Hellzero

@andyhaines, I found this in the user manual of the GR Bass One (350 / 800 / 1400): "On the ONE 350 amplifier, pressing the LED button for about 8 seconds allows to toggles the cooling fan activa- tion." So, it means that the fan can be switched ON or OFF, but without the Studio Mode that will engage the fan when needed... Maybe it's worth considering for your needs.

And you are totally right.

Hope you don't mind @Rollo... 😉

I totally agree with you @Stub Mandrel.

My late father would have had the exact answer in no time as he explained me why, once (he wasn't pedagogical at all, so only once), why the orange peel effect appears, so as all, but the environment has been excluded, it was certainly too cold that night compared to the other times.

Ask @Roadybus as he's going in all directions now...

As your paint dilution and viscosity could be discarded, the orange peel effect appears when you're too far from the surface or too many passes (the paint is not dry enough between passes) or when there's a draft, or all of these.

And with better bearings when there are some, better suspension, better material for the blades, better designed blades, better overall alignment, softer material for the housing, ... wait a minute that's a Noctua fan. 🫣😉

Indeed, but a microphone used to talk during @andyhaines sessions will, hence his totally understandable quest for a fanless amp. 😉

I didn't like the world acclaimed Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 as I bought one thinking it would replace my old Steinberg UR-RT2 with the Neve transformers, but was really disappointed with more latency and a delirious use of the CPU of my MSI gamer PC (I'm absolutely not a gamer, but I always buy these, because of their built quality and overall better components, efficient cooling system and sustainability). But it's the system I would use in your situation @andyhaines, a good DI or, better, a good soundcard. If you still want a class D amp head with a small form factor and a fan allowing you to be reassured about its longevity, go for the GR Bass One 800 as I've already explained why it is the best option. In the Studio Mode, the amp is fanless until it reaches a certain temperature point and, then, it will start the fan by itself and cool the head efficiently and rapidly (just like a gamer PC, funnily). Furthermore, there are options you almost only find on this amp, like the Pure Mode, which is a true bypass of the EQ. I've been using a GR Bass Combo 800 (the same as the head, but even less ventilated by definition) for low level rehearsal with a bass duet at home and after around 2 hours in Studio Mode, the fan started itself and the chassis was between lukewarm and hot at that moment. Just like you, I've been searching the perfect silent amplification and this GR Bass One 800 ticked all the box. If you're afraid of the brand because it's Italian (with all the clichés associated), rest assured that it's a totally reliable society and that, when you email them, they answer very quickly. Furthermore, Gianfranco Rizzi (GR), the owner, is a bass player too. 😉

It's a question of height, not radius @Roadybus, the frets higher point must be at the same level as the fretless fingerboard part. Not such a big deal for a luthier, but it means more work for the luthier, so more money involved for you. I'm calling @Basvarken to see if it's a challenge he might agree to deal with and he is in the Netherlands.

The Neuser NFS is based on the same principle indeed, but whith a very slightly concave metallic sitar type saddle and a mechanical system allowing it to be put in place. I fitted a few on customers basses when they were released in the late 90's early 2000's (yes, I used to be a luthier at some time in my life). You have to be very picky when it comes to the set-up, locking all screws when the desired tone was obtained and lubricating the moving parts to allow the bridge to function properly each and every time.

@andyhaines, there's an Eich T-300 in the classified at £460...

This is exactly the principle of a sitar saddle just as I mentioned it in my post above. 😉

The problem is that Robert Neuser disappeared from the radar a few years ago, so finding an NFS will be quite hard and it's a pain in the derrière to set up, but when you've found the perfect set up, it's working great. And there is also the Dominique Di Piazza fretless bridge which is derived from the NFS and will make your fretted bass sound like a fretless all the time. Mike Sabre made two fiver bass models for him that you can buy. A friend of mine owns the first iteration and may be willing to sell it (and as you live in Germany IIRC, the bass is in Brussels, so easier for you, should you be interested). This is the second version, the first one is way more standard in terms of design.

It's funny how the fan can really drive some of us nuts. The GR Bass One 350 doesn't have the Studio Mode (fan defeating), IIRC, it starts only from the 800 version on, which is close to the below mentioned head price wise, £60 more, but the possibility to totally bypass the EQ section (Pure Mode), way more power (so more headroom), 3 different low & high mids EQ presets, a fan that will start when needed (so you won't cook your head) and a built-in tuner (not that fast, but it's there). On the Eich T-300, the Taste knob is an interesting function to rapidly tame the highs.

Wrong, Chris, it was the opposite, the frets were getting back and forth in the neck/fretboard thanks to a lever. There's was also the Neuser NFS with switchable sitar like saddles allowing for a fretless tone. And the two custom orders Leducs basses, half fretless / half fretted vertically for one and horizontally for the other.

The Trickfish mini 500 does indeed have a fan, only the Bullhead series is fanless.

It can become a second output or left unconnected.

So, the small amp heads (still available today new) without fans are: Ampeg PF-20T (and can be used without speaker even if full tube): https://www.andertons.co.uk/ampeg-pf-20t-all-tube-20w-bass-head/ Ampeg PF-50T (and can be used without speaker even if full tube): https://www.thomann.co.uk/ampeg_pf_50t_bass_head.htm Eich Amplification T300: https://www.thomann.co.uk/eich_amplification_t300.htm Phil Jones BP-800: https://www.thomann.co.uk/phil_jones_bass_amp_head_bp_800.htm Trickfish Bullhead 0.5K (but hard to source) Trickfish Bullhead 1K (but hard to source) That's it! You can add the GR Bass One series with their defeatable fan. That said, as you don't need so much power, the Eich Amplification T-300 is a good choice, but remember that it's in reality a 220 Watts into 4 Ohms head. The two Ampegs are excellent sounding, but the form factor is not that convenient for your use.

I agree with you both @agedhorse and @Phil Starr concerning the cooling as a whole that must be calculated to dissipate the heat efficiently and avoid the cooking of the transistors and many other electronic parts. But, when the noise comes from the fan itself, which is 99% of the time the case, replacing it with a silent model with the same airflow power is the safest way to solve the issue. And it's an easy job to compare the specs of the noisy fan with those of the silent one. Cheap fans are poorly made, very noisy, cheap for some reasons and too often used massively by the biggest names to simply cut the budget as excellent silent fans are more expensive. Take the time to have a look at the construction of those silent fans, and you'll understand why they are silent. Quality has a price, sorry.

Terrific work as usual, congratulations again @Basvarken, it's always a delight to read your posts and look at the photos.

Frankly, @andyhaines, simply buy a Bugera Veyron 1001 M, it's the most transparent amp I have ever played, and if the fan noise is bothering you, simply put a Noctua ultra silent fan in it, job done. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bugera-VEYRON-MOSFET-BV1001M-Amplifier/dp/B00UD3J05A/ And then, you'll start your endless quest for the best amp suited to your tastes and have an excellent spare head.

The Eich BC112, rated at 300 Watts/4 Ohms, ICEpower module: The GR Bass One 800 and Acoustic combo, rated at 800 Wattsm4 Ohms and even 1000 Watts/2.7 Ohms, ICEpower module: And now the official data. BC112: https://www.soundimports.eu/en/icepower-125asx2.html One 800 and Acoustic combo: https://www.soundimports.eu/en/icepower-700as1.html So what is happening with the Eich (Tech Soundsystems, Tec, TecAmp before that) is that players are pushing them to their limits, because they are way less powerful than what's been abusively announced and ... cooking them.

I think transparent has not the same meaning to everyone, to me, it means, first of all, no compression and no signal modification or tone colouring. The MarkBass heads are not transparent at all and have a huge emphasis in the low mids region and a tendency to compression. The Quilter BassBlock is certainly not transparent at all and colouring the sound a lot with lot if compression when turning the master up. Just like @Linus27 and you @andyhaines I'm a fretless player and like a dead flat tone coming from the amplification part, so I have tested as many amps as I could and often those upon recommendation were so disappointing as people ignore what transparency means. The other thing that drives me mad is fan noise, so it has even narrowed the search a lot more, otherwise I would recommend instantly the Bugera Veyron 1001 M (not the T version). I also like a cabinet to be as transparent as possible, hence the use of FRFR stuff over a quite long period. Now, I'm not gigging anymore as the bass duet is over since March and, at 60 years old, I'm fed up by the musicians egocentric personality, so I now play through my soundcard into my calibrated speakers, which is the best tone I've ever had, but it also shows how bad most instruments are...