thinman

Here you go - is this what you wanted to do? I imagine you could do this with any pair of single coils. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=19002"]S1 Switching[/url]

[quote name='Hit&Run' post='220178' date='Jun 16 2008, 08:09 PM']Come on guys, don't make me drop kick the kitten...[/quote] Errmmm - isn't it "just" a question of how they're wired and switched together rather than anything to do with the pickups themselves? I intend to do this S1 switching on mine soon and posted a thread in repairs & technical recently that someone kindly answered. I'll try to find it.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='220296' date='Jun 16 2008, 11:26 PM']Don't get me wrong, the last thing that I am actually searching for in my quest for sonic heaven is a flat response cab and amp that faithfully reproduces every f*ck up I make on the bass I want a cab with a bit of colour (preferably a sort of dark chocolaty brown <sorry that may well bug the p*ss out of Alex > ), unfortunately (for me) I had the tone I like for about 12 years from a pair of vertically aligned, vertically stacked 2x10 H&K combos that clocked in at about 45kg each. The combos both imploded at virtually the same time (it wasn't the 1 year + 1 week bug that they put into replacement car exhausts and vacuum cleaners) and were financially unrepairable; ever since then I've been searching for that 'imperfect' tone. Sigh! I suppose the difficulty for me is that even with the knowledge gleaned from various persons on this forum, and from other sources, I've STILL not learned my lesson. Hopefully the OP will [/quote] One of your old H+K heads is now doing a sterling service on top of a BFM Omni10 now... Played a pub on Saturday with it and got a few comments about the sound. Knocks spots off the Ashdowns, Traces and Warwick amps I've used in the same situations. I'm with Bill here. I'm not knocking all commercially available stuff at all but those firms have to shift stuff to survive and to do so have to appeal to current fads and fashions, possibly more so at the lower and middle end of the market. An awful lot of low-end hi fi gets sold on looks, buttons and gizmos - not sound - and I suspect certain sectors of the bass amplification market fall into the same situation. When I was younger everyone wanted Marshall so I bought one. It was the worst sounding thing I ever owned. Also, it was never said that mixing cabs won't work - "unpredictable" was the word. I just think heeding Bill's advice will make life less hit and miss.

[quote name='AndyMartin' post='219147' date='Jun 15 2008, 11:19 AM']Ha. I'm glad we agree on something [/quote] I think a lot of these Ashdown debates don't differentiate between the amps and cabs enough. In my limited experience it's the cabs that may be responsible. I replaced a MAG 300 1x15 combo with a BFM Omni10 and H+K head. But I also cannibalised the MAG and used the head as a back-up. With the BFM the MAG's not wooly at all but maybe that's not surprising given the totally different cab configuration. What was surprising though is how far superior the bottom end on the 2 X 10" Omni 10 is compared with the 15" MAG cab. I run the Omni 10 with totally flat EQ and the depth is better than the MAG combo ever was with the deep boost and a bit of the lowest EQ band added too. It certainly adds weight to the notion that bigger cones are not a must for a deeper response.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='218531' date='Jun 13 2008, 07:53 PM']That's the Ibby Jetking, isn't it? Great-looking basses & there's been a fair bit of interest around the place - most recently in this thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=19631"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=19631[/url] Which also includes a review from a member who's got one. Jon.[/quote] Cheers - very useful - I really should use the search facility more. If it's good enough for BBC then it's good enough for me. I have a 3TS Jazz but not sure if the black or sunburst Jet King is best - they both look nice.

I'm after a second/back-up bass for £200 or so and although I'm trawling fleabay and this forum for a S/H one there's a few new ones I'd consider. Has anyone got or tried on of these [url="http://www.ibanez.com/bass/series.aspx?s=jtkb"]Ibanez JTKB[/url] I'm sure I'll get a few SX recommendations but I've got an Ibanez geetar and feel it's very well built for the money so wondered how these basses fare. Having got a MIM Jazz I'd quite like a P but the Ibanez seems quite interesting. It's available in black too which looks quite nice.

[quote name='johnnylager' post='214638' date='Jun 7 2008, 09:38 PM']Not as such, but me E side is fair screwed down & the neck more so than the bridge but they are at the same angle, if that makes any sense at all. I used the input VU meter on me ABM to get similar outputs across each string and between pickups, then fine tuned with me ears. Not literally, you understand. Good luck mush.[/quote] I thought every other person on this forum had 84's! I thought a few recommendations might save me hours of mucking about. Get them rulers out!

[quote name='GreeneKing' post='217871' date='Jun 12 2008, 07:40 PM']Methinks it's nowhere near THAT bad. Peter[/quote] It must be the price tag making it uglier to me then. I probably wouldn't give it a second thought if it was £150.

I'm not sure if this very thing was the subject of another derisive thread earlier on this year (Warwick/Framus?) but having just seen this thing myself I think it warrants another bashing: Would anyone buy this bass even if it wasn't £3000? It's hideous. I quite like a lot of Warwicks but it's like some steroid-fuelled moon-faced mutant. [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_hellborg_signature_bass_ns.htm"]Hellborg[/url]

[quote name='jamesf' post='217136' date='Jun 11 2008, 07:41 PM']I got my PU adhesive from B&Q - it came in a caulking-gun cartridge, and one tube did an omni 10 and two omni 10.5's. It's called Evostik Resin - Polyurethane Wood Adhesive and is phenomenal stuff which expands in the gaps, and dries fully in 24 hours. I spent several days sand-papering it off my hands after the first session with it, it's seriously good stuff!! only about £9 as well.[/quote] If you're buying other stuff so as to offset the P&P try www.toolstation.com or www.screwfix.com for the polyurethane. It's about £4.50 from them. Stuff like drywall screws very cheap from them too.

[quote name='bassjamm' post='214941' date='Jun 8 2008, 03:58 PM']That looks a bit quirky...not sure i'd get taken seriously using one of those on my gigs!!![/quote] I finished my Omni10 (which has the tweeters to the side rather than in the horn) in black paint. Bill likes his grey (gray?) carpet but it's not my thing. They sound serious. [attachment=9497:Cab11.jpg]

Has anyone got any recommendations for the height of Wizard 84s on a Jazz?

[quote name='peted' post='213106' date='Jun 5 2008, 12:19 PM']I was already planning on squirting a bit of silicone sealant around the joints of the piezos, and toying with the idea of a silicone seal around the piezo/cab join itself. Thanks for the heads-up. I haven't decided on handles yet. I'm equiping this with Eminence Deltalites so I'll see how heavy it is at the end of the build and have a think then.[/quote] I've got those drivers and it still weighs enough that without handles it would be an awkwardly big box to grapple with. You definitely need something to grab hold of.

I used the CPC piezos in my Omni10 and they're fine. However, invest in a tube of silicone (black's best if you can find it - try a builder's merchant) and seal the piezos up. Mine had three quite big gaps near each screw that holds the horn to the back part. Cover the seam and those holes with silicone and use a bit more to seal the piezos onto the baffle when you fit them. It's really important to make them airtight else you'll get all sorts of odd whistles. Also, if you're putting handles on the sides, don't do what I did and put them mid-way between front and back - they're much better mounted at the balance point which is nearer the back - mine's not too comfortable to carry as it is.

Anyone know of a record where one of those 8 string jobs is used? I'm very intrigued to know what one sounds like.

Solder is pretty brittle when it ages and can suffer hairline cracking. (In a lot of aircraft solderless wire-wrapping was used due to vibration problems). Big components like caps are usually glued and/or strapped as their movement caused by sound and transport shocks can stress solder joints if that's the only fixing.

[quote name='Clive Thorne' post='210317' date='May 31 2008, 11:24 PM']I have a freind who's fairly serious about buying a DB active rig set up (about 2Kw), so i'm curious about why you're moving away from them. Should I be warning him off them for any reason? Clive.[/quote] I want to extend the system with some subs and that's going to work out quite pricey to go with the DB subs. Also, I think I made a mistake buying the 15" + 1" versions (Opera 405s) as I don't think the vocals cut through that well on them - should have bought the 12" or 10" versions really. I think I can build a better and bigger BFM system (including second-hand power amps) for what I could get for the pair of 405s so it seemed like good sense financially.

[quote name='The Philster' post='208383' date='May 28 2008, 09:10 PM']Hi Folks I have the Hartke 3500 head - love it, great sound and plenty of power for my needs. I've read you can replace the preamp valve with different kinds of valves, all of which have slightly different tonal qualities. So my question - if I switch the valve out for a higher gain version will I be able to get slight overdrive out of the valve channel of this amp? And has anyone tried this? Cheers Phil [/quote] I can't answer that directly as i don't have a HA3500 but I think those amps use an ECC83 /12AX7 valve. Of the common preamp valves I think they're the highest gain but, I bought an ECC83S which has a slightly higher gain factor than the standard version and in my amp (a H&K) I can always turn the gain down to get less overdrive as it was with the previous valve. I'm sure someone a bit more authoritative will be along in a bit though...

[quote name='ahpook' post='204437' date='May 22 2008, 05:26 PM']thanks for the tip, but all i can find is snap-in caps, not the usual 'wire' type that you solder in. i've had a quote of £65 for a service from electronic music services... hmmm[/quote] If not RS or Cricklewood then try CPC Farnell. I've bought from them - they do a very wide range - not just snap-ins. Probably only cost you £5 or so.

Do you ever get asked at home "Go on - play us a tune on your bass". I don't. In fact, my wife can't stand the sound of it. Is that common or just me? She doesn't listen to the band either. But that's not unusual. However, she does drive my stuff home from gigs, load the car and hasn't complained about what I spend.

Does it have a pan knob?

Although there may well be some pickups made specifically to go with active electronics I think many, if not most, will be no different. With an active bass you have a pre-amp in the guitar and in passive you don't but the pickups need not be any different.

Just to get everyone going... Who are the biggest bas talents you know of with the worst gear? (Or the reverse! My vote would go to some of the people at a Hedge Fund manager's "Hedgestock" event.)