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hankhill

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Everything posted by hankhill

  1. Here’s what I used from Amazon, it’s not available right now but gives an idea. Obviously just the smallest dots… https://amzn.eu/d/iAYoLYk
  2. Following with interest. Any photos of the actual installation would be great.
  3. As the one who started this thread, I’ve pretty much given up on this idea, for several reasons. 1. As well as being the bass player, I’m now also the unofficial lighting engineer in our band, so I always make sure there’s a spot pointing in my direction:) 2. Seems that any passive luminous material has a limited life of maybe 10-12 years. I have some basses that are nearly 40 years old…not that I would drill one of those, but if I did fit Luminlay I’d expect it to last the life of the instrument. 3. I’ve had reasonable success with simple luminous spot stickers bought on Amazon. If you carefully clean the oils off the neck first, they’ll last several months and are easy to replace. If I know I’m going to playing in a dark hole, I use a bass with those on. I do find the FretFX approach interesting and might consider that in the future, although if they shine brightly towards the front/audience then personally that’s a no-no, as guitars with bright LEDs look pretentious and stupid in my humble opinion.
  4. I bought one of these a few weeks ago - https://www.multiform-store.com/products/multiform-intucon-lc400h2-f2-preset-controller-set So far I’m pleased, previously we’d used a Chauvet Obey 3 with our rig comprising four par cans on a bar, a Stairville Show bar (which we would either fit on a stand or sit on the floor) and a single 7Q5 spot (ditto). The Obey 3 controller just sat in sound to light mode and worked ok, but the foot switch on this new one means you can blackout the lights at the end of a song or use a quick strobe burst (neither should be over used of course). The Multiform also seems to extract a wider range of colours from the same lights, and it’s easier to use. Also, their customer support in my experience is responsive and friendly.
  5. I have two of these, they’re brilliant. Surprised this hasn’t been snapped up yet.
  6. Yes I was aware of flow rate and you’re right, silence comes at a price. Unfortunately the original fan label model number didn’t reveal any info via Google apart from 24v and 0.11A. I made sure the new fan was at least that power rating (it’s actually 0.12A). I think I will just have to accept that a noisy fan is the price to pay for a powerful yet light and compact amp like the Minimax.
  7. Black basses, eh? Its made me realise that I’ve had a few over the years despite it not being a particularly favourite colour. My current favourite gigging bass is a matt black G&L SB-2 (Tribute) that I swapped over the neck from a Kiloton, as I like maple neck. The others are a Stingray, I didn’t have that for long, it just didn’t float my boat. G&L M2000 custom, lovely looker but I sold it. Yamaha RBXA2 that I modded with carbon fibre vinyl wrap (then sold it). Oh, and a 5-string Sterling Sub that I only bought because I felt I should try a 5 string. Sold it… I also have a Hohner B2A stick bass in black that I take to every gig as a spare and have never used.
  8. Here's a family photo from a couple of years back, been a few changes since.
  9. My old and new rigs. I lucked in to the Scott Dixon 2x10 cabs on eBay last week, I’ll be selling the Ashdown rig once I’ve done a couple of gigs with the SD’s and they’ve passed the acceptance test. My goal (aside from just GAS) was light weight, I’d bought the Ashdowns a few years ago for their low-ish weight, but they’re still heavy – luggage scales put the combo at 20.5kg (Ashdown claims 18kg) and the 1x15 cab is 17.4kg. The Scott Dixons are 11.4kg each without the lids! Bliss!
  10. I have literally just finished putting my Peavey Minimax amp back together having found, after a long search, a suitable fan. I had to go for a 25mm deep fan in the end and chamfer the bottom edge to clear the main PCB. It is supposedly rated at 27db. Sadly, having just fired it up, I don’t think it’s made any difference to the noise. All the ultra quiet fans are 12v as they're for PC use, but the Peavey fan is 24v. I see that its set blowing into the amp, and there are vent holes on the other side where you can feel a draught exiting the amp. Would turning the fan around make a difference? Or am I taking too big a risk? Maybe next I’ll look at fitting a fan controller somewhere, so I can turn it down when rehearsing at home. Or, a thermal switch but that’s beyond my skills and I wouldn’t know where to place the sensor.
  11. Thanks for all the answers. I’m not convinced that surface stickers will stand up to 3 hour pub rock gigs with sweaty hands. I tried these - https://classical-guitars.plus/product/rosette-premium-fret-dot-markers/ They’re more like slide on transfers, they worked very well but only lasted for a few weeks before rubbing off; they’re designed for classical guitars after all. It sounds like I’ll just have to wait for Japan to revise its shipping routes. Frankly I think that Luminlay could try a bit harder – Japan Post says some letter-post items are accepted for air, and surface mail is less affected. They state generally that “there may be delays in the delivery of posted international mail “. https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/overview_en.html That website also says "We will resume service for some kinds of airmail letter-post items to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Germany, France and Belgium effective March 18, 2022. " It’s a tiny 3 inch stick of plastic that would go in a letter envelope, its not like we’re trying to ship a whole guitar. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait.
  12. Yes, I’ll try that, thanks. Like the look of those knobs!
  13. Apologies if this is in the wrong group. I decided to buy Luminlay luminous fret markers, the one that comes as a stick that you cut and glue into carefully drilled holes. I tried to order from the Japanese manufacturer (https://luminlay.com/) and they tell me they can’t/won’t ship to the EU at this time (Covid…). They also confirmed by direct email that they don’t have an agent over here. Does anyone have any, or know someone that might?
  14. So, now that I have opended up the amp, I have discovered that the fan is 24v not 12v, and there is very limited clearance between the outer wall and the circuit board, which means a (more common) 25mm depth fan almost certainly won't fit. The current fan is 15mm deep. So I'm now searching t'internet for a 60x60mm fan, 20mm deep, and 24v. My theory is that a deeper fan (20mm instead of 15mm) will be more efficient and therefore won't need to spin as fast. The current fan just screams at full speed all the time, I've not been able to find the specs online, so I've no idea of the rpm its doing, its just a cheapo generic chinese OEM fan. My current Ashdown RM500 also has a fairly noisy fan, I assume that manufacturers just choose the cheapest they can find.
  15. In a quest to build a lightweight rig to save my ageing back I’ve just bought a (used) Peavey Minimax 500. So far it’s great apart from the loud fan noise, which reviews had led me to expect. It seems to be a standard 50mm fan, and there are several so called silent 50mm fans around online so I’m going to try one. I also have an inline 12v fan potentiometer from a PC that I built, which would slow the fan down. Or, maybe I can fit a thermal switch so it’s not constantly running? The noise will be less of an issue onstage but is too loud when playing at home. Has anyone ever done a fan swap or thermal switch mod on this or similar amps, to reduce the fan noise? Did it work? TIA
  16. That’s really interesting, thanks Bill. I will get some Tumeric tablets ASAP. I had heard of the effectiveness of tumeric for a long time. I have been taking gin soaked raisins (Google it) for a couple of months on recommendation from another muso but I’m not sure how well that works. I’m not in constant pain but when it goes it goes suddenly and I go to a chiropractor that does help, he has a unique technique of sharply slapping things back into place, which reduces the muscles fighting back. He really does help my back problem, until next time that is.
  17. The cabs are relatively lightweight, that’s why I bought them. The Ashdown combo is 17kg and the 1x15 cab is 15kg. I was surprised to find out that the Ashdown WhiteLine speakers are not Neodymium, just cheapo ceramic magnets; I didn’t realise this until the replacements I ordered from Ashdown arrived yesterday. Out of interest I weighed the cabs with and without speakers today while fitting them, and the speakers are responsible for around 1/3 of the overall weight - I thought it would be more. So changing them to Neo speakers would help a little, and if they blow again I’d consider doing that. Mind you if they blow again I’ll be more inclined to change the whole rig😊 It was actually my chiropractor that suggested that I carry both cabs together, as my lower back pain is caused by pelvic tilt, and lifting a larger weight in balance is apparently a lower risk to me than a smaller weight on one side. I will definitely use the trolley in future through.
  18. Some of my basses also have a bridge pickup that I sometimes rest on for a thinner sound, plus I can move my playing position a few inches toward the bridge with my thumb still in the same place, depending on the song, but I do get your point. I have tried the “floating thumb” technique but couldn’t make it work for me.
  19. Admins, apologies if this post should be in a different group. I've been playing over 45 years, and wish I'd found these earlier. I like to rest my thumb on the pickup, and while a Jazz is OK, a p-bass can get painful on a long gig. I've experimented recently with stick-on rubber pads (square cabinet feet actally) which work, but come loose after a few weeks. I found this chap recently - https://thumbrocker.com - he's a US based Design Engineer that got a 3D printer and came up with this simple design. It works well and he doesnt ask a lot of money either, plus shipping from the US was less than a week. The thumb rest for the p-bass also fits the recessed G&L p-bass pickup, see photos (the white thumb rest is intended for another bass). Highly recommended.
  20. That's my 2003 USA Precision Deluxe. Its a beauty that I picked up 5 or so years back. I refinished the scratchpad with carbon fibre vinyl wrap last year as I didn’t really love the original marble effect (before and after pics attached). The rear pickup is a Fender dual jazz thing, standard on that model at that time. I don't tend to use it, just the p-bass pickup mostly.
  21. I bought one of these red Kilotons from Andertons as well, just before Christmas. I have an SB-2 Tribute that I picked cheaply up on eBay a few months back, its very comfortable to play but the pickup shape left nowhere to rest my thumb (I’ve tried the floating thumb thing, lets not go there) and the rosewood neck made it hard to see the fret dots on a dark stage with my old eyes. I’ve gigged this bass several times and the body is very comfortable and I like the slim Jazz style neck and the sustain. I never use the bridge pickup so I just have volume and that’s it, which is OK as I prefer to have tone full on and use the amp to shape the sound, so lack of a tone knob didn’t bother me. The first Kiloton arrived with an unpleasant looking dark line in the grain along the top edge of the maple fretboard. Andertons were happy to change it but I had to pay the extra shipping as they said it wasn’t really a defect (?). The second Kiloton arrived with poor setup (probably not set up at all after leaving the factory I guess), and the tiny screw that clamps the bridge prices was missing so I swapped the screw over from the old Kiloton before that was collected. After some truss rod and bridge tweaking its better but has the same issue as the SB-2 had, where the G string is noticeably quieter than the others. I’ve raised the pole pieces but this issue is a work in progress. I changed the strings on both basses as the stock strings felt too rough and too bright. I had hoped the pickup shape on the kiloton would make a better thumb rest but it doesn’t, so I still stick a rubber adhesive block on the pickguard to rest my thumb, which need replacing every few weeks. I’ve been looking at ZeroMod etc. Unfortunately in a couple of our songs I play with a pick and the strings muted at the bridge with my right hand, and that makes the picking area directly above the pickup, so the Kiloton design isn’t the ideal one for me that I’d hoped it would be. Sound-wise I found the Kiloton to be a bit “meh” – none of the switch positions really float my boat and compared to my p-basses, they all sound a bit sterile. Like the SB-2 the body is very comfortable and I like the slim Jazz style neck and quality is good. At least with the maple neck I can see the fret markers! The body wood is soft, it already has a small dent and when installing Schaller straplocks I have already had to pad the holes with matches as they stripped easily. I haven’t gigged the Kiloton yet, for the last two gigs I’ve gone back to my lovely (but slightly heavier) 2003 USA Precision Deluxe. I’m not dissing the G&L’s as they are good quality and good to play, but mine may end up on eBay at some point.
  22. Thanks for all the replies. I had considered the folding sack barrow, in fact I do have one, so I’ll give that a serious try next time i need to carry the cabs a long distance. My cheapest option of course is going to be to fix the blown speaker in the Ashdown, I bought that rig for its lightness and its been OK for a couple of years now. I REALLY like the look of the Barefaced Super Twin though, but just shy of a grand… mind you my band now has over 20 pub gigs booked so far for this year, so it may justify. I don’t have any fixed budget and I’m fortunate in having a very tolerant wife. I’m a technical guy so I agree that the cab and speaker are designs that need to work together, but when I removed one of the 10” speakers yesterday to check it, my Ashdown combo cabinet is just an empty plain square box (made of soft cheap ply) so I struggle to see how that’s really matched to the speakers😊 I tend to play smaller pub gigs but we do play the odd slightly larger venue, see photo. In this place last Saturday they couldn’t DI me so I had to fill it with the Ashdown which was fine, even after I disconnected the two 10’s after one started farting, and just used the 15. My main concern with a single 12 or even 15 cab (aside from volume in a larger venue) would be having to bend down to make any adjustments and having nowhere to hang the bass😊 so that’s why I was thinking of a vertical 2 x 12 as being a decent compromise. I’m 6 foot 3 and my Ashdown combo and cabinet together stand 110cm high, so ergonomically that’s good. I saw the empty TC BC212 on eBay which made me think of this option, adding some wheels and a handle (and speakers…). However, the (full) TC BC212 is “only” rated at 250W with the original speakers, and my Ashdown rig with both cabinets is 500 watts in theory, so I fear it would be a backward step. In terms of head/amp, that’s a whole new discussion. I’m pretty happy with the RM500 amp in the Ashdown combo, and there are lots of choices of lightweight class D amps these days, so I’ll worry about that when the time comes. I’ll keep looking out for a decent 212 cabinet that I can modify and try the sack barrow in the meantime to save my back. I wouldn’t do a full self-build; I have the confidence in my ability, and the tools, but lack the workshop space. Someone mentioned a lightweight bass too, and I have tried several options over the years including a couple of Yamaha RBXA2’s. I have a couple of 90’s Japanese Precisions, both 50’s re-issues, that are Basswood and around 7 pounds, and I also have a couple of G&L Tributes (SB-2 and Kiloton) that are really comfy to play, but just sound a bit sterile IMHO. I keep going back to my lovely 2003 USA Precision Deluxe at nearly 9 pounds, in the photo. But that’s another whole new discussion😊
  23. Looks like my Ashdown RM combo may have blown one of its 10” speakers. Funnily enough that’ll be the second 2x10 combo speaker I’ve blown in recent years, the last was a GK210 combo that I never much liked, especially after that. I’m thinking about a back-friendly alternative. Even the lightweight Ashdown combo wrecks my old back sometimes. I also have a 15” matching RM cabinet and I carry both at the same time to balance things, but if the car is a few hundred yards from the gig its quite an ordeal for an old man like me. So, I’ve been thinking for a while of getting a 2 x 12 cabinet and putting some recessed wheels on the back for easy moving - https://www.flightcasefittings.co.uk/4-recessed-corner-castor-w2100.html , maybe also with a slide out handle. Has anyone done this? I play pub gigs where space is a premium, so forget 4x10, 8x10, etc. I’ve seen a used unloaded TC 212 bass cabinet for sale, which begs my real question as to what speakers might be a good choice to go in it. There’s a huge spread in cost, from £40 no-name 12” bass drivers to several hundred pounds each; I’m trying to do this on a sensible budget otherwise I might as well go buy a Markbass or similar. I’ve seen these drivers at £70- each - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401752853019?hash=item5d8a560a1b:g:nvUAAMXQyY1TRE6c EMINENCE BETA 12" 250w BASS SPEAKER 8ohm, NEW So £150 for two, plus say £50 for the cab, plus wheels and a handle, that’s doable. Any opinions? Or should I just pay a lot more and go buy a Markbass 122 Ninja 2 x 12"and screw some wheels on it? To be clear, I’m not wishing to discuss brands and sound quality, what I’m looking for is portability on a sensible budget.
  24. “they power soaked it through a number of cycles” - they turned it off and on again.
  25. Ok, one more question sorry. Maybe this should be a new thread. If I want to end up with a yellowed aged/vintage look, which would be the best option - Tru Oil, boiled linseed, Danish? Or are they all pretty much the same thing? The wood is apparently Ash which I think has a more grey colour naturally.
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