Magic Matt

I'm being nudged towards [color=#000000][font=Helvetica-Bold, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][size=3][b]La Bella 760QM [/b][/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][size=3](45/62/85/107) ... apparently the Quarter Wound thing will get the deep tones on the lower strings I've been missing, but also give me a bit of punch too.[/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][size=3]Ugh... why do bass strings have to be so expensive! You can go to a guitar shop and compare instruments, but not strings. Bah![/size][/font][/color]

The thing there is I don't know what else there is, lol. I've been playing about 14 years and never had to change the strings... hence what I'm used to is quite a dead woody sort of tone, which if anything is almost double-bass like, especially through my Peavey TKO 115S. I don't use FX or compression etc. - just direct into the amp. The only thing lately, which I suppose should have perhaps given me a clue, is I started using the "bright" switch on the amp - other than that everything's flat/off. I've only ever really been into the music... mostly soul & blues. I've not really ever experimented with tone. It sounds like flat wound might be worth trying if these don't bed in. Of course, it could also be to do with how I am playing them, having been used to the other strings for so long, maybe I'm just too hard on them.

Ok, I've adjusted truss rod just a little - it feels different, but then given the age of the strings before that was expected. It's very "twangy" and more metallic sounding than before... there wasn't much twang at all on the old strings but the sound seemed more wooden. Is this just a case of "New strings are going to sound like that - hard luck" ? The strings on there now are Rotosound Swing Bass 66 ... is it worth trying a few different types of string, or are they all going to have that twangyness?

Well I have a gig tonight so I'll see how it sounds through the larger amp before I start messing with the truss rod. No idea if the brand is the same - probably not given the age of the strings. I assumed the same gauge would mean the same tension - I guess not then!

I have had the same strings on my bass for probably 14 years. I really liked the almost double-bass like tone from those old strings. Sadly one broke - new strings on. I've checked they're the same guage using my micrometer, but although they sound different (to be expected - new vs old) I'm also getting fret buzz when played hard. I didn't think I'd have to adjust the truss rod or anything if they are the same guage... ...should I be altering anything, or is this just what happens when you have new strings, and they'll wear in fairly quick?

Well I gave it a go - seems pretty successful! I simply painted the inside and outside of a plywood box with it, and tied it to Earth, then put a 4-way inside the box for the power supplies to plug into. I'd say the buzz is still there a little, but it's reduced by probably around 80%, so only really noticable if I bend down right near them, and to be honest I get the same hum then as I do if I stand right near my amp. Thanks!

Do I need to ground the paint, or is it enough just to be a "cage" ?

Generally it's not a problem, it's only when we're in a small venue and I have to be in close proximity to a couple of power supplies. I hadn't considered conductive paint - if I made a very simple plywood box, and painted it with that, then put the power supplies inside it, do you think that would make much difference? Obviously that's a lot cheaper than buying decent noise cancelling pickups etc. and I could possibly paint inside the bass as well.

I have a standard P-Bass, and a Fretless Jazz Bass. I don't really want to modify the guitars if screening the power supplies would work.

Sometimes when we go to venues, my guitar picks up noise from the power supplies we use for things like the cordless mic, and the lighting. My solution most of the time is simply to try and stand further away from it, but in smaller venues this isn't always possible. I wondered if I could screen the power supplies to eliminate, or at least reduce, the problem? Can anyone recommend anything? I have some electronics knowledge so the idea of opening up[ power supplies and putting them in different cases etc. doesn't bother me.

I own a now very old Peavey combo and I love it. My only complaint really is it's heavy as hell. In terms of being solid, it was second hand when I bought it almost 14 years ago, and gigged usually about once a month since then, and has been gigged really heavily over the last year (2 or 3 times a week) and even dropped down two flights of concrete steps. It's still going strong. The only reason I'm replacing it is I fancy making something and wanted to have something unique, and hopefully a bit louder (mine's an old 115S - 75 watt). Even then I probably wont get rid of it.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1413338781' post='2577326'] +1. And while the Delta 12 has a 350w rating, that's thermal, which only says what it will take before the voice coil burns out. What matters in terms of output capability is xmax. At only 2.4mm it will only take 50 watts in the critical 60Hz-150Hz range before serious distortion occurs. Don't buy the cab. [/quote] ...except they're Delta 10 and have an Xmax of 3.5mm ... though I don't know how you work out the max watts at that bit of the range.

Yes, the original speakers I think are 16 ohm, so the two combined gives you 8ohm. By using two 8ohm speakers, the two combined will give you 4ohm. As for whether or not this is a good idea will greatly depend on whether the drivers he has chosen match the cabinet well, and also how much you like the sound, which will be different to an unmodified amp. I'm being careful not to use terms like "better" here, because that also depends on what kind of tone you like. Personally, I'd never buy a modified amp without hearing it first. In terms of whether it's ok to do what has been done - yes, the amp is more than capable of handling that modification, but you need to be aware that because the combo is now a 4 ohm cabinet, not an 8 ohm cabinet, the additional speaker options you have will be different to those described in the manual.

The new monitors we use have a DSP processor that kills off low frequencies, plus they have overload protection, so I can put my bass through them no problem at all - it's worth looking up details about your monitors as it seems quite a few of the newer ones do that.

You're right... I'm over-thinking it again. I can always run a bead of sealant along the inside edges to ensure it's an airtight seal anyway. I should stop worrying so much about having the right tools and adhesives, and just get on with making it.

Yeah - the bond-it stuff is about £12 for 4x310ml tubes though... hence if it's suitable, is what I'd class as "dirt cheap" at £3 a tube, compared to £9 a tube. I have about 5 litres of "PVA Admix Adhesive" that I've used for all kinds of things. I don't think it would be suitable for this though, as it doesn't expand to fill gaps.

My late father had a nice Austrian made double bass - I've always loved it, as it is a beautiful looking instrument and has a really smooth tone. However, since he passed away, mum has kept it in what was his room, and nobody has really touched it. The only thing that's not original on it (other than strings) is the bridge, which was replaced by one of Dad's friends who I think may have been a carpenter. I looked at it the other day, and heartbreaking... there's a hairline split appearing across the back. The sound post seems to be fine, and it's still in tune, so it doesn't seem to have affected anything structural... yet... but I want to stop that getting any worse, and if it's not too late, save the bass. I don't know what it's worth, but it has great sentimental value. If anyone can give me any advice, and recommend somebody local that would be able to look at it or even bring it back up to how it should be, I would be most grateful. I'm based near Portsmouth.

Hmm. From that link... Aldcroft Adhesives - site not available for the last 3 days - are they still in business? Blue Aran - seem to have "reconing adhesive" and various tapes, but not the stuff you talk about in the plans Tool-net - That's the 5 minute version of the Lumberjack adhesive I asked about above, so presumably it's ok, but on your forums there's mixed opinions about it setting too quickly.. ...and so on. Since I couldn't ask there, I asked here. Sorry Bill, but all I get trying to register on your forum (which I have been for about 2 weeks, so I've not given up and just use it as read-only) is "[color=#E30304]You have exceeded the maximum number of registration attempts for this session. Please try again later."[/color]

Trying to find Loctite PL Premium Construction Adhesive in the UK seems virtually impossible. One seller on Amazon says they have it, but when ordered, then said they didn't. Great. So... alternatives? Which of these is going to be easiest to work with, and the closest to what I'm supposed to use? http://www.bond-it.co.uk/product/pu18/ http://www.everbuild.co.uk/lumberjack?product_id=73 http://www.everbuild.co.uk/lumberjack?product_id=72 ...or any others?

I'm not really expecting this to work out cheaper than a commercial cab... if it does, then great, but I'm anticipating that allowing for the fact I've never done this before and may make a few cock-ups along the way, it may be more expensive. My aim is to end up with something versatile, fairly light and easy to carry up/down the stairs, and that looks unique to me. Hence I finally decided to build two 1x12" cabs rather than one large 2x12" cab - that way, if it's a small venue I could just use one speaker, and I'd only have to carry one bit up the stairs at a time. I guess I might just have to "man up" and buy the circular saw... the cost of renting one is almost a quarter of the cost of buying one, so seems pointless. .

Something I'm curious about, is whether speakers deteriorate quicker with lack of use. The reason I ask is that apparently quite a few modern rubber compounds need movement, otherwise they start to crumble. I first noticed it happened with shoes (trainers mostly) but then it also happens with the pads on headphones, and seemingly the rubber suspension on speakers. I don't understand why though.

I added a strap to the bottom of my combo, at the back, for precisely that purpose. Didn't affect the sound at all, and makes lifting in and out of the boot a lot easier. Putting in a full handle would have been a lot more work.

Yes, they change over time. I'm not sure they ever stop changing completely. Same is true of headphones, but to a smaller extent. .I think you'll start to hear if you're pushing the speakers too hard and damaging them that way, and if that's the case, back the volume off before you do long-term damage. Nothing is completely immune to gradual deterioration either though. When I first had new HiFi speakers, I was a little disappointed, because they sounded a little "thin" compared to what I was expecting. After playing them in for a couple of weeks though (not continually obviously) they had changed quite significantly. I thought it was just me, but my Dad noticed it without even being prompted, to the extent he thought I'd taken them back and got replacements. Now, I always allow time for the speakers to play in and settle. Speakers interact with the air - the air has humidity, heat, pressure... all that affects any material, and speakers are no exception. The rubber at the edge of my old HiFi speakers eventually disintegrated - that sounded really strange when it happened (hence why I bought new ones). I also had some in the car where the cones themselves started to go mouldy. They were sounding pretty dull by that point, but I replaced the car anyway, since it was also pretty knackered. Obviously different materials offer different amounts of deterioration - the speakers in my car have some kind of plasticised stuff in the cones, hence are damp-proof far more than the paper cone ones were. To my mind though, it's all about the sound - if a "knackered" speaker makes a noise I like, then I'm going to use it, and I'd rather get enjoyment from what I have and accept I might wear it out, than tip-toe around using it fully in case I damage it.

If it's dubstep, just make the bassist wobble... until he falls over... then make him learn to play actual notes.

I've already got some of the Ryobi 18V One+ system, so if I were to buy one it would probably be this, simply because I already have 1.4Ah and 4Ah Lithium batteries, fast-charger, etc. http://uk.ryobitools.eu/power-tools-en/sawing-en/rwsl1801-en/rwsl1801m-en/ I'm not sure how good their circular saw is - I've never used one. To be perfectly honest they scare the crap out of me... Once we start talking about buying power tools specifically for this build though, it makes cost prohibitive. I'd rather let somebody experienced do the cutting (since even if I have to pay them, it'll be far cheaper than buying tools), and then concentrate on the other stuff. I think I want to finish it smooth, paint it a deep metallic blue...