Bass Culture

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='648142' date='Nov 7 2009, 03:27 PM']The most important spec is excursion, xmax. That's what determines how much low frequency output a driver is capable of. IMO anything less than 4mm disqualifies a driver from consideration. And don't mix drivers, there are no advantages to doing so.
As for the result you can expect, a builder who knows what he's doing will be able to model different drivers in different boxes and provide you with charts for response, sensitivity and maximum output. Ergo, if he can't provide you with those charts...[/quote]

Ahhh, so there's a question to be asked then...

Thanks,

Mark

I'm having two of Mike Walsh's Purple Chili 12" bass cabs made for me and I'm trying to decide whether to go for the orange label or green label neo speakers. There's a difference in sensitivity and frequency response between them as well as fundamental tone - by the sound of it. The green's are supposed to be more 'old school' and the oranges more mid-biased and clear. As each speaker seems to have different strengths I'm thinking of having one cab made up with each. Anyone had any experience of these speakers or care to comment on the one of each option?

Thanks,

Mark

[quote name='Ray' post='648007' date='Nov 7 2009, 12:30 PM']Indeed it is. Thanks for the very kind offer Mark.

NGH, what condition are your GSs in?[/quote]

It's honestly no trouble - I'm making the journey anyway. Just PM me if your swap progresses.

Mark

[quote name='Ray' post='647992' date='Nov 7 2009, 12:10 PM']Hmmm.. Preston is a bit far away. Shame. Not venturing down south anytime soon?[/quote]

Fellas, I don't mind playing gooseberry if you want. I live in Chester and have family in Colchester - not so far away from both of you guys - , who we're going down to spend Christmas with. If you're still considering this swap towards the festive period I'd be happy to take Niceguyhomer's cabs down, swap them over with Ray, and return the DB's to NGH on my return, so long as you both don't mind travelling a bit at each end to help me out. Let me know if you want to take me up on this fine example of the immense generosity of spirit and sense of community that exudes from every pore of Bass Chat world. (I haven't worked out how to insert emoticoms into posts, but consider one of those little winky ones inserted here!)

Mark

Blue Aran have a pretty comprehensive range too. Try this:

[url="http://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?search=feet&x=0&y=0"]http://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?search...amp;x=0&y=0[/url]

Mark

And the lucky winner is...Dale!

Thanks for all your interest, gents.

[quote name='bigd1' post='642216' date='Oct 31 2009, 10:36 PM']You have a PM

TA very glad Dale[/quote]

PM's replied to gents.

Thanks,

Mark

[quote name='GStar' post='641936' date='Oct 31 2009, 03:36 PM']Bump![/quote]

Chris,

Pleasure doing business with you - sorry about the eternity it took me to get there!

Having seen Chris's Schroeder cab in the flesh whoever takes it off his hands will be buying a great piece of kit. And Chris is an absolute gent to buy from too - anyone who does can do so with confidence

Mark

This is a pre-ebay bump for anyone who might be tempted. If so, make me an offer, folks - you never know...

BUMP!

[quote name='Mikey R' post='630623' date='Oct 19 2009, 06:36 PM']good choice Peter! Ive got a soft spot for Stati too, im sure shes a beauty!

can i join the colchester ex-pat club too? I used to work just round the corner from where status are now, at the bottom of whitehall road.

Anyone else know the arts center?[/quote]

The Arts Centre - oh yes. Used to be St Mary's Art Centre but I think it's Colchester Arts Centre now, isn't it? Some of my formative playing experiences were on that stage! I also did a few plays there when I was a youngster too - one of my favourite venues. Still go to the Christmas gig most years, when we're back down there with the family. Great place, just what an Arts Centre should be.

Hi Folks,

I bought this beasty from a fellow BC-er probably about 2 years back with a view a starting my 'difficult first album'. Since then I have recorded precisely nothing and have had to acknowledge that I'm just too bone idle to learn how to use it properly. I've looked at it plenty and have even turned it on from time to time, I've just not progressed to actually plugging something in and recording. Anyway, it deserves to go to someone who's going to make better use of it than me.

It's in excellent condition, will be sent in its original box and comes complete with the instruction book (a little dog-earred, admittedly) and power supply. Has more features than you can shake a stick at - on board drums, 'bass' (grrr...), effects etc. I think it originally appealed to me because it records to its own internal hard drive, so no farting about with cards or anything, and has an on board CD rewriter, so it's easy to demo stuff and pass copies on to the rest of the band to learn, for example. Has 16 tracks (obviously) and has an 8 track recording mode in which you can record that number of tracks simultaneously - making live band demos a doddle. Beyond that I'm woefully ill-equipped to provide any more info so forgive me if I link to the Zoom website which will do a much better job of giving you a comprehensive guide to all its features:

[url="http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/mrs1608/"]http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/mrs1608/[/url]

I also found this link to a review of the studio from Sound on Sound magazine, which might be useful too:


[url="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan05/articles/zoommrs1608.htm"]http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan05/arti...zoommrs1608.htm[/url]

As you can see, it's in excellent condition (as it should be seeing as it's been totally unused since I bought it!) and should provide the perfect way of recording rehearsals etc. Or you - like me - might harbour dreams of getting an album together. I just hope you have more success than I did! Looks like they go for about £350 on ebay; I can't remember how much I paid for it so I hope £250 to include postage sounds fair.

Thanks,

Mark

[quote name='GreeneKing' post='629449' date='Oct 18 2009, 01:43 PM']Brightlingsea, the home of the best chippys for many miles

Isn't the world a small place (but I wouldn't want to paint it).

Peter[/quote]

Brightlingsea - spent loads of time there as my Aunt Joan lived there. Used to go out on my Uncle's boat. Sleepy as hell but still love the place.

At The Bass Merchant maybe, Peter - ha ha? That would be nice, though our diary has been filled pretty much already. When are you down there from? One thing I ask going to ask you, Peter, do you know if you can visit the Status unit on Whitehall Industrial Estate to have a mooch around, or is it by appointment only?

When are you getting to Colchester, we're driving down on Thursday, btw?

PM'ed.

Cheers,

Mark

Maybe we should start a sub-forum of Colchester ex-pats? Sign me up too! Heading back there to visit family next weekend and collecting my Les Evans custom from Mike Walsh, who's made a fretted neck for it. No visit is complete without a visit to The Bass Merchant these days either, of course!

I've still got a lot of musical memories from growing up in Colchester - especially playing with the infamous Lord Lucan and the Lookalikes some 20 years back. Ah, happy days!

[quote name='www.ecymbals.co.uk' post='626805' date='Oct 15 2009, 11:52 AM']Bassists are always welcome at our Jam Night which takes place every Tuesday.

The good news is that we have a very good bass rig so all that you have to do is bring along your bass and leads.

We play mostly blues & rock but I'm trying to expand the music more so any Nittis, Wootens or Clarkes are welcome but if you are a Alan Lancaster, Cliff Williams or Gerry McAvoy you will fit any fine as well.

Our next Jam Night that will focus on Bass Guitar is Tuesday 27th October 2009 ~ All details below.

Best regards, Julian (Drummer) www.drumteachers.co.uk



Jam Night at The Swinging Arm 61-63 Church Street Birkenhead, CH41 5EG.

Tuesday 27th October + Every Tuesday

Starts 9.15PM (Ends 11.00PM).

We have 1 x Guitar set up, 1 x Bass set up (Very Good Quality) + 1 x Drum Kit.

Phone 07808003372 to book your slot or just turn up on Tuesday Night and ask for Ritchie.

Musical styles that we have had before include: Jazz,Blues,Pop,Punk,Metal,Folk & 60s. We always welcome original music as well.

[url="http://www.myspace.com/swingingarmjamnight"]http://www.myspace.com/swingingarmjamnight[/url][/quote]

We rehearse in Biirkenhead most Tuesdays but finish at 10pm. I'll have to see if I can pop along afterwards, Julian. Where's Church Street, anywhere near Glass Studios?


Mark

There's going to be more glamorous suggestions but I had a pair of Kent Armstrong humbuckers installed on a Les Evans custom of mine and they sounded immense. I had exactly the same HZ's on a second bass and they sounded nowhere as full and rounded. I think KA's are often overlooked because we generally assume there is a relationship between price and quality and therefore convince ourselves that something esoteric and preferably American is always going to be better than something half the price and 'British'.

How did you get on, Rob - all fixed? I've still got a sentimental attachment to that amp, you know!

Damn it, I've just remembered, I've still got your manual and rack brackets in a box in my drawer at work!

All the best,

Mark

P.S. Have you had any dealings with Mark at Bass Direct? I bought a fantastic Roscoe bass off him a couple of weeks back, when I was down in that direction on holiday. He's good bloke and knows his stuff. It was all I could do to keep my credit card in my pocket and resist the temptation to take a punt on a LMIII and 2 Bergantino 12 cabinets set up! Much as I love the sound of my Trace and Compact set up I think moving the SA450 and 2 aggies on was one of my more decisions in recent years!

On Steve's 'big up' there I've just had a listen and concur - terrific stuff.

Sorry, bit off topic, I know; but hell, if you can't compliment a fellow BC-er what's the world coming to, hey?

Thanks all for your comments and advice. I think the service os the way to go.

'Incidentally, what is a service likely to consist of? Are there any/many parts within the head that can be expected to deteriorate over time and therefore affect different aspects of the amp's performance? I ask this out of complete ignorance and would be genuinely interested to know.

Mark

[quote name='mrbassman' post='579734' date='Aug 25 2009, 12:05 AM']Hi Mark, is your SWR still for sale?
Malcolm[/quote]

Hi Malcolm,

Sorry, I didn't see this earlier. The amp has now been sold. Thanks for your interest though.

Mark

I know this is stating the bleeding obvious but another pretty fundamental difference - to my mind - is that the JO and DJ are passive. The 4-94 is active...I'll get my coat.

Just an additional proviso regarding any potential trades - I'm not a great fan of maple necks; I don't know why, one's never done anything to offend me. But there it is. That said, this lifelong prejudice might be compromised by a maple neck attached to an otherwise beautiful bass...

I guess this a feeler to see what's out there but I'm sadly fronting up to the fact that, at 5' 4" and with relatively small hands to match, I'm in need of something that's more Jazz nut width than my lovely OW. When I walked into The Bass Merchant that Autumn day back in November little did I think would fall in love, but that I did. I took this thing of beauty off the wall, plugged in and that was that - sold. I'll get some of my own photos up but it's this one from the Gallery on the OW site:

[url="http://www.overwaterbasses.com/per00021.htm"]http://www.overwaterbasses.com/per00021.htm[/url]

The photos are better quality than I could manage, so I hope you'll forgive me.

Although the neck on this is extremely fast - it's really comfortable and shallow - a recent new band and more playing time have convinced me that, at 42mm or thereabouts, it's just a little too wide at the nut for my small hands. I'm really sad to move it on as tone-wise it's all I could want in a bass - it's fat, full and throaty all at the same time. Lean it towards the bridge pickup and it really cuts through too. I know there's a lot love on BC for Overwaters anyway, so most of you will already be well aware of their quality.

I managed to knock the good guys at The Bass Merchant down to £1,500 when I bought it. If this was a sale I'd be looking for £1,100, so I'm after trades of a similar value and a similar quality bass. As you'll have gathered, I'm looking for something with a narrower neck - more Jazz than Precision, or Sterling rather than Stingray, as it were. I'm not sure exactly what I'm after because, frankly, I'm moving it on quite reluctantly I'm not driven by an overwhelming desire to acquire a particular bass. I would like something similarly boutique or high end though, or maybe high quality 'stock' bass too. I'd prefer an active circuit - ideally 3 band - and I don't really do single coil pickups, so no Fenders. The only Warwick I ever took a shine was a Dolphin I played in The Bass Centre in Brum a (good) few years back. I'd consider a nice Sterling or Lakland too. But anyway, if there's any large-handed bassists who've got an OW with a narrower neck out there who were thinking something along the lines of 'I love this bass but I could use a bit more width down towards the nut'....this could be your lucky day.

Anyway, if anyone's got something they think I might be interested in let's be having you. Oh, it'll come with the Gator case it was sold with too, btw.