stevie

What could be better than a Supercompact?

It looks like the next batch of cabinet kits will be ready next week. I'll be in touch with everyone as soon as I have a firm date. In the meantime, I've put together a pack containing all the screws, machine screws, t-nuts, washers etc. that builders will need. This will save you having to order them from different sources and ensure that you have the correct types.

Richard, I've had a look and I don't see a problem in creating another cutout at right angles to the existing one to allow for rotation of the horn.

Cheers, funky. It's definitely something for the future but I think I'll have an uphill battle persuading the rest of the band.

Indeed. It's a 90 x 65 degree horn. On a PA cab, you'd want the wider, 90-degree dispersion in the horizontal direction, but turning the horn round gives you better dispersion directed at the player's ears when the cab's on the floor. You will lose some dispersion horizontally but it's not critical, and turning the horn round does make a difference when you're standing in front of the cab. It would also be useful to be able to rotate the horn if you're going to use the cab sideways, which isn't currently possible with the cutout as it is. So it's worthwhile finding out what's possible.

Yes, it is. And the horn is square. So in theory it should be easy enough to cut a hole in the baffle that allows it to be used either way.

I have a cab that has been cut out to allow for rotation of the horn. Before I commit myself, I'll check it out later today. I seem to remember that it was not as straightforward as you might think.

That's interesting. Do you have a sound engineer, or do you set the PA up yourselves?

We can't all be rock gods.🙂 For a lot of us, it's a way of socialising and being involved in music-making. I do tend to forget sometimes that there are plenty of players out there for whom the backline is not very important, but it does have an important job to do when you're playing a smaller venue. Unless you're using in-ears, of course, but I've yet to see a band using in-ears in any of the pubs around here.

Talking of clamps.... Lidl are selling some neat, one-handed clamps, which would be a useful addition to the longer ones. Starts today - so won't be available for that long. https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/product-recommendation/powerfix-profi-one-handed-bar-clamps/p27850 If you're on the wating list for the next batch of kits, or if you plan building from the plans, I'd recommend you get yourself a set of the 150mm ones for £6.99. Cheaper than anywhere else.

You could well be right, BigRed, but I think there are still a lot of us out there for whom full PA support is the exception rather than the rule.

Ooh, that's a blast from the past. It conjures up expressions like Vortexion, Ferrograph and Reslo. It's actually got 'condensers' in it. And 85-year old electrolytics. Amazing!

You took the words right out of my mouth, Stew.

Whilst PA cabs do deliver useful features that are lacking in today's bass cabs - and they offer unbeatable value for money because they are produced in larger numbers - we shouldn't forget that they haven't been designed for bass guitar use in particular. Their main application is voice and music. So we have plastic cabinets (really not ideal for bass, sorry) and a driver specification biased in favour of the midrange. RCF, in their excellent range of powered cabs, spend twice as much on their compression driver as they do on their bass driver , which is great for vocals but not a sensible use of resources if your goal is bass guitar amplification. One of the reasons why bass players often prefer these FRFR cabs to normal bass cabs is that they handle midrange frequencies much better. But there's no reason why a bass guitar-specific cab can't do the same. I know a couple that do - and they have better quality bass drivers than any comparable QSC or RCF cab. But they are the exception (and one of them you have to build yourself 😀). In the meantime, a couple of high-profile American bass cab manufacturers are happy to fit a tweeter to their £1,000 cabs that I can buy at retail for £15. No wonder you hear players say "I don't like tweeters", and why they keep buying and using PA cabs for their backline.

Agreed totally. Today's bass cabs are on a par with what the PA guys were making in the 1970s. I notice Markbass have just launched their latest cab with a bullet tweeter instead of a piezo. I despair.

It's true that tilting your cab will help you hear the mids and highs, but it won't do anything for the rest of the room unless the cab's been designed to 'throw' the higher frequencies.

Phil's easy-build cab is a good solution. See if you can find the video, which is on Basschat somewhere and contains step-by-step instructions for assembly, along with lots of useful hints and tips along the way. The cab would also be suitable for a 10" driver. The BCcab 112s seem to be coming in at under 13kg, Phil.

I think it needs the badge to bring it to life, John.

That's why I said there were a few exceptions. However, if you have ordered a standard rather than a bespoke product made especially for you, the regulations apply.

Thanks. Seems a bit odd, but I guess they have their share of tyrekickers to contend with. Remember that you have the legal right to return any product bought online within 14 days for any reason. You don't have to justify it to the seller. There are a few exceptions and you sometimes have to pay the return carriage.

Do they say that on their website or just over the phone?

Andertons will not be very happy about this.

Here's another option: https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9099737

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marshall-Foot-Cups-Set-4-/391473670775 I'm not convinced they'll do much for stability, but there you go.