mcnach

I got THE email with the picture!!! 9 weeks and a half even with NAMM in the middle... not bad! Here's the new Jake:

Glad you liked the result (how could you possibly not??? )

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1485341174' post='3223202'] No phantom power is very important. If you are splitting a condenser between two desks (or accidentally have phantom power on - or if you desk has a global phantom power on/off for all channels), it's very important that you don't have two desks feeding phantom at the same time. The no phantom power on the first product tells me that the split is not isolated - meaning that you could achieve the same result with just a Y XLR cable. I wouldn't ever recommend a Y split. An isolated split means that only one channel of the pair will ever pass phantom... therefore you run no risk of sending phantom from one desk to another... and there is less chance of crosstalk. You won't be very popular if you accidentally send phantom to a third party soundman's desk... so the isolation is a good move. As Trevor says, the UE Sound Tap is not just a split, it will either allow you to tap into a line/mic level signal going to say, a powered monitor... but it will also let you tap into a powered feed to a passive monitor and bring that powered feed down to line level. I posted reference in the other thread to the Palmer PDI09 which does similar... as does the Kemper DI profiler box. [/quote] Thank you for explaining that... as you probably realised I know very little about this side of things. The SoundTap does more than I want, or not enough, depends how you look at it. If it allowed me to mix another signal in, then it'd be great. As it doesn't, I'll use a small mixer, so I just want the ability to take a line out or a speaker feed and split it. I have paid so little attention to the monitors out there that I can't tell you what sort of connectors they generally have... I'm not sure I come across passive or active more often. The PA we use in my second band, that one uses passive wedges and speakon connectors. Looking online, I notice that all passive monitors appear to have speakon sockets, while active ones generally have an XLR female input (I saw a handful with and additional jack socket), and male XLR outputs (line/mic level switchable, or line and mic separately), and maybe some an additional jack socket line output. So it turns out that, if I encounter active monitors, I just have to have an XLR cable at hand and connect their line-out to my mixer. Job done. If I only have passive monitors... then I need to find a way to tap into it and bring the speaker level signal down to line. I have absolutely no idea what I can use to achieve that... EXCEPT of course you've mentioned the Palmer DI09 unit. [url="http://www.palmer-germany.com/mi/en/PDI-09-Passive-DI-Box-for-Guitars-PDI09.htm"]http://www.palmer-ge...itars-PDI09.htm[/url] I saw you mentioned it in the other thread but I bookmarked it to look into it later... and later never happened. It does seem to do what I need, although I don't need any of the guitar speaker emulation, so I thought maybe there are other suitable boxes out there. The Palmer DI09 costs about £76 right now, which is not going to break the bank if it does the job. I found others that don't have so many whistles and might work too... Would any of these other units below be particularly suitable or unsuitable to capture a passive monitor mix? The plan would be: I'd get the speakon cable that plugs into the monitor, and plug it into the DI box using a speakon-jack adaptor cable. Then I'd pass the 'thru' signal back into the monitor with another jack-speakon cable. I would then take the XLR line out output from the box and connect it to my little personal mixer behind me. The [b]Palmer DI09[/b] looks like it should work. It costs £76, but it adds guitar speaker emulation that I don't need. Or... is maybe that speaker emulation what will make it sound tolerable in my earphones? I found two cheap and cheerful units that on paper look like they might work... unless I really need the speaker emulation of the Palmer unit. [b]1) Behringer Ultra-DI DI100 DI Box[/b] [url="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Behringer-Ultra-DI-DI100-DI-Box/dp/B000CCSWPQ/ref=pd_sbs_267_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VMWT3SVAE56EFYRPSTSB"]https://www.amazon.c...SVAE56EFYRPSTSB[/url] £33 It states it can take speaker level signal. I'm guessing the 'link' output is the same as 'thru'? One thing worries me (in blue). It says: [quote][u][b]Tapping a signal from a power amplifier output[/b][/u] When no line out is available it is possible to connect an amplifier output directly to the DI100 (for example, recording direct from a guitar amplifier, TV-speaker, etc). It is possible to connect the output, i.e an extra speaker output, of up to 3000 Watts to the ULTRA-DI without fear of overloading. Pay attention to the two -20 dB buttons on the ULTRA-DI! Both must be depressed if an amplifier output is connected to the DI100 input. [color=#0000cd]Always make sure the ground lift is on (no ground link) when connecting to speaker terminals. This prevents accidental short-circuiting of the amplifier output. Also make sure the Tip of the input jack is connected to the red terminal and that the metal housing of the DI100 has no contact with other equipment.[/color][/quote] If there's any possibility whatsoever of my damaging the amplifier that powers the monitors, then I don't want to get anywhere close. [b]2) Art X-Direct[/b] [url="https://www.amazon.co.uk/ART-X-Direct-Active-Direct-Injection/dp/B0009GYIKS/ref=pd_sbs_267_8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YAHA13ER32DA3Y551432"]https://www.amazon.c...3ER32DA3Y551432[/url] £25 It clearly states it can take speaker level signals, it has a link output (which seems to be the same as 'thru'), and it's much like the Behringer above. They make a dual unit (Dual XDirect twin channel) where the 'link' outputs are labelled as 'thru'... There's also an Art Z-Direct... but I can't figure out what's the difference between the two units. [url="https://www.amazon.co.uk/ART-Z-Direct-Passive-Direct-Injection/dp/B0009GYIL2/ref=pd_sbs_267_10?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YAHA13ER32DA3Y551432"]https://www.amazon.c...3ER32DA3Y551432[/url] I hope I am getting closer to finding out what I need... thank you for your help and patience, this is all a new world for me! edit: I've checked a few videos of the Palmer PDI09 in action used to DI a guitar directly from the amplifier output. That's actually really cool... hmmm. I might actually find a use for this thing with my guitars...

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1485263174' post='3222570'] Thanks for your concern Dood, it's much appreciated. I'm sure another interesting project will come along eventually. Mcnach, if those wedge monitors are active it's highly likely they'll have a 'line out' for daisy chaining, which would be just the job for you. [/quote] True, I've seen some active ones that would be easy to get a line out from... The thing is I can't predict what monitor I'll have where, so I have to anticipate various situations, active monitors, passive monitors... various connectors... and it may not be as simple as I thought... I'm not familiar enough with these things... :/

I'm slowly trying to make a transition towards IEM, and in the immediate future it would be wired for me due to budget constraints and the fact that I need to understand more about wireless units before I feel I can choose. I recently saw this thing called a "Sound Tap" by Ultimate Ears. [url="http://stories.ultimateears.com/?p=763"]http://stories.ultimateears.com/?p=763[/url] and video: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUasZpMINt8[/media] What I liked about that was that it allows you to capture the mix being sent to a wedge, by putting that little box in between, so that the wedge still gets the signal but you tap into it and use it for your earphones. What I didn't like was that you cannot add/mix a signal to it, as I'd like to be able to control my bass level on it, unless you use some external mixer, and if I'm going to do that I surely don't need the Sound Tap but I can get a cheaper simpler device. Right now my initial setup will be based around a small Behringer UB1002 mixer I've got, with a couple of XLR/jack combo inputs and a few (8?) extra jack inputs. My bass will be fed into it from my OmniCabSim pedal (uneffected 'thru' to the main desk, effected out to the UB1002), and I may use the Zoom H2 mic unit for stage ambience. The output of the UB1002 will be fed into a Behringer P1 portable headphone amp attached to my person. This alone *might* do a passable job. But I'd ideally like a mix from the main desk. Sometimes I'll be able to get that ok, but sometimes I won't. So being able to tap into a wedge signal is very attractive as there will always be one available relatively near me, and I can sort that out without requiring the sound guy to spend more time on me. My question is how to do that. I found some small units on Thomann that I think might do the job... but I am not sure this is what I want or whether I am missing some important detail, so I'd like to ask you if any of these would do what I want: First there's this thing at £24, which takes one XLR and has a 'through' output XLR next to the input, and two output XLRs on the other side. It is passive, so just plug in and done. It says 'note: no phantom power' (is this anything I need to worry about? I don't think so but...). [url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/millenium_sp_31.htm"]https://www.thomann.de/gb/millenium_sp_31.htm[/url] Then there's this ART Prosplit microphone splitter, at £40 I don't know whether the 'microphone' part matters... but this one has two XLR outputs that are not equivalent, however I do not understand if that makes any difference to me (check the labelling on the outputs in the image). [url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/art_prosplit.htm"]https://www.thomann.de/gb/art_prosplit.htm[/url] Then there's the ART Splitcom Pro at £36. It's got two XLR inputs and two outputs... and I really do not understand what's the significant difference between this and the Prosplit above, and there's the different labelling on the inputs/outputs whose meaning I'm not clear about... [url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/art_splitcompro.htm"]https://www.thomann.de/gb/art_splitcompro.htm[/url] Would any of these be what I need? Or do you have any alternatives? The Millenium SP31 looks just right to me, but the 'no phantom power' makes me wonder... I imagine I just cannot use it to split two powered microphones or something, but that's not a use I will ever need, so I think I should be ok? I don't think the XLR to the wedges ever carry phantom power? (dunno). If the SP31 is ok... I like the idea of getting two, so that I can capture two monitors and make a pseudo stereo mix for myself with them. For instance using the singer's monitor at the front, and the drummer's on my side... but that's not important now. So, will the SP31 or any of the other units be what I'm looking for?

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1485114877' post='3221266'] Oooo, pretty!!! That looks just the ticket, thanks! Just read a few reviews which seem to share the view that these are very pronounced on the treble side (overly so in fact according to a couple of reviews) but the cheap wireless system we're using could really do with more presence in the highs anyway so could actually be a good match. For £38 delivered I reckon these are worth a punt. [/quote] I was looking at those too, I like the design and reviews, although I am a little concerned about too many people complaining about the build quality and them breaking... I had bookmarked the Shure SE215 based on reviews and price (around £80-90) but if the M6 do a good job I might go for those. I like that the cable is detachable too. The reviews about the excessive treble might be due to poor seal of the earbuds they were using. Let us know what you think about them!

ugh...

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1485162778' post='3221547'] Did see the Fat Beams but description on them wasn't clear as to what they were made from. [/quote] stainless steel

I used to use the D'Addario ones you're using, that gauge and also 45-105... I found the Ernie Ball nickels a bit nicer and punchier, especially for a 'finger funk' type of sound... but I am much happier with the stainless steel DR Fat Beams. They are more expensive, but I find that after they loose the initial over bright 'zing', the tone is just right and lasts longer than the D'Addarios (for my taste). They also feel great. The Fat Beams on the Stingray or a Jazz are very nice

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1485005988' post='3220324'] I'm now thinking of trying that myself! Using this: using the Zoom H2 for ambient sound, and the OmniCabSim for bass sound, mixed with that little but pretty versatile mixer. I was checking the H2 the other day in my office (I had the bass at work, and the H2 lives in the gig bag)... It was very interesting to set the gain switch to "High"... I could hear when people were opening doors down the corridor because the whirring noise of the equipment fans in the room... and I could hear conversations quite clearly next door that normally you could not make out... Obviously I'd want the gain set 'LOW' during a gig, as I do for recordings during rehearsal, but that was pretty cool. They're decent little microphones, those in the Zoom units, eh? [/quote] Some more MacGyver I had a terrible gig on Saturday where the onstage sound was maddening. I have played there before and it's not the best stage around these parts, but on Saturday I don't know what happened, it was terrible. So I'm going to take this IEM situation a bit more attention. Unfortunately finances are tight, so I am looking for something that works, to start with, even if the sound is not the best, as long as it's going to allow me to protect my ears from stupid volumes, to allow me to hear band and myself better, and it's relatively simple. So I am thinking of three options. 1) wired, ambient mic a stereo mic (on stage somewhere, probably) such as the Zoom H2 above, the OmniCabSim pedal for my bass sound, blended with a small mixer (probably not the one above, but a small Behringer one I have that I'm not using which has a couple of XLR inputs and various 6.3mm jack sockets etc. Th output of that would be fed into a Behringer P1 portable headphone amp I ordered yesterday. This is the simplest, and when the P1 arrives (and a couple of cables I ordered with it) I'll be ready to have a go. One possible limitation is that what the mic captures may not be very helpful... but I'll have to try and see. I could mount everything into my old pedalboard case, and it should be pretty quick to set up. I'd also be independent of soundguys, which is attractive as probably a third of the gigs I play we have very limited support, and it can work even for those gigs where it's just backline, which we do a few of sometimes (small PA purely for vocals/brass). I'll have to figure out a way to maybe wrap my instrument cable and the cable carrying the signal from my mixer together so that I don't have multiple cords dangling about. Or go back to using my wireless for the bass, so the only cable is the one feeding my headphone amp. Any ideas from somebody who's done this? 2) wired, desk output A variation of the above, or perhaps even better an addition to that, would be if I can get an output mix from the desk. If I can get my own mix, wonderful, but I'm thinking worse case scenario: there's always a wedge monitor I could perhaps 'tap' from. I could choose the monitor that has the mix I might like best (maybe drummer, as he's close to me and he does like his kick through the monitor, which I'd find very useful... whatever). My question is: would this be as simple as maybe making a box that splits the XLR from the desk into two, one that plugs into the wedge and another with a longer cable that I'll plug into my mixer? It'll be a mono signal, but if this approach is ok, I could probably do the same with a second wedge carrying a different mix and use that to give me some 'fake stereo' image that may sound more pleasant? Or is this completely silly? I got this idea from the UE Sound Tap gadget... but as it doesn't allow to add/mix another signal to it, maybe I can make my own this way? 3) wireless, desk output Right... now we enter the more dangerous and expensive territory. While I can potentially invest in decent gear in the future, after finances recover and I have done more research... if I were going to try something soon, it would have to be something affordable. The simplest would be a situation where I don't need the sound person to give me my own mix, but I can just use a generic stereo mix and add my bass to it myself. Here I run into two issues. First... how do I add my own bass to it? If the transmitter (set by the desk) sends me a mix, it will go to the receiver. But how could I add my bass signal to it and stay wireless? I could just pick the signal and feed it into my Behringer mixer... and use the P1 headphone amp instead of the receiver from the IEM system.. but then I'd be wired between my mixer by my amp and my earphones so what would be the point? I guess one possibility would be to take a wired feed (a wedge -or two- could do, as in approach #2) and feed that to my little mixer onstage, then feed the output of the mixer to the transmitter which would be onstage with me, and use the receiver wireless. A cool thing about this is that if I also use my Line6 G30 wireless for the bass, I could be entirely wireless. Presumably having the transmitter onstage would help avoid dropouts? I don't know. I'm a little lost here... The second issue... is what system? I'd probably be looking at something like the MEI ONE or MEI 100 or even MEI 1000 at a push. But will they be ok? I'm concerned that the UHF transmission may not be so hot for bass on the cheaper units. At this stage I don't care about how many transmitters can be used with the unit or how many frequencies (I think)... so if that's the only difference between the units then I'd go for the ONE or 100... Uf.. I have a headache and anybody reading this probably too. Am I making any sense? Help!

[quote name='lownote12' timestamp='1485018074' post='3220468'] I was promised instructions, which didn't happen. It's not hard, but you do need to take the whole cab apart to replace the loom on both drivers and the back panel. If it was a knackered old cab I'd just rip it apart, no worries. But when its new and you're trying to keep it that way comes the the problem, especially when it's likely the journey is non-mission critical. [/quote] That sounds like a major pain... I assumed all you needed to do was unscrew the back panel, disconnect the speaker wires one it, and connect them to the new panel... or something very similar to that. What you describe does not sound like fun at all

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1484990824' post='3220173'] I have a Zoom h4, which might do all of this: stereo mikes for ambient, desk feed into one line channel, bass into the other line input, in 4 channel mode make up a nice mix and iems in the headphone socket. Would this work? [/quote] I'm now thinking of trying that myself! Using this: using the Zoom H2 for ambient sound, and the OmniCabSim for bass sound, mixed with that little but pretty versatile mixer. I was checking the H2 the other day in my office (I had the bass at work, and the H2 lives in the gig bag)... It was very interesting to set the gain switch to "High"... I could hear when people were opening doors down the corridor because the whirring noise of the equipment fans in the room... and I could hear conversations quite clearly next door that normally you could not make out... Obviously I'd want the gain set 'LOW' during a gig, as I do for recordings during rehearsal, but that was pretty cool. They're decent little microphones, those in the Zoom units, eh?

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1485003031' post='3220286'] I think I've finally settled on the colour/look of what I'm hoping will be my next build. Elwood L, Delano JSBC p/ups, passive, drop D tuner, 33" scale, 21 vintage-medium frets. I'll wait until NAMM is over and then drop Adrian a line. Here's a mock up I put together with a stock picture and a bit of editing... [url="http://s308.photobucket.com/user/ezbass/media/elw160287_zpsnvca1pui.jpg.html"][/url] [/quote] That's seriously sexy... if it had a maple fingerboard I'd have to steal it from you I'm about to start week 9 of my wait... not long to go now, maybe another 4 weeks or so Although mine is not going to be as 'wow' as yours. Very nice!

[quote name='thegummy' timestamp='1484868693' post='3219368'] Just got my first P Bass. It's amazing but I'll save all that for the NBD post when the custom pickguard arrives. Question I have for you P players is where do you tend to pluck? On a J I was always used to plucking right between the pickups which worked well cause i rested my thumb on the neck pup. I looked at my favourite P player, Pino, and he plucks right over the pickup but it feels strange to me hitting the pickup with my fingers. Is that where it's generally plucked? [/quote] I like to pluck just below the pickup, towards the bridge (although it varies a bit, often I pluck right over it too). The thing is I'm used to using a pickup as a reference/resting place (from using a Stingray) so I tend to put tiny thumbrests below the Precision pickup. Like this:

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1484909941' post='3219566'] In fact, thinking about this, you could fashion your own with a small mixer and something like a Palmer PDI09 (enables you to take a balanced feed from a speaker feed). [/quote] Hmmm... I have to investigate. I was even thinking of something like what Dood suggested in another thread... and mix my Zoom H2 onstage to capture the ambience and general band sound, with the headphone output of my OmniCabSim, as a rudimentary IEM test. On my main band I use a tiny pedalboard that is generally either on top of my amp or on the floor by my cab on the side, so I may be able to set it all up with minimum fuss and cabling. It's not going to be anything like what you guys get... but all too often it gets too noisy on the stages I play, and earplugs protect me but I sometimes can't hear much, and I don't want to make things harder by just turning up up my amp onstage since it generally just makes things worse... I don't really want to be wired, but maybe that is enough to give me a more enjoyable experience and meanwhile I keep learning so that I can decide what I really need, as a decent IEM system, wireless, is not exactly cheap.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1484837237' post='3218943'] New toys - [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUasZpMINt8[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzEAn2y-5-g[/media] Glorified headphone amp right? [/quote] Hmmm, I actually like that, as it would provide a relatively cheap and uncomplicated way to get into IEM... but I'd like an aux input that you could mix with the wedge input too. Pretty much everywhere I play I could select one of the wedges (which one it'll depend on which mix I like best, but probably usually the singer's one), and then use the headphone output of my OmniCabSim into the SoundTap, mixing it with the wedge mix to my liking. It would be a wired system, which is not ideal, but it would be simple, something that even I can understand... and I don't need to depend on other people or begging for mixer aux outputs etc

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1484840180' post='3218994'] There's your battery problem. I doubt I do 4-6 hours practice a year. Plus jazz. All those notes. [/quote] "All those notes" Glad I had just finished my drink...

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1483520924' post='3207768'] There's not really a lot of competition at that price point, especially when we are talking quad drive balanced armatures. There's the XBA40s if you can find them... otherwise you are stepping up to say the Westone WD40s. Should probably point out that the competition in balanced armature designs is very tight - there are only really Knowles and Sonion in the balanced armature manufacture game, so likelihood whatever you buy will be made from those, or a combination of those. What you are paying for is the sound signature (e.g. tuning and crossover design - that for most are actually passive and made up via tube dampening and tube length, only a few have electronic crossovers in place) and the casing. The UE900s are defo the bargains... and considering that they are from UE (who are certainly up there in terms of IEM front runners), they are not to be sniffed at despite them having been on the market for some time. There is a reason why they haven't been discontinued - they are great. These have also been on my radar of late - [url="http://www.mi.com/en/headphonesprohd/"]http://www.mi.com/en/headphonesprohd/[/url] - only out since the end of 2016... Dynamic in the lows so should give better response than a single BA (remember I always suggest at least a dual low when using balanced armatures because balanced armatures have less headroom) - [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Xiaomi-Pro-HD-Earphones-Triple-Driver-Dual-Dynamic-BA-Hybrid-UK-fast-postage-/222339603573?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368"]http://www.ebay.co.u...725.m3641.l6368[/url] (Easiest place to source is probably eBay as they are not officially available outside of the US) They are cheap enough to give them a whirl, right? [/quote] I'm reading this thread with interest as we're talking in my band about in-ears, and if we don't all do it I am definitely considering purchasing some gear to allow me to use in-ears... and this thread (and others) have been very useful. I'm still having 1001 questions but... getting there Anyway, I am not writing about all that... I'm writing about the Xiaomi earphones in the link above. I was interested in getting some that sounded half decent and I thought why not. So I got a pair of those. First impression wasn't incredible. A lot of treble, so much so that I EQ'd it decreasing treble progressively above 4KHz. The bass wasn't particularly impressive either. It was there but it didn't have the definition I was hoping for. HOWEVER! I was really struggling with the actual buds. Poor fit in my ears. It's not the first time... I seem to have unusual ears or something. The Xiaomi come with 4 pairs of buds. None fit well. The least bad were the ones that came already installed. I find the rubber material too slippery, it just doesn't stay in my ear and if I shake my head they come loose. They also make my ears feel hot, tired, after half an hour or so... maybe because I try so hard to get them in place and stay there... Very disappointing. So I took the buds that came with my Sony earphones (they were around £40, I can't recall the model). They are the worst Sony earphones I've owned... but the buds are better for me, although still not ideal. I installed the Sony buds on the Xiaomi... woah! BIG difference. The treble is no longer annoying and I reset the EQ flat. The bass... there's quite a bit of it, but the most important part is that it has a much more defined sound. I was using a couple of Lettuce albums that I know well to assess the sound... funky, nice horns, keyboards, effects, wah guitars... I won't say they're the best earphones ever, but at around £35 including delivery I'm very happy with this. They feel reasonably well made although I wish for a more substantial cable, but it's still a LOT better than the Sony. I guess it makes a big difference to use the right buds. The ones I am using now are ok, but I could get a better fit, so I'll investigate and see if I can find something that fits better. I'm not sure how well they would work as for IEM, these buds don't block as much external noise as you'd want for that, but they're nice cheap earphones that sound probably better than most in the price range, and I'm glad I read this thread Edit: they also don't leak as much sound out as I expected, pretty quiet outside your ears at the volumes I like, which is great

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1484820306' post='3218675'] TBH apart from a GK amp in the rehearsal room that had a generally confusing control layout, I don't think I've ever come across an amp that I couldn't get EQ'd to give me the sound that I wanted out of my bass. [/quote] Of course. I always get a reasonable sound too, but that's not to say I like every preamp and/or that I don't have preferences, and some sound nearly right out of the box and others require more work and their design make it harder to get the right sound I want. I found the GK preamps generally to my taste (lots of options, but I tended to leave them quite flat, so it was easy), the LM3 works quite well for me to allowing me to modify exactly what I want to. The Streamliner 900 is a bit of a struggle by comparison. I make it work, but I don't enjoy it. Similarly, the preamps on my Stingrays (2EQ and 2EQ + semiparametric mids) are a breeze to use for me and I much prefer to deal with that. There are differences. I care. [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1484820306' post='3218675'] And for me, in a band mix (and lets face it, that what really matters) most basses do sound the same. [/quote] my Stingray will never sound the same as my Precision or P/JJ. They all work. But some do certain things better than others. They most certainly don't sound the same to me, which is why I have different basses. I use just one at any given gig, because they all work, and the onboard controls (some active, some passive) give me the differences I need. Some songs require a deeper woolier tone and I may cut down treble and play closer to the neck, others a more middy and well defined sound so I may cut down bass a bit and leave treble neutral and play over the bridge pickup... etc. Some require a trebly "clang"... I adjust that on my bass. I don't touch the amp controls after the first song. Of course it's my preference and neither better or worse than anybody else's approach, it just tires me to hear comments that essentially say "well, I think this approach that I use works just fine so it's a little ridiculous to do anything else" even if they use nicer words

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1484820243' post='3218673'] ....and under no circumstances should you be allowed to own a torch! [/quote] what about a solar powered torch... oh...

[quote name='Jazzjames' timestamp='1484810925' post='3218568'] In my experience of using a bass equipped with a Glock preamp, the battery would last 6-9 weeks. That's practise plus rehearsals plus gigs as it was my only bass at the time. I was obviously doing something wrong... Too much practice? Too many gigs? Please advise. In all seriousness though, I think I made my point much earlier in the thread- I prefer the sound of passive instruments right now. That's the main reason for me. [/quote] That sounds extreme. I heard of preamps eating up batteries but usually there was a bad connection that drained the batteries. Some preamps have higher consumption than others but 6-9 weeks? I owned a bass with a 3-band Glockenklang preamp... not sure what model, it was around 2007, the one that in passive mode still allowed a passive tone control to be used. I can't say how long it'd take to die, but it was certainly in the "many months" range and that bass got a lot of use too. But your preamp may be different. I'd change battery at the beginning of every month if I had that bass, to avoid worrying... but if I were you I'd check whether that is normal behaviour for that preamp. It may be absolutely fine and it's just a high consumption design, but as those are relatively rare I'd check, just for peace of mind. And agreed completely: whatever we personally prefer is fine, there's no absolute better or worse here.