skelf

So I have a Stomp and the floor unit. Having used both for a while I find that the Stomp covers everything I need. So the floor unit will be in the sale section just shortly if anyone is interested. 

It is a prototype to try out the various  aspects of the design and the hardware combinations. 
 

Alan

This pretty much covers the basic idea.

So as promised some progress on the model I mentioned. Due to the heat an inability to sleep I found the time to get some work done on the prototype.

This is for a very specific setup which none of my current line up covers. So what we are looking at here is a small bodied short scale (30.5) heavily chambered piezo only bass. Primarily done as a fretless but would be possible as a fretted bass as well.

Piezo will feed an East P-Retro which has been modified in order for the passive element to work with the piezo. Pleased with the results so far but very early days.

Templates and the first actual body in Swamp Ash.

Should have something to show by the weekend time permitting. 

I have a drawing and it all laid out. I will post up something when I have at the very least the template. 

If it is of any interest I have been working on a new model specifically for this type of thing. I will be starting the prototype fairly soon. 
 

alan

So a bit puzzled as to why Bassadder posted the Brazilian build in your thread. 

Hi

I am really sorry to crash your thread. I didn’t read the whole thread and missed it was a build thread. So I am out of order posting on it for which I now feel rather bad about. Feel free to delete all reference to the Salace comments. 
you build stuff I would not touch out with my skill set, so kudos for your excellent work. 

Alan

No secret that I like JP work. But the Salace has nothing to do with the Plume so in this instance you are not correct. It was developed along with Paul Sugden from the Harlot and the Gallus models a combination of parts from both. 
 

As Eude points out there are few similarities. 

Think are maybe 3 in the colour.

Cheers

Alan

Quote

  

@skelf - funny, I'd completely forgotten about this thread but almost 2.5 years on from when I created these posts about your ACG Retro B .. I now own one / it (did you make many in this colour combination?).   Would love to talk to you about it sometime.

 

 

39 minutes ago, NickA said:

..but the eq-01 is what I could buy from John 😁.  And I really like that hp pass through feature; like the Wal's " pick attack" but adjustable. 

The 01 still exists but it is not the same as the early ones which was all I was saying. Yes that was the plan for the top end of the highpass. The upper ring on the lowpass filters does the same as the push/pull on the Wal but again it is variable. 
 

I know the Wal preamp very well I played one for years. The 01 was my attempt to address what I thought could be improved from my perspective. There was also a bit of more is better and both myself and John are a bit prone to that so that lesson had to be learned. 

What I am also trying to get across is that filter preamps are not for everyone. You don’t need to have a filter preamp in one of my basses if you don’t want it so don’t let the filter preamp put you off my basses if you like the designs etc. 
 

13 minutes ago, NickA said:

Stereo wire your bass and get two of these .... Acg-eq, sorted.

Must admit, as do John East and Alan C,  the eq-01 is adjustable beyond the realms of usefullness ( extreme reggae dub bass is fun tho ...max roll off & max Q ).  The Wal version is more useful.

As I mentioned earlier in the thread the lowpass filter range was reduced so it is now pretty much the same as the Wal. Most of the comments here relate to a version of the preamp that ceased to exist 5 years ago. 

34 minutes ago, ezbass said:

There’s some customer service, right there. Thanks for clarifying the ‘flat’ question @skelf, every day’s a school day.

No problem at all. 

Some times I wish I had never gone down the filter route it has made my life more difficult in that I spend a great deal of time explaining how it works. As I said some people it just clicks with I was one of them. The first time I picked up a Wal I fell in love with the pre-amp could not understand why everyone was not using filter pre-amps. But I very quickly realised I was in a minority but I still to this day think it is a great system for bass. Hence spending a lot of money to develop the system with John but some times at shows when I hear myself saying the same thing all day just some times I think passive is the way to go.

I think I should also point out that the pre-amp has evolved and is now on the MK4. Original 01/02/03 had a very wide range covered by the lowpass filter. The original thinking behind this was to covert ranges of the Wal and the Alembic filter systems. The Wal  goes down lower than the Alembic the Alembic goes higher than the Wal. The DFM was a complete redesign on the filter pre-amp where I decided I want it to be a more focused pre-amp to cover more of what I liked rather than be all things to all men. The DFM reduced the top end of the lowpass filter down to 3.5kHz and removed the highpass filter. The highpass filter is a useful tool but so many people could not get how it worked it is counter intuitive. It was replaced with a sweepable mid/treble. The other feature added was an active/passive option. I am very happy with the DFM and don't see us doing anything else with its development.

PS. The 01 lowpass filter range was changed to match the DFM at the same time. 

There is no flat as such with a filter preamp the filters are engaged all the time. (Unless you have the ACG DFM which has an active/passive option) This is a common misunderstanding made by people who don't really understand how they work. There is however a close to flat as you can get setting.

Stack 1 is the volume/blend.

Stack 2 Upper ring fully of. Lower ring full on. This is the filter fully open so the full range allowable by the filter is allowed through.

Stack 3 as stack 1

Stack 4. Upper ring fully of. This is a gain so with it fully off the highness filter does nothing so the lower rings position does not matter.

Both pickups are now useable with the blend and both filters are open the highpass disengaged.

The way I would go from there is to move the blend on to the bridge pickup. Then adjust the lower ring of stack 3 until you get something you like. I generally close the filter to a degree to cut the top end so I have a more mid heavy sound. 

Now move the blend to the neck pickup and do the same. I would normally generate the bottom end from there which again means closing the filter to remove the top end and some of the mids. 

So you have reduced the preamp to a Volume/Blend/Tone/Tone and that is basically all it is. 

Now use the blend to go between the two pickups to change the overall sound.

The upper ring on stack 2 and 3 just boost the effect of the filter cut off so you get more filter effect if you turn them up. I like them in the centre detent.

The preamp only appears complicated if you try to adjust every thing at the same time if you take it one thing at a time it is not that complicated but it does not work the way a 3 band does and most people approach it that way and generally can't get what they want. This is a common problem and it is why filter pre-amps are not that common people as a rule don't really get them. For those that get their head round it you will get sounds you will struggle to get with any other on board pre-amp. But there is a learning curve and some people just don't get on with them which is why I have always offered an alternative to the filter preamps. 

If you don't get on with the pre-amp and like the bass just replace the pre-amp would be my advice. Sell an 01 will not be difficult and the East Uni-Pre will fit the cavity it is what I use for builds that don't need the filters.

No problem they have only just gone on sale again so no reason you would know that. 
 

Cheers

Alan

It is used to set the filter peak best left alone. It is possible to damage attached equipment if you start playing around with it. 

Hi

The EQ01 is currently available if interested drop me a line.

Alan

Hi

I was talking to him at the time and the discussion was to sell or he had sold the current bass to fund a new build I can't remember if it was sold at that point it may well have been. At that time he mentioned he was going into hospital and would get back to me once that was out of the way. So events over took the intention to get a new bass. He was a really nice guy I had a lot of time for him. Came to several of the Moffat Bass Bashes.

Alan

Hi
 

Thanks for the kind words  

Using just the lowpass filters on the DFM/MC combination covers pretty much the same range as the Wal. The sweepable Mid/Treble goes beyond the range of the filters up to 5.5k/Hz so does not go up quite as high as the Alembic but does add control above the range of the Wal. 

1 hour ago, Wolverinebass said:

Unless you're going to use similar pickups (Rautia) and preamp (ACG) it's not going to work. I think even the ACG preamp (EQ001) goes up to about 6kHz so is more like an Alembic filter than a Wal. Plus, he hasn't sold them for at least a year as I asked when they'd be back in stock as I had an idea for a project.

Hi

The Lowpass Filter on the EQ01 Goes up to 3.5kHz it is the Highpass filter that goes up to around 8k/Hz. There maybe a limited run of the 02 preamp but exactly when I don’t know with the current situation making get what I actually need pretty difficult. 

Hi

I have sent John a link to this thread so hopefully he will drop by and let you know what the story is. 
 

Cheers

Alan
 

Thought it was just me but probably the poorest aspect of an otherwise excellent system. 

Hi

They generally don’t change in relation to scale length. Some I would not be able to make smaller than they currently are. Franks Recurve would be difficult to make smaller same with a Finn. Making some body shapes smaller wrecks the proportions in relation to the neck and hardware and ends up just looking weird.