Matt P

I keep one bass out and ready to play at all times (a different one depending on my mood) I'd suggest using a decent stand (if you aren't already) mainly as whenever i lean my bass against something i find that it knocks the tuners and puts it out on one string which annoys me. Matt

i've been playing 5 strings for more than 10 years (possibly 15?) I play a lot in church and a large amount of the music is composed on keyboard instruments (piano and organ) so Eb is quite common, and different singers have their favoured keys so i need to be able to transpose on the fly (often the music will be a lyric sheet with scribbled on chords for the guitarist to use a capo) I find that my 5 strings are so much easier to use in this situation, i occasionally use my 4 strings (especially the 77 p-bass) but it's usually a little more work. with my covers band i find that if i take a 4 string i'm always missing the low b string. the main problem that I had with 5 strings when i started was bad technique, i finally had some proper tuition (rather than busking it and using my old guitarist technique) learning floating thumb technique and how to play multi-octave scales really helped to tighten up my playing. i find that i move across the strings rather than up and down the neck and as a result i can play faster and for longer before i tire. my only issue now is that i recently discovered 30" scale basses so now i have GAS for a 30" 5 string (which isn't a common instrument!) Matt

if there is a rubber gasket between the grille and the cab then i'd expect the grille to have very little effect on the overall stiffness of the cab, especially as the cab itself is designed to be incredibly stiff (as far as i can make out the cab is optimised to the absolute limit of what can be achieved with the materials used) The rubber gasket is most likely there to damp out any vibrations that may be induced in the grille during high volume use. Matt P.s My day job is Mechanical design engineer, designing machines that vibrate (but ideally wouldn't)

i went for the silver cloth when i ordered my Gen 2 Midgets, i've had the grille off and there is actually quite a bit of space behind them before you get to the speaker cone so i'm happy, mine live in Roqsolid covers with the optional speaker protection panel (it's an optional pocket that i've put some stiff foamboard in) and mine look and perform exactly as they did when they were first delivered. i wanted the classic look and am very happy with all aspects of them (i haven't looked at another cab since) EDIT - i have swapped the head for a Markbass F1 but was never really happy with the SWR Headlite) Matt

if this were my problem then top of my list would be the Ampeg PF20t, i had a chance to record a single track through one at my tutors studio (@dodge_bass) just to allow for critical listening and to see how close i was to the original bass, it was fed straight into a scarlett interface and then into reaper with no plug-ins or tweaking (that i can remember) and it sounded fantastic. the PF20t will run happily without a speaker load and has separate Preamp out and speaker simulated XLR outputs on the back, if you wanted to get a mic-ed up speaker sound then it will drive a small cab as well. Matt

@karlfer @Number6 I know this is an old post but i've just stumbled on the Dirtybird via a bit of eBay'ing for short scales, i was wondering what the weight and balance was like for the 30"version, i don't expect it to be perfect due to the body style but was hoping that the short scale would help with the balance a little, also are they 19mm spacing at the bridge? I've got some birthday money burning a hole in my pocket and have a real love for short scale basses at the moment and there is something about the Dirtybird that really appeals! Matt

Thank you for the info, i had a nasty suspicion that they would be difficult to get and expensive but i'll make a note of them and keep my eye out when i'm in secondhand book shops etc, i seem to spend a fair amount of time browsing old books and you never know what will turn up!. Matt

would you be able to let me know what book that is please? it looks like just the kind of thing i enjoy reading (presuming that copies are available for less than a kings ransom! thanks Matt

I suggested newtone as there is a much smaller range of strings available for short scale basses, especially for less common tunings. I'm not sure I've seen single strings for short scale. It might be worth a look at the daddario string gauge calculator, you can play with gauges and tensions and see approximately what gauges might suit. http://stringtensionpro.com Matt

If it is roundwounds you are looking for then you the best option would be to contact newtone strings, they will be able to make you a set to suit, not the cheapest but very high quality

they are a bit more than Rotosound (26-28 quid depending on spec compared to about 20 for roto's) but DR start at about 30 quid minimum and Newtone will wind to your own spec. the postage is stated at £1.20 which i think is pretty good. (for the record i haven't yet tried the bass strings but i've been using the Newtone heritage acoustic guitar strings for about 10 years and won't buy anything else) matt

i wouldn't expect there to be a difference in performance or sound but the choice of series or parallel speakers in a 2 speaker cab is sometimes down to what happens if one of the speakers fails, it they are parallel then the amp is suddenly seeing a 16 ohm load, if they are in series then the amp is suddenly seeing no load at all (which is usually very serious for amps with valve power sections0 the amp manufacturer will decide which outcome is the least disastrous and go for that (if they're engineering it properly) Matt

I missed this originally, the thread started 2 years ago so there is a chance that the replacement program has finished, I used isopropyl alcohol to clean both of mine up, I wish I'd seen this 2 years ago as it looks like I would have got a couple of extra stands!

yeah i know that if i ask the right people then i could get a P-Retro, unfortunately until i get my overdraft cleared and then a decent way back into the black it just isn't a sensible option right now, i'm doing my best to only buy the absolute necessities every month and maybe this time next year i'll have enough spare cash to make the phone call. i've had a pretty expensive time over the last 2 years, (redundancy 2 months before my son was born, a total of 4 months with no income and now a job that pays less than the old one but with about 50% less stress) i've just read that last paragraph to check it for spelling errors and it reads liker a sob story! i'm actually about 200% happier than i was 3 years ago! and not buying new gear has meant i've spent more time playing and my technique and musical knowledge is also significantly better than it was! Matt

ok now i'm really jealous! i think that's pretty much the exact spec i'd go for (especially if it's 18mm string spacing) the website says the single pickup versions are currently discontinued. I've been thinking of a P-retro for my Letts 5 string for a while but they're not listed for sale anywhere and i'm totally broke ( and probably will be until my son moves from nursery to school and we stop paying a small fortune in childcare every month) Matt

i was just looking at the two 5 strings listed on Alan's website and was thinking maybe you were going for the RetroB J5 which is very pretty but that bass you've gone for is gorgeous! which preamp has it got? i played a couple of ACG's at a bass bash a few years ago, i wish i'd bought one when i had the money. Matt

This is the first time I've seen this kind of thing for musical instruments, it's usually ray ban sunglasses. I love the idea of buying a bassbreaker amp for less than a set of valves! 😁😂

There are reports on talkbass that the eminence delta lite can work in the TL806 but the general consensus is that it is fine as a guitar cab but even with a bass oriented speaker it is still a fair way behind a properly designed modern bass cab, I'm with @Sibob on this, I'd be selling the ashdown and buying something else that is better suited to you.

WinISD is available HERE it's not that difficult to set up, i've managed to model a few different cabs but i never got round to actually building anything. matt

If you can get some accurate internal measurements then you could put the numbers into WinISD (which is free) and this will give you an idea of what the current tuning is like, it should then offer you some dimensions etc for porting and show you what the frequency response will be ported. this would be a totally free way to see what adding a port or two would do to the cab. if you post the dimensions on here then someone else might be kind enough to run the numbers and advise you. (i have the software but am not an expert.) which Ashdown cab is this? i had a Neo loaded mini ABM 4x8 many years ago and really liked it. a quick google throws up quite a few different ones. (mine had 2 ports on the rear and a varnish finish rather than vinyl.) some appear to have the speakers offset and are taller than they are wide, mine was pretty much square. Matt

ok, i've just had a measure and the soundhole on this guitar is 88mm, the pickup has been modded a little bit and sits slightly towards the neck i wasn't really concerned with a pure natural acoustic tone on this guitar, i wanted a slightly raw bluesy tone, it's fitted with 13's and tuned D-D, i've got a handmade acoustic with a fantastic AER blend system in it if i need to sound pretty (a wonderful guitar but it's hard to sound bluesy with a guitar that expensive!) according to my measurements i've cut it down to 83.4mm wide, this is about as far as i dared to go. so it will fit into your soundhole but it will take some modding and will be fiddly to fit as you will need to feed the clamps onto the back (i use a pair of angled tweezers to hold the clamps while i fit the screw s. Matt

if i were buying cables then i'd be using OBBM in fact i have 3 of his excellent speakon-speakon cables as i couldn't easily source the 4mm speaker cable he uses. I make my own instrument leads as i have bought a whole drum of Klotz AC110 cable and have a good stash of neutrik jack plugs, the cables end up pretty much as the OBBM ones but with slightly less pretty soldering and i fit name labels and velcro ties. there are 2 good reasons why people recommend OBBM, the first is that his products are very high quality and the second is that his prices are very reasonable (i've added up what it costs to build a lead and he's not making huge profits on each one) he's also a nice guy and an active member on here but that's an aside matt

I've got one fitted to my travel guitar, I can dig it out tomorrow evening and take some measurements, I've modified mine to get it to fit so might be able to give you the minimum sound hole diameters possible. Matt

i went the barefaced route with a pair of the 2nd gen midgets, mainly after hearing (and trying out) Jack's midget+compact rig I was invited to one of his band practices and was very impressed at how he was easily audible above the pair of Marshall half stacks, then I was told that only one of the cabs was plugged in! (I may have mis-remembered this, I also recall something about someone offering to help move the cabs and then promptly chinning themselves with it as it was considerably lighter than they imagined) my second choice was a super twelve but i went for the midgets as they are easier to get into their hiding place (and a single one is ample for practices) i've actually gigged with only one plugged in (accidentally, only realised while i was packing up) i'd suggest looking at the TKS cabs as well we A/B'd them at a bass bash against the midgets and the only real difference we could detect is that they're not quite as loud and they're a fair bit cheaper. if you're in the north east then i'm pretty sure a few options could be brought together for a demo (BF and TKS, and possibly others) i'd guess that other basschatters arountd the UK (and possibly world) would be happy to let you hear and test their cabs (we're a notoriously friendly bunch!) Matt