Kiwi

[quote name='Ba55me15ter' post='290124' date='Sep 23 2008, 05:10 PM']The loss in bottom-end doesn't really bother me as I know my full range sound is going out front. I find the positioning of a close wedge cab pointing directly at me head more than makes up for any loss in bottom-end response. While it's nice to have the low freq vibes coming through your feet, I find mids/low mids much more useful for pitching in a noisy gig environment, plus the positioning lets a lot more top-end actually reach your ears, as opposed to your arse. The JBL is a one-handed carry, so with the Mark Bass SA450 over the shoulder and bass in t'other hand, I'm a one trip man![/quote] Thats a pretty good description of my position too, often any lows I'm generating on stage compete with the subs from the FOH anyway and it all gets a bit much. On a larger stage I'm sure it might become an issue but for the small places we usually play, its more the focussed lower mids and highs I need. Thats why I mentioned the Trace cabs but in my experience they've been quite muddy and the tweeter can be quite harsh.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='289989' date='Sep 23 2008, 02:22 PM']As I've said before, the problem with wedge cabs for bass is that the internal volume is much less which leads to much less bass response. Some kind of fold out or removable tilting mechanism would be a better bet IMO. Alex[/quote] Indeed you have Alex But a tilting mechanism wouldn't allow a cab to tilt back far enough. I know you've mentioned a cone of 30 degrees radiating out from the speaker but in practice, on stage, I definitely [i]need[/i] to have a cone more or less pointing at my ears to hear it properly.

[quote name='Ba55me15ter' post='289821' date='Sep 23 2008, 11:58 AM']I'm after exactly the same thing - a compact, lightweight wedge. Using a JBL Eon PA cab at the mo, which does a surprisingly good job.[/quote] I found the website of someone else on t'internet last night who was using a pair of those monitors as well. FWIW I'm quite happy with the GB Shuttle I have (and happy in fact everytime I pick it up and chuck it into the pocket of my gig bag ) so probably just the cabs would do. I remember Trace Elliot used to do wedge cabs as well but I was never that keen on the low end response of Trace 10" cabs with 5 or 6 string basses.

Its with great sadness that I have to announce LeftySteve passed away 2 weeks ago. A message from his wife, Polly, is below: [i]"He passed away unexpectedly but peacefully on 6th September. He will be hugely missed by all his friends and family, especially his band. He was a truly wonderful man."[/i] Polly is picking up Steve's emails and PM's through this forum so feel free to send something privately if you wish.

[quote name='Bigwan' post='289666' date='Sep 23 2008, 08:44 AM']A few questions Steve. What string spacing will these have at the bridge on the 5 string? Any rough pricing yet?[/quote] The string spacing will be approximately the same as a Stingray 4/5. This is because we had to assume a spacing for the pickup pole pieces and, given we opted for chunky MM style humbuckers, it was just most convenient option for the time being.

how long have you owned a stingray for Kev?

[quote name='Prosebass' post='289481' date='Sep 22 2008, 09:04 PM']Thanks to all who took part, keep posting, no more prizes though....sorry [/quote] Well, I'm leaving this forum in protest then!

[quote name='david_l_perry' post='289499' date='Sep 22 2008, 09:41 PM']Going to look a lot like a Q4/Q5 with that body shape.... [/quote] Yeah there are be some similarities for sure, I did actually worry a bit about the similarities and ended up doing another shape but that ended up looking like a Carl Thompson. There seem to be a whole load of body shapes that are along the similar lines. So I'm more or less resigned to the fact that an ergonomic shape is almost certain to evoke other designs in one way or another.

[quote name='peted' post='279705' date='Sep 8 2008, 02:01 PM']My Omni 10 has a Speakon socket, and I have a Speakon<->Jack lead. I don't mind bringing my Omni 10 and leaving my Hartke 3500 at home if there's no interest in the head, but the cab won't make any noise to show off on its own?[/quote] Well I'll be bringing two heads, the Trace V8 + EBS 212 and the GB so it kind of works out!

I'm not so sure about them to be honest, the reviews say the bass response is a little lacking.

I'm sure the demand will be overwhelming Well, here we go. [attachment=13796:supergroove.jpg] This is the body shape I've been working with, I know it looks a bit flat but it will hopefully be radiussed in a Spector/Warwick stylee. The idea being that it at least looks inviting to pick up and play. I used Jons headless 6 shape and modified it for radiussing and balance. The pickup routs are based on measurements taken from my Celinder P-bass and from my Musicman Stingray. I know they look like $$ but thats just how its going to end up if I want convincing P and MM sounds.

[quote name='josh3184' post='289354' date='Sep 22 2008, 05:50 PM']MAKE A LEFTY! that is all...[/quote] I'm left handed but I can play right handed. Seriously though, I'd never dismiss that for the future but if I was to offer a left handed option with a radiussed body on 10 instruments, it would double the fabrication costs. The reality is that I'll probably be lucky to sell 10 instruments a year so mass production isn't likely to be feasible. If I could sell 10 left handed instruments, that would put a completely different spin on things though.

Why not make it a fund raiser for a charity of your choice Nick, in your wifes name? Is it possible to get a few basschat bands there perhaps?

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='289218' date='Sep 22 2008, 03:11 PM']Hmm, there you go... I never knew Mr Shuker used a CNC - I thought his basses were all hand routed...? Can anybody confirm? Does Jon have them CNCed and then hand finished?[/quote] All of Jon's basses are made by hand. Trust me, in my dealings with him, he's almost obsessed by quality often at the expense of meeting deadlines as many of us will already know. The CNC machine was donated to him by a client for non bass-related projects that Jon churns out quickly just to keep the coffers topped up between instrument commissions.

The prototype, custom pickups were delivered today and I'll be testing them this week in my Cutlass II. I've had some quite major issues trying to achieve a radiussed body shape. Mainly because the quality of finish is so poor from Jon's CNC machine, even with a ball headed cutter, that it looks like it will need more hand finishing than a more conventional slab bodied instrument. There are also issues about how to achieve the radiussed edges. Looks like the body shape will need to be wire framed in 3D Studio Max! I'll post a pic of the body shape later today.

update: its being gloss finished this week apparently.

I'm not buying one until they release a version for bass

[quote name='TheDarkReaver' post='288854' date='Sep 21 2008, 11:19 PM']the slight tightness seems to help prevent tendonitis like flare ups I sometimes get.[/quote] You're getting tendonitis at 21?! Something doesn't seem right. I've been playing 20 years and never had a problem wiith it.

We have a pair of mackies for our PA, they have a history of overheating apparently and we've had both our subs and one wedge monitor repaired under warranty after 10 months of use.

Thats sad news about his wife. The house was on her side of the family wasn't it? I hope he's OK and dealing with things. Sounds like it would be a pretty cool event to have. I remember the photos and the property was pretty impressive!

Hmmm, interesting! I'll keep an eye on them. Thanks Gareth.

Hmmm, thanks Red! Unfortunately the price list says they're not made any more. Im not sure how air tight the top cabs would be though.

Does anyone know of a reputable company that makes neo wedge cabs for bass? I can't seem to find any and although I was talking to Dr Bass about it a while ago, but I just thought I'd see if anyone knew of any other suppliers apart from potentially Zoot?

Last night's gig was at Grittleton House School, just off Jct 17 of the M4. The school itself is family owned and independent, what was most remarkable is that this place is set in 18 acres and has a series of impressive buildings but the school has only been in existence since 1951 and caters for 300 pupils. The two original founders are still alive and the school has moved location twice in its short history because of growth. Anyway, we were put in the ballroom and there were two receptions going on at the same time, ours was on one side. We couldn't get into set up until they'd cleared the cash bar (on wheels) which was another 45 min to wait. After that, the gig itself was doomed from the set up onwards. After we set up, we discovered we couldn't soundcheck because our room was right next to the reception dinner. The acoustics were the worst we'd ever faced with peaks all over the place and no specialist eq to compensate for them. The bass was boomy and the midrange was swamping everything else. So we started badly and the monitoring issues meant we never really played with 100% confidence. There was no food provided, we'd been given an allowance but Grittleton is out in the wopwops, it was difficult enough to get a mobile signal there as it was. Our keyboardist suggested we get pizza delivered but we were too far from any pizza place to get delivery. Added to that, we were doing a 3 setter which meant shorter breaks, so if we collected the pizza there wasn't a lot of time. We started the second set early, and finished it after 45 mins so that we had enough time to eat between the second and third sets. So we ordered after the first set and at the end of the second set the percussionist and keyboardist left immediately to collect the pizza. They were gone 40 mins and when they got back, we dived in and scoffed ourselves stupid as there wasn't a lot of time. Next thing we know, the best man has come up asking when we're going on as the bride and groom are leaving early. Turns out our finish time was 11:30 and someone in the band assumed that because the license wasn't over until midnight, we had at least 30 mins flexibility. Wrong! The sound man said the groom was absolutely fuming that we'd taken such a long break (even though we'd only had about 15 mins to eat). So we downed pizza and went back for the third set. The crowd was pleased to see us (they'd obviously been enjoying the cash bar) and the third set went well until we got the message to finish 3 songs before the finish by the management who then wanted us out by 1am so we only had an hour to break the PA down and load up. So we all thought 'f*** it' lets wrap this up and get out. We managed to pack the PA away in 40mins which was probably a record for us! All in all, one of the more forgettable gigs mainly due to the lack of time after being caught between the venue management and the expectations of the groom. Ah well, at least we had the perfect amount of stage area for a change! I left the Smith 5 at home and just took the Cutlass 1 (for the Chic songs) and flew solo with the Spector 6. The Spector sounded so growly I thought the amp was distorting!