BassBod

Sign of the times.  Everyone is trying to get top money for anything they can rustle up a vintage story for.  I still can't believe what people appear to pay for 70's Fenders and 80's Squires etc.  Mental, but then so is the property market, the jobs market etc etc and we all seem happy to just muddle along....

Very sad.  The Eden Traveler was one of the best small gig amps.  Gets hot, prone to crackly pots, all the volume is in the first third of the master etc etc but a great sound. 

Marshall hasn’t really done anything to match their original products.  Hard to see what the new owner can do, I suspect it will be branded pedals and a micro head…this is what sells today. 

39 minutes ago, Count Bassie said:

I wonder why the electric guts are mounted upside down?... Just musing...

It does seem odd…my contemporary AH150 has a similar rear power section, but I thought it was all sitting “upright” in its metal case…now I’m not so sure🤔.  What is really important is the white reflective strip at the top..without that the UV light would not have such an impact 😎

I'd echo the warning about cutting regular strings...it generally works fine, but there are some that don't stay together.  Round wounds with a hex core work fine, but any string with a round core wire (DR Sunbeams, some NewTone etc) can start unravelling.  The usual solution is to put a 90 degree bend in the string before you cut it, but that doesn't really work if you've only got a short length to clamp into a headpiece.   I've never managed to clamp a set of flat wounds - the E always breaks, and sometimes the A as well.  I've only ever tried old strings (it's too expensive to mess about with) but my experiments have been pretty conclusive.

SWR's were fitted with transformers that had taps for various international voltages, so they could be safely wired for UK voltage.  However they stopped doing it around the late 90's as I recall, possibly a bit earlier.  The stuff with "SWR Engineering" written on the back was multi-tap, but later amps with "SWR Sound Corporation" probably aren't.   This is from memory, so dates are approx.  The company got sold to its accountant...say no more...

30 minutes ago, Count Bassie said:

What did he *not* like? Just curiosity.

Anything that wasn’t pure valve and 1950’s tech.  He gets very frustrated repairing and sourcing parts for 70’s and 80’s equipment..even the high end stuff.  He is an excellent tech, but knows what he likes. 

The early 80’s TE stuff was built to survive real gigging, and Soundwave (Romford) built PA systems before moving on to bass gear. My local tech, who normally works on studio equipment and classic valve amps describes them as “squalid state”.  But even he grudgingly acknowledged the build quality and was impressed by the transformer DI. 

The bigger AH250 in this photo is probably what you've got there...should all fit in 3u wooden rack case, but the power amp on the back plate is heavy and will need to be mounted carefully to be secure.  Best of luck - they are great amps, so its worth a bit of a gamble!

#14 BassBod

Probably for the rack lights and convenience of all those power sockets?  I've always understood that unless you are regularly running off generators then a power conditioner is of little value in the UK.  Maybe more use in the US...

I used a Crazy 8 for a while.  It was an amazing little thing, very full sound and did not just "give up" at a certain point, the way most small cabs seem to.  You have my attention....

4 minutes ago, Jonesy said:

 

I had the exact same problem when I first picked up a J. It took me ages and lots of playing around with pickup height, blend an EQ'ing before I got to a place where I was happy with the tone. My J is a G&L Tribute JB and I eventually upgraded the pups and loom and am now even happier with it. It sounds like a series parallel switch could be what you're after, it does change the tone of a J completely so it's almost like not having a J at all, but I like using it in certain songs where I want more bottom end. 
 

 

 

That sounds wonderful 😎

The main thing with J’s is the “hollow” effect when you have both pickups mixed equally…there are designed to work as a combined humbucker, but you also get some effects on the combined frequency response.  Pickups are mainly science, but there’s a big lump of weird artistry in there too. 

If you love the bridge pickup solo, then bump up the gain and add some extra low to fill it out.  If you need to sound bigger use the neck solo, bump the upper mids to get clarity and edge.  The combined sound is more easily lost in a band setting, but if that’s your thing you’ll have to work out ways to make it stand up.  Also worth recording your bass against a test track and see what effect different eq’s have…that can really help to show the effects. 

I’d suggest the DiMarzio Model J’s.  For me, the sound of the 70’s….darker and thicker, but still with the Jazz growl 😎

Great way to enjoy a day.  Fretless Pedulla, Overwater, a Jack C semi acoustic…plenty of micro amps and fantastic cabs.  Then there’s the catering!!😎

Thanks to all….so nice to see it can still happen 🙏🏻🤓😜

Yes, it happens…but not very often.  The last one I remember was a black plastic tape wound, one out of the set sounded odd and would not intonate properly.  The company replaced it with no hassle, but they usually want the duff one back to see what went wrong. 

Assembled for the fun day out…

Best of luck….it’s solid old tech,  so there’s a very good chance it can be restored to a good standard.  Don’t forget Ashdown have a very good service team and know a lot about old TE.  Worth an email if there are any mysteries 😜

10 hours ago, Phil Starr said:

I'd love you to try the DB with our basschat designs and to have the chance to chat to you about a possible future speaker design specifically for a proper bass. I love a challenge

I might bring the SWR Baby Blue (2x8” combo). Best double bass option I’ve found.  Mines got modern Eminence speakers, but sounds pretty much the same as the Bag End/Eminence ones they replaced. 

Would an SWR Basic 350 or an old Trace AH150 help?  Neither has any HPF or limiting that I'm aware of....

Over the years I’ve been “requested” not to bring….5 string / fretless / Wal at various times.  Lucky for me that I’ve never owned a fretless Wal 5 string 🤔.  
 

Oh, and anything headless…of, course..

Bought an old JBL powered speaker - easy communications, very straightforward, item as described. A credit to the BC community 😎

Nylon washing up brush, small circular sweeps, leave it for ten minutes.  Repeat as much as you can stand.  This works for old SWR's pretty well but may not be so good for cheaper versions of rat fur...

I am so relieved that this is at least a four hour drive away from me 🤪🙏🏻🤷🏻‍♂️
 

Very tempted….let me count the penny pot! 🤪