Auralex Gramma Pad - Marvellous

[Faithless]

How about trasportation issues? Is it flexible enough to hook into your baggage when flying?

[chris_b]

The Auralex web site says that the weight limit is 300 lbs.

Edit: [url="http://www.auralex.com/sound_isolation_gramma/sound_isolation_gramma.asp"]http://www.auralex.com/sound_isolation_gra...tion_gramma.asp[/url]

Edited August 24, 2010 by chris_b

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='peteb' post='935279' date='Aug 24 2010, 08:23 PM']What are these things like for balance?

Will it be safe to balance quite a heavy rack on a 610 cab (12" deep)??[/quote]

The larger platform would be fine. I used to put my 6x10 on it and they are a solid platform regardless of the foam (which is quite firm).

[quote name='Faithless' post='935291' date='Aug 24 2010, 08:29 PM']How about trasportation issues? Is it flexible enough to hook into your baggage when flying?[/quote]

If you are talking about the Gramma Pad, they are a solid board mounted on foam, so no they will not fold or flex.

[gafbass02]

I really fancy one of these. Only slight problem is I'm very into minimising the amount of kit and it seems it would be a hefty extra bit of gear and one I can't really afford tbh but I really want to get one I bought some auralex foam off alex for a tenner, not sure what I'm gonna do with it yet.

[fatback]

[quote name='Faithless' post='935087' date='Aug 24 2010, 06:13 PM']it got me thinking about this Auralex Gramma thing..

First of all, in future I'll be using a lil' Ibanez Promethean combo, so if it i'll on the stage floor, hooked with Gramma pad, I'm going to struggle to hear myself, so, if I tilt-up the cab (about 45 degrees or so), will Auralex still work?

I mean, does the cab have to sit on Auralex [i]fully[/i], so the Pad is effective?[/quote]

Alex C offers auralex wedges for tilting cabs up. I'll be getting one soon, and it'll be interesting to see if they help with boom as well as doing the tilting job.

[Paul_C]

. . finally caved and ordered one from Bassdirect a minute ago

I do play on a few hollow stages, and the idea that the audience can't hear me properly is always a concern

[JTUK]

Never felt I needed one.

[niceguyhomer]

Just sold mine - my new cab's too big and is on castors anyway. It was a fantastic piece of kit and made a huge difference to my sound on hollow stages.

[lee650]

Ive used a gramma pad for nearly five years now, i was on the ships and was given a ashdown combo, which i had to use in a wooden room built for the band, awful amount of muddy uncontrolable bottom, i saw it in bass player in the ads at the back and managed to order one from dolphin music on ebay (for a lot more than they are going now ) and ive used it for every gig ever since, i absolutely adore it and i couldnt play without it, i must admit its looking a bit roadworn now, the foam does get torn, might have to get a new one eventually.
+1 on the praise ! an indispensable tool

[JJTee]

Mine arrived this morning. I'm about to move into a flat and want to isolate the speaker from the floor to minimise the amount of bass transmitted into the floor below. First impressions: bloody brilliant. Really tightens things up and allows mids and top frequencies to stand out a little more. Very impressive. I 'm thinking of getting two of the big ones to form a platform for my little Roland HD-1 drumkit and me to sit on - I'm worried the sound of the foot pedals will go straight through the floor - I think this could be just the ticket.

[BigRedX]

Speaking from experience, the "sound" of the drum pedals will go right through the floor. Whether the Gramma Pad will sort this is another matter.

I built a low-tech solution to this many years ago consisting of a 3" deep open-top box big enough for all the stands and pedals which was then filled with layers of carpet underlay and topped with a ¾" sheet of MDF, covered in carpet, that sat inside the edges of the box sides without actually touching them. The base of the box was decoupled from the floor with Neoprene strips. Must have worked because my neighbours never said anything about the noise after we started using this.

[geoffbassist]

I was thinking of buying one to use under my double bass when practising with the bow(and practice mute). I find my wooden floor makes practising really loud and worry about my neigbours.
Anyone tried this?

[Bass Culture]

I think the theory behind the Gramma works but I've never bought one because it won't cure my particular bugbear of having my speaker nearer to ear height. My home made solution was to buy a cheap, Stagg piano stool (one of the ones that fold down), take off the seat and swap it for an off cut of work top we had left over when the kitchen was done a while back. Hey presto - cab/amp isolated from the stage and up at a height where I can hear myself. Best £15 I've spent in recent months!

[dave_bass5]

That's a good solution for monitoring but I would hate to have my cab up that high as I need to run it loud enough to get out in to the audience. I think I would go deaf ifnihas it blasting in my ear at that volume.

[Conan]

Been looking at these recently... there is a big price difference between the GRAMMA (£40) and the Great GRAMMA (£80) - is it essential that the pad is bigger than the cabinet or would it still work if the can overhangs the pad by an inch or so either side?

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='Conan' post='938735' date='Aug 28 2010, 01:00 PM']Been looking at these recently... there is a big price difference between the GRAMMA (£40) and the Great GRAMMA (£80) - is it essential that the pad is bigger than the cabinet or would it still work if the can overhangs the pad by an inch or so either side?[/quote]

So long as the cab is 'balanced' OK on the smaller pad then there should be absolutely no reason not to do that, the effect will be the same!

[TPJ]

I made my own

You can buy the strips of foam for about £10-15. I had some ply knocking around and some carpet. Works a treat.

[Randy_Marsh]

I was thinking of getting one but my new eden cab is on castors so would be elevated from the floor anyway... Would there still be any point of getting one?

[karlclews]

I keep an old sleeping bag in the boot of my car, in case, after a late gig, I feel the need to catch forty winks in a lay-by.

Found out last week that if you put a folded up sleeping bag underneath your cab on a boomy stage, then you get pretty much the effect you guys seem to be reporting with the Gramma Pad.

I'll probably still buy one anyway ...

[poptart]

Hi all

This has been a very interesting read - personally I think this could be the best £40 you ever spend as a bass player! Don't forget these work with any type of speaker cabinet and are ideal for PA bass bins, guitar amps etc - I use these for my PA bass bins with excellent results!

Regards

Mark

[BassPimp66]

I got myself a small gig trolley from warwick/rockbag some time ago. The wheels are pretty large and full of rubber. It lift my cab about 20 cm off the stage. I just prefer the sound when I leave the cab on the trolley. It stops all the rattle and boomy bass frequencies. Not sure I will ever go with the Gramma Pad as I don't see how this would isolate further than my trolley already does.

Cheerio,

[ThomBassmonkey]

How do castors compare to the GPs? I have castors on my cabs, but because they're pretty sturdy wheels, I doubt they isolate as well.

In saying that, they're big cabs and I don't think I could justify spending £80 (the cabs are 59x47cm and I (will at christmas hopefully) have 2 stacked with the head on top) for not a lot of difference (bearing in mind I don't play a lot of hollow stages and have the castors which go some way towards isolation). Maybe if I could fit them on the £40 one but I wouldn't feel safe with a full stack on one of those.

Edited November 25, 2010 by ThomBassmonkey

[karlfer]

Couple of folk mentioned in passing that they have cabs with castors on. I'm the same, so are these pads still useful and would they fit in between the castors on say a Goliath 111?
I've probably missed the answer due to dimness.
They don't call me 40 watt for nowt
Karl.

[poptart]

Karl

Casters do indeed help with isolating the speaker, however there is also a problem when you take the cab too far from the floor as you lose the "acoustic coupling" effect of the floor and there can be a small loss of low end. There will be a benefit to putting your caster cab on a GRAMMA but it will not be as profound as that on a regular cab, plus you may well exhibit a small loss of low end as you are raising the cab another 4 " - however this will be small and the reduction in "boom" is worth it IMHO on some stages.

I hope that helps.

Mark

[WalMan]

I have to admit the first time I used mine at a gig I took it out from under the rig in the break as the bass disappeared, but I persevered and made some level changes and wouldn't be without it now for the lack of boom particularly on high/boxy stages.

Whilst castors might help I would have thought a pad would still be better as in most instances the castor is still a more solid affair that will connect with a boomy stage where the pad creates the break - at least that's the way I understood the pads to work