tbh I can't remember, sorry! But I remember there was something that was pretty useful in the 'pro' version - perhaps it's to do with displaying cone excursion for a given wattage? It's still free. Just fired it up and Sd for the speaker should come in at 346.4cm^2 That's an oddball driver the orange label, it has such a high resonant frequency for a bass guitar application. I suspect it was really designed with sealed multiple-driver cabs in mind, eg a 4x10. You'll have to watch the amount of bass you put through it especially if you put it in a reflex cab.

WinISD calculates a lot of values automatically, derived from the others e g Sd is derived from D which is provided on the Celestion spec sheet. Input too many and they often won't tally with the calculated values (due to e.g. rounding errors) and WinISD will refuse to save the file, which can be quite annoying. If you like I can send you a file with the appropriate specs in. The only value that differs for the modelling AFAIK when comparing Celestion to some other manufacturers is the Xmax which will affect the maximum spl/wattage charts. Their measure is based on the assumption that the driver starts to behave in a non-linear fashion as soon as the speaker moves enough for the voice coil to start to leave the magnet gap - the method of calculation is usually listed on the specs. From what I've gathered from Alex and others, this is generally overly conservative compared to other manufacturers' methods, which are based either on distortion analysis or a calculation adding in a correction factor. For example, Faital list a driver (PR300). It has a 12.5mm voice coil and 8mm gap depth, and they give an Xmax of 4.92mm. The BN300S is nearly identical (just 0.5 mm shorter voice coil) yet has an Xmax of just 2mm according to Celestion's method. The Faital is a cast frame and likely a better driver, but the gap between the Xmax figures probably exaggerates the difference in performance. I've recently finished testing the first prototype of a cabinet built around the Celestion NTR10-2520D. This has a calculated Xmax according to Celestion of 4mm, but subjectively to me sounded pretty good up to what should be much higher than this, and positively creamed an Eminence Deltalite II with Xmax 4.2mm based on distortion analysis. Long story short, you can probably work to an Xmax of more like 3 or perhaps even 4mm (optimistic but comparable to lots of other manufacturer claims) with the BN300S, just use your ears when you crank it. What really matters is staying well within Xmech/Xlim, the value for mechanical damage. It's not listed on the celestion specs but when I emailed them about the NTR speaker they told me the Xlim value was 13mm, with braking starting to make things sound nasty around 10mm. They'll probably tell you if you want to know for the BN300, I'd guess around 8mm maybe? Oh yeah, Pe is the watts rating, nominal ohms will calculate automatically from Re. Make sure you're using the winisd pro alpha version.

Low tension strings by definition need more allowance for vibration than regular - is it continual buzz no matter how gently you play or is it just that your regular playing style is too hard for them? You can put a tad more slack into the neck than the credit card width if you normally play at the lower end, but if you play all over the neck a higher action it is. A replane might help but only so much

Good Lord, imagine the shame of buying a bass from someone with poor spelling.

[quote name='mcnach' post='1177361' date='Mar 26 2011, 04:04 PM']re: log vs linear... isn't it the other way around? Meaning that our ear perceives these changes in a log fashion, so for us to hear a smooth (linear) change we need a log pot.[/quote] Log for volume generally speaking Less consensus for tone controls, but whichever one it is currently I'd be inclined to swap it out for the other and see if that helps!

Problem with using a distorted sound on a DI is that you need either a dedicated speaker emulator or a very versatile EQ section and much fiddling on your desk to tame back the high end that naturally gets filtered out by a lot of (tweeterless) bass cabs. What sounds thick and lush through a bass rig can sound bloody brutal coming out of a decent PA, which is why a lot of sound guys especially when pressed for time will really prefer a clean DI, and conversely why we hardly ever DI an electric guitar cab. Clean DI plus mic, or even mic only, are probably preferable if you like a very 'coloured' sound. Even then, with distortion at high volume through a good system, less is more in my experience at the desk/audience end of things! This really applies to guitarists too, so many people seem to set their tones at low volume and when you crank it to proper gig volume, it sounds awful out front but they don't notice it since it's masked by the drums/general sonic mess on stage.

Also, incidentally that graph is very revealing about axial rotation on the string movement. I assume that the rise-dip-rise response on the 1st harmonic (or 2nd, depending on preferred nomenclature!) is because the plane of string vibration shifts from horizontal to vertical back to horizontal in relation to the pickup poles. Makes me realise that there's another potential source of audible 'beats' to a note, on top of any pitch-based phase interference (as in when tuning by harmonics). It also makes me think that a volume drop in low frequency harmonics in my slap playing v fingerstyle is probably because I'm hitting the string too vertically, and I should aim for a different angle of string attack to better excite the pickup. Who'd have thought that a frequency response graph could teach you something about playing technique?

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='1176628' date='Mar 25 2011, 10:08 PM'] [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/bass-frequency-waterfall-plots-what-they-mean-rigs-510749/"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/bass-fre...an-rigs-510749/[/url][/quote] That is a great link, thanks Bill - have been meaning to do a similar analysis for a J bass for ages, now I don't have to as it's all in there There's some great stuff on talkbass but I find navigating the threads overwhelming

[quote name='Raggy' post='1177153' date='Mar 26 2011, 12:47 PM']Wayne, have you tried a TC450? They are not to everyones taste. I thought they were a bit muffled.[/quote] +1 I definitely prefer the Markbass-type sound balance, and my feeling is that it will work better than the TC with more cabs/spaces. But to each their own!

I'd second a 57 plus DI. Or if you've got the rig and the PA to do it justice, a nice large diaphragm condenser capable of high spl eg AKG 414, mmm, lovely. Just don't spill beer in it!

[quote name='mrtcat' post='1175264' date='Mar 24 2011, 09:24 PM']Here's the crimbo tune I was talking about: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=115070&hl=Christmas"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...mp;hl=Christmas[/url][/quote] OT, unseasonal and probably highly unpopular I know, but I'm impressed with how Mark King sings that song lower down in the thread! All the more so since I listened straight after the anodyne, syrupy and humourless Mariah Carey version. Maybe if you cut off MK's slapping arm he'd be less polarising a musical figure.

[quote name='MattM' post='1175149' date='Mar 24 2011, 07:55 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330545485108&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT"]A.N.Other pre_EB[/url] ...before spotting the seller had "updated the electronics". A 3EQ in a pre-EB, sheesh...... [/quote] Hilarious £50 'economy delivery' charge, taking 6-8 working days. Does the courier strap it to the back of a bike and delivery it in a neon mankini for that?

[quote name='TRBboy' post='1175108' date='Mar 24 2011, 07:21 PM']Just because you look after your car and service it, does that mean you shouldn't bother carrying a spare tyre?[/quote] You don't take a spare car though

One reason not to take a backup is it's one extra piece of kit to get nicked. Another is that it can take up valuable real estate on a small stage. I don't think many classical musos will take a backup instrument either. I have had electronics fail at a gig once, but it was a jam night and my bass was for general abuse. Since then I've made sure my soldering is solid but still wouldn't bother with a backup for a pub gig. The string break idea I don't really get - in an emergency I could always get by on 3 strings! Probably a lot of guitarists would actually rpefer it so long as it was a high string that broke As for the idea that it would be short-changing the audience somehow, by and large for me that kind of spontaneity is what live music is about. Check out Keith Jarrett's Koln concert for a renowned performance that only really came about because the piano was a badly-tuned piece of crap which he had to adapt to. No spare piano at that gig either! I'm not knocking anyone who gigs with a backup and it probably makes more sense at notated gigs but there are other ways of looking at reliability which to me are equally valid. If I wanted absolute reliability I'd just play recorded music. And bring two CD players. And mixers. And a spare PA. Wait...actually what is the most likely piece of kit to fail?

[quote name='guybrush threepwood' post='1170236' date='Mar 21 2011, 12:04 AM']Ahh, ok I see. It's just the intonation benefits were being talked about, and I couldn't see any specific scientific reason for them, (in the context of fanned frets being the deciding factor). The high build quality definitely makes sense though; the only bass I've ever had a problem with intonation on had a warped neck![/quote] I guess there is a possible benefit due to the effective speaking length of the string differing with thickness, which you might be able to compensate for to an extent (not entirely unless you used more complicated fret shapes) in the fanned frets - but accuracy would still be dependent on string type/gauge etc and I'd have thought the differences would be so very very marginal, as to be negligible compared to small differences in set-up.

[quote name='guybrush threepwood' post='1170217' date='Mar 20 2011, 11:18 PM']Is the intonation issue, with which Grand Wazoo had such a massive dilemma, an inherent problem with basses that have a standard 34" scale length?[/quote] It isn't, at least not compared to a 'typical' fanned fret system. The intonation wrt fanned frets is something of a red herring, though I expect the build quality and set-up of the Dingwalls means they're better than a lot of other production basses. The issue with the bongo that GW cited is more likely to relate to set-up and/or build quality. Alterations to neck relief, action height and bridge string spacing will all affect how well a bass intonates for a given fret spacing pattern. If you go shorter scale, these factors become more critical and you have a smaller acceptable window of adjustments, but as long as you stay within it, no major issues.

[quote name='mrtcat' post='1170038' date='Mar 20 2011, 09:10 PM']+1 If you're wanting a cab for bass then you need a cab designed for bass. Guitar cabs are designed for guitars and not bass guitars. A BFM Jack 12 can be built on a budget and will give very impressive results. I always seem to prefer the end result when using eminence drivers over celestions but that's just me.[/quote] The Eminence drivers are probably cheaper for equivalent quality than the Celestions. However, today I've been playing with Celestion NTR10-2520Ds and they are very impressive to my ears, much smoother than the equivalent Eminence Deltalite IIs and very tight more controlled bass. I'd be tempted to go with Mr Foxon's suggestion though and if the internal dimensions are suitable, build one quarter of an SVT! If there are ports on the cab, you might be safest blocking them up with wood, get it airtight.

I think this thread is very confused due to certain features of the Dingwall basses v other basses being attributed to fanned frets. There may be improvements over particular instruments but it'll be because the Dingwall is just better built and/or set up. There is no inherent reason intonation is better on a fanned fret system v parallel fret. There is no inherent reason that a single string will sound any better/different on a fanned system v a string of equivalent scale length on a parallel fret guitar. I say this because I feel Sheldon's own post is a bit misleading there when he goes on at length about clarity. The fanned fret system WILL alter the tonal balance across the strings - for better or worse, depending on what you like (personally I like the slightly different character across the strings and feel it's an inherent part of the instrument). The fanned fret system will feel different to play. I think I said on a previous thread, the ergonomic aspect is what appeals to me far more significantly than any tonal change. I find the wrist position playing low down the neck tobe tiring and have often thought before I even saw the Dingwalls that an angle on it would help me, especially playing in F/F#. I'm not denying the Dingwalls sound great, I've not tried them only heard clips of one and it sounded like a very nice bass. But I've heard plenty of non-fanned fret basses that sound great as well and the ONLY meaningful direct comparison would be two otherwise identical instruments, one with fanned frets and one without.

[quote name='Slipperydick' post='1169300' date='Mar 20 2011, 10:58 AM']Other basses that I have with thicker frets its not a problem, so I guess its just down to my playing style, but after all these years its not about to change.[/quote] Are you sure it's the fret size per se? Only I have completely the opposite experience. I like that clankiness but my bass with small thin 'vintage' frets doesn't do it nearly as much as one with bigger, thicker frets. I had assumed it was more down to the fret profile than the actual size, with the one with a wider, shallower profile giving more clank than the ones where the contact point with string was very small. It might even be possible to get what you're after by re-profiling the existing frets to make them more rounded? I'd be interested to know other people's thoughts there because that clankiness is a bit of an elusive tonal goal for me.

there is only one rockschool good luck with the exam!