Dood

[quote name='AttitudeCastle' post='1126714' date='Feb 14 2011, 09:34 AM']I always wondered, can you push the valve in this into distorting? (Or because of the way the pre-amp designed that can't happen or?) As the SVP BSP I (and now Dood as well!) Have, has a Valve for the Overdrive channel and thats one of THE best overdrives i've ever heard I'm planning on getting a GK neo cab and might get a LH500 to go with I know they are designed to stay clean but at (crazy deafening from what i hear!) high volumes does it break up? Anyone got any sound clips? Not much on the net [/quote] Yeah, if you push the pre hard enough it will distort, but I think the original design was meant to be clean with tons of head room which is what I prefer the head to do. I like that I can push it hard enough and the natural valve compression handles my active basses nicely, but I don't make it bark. I'd prefer to do the 'dirt' elsewhere in the signal chain so that I know that I can always arrive back at a beautiful clean tone. The LH1000 nails that - and that's not just being biased - i think the simplicity of the head and lack of opamp junk makes it a brilliant sound. Ok, the BSP - sit down mate, you're in for a shock! Yes there is a valve in the preamp that feeds the clean channel. The signal is then fed to the distortion channel afterward. The tube circuit it self isn't design to drive, much like the LH.. infact - it's pretty much the same schematic for both the LH preamp and BSP clean section. The dirty channel is a familiar distortion pedal design with a bit of shaping to stop it sounding fizzy. Although, as you know - it can do if you want it to! I have ran the two clean preamps in parallel for an AB session - I am pretty sure that the differences are down to the totally different valves types in each and a few component value changes. They both sound great though - the LH does pip the BSP at the post for detail and clarity. YUM!! Yes, I have to say that the distortion channel is pretty amazing on the BSP - I'm interested to get my hands on the Hartke Kilo - as I want to know what the distortion channel on that is like!! [quote name='tinyviking' post='1127819' date='Feb 14 2011, 11:35 PM']My new LH1000 is the dogs danglies as far as I'm concerned: produces the range of tone I like and has bags of power to compete with a g***ist who has 2 x 4x12 cabs. Compared to the old Hartke MOSFET 3500 head it replaced this thing is whisper quiet. only after the g****ist switched off his gear did I get to hear the fan running! I do have a question about this head: is the effects loop in series or parallel? Given that there is no balance control (like wot the 3500 had) I assume it must be series? Dood - we need to know - do you use the "Kill Dry" on or off on that TC unit???[/quote] Hey fella! The effects loop is mono serial and therefore I *would* run the TC with the Kill dry off in that position. I say I would, as infact as my basses have such a hot signal I run them straight in to the TC GM2 and then out to the head! It's just so that the compressor on the TC GM2 sits before any EQ in the chain and thus is a bit more controllable and doesn't pump so much. I do use a TC Nova Dynamics as well which is greatly superior to the Compressor on the GM2(Which actually is very good) so kinda negates what I have just said - as I could put the GM2 in the loop and the Nova Dynamics between Bass and amp input! Further to undoing all that I have written so far - the last rehearsal I went to - I only used the LH and a single cab and it was great. Maybe the rack will stay home more often! ha ha!

Using the same method that I recorded the above videos with, here's a recording I did at the weekend of my mate doing his version of the Chimp Spanner track, 'Bad Code'. Once again, this is a single take with a Webcam. I miked the kit and sent the stereo signal from a mixer directly in to my 2 channel interface. My DAW had the backing track that I fed to Carl via the line output on the interface to a sub mixer for his lug ole levels. My laptop recorded the video as well as the audio feed. We only had a certain amount of gear to play with and none of it was specific for recording acoustic instruments! - I'm very pleased with both Carl's playing and my audio and visual engineering! - All post production/ mixing was done with free software on my laptop. Hope ya like the track too! p.s. the click is actually on the backing track supplied.

Wow! That's brilliant! Love the look of the Carlo Robelli 8-string bass too - kinda looks like a custom version of Brian May's Red Special in bass format!

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1127379' date='Feb 14 2011, 06:06 PM']Dood - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=66328&view=findpost&p=832578"]Here's my original Bass Porn post about the Atlansia[/url]. Anything else you want to know just ask.[/quote] Ahhh great stuff! Kettle on, ready for a read!

A full time cover band? That's called a Tribute Act isn't it? Sorry, joking aside - JTUK has made some good points. I'd also say that as with starting any business/ going self-employed.. Get yaself on an up to date training course specific to what you want to do and seek as much advice as possible. - Being a full time musician can work for you, but you have to feed the little devil constantly to make him pay back!!

An electronic tuner is a sensitive device - if you are striking the string that hard that is goes out of tune so much that you are unsure of at what point to tune the bass with, then I'd suggest playing the string with a much lighter touch. Old mankey strings full of grease and skin can help to confuse electronic tuners too if they are dull - so it may be time to get a new set on! Finally, if your bass is set up with a really high action and you are tuning at the 5th fret (for example) you may be pulling the bass out of tune simply by fretting the note - which will in turn mean that when you release the string, the 'open string' note will be out of tune in comparison.

Here's mine and several other BCer's basses on the Shuker website! [url="http://www.shukerguitars.co.uk/hlgal.htm"]http://www.shukerguitars.co.uk/hlgal.htm[/url] BigRedX - That single string looks like a lot of fun!! Can you tell us a bit more about it?

It's just upset you called it 'digital' ma matey! Good luck, I hope the bill isn't too large.. which given it's a german D-Class amp - it's probable gonna be SMT circuit boards and thus more of a pain in the bum to fix! I hope it's not expensive!

[quote name='Phil-osopher10' post='1124740' date='Feb 12 2011, 10:39 AM'], 6's, 7's and and aboves are not considered real instruments (jealous) and thus don't count! oj[/quote] A playful laugh from Doodworld here!

[quote name='Soliloquy' post='1124270' date='Feb 11 2011, 07:51 PM']Hi Dan, What are you using the valves in ? Is it the Hartke ?[/quote] I've got a stock JJ in the Hartke and another valve pre has a GT but yeah it'll be for the LH. Should be interesting to see what difference there is between a Harma and a JJ.

[quote name='fretmeister' post='1124727' date='Feb 12 2011, 10:30 AM']Dood - you got any sound clips of your rig?[/quote] I'm gonna be doing some soon - bit of a delay as I've been busy, but I will get some more vids done soon! - Can't wait to try out a Hartke Kilo too. It looks great!

I have an LH1000 and it's brilliant! - How good a design eh? Take one simple tried and tested preamp design drop it in to a battle proof case with two 500W bridgeable power sections in. It's genius! I've been thinking about 'tube rolling' in the head same as Paul - but not because there is anything wrong with the tone to start with - but because it will be fun! - Oh...well.. should a Mullard or Tesla happen to drop in my lap, then hey-ho! lol! The fans aren't too noisey - I've never really noticed it so I guess it can't be that bad! The fans speed adjust though, so if you work the amp really hard then eventually they'll spin up to increase air flow. The LH1000 has three fans. One on each poweramp module and one main fan at the back of the case. As yet, I've never seen the 3rd fan spin up - despite getting some serious volume from the head. My basses have active EMGs which have a very high output. The strong signal going to the head means that generally speaking, with two Hydrive 4x10's the volume control doesn't really need to go above 2.. maybe 3 at a push! It's loud! For the money, I think the design makes the LH1000 (and the 500) one of the best heads on the market.. especially when pretty much the same preamp design in the Alembic F1-x sells second hand for more than the price of an LH500 new!

[quote name='owen' post='1123397' date='Feb 10 2011, 11:25 PM']There are so many options and I have so little clue. Is Watford valves the place to go? I fancy trying a 5751 in my Demeter.[/quote] Yes, one of the many - but Derek has always been helpful to me, so he's been my first port of call for new valves.

Yeah, i'm a big fan of the Harma Diamond STR - They are a premium selected and tested JJ made ECC803S clone as you rightly say. Brilliant tone - I may end up with another, just fancied trying something a little different. Would love to find me a nice Tesla Short Plate E83CC!

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='1121676' date='Feb 9 2011, 06:29 PM']Ooooooooh! Didn't know that..... you learn something every day.......... G.[/quote] I've sent a message to chat with Myles Rose. He replied straight away and offered to field any questions, which I thought was a really kind gesture. Nice one Myles! He also suggested having a chat with Derek over at Watford valves too. I'm quite looking forward to learning a bit more about this we 5751 beasty and to see if it encapsulates the characteristics I am looking for. - Or see if I actually need a higher gain valve with say, a later break up to make use of that 'upward compressing' effect. We shall see!

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='1121585' date='Feb 9 2011, 05:15 PM']I've been suggesting on here for a while that if you're interested in valves you take time to look around here: {snipped...} G.[/quote] Just realised that I have read a good few of Myles' blog posts before about valves! The internet in it's enormity can be so small sometimes!!

Yep, or a cheap Behringer/Phonic mixer - or something similar to the BOSS LS-2? I've used both inputs of my Hartke LH1000 as well and that seems to be fine. I also have a Line6 recording/POD interface that has multiple inputs and run the whole thing in to my AV system, which means I can record 'stuff' as well.

Happy to say that although I requested it as part of my neck profile *carve* on my Shukers - I'm pretty sure it's something Jon does as standard anyway for no additional cost. I mean - it's actually part of his neck profiling, as opposed to an 'aftermarket tooling' if you see what I mean. Yeah, it does make a difference having that extra comfy 'radius' on the edges of the neck.

I'm liking where this thread is going! Thank you Geoff for the links, I've loaded them up now and will have a good read! I'd like to get my grubby little mits on a Sylvania Black Plate Gold Brand 5751 that one seems to stir the loins of the audiophile doesn't it! - I think that's the probable equivalent to Mullard/Telefunken ECC83/12AX7 nirvana!

Hey Dave! I was looking forward to having you chime in as I recalled that you had been fettling with the BBE and tried some different valves too - I've gotten my eye on maybe a few different pre valves just to play with and see how I get on. Interestingly, I think the article made some good points in conjunction with some other online resources that is pushing me towards certain types - mainly NOS. @Voxpop funny you should say that! - I've been a huge fan of the TC Electronic Nova Dynamics compressor that give me the option of 'upward/parallel' compression - but everytime I have used the LH, the TC wasn't needed. One less box to carry, Dood is a happy man! - I guess I may still use it for boosting the volume of tap style stuff.

I'm encouraged by the replies so far! Thank you guys, keep them coming. You have picked out a point that I purposely left out of the discussion in order to see where the responses went without influencing you! - overdrive/distortion. Nope, I don't want to use the valve to provide distortion. Both preamp designs that I fancy rolling valves with are the "Fender/Alembic" design with the passive tone stack. Infact, I've been setting the controls to the typical 2-10-2 setting for 'flat-ish' response and using the EQ on my bass to boost and cut where needed. - It'd be just as well to have a bypass switch on the preamp for the tone stack! But I have to say I REALLY love my Hartke LH1000. The more I use it, the less I faff around with effects and EQ! - So I thought it'd be fun to see what effect different valves had on such a clean and simple design. Whilst searching the net for information I'd found the above article but nothing really to support the chap's opinions (so far, until now!) One notable valve 'character' that I'd love to find out more about is the 'upward compression' or parallel compression effect. In simple terms, quiet sounds - i.e. light playing appears to be a lot louder through my preamp in ratio to loud sounds than if I bypass the preamp and plug directly in to the head's power amplifier. I also found this with my other valve preamp - the effect being even more pronounced when I took a DI feed post valve pre passive EQ. I like it - I like it alot! It's like compression - well - I it IS compression, but there is very little limiting of loud sounds, hence the 'upward/parallel' description. I feel this is what people refer to when they describe valve pre amplifiers as bringing out detail in music - because they are amplifying quieter passages in music much more and in a pleasing way Vs the more linear gain of a device such as a transistor/Op Amp. So descriptions of a sweet tone and bring out detail in music certainly is what I am interested in - it'd be interesting to hear which valves have a more pronounced character to them that I describe above.

Two of my videos on my YouTube Channel were recorded using the top of the range Logitech webcam! [url="http://www.youtube.com/doodonbass"]http://www.youtube.com/doodonbass[/url] bit of sweep tapping and other 'tasteful nonsense'!! And this video was taken with a DV camera!! I think I know which I prefer!! my other vide was actually done professionally, but it has suffered the woes of heavy compression making it look..well.. grainy. Incidently, all the recording and editing was done with very minimal outlay. There's quite a lot to explain and maybe if I pull my finger out, I'll get round to showing you how I got my results with a proper walk through.

Oh cool - I never really looked at their site as I didn't know they had started international shipping, which is great news. [quote]Certain manufacturers do not permit us to ship new products outside the USA. We encourage our international customers to shop our extensive offering of quality used gear, on which we have no shipping restrictions. All electronic items are built to USA electronics specifications and may need additional modifications or converters to be used in countries other than the USA and Canada. All DVDs are encoded for USA and Canadian use.[/quote]

Ok, so it's a long and informative article by a chap called 'Joe S'. The main point of interest to me is that he goes out on a limb to say that for the Hifi gear he is using - he finds that the 5751 preamplifier valve is generally speaking a superior valve in terms of sound quality than a like for like (price -wise I guess) 12AX7. The 7025 isn't mentioned in the discussion - I suspect this is because the 7025 was meant to be a ruggedised and higher quality version of the 'standard' 12AX7 - then a..errr.. 'ruggedised and higher quality version' 12AX7 was brought in to manufacture.Thus making the differences less important. Anyway, I digress.. Here's the link : [url="http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/faq/joes-tubes.html#12AX7"]http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/faq/joes-tubes.html#12AX7[/url] What I'd like to put out for discussion is whether or not those of you who enjoy a bit of tube rolling have anything to add as an opinion or advice. - I realise that this is an opinion of one guy, but do others share the same thoughts? I've not really seen much of a mention of the 5751 when it comes to bass gear to be honest - and it's gain isn't that much below a 12AX7. IIRC 12AX7 = 100, 5751 =70 and the 12AU7 is about 30? So would it be a worthy valve to roll with? Anyway, read, digest, discuss!