dan670844

[quote name='Marvin' post='829849' date='May 6 2010, 05:39 PM']I posted a thread about tone several months ago. In it several posts referred to the mids in getting their tone, specifically cetera.
Since Christmas I've been playing through a zoom pedal and got a little sidetracked, however this afternoon I was twiddling with my practice amp and remembered what cetera said about inverting the usual U shaped eq that many of us go for. And.......oh yes, push up those mids, turn down the bass and treble (but not too much) and what a difference. Literally a tone I've been looking for.

Two problems though. The zoom pedal is not needed (although I suppose I could try and get the same result through it) and the amp I was using is only a 35w practice job so not really suited to anywhere outside the living room .

I just wanted to share that. Don't forget those mids. [/quote]

For me all I am trying to do is get a nice even response across the freq range. I play a passive jazz finger style. Eq on my amp is flat (well in relative terms) for more bite I boost the 1-1.6K just a tad. Sometimes I cut 400hz a tiny bit as it removes the boxy sound. A slight boost at 100-160hz always gives me all lows I need. Always minute adjustments do the trick.
I learnt this when I was a kid, cos i couldn't afford a stereo I used to play my tunes through my bass amp (at the time a Trace 130SM). Soon as I plugged my walkman in, I knew flat on the amp wasnt flat! as the Trace 'flat' was pulling the mids up. The preshape on the amp gave me the sound I wanted for my stereo as they cut the mids down to the same levels as the rest to give a nice sound for my Level 42 or whatever i was listening to at the time. I wouldn't believe what amp manufacturers say when they say their preshapes boost this and that. You will never get the classic midscoop with manual tweaking, if you have that extreme smily face as you are laying your eq over the 'voice' of the amp. Thats why there are so many manufacturers out there.................. it what you like!!! I have made so many mistakes over the years with amps I like and don't like. But now I have learnt that if I don't like the 'flat' voicing of the amp then no amount of tweaking will pull it how I want it. Even though it says ......blah blah...... on the tin. So plug your i pod in at low volume and you will be suprised atwhat you hear, if you have several amps try em all 'flat' on the same track you will be amazed how different they sound!

[quote name='littleal' post='832423' date='May 9 2010, 06:31 PM']You could try these guy's

[url="http://www.electronicmusicservices.co.uk/traceelliot/"]http://www.electronicmusicservices.co.uk/traceelliot/[/url][/quote]


ditto above these guys are amazing and can fix amazing, they will probably just repair it will be only be a capacitor thats had its chips. Even old traces need parts sometimes!

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='833463' date='May 10 2010, 07:04 PM']I have a nice rig - it's an Aguilar AG500 head (twin channel jobby), an Aguilar GS112 and a GS112NT. I also use an Aguilar Tone Hammer which also acts as a DI box. It's all connected with OBBM's cables and the whole lot sits on a Gramma Pad.

Last night I did a gig in a huge marquee, big stage, big PA, small audience (it was ferking freezing).

Because of the small numbers, I couldn't bring myself to be arsed to unload my rig so I used the house rig - a slightly battle scarred Hartke HA3500A head and an equally road worn Hartke VX 4x10 and I have to say it sounded absolutely bloody marvelous.

We've had debates about this before - I know but I was kinda flabbergasted and thought to myself...why spend loadsa money when this little rig is plenty good enough?

Thoughts please....[/quote]

All the prectice rooms studios I go into I am always pleasantly suprised when I plug into (some) Peavey heads cabs combos esp the early stuff mark v's TNT115 combos etc (not the new ones they are not as good) they sound nice and abused everyday but still keep running. Slightly off topic I am also supprised to see a lot of late 80's 90's trace stuff still about, will it never die!!!

[quote name='Doc B' post='186243' date='Apr 27 2008, 12:37 AM']For the past few days I've been unable to get Joy Division's 'Digital' out of my head - hypnotic bass and vocals. I mentioned this to my wife and she suggested putting the song on when we got home - so I dug out my Joy Division Substance CD (the first CD I ever bought).

Next thing I picked up my new Squier VM 70s Jazz and worked out the bassline, closely followed the line for Transmission. Lovely![/quote]





Men at Work - Land of under
Dreadlock holiday - 10cc love this bass line
Jamiroquai - space cowboy ( a relearn, this time i learnt the live version)

[quote name='crez5150' post='834280' date='May 11 2010, 02:55 PM']I gave up trying to use my superfly in a live situation at all..... Although now it does a grand job as the preamp for recording in the studio.... ideal infact[/quote]

Like I said they both make decent di boxes, forget the poweramp bit, over the years I have made many mistakes............. I am still learning......... Most of them in recent years thanks to the Blue meanie...... pull your socks up Ashdown.

1. Chinese Made ABM Rack mount
2. Superfly
3. Little Git

Three Strikes!!!

Everytime I have been saved by an old '80s Series 6

Very annoying as they sound good, I wonder where Guy Pratts amp was made, I bet It wasn't China!. I would gladly pay for the privilage of UK, quality controlled stuff. Sadly I think they are rapidly undoing all the good work / reputation they had in the first 10 years.

[quote name='dan670844' post='834172' date='May 11 2010, 01:09 PM']I agree totally, at end of the day in some cases, things have got just too cheap to be reliable, The Little Git (Giant) even though it seems to be more reliable than the Superfly has some major design flaws . Both Amps are great if you get lucky and get a good one, but why should you put up with the stress?. I don't have a high opinion of the Blue Meanie these days, my early UK made ABM was great, never had any problems, but I have heard of many issues with the new ones, great design just assembled poorly. Always an issue with having stuff made in China, having good inspection of your stuff, with someone you trust is the most important thing. Having a container load of stuff delivered, which you have already paid for, the temptation to let it go out is all to great. I see they making the valve series valve / ss in the UK, so hopefully this will be ok. If they started making ABM's in the UK I would be first in the cue!



I am just off to try a new AH600-12, same price as an ABM (albeit a different sound) USA made, 5 year no quibble warranty can't be bad[/quote]


Sorry I meant -7 ..............

[quote name='Beedster' post='815797' date='Apr 23 2010, 09:29 AM']Thanks guys. I had a chat with a guy in a shop a few years back who was bemoaning the fact that nearly all aftermarket bass PUPs were so loud (i.e., high output), arguing that the best bass tone is achieved with a relatively low O/P PUP. OK, this was clearly a subjective opinion, but he made a lot of sense. Having owned a lot of 'hot' PUPs (e.g., SD QPs), I do find that I prefer the tone of my old Precision PUPs, even though the output volume is noticeably lower. If overwound means less treble, that's not a bad thing for sure, especially as I tend to roll of the tone, but does it add anything to tone, or is it just an output thing? I'm wanting a Lindy Fralin and am going to be using it with a P-Retro, so I'm guessing O/P isn't as big an issue as basic tone?

Chris[/quote]


I could be wrong ! usually am! but I think it also depends on how the pickups have been wound, scatter wound (hand wound) pickups rather than machine wound ( all mass market jobs) generally sound much better, something to do with the field they generate. If you have a spare afternoon! give Andy at Wizard pickups a ring. He handwound some standard output pups for one of my jazzes. They sound amazing, a much more even sound all for £70!!. They have a much more flat response across the Freq which is what you want and they are perfectly matched so they cut into each other perfectly when blended together to give that classic mid-scoop (i.e. Not like Fender's!!). The original Fullerton Fenders had scatterwound pickups made my little old ladies, i guess the pickups contributed a lot to the voice of these instruments.

[quote name='Moos3h' post='834090' date='May 11 2010, 11:58 AM']This is the second very similar post we've had about these in the last couple of days.

If it's under warranty, for gods sake send it back - ignore the helpful suggestions that it might be dirty mains power, dodgy mains lead etc. as even if that is the case, a well designed amplifier should cope with these things. There's a good reason why these have a very bad reputation - whilst you still have the chance to get it sort free of charge do it.

It's only my opinion, but these amps seem to fundamentally flawed in their design - when I returned mine the shop said 'Another one for the pile' - apparently they weren't bothering to return them for repair as the returns rate was so high, just offering credits against something else.[/quote]

I agree totally, at end of the day in some cases, things have got just too cheap to be reliable, The Little Git (Giant) even though it seems to be more reliable than the Superfly has some major design flaws . Both Amps are great if you get lucky and get a good one, but why should you put up with the stress?. I don't have a high opinion of the Blue Meanie these days, my early UK made ABM was great, never had any problems, but I have heard of many issues with the new ones, great design just assembled poorly. Always an issue with having stuff made in China, having good inspection of your stuff, with someone you trust is the most important thing. Having a container load of stuff delivered, which you have already paid for, the temptation to let it go out is all to great. I see they making the valve series valve / ss in the UK, so hopefully this will be ok. If they started making ABM's in the UK I would be first in the cue!



I am just off to try a new AH600-12, same price as an ABM (albeit a different sound) USA made, 5 year no quibble warranty can't be bad

Hi,

Someone told me that with digital amps (albeit not bass amps) that they can greatly affected by dirty mains power. You wouldn't believe what goes down mains these days even the internet! and combined with power spikes and dips this can cause problems apparently.
I guess with high end digi stuff they have good power conditioning whatnots but the cheaper stuff possibily does not.

As a previous poster suggested Superflys overheat so if you take it out of the case then it should be fine.

I have started using a little giant LG1000 for most gigs ( I live in London and they are cheep) and use a Lindy mains conditioner mains channel strip (£34.99 Maplin) and have had touch wood, no probs, even after a load of gigs> I think the Power conditioner is giving the amp what it likes smooth clean volts. Although I always carry a spare Amp!

I agree Superflys, Little Giants sound sweet but yes they aint loud. I don't know what they peak at power wise but the LG1000 I am using is supposed to be 500RMS my old Trace Elliot 130SM from 1980's is just as loud! But well you can just use it as a DI box!

Dan