Chienmortbb

4 hours ago, stevie said:

Remember what Voltaire said about getting your knickers in a twist.

Don't remember that one. Was it something like if you touch the brown and blue wires at the same time, your knickers will be twisted?

Why the downgrade to Markbass? Seriously though, Ashdown service is superb, Markbass almost non-existent. I would stick with Ashdown.

Thanks for this review., I was interested in this amp and wondered whether anyone has also looked at/compared the current MiniMAX Mk2 to see how similar or different they are.

My first bass was a Squier P bass, almost certainly a Japanese one, before I knew the value, always loved the Thunder 1a. I but I got one and sold the Squeir for stupid (cheap) money. The rule was always one in, one out. I am tempted, but have five basses at the Mo, and two of them are project basses. GLWTS if it has not sold already

On 07/01/2024 at 23:03, fleabag said:

 

 

 

Works a treat and small !

 

How was delivery. The store shows strangely long delivery times.

3 minutes ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

I had one of these when they first came out. It was my first "proper" amp. I remember the cab design being very efficient, and the volume belied it's power rating - it easily kept up with a drummer in rehearsals and small gigs.  The preamp was pretty good and had "that" classic trace tone.

 

I just wished it was lighter. Or at least had side handles rather than the rubber strap on the top.

 

I do wonder how well a modern version of this design would work, with a lighter cab material, neo speaker and lighter amp. Maybe Trace (or rather Peavy) should investigate.

I had the BLX130. Same basic unit but, as I understand it, had an extra pair of output devices allowing it to drive an 8R extension cab. Otherwise, it was the same beast. I think a new version of it would be interesting, but I am not sure whether anyone could explain how the cabinet design worked.

There are so many things to agree on and so many things to argue on this thread that I am bowing out. Try it and let us know your thoughts afterwards, It will be fun, and we can then start "discussing vigorously" again.🤣

4 minutes ago, ahpook said:

Looks like a fun project. Keep it as unscientific as you like 👍

The problem with that is that if a cab is louder, it will sound better. All things being equal, the 4R cab is likely to "win". Of course all cabs are not equal when it comes to sensitivity, so it is possible that an 8R cab will "win" the sensitivity battle, but the 4R cab has a built-in advantage UNLESS you are using a valve amp and setting the transformer taps correctly.

You could of course use a sound level meter and adjust the outputs to be equal at a given frequency, but that brings two unknowns into the project.

So just try it and publish your thoughts. It will not be scientific, but it might be fun.

That looks fabulous.

12 hours ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said:

You'll be surprised how loud 2.83v is at 2 meters. BTW, you can't accurately measure pink noise with a volt meter as it will bounce quite a bit. Get it close and leave the amp set at the same volume with each speaker. If you want to calibrate the result you'd do that with a 1kHz sine wave at 2.83v. Measuring at 45 degrees is simple, just rotate the cab.

Much of what you say is true but as you know, using 2.83V for all cabinets will give  the impression that the 4R cabinet(s)  a. 3dB advantage. To put us another way, 2.83V gives 1 watt at 8R and 2 watts at 4R.  

Nice work. Mine is half finished, although it has done oodles of gigs.

On 29/06/2023 at 20:07, Reggaebass said:

Really nice job, great work, that’s come out looking like new and I like the badge , back in the day I had a few HH cabs, mine were really reliable but pretty heavy compared to some now, this was one I had 

I missed this one the first time around. Nice refurb by the way. I have two HH bass amps. One is the VS Bassamp like the one pictured, one is the Bassamp 100.

5 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

 

I'm not sure how depoing works. Don't you have to be somewhat known in a thriving local or regiona live music scene to get dep work ?

 

Daryl

 

 

I saw a band a few weeks ago that many people told me was the best in the area. They had a bass player deputising for the usual low ender. It did not go well, and even the other band members were making lots of mistakes. We have to use a dep drummer on a gig in March (our drummer made a firm commitment to a family event without consulting the band diary). I am now dreading it, although we are rehearsing with the deputising drummer beforehand.

3 hours ago, carlsim said:

I think I am going with the Rust-Oleum spray poly - think I am going matt finish though as apparently it will buff up to a satin finish...

Have you got some spare decal material that you can try it on before trying it on the real decal?

On 16/09/2019 at 12:57, ped said:

I tried that first but I couldn't get it to feel right. This wedge does actually get slightly thicker towards the back giving a little tilt but I think a single partial shim would have left quite an unsightly gap as it would have necessitated quite an angle!

Having the shim at one end often works, but also causes its own problems. You are adding a tilt to the "bow" you need to get adequate relief and that can cause fret buzz/high frets from around fret 14. Then you have to increase the action to reduce the buzz or file a ramp in the frets at the dusty end.

The makers of many of the decal materials recommend an acrylic spray to seal/fix. I have used this method many times.

Many years ago I was in Las Vegas, catching a cab from one of the big hotels. We we amused at the sight of a gurus of cabs being waved forward by a man in uniform who then gratefully accepted a tip from every lead passenger. 
 

The  driver told is that a few years before he had been investigated and estimated as earning $250000 per year, just for waving his arm. 

On 01/01/2024 at 20:52, Gasman said:

To Mere in Wiltshire for Mustang Sally's final gig of '23 - the rest of the band live very close to the town but I had a 50-mile journey through some very heavy rain and minor flooding; still, say what you like against 4x4s, but when it comes to this kind of journey the Jeep Cherokee just lapped it up! The George pub has three large-ish bars - we were set up in the front one with all tables taken and a lot of punters eager for the gig to start at 10pm. Due to lack of space in the band area and the low ceiling I decided to use the HB shorty rather than the Bongo but made a mistake in not putting a booster pedal in the chain thinking it wouldn't be needed - but it would definitely have been handy. Although the bass was going through my Ag700+Darkglass 212 rig as well as the PA, volume levels on the PA couldn't be maximised due to the room acoustics giving incipient mic, sax and acoustic guitar feedback, so I was left with the only option of cranking the amp up to 11 just to be heard... recordings I made revealed later that this was not excessive! Pix below show cramped 'stage' area.

 

We had a great time, with the place rammed until we finished at 00:50 - 20 minutes extra so the landlord paid us extra too after a very busy night for him, saying that last year there were only half a dozen punters at 11pm so he'd paid the band off and closed early (wrong band maybe?!) and watched Jools Holland instead!

 

Old Lang Syne was successfully tackled, our lady singer climbed on a table to deliver the last few numbers, the drunks managed not to collapse into the band gear, and we were able to introduce a couple of new numbers. 'Brown Sugar' may not be quite PC nowadays but the audience loved it; 'Hotel California' is an interesting thing to play on bass (I realise now why the Eagles dubbed the number 'Mexican Reggae') but it needs polishing before we resume gigging in March.

 

It was really nice that Mrs G agreed to come to the gig and enjoyed herself - she has developing Parkinson's and has lost so much confidence in communicating and being in new places with strangers over the last year, but all the folk at the gig were so friendly and inclusive - surely the best kind of therapy! It was another wet 50 mile drive home, arriving at 02:30, asleep by 03:15, feeling whacked out today! 

 

 

We played the Social Club Mere last NYE and stayed at the George after. They had a Wurzels tribute and apparently all their early punters had one drink then came to see us. I don't know why we were not invited back, but it seems only one band on NYE in Mere is the way to go, judging by your experience.

The trouble is that if you only have a Hamer, everything looks like a Nial.

14 hours ago, chris_b said:

hobby bands.

Ouch, I prefer Semi Professional. I am also in what you might call a Hobby band that plays just for fun, with a couple of Charity Gigs per year.

Of course my mistake was not professional so perhaps SEMI of half Professional is about right.

10 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

Oh. I assumed that it was a rehearsal that this happened at when you said that he told everyone when you played a bum note.

No, it was a gig.

On 18/12/2023 at 09:10, Paul S said:

I'm still massively evangelistic about the pair of RCF EVOX 8s my band invested in 3 years ago.  They don't feed back so can sit behind us - no backline or monitoring needed with appropriate ear protection.  Routinely we use it for 2x vox/bass/kick drum but on occasion all the drums.  Once in a blue moon we'll mic up the guitar amp and stick it through.  Absolutely crystal clear.  Massively loud if needed, we've used them outside a couple of times, usually it is coasting.  Super easy and fast to set up/ break down.  The units I believe weigh 24kg but sit on the floor but, in any case, our drummer is a fit forty year old farmer  He just picks up one in each hand and sticks them in his landy.

I don't think I have used the EVOX range, but none of the other "Tea Chest Bass/Sub on a Stick" systems from Bose/Yamaha/LD Systems have impressed me. Maybe I should ask Tim at Absolute if I can waste another hour of his time.

27 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

And he wears a mask of some kind.

Slipknot Tribute?

My band. The Rebbels played a tiny bar just up the road from me (almost exactly 1 mile away) on Dec 3rd.  It was so small we left half the PA in the cars. It was not that full, but there were enough there for a good time. Staff and customers told the absent boss that we were good, and we got a rebook for last Friday 29tn Dec. I thought was an odd night to play, this close to NYE, but we were pleased to get it having no NYE gig this year (BL decided to increase our fee buy £150 so no takers).

It was pretty full and got fuller as the night went on, It was a great night, but next time we play there I will take some pictures. Next time I will take a headless bass as I was constantly hitting the Hi Hat with the headstock of my Fender.

Although you have not been away, welcome back, Samantha. Please ignore my previous inane comments.