stevie

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.....

[quote name='Marvin' post='1318382' date='Jul 27 2011, 03:52 PM']Are you suggesting I'm just a sheep?[/quote] Now you're putting words in my mouth :-)

[quote name='Marvin' post='1317459' date='Jul 26 2011, 06:57 PM']You seem to be trying to say that Bill and Alex are peddling snake oil, for want of a better analogy.[/quote] You're putting words into his mouth, Marvin. What he is saying IMO is that you should think for yourself and not be a sheep. Self-styled gurus are often not quite what they appear to be. To quote Socrates: To find yourself, think for yourself.

I'd advise you to what I did and download a free program called Best Practice which allows you to play back the MP3s at a slower speed without altering the pitch. Some of the Major's pieces are much too fast for amateurs like me.

OK then. Please enlighten us and explain why blocking off the hole would help.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1316899' date='Jul 26 2011, 12:31 PM']Think the point is it doesn't work the way you think it works.[/quote] It's quite clear how it works. There's a link on the page Lawrence gave that takes you straight to the designer's description. Blocking up the hole is nonsense.

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='1316247' date='Jul 25 2011, 08:56 PM']but a neater solution (IMO) is Jay Mitchell's 'foam donut' [url="http://www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/amps/prii/speaker/foamdonut/foamdonut.html"]http://www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/amps.../foamdonut.html[/url][/quote] I've never seen that before, but it's very clever. And it's properly documented with measurements. Excellent.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='1316462' date='Jul 25 2011, 11:22 PM']I think you'd find adding a beam blocker to the hole in that foam thingamajig would get a better result than either alone.[/quote] The hole in the foam is an integral part of the design. If you block it up with a beam blocker it won't work properly. Have you read the description?

[quote name='Marvin' post='1316071' date='Jul 25 2011, 06:41 PM']Most mass manufactured cabs are simply constructed boxes with drivers in them with little or no acoustic engineering involved in it's design.[/quote] Most commercial bass cabs I've seen are reasonably well designed. I agree that there is a tendency to cut corners to get the price down. It has to be said, however, that very little acoustic engineering is actually required to knock together a bass guitar cab. The real engineering has been done by the driver manufacturer. This is why anybody who can use a saw and and screw together a simple box can build one and it will work. The hardest part is getting the box to look pro.

Most times, 'not flash' is what the music needs. I like the Rhythm Kings - a bunch of great musicians.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1316026' date='Jul 25 2011, 05:54 PM']The top of the cab will be higher if it is stacked vertically, that is a bunch of the point.[/quote] I agree that getting the cab to a height where you can here it properly is what matters. When you've got that sorted, it is a matter of personal preference what speaker configuration you use.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1315993' date='Jul 25 2011, 05:33 PM']No, Fender didn't make tall stacks, they made short combos, and guitartists tend to sit on them or stand in front of them, so all the top end misses them and icepicks anyone in front..[/quote] Sorry, I was too cryptic. When standing in front of and above a speaker, a guitarist will hear more and smoother mids and highs when the speakers are side by side than when they are vertical, assuming the top of each cab is positioned at the same height.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1315981' date='Jul 25 2011, 05:27 PM']I think audience on axis, but guitard's ears off axis is usually the problem scenario.[/quote] That would be one vote for Leo Fender then.

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='1315972' date='Jul 25 2011, 05:23 PM']If one is out there amid the audience and one can perceive it then, yes, it might indeed be obvious.[/quote] This is a solution looking for a problem. Have you ever been in an audience and not been able to hear the guitar?

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1315830' date='Jul 25 2011, 03:31 PM']It has speakers crossfired and pointing upward. Not like Fenders, but retaining the width requirement to fit amplifiers. Fender ha the option of making amps that fit, and chose not to.[/quote] Stands that raise and tilt guitar speakers have been available certainly since the 1960s. I imagine Fender offered them; Vox certainly did. Angled cabs have also been available since the 1960s. What difference do you think crossfiring drivers make?

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='1315485' date='Jul 25 2011, 10:33 AM']He can just stick it on it's side.[/quote] He'd probably be tempted to stick it somewhere else. You have to take Bill's contributions on here with a pinch of salt. One of his (many) regular lines is that Leo Fender didn't know how to design speakers and that guitar drivers should be stacked vertically. But go to his site and look at the guitar cab design that he is flogging for 15 dollars.

[quote name='mart' post='1312968' date='Jul 22 2011, 04:51 PM']It does depend a lot on what your current tuning pegs are. In my case the factory-fitted ones weigh about 57g each. Hipshot say their Ultralites are 52g, making for an immense saving of, ooh, 20g across the 4 pegs. However, some folk who have fitted Ultralites say they weigh less - around 42-44g. Based on that, a set of 4 might save me 60g, i.e., near as dammit, one tuner.[/quote] Those tuners are unusually light to start with - so I get your point.

Layers of tissue are great for cone splits, but with a surround you might like to try superglue - just a minimum amount.

[quote name='mart' post='1312675' date='Jul 22 2011, 01:06 PM']That's my impression - based on the Hipshot specs, and the weight of my pegs, fitting ultralites would remove a weight equivalent to one tuning peg on my bass. So I did exactly that - I took a peg off, and saw how the balance changed. And, basically, it didn't much - it was still neck-diving badly.[/quote] From memory (I weighed them but it's a while back), the Hipshots or equivalents weigh 200 grammes and a standard set of tuners weighs 450 - 500 grammes. So taking one tuning peg off wouldn't be indicative. It completely cured the neck dive on my Yamaha. Not a cheap option, but it also reduces the overall weight of your bass and certainly beats hanging a hammer on your strap. :-)

Actually, that's really not a bad idea. If you used a mat the same colour as your strap it probably wouldn't even be noticeable.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1312562' date='Jul 22 2011, 11:51 AM']1. [url="http://store.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_list&c=5"]Hipshot make Ultralite versions of the clover key machine heads[/url] fit those.[/quote] This is by far the most effective solution IMO. You have about half a kilogram hanging off the end of your headstock at the moment.

If you're saying you don't really know what you're doing, I'd leave it. You'll need the right sized drill bit and preferably a pillar drill if you're going to attempt it. I can understand your reluctance to use a jack in, but the binding posts will give you an excellent connection. Just use those and catch up on the gardening or decorating or something. :-)

But isn't Ashdown renowned for its wonderful after-sales service?