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male33lancs

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Everything posted by male33lancs

  1. "Bass players are the only users of amplification that will use different sized speakers for the same frequencies." that bit is certainly opinion... I know of plenty guitarists and have myself (guitarist) used 15" and 12" mixed, 12" and 10" mixed and Gibson's Goldtone range guitar amps have used a 12" and 10" mix for years... Many small combo amps with 8" or 10" internal speakers and external extension output (that doesn't cut out the internal speaker) are unlikely to be used with 8" or 10" extension cabs as there are few made... a room will affect the sound from the different cab / speaker combinations anyway whether using same or different cabs - different reflections at the two cab heights etc... your position relative to them etc... I imagine if it were to be calculated, their would be differences at different altitudes as well? but howe many people do you know who adjust there tuner from A440? what difference in altitude would you need before you would have to alter this anyway? I don't know... Most 'scientists' work in labatories, engineers design at a desk or bench, most musicians play in pubs, clubs and the like - that are usually far from ideal acoustically to begin with... - not been in many where they have acoustic engineers in... they too busy paying for their licenscing and stopping people taking their pints outside when they go for a fag... I agree with chris's approach, as at the end of the day, most 'musicians' do not scientifically create music - or not when they start out, rather what sounds good works... and phase cancellations may actually be a desired effect - they've been selling them things for years too... An engineers philosophy (often restrained by an accountant), is not always the best judge of what is right and wrong and the proliferation of small scale guitar and amp builders who cater more to personal tastes, kinda hints towards that too... You can listen to 'opinion', 'fact' (like the world is flat - fair enough there are measureable responses and such - but mostly measured under lab conditions) and you can add these to your own personal experience (go the placve you intend to buy from or a couple of different places and try the different cabs with your rig - take note of different rooms and positions and take what seems like the best option that you can afford... as time goes by, you tend to become more informed and experienced and opinions and 'facts' both change as we all learn more... despite what scotty said, Jimmy managed to defy the laws of physics a few times I think, but then again that was just t.v. wasn't it...? Quite often, what scientists can measure, people cannot hear and what people can hear, scientists cannot measure (we all have very different hearing ranges and peaks and troughs) hence why we all hear things differently - and we often will hear the same sound differently - all this is part of the 'science' of psycho acoustics... Personally I find my taste changes as to what is ideal from time to time even with my gear left in same place in house - maybe its changes in humidity, ageing of components or just mood or just psychoacoustics again - that should cover it... Is it really a conflict? thought that was in the Falklands...
  2. hey steve, the fingerboard could either be replaced or the gouges filled with rosewood dust mixed in epoxy. The sanded flat. use a sanding block and perhaps tape up around the area to sand with masking tape. then dependent on radius of fingerboard either gat a radius block of the correct radius or a large hardwood (or glue a few pieces of 2" x 18mm mdf together) to use this as a sanding block and carefully sand the whole of the fingerboard to clean it up. with the body, wet and heat the dings (you can use a wet cloth and apply heat via a soldering iron placed over this - it will often swell out the wood where it has been compressed from bumps... if not, you may have to sand the marks out. plug the control pot holes ( i think you said you were left so would want to move controls to other side. you could use a router and flush trim cuter with bottom mounted bearing to make a copy of the control cavity shape and replicate it on other side of instrument and rather than struggling to fill the original control cavity, you could make matching covers for either side and therefore keep some symmetry... you could likewise adda scratchplate on front same shape on either side that covered the old holes after pluggin if you were worried about that aesthetic - it will usually be noticeable in lighter woods... you would need sanding the whole body before relacquering anyway, so any filling or removing of dents or holes you couldn't plug can be sanded out and the plugs in control pots sanded flush... enjoy hope that helps, as you never really stated what you had in mind or I missed that part...
  3. with a valve amp, impedance mis match will give reduced power and bandwidth solid state using lower than recommended impedance will (in most modern gear) initiate some kind of thermal protection as the output devices will try to provide more power than the power rating of the devices, so the protection circuit kicks in... otherwise you destroy your amp
  4. If you have hum problems when daisy chaining several fx from same supply, it is likely one or more of them needs isolated supply. An isolated supply will cost you more but will give the performance you require.... you pay for the extra transformer windings and components....I had to build mine as I bought several line 6 pedals a while back when they were being sold off for £20.00 - they hum like hell on a daisy chain You could always build your own... built my old one with 24, 18, 12 and 9 volts, (now living with mate as the new version is nearly done) and he needs more than me as he regularly gigging rather than just building gear like me enjoy!
  5. Hi folks, Built my own supplies, but I used seperate transformer windings. My older version had 24, 18, 12 and 9 volts - this has found new home with a mate as I am just finishing the mark two... Don't really know about dc - dc converters, but the idea of transformer isolated supplies is to eliminate ground loop issues - this is certainly useful if you own any line 6 fx... interested if you wish to offer lowdown on what the dc - dc converters are and how economic an approach they are, how they perform etc...
  6. That's not surreal bass ferret... I was commenting on maybe why they are nt so common as the usual 1 x , 2x and 4 x variants It also does not necessarily matter with valve amps either... although as with any impedance 'mismatch', there will be reduced output and bandwidth
  7. There's a few pages on the Fender 400PS in "The Soul Of Tone" - a really big and excellent book for the valve amp and valve amp history lovers among you although only 1 chapter deicated to bass amps... but a real interesting read and some lovely pics and discussions of cabs n such...
  8. hi folks, not sure on reasoning, i guess most manufacturers are set up for the conventional 2 or 4 drivers per cab routine... the issues with impedance could be overcome in a number of ways, using two 8 ohm speakers in parralell to give 4 ohm and then putting this in series with a 4 ohm, this would give 8 ohms for a common crossover figure with which to use a horn. However, the problem with this would be that the output from the amp is shared unequally between the drivers.... another way would be to use two 16ohm and one 8 ohm in parallel, which would give 4 ohm - then you would need a 4 ohm crossover, but again the output is shared unevenly... you could comensate by using a higher rated driver for the lower impedance driver in each case, but it would still be adding more to the sound than the two higher impedance speakers in parallel... Perhaps these are some of the reasons?
  9. Hi folks, regarding the 6 x el34's and 300w... The plate dissipation for class A is about 12w in class AB around 25w (50w per pair) and perhaps the amp is run in class B which I believe would offer the 300W RMS, although I have not referred to any spec sheets and don't think most old spec sheets would show class B as most equipment from yesteryear was built class A, AB1 or AB2... some nice posts oxblood, but I would take issue with comment that building a guitar amp is easy whereas building a bass valve amp is hard... quite often, voicing a high gain guitar amp is quite time consuming and problematic and can become quite complex circuitry and preventing oscillation and noise etc... admittedly, most bass amps having larger output levels would require larger, weightier transformers though... regarding the issue of always impedance matching valve amps and solid state not being as critical, I do not believe this to be wholly accurate either... if using a quality over rated output transformer, impedance matching is not as dangerous as perhaps you suggest - whilst it is better to err on the side of caution as much gear does use under sized output units... With regard solid state, putting a 4 ohm load onto an amp designed for 8 ohm and running flat out will surely cause destruction as ss devices tend not to limit their output as valves and their power supplies inherently do... Just observing that it is not strictly as black and white as you suggest.... on the amp sitets i join in with, this is one of the myths that is dispelled and backed up with hard science.... but as I said above, better to err on the side of caution...
  10. Hi folks, I have taken to using ABS plastic as the covering with aluminium edging and steel corners... makes it a bit more roadworthy for my liking.... rather than my poor mates who shell out on new viynl covered cabs only to have them look 10 years old after 12 months of gigging... I also like metal grilles for the same practical reasons... However, two cabs i built for home use are recalimed solid oak, although still with metal grilles... if anyone is interested, I will add a few pics when the first of the ABS covered cabs are finished (over next month or so when i get through current busy period)... I imagine there will be differences in dampening of material coverings, but whether or not the effect is discernible or measurable is another thing - construction matrial for main body of the cab and the drivers used will have most effect...
  11. hmmmmmmmm.... as my main instrument is guitar and not bass, maybe this is a little annoying to some, but the gain, volume; gain, output etc make perfect sense to me... most amplifiers, particularly most modern amplifiers that incorporate such controls have several gain stages... whilst a 'passive pot' is the control, you will hear the gain increase if you turn up the gain or preamp gain on a marshall amp... the reason is (valves) there is a greater signal going into 'control' grid of next preamp tube stage, this alters the bias condition of the tube and will amplify more or less until it reaches clipping.... whilst this is not often clipping with two valve preamp stages, that signal then goes on to another one or two stages before reaching the volume or master volume control.... most of the traditional circuits have the volume or master volume as part of the preamp, that is before the phase inverter and some debate about validity of this... But yes there is a lot of marketing hype... I don't avoid amps with such labels, they can be a bit silly, but some of them do have quite interesting features on them that act on the circuit in new ways from the amp icons we are familiar with and possibly create new tones... Just like everything else, you pay your money and you often get what you pay for... I think the labelling often reflects the goal of the designer... gain and master tend to suggest a preamp distortion created by the gain control and more power amp distortion created by the master volume.... Perhaps the volume and master volume scenario is aimed at the cleaner (less distorted) end of the market? Once you understand what the controls are doing and see through silly marketing, its no biggie and sometimes there are nice surprises... but I get what you are saying with some companies that excel at the marketing and hype - that's entertainment.... or did I mean capitalism? How should these controls be labelled?
  12. Hi guys, the way the volume control works depends on if the pot is linear or logarithmic (sorry bout spelling).... read up on many of sites.... with regard does altering volume affect wattage output, think about it? if you turn your volume up, does it get louder? the signal on the 'control' grid of an ouput valve controls how much power the output valve passes... true, a valve amp can only reach a particular wattage, determined by the transformer set and valves used etc... however, a transistor amp does not limit itself the way a valve does and if lower and lower impedances are placed on the output than the recommended load of say 8 or 4 ohms, then the solid state device will tend to try and pass that current and damage the device or trip an overload device... the idea of using a larger amp than the speaker rating and using speakers rated higher than the output of the amp are two very different issues it seems to me and are meant to attin different goals and perhaps not very well informed? Perhaps the person who suggested using a higher output amp was suggesting this to gain higher spl's before the amp began to distort, as I can imagine may be a goal for some bass players... However, using speakers rated much lower than the amp would likely then cause the speakers to distort and possibly even suffer damage... the idea of using much higher rated speakers I believe is more apt for the guitar, where distorted signal is often the goal and quite often a clipped signal (especially in modern times) and more heat makes it a good idea to over rate the speakers... it also comes down to sonic goals... a small 20w speaker in a small amp driven to max may give the desired combination of preamp, power amp and speaker distortion for the particular goal, but conversely, a thrash metal maniac may prefer to rely on preamp distortion, a power amp with lots of head room and speakers that do not distort and mush up... the sonic goals and technical and financial responsibliites/ goals are all different issues...
  13. Hi folks, As I understand it, bi amping is a term generally used when you have two amps amplifying seperate frequencies and sending them to different speakers... For example using a 300w amp for bass frequency with a 2 x 15" cab and then having a seperate lower wattage amp for mid range and or upper frequencies... I think it is a carry over from HiFi and possibly PA applications? With regard using your bass through your guitar amp: Perhaps their is already some bass roll off with the unit you're using being a modulation effect, although I have not tried the one you mention... Also, the amp itself should roll off some of the bass frequencies due to the components used... If the amp is valve for example, the decoupling caps would limit bass response and the transformers in guitar amps tend to roll off at 100Hz or so or even higher for some (some boutique gear does use full bandwidth units though, but doubt the amp you mention does, although I am not familiar with it... Many guitarists use guitar cabs, sometimes down tuned to B or A and heavily distorted, seemingly without problems, again many components in the chain will filter out the bass... If you are using as you say to get the idea of the stereo effect at home, then you should be ok as most people are severly limited in domestic situation to lower SPL's
  14. [quote name='david_l_perry' post='163537' date='Mar 26 2008, 08:39 AM']You are a [i]little [/i]late to the party with that snippet of information... Neo drivers have been being used by Bass cab manufacturers and DIY bass cab manufacturers for a number of years. They have pretty much become the standard for PA cabs also due to the massive weight savings. I don't think I would consider anything else these days...[/quote] Thanks for the tip dude... I only became aware of them about 4 years ago when I organised trade account with Eminence UK distributor... But just goes to show you that not everyone is as enlightened as yourself Must be the unextracted solder fumes arresting my development... even more than usual... or the guitarist in me...
  15. [quote name='hipbass' post='69624' date='Oct 4 2007, 05:36 PM']...Interesting article although I never subscribed to the view that speakers should be able to handle more power than the amp can deliver....If,for example you're using an amp rated at 800 watts but only use 300 watts of that [plenty loud],then your 1000 watt speaker[s],aren't being driven efficiently and your amp has to work harder..Obviously, at the other extreme if you use a 100 watt head driven hard,then it may be advisable to use more than 100 watts of speaker capacity!...Maybe some tech head will tell me I'm wrong,although I've been doing this most of my life and arrived at these conclusions via trial and error...My general rule of thumb is 50% more speaker capacity than my ACTUAL PLAYING LEVEL....[/quote] One industry extreme tech head suggests up to x 10 when using very distorted guitar tones... again this is to avoid distortion of voice coil... none of us like to be pushed to our limits right? or not for extended periods night after night... ?
  16. Hi Folks, With regard MDF, also take note that it gives off toxic fumes, if the covering is damaged, it will not last long if moisture gets in and as mentioned, it is very heavy... One poster mentioned using quality Birch ply, not the B and Q stuff with cavities in... if it is within price range, I would say this is a good material and ultimately stronger than mdf or the cheaper ply's I would say? B and Q is expensive, I did find a couple of places that sell grille sheets by doing a search for general metalwork and sheet metal sales... when i get time, i will try digging out the links, but you should be able to find somewhere local, which is often good way - I prefer dealing with people in person rather than ordering over phone or through a DIY superstore where the staff are as knowledgable as you might expect given their wage and companies purpose... Local specialist companies can often be a source of sound advise (pardon the pun) and may even suggest alternative materials or supliers - I have come across some honest business people who have pointed me in right direction rather than making a quick buck.... they are out there RichardH , is the Spaniel part of the complete rig... my ex's Spaniel used to stick his head into the ports on my detuned cab (large posrts) I have a Springer myself now and she wisely stays clear Ooops just realised how old the thread is... so dont know if i been wasting my time, but found some interesting stuff anyway and looking at the time, passed quite a bit f that too - ah well, was too late to finish assembling the new wardrobe anyway...
  17. Hi guys, see there are plenty pics, so thought I would add a couple of mine. The big white one was the first cab I built... It measures 38" tall, 24" wide and 16" deep... it is a guitar cab, as I mentioned in another post I am a guitarist and a newbie to the site... Never got round to covering it as I had planned, just painted it with white undercoat to make it fit in in the house to save my ear getting bent unmusically... The second pair of cabs are made from an oak tool cupboard that was being thrown.... I could not believe when I cleaned it up and managed to get it cut up, that it is solid light oak... The two cabs measure around 21" wide (to match the width of the two rack cases I am also building to match them - pictured on top of the speaker cabs) - they are 24" tall, so they can be stacked on top of the big white cab if ever i finish it, or stacked on top of each other, they present the two rack cabinets and the contained amps (again when they are finished - yes time and money can be a barrier) at a reasonable height for use... These two cabs are also 16" deep or maybe 15.5 can't remember - the dimensions were also partly determined by the lengthy calcs I had to do to squeeze cabs out of them... I have two footswitches to match made from the oak too what a great find for free and gratis well plenty of time and hard labour... with regard cutting the holes, one person mentioned using a cake tin.... I made a routing jig from an old speaker cabs baffle plate... I also have a couple of smaller cabs to make 2 of 4 x 6" cabs, for a couple of small amps to be used in stereo - the speakers were good value so had to give them a go... The bass in the picture is one I made whilst on the lutherie course at Leeds college of music (the course closed around 3 - 4 years ago .... sadly...) Got my new cab plans on the way, so will add some pics as they come...
  18. Hi folks, new to site this evening, finding some very interesting postst and some good links... I notice early on in the posts, that a lot of people are talking about smaller cabs - obviously weight and portability are desirable, but whilst looking and comparing different drivers, it should be noted that whilst specs may list a particular cab volume, a larger volume (for my tastes) can often produce a better sound - I am into the philosophy of detuned cabs (London Power - check the book on building cabs - its useful and cheap) and have made a couple so far that really do a job, one with some old sound city (possibly H n H) drivers... I should mention I am a guitarist, not a bassist... I build guitars amps and cabs and with regard glue that one person mentioned early on in posts, the best bet for gluing would likely be aliphatic resin (the yellow titebond)... this dries harder and does not have creep (movement) like the white aromatic glue does... I have a Clestion neodymium bass speaker that I bought a couple of weeks ago, but have not yet tried it, but it does weigh in about half weight of your average speaker and when I get my act together I will install it and give it a bash... Anyway, will get back to reading through the topic, have a lot of catching up to do and looks like there lot of cab pics Anyone tried the eminence speaker designer software? similar to the bass driver pro (think that was its name) speaker design software that I used several years back.... the eminence version only has the eminence driver data available, but it is much cheaper than the other one... ROCKTASTIC! "What are the views on best sort of speaker leads - will go for jacks for ease of interchangeability unless someone tells me that is daft. " Personally I make my own up, using premium 2.5mm cable and the Neutrik large body speaker jacks... think I bought them from studio spares...
  19. Hi folks, New to the site and am a guitarist, not a bassist, but am just having a mooch through things and am finding some of the discussion interesting on the site, interesting to look at gear from a different angle. I build my own cabs and to be honest tend to prefer larger cabs for the quality of sound... However, I have recently purchased a 12" bass speaker that has twice the rating of your average guitar speaker and comes in at about half the weight... The difference is the Neodymium magnet... Whilst I have not yet tried the speaker, the nature of the material apparently from what I have read and from the spec sheets, tends to give some high end emphasis too, which may or may not be desirable for you guys... However, with a saving of around half the weight to a comparable speaker, the 1.5 - 2KG saving per driver can be significant, particularly with regard to multi driver cabs.... The weight difference is EXTREMELY noticeable... Hope this adds to the debate...
  20. Hi folks, Was just mooching on net and found the site during a search for something and this was the post that brought me to the site "Using a valve amp set to 8 ohms into a 4 ohm cab is a pretty quick way to destroy it." This is not strictly true, that will depend on the ouput transformer... apparently, this tends to be the case on many British made amps... However, it is a good practise and rule of thumb to follow... Using oversized transformers or conservatively rated units, an impedance mismatch will reduce power output and bandwidth... I have done this on several amplifiers I have... This tends to be the case very much so with solid state amplifiers as unlike valves, they are not limited by the power and output transformer specs/ capacities... valves can often be the cause of a lot of noise / problems in valve amps and if you have been sold an old sound city valve amp that is suspect, it is unlikely the power tubes have been changed for a long period... Old electrolytic caps can also be a problem, particularly if the amp has been unused for a long period and then the caps are hit with HT... The safest thing to do is take it to an experienced/ qualified person to look over for you, it is quite likely a service would revitalize your amp and if the above is not the issue, if the issue did not come up during the service, then it could be looked into at the same time... With regard the switch and the shock, as you say this is obviously time to take it to someone who knows what they are doing, it may also point to a fault with earthing, which could also be something to do with the problem... best thing is get someone to take a look and see enjoy!
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