SubsonicSimpleton

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1405681122' post='2504272'] It is, but it's fun to have lots of things to play with. Then its nice to gig a Classic Ray 5 and just used pick/fingers/mutes and get all sorts of tones. Too many pickup settings can be tiring though. I tend to think it has more effect on an electric guitar, hence the Gamechanger seems to have been more popular with them (much more noticable in the mix). [/quote] Having never heard of the Gamechanger I googled it - some of the sounds Dave La Rue and Tony Levin were getting out of it in the videos looked promising, but if it costs ~£2500 and nobody in the UK actually has one in stock, then it isn't really suprising that the bass version is being ignored.

TDPRI have pdfs that are printable at 1:1, and plans for jazz body but not the neck. There is however a plan for a 51 Pbass neck which would give you a basis to work from if you are confident enough to adjust the nut width and headstock shape. https://sites.google.com/site/guitarplanscollection/pdf-files/fender-ish Also a bunch of free plans available here http://www.gitarrebassbau.de/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6&start=0 Most of the freely availble plans are for guitars - there is much less interest in bass building it would seem, so far less resources available in the public domain. Luthier forums are a good place to trawl for information, and there is plenty of discussion about period correct details for things like Les Pauls, but again basses not so much. If you want a more complex set of plans with a higher level of detail, then you'll probably have to pay, but as you can get these in electronic format now, they are pretty cheap - here is the first couple that popped out of google, there are probably plenty of other choices. http://ultimate-guitar-online.ultimate-online-services.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=48&products_id=351 http://www.johnanthonyguitars.com/store/p18/Fender_Jazz_Bass.html IMHO when you consider the amount of money you will be spending on materials and tools, spending ~£10 on a decent set of detailed plans is a pretty good investment. Unfortunately I can't advise you whose plans are the best, but at least with the two suppliers I linked you can preview what you wil be paying for.

Plenty of good info about compressors for bass guitar on this site http://www.ovnilab.com/faq.shtml

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1405669577' post='2504113'] Impedance is a little bit of a problem. You'd naturally want a 2x10 to be 4ohms, so wire the two 8 ohm speakers in parallel. if you then plug in a second speaker you'd get 2ohms which most amps won't do. The alternative is to wire the two speakers in series and get a 16ohm 2x10 and then 8ohms when using a pair. That limits the sound levels with the single 16 ohm cab. You could use the two 4ohm cabs by wiring up a series lead but these aren't commercially available. OBBM perhaps? [/quote] If I did try this, I wouldn't be attempting to use the 2x10 modules as standalone units in a rehearsal or gig situation - I would be inclined to parallel link the two cabs and then if the donor cab was wired with series/parallel pairs wire the drivers internally in series - in the event of a driver failing I would rather have the amp seeing a 16ohm load from the remaining cab than seeing 4ohms(or less if also using an 8ohm 1x15 in big stack) with the volume cranked. I've played with winisd, and sussed out how to get the pro variant to accept t/s parameters without throwing errors, but the parameters are not available for all of the drivers that get used as OEM fitments, so even if the internal volume can be translated by straight split, if the port tuning is more complicated than simple division of the existing port cross section then maybe that is a real issue that kills this idea dead. I don't really understand all the nuances of port tuning, but from what I've read, if you get the tuning wrong, the best case is honking and the worst is that you unload the drivers and can kill them with overexcursion on low frequencies.

Point taken with regards to the risks of older drivers, and I haven't bought anything at this point. Looking at the retail costs of new off the shelf units, it is cheaper to buy a new http://www.thomann.de/gb/hartke_410_tp_bass_speaker.htm than buying 4 cheap celestion or eminence 10s from lean business or blue aran - if you look at s/h collection only items on ebay/gumtree etc you can pick cabs up for almost nothing - no shortage of PV 4x10s that all use the sheffield 1035 for very silly money. The cab situation seems to be split between manufacturers that are making the same bulky and heavy designs forever and the new school of neo-driver ultralight wideband cabs - I'm really interested to see if there is a happy middle ground combining the cab/speaker voicing of more traditional offerings with the weight saving construction ethos of the more innovative builders. Opinions on the newer tech seems mixed - I don't doubt that in terms of measurable performance, designs by the forward looking and knowledgeable speaker gurus are way better than old school staples such as the fridge, but in subjective terms it is quite obvious that the best solution for any given musician/band can't always be measured purely in technical terms. IIRC a fellow bc'er commented in a thread not so long back that they preferred the sound of the cheap transporter to their more expensive 4x10, so I'm interested more in evaluating from a "if it sounds good to me then it is good" perspective.

You could drop the speaker chassis out of the cabs and check the labelling on the drivers - some individuals will slap any old driver that is the same size in to replace a faulty unit and claim that they have made a good repair because the cab now emits sound.

[quote name='Reversebird' timestamp='1405594978' post='2503347'] A modelling guitar isn't the way to go for me I want real sounds from the pickups. [/quote] Just curious, but do you know this from first hand experience? I haven't tried the Variax myself, but I have had chance to play with some different types of amp modelling software, and although there are differences in reponse from a players perspective compared to a cranked amp in the room, I found that some plugins sounded like sh*te but others produced quite acceptable and even convincing noises, and surely the end result coming from FOH is the most important thing. I don't think that the Variax would substitute for the real deal in a recording situation if you wanted a specific bass, but live I don't think anyone would be able to tell the difference with their ears, and it would certainly tick the boxes in terms of everyman price point based on what they sold for when they were being produced. On a slightly offtopic note - different people have different views about covers, personally I don't see the sense in trying to replicate a studio recording on the stage - very few bands do this anyway (apart from lipsyncing top 40 pop acts) - I've always felt that as both an audience member and a performer that the energy and commitment to the performance on stage is the most important thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzlpTRNIAvc Never heard JB perform anything like it is on the record, and he is one of my personal benchmark performers for committing unequivocably on stage. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqIpkMDRjYw Look at the vibe between the band members - IMHO if I can bring that kind of attitude, joy and energy to the stage I don't believe that anyone is going to care about whether the sound is exactly the same(or even close) as the original recording, because they will be too preoccupied with having a good time.

Sounds like you need to try a Variax modelling bass http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgq9hlJysj8

I've noticed that there are many bargains to be had in the secondhand cab market, as many players are dumping older gear that they are no longer willing to store or move about - some of these old bulky and heavy cabs sound pretty decent, so I was considering buying one with the intention of repurposing the drivers into a pair of 2x10 cabs to make a modular 4x10 that would be more flexible in terms of pack space. My cunning (or idiotic) plan would be to carefully measure the porting dimensions and internal volume of the original cab and then translate that into a pair of smaller braced ply cabs each with half the internal volume of the original, but I'm not sure whether I can get away with just halving the port cross sectional area and keeping the length the same. Using the publicly available fearful plans as a reference point for the amount of bracing required on the 15/6 and 15sub designs, and weight data from wickes for sheet MDF/particleboard/hardwood ply, I reckon that a fairly major saving on cabinet weight would be possible (region of 30% conservatively based on similar construction to the ashdown 1x15 I have in my possession, much more in the case of trace MDF construction or thicker walled chipboard), coupled with halving the load would transform a single 100lb 4x10 into two ~30-40lb 2x10 which would be much easier to live with for loading, but retain the same character as the donor cab hopefully. Aside from the risks of buying a donor cab that may have been mercilessly thrashed or stored badly resulting in drivers with low life expectancy, are there any other compelling reasons not to try this? The amount of effort would be pretty much identical to building a pair of 1x12s using the Beyma SM-212s as per the [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/227904-1x12-cab-design-diary/"]1x12 design diary[/url], however the re-engineering approach would allow me(in theory at least) to hear what the end result will sound like before committing time and energy to the build, and save a decent chunk on drivers. Any suggestions/warnings with regard to donor cabs welcomed.

Rip out everything you don't need and throw it away, don't bother filling any holes, apply some matt black paint (optional pig blood accents), plug in, crank the amp, play.

[quote name='addam360' timestamp='1405371613' post='2501392'] I'd rather buy something right than try to get it built anyway i think. [/quote] Have you ever played an instrument that has been properly fettled by a decent luthier? IME attention to detail on the fretwork, nut etc really makes a big difference - If you bought a brand new MIM P, and then spent an equivalent amount on a secondhand example, making up the price difference with a realy nice PUP and pro fret dress & setup, I don't think many players would pick the shiny new one after getting the chance to try them back to back. The Hoppus signature P won the recent P bass blind test by a country mile, and would just about fit your budget (P neck, J body) http://basschat.co.uk/topic/238458-herts-bash-2-the-precision-test/ Personally I would try the Hoppus sig, and if I liked the reverse P PUP orientation, or the body/neck combo, then I'd be looking to mod the jazz bass you already own with a quality P neck, and some decent PUPs (I couldn't live without the tone control, so I would have to mod the Hoppus anyway ruining it's unspoilt newness) - often small details like the value of the tone capacitor can make quite a difference, and quite a few basschatters rate their bitsa's as much better instruments than the more expensive "real deal", so no need to be scared of the modding option IMHO - when you go that route you get to actually choose what you want as opposed to what the manufacturers want to give you.

Maybe an amp isn't the best solution for practising, and there are other options worthy of consideration. IMHO the humble PC is probably the most valuable practising asset for todays musicians, but it only really comes into its own when you can effectively use your instrument with it - I would suggest that the Zoom B3 might be a better option than a practice amp, as it combines tuner, effects, usb audio interface, built in drum patterns etc, and can be hooked up to a hifi amp if you want with an appropriate lead, also it will not become redundant at the point you step up to using a proper amp and playing in a band if that's what you want to do.

Lovely bass, but one request; Please stop deleting the photos from the image host when you change basses, it's killing my "enjoyment" of the porn section hitting all those nasty black squares where pics used to be.

I would guess he is selling off the tour backup(s) and reusing the ad - would be difficult to prove or disprove which instruments got used on a night by night basis on a long tour.

No need to throw away your pedal - 9v pcb mount connectors are cheap and readily available, however finding one that matches the original exactly might be a challenge. Most hobby electronics places will carry them, also maybe worth asking if you have a local laptop/electronic goods repair place as they may have access to a selection from different suppliers which they hold in stock. http://www.hobbytronics.co.uk/cables-connectors/misc-connectors/barrel-jack-socket In order to get a matching connector, you really need to remove the original, you could as a temporary measure solder a lead to the pedal pcb, feed it out through the connector hole and terminate it with an inline connector like this http://www.micronic.co.uk/store/item/581/2.1mm-x-5.5mm-dc-power-socket-in-line-connector-with-strain-relief-cctv-psu Double check the connector diameters, as there are a few different sizes, if you need somthing other than 5.5mm/2.1mm then googling for 9v female pcb + required size should do the trick.

Having come back to playing after a very long break, I noticed that I was getting buzz on the E & B strings (5 string) and the issue was the larger diameter and mass of the strings required more accuracy from me in terms of finger tip position and pressure when fretting and not plucking too hard to get the notes to play cleanly whereas I could get away with being a bit sloppy on the A,D,G. Maybe it would be a good idea to find a good teacher or experienced BCer who can look at both your setup and playing technique in person, and help identify the issues and offer some solutions.

Wasn't Scott Whitley using a £130 Richwood(with some mods) as his main bass for a good while - the discussion [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/128886-bass-poll-your-opinion-greatly-appreciated/page__hl__richwood"]in this thread[/url] about it is interesting.

Was this test using the Beyma SM-212 drivers or one of the other candiates you had lined up for testing?

Just the ticket, that will keep me busy for a while, thanks.

I've never been any good at describing genres, I only classify music(or anything else for that matter) into two categories - stuff I like and stuff I don't like.

Thanks for taking the time to link those, I was hoping for more emphasis on the latin aspect - traditional forms and beats played by excellent musicians, as my random searching on youtube is throwing up mixed results. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puN0ebZfT_k This is one of the better offerings I've found so far - I'm wanting to expand my style bag, and have always felt that internalising by listening to the best sources is a good approach, but I'm woefully ignorant about traditional latin music, latin jazz fusion and whatnot, so was hoping for some guidance on artists/albums even online learning materials.

Basschatters make some recommendations please.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1404156955' post='2489891'] An unkempt hedge. [/quote] Vintage late 70s early 80s bush maybe.

[quote name='rubis' timestamp='1404145091' post='2489741'] Who's gonna break ranks with the Penthouse version? [/quote] Gotta be Razzle or Escort - found under a hedge preferably

Isn't there a big difference between how an oldschool amp (tranny or valve) can cope with these transients compared to modern class D offerings with switch mode supplies - my understanding is that a well built old school power supply with it's big heavy transformer and enormous smoothing caps can supply the sudden demand for power at the big transients far in excess of it's rated ability to deliver continuous output.