stevie

So is a line manager an array of managers arranged in a line? I've noticed some manufacturers using the "line array" term when referring to a cab with two drivers on top of each other. It's all about pulling the wool over the punter's eyes.

I could be wrong but I think the originals had much better drivers. They used a Celestion 12" with a cast chassis, 3" coil and neodymium magnet, plus a Celestion compression driver with a 1.74" coil. The later ones have smaller voice coils for LF and HF and the 12" drivers are pressed steel with ferrite magnets. Sometimes it pays to be a bit nerdy about these things.

I'm wondering how 4 x 4-inch drivers can possibly generate 126dB.

Sorry, but any bass player who didn't find that fascinating is tired of life. It doesn't conclusively prove anything, but the guy who produced the video certainly makes a good point. And Jamerson's bass line is just extraordinary.

I'd love to hear those Synergy horns and tapped horns. Doesn't everyone know about Tom Danley?

Well done fleabag! You have shown that building your own bass cab is not beyond the ability of the average highly intelligent, manually skilled, inventive and innovative bass player.

Ten percent is hardly a huge increase. Let's hope they can maintain them. It's a tough market out there, but the US competition seem to be really expensive now.

Yes, likewise. It does look like your driver might be OK.

A definite possibility, particularly with a pressed steel chassis like yours. Which is why you should try the driver outside the cabinet.

Agreed. And also try playing through the driver outside the cabinet (at a low volume) just in case something in the cabinet is causing the problem. Not very likely, but not impossible.

Exactly. The idea is to simulate the back and forward movement of the cone. As Spondon says, you need to apply even pressure to the cone to make it move in and out at a perfect right angle. The voice coil behind the cone is moving in a very narrow gap, and will scrape against metal if you apply uneven pressure - even on a good driver. I think Phil Starr once suggested using a cup to carry out this test.

If you're pushing the cone in and out nice and gently, I don't quite get what the 6 o'clock position is, but if you hear any scraping, you almost certainly have a duff driver. The magnet could have moved, as Spondon mentioned earliler, or more likely the speaker has been overdriven and the coating on the copper wire has expanded and is scraping.

It doesn't look good, especially if it's worse on lower notes. Have you tried pushing the cone in and out evenly? It shouldn't scrape. Otherwise, check the speaker outside the cab and then check the connections and the tinsel leads.

Fane have been around for a long time. There have been a few changes of ownership but they are still going strong.

True. I've never broken a string at a gig, but I can see it could be a problem.

A typically helpful response

By the way, there is an Ibanez bridge for sale in the Accessories section on here for just £8. Assuming you can fit it to other basses (you'll need to do your research), that's a steal.

The only downside to the Schaller that I can think of is that you have to thread your strings through a hole in the bridge, although the Gotoh and Badass are the same in this respect. The Hipshot and ABM (and the stock Ibanez bridge) clip the strings in from the side (if you get my drift) which is a superior arrangement, I think, especially if you change strings a lot.

Glad to hear it, Dood. My killer CD is by Madonna. Not only does her music have a lot of different bass sounds - which you can hear clearly on a good system - but her voice sounds awful if the system balance is wrong. Some people say that her voice is awful anyway, but that's not the point......

LOL. I can recommend the nice Spanish lager I'm supping now, although I do have a soft spot for the old newkie.

An easy way of distinguishing this is to play a piano recording through your speaker. You'll hear immediately what the cab is doing to the signal. It may sound odd, but IMO playing bass through your bass cab is not necessarily the best test.

Are you all right, Jack? I hope you've not started early on the newkie brown.

For some people, building things is a hobby. Like listening to music. However, it doesn't make sense if you're going to bill yourself by the hour. Do you cook? How much do you charge yourself for getting up in the morning?

Don't keep us in suspense. What does it sound like?