martindupras

I thought someone might see a simple elegant solution for a small conundrum that I have. I have just bought a TC RH450 which I intend to use for gigs. I also have a GK Fusion 550, which I really love. (I'm not about to replace it, I like having the luxury and the versatility of being able to swap amps on a whim.) Here's the issue. I use a big Tech Soundsystem ND612S cab, which is a 6x12 with a tweeter. I've rewired it to make the best use of the Fusion 550, which sends the full range signal (500W amp) to the -1 and +1 lugs of the Speakon connector and the tweeter amp (50W amp) to the -2 and +2 lugs. That works great. The RH450 is just a full range signal on -1 and +1, so it sounds a bit too dark without the tweeter. It's just not practical to solder/desolder/resolder the tweeter all the time for obvious reasons. Here's the question: is there a simple, elegant way to wire two speakon connectors in such a way that speakon 1 is connected to the crossover (therefore feeding both sets of speakers) and the second one speakon uses -1/+1 for the 12s and -2/+2 for the tweeter? I'm happy to add one switch somewhere, but I just can't get my head around how to wired it up. Cheers, - martin

[quote name='Beedster' post='1256074' date='Jun 3 2011, 11:41 PM']+1 Knowing a couple of guys in the trade, there are potentially as many issues with customers not fully articulating what it is they want as luthiers not being able to do it (one man's perfect action is another's unplayable action etc). If you are unhappy with work done, talk to the person who did it well before you start bad-mouthing them and their livelihood here. If their response is unprofessional and you can back it up, then it is reasonable to leave feedback in the feedback section. I think however that out of courtesy, the mods should let anyone discussed on this forum know that this is the case and offer them the right to respond; it's all very well suggesting that feedback is left, but the forum in question is for members, and not all people concerned will be.[/quote] +2. I think the first course of action when one is not happy is to tell the business/luthier/repairperson that you're not happy with the results, and why. I find that a lot of the time it is down to either communication or expectation. A responsible business should consider your point and try to resolve the issue. Tip 1: now whenever I leave an instrument or device to be repaired or set up by anyone, I usually print a note describing exactly what I want and leave it in the case or taped to the amp. At least I do get a small amount of comfort that what I want is not lost in translation or someone's scribble on the back of an envelope. Tip 2: the first time that an instrument has been set up to my perfect satisfaction, I take a note of string heights in three places, jot the down and leave the note in the case, with a reference to the strings that are on. I measure with electronic calipers and with feeler gauges normally at the 1st fret, 8th fret and 15th fret (or thereabouts - doesn't matter too much as long as you note where.) This allows me to make small seasonal adjustments without too much guesswork, and it allows me to tell the luthier on the next occasion. I also note if the strings are strung through the body or at the bridge. All in all a five-minute job that offers me a lot of peace of mind. I came to this method because I've often had instruments returned to me with a much higher action than I wanted. - martin

[quote name='secretsquirrel' post='1254192' date='Jun 2 2011, 04:19 PM']You pays your money and you takes your risk. I'd still ask a local dealer for a deal myself letting them know what I'm considering doing [/quote] That's exactly what I've done. I've taken a chance that I was happy to take. I've taken chances hundreds of times on second-hand items too. IMO, there isn't a single UK dealer who is able to beat the price I got. It's a moot point. If I'd thought there was even a remote chance of getting an equivalent price, I would have bought locally. I don't see how that's any more of a risk than buying second-hand. - martin

[quote name='secretsquirrel' post='1254005' date='Jun 2 2011, 02:16 PM']You'll probably not get that delivered until you pay for the duty/VAT on both Personally I wouldn't have done this but each to their own. Just remember it will have to go back to the states for any repair work in the event it's ever needed (and that will cost much more than any savings you made)[/quote] I had budgeted for duty and VAT so it's not going to be a surprise. I was surprised that they didn't ask for payment of the duty and VAT before delivery, which is what I've experienced in the past. I see where you're coming from with the warranty. From my point of view, though, this is no different than buying second-hand (where you don't get a warranty anyway), and the way I see it I'm getting a new head and new foot controller for roughly the same amount of money as the heads go for second-hand. But I do take your point, a warranty repair would be a pain. - martin

I just wanted to report my experience. Inspired by Molan's first post in this thread (thanks Molan!), I decided to buy an RH450 from a dealer in the US. I went with ProAudioStar (from Brooklyn, NYC) on eBay, partly inspired by Alec's positive report (thanks Alec!). The RH450 was $569 + $99 shipping + $17 insurance. I bought it on Monday afternoon. It arrived *this morning*. I have no idea by what feat of magic this was achieved. What is also puzzling is that I didn't have to pay for import duty either, although I kind of expect I'll get an invoice for it in the post. So far, the total cost to me is £422. I also bought an RC4 controller from them, which was less of a bargain, and which was sent this morning so I can't report on that yet. - martin

I have bought an MXR Blowtorch and a SansAmp Programmable Bass Driver from Liam. Everything about this transaction was stellar. Speedy shipping, great communication, superb packaging. - martin

For me, it has to be my Etymotic ER9 ear plugs. (I saw that two others also put that as their choice.) I would like to put a honorable mention for my Sonic Research ST-200 pedal tuner. It's so good that I have two: one for the pedalboard and one that goes wherever I go. - martin

Just to know for sure: is the Cardiff bass day on Sunday (1st of May) cancelled or not? Cheers, - martin

Now we're talking: [url="http://www.buyabattery.co.uk/uniross-rechargeable-9v-pp3-battery-200mah-nimh-1pack-u0150309-p-964.html"]http://www.buyabattery.co.uk/uniross-recha...0309-p-964.html[/url] Uniross Hybrio 9v a £3.98 each. There is a discount on quantity, so just for kicks I filled a cart with 10 of them, and that came to £40.06 including shipping. I have however zero experience with that particular supplier, I was just googlin' to see what there was out there. - martin

Thanks Stevie, that's really good to know. - martin [quote name='stevie' post='1185876' date='Apr 2 2011, 03:18 PM']Don't, whatever you do, buy the old-fashioned NiMH rechargeables. The new "long life" types which don't lose their charge over time are in a different league. I used to have to recharge the 9V battery in my bass every two weeks. I've had a Uniross Hybrio in there for 3 months so far, and it still doesn't need recharging yet. They've been even more impressive in my camera - every bit as good as alkalines. This is relatively new technology developed by Sanyo, which you'll find under various trade names. Alex Claber mentioned it in a thread on batteries here last year. The best quality brand, according to my research, is Sanyo's eneloop. Ebay is the best place to buy them at the moment. Unfortunately, I don't know how their size compares with normal alkalines.[/quote]

I want to Maplin today. They no longer have the 3 packs for £9.99. They've gone up to £22.99. How they can justify a 130% increase in a few months is a mystery, however. Individually, they're still cheaper, at £5 each (on promotion; retail £9.99). £10 per battery is crazy, but £5 is acceptable. I will investigate further. I am positive that much better deals can be had on quantities of maybe 10 or 12. I want to buy more, and if there's enough demand a few of use might be able to buy some batteries in bulk. Just an idea. - martin

[quote name='charic' post='1184736' date='Apr 1 2011, 02:05 PM']So what your saying is I should get both [/quote] Well, I'm hoping the Shuker will do everything the Bongo does and more. That's the idea anyway. - martin

I don't know the full story behind the costs of Neodymium. I think it is safe, however, to apply some basic laws of economics. I don't know what proportion of the neodymium market speaker demand represents, but I would think there's a vast number of applications for neodymium. I would think there must be some products manufactured in large numbers (hard drives, for instance) where neodymium is used because it is the right ratio of price, performance and weight. The minute it raises the price of a hard drive outside of what the consumers will pay is also the minute the hard drive manufacturers will use different designs and different magnets to remain competitive. By the same token, if something must be made with neodymium, then that demand will remain regardless of cost. By the same token, if that same hard drive manufacturer is not buying neodymium because it's too dear, they are driving the price down because there is now less offer. Another factor to take into account is what proportion of the speaker is attributable to the use of neodymium. If the price of neodymium, what would that do to the price of the speaker? It wouldn't, in any case, double it. Rarity is a different matter, but I would think if there is high demand and China is upping its prices, that's all the more reason for other countries to start producing it. From what I understand, it's not particularly rare, it's just that demand is relatively recent, which is why it's not widely mined and refined. All this to say: there is probably no need to worry. - martin [quote name='Musicman20' post='1184669' date='Apr 1 2011, 01:18 PM']Rising costs of Neodymium – concerns on Talkbass I realise most internet discussions on forums as large as Talkbass can become out of hand and are often blown out of proportion. It happens on all forums I guess! The main reason for this topic is the concerns that have been raised regarding neodymium prices and availability. It seems from my limited knowledge that neo is obtained from China who have recently actioned the prices and what appears to be a limit on the export amounts. As we all know, the neo-speaker market has become pretty damn large, with many manufacturers choosing neo speakers for their cabinet designs. Even pickups are incorporating neo, like the EBMM Big Al and some (?) Dingwall basses, (I presume there are a lot more). This is not a topic on the pros and cons, because we have been there before. We can all like what we like, lets face it. Where does this leave the consumer? Are we going to be hit with EVEN MORE price rises?! I personally think some neo cabs ARE over-priced, but then again so are many ceramic loaded cabinets. Lets face it, I think hiking the prices even more is going to leave the manufacturers with a problem. Will we, the consumer, pay the upcharge?! Lets not forget, if they are imported from say, America, to the UK, we are effectively going to have another price rise on top of what the neo price rise is, purely because of the fact its imported, (and no doubt some manufacturers may choose to take the mick and increase the prices disproportionately). Talkbass have quotes from Jim Bergantino and snippets off the Avatar website discussing the rise in prices. I think its clear that there is a state of limbo….as in they aren’t sure exactly what will happen next. It’s a shame Bergantino discontinued the HT/EX ER series and HS series. Perhaps he won’t in light of this? What do we think will happen next? We will just continue to buy and pay the rather silly price rises, or will the manufacturers sense this will cause problems and design more ceramic loaded cabinets again?! In my humble opinion, manufacturers who solely produce neo loaded cabinets are going to suffer quite badly with either a loss of sales or indeed loss of whole lines until things are rectified. I know as bass players, we are quite proud of our new technology, but when I try to explain to people that a 1x12 can cost upto £600 (before the price hike) they are literally flabbergasted! Who knows what is going to happen. I am still searching for ‘that’ neo cabinet that has the right spec, right size, and a weight that’s actually worthwhile spending the money on. Obviously being how I am, Id like it to sound as close to what I class as smooth with none of the neo ‘bite’ in the high mids that winds me up a little. Aguilar seem to have taken this idea with the SL112s, but we shall see, so its obvious they can make neo and ceramic sound almost the same. I have my eye on the Genz Benz Neo X212T in the new vinyl/tolex finish they have released…that seems to tick all the boxes so far (eg light, great size, 4 ohm, 2x12, well renowned, and a fair price). [/quote]

Personally I have a Bongo 5 and can vouch that it is an incredible instrument. I'm also getting a Shuker built, which in some ways is designed around some of my favourite aspects of the Bondo, so hurray for Jon Shuker from me. - martin

True. Can't argue with the logic. - martin [quote name='tm486' post='1184103' date='Mar 31 2011, 11:30 PM']If i restrict the range then i will need to add a switch to make it bypass for when i use a passive bass, if i just use a larger value pot then when it is turned all the way up then i can use passive basses without the need for a switch. And depending on the output of my active basses i would just need to have it nearly all the way down. Also, i have just remembered that it sounded good when at 25% AND i had the backtrack before the fuzz. So i assume that i would need an even larger pot? maybe a 1M pot? either way, they aren't expensive, i'll get both and test it i think. Thanks Tom[/quote]

I did say I was tired. You're right. At 1/4 vol you have 3/4 of the resistance. If you have a 500k pot you'll get 0-500k resistance. If you wanted to restrict the range you could put another resistor in series, e.g. 250k resistor + 250k pot would give you a range of 250k-500k. I think. - martin [quote name='tm486' post='1184060' date='Mar 31 2011, 10:59 PM']I have been using my bass set to about 25% as i had the same thought as you and discovered that it did sound better there. Surely though, as impedance is measured in ohms, and i want to raise the impedance, when the volume is at 25%, the resistance would be more like 75% of the 500Kohms of the potentiometer? so i would be looking at a potentiometer of around 350-400k? but then would it be a better idea to go for something larger like another 500k one? Cheers Tom[/quote]

Try lowering the volume on your bass to somewhere around 25%-50%. That will behave much like the pot you would put in the box, since it's essentially the same thing. If it sounds great, then you know that the pot-in-a-box solution will work, and you can probably work out what pot will work best. I'm very tired so correct me if I make a mistake in the following logic. A volume pot travels from no resistance to the maximum resistance; 500k is common for volume pots. Therefore, assuming the pot is linear, set at the halfway point you'd get 250k of resistance, say. At 1/4, you'd get 125k. It wouldn't be exactly that of course because even a linear pot is not totally linear, but it would be close enough. If, say, it sounds good between the 1/4 and 1/2, then that gives you a ballpark for what pot to use. - martin [quote name='tm486' post='1183679' date='Mar 31 2011, 06:45 PM']Hey, I have found a temporary solution. I use a Line6 backtrack to record tracks, and if i stick this before the mammoth it sounds a lot better. I dont think its perfect though as when the pinch knob it past 12 o'clock, it sounds bad once again. I dont have my passive bass with me at the moment but when i go home for easter, i'll be able to tell whether this works or not. I am still going to try the potentiometer as if i want to record anything whilst using the mammoth, i'll need to have another method of matching the impedance, but until then i at least have some way of using it which sounds good. Thanks for all your input and i'll post on here after i have tried the potentiometer and let you know how it works out. Tom[/quote]

Wow, that's really expensive. I've bought many three-packs of the 250mAH for £9.99. Maybe they stopped doing them. Might be worth popping in a store, they might not have them online, for some reason. The ones I have look the same but are definitely 250mAH. As far as I can tell, they're nearly the same size as alkalines, but they have the "maplin" sleeve on top (sort of metallized plastic, with the green and silver Maplin livery). They fit in my Bongo 18v compartment, but you can remove that sleeve and they'd be about the right size, I think. (Underneat the metalised plastic, they're just black plastic.) I'll swing by Maplin tomorrow on my way back from work. If anything, I want to get some more if they still have them at £9.99/3. I'll let you know if I find them. - martin [quote name='Faithless' post='1183884' date='Mar 31 2011, 08:49 PM'][url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/extra-high-capacity-nimh-rechargeable-battery-value-packs-46414"]http://www.maplin.co.uk/extra-high-capacit...lue-packs-46414[/url] I've only found these at maplin, and they're 22.99 pack.. Anyway, ar these slightly bigger than 'regular' 9v batteries, Martin? cheers Faith[/quote]

You could just put the pot in a box with a switch, before the mammoth. Bypassed, you have the whole signal, with it on it's just attenuated. The pot is working just the same as the volume control on your bass. - martin [quote name='tm486' post='1183137' date='Mar 31 2011, 11:22 AM']Hi, I do understand what you mean and that thought had crossed my mind, if it werent for the fact that i have both active and passive basses, i would certainly have tried that. but i want to be able to easily switch back and forth between active and passive basses, so its not the perfect solution for me. However, i have more active basses than passive, so i will do that if my attempt at this impedance matching pedal fails. Thanks Tom[/quote]

Good point! That's a very good reason to have a switch. Let me know how you get on. - martin [quote name='tm486' post='1182880' date='Mar 30 2011, 11:43 PM']I had that thought, i am going to produce the circuit before i make any enclosure etc so i can test it all. And i hadn't thought about other pedals. but if i want to put the mammoth first in the chain, or i want only the mammoth then i'll need this circuit before it anyway, regardless of my other pedals. But i am definately going to test it and make sure its exactly what i want before i put any effort into making an enclosure or buying other components. If not i'll have to stick with using only my passive through it. Also, i would like a switch as if i wanted to switch basses without having to remove this circuit, i dont know if plugging a passive bass into this would be a problem, but from what i have read, plugging a high impedance passive bass into a low impedance load will not work well? Thanks Tom[/quote]

I'd say go for it. If it was me, however, I'd prototype the circuit first and see if it does and sounds like what you want. It's such a simple circuit that I'd do that on breadboard to save time. When you do, it's a relatively simple thing to put a switch in. Put it in and see what it sounds like turned on and turned off. In theory, it will only make a difference in tone when the Mammoth is on. The reason why is because when the Mammoth is off, the only effect the impedance change will have will be on the next pedal, and nearly all pedals (except) fuzzes are designed to take a high impedance; the higher the better. That is especially true of buffered pedals. Boss pedals, for instance, have a very high input impedance (most have an input impedance of 1M ohm.) All of this to say: unless you want to be able to switch between the Mammoth driven by a high impedance and by a low impedance, there will be no advantage to turning it on and off, and therefore you can lose the switch. If you lose the switch, you can also lose the LED. If it's not switched, it doesn't have to be a sturdy box so a very small plastic enclosure would probably do, which would save you some time, effort and money. I had another thought: pedals usually have a high input impedance and a low(er) output impedance. Boss pedals are typically 1k ohm on output. Some are designed to have a slightly higher impedance so that the next pedal "thinks" it's seeing just a guitar pickup. If you have pedals lying around, you could look at their spec: it could very well be that there is one of your pedals that would be a good match for the WM. I'd say if the output impedance is somewhere in the region of 5k, it'll probably work fine. - martin [quote name='tm486' post='1182656' date='Mar 30 2011, 08:01 PM']I have lots of metal working equipment at my disposal so i'm gna go for making a metal enclosure. i am also thinking of adding a 3PDT stompbox type switch so i can get true bypass when im not using the effect or im using a passive bass. This also lets me put an LED in to tell me when its on. I might try putting a SPDT switch so i can use either half the inductor or the whole thing at a flick of a switch, just interested to see what it does to the sound tbh. Thanks Tom[/quote]

I'd say: try it. You can't harm anything. All that's going to happen is that the sound will change, and if it sounds good to you, who cares whether it's textbook correct? My guess is that the Low-Z to Hi-Z converters you linked to are designed to take a microphone level signal, which is going to have a very low impedance in the region (I think) of 600ohm, and convert that to a much higher impedance which I'm going to guess is going to be in the region 10k. I'm also guessing that active electronics on instruments are not such low impedances as 600ohm, so you're probably going to get an even higher impedance than you would get from an impedance matching box. Unless I'm mistaken (I'm doing this from memory) the net effect is probably that you're going to get more gain going into the fuzz. Probably not a bad thing, if you want fuzz. Personally, I'd build a tiny little box with just and input and an output, which I would find more pedalboard-friendly solution that a 1/4"-to-XLR lead into an XLR-1/4" impedance adapter. - martin [quote name='tm486' post='1181754' date='Mar 30 2011, 12:40 AM']Hey, I had seen this thread but i have had no luck in finding anything designed solely for this purpose. This is why i was wondering whether these might do the trick as they do say they go from a low z XLR input to a high z jack. Is this not likely to be the case? If so, i would appreciate help from anyone who might know who makes/stocks an impedance buffer. Thanks for your help martin, Tom[/quote]

Just my opinion and experience here: I use nothing but rechargeable batteries in everything now: basses, effects, metronomes, etc. Don't buy cheap batteries, it's a false economy. Buy Ni-MH batteries, which are the modern kind, hold their charge better, and are more environmentally-friendly (or so I'm being told.) I check mine with a little battery tester and they give more than 9v (like fresh alkalines.) I've bought tens of different brands, and found that even within brands there is variation in performance and quality. I find it's not unusual to get maybe 1 in 20 that doesn't quite hold its charge very long. The ones I tend to use at the moment are the 250mAH Maplin 9v that come in a three-pack for £9.99. At that price, it's cheaper than good quality alkalines, and even if you only got twenty uses each, that would still be a long way cheaper than alkalines. My advice: if you don't trust them, don't use them. The worry is not worth the hassle. If you rely on batteries, keep several, rotate them and keep them fully charged. I change the batteries in my basses every couple of weeks at most, so I always have relatively freshly charged batteries. - martin [quote name='chris_b' post='1181614' date='Mar 29 2011, 10:56 PM']We use a lot of rechargeable batteries at home but I don't trust them for the bass. They can loose the charge quite quickly as they get older.[/quote]