LawrenceH

[quote name='Spoombung' post='1014289' date='Nov 6 2010, 02:10 PM']Dingwalls, Laklands and Sadowsky's are renowned for low frets.[/quote] Jap Fender vintage reissues seem to have pretty small and narrow frets, certainly the ones on my 75RI are even smaller (quite substantially) than the ones on the MIM 70s, which are supposedly 'vintage'-style and definitely smaller than the standard medium-jumbo.

[quote name='4 Strings' post='1012326' date='Nov 4 2010, 05:26 PM']Difficult to do an A/B for 18" vs four 10"s as they are usually designed to do different jobs. I have a wonderful Trace 4x10, which has a very deep cabinet but it doesn't seem to go as deep in bass as the Hartke 2x10, nor anything like the Monster. (I had a Trace 1518 (15") years ago and that did. It was wonderful, I long for the days when I used to gig with that lot!) I'm sure the A/B could be set up and show a favourable comparison with suitably designed speakers and cabinets but I can't help think that the 10s will be trying hard to do what a speaker like the Monster does with ease. Lastly, where does the 13mm you mention come from?[/quote] That Trace is probably outputting a hefty amount around 100Hz, using a box that's too small for an 'optimally' flat response (in hifi terms - if it sounds good it is good as far as bass cabs go!). I guess you could do that with the right 10"s (Deltalite 2510 IIs are probably a good candidate for that actually). 13mm was 3.25x the assumed 4mm of the Monster, based on the reduced surface area. It's all very rough and ready of course, but it's a ballpark on total displacement volume. Agree entirely about the different jobs - that's the point I was trying to make about the generic 'sound' of certain speaker diameters, but it's not something that's inherently necessary.

[quote name='funky_numba' post='1012740' date='Nov 4 2010, 11:24 PM']2. Tighten the strings[/quote] I think before you learn how to 'fine-tune' the bass, you need to learn how to tune it A cheap electronic tuner will be your best friend to start with, it's pretty much a necessity for a complete beginner. I strongly recommend you buy one. N.B. You don't just arbitrarily change the tuning of the bass until the strings feel 'tight'! Only once it's in tune can you make good judgements on other aspects of the set-up. Regarding your second set of questions, the answer to all three is 'it's complicated'! Best (only?) way of learning this stuff is to play for a bit, see how you get on, then tweak things around, play for a bit more and see if and what kind of difference it makes. If in the unlikely event that you're in or near Edinburgh then I'd be happy to give the bass a quick once-over to check there's nothing terribly wrong with the set-up, otherwise I'd recommend taking it to a reputable shop and spending a bit on a set-up so you're not fighting against the instrument. People on here will probably have a recommendation of where to go/where to avoid in your area. The cost will probably be worth it even if just to confirm that the set-up is close enough already. Of course, if you have a teacher they'll be able to help you here, and as a bonus you'll learn stuff about actually playing as well! Good luck, it's a really rewarding hobby/life if you can stick with it. Edit: you beat me to it sir!

Bi-amping with a crossover will allow you to send more bass to the Monster without worrying about the 10"s (plus it's theoretically a bit louder for the amount of watts under certain circumstances). Whether it's worth it or not will depend on the 10"s - I'd imagine if you're driving them hard you'll get a cleaner, tighter mid-range while still getting a big fat bass from the Monster. It's probably not worth using a passive crossover. I suppose you could try a simple high-pass cap to protect the 10"s if you want to send ridiculous amounts of low-end to the monster. EDIT: Just noticed Stevie's post and realised I hadn't spotted you were driving the amp below 4ohm! In which case, what he said. Crossover or bi-amp.

[quote name='51m0n' post='1011732' date='Nov 4 2010, 09:50 AM']So if the 10" driver had an excursion limit more than 3.25 times the excursion limit of the 18" driver then they are pretty evenly matched. Given the ropey nature of most old 80's drivers, and a lot of 90's drivers I can well believe that that is either achievable now, or will very soon be.[/quote] I think a good 10" now might beat a bad 18" from back in the day, but not a good one - not by that much at least. Highest excursion specs I've seen on any PA 10" woofer are about 5mm xmax (though this depends on measuring method). Plus a modern 18" will have all the same technological advantages as the 10". If we assume Bill's conservative estimate of 4mm for the Monster, you're looking at 13mm! I'd be amazed if any 10" drivers could do that with anything like a reasonable sensitivity - and thermal power handling of 10" PA drivers seems to be capped around 250-300 watts. A set of four 10"s, though and you're laughing

Blowing speakers repetitively is unusual if they're good quality and you're not putting too much heat through them in terms of watts. What were the speakers you blew, and how did they blow - was it mechanical damage or voicecoil burnout? I suspect that if it's one bass specifically that does it, then you have problems with EQ - too much low bass will shred speaker drivers. Perhaps the EUB has a bit of a frequency spike in it's output, maybe in an area where the EA is also a bit 'hot'? I know this doesn't really answer the question you asked, but since you have the EA it seems annoying not to get to use it when it should do a perfectly OK job!

[quote name='bassatnight' post='1010506' date='Nov 3 2010, 10:51 AM']I did think about using 75's but as you say the spacing would be an issue although probably negligible. I am not sure which pups to go for I might just chance my arm with the Di Marzio's.[/quote] I think they'll do the job for sure! Plus you can't get more 70s than cream covers (Hint: get cream!) But if you've not done anything about this by the time I've got a free few hours to fit the 75s I can let you know how I get on. I was torn between them and the Di Marzios anyway. Regarding the spacing, I have an ash/maple Jap 75RI (with the 60s spacing) and it's a great sound, but I have to say it's not the same as 70s spacing - there's a lot of discussion about it which largely misses the point which is that with BOTH pickups on you get different cancellation/reinforcement frequencies and that is something you can't do much about. If you know what you're looking for it's easily audible when you A/B basses (and due to the nature of the sound change you can be fairly sure that it's the spacing and nothing else). You get more bass/low mid, less honk and a bit more trebly snap and grind compared to a 60s sound. Using the bridge pickup in isolation I actually find it much more difficult to hear the difference between spacings! Overall, probably because of the body woods I'd say the Jap 75RI is something of a hybrid between standard and 70s sound. Having said all that, you do have to know what you're looking for to recognise it and as I said my Jap 75 sounds great so I don't care anyway! Good luck

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' post='1011008' date='Nov 3 2010, 04:33 PM']I'm currently between rigs so i'm running my bass trough a power amp (Norton KP600 - 600W@2Ohm) and a TL606 DIY 8ohm cab using only one channel - amp's not bridged - and i have plenty of volume! Didn't try bridging the amp becouse i think putting a 8ohm load on a 2ohm output would be pushing my luck! If anybody with knowledge can say i'm safe to do it i'll be glad to try! Cheers[/quote] This seems backwards - an 8 ohm cab will be fine even on a minimum 4 ohm power amp that's bridgeable. I'm not familiar with your Norton but it should do it no problem. It's a low impedance cab you need to be wary of.

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' post='1008090' date='Nov 1 2010, 03:46 AM']Practically every power amp in the market does 2Ohm![/quote] Not for long though! Just because marketing specs quote an output at 2 ohms doesn't mean the amps will be happy about it long term. These figures are often short term 'burst' data and don't mean much. The thermal stress running at 2 ohms will be a lot more and the amp needs to have adequate heat-sinks and components or they'll run ok for a while and then fail, especially if you're putting a fair amount of bass through them. This applies to all flimsy cheap amps. If you want something that'll really do it without much outlay, look secondhand. Something like a QSC PLX will do nicely. Those Peaveys Mr Foxen mentioned are probably up to it though I've never paid much attention to Peavey kit, or if you prefer new then the Behringers seem to have surprisingly good reports from people who flog them mercilessly. In general old heavy amps of proven design are your wallet's friend here, though not your back's.

[quote name='4 Strings' post='1011103' date='Nov 3 2010, 05:26 PM']Rather than be left hungry I chose a transport problem! I think what I was really asking was whether the triad rule is true along each branch, ie despite sacrificing sensitivity do you get that same depth with a small cab as you do if you sacrifice size? Sensitivity is not such an issue nowadays with power coming cheap, so this would seem a good compromise (and one of which I would love to take advantage but they are so expensive!) but do you get such a deep and powerful tone?[/quote] You're still constrained by the mechanical limitations of the cone and voicecoil design. So while you can theoretically throw more power at it to compensate I doubt there is a 10" driver in the world capable of taking anything like the power you'd need to match an 18" cab. It would probably be in the order of thousands of watts and require an enormous displacement. Having said that, the lunch isn't free but since as pointed out power is so small and light these days, the lunch is getting a lot cheaper. Bill, Alex and the like are often pointing out that there is no 'sound' inherent to a 10" versus a 12" driver (other than loss of HF and greater beaming as you get bigger) but in reality, I think many cabs on the market will exhibit a trend as most manufacturers prefer to deal with the compromises of a particular driver size the same way. The Acme cabs mentioned seem to be the honourable exception, I'd love to give one a try.

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='1008612' date='Nov 1 2010, 03:10 PM']If somebody is paying me £150+ to play at their wedding then it's not just a gig though. I am being paid to provide a service as an entertainer, if i haven't got the required tools for whatever reason then i'm not doing my job and i'd feel guilty about taking the money - rightly so. Being able to switch basses in a few seconds is much better than standing there like a plonker with a duff bass while the rest of the band carry on playing![/quote] Depends on the music of course, but I really doubt most of a wedding audience will even notice a lack of bass! But for a decently paid gig like that I'd be taking two basses anyway just for more tonal variation (entirely for my own satisfaction, of course, see my previous comment!).

[quote name='AndyTravis' post='1009679' date='Nov 2 2010, 03:24 PM']I'll see what happens when they're in my hands. Looking at the costing sheet so far not factoring in the ramp and pickguards, is looking like the upper limits. I think the duncans and the nice top, as well as a real ebony fingerboard and more versatile controls give this bass legs. I'n thinking the pickguard would interupt the top too much, and the ramp is a bit niche anyhow. I'll still be making one for mine though.[/quote] Proper pickups and nice wood are much more fundamental to my mind than strange novelties like ramps. A clear pickguard could be cool, but should definitely be optional only if you want as much mass appeal as possible (IMO).

I really can't think of anything that could go wrong that a set of spare strings, a small soldering iron and a leatherman/couple of allen keys couldn't sort in 5 or 10 mins, other than stuff that'd p*** me off so much that the last thing I'd be caring about was a spare bass to finish the set. It's only a gig! The rest of the band'll be able to carry on, after all. Definitely not worth taking a spare unless you're also in that happy position of having roadies

[quote name='bassatnight' post='1005928' date='Oct 29 2010, 11:14 PM']Folks, Just for a hobby type thing I have purchased a mint Squire Vintage Modified Jazz (the natural one) my goal is to turn it into a clone of a Fender 75ri Jazz (or even better) for less than £350. I shall take some pics but so far I have done this: Vintage Modified Jazz £150 via Ebay Gotoh 201b Brass Bridge £30 Ebay Genuine Fender 75ri Bass F Tuners £20 Gumtree Genuine Fender Jazz Bass Skirted knob Set Black x3 £9 I have also added a pick guard but I just prefer this looks wise that was £8 Still to source: Top Quality Jazz Pups (DiMarzio Ultra Jazz Bass Pickup Set or Nordstrand NJ4SV's) this is going to be the pricey bit £85 for the DiMarzio's and the Nordys are like £180 so this may blow my budget a bit unless I can source cheaper ones. Still £400 compared to £1500 for a 75 ri still not too bad, I am not going the whole hog and adding a Fender decal as I find that a little precious, its the sound I want. I am a little concerned about the 'painted' block inlays on the neck so I am thinking about adding some form of lacquer to combat this (ideas welcome?)[/quote] Regarding pickups, I had a pair of US Fender Vintage 75s via ebay sent from this guy [url="http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/joshmsr/"]http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/joshmsr/[/url] Even with postage (he will combine this for multiple items) it came in pretty cheap and they are the same pups as in the US 75RI. Just in case you're not aware though, part of the sound is the 70s pup spacing which the VM Jazz doesn't have. You'd have to get the body routed and then work out what to do with the hole! (Maybe something a little bit unusual like the Wizard Combo?)

[quote name='gazza19' post='1007598' date='Oct 31 2010, 05:35 PM']Just checked out the specs on the Fender web site- American Vintage = Vintage Jazz Bass® Single-Coil Road Worn = Standard Vintage Alnico Magnet Jazz Bass® Single-Coil So it appears that the RW has Mexican pups, not American, but boy do they sound good. Does anyone else find that the RW has a punchier tone than the American Standard?[/quote] These pickups are the same as in the Classic 70s, and they are damn sweet.

cheapest option by far is to make your own. If you're doing a few then I used to find studiospares prices were pretty competitive for components, good range too. It's worth using decent cable as the jackets are much more resistant to stretching and horrible coiling/kinking that you can never get rid of.

[quote name='Dubs' post='1003474' date='Oct 28 2010, 10:44 AM']What are the problems when pairing ported and sealed cabs? After reading this thread a few days ago I was half considering to make a sealed 2x8 vertical array cab with the Fane speakers to make a matching pair with my 1x10 ported cab that I made a few months ago.[/quote] It's a problem if the sealed cab goes low enough to interfere with the bass from the ported cab to a significant degree, as they won't be aligned below the point where cabinet/driver interactions start contributing to a noticeable delay in the bass response.

Circle of Fifths, I agree with most if not all of what you say - in case I wasn't clear, I wasn't saying one or the other is necessarily superior, just pointing out some differences between US, MIM and Jap basses that hadn't been mentioned yet. Whichever pickup set sounds better to me out of the MIM Standard Vintage and the US Vintage 75s will be what stays on the bass, I couldn't give a monkey's where they're made as long as they have that sound! Very interesting to hear some of your insider info by the way, cheers.

Don't the standard/deluxe USA necks use a different construction with graphite rods in? Probably good for stability, no idea if it affects the tone (although I'm beginning to realise that necks do play a big role in shaping the sound of a bass). Plus the HMV bridges/through stringing is probably pretty good for those who like that sort of thing. Obviously those features don't apply to the reissues. Regarding pickups, I have a Jap 75RI and the original (supposedly US) pickups are decidedly lacklustre, not like 'real' US pickups. On the other hand, the ones in the MIM Classic 70s are great. Note that these are 'Standard Vintage Alnico' (same as HWY1) and don't seem to be the same as in the MIM standard. I now have some US Vintage 75 pickups waiting to be fitted to see if there's a noticeable difference, I would also like to compare to US Standards/Custom 60s all in the same bass. Build quality of my Jap bass is good, though the poly(ester I think) finish is THICK. The MIM was let down by poor finishing around the nut but was otherwise fine, and a lovely neck to play, though again it's a thick polyester on the body. The US ones I believe have a thinner polyurethane. The neck on the MIM is significantly lighter than on the Jap, though both are similar profiles. I wonder how that affects tone? The tuners are brass on the Jap, look like steel on the MIM, though I prefer the latter since they're lighter and the Jap ones combine with the heavy neck to give a bit of dive. Am considering changing them over. Finally, I don't think you can get ash bodies with MIM basses, only jap and US.

For future reference, those bass collections are poly finishes (very nice ones actually), hard as anything and chemically inert. T cut would be fine I'm sure or just normal domestic polish. Those lemon oil-type polishes (I think they're really just a particular grade of mineral oil) are more usefulfor guitars that lack a thick lacquer-type coating, like on the rosewood fretboard of your SB330. Great bass by the way, is yours fretted or fretless?