redstriper

I put a kappalite 3015 LF into a Trace combo and it worked fine with more volume and deeper bass response than the Fane original and it is also much lighter.
It wasn't completely straightforward though, the old driver used bolts and the holes didn't line up with the new one, so I had to make new screw holes.
Also the Eminence driver is deeper on the front so the grill wouldn't fit back on without using some thick washers to raise it up, which made it stand proud of the cab front.
I have since put the Fane back in and put the Kappalite into an Ashdown mag 115 cab, which also required modification, but sounds great.
I don't know anything about tuning cabs, but I'm happy with the sound so who cares!

[quote name='~tl' post='368508' date='Jan 2 2009, 02:54 PM']I would guess it'd be something around 17" since it's a half size instrument...[/quote]
What !
I didn't realise it was actually 1/2 size - can you buy strings that short ?

[quote name='Linus27' post='368184' date='Jan 2 2009, 12:57 AM']This also would be competition,

[url="http://www.themusicking.co.uk/westfield-1-2-size-bass-guitar-in-red"]http://www.themusicking.co.uk/westfield-1-...s-guitar-in-red[/url]

This is what I am looking at for my son.[/quote]
That's my kinda price - have you tried one?
Do you know the scale length?

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='367646' date='Jan 1 2009, 12:30 PM']I made my son (7) a mini P-bass from bits left over from other projects, its zebrano with gold hardware, sapele back and a p-bass clone pickup. He loves showing it to his friends but is not yet that interested in learning it. Sorry but it's right handed, not a big job to swap the nut over for left-handed stringing.
[/quote]
Put me down for one of those too - you could go into business building them.
There's a demand for small basses from grown ups for portability, playability, weight and sound as noted [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=35587"]here[/url]
Price could be an issue though with
[url="http://www.bem-music.com/list.pl?id=105467"]this[/url] as competition.

I'm tempted to go for one of these, how's it holding up now you've had more time with it?

I need lightweight and I like a very deep tone with no treble so I'd be using fat flatwound strings.

Do you think this bass would do the job?

[quote name='Paul Cooke' post='367787' date='Jan 1 2009, 02:59 PM']is this the Tanglewood model? EB18

[url="http://www.tanglewoodguitars.co.uk/products/default.asp?cID=26463253&sID=26465218"]http://www.tanglewoodguitars.co.uk/product...mp;sID=26465218[/url]

they don't seem to have an EF18 on the website...[/quote]
I've seen 1/2 and 3/4 size Tanglewood EB18s advertised but it's not clear what the actual scale lengths are.

Are they standard short scale or ultra short - 20" sounds very short and I don't know where you'd get strings.

Has anyone else had any experience with them?

[quote name='BigRedX' post='367125' date='Dec 31 2008, 02:55 PM']My fretless Gus G3 came with Rotosound flats fitted (Simon has some arrangement with Rotosound so that's what you get unless you specifically ask for something different.) I had to slacken the truss rod off over half a turn to compensate when I replaced them with Pedulla Nickel Roundwounds (my favourite fretless strings). This is on a bass with with carbon-fibre exoskeleton body and neck. The TI flats are even lower tension...[/quote]
I'll have your rotosound tru bass flats if you've still got them - I could swap them for a new set of rotosound custom light gauge roundwounds if you're interested (although they remind me of chicken wire).

[quote name='evilLordJuju' post='367082' date='Dec 31 2008, 02:01 PM']Yes, that's right. These basses are for people that actually like 'bass', rather than a weedy trebly clank [/quote]

Good point Juju - well made

BTW - The '64 EB-O I saw for 2k was on the Kings Road and the same colour as yours - they offered me £800 in PX for my 1963 Fender Jazz - well the rents are high on the Kings Road!

I also made the same comparison with the LH1000 and LM2 but found the LH1000 to be less warm.
Definately a great amp, just too bright and not smooth or deep enough for me.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='366394' date='Dec 30 2008, 04:54 PM']Be aware that both the Rotosounds and the TI flats will require you to make some fairly major truss rod adjustments. The Rotos are very high tension (personally I hate them - they feel like fence wire) and the TIs are very low. For reference a standard set of 45-95 roundwounds are roughly in the middle.[/quote]
I couldn't disagree more -

I have not adjusted the truss rod since fitting the rotosounds and don't see any difference in neck relief from the standard strings.
I find them to be quite low tension and smooth to play, (nothing like fence wire) pretty much the opposite of your opinion.

I'd be interested to hear how HP gets on with the rotos.

[url="http://www.absolutemusic.co.uk/shop/view_product.php?product=alemultimix8usb&searchlink=yes&search=ALESIS%20MULTIMIX&page=1"]How about one of these[/url]

Nice Xmas present -
I bought one of these last month and replaced the strings with rotosound short scale tru bass black nylon covered flats from stringbusters for £24.00.
They are great for this bass if you want deep growl and they feel smooth and fast to play.
There was no problem fitting them and they stay in tune and look cool.
I'm happy with the original pup which is powerful and quiet and mine was well set up with just a little intonation tweaking required.
The sound was a bit uneven across the strings and I adjusted the pup height slightly to compensate.
I find it very playable and well suited to reggae or old skool rock, probably not the best choice for Jaco cats though.

I tried a 60s Gibson EBO in a vintage guitar shop in London and it was nicer than this copy, but not 2 grand nicer!

I'm looking for a cheap but decent quality gig bag for mine since the fitted case costs almost as much as the bass.

[quote name='Mr.T' post='365460' date='Dec 29 2008, 01:45 PM']Just ordered myself a Markbass SA450... got it for the same price as the LM2.

Should be here tomorrow with a bit of luck![/quote]
Nice choice - it should give you all you want with the extra eq over the LM2, still no mute though.
I know you said you aren't bothered about the weight, but I'm sure you will smile when you pick it up.

I think you're gonna love it.

I tried lots of amps through my cabs at home before deciding on the LM11 - it's the only way to be sure that you can get 'your' sound and it's completely subjective.
Many people don't touch the eq or filters, while some go crazy with the knobs.
They are very flexible and you shouldn't be afraid of using them to get your sound - whatever it takes is fine so long as you are happy with the result.
You could do with finding someone locally to let you have a go on their LM11, Rasta has one in a combo if he's anywhere nearby and since he replaced his Eden with one he should be able to advise on their different sounds.

I am very interested in this.
The best things about short scale basses for me are - lightweight, easier to play and deeper sound.

My main instrument is an Ashbory which is tiny and very lightweight with a lovely fat sound well suited to reggae.
I got it to replace my old Fender jazz bass which is very heavy and a strain on the old back.
The only problem with the Ash is the intonation isn't quite right and can't be adjusted, also because it's fretless and very short scale, it's hard to play in tune without really concentrating (not my strong point).
I do love it though and prefer it to anything else I've played in years despite it looking like a toy.
I recently bought a new Epiphone EB0 and whilst very impressed by the build quality, it is just too new and clanky and I won't play it enough to bed it in.
I've considered buying a steinberger copy, but I haven't tried one yet and it's still long scale.

I would be particularly interested in a fretless USS bass with maple neck, fret markers (and maybe LEDs) with the weight kept to an absolute minimum and with a very deep dub tone - I don't use any treble in my sound.
It's important to be able to get the right strings and I don't know what's available for USS basses, I like flats and my favourites are rotosound tru bass nylon covered which are available in short scale - not sure if they would be suitable.

To give a better idea of where I'm coming from, the Rob Allen Mouse is my dream boutique bass.
I also like the look of BigRedXs fake Duke and Manne picollo basses which I saw on talkbass.

Sorry the Eden didn't work out, I replaced my old trace with a markbass LM11 and the more I use it, the more I love it.
It is warm, clean and smoooooth but hasn't got a mute button.
I definately recommend you try before you buy or find somewhere that does sale or return just in case.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='362263' date='Dec 23 2008, 07:22 PM']One thing I'd like to do in the future is some high power tests that show what happens when you put hundreds of watts into a cab - that's when the lack of Xmax and bracing in many cabs will become obvious, as will port non-linearity due to undersized ports.

Alex[/quote]

Interesting you should say that.
I put a 3015 LF into an old Ashdown mag 115 deep cab and it sounds fine at moderate volumes, but develops a strange slap sound with low notes at high volumes.
It sounds like someone is actually slapping the side of the cab and you can only hear it from a distance - it sounds fine close up.
I wonder if acoustic damping might help or if I'm just going to have to save up for a barefaced cab.

[quote name='mistahbenn' post='354876' date='Dec 15 2008, 11:18 AM']Im afraid I took my 1000 back to the shop and got my money back, as I just snagged an old SWR rig for the same money as the amp alone!

I thought the LH1000 was ok but love the tone of the old SWR much more![/quote]

I also bought an LH1000 and returned it for a refund.
I really wanted to like it, but just couldn't get 'my' sound.
I got an LM11 instead which suits me just fine with a smoother, warmer and deeper sound.
Still think the LHs are great value and would suit a lot of players, but you have to try one first.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='341441' date='Nov 30 2008, 09:35 PM']The more power and fewer speakers thing only works if the speakers can handle the power without overexcursion - that knocks all 2x10" cabs bar Acmes off the list and almost all 1x15"s. Ignore the 'power rating' claimed on the cab, it's the thermally limited power handling which is usually far greater than the excursion limited power handling.

Alex[/quote]

Good point - you might as well keep the Trace amp and just look for a lighter 15" cab to go with the 2 x 10 if it's not loud enough on it's own.

Any 500 + watt amp will be a big improvement and the extra watts are the main thing you will appreciate in getting the most from your speakers, all the other features are just icing on the cake.

The Hartke LH 500 is worth trying, not quite as smooth sounding or as versatile as the LM 11 and much heavier, but still a very good amp for the money with a full rich tone.
The Ashdown has a similar sound to the Trace and will match your new cab if that matters to you.
The LM 11 is very controlled, clean and warm with a flexible eq that will do anything the Trace does only louder.

Hard to say if the 2 x 10 will be sufficient, it depends how loud and deep you like it, but there's a good chance it will be fine - plenty of people happily play gigs with that set up.
Keep the Trace 15 for now just in case and if you find you do need the extra cab, look out for a lighter weight one eg. the Ashdown mag 115 deep, which is only 20 kilos and very good value, or maybe another Ashdown superfly 2 x10.

Disclaimer:
This is just my opinion based on personal experience.

[quote name='TheBrokenDoor' post='340238' date='Nov 29 2008, 01:40 AM']I thought if you were replacing a speaker you had to know the "Thiele/Small" info or it would all go horribly wrong!!??!

How are you guys choosing replacement speakers? Just on size and power?

Dan[/quote]

In my case trial, error and advice from this forum - I can't understand the science and I trust my own ears more anyway.

[quote name='Mr.T' post='340058' date='Nov 28 2008, 08:38 PM']I guess that I want an amp and cab/cabs that will 'do everything' needed of them, like my old Trace gear does... Only lighter weight.[/quote]

That's exactly what I wanted and the closest I found after extensive trial and error was markbass.

There's a basschatter called rasta who has just made a similar conversion and I recommend you make contact with him - I think he lives down your way too.

I've been reading this topic with interest, having recently been through a similar situation, so I thought I'd let you know my story so far -

I have a bad back and wanted to reduce the weight of my rig which was an old Trace Elliot 15" AH 150 watt combo, sometimes used with a heavy old Ashdown 12" extension cab.

I tried a lot of new amps and cabs, even buying a few and returning them because I couldn't get 'my' sound from them.

The 1st thing I did was to separate the amp from the combo, which left me with 2 quite heavy boxes instead of one stupidly heavy one.
Then I replaced the driver in the combo cab for an Eminence kappalite 3015 LF which is much lighter than the old Fane and goes louder and deeper.
I then realised that to get the best from the new speaker, I needed a more powerful amp.
After trying loads of amps, I bought a Hartke LH1000 online without trying it and while it was incredibly loud, it didn't have 'my' sound so I returned it for a refund.
I then tried a friends little mark 11 and finally found 'my' sound only louder and lighter, so I bought one on ebay.
Next, I bought 2 very reasonably priced speaker cabs from another basschatter with the idea that I would try them and if they didn't work out, I could sell them on.
One was an Ashdown mag 115 deep which sounded great and weighed only 20 kilos, but wasn't loud enough.
I replaced the blueline driver with my kappalite and bingo - sorted for a lightweight 15" cab for £150 all in.
The other cab I bought was a Hartke 2 x 10 traveller, which is small, easy to carry and also about 20 kilos.
I didn't really take to the sound of the aluminium drivers and I bought 2 used ashdown blueline drivers and fitted them instead.
This cab has now cost £100 and with the Ashdown/Eminence 15 cab I get 'my' sound with plenty of volume without breaking my back for £250.
The LM11 was £350, so the whole rig cost £600 and it does the job, although it's not ultra lightweight I can manage it without help.
I only take one cab to practises and small gigs and use both for the bigger venues.

My solution came after months of trying loads of amps and cabs, many of which sounded great to other people's ears, but didn't have 'my' sound.

My advice to you is to try as much gear as you can, buy second hand or make sure you can get a refund if buying new.

To be more specific, I would buy ezbass's Ashdown 2 x 10 for a start and sell your Trace 2 x 10, that way you are immediately reducing the heaviest part of your rig for very little cost and old Trace cabs usually do very well on ebay.
Next, I'd buy a lightweight 15 driver (Eminence kappalite 3015) and either put it in your trace cab to reduce it's weight, or look out for a secondhand lighter cab and put it in that.
Or, try Alex's compact if you can afford it - I would have done that if I'd had enough dosh and I still plan to replace the Ashdown cab with one when funds allow.

You could keep the Trace amp and try it with these cabs, but to get the best from them or to be able to use just one, I think you might need more power.
I would recommend the Hartke LH500 if you play rock music - it's got balls and should get more from your speakers than the Trace.
If you want a smoother sound with less edge go for the Markbass LM11, it's twice the price but less than half the weight.

Well, that's my 10 bob's worth and it's only my experience, sound is absolutely subjective and you have to trust your own ears and follow your heart to get it right.
The problem is, you already have 'your' sound and finding it again can be hard work, but your back will thank you for it.

[quote name='Protium' post='337355' date='Nov 26 2008, 03:16 PM']Everywhere on the inside walls of the cab, but avoid it touching the speaker chassis and don't obstruct any ports.
It should help prevent standing waves inside the box.[/quote]

Thanks - I'll give it a go.
How should I attach the wadding - glue or staples ?
What difference can I expect to hear soundwise without the standing waves ?

I put an Eminence kappalite 3015 LF into an Ashdown mag 115 deep cab and it sounds very good, much deeper and louder than the original blueline driver.
The cab is made of chip board and has no bracing or acoustic damping, but it's quite lightweight at under 20 kilos with the new neo driver.
The kappalite has a wider diameter than the ashdown driver and I had to widen the hole slightly with a spokeshave, but the screw holes line up fine and I used slightly longer screws to allow for the extra depth of the kappalite.
The original speaker was quite hard to remove, being glued as well as screwed, but came out with firm persuasion.

[quote name='Protium' post='336870' date='Nov 26 2008, 12:49 AM']The cab will be fine, though you might want to put some acoustic damping inside.

I might add acoustic damping and wonder where to apply it and what extra benefits I should expect ?[/quote]