AndrewJordan

Looking for a new gigging cab and maybe head. Pretty much decided I am gonna try an Ampeg 610 when I find one at the right price but still interested to hear other opinions/suggestions.

For many years now my gig rig has been a GK800RB head into an old Peavey Mega Bass cab 1x18 + 2x10 biamped. Bought the cab for no other reason than it was cheap and available locally at the time when I needed one. Always been happy with the massive lows it produces but always found it lacking mids and it's a big numb heavy box to shift around.

Always really liked the sound of Ampeg rigs when I have heard them but never played through one. So, around a year ago I bought a Micro VR rig for home use and fell n love with the tone.

Our guitarist plays bass in another (quieter) band through an Ashdown 1x15 combo and has been borrowing my SVT210 cab to get a bit more stage volume. Last week he bought himself the same cab so it gave the opportunity for me to try them both together at band practice.

I stacked the two cabs verticaly(I am tall so like to get speakers a bit closer to ear level) with the Micro VR head on top and gave it a go. I and the rest of the band instantly loved the tone (although I did miss the lows a bit) but the volume just wasn't quite enough. I had the input gain just occasionaly tickling the clip light and the output maxed and while it was loud enough for me to hear what I was playing it just needed a bit more and of course there was no headroom left. Think very loud rock drummer who gets even louder at gigs and Marshall 4x12 guitarist.

So, I stuck the 300W output of the GK into the stack and wow what a difference those extra 50W made. Loads more volume with the output nowhere near max (could this be the difference between old school watts?). The tone was not as nice though but that could have maybe been sorted if I had time to play with the eq. EQ was flat on both amps and the VR definately had nicer tone. I have heard it said that Ampeg cabs like Ampeg heads and vice-versa so I wonder if it will limit my choice of amps?

My thoughts after all that are 4 x 10" speakers with enough power up them will certainly be loud enough. The two 210 cabs stacked vertically are too unstable for our type of gigs and wouldn't fit anything bigger than the Micro VR on top. A 410 will sit too low for my liking plus a rock band bass rig has to have a bit of stage presence...right?. The Ampeg 610 while being a little taller than my peavey cab (a good thing) is significantly smaller in the other dimensions and is 10Kg lighter. The four sealed tens should give me the tone that I like while the two ported tens should give me back a bit of the lows that I was missing.

Ramble over, go ahead and tell me where my thinking is going wrong and why I should be considering a 212 or 215 or whatever

Don't forget me please, if you decide you will pack it for shipping

OK no prob Dan. I'm in the frozen north...............end of yorkshire.

Could be interested. Would you tape some cardboard around it if I sent a courier?

[quote name='CletePurcel' timestamp='1457276627' post='2996936']
Thanks for the help.

It does/didn't buzz when I played open or at last fret.

The neck is slightly concave which I guess is what it should be.

It is a bit colder in the room today - could it be temperature related?
[/quote]

Ok well it does sound like fret buzz then.

Yes it should be slightly concave. How concave depends on a number of factors such as string guage, playing style etc.

Yes temperature will have an effect. An instrument will quite often go out of tune when taken from a warm place to a cold place and vice-versa due to materials expanding/contracting. When I get to a gig I like to get my bass out of the case to aclimatize while we set the gear up.

I would recomend getting it set up properly by someone who knows what they are doing. You shouldn't need the G string higher than the others to stop fret buzz. Its not a situation I could live or play with. A pro will sort this easilly or tell you if there is some other problem causing it.

[quote name='CletePurcel' timestamp='1457268113' post='2996831']
Well it is not buzzing today, but it was yesterday.
[/quote]
If you still have the saddle set high then it may have put a bit more tension on the neck causing it to bow a little overnight and this could stop the fret buzz.

Does/did it buzz when you played the open string? If so that could indicate fret buzz from the first few frets. A bit more bow in the neck could cure this.

Does/did it buzz when you fretted it at the last fret? This would indicate something other than fret buzz.

When I read that you had raised the string higher than the others and it was still buzzing that made me think it was something other than fret buzz. However, if the neck had no relief at all or worse still had a bit of back bow in it then you could still get buzz with a high saddle.

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1456840088' post='2992743']

Something by Greenday that isn't Basket Case?
[/quote]

Long View, cracking bass line!

[quote name='Shambo' timestamp='1456841395' post='2992773']
'Steady As She Goes', Raconteurs?
[/quote]

We used to cover that one! We all loved doing it but it always got a very mixed reception. A small percentage of the crowd would really love to hear it and the rest would be a bit meh............

Thanks Luke!

Yes it does! They have replicated the mid control with the choke also.

Nice find! Interesting that they have the string through body option where the Shaftesbury does not. I don't know what kind of wood Linden is but the body of mine looks like Ash.

Well, until I put a correct pickguard and pickups in the Gibson the silhouette probably is the main similarity. As they stand there, the Shaftesbury looks more like a Gibson Ripper than the Gibson does.

I also owned a Grabber once and the Ripper is a completely different bass apart from the body shape. Bolt on as opposed to set neck. Shorter scale length. Different profile neck. Different headstock. Different pickup and controls.

OK, so this is probably gonna be a very long winded tale and I hope no-one is in a hurry to hear the ending!

I have two Rippers, a Gibson and a Shaftesbury copy. Both require some work so I thought that while I am about it I would take as many measurements and pictures and sound clips as possible. While the Gibson is well documented on the net (see the excellent Fly Guitars site) there is very little info around on the Shaftesbury copies.

Here's a not very good pic to start things off.

[url="https://www.dropbox.com/s/ej3epkwgumkhpxd/two%20rippers2.jpg?dl=0"]https://www.dropbox.com/s/ej3epkwgumkhpxd/two%20rippers2.jpg?dl=0[/url]




The idea is to make a comparison and see how the copy fares against the real thing. The idea is slightly flawed since the Gibson is a 1980 model and the Shaftesbury is clearly based on a pre-1976 model. So, the physical size differences (some are obvious without measurements) may be down to that fact. So, if anyone wants to join in and contribute details about a pre-76 then please feel free.

A little background first.

I have had the Gibson for at least ten years. Bought off the bay from the U.S. When I got it, it had no truss rod cover and the pick guard and pickup cavities had been butchered to fit a set of un-named soapbars in it. I think it cost me around £500 - £600 all in. I couldn't afford a set of the Duncan replica pups at the time so I installed a set of DiMarzio split coil Js that I had from a previous project and made a new pickguard and trc to suit. I never liked the Ripper pickguard design so I made my own that I prefered then but now I am not so sure. The four way selector switch worked so I kept that and wired it as normal except for replacing the out of phase setting with a solo option for the neck pup. The original pots were scratchy so I re-wired it with new pots(kept the old harness for posterity) in a two volume one tone set up. It had a fret dress and set up by the excellent Nigel Stockbridge and has been my main gigging bass ever since. I have tried many other basses during that time but keep coming back to the Ripper as I just love playing on that neck and it sounds pretty damned good. Eventually (a couple of years ago) I bought a set of the Duncan replica pups but up to now have not got around to installing them. I love the sound of Rippers but my current sound works so well in the band.

I bought the Shaftesbury off the bay early last year for the princely sum of £166. I fancied having a second Ripper and thought it was worth a gamble at that price. It came with the pups disconnected so I tested them with a meter and found they both had continuity. So, I wired them up and had a go. The pickup selector is bad and only works intermitently on all settings but what I have managed to hear sounds good. So, it got hung on the wall and has stayed there ever since. First impressions are that it is a very well made copy and has the potential to be a good bass. Physically it is very close to the Gibson. The neck is slightly thicker but has a very similar feel and the body is slightly thicker. Again this could be down to it being a copy of the pre-76 as I am pretty sure those bodies were a bit more slabby, not sure about the necks though. The wiring and controls are a perfect copy and the pickups are visually exactly the same as the Duncans internally and externally. Recently a Kimbara Ripper copy sold on the bay for £225ish and looking at the pics I would say these have come out of the same factory with a different brand on them. I did consider holding back with this write up in the hope that I could grab a couple more before the prices go up too much because I am sure they will.

Anyway the plan is to get it sorted out into a good bass and while I am at it try the Duncan pups in it for a comparison and see if I want to install them in the Gibson.

I am fairly busy at the moment so it could be weeks or months between updates but if anyone is interested and has any questions or any specific measurements or pics they would like then feel free to ask.

Now on ebay

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180610819018&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...=STRK:MESELX:IT[/url]

[quote name='razze06' post='1032330' date='Nov 22 2010, 10:23 AM']I have owned what I think is the evolution of this, the 1555. The 1555 is a 15' folded horn cab, not a reflex, so I'm not sure if it is even comparable.
Mine sounded great with its original celestion sidewinder.[/quote]

Actually I think this one is a folded horn rather than a reflex. Do you reckon they have a good sound for hard rock?

[quote name='icastle' post='1031917' date='Nov 21 2010, 09:18 PM']Wow!

I managed a music shop back in the 80's and we did a PX against one of these.
It's a long time ago but from what I remember of it... it was (obviously) a 15" bass reflex cab, built early to mid 1970s with a 200W 8Ω driver.

I now feel like someone off of Antiques Roadshow [/quote]

Cool, can you remember if it sounded good?

Anyone know anything about this? bought it a few years ago, it looked interesting so got it. Anyway it sounded crap, too many rattles and a low quality driver so i put it in the shed and forgot about it. I have what is supposed to be the original blown driver a square magnet thing.

Anyway, having a clear out and dont know whether to stick this on the bay or try sorting the rattles and putting a decent driver in. Any opinions and info welcome.