nottswarwick

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Hi all

Thought I would make some observations in this forum...

Basically, I have been revisiting my technique a bit over the last couple of weeks. I have been examining how cleanly I play, in terms of damping, even-ness of tone and volume, clarity etc, and have been a bit disappointed with myself.

I have been using headphones, which obviously makes everything really noticeable, but have found that I get quite a bit of noise from my right hand thumb jumping from string to string (or indeed moving as in the "floating thumb technique" discussed elsewhere). And "live" in particular, bearing in mind my backing vocals and a bit of stage movement, I am curious how clean and controlled folk are or think they need to be?

However, basses are quite physical to play (ie they are big) with big low sounds, so I am wondering how clean/accurate/precise everyone else is? I would consider myself a pretty competent player, able to cover most styles in semi pro, well paid function band settings, having played bass, guitar and drums for 20 years or so. I am a very clean guitar player, so maybe I am just being a bit over critical - at the end of the day headphones show it up, none of this comes over in the band mix, so is by no means a major concern.

Just wondering, in the spirit of self improvement etc. I play 5 stings, whihc are a bit more of a handful, although I am comfortable wiht them.

Anyone got any thoughts?


Chris

he was off ill before xmas, but the guy covering sorted me a combo out very efficiently.

To be honest, he is my "go to" guy for stuff, so hope ll is OK...

oops - forgot this thread. I am a bit happier now - I had a nightmare few gigs which I will put down to experience. I am looking at a 4*10 option to go with my 2*10. I have decided that I agree with my own previous opinion that low onstage vol is better. But I think that 4 or 6 drivers will spread the sound more, so that even at low/mid vol, the movement of air will be fuller and more audible. I think I was wrong to state that the LMii is not loud enough.

I have the mini 12" combo - the smallest one. It is great with my Std 2*10 or my traveler 2*10. Indeed you have pm'd me about the trav I think?

See my for sale thread...lol

Seriously, the std 102 hf is brill...in fact I think I will favour selling my trav cab, which would do the job well also.

Right, I might have found a 4*10 to buy. So this means that I have either of the following to sell:

Standard 102hf 8ohm, 2 years old, good condition. This is the one ported top and bottom

OR

Traveler 102p 8 ohm, 8 months old, very good condition. This is the small light one.

Both are superb cabs. Not sure which I want to shift, will not take less than £300 plus postage for either one, so lets see who rolls along.

Can do pics if anyone is interested

I am in Nottingham, welcome to come and try them out.

Met Alan today, top chap, gave me a lift to the bank, great transaction.

[quote name='bleedproof' post='113937' date='Jan 5 2008, 10:57 AM']So is the EBS for sale.........[/quote]

nope, not any more, it is in my sweaty mits as we speak. And I love it.

Great to meet you today Alan, hope your onward mission was a success.

Chris

apparently later ones didnot have the spring damping - proabably to save half a pence or something.

So, great bass, but I have had to rectify 2 problems (I amn the second owner) - the above, and also had to get 2 longer saddle intonation screws to get the intonation perfect onthe g and d strings - promptly sent by G and L FOC, but surely not right at production stage?

Anyway, all good now, the bass is a bad mofo and rocks/funks, growls etc. B string still not as good as the SR5, but all in all, no.1 gigging bass bar none.

[url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=253449&highlight=ringing"]This is why the internet rocks[/url]

Bloody splendid. Quick look in the USA GL forum, take pickups out, get foam, cut, shove into springs, re-install pups, wallop, job is a good 'un, perfect.

Thanks you and goodnight lol, well pleased.

Cheers

Chris

my GL is strung thru the body, my SR5 is not. maybe this is the difference, but it cannot be right, surely.

Anyone any ideas?

so, they don't all do that then?

Hi

Loving my USA L2500, but just wondering if anyone else experiences teh following:

When playing/thumping/slapping, the notes are accompanied by a high pitched "bell-like" ringing. You cannot hear it in a gig context, but it is there when playing alone. Now, when unplugged, you put your ear against the body and can hear it, and it gets through the elctronics to the amp. My SR5 exhibits the same symptoms in the "unplugged" test, but the difference is that the sound remains in the bass, and is not passed into the electronics.

So, it this right?

Cheers

C

that went for more than I expected - £500 almost, plus postage. Electro have them for £665, and bass merchant are £605 plus postage. I bid, bid it was too much for me when it got to £440.

In fact, I am probably going to pull the trigger from bass merchant on one.

is the head for sale then?

[quote name='alexclaber' post='102432' date='Dec 10 2007, 10:33 PM']Remember that as bassists we have to deal with long wavelengths coming out from our cabs directly to us, coming out from the PA mains/subs directly to us (even if we're standing behind them), coming from our cabs and bouncing off the walls, floor and ceiling to us, and coming from the PA and bouncing off the walls, floor and ceiling to us. All those waves travel different distances so there is phase variation between them. If the phase difference it 180 degrees at a certain frequency they fully cancel. If it's 0 degrees or 360 degrees then they fully combine and reinforce. And although you gain 6dB when the sources combine you essentially lose everything when they cancel.

Obviously you can't move the walls, floor etc, and you can rarely move the PA, but you can move your rig and you can control the volume and tone - remember adding lows to your rig could result in less bottom if it just causes more of the bottom from the PA subs that you're hearing to be cancelled out. The drum monitor could be what's killing your stage sound by cancelling out your rig in critical frequencies. Try taking your bass out of the monitors and see what happens, etc. Experiment - but don't faff about, be quick and methodical.

I wouldn't buy or sell anything, your rig should be plenty for the gigs you describe, you just need to wield it more effectively.

Regarding the GRAMMA, for £45 less you can buy the PlatFOAM from studio spares which is the key component to the GRAMMA, it does the exact same job and you can cut it to the exact lengths you want. It's also a fraction of the size and weight.

Alex[/quote]

Thanks Alex, a great help. I should be able to sort what is not a major problem anyway. I think you could be right re the phase cancellation thing - it had crossed my mind and then I sort of forgot about it.

Thanks

Chris

[quote name='woodster' post='102399' date='Dec 10 2007, 09:24 PM']I'm with Alex on this. I run an LMII into an MB 4x10 and have never needed the master volume above about 12 o'clock. Like you, I have full PA support with monitors and play on little stages and big stages with audiences ranging from a few dozen to a few thousand. Personally, I've not noticed the compression at high volume tat I've also read about but I do find that room acoustics and stage construction (is it hollow) can have a massive affect on my on-stage sound. I'm often told my FOH engineers to turn my volume down but never up!

Have you tried tilting your cabs back so they point at the back of your head? I find this can work well in some cases.[/quote]

Right, that is my thinking too. I do sometimes tilt them, to good effect. Which 4*10 do you use from the range? And yes, both stages have been hollow, so that might confirm my thoughts.

I love the LMII to be honest, and it has always been loud enough. I think another cab will be on the list. I will then have 3 - the traveler, which is actually great as a portable option; the standard 102, and another 4*10 to cover all bases and options (obviously only using 2 at a time - 4 ohem min load).

Lets see if anyone has one up for grabs..

Now you mention it Alex, it might have been the last 2 gigs where I noticed it most. At both we were on those big portable stages, and they seemed o have huge bottom end, and perhaps sapped some of the punch?
I cannot really domuch abou tthe monitoring - the drummer likes a huge monitor mix.

Dont get me wrong, I can cope, but just thought I would post up to see what everyone thought.

And this does not alter the fact that the LM2 DOES seem to compress at high volumes - the typical scenario is some big low note slapping - they are not as loud as you would think, and it feels like going into a compressor.

At these 2 gigs the stages have been circa 8 metres wide by 6 metres deep, so quite big really.

Maybe I should try and pick up one of the bigger MB 4*10 cabs and give it a try with my 2*10.

AS an aside, I am quite surprised to find myself writing gbout this, as I am one of the biggest advocates of a quiet onstage sound! But with the pro rig this band hires in, I have struggled a couple of times, that is all.

We are at the same venue next weekend for 2 nights, so lets see what happens.

Nice replies folks, thanks.

I have read that the LMII does compress at high volumes, hence me thinking that this must be it.

I just think it seems like more headroom would be needed.

We are using big monitors etc, and I think this might be part of the issue - the drum monitor is like a PA, and I am right next to it so seem to need to wind things up to compete, although it does not seem loud really.

did you have an LMII before to comare Mike?

So, loving my Markbass stuff as usual. LMII, full 500w into my 2 cabs which essentially make up a 4*10 at 4ohms.

So, I always have PA support, but we have been doing some pretty big stages, and I have been finding the limits of the LMII - basically as some others have found, at high volumes it compresses , meaingin that you basically cannot get it any louder.

So, I was thinking, perhaps get an SD800 (the 700w MB head), or maybe a GK1000 thing, or maybe see what else there might be? I am after more headroom basically. Any ideas anyone

Anyone used the SD800?

Cheers

Chris

8 piece function band gig at the Hilton near East Mids Airport, a sports ball.

Huge stage and PA and light rig, and loads of guest singers etc, great but tiring. Listening to the desk recording and my Gand L is sounding awesome!


Chris

not a combo, bui i use a lmii and usually a sinle trv 102p cab, so essentially like the two by ten combo. loads of depth, punch and clarity. any sound available, and 300 into 8ohm igie a vey loud sound.

i was thinking about trying a 12 but not sure i will bother.

one thing is that you should be very happy with this gear.

Just got this off ebay. [url="http://www.tonebone.com/re-bigshot-efx.htm"]EFX Looper[/url] Job done, and a great bit of kit. Bass into input, eff end to the tuner, output to radial JDI, and from there into PA and my head.

The Radila stuff is superb, and excellently built, highly recommendede

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='97074' date='Dec 1 2007, 02:15 AM']Two tens vertically aligned offer wider horizontal and narrower vertical dispersion than one twelve. BTW, since the obverse is also the case drivers should never be horizontally aligned.[/quote]

Interesting. Why do so many off the shelf cabs have them horizontally aligned? Coet cutting? I certainly favour my MB Trav 2*10 vertically, so this must be why..

Cheers

Chris