Beer of the Bass

Before changing the pickups or looking for a new bass, I would suggest trying some flatwound strings, which should get you a deeper, rounder sound without changing anything else. Fender flatwounds are meant to be good value, but something like LaBella are deeper and mellower sounding. And if you're not already doing this, make sure the blend control on the bass is turned towards the neck pickup. You may find that gets you closer to the sound you're looking for.

Am I right in remembering that Mr Dumble didn't charge outrageously for them, and the current high prices are largely down to a mixture of hype and scarcity? From the schematics that are around on the internet, it does look like he had some good ideas which have been influential to other designers. So even if they may not seem head-and-shoulders above everything else today, at the time they did some things which were fairly unique.

We continue to be part of the EU until the Government trigger article 50 and begin the 2 year process of leaving. As that hasn't been done yet, Thomann purchases will continue to be VAT-inclusive and free of import duty for at least the next couple of years.

Are you still playing through the bass amp? I gather that a lot of the fuss around the Klon is how it behaves when pushing a valve amp, so you probably won't get the best out of it in that context. For a similar amount of cash I'd be inclined to pick up some sort of small valve combo used and an inexpensive booster or tubescreamer clone to push it with. If bluesy, low-gain drive is your goal, that would get you closer than putting the KTR in front of a bass combo.

I did a gig last week where the house amp was some sort of Roland Cube. The venue was on a pedestrianised street, so I went with that rather than my own amp. On that brief encounter, I wasn't much impressed with the modelling on it. Vintage valve amps are generally a thing that I like, but each setting on this thing just sounded like the same small combo with differing amounts of treble rolled off. I found the most useable sound on the "flat" setting. Perhaps that wasn't the best example to judge the modelling concept by. It strikes me that amp simulations would only be useful in a live setting if you have a rig that's powerful enough and flat enough not to impart too much of its own character, which might only be achievable at the pricier end of things.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1470842855' post='3108890'] The only use for them is in amps. As demand for valve amps goes down prices on valve amps and valves will continue to rise, further reducing demand, further reducing production, further increasing price in a literal death spiral. That can only make vintage valve gear, or at least what will be vintage someday, appreciate in value. A comparison can be drawn to Fairchild valve compressors, the studio standard of the 60s and 70s. After SS took over the compressor market studios literally tossed Fairchilds into the trash bin. Now those which remain command the same price as a very nice car. For instance: [url="http://www.analoguetube.com/#!Vintage-Fairchild-670-For-Sale-44000/c1czm/5576e3fc0cf2312d79783c31"]http://www.analoguet...cf2312d79783c31[/url] I doubt that valve amps will appreciate that much, but one never knows. . [/quote] There is a larger range of affordable valve amps on the market now than there was 10 years ago, so I'm simply not seeing that decline in demand happening as yet. Valve manufacturing has transitioned from being the bread-and-butter business of large electronic corporations to being a more niche industry catered to by smaller companies, but it would appear to be in reasonable health. It's a somewhat different scenario to the example of valve studio gear. When newer solid state compressors came in, they were considered superior in all respects and the characteristic sound of the valve gear was regarded as a shortcoming. In guitar and bass amplification, most solid state products are designed with the explicit goal of emulating valve equipment, as those qualities are considered to be desirable. The fact that so much solid state equipment is advertised on the strength of it's resemblance to a valve amp serves to demonstrate that valve amps are still regarded as aspirational products, and consolidates their place in the market.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1470839950' post='3108856'] Wait 20 years, when valves have gone the way of the dodo. [/quote] Will they, though? It seems there was a period of uncertainty from the mid 80's to some time into the 90's when US and western Europe stopped production, but if anything they seem to have undergone a resurgence since then. It's not just Russia and China either - JJ are successfully making them in Europe under all of the environmental restrictions that go with that. So I would be surprised if they disappear within my lifetime.

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1470756555' post='3108215'] The very first MAGs (and ABMs for that matter) used Celestion drivers. They changed to "Blueline" Sica drivers around 2001 IIRC, though they have done some random cabs such as the Neo series and the first gen RM-MAG series with black-coned drivers again. Hope that helps a little [/quote] Yes, I think mine said in the manual that it had a Celestion driver, but when I looked inside a few years later it was actually an Eminence (and this particular speaker was not a great choice of driver for a small sealed 1x12"). So I would urge caution when referring to the published specs on older Ashdown stuff!

IIRC they've had the MAG range right from the beginning of the company. I bought a MAG combo new in 1999, and I'm pretty sure the date on the back of mine was from 1998, so your cab could easily be that old. My combo turned out to have a different driver from the one the specs said it had, so I'm not sure that their published information has always been reliable!

[quote name='machinehead' timestamp='1470657543' post='3107355'] Fair enough. But I didn't mention either tone or volume in my post. [i]EDIT, I'M referring above to volume as in loudness.[/i] Frank. [/quote] What do you mean by "performance", if it's not related to volume or tone? It's true that the driver used the the TKS S112 or S212 has much lower displacement than the one used in the Barefaced 12" cabs, but if both of them can get loud enough and low enough for a specific application then the choice between the two is purely down to personal preference. That's how I read McNach's post, anyway. Having also used the same drivers as the S112/S212 (albeit not in TKS cabs), I'd want more than one in the OP's application as the guitarists are using a lot of amp. The S212 might be worth a look, as it's probably still a fair bit lighter than his Matamp 4x10".

I'm not a big fan of the song. It reminds me of a couple of experiences in my student days of jamming with people who decided they were going to get into jazz without having bothered to listen to any jazz! For some reason, this song always crops up in that situation. I actually like the idea of jazz-influenced pop, but I can think of some much more enjoyable examples, like some of Joni Mitchell's output.

[quote name='ColinB' timestamp='1470402697' post='3105771'] That's lovely - very impressive. [/quote] Thanks! I'm now trying to figure out if I can justify building another amp for myself, which I guess is the issue with any project...

Several years ago I bought a bass new, played it for a while and then sold it after a year or so in very good condition. The buyer didn't use it much and sold it on Gumtree a few months later. The odd thing was, he used the phrase "never been gigged" without knowing if it was true or not. As it happens, there is video on Youtube of said bass being gigged at a rowdy Hogmanay gig in a packed venue, but never mind!

FWIW, this review says that they used the B&C 6NDL38. [url="http://epublish.panaprint.com/article/Markbass+F500+Bass+Head+And+New+York+604+Bass+Cabinet/617038/0/article.html"]http://epublish.panaprint.com/article/Markbass+F500+Bass+Head+And+New+York+604+Bass+Cabinet/617038/0/article.html[/url] They would appear to still exist, but you're getting close to £400 for four of them. [url="https://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?id=BAC6NDL38"]https://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?id=BAC6NDL38[/url]

[quote name='fleabag' timestamp='1470403784' post='3105785'] Good points made and having thought about those points over night, maybe i'll just hang out for another MB 604, which would be a lot less grief, i guess Just out of interest, i found 4 of the Faital Pro 6PR150 NEO's for £262 [/quote] I haven't tried modelling it, but a quick glance at the 6PR150 spec sheet suggests it wouldn't be an obvious choice for bass guitar. The resonance is very high at 100Hz and the Xmax is quite small at 2.65mm, so I'd be surprised if you could get useful low end out of them. The only Faital 6" that looks like it might be somewhat viable for bass guitar would be the 6FE100, but there are probably better ways to get where you need to go than with multiple 6"s.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1470400073' post='3105749'] And guitar-sized machine heads are perfectly adequate. It doesn't have to be a chunky and clunky as a Fender to work you know. [/quote] Yes, it's such a slim and elegant headstock that ordinary bass machineheads would look entirely out of proportion. (Sorry, not meaning to be snarky but that made me smile, given that cartoon-style clunkiness is an intentional part of this instruments whole aesthetic).

[quote name='JoeEvans' timestamp='1470295598' post='3104774'] This one is solid wood - compare the grain on the front to the one originally posted. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Old-Double-Bass-/322215269300?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=p2056016.l4276[/url] [/quote] Hey, this one has shot up since you posted the link - it's currently at £1,420. It does look like it has potential, and while I've no idea what it is, it's something different from the more ubiquitous German shop basses.

I've now got a slightly nicer looking front panel on there. It's 1mm clear polycarbonate, and the text is printed on clear decal paper with black blocks around the letters. I then applied the decals to the back of the panel, filled in the text with white acrylic paint and sprayed black over everything. It's not absolutely perfect if inspected closely - the text is a bit fuzzy and it seems that the decals crept slightly in places when the black spray paint was applied. But I reckon it's smart enough looking and doesn't look too obviously bodged. It's nicer than the marker scribblings, anyway!

That's a plywood bass, but potentially a decent one. It might not be made in London unless it's clearly marked as such - Selmer were in the import business and many similar looking basses came from Germany. I'd have a look in through the f-holes to check that the end blocks aren't cracked and the bass bar isn't coming detached, as those would be expensive repairs. Even if it's all healthy you could easily spend as much again (or perhaps a bit more) getting it set up and playable though, which is something to bear in mind.

I can stand on a Neutrik jack and it doesn't break. Not that I make a habit of it, but these things happen on cluttered, poorly lit stages. This has a big chunky box with a battery door and power button on each end and I'd be surprised if it was as robust as that. I presume we'd have to remember to switch each end on, and check the batteries. For a "more reliable" alternative this would appear to have several more potential failure modes.

It's very close to being done now, all I have left is to make a nice looking overlay for the control panel and a nameplate for the front. I had a go at this, but wasn't very happy with the first attempt. The Sharpie labelling is definitely a temporary measure, but otherwise it's ready to gig and I may as well get it to the friend I'm building it for so that he can be playing it in the meantime. I'm playing bass with him for some gigs over the next few weeks, so it'll be interesting to hear what he does with it. This was my first go at tolex. It's definitely more hassle than Tuff Cab, but I think it turned out OK. Tolex hides small imperfections in the ply a lot better than Tuff Cab does, which I was glad of. I used the water based tolex glue from TubeTown where I bought some of the parts, which was quite pleasant to use as it gives you a little working time before it grabs hard and it has very little odour other than a faint rubbery whiff. I've used aluminium mesh for the vents in the top, and the reverb tank is in a little pouch made of leftover tolex strapped inside the bottom of the cabinet. I have a feeling I may end up adding side handles as it weighs just sort of 25Kg. Still, my friend wanted this much power and with decent transformers and a stout speaker it all adds up. It sounds great though, it almost makes me want to do another amp in the same style for myself (though I'd go for less power). I'd been testing it through a bass cab, but it's more fun with the WGS ET90 speaker I've put in the combo cab - the bass is less pronounced but it's more clear and open sounding. As well as the expected crunch, the cleans are very nice too.

Thomann sell the black putty that's supplied with AKG contact pickups. It works OK and seems relatively kind to finishes but can spread out and creep after a while. Ordinary stationery white tack seems fine too - I've used both.

I'd guess they'd be more likely to have had UK-made speakers originally. Eminence speakers usually have an EIA code on them (beginning 67- for Eminence) which shows the date they were made, so you should be able to figure out when they were replaced.

I've got a friend who still makes mixtapes, but he's updated his setup and now has tracks cued up on his iPhone and Mac (and turntable), going into a mixer which feeds the cassette deck. He seemed quite surprised that I found this amusing...

It's hard to tell from a forum post, but I'd guess the two avenues to look at would be setup and technique. If your bass has a high nut or bridge or too much scoop in the fingerboard it might play fine with low tension strings but be hard work with the steels. Alternatively, it could be that you've developed playing habits which you can get away with on low-tension nylons but which cause you problems on steels. If you've only been playing since September (or even come back to it after a break), maybe a few lessons might be worth thinking about, and you could probably get some feedback on your bass setup at the same time.