la bam

I once started the complete wrong song!

Looked at the set list and it started with "C" so waited for the intro to finish the band kicked in and I started playing "chasing rainbows" ..... rest of the band were playing "cigarettes and alcohol".

Took me a full verse to work out what was wrong!

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1496128902' post='3308890']
It's not just about the 1, it's also about the word that the 1 hits, which isn't necessarily the start of the line. The vocal line often has a couple of words before the 1 - "well you WALKED into the party/like you were STEPping onto a a yacht" for example. Mrs Zero used to complain that most of my songs featured that, then I pointed out that half the covers we did also did that.
[/quote]

The above is spot on. Sometimes people try and start the entire line on one. I'd say go through this with him. He may be struggling to fit the words before one comes in?

Be patient, explain, then make him put the work in.

If he's coming in early he could just be panicking.

Take the lyrics away and practice, practice, practice. It'll soon sink in once he's relaxed. If he's 'thinking' about when to come in, rather than feeling it he'll not get it right (too much going on in his head). Think of it like playing 16th notes, you dont count to 16, but the feel tells you where it is. When you first try that it's very difficult, then when you've played it again again and again, it becomes second nature and you relax, playing it spot on.

I used to think rhcp were just ok. Flea, just ok.

Then, once I'd learned to play his basslines, I found them fantastic!

Under the bridge is a fantastic bassline. 3 main parts - all brilliant when played live with a bit of passion. If you're not feeling it though it can easily sound drab and loose.

When I did our sound for our last band I had the subs and tops facing outwards towards the crowd then another pair of speakers (srm450s) used as our monitors sat on top of the subs and facing us. Angling the left one 45 degrees to the right and right 45 degrees to the left.
Worked a treat.
Just needed bracing or strapping to keep 100% secure.
Everything was so much more audible, we had more floor space and less cables flapping about across the stage, and no feedback as they dont need driving as hard.

All sorted!

B&Q had a sale on - managed to get 8 wheels for £6 ! (4 for each cab).

Fitted them last night, very easy to do. I used one of the screw positions in the corner bracket as a start for each which made them nice and symeytrical and balanced.

And ..... flippin eck! It's miles easier to move about! Why I didn't do this ages ago I'll never know.

No worries. It sounds needlessly complicated! Why don't they make everything at 12 o'clock neutral and the cut to the left and boost to the right?

Anyway, good luck sorting it out!

Would the advice given previously for the lh500 amp help?

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1495231147' post='3302412']
From an old BC thread on the 3 band EQ of the LH series amps:

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]"Remember that the LH-1000 has a "tone stack" EQ and the flat reference setting is bass 3, mids 10, treble 0. Setting all the controls at noon will give you a scooped midrange sound. Read the manual and you will get the idea. There are only three knobs so set them where they sound good for you and your bass!"[/font][/color]
[/quote]

ahhh, so it is - well spotted. valve pre amp, presumably ss amp.

Id have loved one of these years ago, but the prices used to be well out of my reach, so i went for a trace commando 12 instead!!

Ive no link with the below, but £550 for a v8 head and a 8x10 cab would be a real temptation if i lived closer!!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Trace-Elliot-V-Type-Bass-Amp-/332227530113?hash=item4d5a4dcd81:g:o-gAAOSwIaFZHusk

Perfect! Cheers.

Daft question do you just drill the screws into the bottom of the cab?

Hi all,
Just suffered a prolapsed disc in my back, which isn't pleasant, so I'm having to reassess my rig which is currently:
1) ashdown abm evoii 115 combo.
2) ashdown abm 2x10 ext cab.
I don't want to get into taking rock n roller trucks to gigs etc, so before I begrudgingly have to look for a lightweight option, is there any simple way I can fit castors or wheels to my combo without any loss of performance?

I love the amp, but would be a real help if it had built in wheels.

I don't want to get into separate dolly boards etc as all that happens is they get forgotten/left behind in the van etc and arent all that sturdy with the amp on.

Any help or ideas appreciated.

Cheers, I'll have a look at that.

The Alto TS115a are great value - good sound and light...BUT the drivers are notorious for breaking. I had 1 go on me whilst djing and its not a nice sound!

The do go loud, but they clip very easily (around 11 oclock) - look for the red light. Obviously if you use these (or the 12s) with subs then they will be less stressed.

The TS112a is good, the bass is tighter, but not as deep sounding.

I ended up with a pair of DXR12s. Brilliant speaker, ultra reliable, 3 channel mixer on the back and 7 year warranty! (double the price of the Altos though). The wooden DSRs are richer sounding, but more expensive again.

Id be tempted to go second hand for around if youre looking the £300-400 mark.

[quote name='Marty Forrer' timestamp='1495151072' post='3301740']
Most cabs from your local music shop are not quality. They are built with cheap drivers and built to market requirements.
[/quote]

I can't agree with that.

Most of the world best players and biggest bands use amps and cabs easily obtainable from your local store. The likes of Ampeg, Ashdown, orange etc.

If they're good enough for superstars and huge bands, then they're good enough for me! I very rarely see any boutique amps or cabs being used. (as good as I'm sure they are).

Some real bargains there!

I really like the idea of a vertical 4x10.

Make them 8ohm and you've got potential for monster 8x10 rigs.

The main issue I always had with standard 4x10s was the lift and the elbows out trying to fit through doorways. Was always a nightmare!

With a vertical 4x10 they could fit x2 wheels on the back near the bottom, and you could wheel in like a suitcase easily through doorways.

May also help people who complain they struggle to hear themselves on stage as the speakers would be higher up?

To avoid the issue you could ask for x2 8 ohm cabs. Asking for a 900w 4ohm cab makes it more difficult to source.

Also, you could put a demand for foldback monitor specifically for bass on your rider. Then you're covered no matter what.

Evening all.

I'm seeing on YouTube some cool videos which look like people have attached video cameras to the headstocks on their basses, filming down the fretboard etc.

Is there a specific camera or attachment for this effect? Looks great on promo vids.

Ive just picked up an Ashdown After 8 second hand in good condition for £25.

Im proper surprised at how loud it is. Cant get it anywhere near a quarter/half volume without it being too loud for the house.

Nice compact combo. The deep switch makes a nce low end.

Worth a try if you can pick one up cheap, then if its not loud enough - sell it for what you got it for.

Apologies, ive got mixed up myself there.

The head reads:

PASSIVE/ACTIVE.

PUSH FLAT/SHAPE.

So you would think if youre pushing in one switch for the first effect itd be the same for the second. ie button IN is PASSIVE and FLAT, but according to the manual it isnt? (albeit this is an evoiii manual).

http://ashdownmusic.com/files/uploads/ABM_EVO_III.pdf

I love mine.

Plenty of tone (great eq) and character and volume.

Just a few things to be aware of......

There is an active and passive switch where you plug in. This is the opposite way round to what you think. (or what i thought!).

Like wise, next to that there is a tone shape which says "push flat/shape" again, this is the wrong way around, where youd think "push flat" would mean push in for a flat response and out for a pre shape. It doesnt, its the opposite way round. Leave out for flat, push in for tone.

Then the eq will need turning on or off, by the eq button under the eq section. What you need to remember is if you dont switch this on you wont be able to use any of the eq buttons, but if you do switch it on it will work in accordance with the flat or pre shape settings (ie it wont stay off even if you have selected a flat eq).

Id also just set the valve dial to 9 oclock, (or turn it off) you just get a nice sound then, after 12 and especially to 3 and 6 oclock it can get really dirty.

Id leave the sub off if youve never used it before.

Ashdown gear is great for live work (see how many bands use it). Just most people dont know how to use them (how many people over the years have twiddled with the eq to find they havent turned it on etc). The best way I find to use Ashdown is to set flat eq then just tweak if needed using just the bass/mid/high dials (the sliders are very sensitive). Their signature sound doesnt sound great on its own, but works really really well in a band set up.

I take it youre going through a pa too?

If youre really worried, ask for something like a 2x10 abm ext cab as well. Works great with the 15.

Ok, ive finally got round to doing this today.

Albeit at house levels, but good enough to get a decent opinion.

Firstly, its important to remember these speakers are designed by Nexo - a quality name in PA systems, and i chose them as i needed quality volume and sound for when djing.

Secondly, its a real easy set up. The cabs, despite being active are around 13kg each and an easy lift. I have used my BB424 into my Zoom b3, straight into the mixer unit on the back of the dxr using the jack input (of mixer line 2). Its also quite a small set up - hadnt realised how much narrower and shallower this cab was compared to my ABM 115 or 210. Its probably only twice as big as the tiny ashdown after 8 i have for the house.

OK, first test - pedal on bypass and just the bass. This exceeded my expectations as bass guitars especially dont work great when plugged straight into the pa without some kind of di, eq or effect. The sound was hi fi clear but not harsh. Neither though was it bass heavy, just a nice well balanced modern bass sound across the range. It sounded better to me on the P bass pickup, rather than the bridge or both, that selection just seemed to roll out more of a bass sound than the other.

Secondly, I decided to go through the zooms b3 amp simulators. Using the ABM i love the bassman, ampeg and gk sims. Using the dxr these sounded different, but they would as there wasnt any ashdown sound to colour as well. I did find most, if not all needed a bass boost from the eq pedal on the b3 to get a nice deeper sound, but the mids and top end were great as they were flat. The bassman and Ampeg seemed to do the heavier bassier sounds which were more in line with a heavy rig.

I then skimmed through several other sounds for genres i have set up on the b3 (for rock, soul, 60s, etc) and they all worked well. Some were fairly uninspiring, but some were great. Most were very useable for gigging.

Now, one effect i have never liked is the octaver - ive just never got on with it, but using an octaver in this set up works really well. This is where you get the low end sounding really low like from a 15. Useful if thats the sound youre after.

Volume wise - having used these for years for djing i know they have a phenomenal throw - much much better than youd imagine. The kind of throw that doesnt seem excessively loud when youre close, but is just as loud at the other side of the room. There is very little disipation as you walk out away from it. However, these were very loud just in this set up. I couldnt get the volume up anywhere near 9 o clock (6 is off) without it being too loud for the house - but we all know as soon as you get a drummer involved etc its a different ball game. Also, these speakers are dual volume, where 6 oclock to 12 is for line level, and 12 to 6 is mic level. Im not totally sure what that means for bass (is it line or mic level?) but id be surprised if you needed it over 12 oclock.

The only thing i will say is you wont get the magical "heft" or coloured tone from a manufacturers amp or birch cab which seems to emminate from a rig like the ABM or Ampeg, the best way to describe the sound (if you can make any sense of this) is a good hi fi sound but without the air moving feel you get from a big wooden cab and driver, despite the sounds being similar.
It does give a very clear sound, which, i suspect is great for stage monitoring or stage amp. I suspect most will have to play with something like the B3 to get the sounds they are after.

Also, not forgetting you have a DI thru in the mixer section at the back of the cab, which is a nice addition to have.

As i said earlier, this is at fairly low volumes, but i also have another dxr12 if i wanted to link to get a 2x12 which would be interesting.

Will do!
Cheers everyone.

Fair point. But I'm sure I'd get at least £50 for it. The combos framework look like 2 boxes on top of each other so one would just be empty (or store cables in there). Plus the saving already over an abm head, makes it a decent option.