Best lightweight rig for reggae ?

[Hamster]

[quote name='The Funk' post='212577' date='Jun 4 2008, 04:10 PM']You normally pay 22.5% on top of the price (excluding shipping) in customs and duty. It still works out not that badly.[/quote]

IIRC you also pay VAT on shipping costs, so you have to factor approx 22% of the total cost [i]including[/i] shipping to guesstimate your final cost.

Not a bad scam for C&E to charge you UK VAT on a service sourced and provided outside the UK eh!

Hamster

[OldGit]

[quote name='redstriper' post='214889' date='Jun 8 2008, 01:58 PM']The Shcroeder too heavy? I'll be interested to see what you end up with then



My mistake - they're not heavy at all I just thought they would be with 2 speakers in 1 cab - why did you get rid of yours?

Glad the AE12's suit you, I couldn't get the very low room filling throbbing bass but I was using the Berg IP power amp and a pre-amp that didn't like my Ashbory, they might go lower with the markbass head.[/quote]

Ah .. I've only played an Ashbory in a situation where I couldn't really try it out so I am not sure about that. Certainly with my Shuker "P bass on steroids" the MB seems capable of smooth subs through the Schro and Bergs. Mark at Bass Direct (Poptart on here) will know the differences between the amps as he sells both. That's where I got my Bergs

I was very happy with the 1212L but I wanted a two cab stage rig (for various odd reasons .. PM me if you are that interested ) and my 1212L was 4 ohms. Hence I tried to find two 8 ohm 1212L's to buy (used) but when that failed I looked at the Bergs and they did the job.
No problem selling the 1212L, of course and I'd happily have 2 x 1212L's again.

Sonically I was happy with it. I'm also happy with the Bergs .. Guess I'm not that picky/able to tell the difference between two such outstanding options.
They are both so much better than the heavy Peavey combo I had before that it's a relatively small sonic change from Schro' to Berg' ...

Edited June 8, 2008 by OldGit

[redstriper]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='212533' date='Jun 4 2008, 02:55 PM']I know a bassist in London that's using a Markbass F1 with a 4 ohm Low-B2 and he loves the combination. His previous cab, an Ampeg 2x10", couldn't handle the lows without farting out, which seems to be the case with the vast majority of compact cabs, so despite the low sensitivity the Acme can play much louder.

Alex[/quote]

Hi Alex,

Just wondered if the bassist you mention is here on basschat or myspace etc so I could contact him about his rig?

Cheers,
Steve.

PS:
Keep up the good work with the cab builds.

[stevie]

Just to add to the many good suggestions - replacing the speaker in your Trace with a neodymium model would cut the weight of your combo by about ten pounds. I don't know if that would be enough. You might even consider it as an interim measure, as it would be a lot cheaper than the alternatives.

[redstriper]

[quote name='stevie' post='222107' date='Jun 19 2008, 01:21 PM']Just to add to the many good suggestions - replacing the speaker in your Trace with a neodymium model would cut the weight of your combo by about ten pounds. I don't know if that would be enough. You might even consider it as an interim measure, as it would be a lot cheaper than the alternatives.[/quote]

Thanks Stevie,

I have considered replacing the speaker and it is an attractive option financially, but a bit risky not knowing how it will sound in the cab.
It would also reduce the weight considerably if I could remove the amp and put it in a separate case, but this is not quite so simple because the pre and power amps are 2 separate parts, the pre amp is rack mountable while the power amp is screwed to the top and back of the combo.
If I can overcome these technical problems, I will give it a go because I am happy with the sound if not the weight.

Pic of the beast -

[stevie]

[quote name='redstriper' post='222178' date='Jun 19 2008, 02:28 PM']Thanks Stevie,

I have considered replacing the speaker and it is an attractive option financially, but a bit risky not knowing how it will sound in the cab.
It would also reduce the weight considerably if I could remove the amp and put it in a separate case, but this is not quite so simple because the pre and power amps are 2 separate parts, the pre amp is rack mountable while the power amp is screwed to the top and back of the combo.
If I can overcome these technical problems, I will give it a go because I am happy with the sound if not the weight.[/quote]

I had exactly the same problem with my Ohm combo, which is not too dissimilar to yours. I removed the head section - which also has a separate preamp and power amp - and made a sleeve for it out of 1/2 inch plywood. I fitted a nice leather handle to one end, some rubber feet, and painted it black. It really looks quite good and is a very easy one-handed carry. You don't need to be a carpenter to do it, but it will take you a weekend unless you're a DIY whiz.

I'm actually using a different cab at the moment, but I've still got the Ohm one here. I'll try to post a pic later and could also post some detailed pictures at the weekend if that would help. Come to think of it, this could be something others might have been considering doing.

[stevie]

Here you go. You would need to buy the plywood, handle, feet and paint. You could of course use a different handle, or put the handle on the top if you like.

[redstriper]

Thanks again Stevie - that's really encouraging although I'm a hopeless DIYer - I ended up in casualty last time I tried anything and am now banned from Stanley knives for life.

But this doesn't look too difficult, it looks like you screwed the pre amp directly into the ply wood and I guess the power amp is screwed separately to the back and/or base.

My amp needs a slot for air vents as you can see in the pic -



Another problem is that the amp is hardwired to the speaker although there are holes for 2 1/4" jack output sockets that are not installed.
I'm not sure how to wire these correctly from the 2 wires that now go to the speaker.

[stevie]

[quote name='redstriper' post='222269' date='Jun 19 2008, 04:17 PM']Thanks again Stevie - that's really encouraging although I'm a hopeless DIYer - I ended up in casualty last time I tried anything and am now banned from Stanley knives for life.

But this doesn't look too difficult, it looks like you screwed the pre amp directly into the ply wood and I guess the power amp is screwed separately to the back and/or base.

My amp needs a slot for air vents as you can see in the pic -



Another problem is that the amp is hardwired to the speaker although there are holes for 2 1/4" jack output sockets that are not installed.
I'm not sure how to wire these correctly from the 2 wires that now go to the speaker.
[/quote]

You're welcome, red. I think I glued a small piece of plywood at the front to double up the thickness to take the screws. At the back, I might have glued a small piece of softwood to take the screws. I just used the mounting holes provided. Not rocket science. The rear output was already connected - so I just unsoldered the cable to the speaker.

You would have to unsolder the speaker wire at the speaker end, fit a couple of jack sockets and connect the wire to the jacks. I'm not sure if that would be a step too far for you, but it is a very easy soldering job. You would probably also have to duplicate any vent holes in your existing cab.

Anyway, I'll take some pictures at the weekend so that you can see in detail what I did. But I can see you get the picture. Might be worth a try. You can always fit the amp back to the cab if it doesn't work out.

[stevie]

Meant to strip the pictures out before replying - sorry 'bout that.

[redstriper]

[quote name='stevie' post='222290' date='Jun 19 2008, 04:33 PM']You would have to unsolder the speaker wire at the speaker end, fit a couple of jack sockets and connect the wire to the jacks. I'm not sure if that would be a step too far for you, but it is a very easy soldering job. You would probably also have to duplicate any vent holes in your existing cab.[/quote]

The wire is not soldered to the speaker so no problem at that end and I can fit a jack plug to the cab and solder the speaker wire to it.

Re: attaching the wire from the amp to the 2 jack sockets to give the possibity of an extension cab -

Do I split the 2 wires and solder them to each socket identically and would this give 2 x 8 ohm outputs?

[OldGit]

These may come in handy
[url="http://www.allparts.uk.com/mojo-plastic-vent-grill-amps-logo-p-4972.html?p=product"]Mojo amp air vents from Allparts[/url]

Edited June 19, 2008 by OldGit

[redstriper]

Very 'andy - thanks again.

[stevie]

[quote name='redstriper' post='222329' date='Jun 19 2008, 05:11 PM']The wire is not soldered to the speaker so no problem at that end and I can fit a jack plug to the cab and solder the speaker wire to it.

Re: attaching the wire from the amp to the 2 jack sockets to give the possibity of an extension cab -

Do I split the 2 wires and solder them to each socket identically and would this give 2 x 8 ohm outputs?[/quote]

The wire should be marked positive and negative in some way - either by colour or by a stripe. You solder each of the two wires to the two connectors/tabs on the first jack socket, which should also be marked positive and negative (the positive one is the one furthest from the input). You then wire from the positive and negative of the the first socket to the positive and negative of the second socket. That's it.

It might be worth checking if the holes aren't for XLR sockets rather than jacks - they could well be. If they are, the hole will be about 23mm in diameter. Let me know, because I could send you a pair of Speakons to fit. I''ve got some new ones I don't need.

For your bits and pieces like handles and feet, you could also check out the Blue Arran website, which is pretty good.

Your speaker looks like a Fane 15B, which is a very, very nice driver.

[redstriper]

Thanks again Stevie, this is all very useful.

The holes are definately for jack sockets and I have seen the same amp on ebay as a stand alone head with the sockets installed, like this -


The speaker is a Fane TEF 153 250 watt 8 ohm made in 1985.

I could stick with this speaker if I can lift the cab without the weight of the amp, or I could change it for a lightweight neo alternative.

I am happy with the sound of the speaker, but it would be nice to have a little more volume before distortion at louder gigs.

Just need to find where my wife hid the toolbox and I'm in business...........

[OldGit]

[quote name='stevie' post='222376' date='Jun 19 2008, 06:37 PM']It might be worth checking if the holes aren't for XLR sockets rather than jacks - they could well be. If they are, the hole will be about 23mm in diameter. Let me know, because I could send you a pair of Speakons to fit. I''ve got some new ones I don't need.[/quote]

What a very nice offer.

If you can, use a speakon co sthen you'll never mix up yoru speaker lead with a guitar lead
They don't pull out easily either ...

[stevie]

[quote name='redstriper' post='222391' date='Jun 19 2008, 06:57 PM']Thanks again Stevie, this is all very useful.

The holes are definately for jack sockets and I have seen the same amp on ebay as a stand alone head with the sockets installed, like this -

The speaker is a Fane TEF 153 250 watt 8 ohm made in 1985.

I could stick with this speaker if I can lift the cab without the weight of the amp, or I could change it for a lightweight neo alternative.

I am happy with the sound of the speaker, but it would be nice to have a little more volume before distortion at louder gigs.

Just need to find where my wife hid the toolbox and I'm in business...........[/quote]

Ah well, jack sockets it is then.

The TEF is Trace's own number, but it looks to me like the Fane Studio 15B, which was their version of the Electrovoice 15B. Fane made lots of OEM models, so you can never be sure, but Trace could tell you. It would also make it easier to find a lightweight alternative if you wanted to.

I'll post the pics of my modest conversion over the weekend. Maybe it will help.

[redstriper]

[quote name='stevie' post='222448' date='Jun 19 2008, 08:04 PM']Ah well, jack sockets it is then.

The TEF is Trace's own number, but it looks to me like the Fane Studio 15B, which was their version of the Electrovoice 15B. Fane made lots of OEM models, so you can never be sure, but Trace could tell you. It would also make it easier to find a lightweight alternative if you wanted to.

I'll post the pics of my modest conversion over the weekend. Maybe it will help.[/quote]

I spoke to someone at Fane and he had details of my speaker on file, which I can find out more about if necessary.
He suggested the Colossus 600 watt neo speaker as a possible replacement, but he wasn't sure whether my amp would be powerful enough or how it would sound in my cab.
He even said I could take my cab to the factory to try various alternatives.

Basschatter Alexclaber is very impressed by the Eminence Kappalite 3015LF, but he didn't advise putting it in my cab.

It's all a bit of a minefield and I think I'll try splitting the amp and speaker into 2 cabs for now, using the original speaker and see where that takes me.
If I can manage the joinery and electrical work, it should put less strain on my back at least.

Pics would be great.

[redstriper]

Stevie, you could be right about it being a Studio 15B - I did some research online and couldn't find a vintage 250 watt Fane speaker at all even though the guy at Fane thought it was 250 watts going from the model number.
It says 200 watts on the speaker itself, as you can see here -


These are the specs I found -

Manufacturer/ Dia. Power Z SPL Vas
Model RMS ohms 1W/1m Fs cu ft Qts xmax

Fane Studio 15B 15" 200W 8 102dB 45Hz .10 0.44 0.440"

This seems to show a high sensitivity which may explain why it's so loud.
Not sure whether there is an alternative neo speaker that would do any better all round, bearing in mind my thirst for deep dub bass.

[redstriper]

Just thought of something else -
I've got some spare 3/4" MDF sheets - would they do instead of plywood?
Also, I forgot to thank Stevie for the offer of speakon sockets - so belated thanks for that.

[alexclaber]

3/4" MDF is not the way to go for light weight! 1/2" ply plus bracing is much better.

Interesting specs on that Fane - I think the quoted Xmax must be Xlim, otherwise that driver is impossibly good (you can't get sensitivity, Xmax and Qts all that high at once).

Alex

[stevie]

[quote name='redstriper' post='222564' date='Jun 19 2008, 11:26 PM']Stevie, you could be right about it being a Studio 15B - I did some research online and couldn't find a vintage 250 watt Fane speaker at all even though the guy at Fane thought it was 250 watts going from the model number.
It says 200 watts on the speaker itself, as you can see here -

These are the specs I found -

Manufacturer/ Dia. Power Z SPL Vas
Model RMS ohms 1W/1m Fs cu ft Qts xmax

Fane Studio 15B 15" 200W 8 102dB 45Hz .10 0.44 0.440"

This seems to show a high sensitivity which may explain why it's so loud.
Not sure whether there is an alternative neo speaker that would do any better all round, bearing in mind my thirst for deep dub bass.[/quote]

It sounds like the people you talked to at Fane don't remember their old drivers. The Studio 15B was a 200 watt driver with a 2.5 inch voice coil. It worked quite well and went quite low in a compact cabinet. The specs are wrong, though.
I found these:
Fs 42Hz
Le 0.6mH
Qts .37
Qms 3.8
BL 27.3Tm
VAS 128l
xmax 11.18mm

As Alex rightly points out, the xmax is wrong. I reckon it's p/p, which would make the xmax 5.5mm, which is pretty good. It's not 102dB either - I modelled it at 97dB, which is also fine. I modelled the frequency response, too, and it shows a good bass extension. I'm sure we can suggest an alternative driver that will work, if you decide to go down that path.
Fane's customer service has certainly bucked up. I don't think you'll find many manufacturers inviting you over to try stuff out. Quite impressive.

[stevie]

[quote name='redstriper' post='222571' date='Jun 19 2008, 11:38 PM']Just thought of something else -
I've got some spare 3/4" MDF sheets - would they do instead of plywood?
Also, I forgot to thank Stevie for the offer of speakon sockets - so belated thanks for that.[/quote]

I used half inch ply to get the weight down as much as possible (as Alex recommends), but there's nothing wrong with 3/4 MDF. It will probably only add about a pound or two to the total weight.

If you want to put some Speakons in the back of the Trace cab, the offer still stands. I reckon that anyone playing reggae bass in Anglesey deserves all the help they can get!http://basschat.co.uk/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif

[redstriper]

[quote name='stevie' post='222951' date='Jun 20 2008, 02:19 PM']I reckon that anyone playing reggae bass in Anglesey deserves all the help they can get![/quote]

You are so right about that - I'm the only one in the village !

I'd like to take you up on the speakons offer - 1 for the cab and maybe 1 for the amp if I can widen the hole.

I might splash out on some ply - this MDF is really heavy.

Speaker wise, I'd be very interested to hear any suggestions for a suitable replacement that has the 3 Ls (light, low & loud).