JPJ

Ok, so I've now glued on both halves of the maple cap and successfully bent the maple over the forearm chamfer. As I said in my last update, I decided to do this as a three step process, glueing one half of the maple in place, allowing that to fully dry, before glueing the second half of the cap in place and allowing that to fully dry before bending the top over the forearm chamfer. Here's a phone photo of the first half of the cap in clamps [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1100_zps674d56a3.jpg[/IMG] And here's a phone photo of the bending of the cap over the forearm chamfer [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1110_zps73825d73.jpg[/IMG] I used a slightly different technique to last time, and instead of using wedges I simply used a large G clamp to gently apply pressure and bend the cap to shape. Before bending, I had placed a sponge on the top side of the cap and soaked this with boiling water. After a few minutes I started applying pressure with the G clamp and the maple bent nicely to shape. I then released the pressure on the clamp, flooded the void between body blank and cap with Titebond III adhesive and reapplied the clamping force. Then, working around the edge I applied more clamps in sequence to achieve an even 'glue' line, which I then scraped off to leave a lovely clean join. Over the first fifteen to twenty minutes I kept increasing the tension on each clamp to ensure that as the glue began to cure, any shrinkage didn't result in a loss of clamping force. Next step will be to trim the excess top material away using a combination of a jigsaw to rough cut to shape leaving about 3-4 mm to remove with the router.

Well as you might have gathered from the lack of updates, the veneer didn't work out well at all. Too many air voids meant it was no where near what I wanted and given the relative cost of the graphite neck, pickup, circuit etc. this went off to the great scrap bin in the sky However, after almost three years and a whole lot of other projects, I decided I would get on with this again. So a body blank (tulipwood) was sourced along with a new maple cap. The body has been roughed out for a while and sitting around in my man cave, but this week I have cracked on with gluing on the maple cap. Learning from my previous efforts, I fixed one half of the top in place yesterday, then after cleaning up the glue along the joint line, today I have glued on the other half. Once this has fully dried, I will wet (soak) the maple and bend this over the forearm chamfer. Doing this way means less variables during the gluing process as trying to glue both halves of the top and bend the top over the forearm contour in a single operation was a little stressful Oh and I've ordered the finishing materials too, so the intention is to crack on with this now and have a finished bass by the end of August.

[quote name='Kevin Dean' timestamp='1403874145' post='2487324'] .........you could do an add with me standing next to one of your famous users saying " We even look after normal people " [/quote] Normal? On Basschat? How very bloody dare you

Reminds me of covering my first bass (short scale catalogue job) in black 'sticky backed plastic' and wrapping the white scratch plate with tin foil.... guess which Irish bassist was my fave at that time

I'm neither for or against artificial relic'd basses. What I can say from personal experience is that the one bass in my collection that 'average punters' (i.e. non-muso, regular ladies and gentlemen who like a bit of live music with their pint/fruit based drink) comment on is the fretless P I put together using a relic'd Vintage (brand, not age) white body. Its probably one of the worst 'relic' jobs you can imagine because the exposed wood grain is actually also a paint effect but it seems to be the one bass that attracts praise. My expensive Overwater's don't solicit that sort of response from 'average punters' That said, its the one bass I don't worry about when gigging as any genuine wear and tear will hardly be noticed

Ashdown have been producing good reliable gear since they started. Sure, there has been a few exceptions (Superfly anyone?) by generally you don't hear too many complaints about the ABM range, and I know a couple of gigging bassists playing three or four times a week who swear by the reliability of the MAG series gear. Horses for courses, I've never found 'my' sound from an Ashdown head yet, but that's not to say that I won't in the future or if I had more time with one of their heads. They do seem to come in for a disproportionate amount of stick on here which is disappointing as they are a British company and the vast majority of us on here hail from the British Isles.

[quote name='bassmayhem' timestamp='1402777203' post='2476775'] If you have a preamp with a single output you'll need a split Y-cable so you can send to both inputs on the power amp. I use it for stereo rig konfiguration. [/quote] Does your PLX not have the parallel input option on the dip switches? My PLX1602 has this option which means you can use input A to drive both power amps in a stereo setup.

Holy cow batman! Whatever that cost, it isn't enough. That finish is simply stunning, reminds me of the early Washburn's. We need a full final run down of the control layout - it certainly looks interesting.

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1401475907' post='2464075'] Worth remembering that the master volume setting doesn't intrinsically limit the power of the amp, the amp can still deliver its full power if it gets a hot enough signal from the preamp. [/quote] Indeed. This is why I'm conservative on both 'masters' i.e. half on the QSC and half on the SWR. I also use the compressor on the SWR to clean up any nasty 'player dynamics' i.e. cock-ups I may make :-)

I'm four gigs in to my pre/power amp setup and so far, all is fine! I've gone with the SWR Marcus Miller pre into a QSC PLX1602 to drive (in bridge mode) my 6x10 mini-fridge. Because the mini-fridge is 'only' 1,000w 4 ohms nominal, and the QSC puts out 1,600w @ 4 ohms, I run it with the QSC on about half with the SWR master acting as er the master! So far, this rig has done two pub gigs, one outside gig (pub beer garden, no PA support) and a large bike rally (with PA support) and has handled them with ease. Weight-wise, racked up together they are a one-handed carry (as against the SM1500 that was a two man carry). Also, the amp appears to handle transients and low B stuff better than the SM, it's more immediate and less of a delay waiting for the note to develop.

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1400836265' post='2457340'] I used to be obsessive about lows being a 5-stringer and wanting some "fundamental" but using a QSC amp cured me of this as I could play around with its HPF which could be off-25hz-50hz. I found that even the 50hz setting made no audible difference even on the low B other than the absence of excessive speaker cone movement. [/quote] I can only echo what Bassman7755 says here. I've just moved over to a QSC powered rig and currently run it with the low cut filter set at 50hz. The sound difference on the low B is negligible and even less so 'in the mix' on stage. The lack of excessive cone movement is however reassuring. Looking at our set list, most of what we play is in either A or D with an occasional trip down to G. Accordingly, the extreme low end is of less importance than the low end of the mid range as its this that I'm trying to pick out from the mush of guitars and drums on stage.

Singer, guitarist and bass player all mesmerised by the power of the SWR/QSC combination [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/10333697_10202685984683464_3867406064672303686_o_zps2afbeaaa.jpg[/IMG]

That carving is looking pretty tasty mind! I know what you mean about the sanding but there really is no alternative. Are you going to use a grain filler or just a sealer?

[quote name='VTypeV4' timestamp='1399677181' post='2446715'] Very cool.. Power and control, just hope your speakers are up to it! Ha [/quote] I hope so too! Tried it at rehearsal last night through my 8ohm 4x10 (1,000w) and it sounded lovely, to the point where I couldn't differentiate between this and the SM1500. Gigging it on Sunday through the 6x10 so we'll see how that goes. Based on last night, and I can't believe I'm thinking this, but the SM1500 may have taken one step towards the door Oh and now nicely flightcased up and ready for the road [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1034_zps70de4e44.jpg[/IMG]

I wouldn't chop the cab as you'll alter the volume (cu ft not watts) and in doing so you will anger the bass gods. Your cab has top and bottom ports, whereas the wedge only has a top port so, if you cut the back corner off, you'll probably have to modify the port 'shelf' as well to avoid choking this when you fit the angled bit back on. I'd go for a small stand or even make a pair of elongated x shaped 'stands' and attach them to the cab using the holes for the rubber feet. That way, it'll be possible to revert to the standard cab at anytime.

As a confirmed SWR nut, please enlighten me as to the source of this mod please

Just checked the Streamliner manual online which states: [font=Arial][size=2] [i][size=4]• The AMBER “PEAK” LED indicates that the power amp is near its maximum power. Under high output conditions it is normal for this LED to light with the strongest pulses of the signal. Driving hard beyond this point will cause the amplifier to gradually begin to clip which may become audible. If using a very mid focused bass tone and while driving the amp hard, it may be possible to hear some distortion before the PEAK LED is lit. This is normal and is a result of the harmonics generated by the preamp tubes during the overdrive process being more audible since the ear is more sensitive to upper midrange frequencies.[/size][/i][/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2] [size=4]Also the manual states:[/size][/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2] [i][size=4][b]SPEAKER OUTPUTS – [/b]The Streamliner™ 900 provides two Neutrik Speak-On™ connectors (wired 1+/1-). The speaker jacks are paralleled. [u][b]The minimum speaker load is 4 ohms[/b][/u]. Do not ground either the “+” or the “-” outputs. Because this is a high voltage, high current output, ¼” output jacks are not provided in order to comply with international safety standards. It is never an issue for the Streamliner™ to be used without a speaker load connected.[/size][/i][/size][/font]

I'm sure I read somewhere that the GB 'peak' light is more of a signal indicator and that its ok flashing and only a problem if it stays on continuously - then again I might have dreamt that Good point about the two cabs mind. I'm sure the Streamliner was a minimum 4 ohm load.

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1399672764' post='2446668'] Are people who bought the 69'er not a bit miffed that it's been side-lined so soon? [/quote] Isn't that always the downside to going 'boutique'? Either faster product replacement cycles or worse still the company disappears leaving you with something that depreciates quicker than a quick thing on a quick day.

Hi and welcome to the forum. Collective wisdom would suggest adding a second PF210 and stacking them on end. Aside from the deeply technical reasons for having four speakers in a single column (others are far better qualified than me to explain the positive benefits of this arrangement) the main benefit will be getting a speaker up nearer your ear, which on a loud stage can make a hell of a difference.

Fired this tasty little combination up tonight for the first time - oof what can I say [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_1032_zps516d85c9.jpg[/IMG]

Don't forget to put some wadding on the inside of the back as well

[quote name='nickademus' timestamp='1399665725' post='2446569'] So why are these modified 10" guitar speakers Alex is using not neo? Cost? [/quote] Oh no, another can of worms opened - neo vs ceramic [pulls up comfy chair and sits down]

I used spray carpet adhesive to good effect, along with contact adhesive. You can use PVA to glue the 'field' which will give you time to adjust the tolex but I'd always recommend contact adhesive for the edges unless you've lots of clamps, batons and patience!