obbm

Stew, I've used a variety of mains cable as speaker leads. Occasionally I do a small PA rig for after-dinner speeches and for that I use orange lawn-mower power cable. Orange so I know exactly what it is, as it has jack plugs on each end. This is 0.75 sq.mm. cross section. In fact I've used it for higher power speakers as well. In the days when I was designing and building TV and radio studios and OB Trucks we always used mains cable as speaker cable but amps were never much above 50-watts. For reference: 0.75 sq.mm. = 6-amps 1.0 sq.mm. = 10-amps 1.5 sq.mm. = 16-amps 2.5 sq.mm. = 25-amps On thing you need to consider is just how much wear and tear the cable will be subjected to. If it's for a band PA that will be set-up and taken down regularly then the cable itself ideally needs to be very robust and flexible and I would suggest that you use rubber covered flexible. This is designed for floor extensions. Do not use pvc cable as it is very infexible and has a memory, so it will take time to change shape having been coiled up, and will be difficult to lay out flat. You can get this sort of cable at any electrical stockists. I've just been looking at the web site of tlc-direct.co.uk. Interestingly a 100-metre reel of their 2.5 sq.mm rubber covered is about the same price as I pay for a 100-metre reel of Klotz 2.5 sq.mm. but the Klotz is a much better cable as it is finer stranded and therefore has a better frequency response. Remember that mains cable is deigned for a single frequency, 50Hz. In the end you pays your money and you makes your choice. If it's cheap enough then get some and try it. I doubt that it'll do any harm and you might have found an economic solution.

If your Nordys have 5 wires coming from them, then they are configured to work with the SR5 pre-amp. Like I said there is a work-around (as our colonial cousins would say), but you need to mod the pick-up and get a 3-way 4-pole switch for the coils switching.

This is where it gets difficult for you because the coil switching is an integral part of the MM SR5 pre-amp. In series and single coil + phantom mode the point where the coils are connected is at ground and the other ends of the coils go to two separate op-amp stages out of phase with each other. This cancels any external interference. On my Stray5 with a Nordstrand and an East MM style pre-amp I separated out all the coils by adding an extra wire to the bundle that runs from the pick-up to the pre-amp and designed my own switching using an MM SR5 lever switch. It works but there is a level difference between the different settings. MM fix this by using a spare set of switch contacts to change the stage gain. Neat design. I've yet to tackle that one. If you've got 2 pick-ups then you are going to have twice the fun trying to sort it. Good luck.

According to the manual the Ampeg SVT-3 PRO has a solid-state output stage so you can use either a single 4-ohm cab or two 8-ohm cabs to extract the quoted max power of 450-watts You can also use a single 8-ohm cab to achieve a reduced ax output of 275-watts. If it had a valve/tube output stage then you would have to match the cab(s) to the amp.

[quote name='chris_b' post='77245' date='Oct 21 2007, 11:27 AM']I believe they are Klotz?[/quote] I take great care to respect the non-commercial nature of this Forum which is why I try to never get involved in these discussions and never blatently advertise or promote, except where already agreed with the Mods. There are plenty of members who can provide appropriate comment. However on this occasion I wish to clarify that I currently use Klotz for the speaker cables and Vandamme for instrument and mics. In my corporate working life I was involved with building literally hundreds of studios, edit suites and outside broadcast trucks using Vandamme with never a problem. It's comparable with Klotz but comes in several colours which is a benefit to some. If anyone wants Klotz then I can do that as well.

For many years I had a 1986-ish Jap Precision which was extremely well made and which played really well and sounded top notch. Nash now owns it and rates it very highly I believe. Jap P's of that vintage are reasonably priced and well worth looking out for.

[quote name='ped' post='76912' date='Oct 20 2007, 11:20 AM']Haha superb!!! What's the context? Maybe I should just buy the magazine eh? Nowhere in Witney stocks it unfortunately ;0)[/quote] It's about someone who picked up a dead 1984 Trace 1110 combo from Bassworld for free, got it repaired for a small sum and is now gigging with it. The interesting bit is that it was probably a prototype, being serial number 002 and was probably evaluated by Mark King as it has his name inside it. Now you don't need to buy the magazine.

[quote name='ped' post='76908' date='Oct 20 2007, 11:11 AM']What does it say?[/quote] "So when I spotted a vintage Trace combo going for free in the small ads of a UK bass forum, Bassworld (now called Basschat, www.basschat.co.uk) I was onto it like a shot"

[quote name='ped' post='76904' date='Oct 20 2007, 11:08 AM']Brill!! I presume he mentioned Basschat all the time ;0)[/quote] Can't see it there however we do get a mention in " A Trace Of History" on page 86.

There I was thumbing through the latest edition that dropped through the letterbox this morning when I chanced upon an article called Weekend Warriors on page 72 which featured our own "Stingrayfan" and his band "Wag The Dog". Nice one Matt. Well done.

I recognise some bits in there. Nice tidy job.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='76566' date='Oct 19 2007, 03:29 PM']Funny enough i was just looking for one of those. I think price wise it might be slightly out of my budget though.[/quote] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Lakland-Skyline-Bob-Glaub-Bass-Guitar-w-Hard-Case_W0QQitemZ110182489004QQihZ001QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Lakland-Skyline-Bob-...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url] This has to the bargain of the month. "Strike while the iron is hot"

I've got a 50PA which was non-working when I bought it earlier this year for £20 and a 200Plus which still needs some work doing on it to reduce the noise - a common fault with the mark 4s. I suspect the real reason is that David Gilmour admitted that he uses some Sound City 50 heads for recording. I still think that it is currently over-priced. Goodness knows what it will end at.

It's a dead 50-watt valve amp and the bids just keep on coming. Madness. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150170133660&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=005"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...A:IT&ih=005[/url]

[quote name='Old Horse Murphy' post='75761' date='Oct 17 2007, 08:48 PM']Me!! [/quote] So where is he/she in Surrey then?

[quote name='kevbass' post='75720' date='Oct 17 2007, 07:35 PM']Looks alright for £640 to me [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ernie-Ball-MusicMan-STINGRAY-bass-guitar-Music-Man-USA_W0QQitemZ290171541893QQihZ019QQcategoryZ101561QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ernie-Ball-MusicMan-...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url][/quote] Looking at his feedback he seems to deal quite a bit in Stingrays. I spotted one of our own number in the list of buyers.

From the front of the nut to the centre of the first row poles is 762.5mm (Interestingly it's a fraction over 30-inches) From the front of the nut to the neck side of the pick-up is 750mm From the front of the nut to the bridge side of the pick-up is 799mm I hope this helps.

I've got a 500K blend if that is any use.

I will measure my SR5 for you tomorrow. Best to go from the nut to the pick-up as the bridge saddles are moveable structures. BTW Bongo and SR5 are different. Bongo HH bridge pick-up is closer than on the SR5.

[quote name='Old Horse Murphy' post='74488' date='Oct 15 2007, 10:58 AM']I liked the Phil Lynott look Dave!![/quote] I know Nick but I've realised that I have to act my age. . This is not as classy as Homers. The only reason you like it was that you could see Gill's backside reflected in it when she was wiggling. I had a P that was B/B maple and that had killer looks. I'll get a Black one and try it.

[quote name='eude' post='74478' date='Oct 15 2007, 10:47 AM']Holy crap! That bass is gorgeous! Is it a special edition? I've never seen a Black DJ with a maple neck and blocks. Oh, and I'd go with the black scratch plate by the way. Cheers, Eude[/quote] Maple neck with blocks is a standard option. Both my DJ4 and DJ5 are maple with blocks. I'm going to get a black pg now.

Alan Try this on the J-Retro: Wind back the bass pot because the J-Retro has bass boost at the detent. Wind back the treble pot to take the top off. Wind the mid frequency all the way back, i.e. as low as possible Boost the mid level pot to taste. Pan the blend control towards the bridge pick-up. I find this a good starting point and it punches through everything. I use this with the amp almost flat and then boost the bass control a gnats if need be or tweak the blend back toward the centre. Works for me.

Very, very nice Alan. It's making me think that perhaps I need a black instead of mirror on my black DJ5. Oh and the J-Retro is not the de-luxe.