Mr.T

Thanks guys. I have done the twiddling and listening... albeit mainly at home... Band practice, now that would be a luxury! I said it was an 'anal' question. So you don't know the answer then, eh?

I would apologise for my lack of knowledge on this subject, but being a career-long Trace Elliot slider user I feel kind of justified asking this question.... Ok, so the two mid frequency selection controls on my SA450 are marked: Low Mid: 100 to 800mhz High Mid: 700mhz to 6 khz ... and each can be cut or boosted 16db. So far, so good, but... I assume that the frequencies are not linear, so how do I work out what the centre positions are (Or any point within the sweep). I hope that makes sense? (I have a need to know these things... I know it might sound a bit anal).

Forgive my multiple posting here. Just thinking... This must be an amp voicing issue as when I used the Eden amp with the same bass and cabs I didn't get any 'clank' and my pull-offs were clear and crisp.

[quote name='ezbass' post='376179' date='Jan 10 2009, 02:37 PM']For an all round sound I run the bass at about 2 O'clock, VLE on a little and VPF at 10 O'clock, everything else flat. I know that my Schroeder cab has an low mid hump in its voicing, so the VPF is just flattening that out a bit.[/quote] Hi, Did you ever suss out where the mid hump is on the Ashdown when you owned it?

[quote name='testrat' post='376331' date='Jan 10 2009, 06:17 PM']Hissing all the time. It's sounds like the hiss you get from a high gain fuzz/OD pedal but at a much lower volume[/quote] I'd say that if it not your tweeter then something is wrong, as mine is totally silent. Can you hook up to another cab to check?

[quote name='Fraktal' post='376168' date='Jan 10 2009, 02:25 PM']Hmmm that sounds like a mid bump between 1kHz-2kHz and a slight rolloff of all frequencies above 2k. Dont take my word on it because its complicated to see whats wrong without actually being there myself, but your explanation sounds very precise to me. You could try adjusting the highmid potentiometer down to 10 o'clock and boosting the high pot . The highmid pot is centered at 800Hz but it will surely affect 1kHz almost as much as 800Hz, so that should do to get rid of the "clank" you mentioned. The high pot will affect every frequency above 2kHz, boosting it should help with those pull-offs. This might sound rude, but please take no offense: Have you checked all your tweeters are working properly and are not attenuated? How long have you been using those strings?[/quote] No offence taken... I appreciate your thoughts. The tweeter in my Ashdown neo cab seems to be working fine (although I have set it to 'low') and my strings are pretty new and only done a couple of gigs. This is definately a set-up issue. I am not sure what you mean by 'not attenuated'?? Thanks for the advice on frequencies! I have gotten really used to using Trace sliders, and haven't touched my sound for years.... many years. So... I'll try gutting at 1khz and boosting at 2khz (or turn my tweeter up?).

[quote name='testrat' post='376297' date='Jan 10 2009, 05:38 PM']One quick question, anybody notice a hiss within their gear or have i got a problem?[/quote] I can get tweeter hiss if I turn the switch on the cab to full and go anywhere near the treble boost on my Status. Or... do you mean it is hissing all the time?

Gigged with my new gear last night and it's looking good, so far. First off... What an absolute joy to carry my new cabs (Ashdown 2 x 10 with neo's sitting on top of an Aggie GS112), so light... I was set-up before our drummer even got her kit on stage! Anyway, the sound... I started with Gain @ 12, Master @ 9, VPF @ 8 and everything else flat. Two words come to mind 'Punchy' and 'Loud'. I aimed to get the same sound as I did from my Trace gear and after our first number (an instrumental we use like a sound check, with our singer wandering around the pub) the singer told me I sounded as I usually do, but was LOUDER... I think he meant 'clearer' because I have never heard myself with such ease. Towards the end of the first set, I play the intro's to a couple of numbers and thought my bass sounded a little clanky (high mids somewhere?) which is odd because the only other downside to my sound was that 'pull-offs' on the G string were not all that clear and crisp and lacked that 'funk'... (high mids somewhere else?). Any suggestions as to what frequency I should be looking at? (If we rehearsed I am sure I could find it, but hey...)

I hope this hasn't been done before? I have been reading the 'Over-Rated' thread, and yes I have to agree some things can be disappointing.... but what about those rare times in life when we don't expect too much and are pleasantly surprised? Like when you end up with the plain looking girl (You know what I mean as Bass players) and..... Ok, I'll start with the Zoom BFX708 (Yes, the plastic one). I've bought (and sold) the Line6 BassPod XT Live and the Boss GT6B because the old Zoom sounds better to my ears, even though they often get a slating. Plus... The Zoom is compact, easy to program and about £25 secondhand.

[quote name='dannybuoy' post='372249' date='Jan 6 2009, 05:56 PM']Cheers for the input, not entirely sure on what kinda cab I want right now. Alex's cabs sound (on paper) amazing, this idea is a way of putting together a poor man's Compact without woodworking skills if I could get a broken 1153 for say £50 or so and get the 3015 driver for about £100. I'm leaning towards 15s, but not sure if I need much response above 5k or not. Usually not, but when using a synthy fuzz effect that extra sheen above 5k sounds good... I'm going to make some recordings and filter them to see how much top end I would actually need/miss.[/quote] Interestingly (or not!) I didn't find my 1153 to be particularly 'top shy'...if anything it was the bottom end that needed tightening up. Good cabs for the money (IMO). I just wanted something easier on my ageing back!

Yep, that makes sense. On my old Trace I dropped out about 2 notches of mids (about 6db?)... any more and it would sound great solo but get 'lost' with the band. I am not sure how much gets cut on the SA450 at 10 o'clock on the VPF filter, but I have a feeling it was more. My bass has a pretty powerful EQ, so I am not overly worried about gigging with my new rig... although a run through at rehearsal would have been nice as I like to concentrate on my playing at gigs, not my sound. I used Trace for about 20 years, so was always dialed in by the end of the first tune.

Thanks for all the replies. It seems like I'll be gigging with my new rig this Friday... still with no rehearsal. I think that I will start with the EQ flat and the filters both off, and take it from there! The Markbass seems to be very easy to over EQ (If that makes sense?).

Hi, I did un unexpected gig at the weekend with my SA450, which I hadn't had a chance to set up properly other than using it at home. It was a suprise birthday party for me, got to my local village hall and there was all my gear on stage..... Anyway, to the point of my post. As expected, my 'frontroom' sound got a bit lost in the mix. As there wasn't any time to do much tweaking, I ran the amp flat other than the VPF filter at 10 o'clock. So I am wondering what settings all you LM2/SA450 owners are running, and what sound you are achieving? I know this is fairly academic due to different cabs and basses.... I am just curious, as the two filters seem very powerful.

[quote name='Delberthot' post='367213' date='Dec 31 2008, 04:33 PM']I have discovered that the thread size is 10/32. I'm now trying to find the specs for the Fender piggyback screws as I have a feeling that they are the same. I've found them on US Amazon but they come in at £14 odds for a couple of screws. Screw that[/quote] If it is of any use... American made 'Radio Controlled' cars (Team Associated being one make) use 10/32 allen screws. A search on e-bay should find you some, or try a model shop.... Good luck!

Watching TV on new years eve? .... I thought we were the only band not gigging last night!

Ok, it looks like a bit of a mongrel.... but is sounding good!

Well... The little Markbass amp was delivered on time and I've had a couple of days to mess around with it at home. I am not going to commit to raving about it until I have gigged it next week. My initial impressions... It is very light (as expected) and for something designed in Italy not very pretty looking (IMO). But hey, I bought it for the sound... and it seems to have plenty of it! I plugged in my fretted Status and it only took about 5 minutes to get the hang of the 'EQ' and 'Filter' sections, and find a nice 'frontroom' sound. I think in a gig situation I'll probably be running the amp fairly flat... we'll see. The SA450 seems to have a fairly powerful amount of EQ and I would be suprised if anyone could not find a sound they liked with this amp.... (as long as they like clean sounds).... there is no dirt to be found here! It will do anything from 'dark and moody' to 'bright' with all points in between. The two filters are simple enough to use, the VLE essentially cutting the higher mids and top with the VPF scooping out the mids.... I found moderation of both to be the order of the day. I would have liked to have seen a mute button, but will get used to using my pedal for mute tuning. Not much else to say really, the Markbass does what it promises... To reproduce the sound of your bass! It is cleaner than my Trace... (If I want dirt, I can add it). It is not as warm as the Eden... (But I doubt that would notice with the rest of the band?). I am not going to compare it with the Shuttle I tried, because I think the little GenzBenz must have had a fault. I am basing this on reviews I have read that said the MarkBass and GenzBenz amps are quite similar. The shuttle I tried had little to no bottom end (even when fully cranked) and the SA450 has shedloads of it. Next, I plugged in my fretless Status and.... My God!!!! I have never had my fretless sound sooooo good, it was an almost sexual experience. My fretless has always sounded either dull or at best like a slightly out of tune fretted bass.... it sounded 'kind of' Ok but never how I like a fretless to sound. I thought that maybe Status fretless just weren't really up to it. ........ but through the MarkBass it really sings! I just couldn't put it down, I was m'wahing away like it was going out of fashion. So, all in all, I am pleased with the SA450.... but will wait to gig it before making my final decision.

Redstriper... I guess I'll get used to not having a mute, actually the Eden didn't have one which I thought odd on such an expensive amp!? I am thinking that the Markbass amps must be pretty versatile as players of very wide ranging genres seem to be happy with them... we'll see. Bass Ferret... Will do! It'll be interesting to hear how it stands up against the Eden at less than half the price.

Just ordered myself a Markbass SA450... got it for the same price as the LM2. Should be here tomorrow with a bit of luck!

I spent a couple of hours today messing around with the EQ settings on my Trace amp. I found that if I shaped the graphic to heavily cut the 340 and 660hz frequencies and boosted everything else, I could get a half decent sound. I am wondering if this is something to do with the neo's in my Ashdown cab, and whether the Eden head was 'scooped' in this area making it sound so much better with my cabs? I found the Shuttle that I tried also needed some pretty radical EQ'ing to get a sound I liked... (which was what put me off the amp)... I used to run my Trace pretty flat with the Trace cabs! Anyway... If I go for the LM2 (which is looking favourite at the moment just because so many people seem to be happy with theirs) will I need to EQ the living daylights out of it? ...or is there an amp in my price range that has a similar 'scoop' to the Eden? Thanks for your patience! This would be so much easier if I had a local music store.... p.s. I phoned my local store (25 miles away) to ask about a LM2. They said they could get me one, but don't stock those 'new fangled' makes 'cos folks round these parts are a bit weary of them!!!??? Thank god for the internet.

Remember my budget is £500

Thanks for the replies guys. Please keep the suggestions coming, I need to get this sorted before we start gigging again on the 9th. Jan.

[quote name='bumnote' post='363711' date='Dec 26 2008, 02:59 PM']Do you need 2 400 watt amps? if not consider a s hand traveller Why not have the eden ovehauled gotta be cheaper than splashing out £500[/quote] I have been given a refund on the Eden. I loved the sound of it, but have read of too many people having reliability issues to want another Eden product. Ideally, I would buy something British? Powerwise, I never struggled with my Trace GP12 250smx... and it has been totally reliable. It sounded great with the Trace cabs, but not so clever with my new cabs... kind of 'clanky'.

Hi, I need to replace my Eden WT800, due to reliability issues. It's replacement must sound similar, ie: Warm, clean and smoooooth. Must haves: Sound as above. Around 500w @ 4 ohms. Decent EQ... (I am quite liking rotary controls). A price tag of no more than £500. Reliability. Would likes: Mute button Don't cares: Doesn't need to be a featherweight. I don't ever DI. For 20 years I have used Trace gear, and been very happy with it. However since using the Eden, I don't think I want to go back to it... and my Trace head doesn't sound so clever when paired with my new cabs (Ashdown 2 x 10 neo and Aguilar 1 x 12). As a pointer in the right direction, I tried a Genz shuttle 6.0 (amazing little amp) but thought it sounded 'sterile' (to my ears) with the rest of my kit. Suggestions please.

[quote name='Josh' post='363057' date='Dec 24 2008, 07:48 PM']As a previous owner of both a Thumb bass and an Eden Wt550, I would strongly advise you don't go for the 550.[/quote] Why? Say more....