brensabre79

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1351157456' post='1847950'] Don't bumblebees gain the extra lift, that simplistic calculation said was unavailable from their wing size and reciprocations per minute, through the creation of a vortex which generates extra lift compared to how a bird wing works? Usually when scientific theory differs from reality it's because the science is incomplete! [/quote] A bee is very small and, at that size, air behaves like a more viscous fluid than it does for birds and helicopters. So the laws of aerodynamics are quite different for bees and other insects. Any statement that invites misinterpretation is far from being scientific.

The truth is that a bee can fly, but it can't glide. This is what happens when scientists use terms that can be interpreted in many ways in order to try and explain something to lay people. It doesn't always work out. And this is why I think there is still debate three pages on over a scientific fact, when the debate should be about what is meant by the terms being used. And this is why I'm often wary of products that make wild claims backed up with scientific language that can be misinterpreted. I think the truth is: If you put your cab on a beer crate/chair/stand/block of foam/expensive block of foam/carpet/etc. it will, to varying degrees, change the way sound coming from your cab interacts with its surroundings, and therefore what you hear in the room. Whatever works for you is what you should use. And I think from the looks of things Alex has come up with a small, light and portable solution which will be available soon.

This is from the very era of US Fender people are referring to when they say "The Japanese Squires were better built than the US Fenders of the time" It is from the absolute pinnacle of Fender cost cutting, hence the one piece plastic scratchplate/control plate and other missing corners. Like all eras of Fender there are some good and some bad in terms of playing, but these ones were really built on the cheap by a largely disgruntled workforce. A bit like the British Leyland cars of the same era.

Risingson beat me to it! Yeah I'll take that Badass off yer hands if he doesn't

[quote name='4StringFortress' timestamp='1350997573' post='1845984'] Ive heard the Newtone name bounced around a lot and they seem to be getting good reviews, how much are they? and do they do nickles? [/quote] I think about £23 for a standard 4-string set. They are Nickel normally, but I order mine Steel as I have a reaction with Nickel. I also have custom gauges (112-82-61-45) for balanced tension, so compared to buying singles from the bigger manufacturers it works out a lot cheaper for me. They don't charge very much extra for custom orders, but there is a 2 set minimum for things like this. [url="http://www.newtonestrings.com/bass_page.htm"]Newtone[/url]

There's quite a few companies doing nickel strings for less than £10, I've heard good things about the majority of them. Not so much on the Steel, you can't seem to find budget steel strings anywhere. I'm using Newtones these days as they are pretty good value (not in the under £10 league though) - especially when you can order custom sets

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1350993041' post='1845905'] As I said in that thread, but it seems to be quite hard to explain clearly, there are two sorts of coupling. One is mechanical coupling which is through physical contact with the floor causing the floor to vibrate - this is almost always BAD. The only exception is when you're playing a double bass with no amp and need more output. The other is acoustic coupling, where the floor reflects the downwards output (the lower hemisphere of sound coming from your cab) so it joins up with the upwards output and thus increases the useful output at low frequencies.The IsoTilt wedges will minimise mechanical coupling without losing your acoustic coupling, and increase the mid/treble audibility on small stages. Ordered the first ones from the foam people last Friday (almost exactly a year after the project ended up in limbo due to the cost of prototyping)... [/quote] Thanks Alex, you did explain well. I was just wondering what the difference between raising the cab off the floor on a stand vs on a Gramma pad (or equivalent) would actually be in the real world? And also, this is an entirely different subject to simply tilting the cab backwards (for which a doorstop will be adequate, but will not reduce mechanical coupling..?) so that its pointing at your head. Sorry if I'm coming across as argumentative, or just not getting it. I appreciate your IsoTilt will offer both tilting and decoupling (mechanical), and I'm certainly not trying to belittle your product without a) seeing it and understanding how it works! I imagine if you want both angle adjustment and mechanical coupling reduction your product will probably be an infinitely more eloquent solution than a block of acoustic foam with a wedge underneath it. I guess I'm asking how is it going to be different to a stand (or a beer crate etc.) in terms of a solution to the problem?

I guess the lack of boundary reinforcement is akin to playing an outdoor gig where there's no reflective surfaces (apart from the stage). It does make me wonder however, as I've been in more than a few 'acoustically designed' studio control rooms in my time, all of which have the monitor speakers positioned either at head height or above. Where a sub woofer has been used this has usually been shoved in a corner on the floor, or under the desk, but generally the midfield and nearfield monitors have been substantial enough not to require a sub. The bass, as well as all other sounds, come out of these speakers and everything was usually tight and focused, and of course there was plenty of bass in the mix. We used to take our mixes straight to the local nightclubs (back when I was making dance music for a living) and get the DJ to stick it in their set (they were usually delighted to be the first one to play it, straight from the mixdown that night). It was always there that we would discover unpleasant resonances in the bass that we hadn't heard before, particular to that room (they would be different resonances in different places) - where they had a line of bass bins on the floor...

Maybe its the ultimate karma, someone is making fake Tokai's

We always have a rendition of 'Fever' on standby for string breaks, just bass, drums and vocals. Although since I suggested bringing a f****ng spare guitar to paid engagements (and I can't believe I had to do this after the guitard bragged about how many he has sitting at home ), we don't get to play it much...

[quote name='WinterMute' timestamp='1350982351' post='1845727'] It's not just a tilt back device, it isolates the cab from the floor, which is a good thing on hollow boomy stages and helps you sound remain your sound in bad acoustic conditions, check out the Auralex GRAMMA pad, not a tilt device just a de-coupler, Alex's plan is to provide the de-coupleing effect with a handy tilt-back. [/quote] I'm familiar with the gramma pad and the many many threads there have been discussing the effectiveness of what seems like a hilariously overpriced bit of wood and foam to me. I thought part of the whole point about having the bass cab on the floor was to [i]allow[/i] it to couple, increasing the LF response. I mentioned raising my cab off the floor in another post and was warned about the de-coupling that might occur and how detrimental it [i]could[/i] be to my sound! In the end, it depends on the application. Hey I'm sure there are situations that suit raised, tilted, both or neither. I just think some of these 'axecessories' are a bit overpriced, and over-engineered. Having not seen the Barefaced Iso wedge I cannot comment on that, but in terms of solving the 'problem' there are many ways to build a bridge... I've ordered an amp stand recently, it wasn't expensive (about £25). The angle is adjustable, as is the height, and it folds away nice and flat. It decouples the speaker from the floor and raises the cab to a height where it is in line with my ears. happy days.

If its just tilting the cab back a bit for a better angle, why do you need a super duper acoustic thingymajiggy? I have used a Travis Perkins[sup]TM[/sup] Offcut[sup]TM[/sup] Doorstop[sup]TM[/sup] positioned under the front of the cab to tilt mine back in the past, the further you push it under the greater the angle (yes its even adjustable) and you can order them direct from me for only £10.99!! +P&P or you can make your own out of anything you like

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1350668796' post='1842145'] Has anyone else been able to clip the input of the B3? My Shuker basses have a good strong output level and if I boost my bass EQ I can get an ugly clip noise when slapping for example. There's no global input gain control it seems! [/quote] I haven't managed to clip the input on mine and I have a 18v EMG preamp in my Jazz, going into a hard driven Compressore (gain and output vol both at about 3 o'clock), going into the Zoom, so its pretty hot by the time it gets there, but then I don't slap (I find a punch more effective). I will say though the response of some of the effects patches very much depends upon the input strength of the signal going in - the synths, for example, track better and sound fuller with a really loud signal.

+1 lots of people just refer to them as 4001 even if they are another variant of the same shape. To be honest i don't really know the difference between them myself.

Like he said, does it sound good flat? If you have a graphic eq or a parametric a neat trick is to boost frequencies first (I start from the lowest and work up) to see which ones you really don't like about the sound, its easier to hear and one or two will probably really stick out in the room. So cut those frequencies and you'll have your amp tuned to the room. The rest is down to what you want. If its too trebley try this trick with some of the higher frequencies. Its a case of trial and error mainly, but after a while you'll get used to what your sound is like. Also, I'd not do too much until you're playing with the full band because everything changes when they start playing and you might find that nasty mid frequency you got rid of is exactly the frequency you need to cut through the mix.

^+1 I'll add, if you can, and especially for vocals, try and get a graphic EQ between the desk and the amp for the monitors, you can get rid of feedback and resonant frequencies with ease and clean the whole mix onstage up loads. This should be completely independent from the FOH. I'd also say, if your drummer and KB want to share a mix, this is fine but they should each have a wedge pointing at them or they will just start complaining that either the monitor is too quiet, or everyone else is too loud.

Its funny, I never really got Rush, never listened to much by them, but one day after a gig I was talking to a quite well informed audience member. He said to me: I'm diggin your sound, you sound like Geddy Lee! Thanks, I said. Not really knowing what he meant because, like i said I've never really listened to that 'sound' despite it being mentioned countless times on here and seemingly everywhere in bass circles. SO I did a bit of research, and I listened, and in a way the guy was right, but to me he sounds a bit like Chris Squire, which is who i was trying to sound a bit like, and always have. The opening bars of Yours is No Disgrace inspired me to pick up my dads bass and give it a whirl. I've still not found a covers band prepared to take i on though...

Well I guess the software update is only available to Victor then at the moment. Its quite normal for manufacturers to give their endorsees the benefit of upgrades etc. before they are out. I used to have a Korg pedalboard for guitar that The Edge had used extensively for one of the U2 albums. I got the board the week it came out and all the presets sounded just like the new U2 album! So it may be coming, but in development still...

Thanks Wiggy, yeah we have a Sennheiser 441 mic - its a super-cardioid and it rocks, and by not putting the guitar cab directly behind it we can avoid it picking up guitar when she moves off it. Unlike the SM58 which picks up guitar, drums, backstage conversations etc. We experimented with a pressure mat triggered gate for a while but its just another thing to carry around/go wrong We have things pretty sorted with the positioning now, but as I'm right on top of my amp lifting it up a foot or so was a real benefit.

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1350565600' post='1840569'] Your cab is loud and can handle plenty of power and your band can't be that loud if you have a relatively quiet singer, so feel free to lift your cab as high as you need. [/quote] Thanks Alex! I did read on btw thanks that also explains why for the first time ever I felt the need to boost the low mids very slightly when I raised the cab - normally I just run it completely flat.

cheers, i tried it and it was awesome, but all the science talk - which went way above me I'm afraid - got me wondering if it was the right thing to do. The issue is, where I stand I'm right next to the drums and I'm in front of the guitarists Fender Twin - mostly this is so that her mic isn't facing it directly as she sings quietly so the mic is cranked. So generally I end up increasing my volume so I can hear myself, on-stage the balance is good but every gig someone usually says "you sounded really good but from where I was standing the bass was really loud and boomy". Usually i tell them to stop standing in a cubby hole at the back of the room! When I raised my speaker on top of a small combo the other night I could hear myself really well, and nobody else complained they couldn't hear me so I figured it could be the way forward!

Well said Dr Dave, (although I can't help but read all of your posts in the voice of George Cole!) My Dad is well over 60 now and he's got diabetes which has affected his feet to a degree where he can barely walk 100 yards without stopping for a rest. Still he manages to do 4 or 5 gigs a week! He has settled on playing mostly jazz gigs where he can sit down and get away with a lightweight 1x10" combo and a lightweight bass (hence my small collection of 70s Musicman and Fender basses). He knows one day he'll have to stop doing gigs, but he says he's doing as much as he can in the meantime, enjoying every minute of it. Since he 'retired' he's been busier than ever. He says the trick is not to stop or slow down, once you do that's it.

So should I put my speaker on a chair or not then?

Nice, that Cali76 looks interesting. I love the 1176 in the studio. They aren't cheap, although compared to the original they are a bargain - and portable too

Basses come and go Lozz, it is better to have loved and lost....etc. etc. I have quite a business like approach to bass equipment acquisition. Each bit of gear I buy has to pay for itself before I will replace it or buy something else. Depending on how many gigs I do there's usually a few months between purchases. I also won't sell something on unless it has paid its dues (except when its so awful it has to go). So at the moment only one piece of gear owes me, that's my 5 string which I have not gigged yet. The rest I could sell tomorrow and whatever I get is a return on investment. Personally, in your situation I'd keep one of the Precisions as a workhorse and an investment - I think the value can only increase. That said, you cannot go far wrong with a Japanese Fender, and the older ones of these are creeping up in value now. I recently discovered my 80s Jap Telecaster is worth far more than I paid for it just 5 years ago. So even if you do go the whole way its not an unwise move at all. The lightweight stuff goes without saying mate, its a no brainer for those of us who are getting older and whose backs are getting weaker. Your health should come before wealth. Whatever you do I'm sure you'll be happy in the long run.