Huge Hands

This legislation has been out for a long time now. AFAI understand it, the venue is ok to be loud (local council restrictions allowing), but if so, the venue must provide protection for staff hearing above a certain threshold (used to be 90dBSPL, I think it's now 85). They do not have to provide it for the venue-goers, because they have the choice to walk out. It is to do with constant exposure, rather than 5 mins at a time. However, as someone rightly said, bar staff, for example, may be in a venue for 8 hours or more with only a few short breaks. They need to be protected. It was with staff like this in mind who don't have a choice (other than not taking the job) that the smoking ban was introduced for. I think it probably does need to happen. I have been to some nightclubs where the wrong cabs have been used with piercing long throw horns and are running at full tilt in a very small room. It wouldn't have helped me as a punter, but I imagine the staff certainly suffer. I actually used to oppose it because I was a FOH sound man and wanted to show off my 40KW rig to the best of its glory. However, as I get older (I'm only 30!!) and realise my hearing is not what it used to be, I think responsibility is needed. I think it's silly to stick earplugs in so you can have it louder. Just keep it a bit lower! However, to summarise, I do feel 85dSPL in some large venues where the background chatter of the punters can reach that is unrealistic. I always felt in 3000 seat style venues, 100dB was still reasonably low but was enough to keep the punters attention. Just my take on it.

[quote name='andy67' post='171363' date='Apr 7 2008, 12:59 PM']It would be good to find out if there is a sonic difference though?? good quality 'locking' style leads can make such a difference to hifi especially when extracting information from a turntable.[/quote] There shouldn't be. The only sonic difference would be down to a massive difference in quality of components within the cables and connectors, rather than whether they lock or not. I once had a friend that told me he could hear the difference between 1mm extra thickness in hifi speaker cable. Sorry, but in my humble opinion, lots of hi-fi sellers have made it rich on the pockets of gullible, impressionable people like him. I can understand hearing the difference between using shoelaces and gold plated cables, but in 1mm thickness difference? Come on!

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='171337' date='Apr 7 2008, 12:39 PM']Speakons lock so anyone tripping over a lead is either gonna pull the cable from the plug or pull your amp off the top of your cab so keep your leads short![/quote] Good point.

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='171174' date='Apr 7 2008, 09:53 AM']Dont forget that speakons are a relatively recent development and before that everyone used jacks. The real big advantage is you cant use a speaker lead for signal and vice versa.[/quote] Speakon connectors (or Neutrik NL series) have been going for a long time now (about 10 years +?) in the pro audio industry, but the guitar amp world has been slow to catch up. They actually come in various versions with different keyed plugs (that are only compatible with the correct sockets) and have uses for power as well. Warwickhunt said the main reason really. If your amp is on with a uncovered jack-lead dangling around the place, it is a lot easier to short the amp out and damage it. At the end of the day, it is a connector. If you are careful about how you power stuff up and unplug things, it shouldn't make any difference. At these wattages, a jack connector should be well within its current handling tolerances. I prefer speakons because if some drunken fool is wandering around the back of your rig in the dark, you've got less chance of the cable being pulled out the back when they trip on something (yes, I know you can also get locking jack sockets, but not used too often). Speakons are nowadays usually philips head screw terminals (some can be allen key or solder), so they're easier to but back together when the trip-ee(?) pulls the cable out of the plug!

[quote name='OldGit' post='171260' date='Apr 7 2008, 11:23 AM']I like the hairy troubled folkie he used to be. This slick media savvy guy is someone else.[/quote] I agree. "When I was a lad", I saw a clip of Fire and Rain and it blew me away, rumbling brush-slapped floor toms and everything. I went out and bought a JT Greatest Hits, and loved it. About two years ago, I bought a live JT DVD. Was expecting greatness, and to a lot of people it probably was. To me, it was too perfect. David Letterman style lighting, and perfect crisp sound. I know I will sound hypocritical, as I used to be both a studio and live engineer. However, I always want my recordings/gigs to sound real, as if everyone is there at the same time. I want everything to sound clear, but I also want to "smell" the sawdust and spittle on a recording, not a wipe clean, air-freshened no smoking studio floor! Does that make sense? At the time I was getting into/learning sound, I was really into Acid Jazz (early nineties). I loved the music, but hated the fact that everything had to be so perfect in the recordings. The epitome for me at the time was The Brand New Heavies. The recordings sounded so clean, I could have rubbed my finger on them and got a squeak. This is a purely subjective point of course. For the one of me that hates ultimate noise free production, there will be many of you that love it and flame me right out of here. As Jamerson said, "..the dirt keeps the funk.." For me, that goes in the production as well!

[quote name='johnnylager' post='164373' date='Mar 27 2008, 12:23 PM']Until the new boilers paid for... [/quote] You pay for your girlfriends? Oh, er welcome Talon BTW!

From memory, a lot of the Rondo pages tell you the dimensions of the neck, and OG has already posted dimensions of his 4 string. I think there is a difference, but not massive. I get the feeling that the P bass I asked about and the jazzes have the same neck? I think the 4+1 is a reference to the headstock.

[quote name='artisan' post='170578' date='Apr 6 2008, 09:59 AM']i took the speaker out & it looks fine (to a numpty like me anyway) [/quote] Best thing to do is try and connect your amp directly onto the driver if you can do it, see if it's working. Another test is to straddle the dust cover in the centre of the driver cone with your fingers and gently push on the cone. It should move easily backwards and forwards (as it would normally when working). If it's stuck solid, then it's destroyed itself! You may often also get movement but feel a lot of scratching as it does so. This is also a bad sign.

Perhaps a silly question but.... Have you had the cab to bits yet to check it's not something simple like a cable come off the driver or connector plate? If it's got a horn as well, could the passive crossover have packed up? Don't want you forking out again for the wrong thing if you don't have to

I would check if the cab has any passive internal electronics, such as a crossover or other filtering. If these are being used to limit what frequencies are being sent to your driver, they may only be rated for 150W and fry before the new driver does. If the external socket is just a straight cable onto the driver terminals, then all should be fine.

If you reckon it won't work with batteries as well, I would be tempted to think that there is definitely something wrong in the electronics/connections in the pedal, rather than outside factors.

[quote name='finnbass' post='169775' date='Apr 4 2008, 01:33 PM']Huge Hands, I hope they're all in cardboard-backed, acid-free bags like mine Not that I'm anally retentive or anything ....[/quote] Umm, nope, all in a box covered in spider sh*t! They are the only relic I have from my student days, it's the crate of them that we kept next to the bog! Looks like you have yourself a "limited edition" clock there, they're not selling them any more Not that I'd be allowed to hang one up in the house anyway - the perils of married life!

[quote name='finnbass' post='169733' date='Apr 4 2008, 12:33 PM']I have one hanging on my wall [/quote] Ha ha, excellent, I feel better now I bet if I trawled my old editions in the loft, I'd find the original spoof "Franklin Mint" type ad.

Most likely there is something at fault in the pedal that is troubling and killing each power supply. Most likely candidate is that something is causing a drain on the power supply past it's specified output, such as a short, but may not be an obvious cable short. Could be anywhere! If you want to keep it, you'll probably need some electronics guy to look at it. Replacing the PSU (which you've tried) is the easy first check... The joys of buying from eBay...

[quote name='Huge Hands' post='168784' date='Apr 2 2008, 11:14 PM']I know Neil_B said they did, but I thought I better tell you about this. I was thinking about joining the SX club after falling in love with the picture of the all black PJ, but it's got to be a 5 string for me. I decided to mail Kurt and ask him if they were likely to get one in - this is the reply I got (including typos!): [i] " Thans - no I don't think it's likely they will have a 5 SPJ - no easy source of a 5 string P pickup Kurt "[/i][/quote] Looks like Neil_B was right all along - I musn't have asked the question clearly. Please see further correspondence with Kurt below: [i]----- Original Message ----- To: 'Kurt' Sent: Friday, April 04, 2008 5:38 AM Thanks for the speedy reply and info Kurt. I am actually interested in the P body shape, rather than the pickups themselves. I notice that Squier do a 5 string P–bodied bass, but it has two jazz style pickups, instead of a P and a J. Do SX do anything like that? From: Kurt [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 04 April 2008 12:42 The 5 string P is a standard SX model - sold now hope to have back by later spring [url="http://www.rondomusic.com/spb61413ts.html"]http://www.rondomusic.com/spb61413ts.html[/url] Kurt[/i] I think I may hold off for one of these - unless something comes along in the meantime!

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='168444' date='Apr 2 2008, 02:26 PM']Have you got an Elvis towel? Or one of those Elvis plates that get sold on the back of tv papers? Fantastic (not)![/quote] I was trying to find a pic or link to the "Elvis Dambusters Memorial Clock of Tutankhamun" that Viz used to sell, but couldn't. Was nearly a good joke!

[quote name='OldGit' post='169198' date='Apr 3 2008, 03:35 PM']That's all I can do without dismantling stuff...[/quote] Wow, thanks OG, you went further than I expected. I'm taking my time on this, hoping to suss out what's on offer everywhere before I jump. I've not joined the SX crew just yet...!

Speak of the devil.... [topic="0"]Ashdown 210 combo for sale[/topic] EDIT: Can't get the link to work. Someone's selling a 210 for under £200 in the Amp and Cabs forum.

[quote name='OldGit' post='168954' date='Apr 3 2008, 11:17 AM']Oh just buy a yamaha BB [/quote] I suppose. I am fairly happy with my Cort C5, but I fancied having a go at building/modding my own bass, on the P or J style, preferably P or PJ because I've always played Jazzes in the past and fancied something different. That is the only reason for being interested in another bass. With a wife and two hungry pussycats to support, the SX's looked like a cheap starting point. Much easier to explain and justify when forking out now and then for bits than to buy something more expensive outright!

Linus, I have the MAG300 210 combo, which is the same head, but 2x10's instead. I bought a 115 extension cab (the speaker in the combo you mention?) I have rarely used the 115. I find the 2x10 is fine for the pub gigs I play (up to around 300 people?), and I never have to turn it up full, or overdrive it. Although we mainly do blues/soul, we used to regularly do 4-band nights on the indie scene in London, so all sorts of emo/punk/thrash bands would use it as the night wore on. I have had no complaints or problems with it, other than losing one of the control knobs. My only complaint is with the knobs on it, there is no centering on the EQ cut/boost pots, and the knobs twist with very little resistance - i.e. I was once playing a gig with a very small stage in an eight piece band. All of a sudden my bass got VERY loud - I had managed to turn it up with the back of my leg! (We were that squished!) Not a big thing though if you expect it - I am really happy with my rig. My combo and extra bin cost me about £600 around 4 and a half years ago - I think I saw Rusty Shackleford sell the same setup but with a separate head for about £260 the lot on here recently. Bargain! I wish I had done that (combo was cheaper than separates when I bought mine). The 210 combo is pretty heavy!

[quote name='OldGit' post='168916' date='Apr 3 2008, 09:35 AM']The show stopper would be if the 5 string neck didn't fit the 4 string P neck pocket. I can measure my precion pocket if you want a rough estimate.[/quote] That would be a great start, thanks! The problem you mentioned is the main one I'm worried about. I would have to buy a neck as well, so don't know what those dimensions are either. What am I getting myself into...??

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='161856' date='Mar 22 2008, 05:02 PM']SX don't make a 5 string precision bass yet, do they?[/quote] I know Neil_B said they did, but I thought I better tell you about this. I was thinking about joining the SX club after falling in love with the picture of the all black PJ, but it's got to be a 5 string for me. I decided to mail Kurt and ask him if they were likely to get one in - this is the reply I got (including typos!): [i] " Thans - no I don't think it's likely they will have a 5 SPJ - no easy source of a 5 string P pickup Kurt "[/i] Can I ask you all a (possibly dumb-ass) question here - if I bought the 4 string, would I be able to fit a five string neck and bridge without needing major surgery? I have seen custom 5-string P pickups which I would want to fit anyway. This would definitely be a long-term customisation if I did go for it.

[quote name='Bass_In_Yer_Face' post='167636' date='Apr 1 2008, 01:01 PM']Christ I remember them...bit like a Glam Rock Rainbow. Sadly I can still remember the theme tune 30 years later. Here is twang in full effect [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfzEVG6je2E"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfzEVG6je2E[/url][/quote] Thank you!!! I've been trying to find a clip that wasn't the dodgy cartoon bit for ages! I was a bit young for these, but my brother had an album which I destroyed on the record player by over-playing when I was a kid (erm, honest!). The pictures used to scare the cr*p out of me. Sorry Born 2B Mild, I didn't mean to have too many votes!

[quote name='FJ1200' post='167506' date='Apr 1 2008, 11:11 AM']I enjoy looking at exotica but owning one..? I think I'd be constantly worrying about it in case it got damaged. [/size][/quote] Hear hear! My point exactly with my cheapy upright - it's covered in dings as I try and drag it through the house. If it cost me thousands, I'd be a nervous wreck. Until the lottery win, it's the best for what I can afford at the time, which is usually nothing. Unfortunately bass guitars do not insulate and board your loft or provide a solid driveway surface for your cars to park on (two expensive jobs coming up!!)