Passinwind

Just added a DIY ramp to my Crescent Moon fretless: Which doesn't seem to make a huge difference, given my generally very light touch, but I do like the feel when I notice it.

None of the usual suspects here: That's a DIY 650 watt head on an Audiokinesis Thunderchild TC112AF cab. These days I am mostly playing big band jazz shows on my BSX electric upright, or occasionally on my Crescent Moon fretless:

[quote name='Chris Sharman' timestamp='1468883246' post='3094099'] Hi all, as per the title really, I am new to the EUB having recently taken ownership of an Eastcoast (rebranded Stagg I understand) and one of the bands I play for, Water for DOgs, have recently been exploring some more acoustic and chilled stuff using acoustics and piano. I would like to use my EUB on one or two tracks in a small scale live environment and I was wondering if anyone here uses a similar EUB in a small venue and has a recommendation for a suitable combo amp for the purpose. [/quote] Acoustic Image, especially the 210 model. Although if you're only going to be using the EUB for one or two tracks, it might be worth considering just going through the PA, assuming a decent one is in use. I've played quite a few open mikes and quickie sit-ins that way pretty happily with my BSX.

[quote name='RickyV' timestamp='1469457815' post='3098438'] Simple question, for those that gig regularly, do you sit or stand when practicing at home?? [/quote] Stand, 99+% of the time.

Google "light organ." Many pro lighting fixtures already have variations on this function built in..

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1467584967' post='3084736'] This is the only forum I am an active member of. It's home. And I am cripplingly shy (is one way to put it...). I was hoping to see what parts I have (I do build other things, I have just never worked with valves) and what I could scavenge. I have never had any interest in valve amps, but I would quite like a valve preamp for guitar. I have seen ones that look very simple, basic preamps with just gain and volume, but not much in the way of details (there is always either lots of pictures and no information, or lots said and no show, never both...). I figure that if I could get a plan, layout or schematic, and a bill of materials, with some general advice for the circuit, it would be enough to get me started. There is such a wide variety, I was hoping that someone here might give me a clue before I just close my eyes, spin around and pick one at random. I have read that working with valve amps can be dangerous, but I am a safe worker when it comes to electricity, and I don't want the poweramp, just the preamp. [/quote] OK, but how about a little more direction on whether you want clean, dirty, Fender, Vox, Marshall, and so on? The AX84 site I linked has full layouts and bills of materials for many different circuits that you could just omit the power section for. One dedicated preamp build that many people have started with is also detailed here: [url="http://www.dogstar.dantimax.dk/tubestuf/mctube.htm"]http://www.dogstar.d...stuf/mctube.htm[/url] . This uses a lower power supply voltage than many others, which may be a smart way to start out IMO. My tube bass preamps all use at least 300 volts DC, at which point decent test equipment and a little experience are surely helpful things to have. Another time honored way to get your hands dirty would be to find an old and/or broken guitar or PA amp on the cheap and hopefully make something useful out of it with minimal cash outlay. For instance, this one just needed a new input jack and it ended up being used professionally around Seattle for several years before I traded back for it:

This is my Heritage H204D, fitted with a Roland synth pickup. The amp is an early 80s Fender 30, one of Fender's first channel switching all tube amps. Every few years I mod it one way or another, and it is currently wired like a blackface Vibrolux Reverb without the tremolo circuit.

Very nice build! Looking forward t seeing how you do the front panel, as that often tends to make or break the overall perceived build quality. I have tried really hard to get away from using IEC inlets these days. The Neutrik Powercon is my current favorite, for a variety of reasons.

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1467547949' post='3084427'] I have been thinking about building a tube preamp for a while now, but I don't know where to start. I know you can get them as pedals but I have been unable to find a layout for one. I don't even know what section of BassChat to ask about it in, especially as it is for guitar not bass (my bass amp has a tube channel preamp, but I don't like it). I don't want to buy a kit because they're expensive and I'd like to spend as little as possible. At the moment all I need is a plan for the preamp part, I can figure out what eq stage to use later. The only requirement really, is high gain. Any advice? Even if it's just to suggest what sub forum I should ask this in (so I can blame you if someone tells me I've put it in the wrong place...). [/quote] Why limit yourself to Basschat when you are wanting to build a guitar widget? Here are a couple of useful sites to get you started: http://www.ax84.com/ http://www.valvewizard.co.uk/ A kit will actually very likely save you both money and many headaches if you are needing to ask where to start, IMHO. Here's a relatively inexpensive one: http://www.paia.com/proddetail.asp?prod=9210K&cat=14 Good luck, and have fun.

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1467385294' post='3083337'] They were definitely hefty. [/quote] Not the digital CGI ones. Analog dinosaurs were always more organic.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1466579105' post='3076854'] $5k wow! Puts Foderas in a whole new light. Will check out those Talk bass posts, thanks. [/quote] I would guess/bet that most of the ones he actually sold commanded less than his full asking price. FWIW, I saw plenty of various brand basses priced at >$10K at NAMM this year.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1466541914' post='3076709'] Yes, this was the interesting looking bit (very small print at the top of the website), and yes, very little sign of it being available anywhere. [/quote] There was one at the Seattle Talkbass get-together a couple of years ago. I didn't play through it myself, but I thought it sounded pretty good, as one would hope it should for the $5K asking price. Flea used a couple of them for a brief while as well. A friend of mine looked into investing in the company but eventually thought better of it after visiting with the owner. If you do a search on "Vetchking" on Talkbass you should be able to find posts by the company principal. His posting style was rather, erm, exuberant. I was once tasked with cleaning up the huge mess that the original company created for the stores I worked for when they went out of business without any provision for honoring all those lifetime warranties. The bass amps were mostly pretty solid, but the tube guitar amps were a whole different story.

[quote name='goblin' timestamp='1466460717' post='3076071'] I'm pretty sure these have been around a while now. From what I can tell, Chinese manufacture and not a patch on the original stuff. [/quote] They are a low end house brand for Guitar Center in the US, have been for several years. For a time Guitar Center also licensed the name "Acoustic USA" to a boutique builder doing extremely expensive quasi-reissues of the old iconic ones: https://www.facebook.com/AcousticBassUSA/?_fb_noscript=1 . It seems unclear if they are actually still in business, I think.

According to Roger Baer's website: http://www.bassdirect.co.uk Even if you are looking to buy used, the dealer might be a good bet. Nice cabs, and Roger's a great guy to boot.

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1466168380' post='3073821'] Basschat is, obviously, populated by bass players, but there seems to be several drummers on here that play bass, guitarists that play bass etc. I play bass in a band but I also do my own acoustic Singer-Songwriter thing. How many of you do other musical activities, and are your extra curricular adventures just a sideline where your bass playing takes priority or is bass itself just a minor part of your activity? [/quote] Playing music has always just been peripheral to my involvement in it. I've always preferred working in live sound production (from which I retired a few years ago) and musical electronics repair/mods/building to playing bass, guitar, or keys, all of which I do enjoy too. I used to alternate for years at a time between concentrating on bass or guitar, but for the last decade it's been all bass. Might be time to finally buy a nice keyboard and shed on that for while soon though. But with all that said, I still consider my self a tech first and a bass player next.

[quote name='Pentode' timestamp='1465751602' post='3070727'] Here's a shot or three of my home built preamp. Two channels, one based on the F-1X and the other a sort of Baxendall circuit. A selector switch allows you to select either or the third position has the signal running through both. I've yet to tidy the wiring a little more and clip it all into place. Works rather nicely and squeezed into a 1U case. However like most of my projects [b]as soon as I've finished it I'm bored and move onto something else[/b] [/quote] Nice work. I know that feeling all too well though!

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1466112156' post='3073509'] Here's my new main squeeze [/quote] Sweet!

[quote name='luckydog' timestamp='1466106329' post='3073451'] yup a quick look at the schematic for that Mackie speaker suggests it has a switch mode PSU, and such faults are notoriously hard and uneconomic to repair. [/quote] In the US at least, replacement power amp modules aren't prohibitively expensive, or at least weren't several years ago when I helped repair one for a friend with a torched 1530.

[quote name='chrisanthony1211' timestamp='1466007858' post='3072792'] For those interested, here are the guts.... [/quote] Thanks for posting that, I'd only seen the earlier contract built versions with turret board construction. [quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1466009415' post='3072806'] Absolutely lovely amp We need an amp gut shot thread. [/quote] There is one on the front page right now, actually.

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1465744882' post='3070667'] I don't doubt it. Put a plate over the top and fry bacon on it! [/quote] Or put a roast behind it:

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1465744644' post='3070664'] [/quote] It makes a pretty decent space heater...seriously.

Passinwind PW8Bv2:

Passinwind PW8B Amp:

Passinwind PW6B tube preamp:

Brownout 1000, built by my friend Nate Wolfe: