icastle

[quote name='AndyBob09' timestamp='1343576875' post='1752239'] How do you get over the moments where you're sitting in your practice room and you've been trying something for about an hour and you just think, "I can't do it"? Keep trying? Slow it down? Move on to something else and come back to it tomorrow? [/quote] I honestly can't remember for certain, but being a stubborn b*st*rd, I probably stuck at it until I'd got it. For years I've tended to be given pieces to learn that I'm either already half familiar with or understand where the tune is going and know the points where the bass doesn't want to be.

[quote name='Pbassred' timestamp='1343570037' post='1752149'] Fundamentals yes. But I firmly believe that my bass does business above (say) 1KHz. [/quote] If it does then the amount is going to be so comparatively small that a bog standard piezo driver will be more than adequate. Turn the scenario on it's head - if there was any real benefit in using a crossover in a bass cab then all the mid to high tier manufacturers would be fitting them, and they aren't...

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1343496899' post='1751480'] I always thought the final part of finishing a maple board was to clean the lacquer off the frets. [/quote] I think that's probably true of higher end instruments but, as it's going to wear off anyway, I'm pretty sure that the frets are just given a quick wipe between coats to reduce the amount of laquer. Trying to remove the laquer from the frets has the potential to damage the finish of the fingerboard, and you don't want to be refinishing components on a price driven product. I could be wrong of course.

[quote name='smileegee' timestamp='1343497017' post='1751484'] How do i delete posts I've made on Bass Chat? [/quote] Depends on how embarrassing the post was...

No they don't. Crossovers are useful if you're applying a wide spectrum of frequencies to a speaker cluster, but bass is a comparatively narrow set of frequencies. The 'top end' is usually perfectly happy just being applied to a horn and the piezo types don't need a sophisticated crossover to drive them. In other words, it's perfectly normal and nothing to worry about.

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1343515369' post='1751712'] Sorry to contradict you, icastle, but JBL's cone drivers used to move backwards when you applied a positive voltage to the positive terminal. I believe they have now joined the rest of the universe. [/quote] There were only a handful of driver models that we'd potentially come into contact with, and those are >20 years old now. The largest proportion of negative polarity speakers were used in cinema sound systems and HF units. Official JBL statement [url="http://www.jblpro.com/BackOffice/ProductAttachments/JBL_TechNoteN1V12C_v5.pdf"]here[/url].

[quote name='VTypeV4' timestamp='1343512487' post='1751676'] Most speakers move forward (ie away from the magnet) when a positive voltage is applied to its + terminal. There are exceptons, I believe JBL may well be one of them. As long as you now all the speakers in your rig are all moving in the same direction, you'll be Ok. [/quote] That was the HF compression units (tweeters). The speakers followed the standard '+ supply to + terminal drives cone forward' convention. From what I remember, it was something to do with the crossovers they used to make.

The frets on a maple neck are in place when the fingerboard is laquered. I think what you're seeing is the laquer has worn off the frets - perfectly normal and nothing to worry about.

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1343462912' post='1751049'] Thanks, clearly I've been a bit dim and tried to make it more complicated than it was [/quote] It [b]did[/b] used to be more complicated than that. The last big upgrade to the software BassChat uses made it so simple that even I can do it now!

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1343413043' post='1750477'] Thats a nicer way of saying nonsense [/quote] Okay. How about... If you get a humming or buzzing noise when using the DI socket - press the button. Otherwise, leave it alone, it's done nothing to you...

The ground lift only isolates the DI socket from the common earth. The mains earth is still present and connected to the rest of the amp.

Two schools of thought on that one. In electronic terms, it makes no difference. If you 'daisy chain' (feed one cab from the previous one) should the lead from the amp to the first cab fail, you'll lose all output to both cabs. If you run seperate cables from each cab up to the amp head, if one cable fails the other cab will continue working.

One cable from the back of the amp going to one socket on the back of the cab is what you need. If you add another cab you have some options: Either run another cable from the second socket on the back of the amp to a socket on the cab. OR Connect the second cable from the spare socket on the back of the original cab and plug the other end into the new cab.

[quote name='PauBass' timestamp='1343168741' post='1746622'] Thanks for all that info!... But I wouldn't know how to do that myself [/quote] It's really not much harder than soldering a new pot in. If you don't have any luck finding your 50K pot then shout and I'll draw you a little diagram of how to do it.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1343165836' post='1746573'] Farnell has 65 different types of 50k single-turn potentiometers: [url="http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/browse.jsp?N=2031+204275+110167408+110190129&Ntk=gensearch&Ntt=potentiometer&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&No=0&getResults=true&appliedparametrics=true&locale=en_UK&divisionLocale=en_UK&catalogId=&skipManufacturer=false&skipParametricAttributeId=&prevNValues=2031+204275&mm=1002553||,1002571||,&filtersHidden=false&appliedHidden=false&autoApply=false&originalQueryURL=%2Fjsp%2Fsearch%2Fbrowse.jsp%3FN%3D2031%2B204275%26Ntk%3Dgensearch%26Ntt%3Dpotentiometer%26Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchallpartial%26No%3D0%26getResults%3Dtrue%26appliedparametrics%3Dtrue%26locale%3Den_UK%26divisionLocale%3Den_UK%26catalogId%3D%26skipManufacturer%3Dfalse%26skipParametricAttributeId%3D%26prevNValues%3D2031%2B204275"]http://uk.farnell.co...3D2031%2B204275[/url] [/quote] The only panel mount pot they supply with a centre detent is an industrial style one with a 6mm shaft, has a metal film conductor that handles 30VAC and costs £21.75.

[quote name='PauBass' timestamp='1343165259' post='1746567'] I don't know much about electronics, the pots on my Bartolini preamp are 50K so that's why I'm looking for those. [/quote] Ok. Quick crash course for you without the techie jargon just in case you can't get hold of the 50K ones. Resistors come in lots of values but it isn't sensible for a manufacturer to make every possible value. The manufacturers have therefore come up with a set range of values and 50K is an oddity which isn't one of those values (these are called 'preferred values'). The way a pot works is a 'wiper' (connected to the centre contact of the pot) moves around a curved track of carbon and the closer the 'wiper' gets to one end of the track, the lower the resistance gets. The resistance of the entire track (which is between the two outer contacts of the pot) is used to describe the value of the pot. So, in your case - measuring the resistance of the track would equal something close to 50K. The usual trick if you can't get the exact value you're after, is to take the closest lower 'preferred' value (which is 47K in your case) and to add a few resistors to the end of the track, a bit like adding an 'extension'. By doing that, when the pot is set at it's lowest level (and you are making the maximum possible resistance because you're using the entire length of the track) you're adding 3K to the 'track' - so 47K (your pot value) + 3K (your 'extension') = 50K. The other thing to bear in mind is that a pot is never going to be the exact value it is supposed to be - there's a +/- 10% error margin in there - so despite what it says on your 50K pot, it 'could' be anything from 45K to 55K... HTH

50KΩ is not a preferred value. Try sourcing a 47KΩ and adding 3x1KΩ resistors in series with one of the outer connections if you need to. HTH

An active crossover is a little OTT given your selection of base equipment. If you're going to use a pair of cabs per side then why not place a passive x-over in the bass cab and then run a loop up to the mid/top cab...

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1342868481' post='1742046'] The bassist & drummer will be expected to play an endless 12 bar progression whilst an array of middle aged guitarists play completely uninspired (& uninspiring) pentatonic solos over it. Most of these guitarists will be wearing t-shirts with pictures of eagles or wolves on them & a waistcoat over the top of it. There will also usually be a fat bald bloke who gets up and plays a harmonica REALLY badly. It's hell on earth. [/quote] That certainly seems to be the format of many jam nights that I go to just once. The one's I go to on a repeated basis tend to have more 'experienced' players and a heathy number of audience. The one I help run is in a working mens club function room and last week we had 12 musicians and 37 non-musicians. There's a pretty good music scene around these 'ere parts and we all know each other and support each others clubs.

Been many years since I left Luton and I'm pretty certain that all of the places that you could have got it repaired back in the mid 80's are gone. My best guess would be to go down into High Town and look for Doog Moody's 'Greenbank Music Village' (it's in the old church just up from the Post Office I think). There are a number of different businesses operating from there and, if they can't repair it for you, they'll know where to send you. HTH

I can't comment on the GK amp as I don't recall ever having tried one, but I can tell you that two 8 Ohm speaker cabs will give you 4 Ohms. So starting off with an 8 Ohm cab and adding another one later will work just fine. HTH

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1342701868' post='1739557'] This is also known as 'Wombling Free'. [/quote] It ain't that free. I get through a coat a year...

[quote name='Simon.' timestamp='1342687133' post='1739137'] Some of Mr Flowers bass work is sublime.[/quote] He's one of those guys who's been around for donkeys years. T-Rex, Blue Mink, Sky and Jeff Waynes 'War Of The Worlds'. Fab.

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1342634100' post='1738424'] But I doubt anybody in my community gives a damn whether I go out or stay in! [/quote] Yes, modern security locks are far better than the old ones...

[quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1342689881' post='1739221'] I always knew you were a man of taste [/quote] Now you see, I reckon I'm a man of taste as well, but this lot just think I like skulking around the bushes making sure I'm not seen...