stevie

I'll let Bill comment on this. 😁

It could be 3 ohms impedance but it's also possible that it's 8 and that part of the number has rubbed off.

Compare with this. What do you think? UprightBass.mp3

In response to @Paddy Morris's question, there are a surprising number of upright bass players using LFSys cabs. Some of them are on Basschat, although none is a prolific poster, and might chime in if they catch this thread. You'll find some comments from a couple of DB players in the Events section of Basschat (South East Bass Bash and Big Fat South-West Bass Bash). Although LFSys cabs were designed specifically for bass guitar, I've discovered that they work very well with double bass, and DB players who have tried them have been enthusiastic. I agree that DB isn't easy to amplify. It's more critical than bass guitar, in my opinion, because not only is the frequency range wider (DB generates frequencies up to 9kHz) but the harmonic content is more complex. The amplification system also needs to be accurate because you have a ready reference for the original sound. There are several reasons why LFSys cabs work with DB. First, they all use a high-end compression driver and horn to reproduce the mid and high frequencies that are critical to reproducing the double bass accurately. This arrangement also means that the sound from the cab remains consistent no matter where you are listening - there is no off-axis midrange suckout to colour your sound. The cabs have been designed to be transparent, with a frequency response tailored to be flat - so there are no response peaks to induce feedback and the sound remains even as you move up and down the neck. The other factor that helps with DB is that the low end response is shaped to prevent boominess or 'bloom'. It extends low but doesn't try to impress by fattening up your sound. It stays tight, controlled and natural - even at loud volumes. All the upright bass players I have sold cabs to have chosen the Monza, which goes louder than your average DB player will ever need and has the benefit of being lightweight. To @Pirellithecat's question, the Monaco and Monza sound the same in terms of tonality, bass extension and overall performance. The difference between the two is in sensitivity and maximum SPL, which is what you'd expect from the difference in size. @Chienmortbb has already mentioned this. Despite its size, the Monza will handle bass duties for most bands playing pubs and clubs. If you're not concerned about the extra weight and want a one-cab solution, the Monaco offers extra headroom.

I'd be wary of replacing an 8-ohm driver with a 4-ohm one. It will change the crossover frequency and you could end up with a 4-ohm cab. You also run the risk of dragging the impedance below 4 ohms and killing your amp. There are too many unknowns here. An original replacement driver shouldn't be expensive - if you can find one.

It's not part of Sica's standard product range. I did a reverse Google Image search and came up with nothing. It looks very much like a cheap Chinese car audio chassis. It doesn't look like a neodymium driver, by the way. @Bill Fitzmaurice might be able to suggest something, but it's difficult to do so without knowing how the system has been designed. I'd expect this to be a midrange driver with a higher efficiency than either the Sica or B&C drivers the OP mentioned. Perhaps try phoning Eich or contacting one of their UK dealers.

I'll be happy to answer some of these questions in detail when I have some time later this week.

There are two camps on this issue. The first sees the bass as an electric guitar, where the speaker is responsible in part for the electric guitar's sound. The second believes that the bass guitar has more in common with the double bass, which needs an accurate, uncoloured reproduction system when amplified.

It's good to hear that the Basschat DIY design is still spanking the bottoms of much more expensive designs. This sounds like the beginnings of a regular event. If so, I'll try and get up there to take part next year.

Of the dozen or so amps I've used over the past 20 years, I wouldn't say any of them were particularly "coloured". @Phil Starr's bass amp shootout at the last SW Bass Bash revealed some differences between the wide range of models tested, but I wouldn't call any of them significant. If I were looking for a neutral bass rig, I wouldn't be bothered too much about the amp, but would concentrate on finding a neutral speaker that works for you.

Yes. There'll be more new models later this year.

Thanks for the mention, John. The new model should be available next month. Check the Basschat Affiliates section nearer the time for more info and special deals for forum members.

@Merton's TE1200 sounded amazing at last year's Bass Bash. I probably won't be able to get my hands on one again until next year's Bash - but I'd like to spend some time figuring out why it was so impressive.

The internal volume of the Trace 1153 is approximately 90 litres and and it's tuned to 45Hz. I modelled both drivers before recommending the Faital Pro. It's a good, modern driver. If you can get it for a good price, you should. Modelling is only useful if you know what you're aiming for. Otherwise, it's a trip down a rabbit hole.

With the proviso that I've never actually used either of those drivers personally, my choice based on its specification would be for the Faital Pro. The Celestion is likely to sound boomy in that cabinet. I think the Faital Pro should work fine.

He doesn't have a big advertising budget - or even an advertising budget. Like many of the best under-the-radar products, his business relies on word-of-mouth recommendation. 😀

You might suspect there'd be a problem with comb filtering but it's not actually a problem in practice. It's helped to some extent by the vertical positioning of the drivers. One option to reduce the height of a stacked pair would be to place the bottom cab horizontally on the floor. The height of a normal Monaco stack is around 1.2 metres - well below head height for the average person. Because the horn is rotatable, you can easily reduce its vertical dispersion by rotating it 90 degrees if you wish. Less sound would then reach your ears from the horn. The horn is directed upwards towards the player on the assumption that the cab will be used on the ground.

@Chienmortbb took over ABBM's stock and has been supplying Basschat customers since OBBM retired. His cables are second to none.

An awesome rig - even though I say so myself! 😀 Have you changed your amp,Jeff?

Grilles can rattle for a variety of reasons. Ideally, you need to pinpoint the exact location of the vibration. The most likely source of the problem is around the edge of the grille where it's attached to the supporting batten. The screws could be vibrating against the grille, in which case @alexjbassist's solution would work. It's also possible that the foam strip beneath the grille has disintegrated or isn't damping the grille effectively. You would then need to replace the foam strip. 2mm thick should do the job.

This is an important point that's generally neglected. The reason you need to point a cab at your ears is because the cone drivers used in bass cabs beam at mid/high frequencies, above about 1kHz or so. So, unless your cab is a constant-directivy design (like a proper PA), you'll only hear those crucial frequencies when your head is directly in front of the cab. Most tweeters fitted to bass cabs don't help either because they don't produce much below 5kHz and the cheap bullet tweeters normally used also squirt the sound forwards in a tight beam. So, tilting a cab might help the player standing directly in front of it (just don't move to the side) but, in those instances when the bass isn't going through the PA, it actually makes it worse for the audience because the mid/high freqencies are now being squirted at the roof. Taller cabs or cabs on stands are easier for the player to hear, of course, as their ears are closer to the drivers. But even then, unless you have a constant directivity design cab, your audience is still going to hear the indistinct, muffled sound that is typical of the bands I hear playing in small venues around here. The solution is a cab that's been designed to be used on the ground and that delivers the same sound to the player as to the audience by crossing over to a midrange driver or HF horn before the beaming becomes a problem.

The peak is unlikely to be a function of the steel basket. If that is the only subsdtantial difference, which seems to be the case, I would expect the frequency response to be the same.I wonder how reliable the published curves are.

I'd expect the higher Le driver to have a longer coil (all other things being equal) but the spec sheets claim the coil lengths are the same. The specs seem to be identical otherwise - so I'd expect the Le values to be the same. One major difference I noticed, however, is that the pressed steel chassis has an undesirable resonance between 3 and 5kHz that is not present in the cast chassis version. For that reason alone, the more expensive driver would be worth it to me - if the published curves are accurate, that is. Another thing you're getting with the cast chassis driver is spring-loaded terminals, which are much nicer and more reliable than the push-on type.

That's a workshop and instrument hire operation rather than a retailer. Also, they operate by appointment only. This place looks interesting: https://www.geigenbau-winterling.de/. They build, restore and repair. They have a large selection of antique, old and new double basses and stringed instruments, including, for example, 300 bows. Note that they are only open on two days in the week unless you make an appointment: Thursdays from 2 to 6.30pm and Fridays from 10 to 6.30pm. They have a single page in English, which is here: https://www.geigenbau-winterling.de/service/-english-