4-string-thing

Never mind the bass, what about that wallpaper?

[quote name='RichardH' post='891196' date='Jul 10 2010, 11:38 AM']Plenty of sources for grill cloth US [url="http://www.torresamps.com/grill_cloth.htm"]http://www.torresamps.com/grill_cloth.htm[/url] [url="http://www.mojotone.com/amp-parts/Grillcloth"]http://www.mojotone.com/amp-parts/Grillcloth[/url] Europe [url="http://www.tubeampdoctor.com/index.php?cPath=25"]http://www.tubeampdoctor.com/index.php?cPath=25[/url] [url="http://www.tube-town.net/ttstore/index.php/cat/c120_Grillcloth.html"]http://www.tube-town.net/ttstore/index.php...Grillcloth.html[/url][/quote] I bought some on ebay described as" Carlsbro type" and ended up using it over the front of a plain black cloth to give a unique look for my 2x10. Wish I had known about these though, would have been cheaper and probably looked better!

classic reggae set up? Fender Jazz through an old Acoustic head with one of their 18" cabs!

[quote name='spinynorman' post='890468' date='Jul 9 2010, 02:47 PM']Are these MAG cabs? I had a MAG300 head with MAG210T and MAG115 cabs. I used that rig in a couple of outdoor gigs, but always with proper outdoor PA support. But I never had any trouble hearing myself on stage. When the head packed up I continued using the MAG cabs with a Hartke HA3500 and that rig was good too. Both actually got quite a lot of compliments, for budget gear. I've only just sold the cabs on eBay and they fetched £87 and £67 respectively (+shipping), so they're not exactly expensive and come up fairly often. And they're light (or were, I think the new ones are heavier), the 115 particularly is an easy 1 person lift. I'd get the cabs as, if you change the amp, you could easily end up no better off (on the basis the PA speakers are the most likely source of the problem). Also, unless you desperately need to sell them on, could you use the PA cabs to improve the bass on the PA?[/quote] They were MAG cabs and they went for £82 each I think. Shipping wouldn't be a problem as they were only a few miles away. I've come up with another solution now anyway. Use all my gear at once! Well, not quite, the band have a decent PA and the drummer is also a DJ, he also has a pair of decent active speakers, so my PA gear is pretty much redundant. I am thinking, use my Ashdown head, or my beloved Acoustic head to feed my 2x15 cab and use my 400w Power amp to feed my 1x15 and 2x10. Not exactly small and light, which was the whole idea in the first place, but I do believe that if you want a big sound, you need a big rig!

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='886888' date='Jul 5 2010, 11:58 PM']Does it have an FX loop? FX loops are between the pre and power stage so if you take the FX loop out and plug it to the return on another amp, it should be fine. I assume it'd work going straight in to the input too, but someone more qualified than me should tell you for certain.[/quote] There is a pre-amp out and a power amp in, so yes an fx loop. I think if you use the power amp input, it disconnects the pre-amp, but not vice-versa.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='886056' date='Jul 5 2010, 09:10 AM']If your cabs are 4 ohms then you can only use one cab connected to a MAG head. Dont connect both to the MAG.[/quote] Ah, I should have said 300w 8ohms each....

Right, I have an old Acoustic 120 bass head that has a blown power resistor in the power amp pcb. Rather than try to get this fixed, I was wondering if its possible to just use the pre-amp section (which is on a seperate pcb) to feed another power amp or powered cab? How difficult would it be to disconnect the power supply to the faulty board and to use the pre-amp output to feed a couple of jack sockets on the rear panel? This would give me my preferred Acoustic sound but with a much higher output (I already own a 200w per side power amp) Any thoughts? Mark.

Here is another one of some selected bits from my Amp collection...

There could be a solution at hand, a guy a few miles away is selling his Ashdown Mag rig... a 15" cab, a 2x10 cab and a 600 evo11 head. He's selling them seperately so I'm guessing either the cabs or the head would probably help? My question now is, which? (buying both cabs and the head is not an option) Are the Mag cabs very efficient and well suited to the head? or should I buy the head and use it with my speakers (rated 600w, 4ohms) Or does anyone know of any other cheap, efficient s/h cabs going anywhere?

Thanks for the comments chaps, keep 'em coming! The cabs I used were 8ohms each, so I was getting the full 300w, but I suspect the cheap speakers and small cabs are just not very efficient. This combined with 2 loud guitarists, a powerful drummer and no reflected sounds, meant that out front, I was just a little too quiet. To be honest, I could probably have got away with it, and a little feed to the PA did the trick. To be fair, I only bought the Ashdown as a back-up and used the cabs because they are small and easy to transport. I guess the best (cost free) solution would be to try the Ashdown into my Acoustic 2x15 and see if it's any better. I also have a 200w stereo power amp, and might consider using this in the future combined with the Acoustic 220 pre-amp and both my Acoustic cabs. I suppose, with outdoor gigs, you need big gear! As Carroll Shelby once said "There's no substitute for cubic inches"

Ah, I should mention that I only used the Ashdown rig, not the Acoustic stuff, as the point is I am trying to downsize a bit (so, Mr Foxen, your doom rig is not the answer) The PA speakers were up to the job, but as the guitarists and drums didn't need it, neither should I! I was loud enough when onstage in front of my rig, but when I went out front with my wireless kit, I could hear the bass, but not as much as I wanted!

Ok, I have 2 rigs plus a few bits and pieces, one is my vintage Acoustic Control Corporation stuff and the other is my smaller Ashdown Mag 300 head with a couple of 15" cabs (cheap nasty 600w PA bass bins) My problem is, I had a gig in a marquee last night with my new band, and I was struggling to be heard. I decided to use the Ashdown rig, as I'd never used it before. The band has 2 loud guitarists (mesa 100w combo and a Blackstar 200w head/4x12) and a pretty loud drummer. Luckily, I was able to use the Ashdowns line out to the PA and give myself a bit more oomph, but Ideally I wouldn't want to do this. I've never had a problem with my Acoustic stuff, despite only being 125w (4ohms) or 175w (2ohms) so I'm guessing its a combination of things. 1: Ashdown is not as loud as 300w suggests. 2: Cheap speakers are not very efficient. 3: Guitarists with large valve amps need to be educated! (Same applies to drummer) 4: It was because it was an open-sided marquee, and in an indoor gig situation things would be different. Right, so my question is this: What would you good folks suggest I do to get more volume? More powerful amp, with the same speakers? Same amp with better speakers? Go back to the Acoustic rig and get a roadie to lug it about? Or just ask the guitarists to turn down and the drummer to not hit things quite so hard? Any thoughts appreciated Mark.

Well done on your purchase young man! You have joined an elite band, ie, you are now an owner of some of the worlds best bass gear! If you go on the unofficial Acoustic website, there is a guy on there called George Grexa (?) he can supply most of the parts to restore ACC gear to its former glory. Its not cheap though, but most parts are original or as close as possibe. If you email him, be sure to put the word Acoustic in the title header, or he will just delete your email without reading it! Good luck with the restoration, it will be worth it. Oh yeah, just had a quick look and Georges email is [email protected]

Just my opinion (so probably worthless) but I would never touch anything with the names Ampeg or Peavey or anything with just 10" speakers either! The Eminence 15's are probably brilliant though....

[quote name='bassman2790' post='858536' date='Jun 5 2010, 11:07 PM']Are they the newer Peavey's? or the original TNT's? [/quote] The ones in the top pic, not sure which models, but they have all seemed to have a distorted, poor tone and in one case it kept cutting out and farting at me!

I have only used Peavey combo's in various rehearsal rooms, and to be honest, they have all been rubbish. Its put me off ever buying any Peavey gear.

I took my girlfriend with me when I went to buy "a cheap bass to use for gigs in seedy pubs" I was thinking Squier , Ibanez or Warwick Rockbass. After trying a few sub £300 basses, she pointed at an oil finish Corvette and says "do you like that one" "Yes", says I..."then get it" It was almost £700. No arguments from me, but I still need a cheap bass for seedy pub gigs!

[quote name='Johnston' post='851332' date='May 29 2010, 06:40 PM']HAYNES MANUAL - THE REAL MEANINGS For those of us that have ever used a Haynes Manual (or Clymer or Chilton equivalents) in attempting home maintenance of a car or motorbike. For those who havn't used a Haynes Manual, these are the books aimed at those who want to fix their own vehicles and which keep qualified mechanics in paid employment putting things right afterwards. They are chock full of photos, diagrams and step-by-step instructions which are obvious if you are a fully qualified motor mechanic, but which are frighteningly sparse on detail for the average Joe in the street who wants to change a set of spark plugs on a 1981 VW Polo .... Haynes: Rotate anticlockwise. Translation: Clamp with molegrips (adjustable wrench) then beat repeatedly with hammer anticlockwise. You do know which way is anticlockwise, don't you? Haynes: Should remove easily. Translation: Will be corroded into place ... clamp with adjustable wrench then beat repeatedly with a hammer. Haynes: Remove small retaining clip. Translation: Take off 15 years of stubborn crud, it's there somewhere. Haynes: This is a snug fit. Translation: You will skin your knuckles! ... Clamp with adjustable wrench then beat repeatedly with hammer. Haynes: This is a tight fit. Translation: Not a hope in hell matey! ... Clamp with adjustable wrench then beat repeatedly with hammer. Haynes: As described in Chapter 7... Translation: That'll teach you not to read through before you start, now you are looking at scarey photos of the inside of a gearbox. Haynes: Locate ... Translation: This photo of a hex nut is the only clue we're giving you. Haynes: Pry... Translation: Hammer a screwdriver into... Haynes: Undo... Translation: Go buy a tin of WD40 (catering size). Haynes: Ease ... Translation: Apply superhuman strength to ... Haynes: Retain tiny spring... Translation: "Jeez what was that, it nearly had my eye out"! Haynes: Press and rotate to remove bulb... Translation: OK - that's the glass bit off, now fetch some good pliers to dig out the bayonet part and remaining glass shards. Haynes: Lightly... Translation: Start off lightly and build up till the veins on your forehead are throbbing then re-check the manual because what you are doing now cannot be considered "lightly". Haynes: Weekly checks... Translation: If it isn't broken don't fix it! Haynes: Routine maintenance... Translation: If it isn't broken... it's about to be! Haynes: One spanner rating (simple). Translation: Your Mum could do this... so how did you manage to botch it up? Haynes: Two spanner rating. Translation: Now you may think that you can do this because two is a low, tiny, ikkle number... but you also thought that the wiring diagram was a map of the Tokyo underground (in fact that would have been more use to you). Haynes: Three spanner rating (intermediate). Translation: Make sure you won't need your car for a couple of days and that your AA cover includes Home Start. Translation: But Novas are easy to maintain right... right? So you think three Nova spanners has got to be like a 'regular car' two spanner job. Haynes: Four spanner rating. Translation: You are seriously considering this aren't you, you pleb! Haynes: Five spanner rating (expert). Translation: OK - but don't expect us to ride it afterwards!!! Translation #2: Don't ever carry your loved ones in it again and don't mention it to your insurance company. Haynes: If not, you can fabricate your own special tool like this... Translation: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! Haynes: Compress... Translation: Squeeze with all your might, jump up and down on, swear at, throw at the garage wall, then search for it in the dark corner of the garage whilst muttering "bugger" repeatedly under your breath. Haynes: Inspect... Translation: Squint at really hard and pretend you know what you are looking at, then declare in a loud knowing voice to your wife "Yep, as I thought, it's going to need a new one"! Haynes: Carefully... Translation: You are about to cut yourself! Haynes: Retaining nut... Translation: Yes, that's it, that big spherical blob of rust. Haynes: Get an assistant... Translation: Prepare to humiliate yourself in front of someone you know. Haynes: Turning the engine will be easier with the spark plugs removed. Translation: However, starting the engine afterwards will be much harder. Once that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach has subsided, you can start to feel deeply ashamed as you gingerly refit the spark plugs. Haynes: Refitting is the reverse sequence to removal. Translation: But you swear in different places. Haynes: Locate securing bolt. Translation: Remember that worrying noise when you drove along the A38 last summer? That's where you'll find the securing bolt. Haynes: Prise away plastic locating pegs... Translation: Snap off... Haynes: Remove drum retaining pin. Translation: Break every screwdriver in your box. Haynes: Using a suitable drift or pin-punch... Translation: The biggest nail in your tool box isn't a suitable drift! Haynes: Everyday toolkit Translation: Ensure you have an RAC Card & Mobile Phone Haynes: Apply moderate heat... Translation: Placing your mouth near it and huffing isn't moderate heat. Translation #2: Heat up until glowing red, if it still doesn't come undone use a hacksaw. Translation #3: Unless you have a blast furnace, don't bother. Clamp with adjustable wrench then beat repeatedly with hammer. Haynes: Index Translation: List of all the things in the book bar the thing you want to do! Haynes: Remove oil filter using an oil filter chain wrench or length of bicycle chain. Translation: Stick a screwdriver through it and beat handle repeatedly with a hammer. Haynes: Replace old gasket with a new one. Translation: I know I've got a tube of Krazy Glue around here somewhere. Haynes: Grease well before refitting. Translation: Spend an hour searching for your tub of grease before chancing upon a bottle of washing-up liquid (dish soap). Wipe some congealed washing up liquid from the dispenser nozzle and use that since it's got a similar texture and will probably get you to Halfords to buy some Castrol grease. Haynes: See illustration for details Translation: None of the illustrations notes will match the pictured exploded, numbered parts. The unit illustrated is from a previous or variant model. The actual location of the unit is never given. Haynes: Drain off all fluids before removing cap. Translation: Visit bathroom, spit on ground, remove baseball cap in order to scratch head in perplexity. Haynes: Top up fluids. Translation: Drink 2 cans of beer and call out a mobile mechanic to undo the damage. For Added Haynes Fun, go to the first section "Safety First" and read the bit about Hydrofluoric Acid. Would you really trust the advice of a book that uses this form of understatement? The best one I encountered was how to change a brake sensor in a Ford Fiesta Popular Plus. The photo showing the location of the unit failed to mention the crucial detail of whether the item was located in the engine compartment or inside the car ..... and the helpful photo of what the thing looked like didn't give the reader any clues! THE CONDENSED HAYNES MANUAL All makes and models post-2000 For a modern car chock full of electronics, all that's in the Haynes Manual (aka "The Haynes Bumper Book of Jokes") is: Routine Service: Take it to a main dealer and hand over a large amount of cash. Advanced Service: Open the bonnet. Decide all that stuff is far too scary. Proceed with routine service (see above). HAYNES GUIDE TO TOOLS OF THE TRADE HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer is nowadays used as a kind of divining rod to locate expensive parts not far from the object we are trying to hit. MECHANIC'S KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on boxes containing seats, motorcycle jackets, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use. ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning steel Pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age, but it also works great for drilling mounting holes just above the brake line that goes to the rear wheel. SKILL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short. PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters. BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs. HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes. MOLE-GRIPS/ADJUSTABLE WRENCH: Used to round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand. OXYACETELENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your garage on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside a brake-drum you're trying to get the bearing race out of. TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity. WHITWORTH SOCKETS: Once used for working on older cars and motorcycles, they are now used mainly for impersonating that 9/16 or 1/2 socket you've been searching for for the last 15 minutes. DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, splattering it against that freshly painted part you were drying. WIRE WHEEL: Cleans rust off old bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprint whorls and hard-earned guitar callouses in about the time it takes you to say, "F...." BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge. HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering car to the ground after you have installed your new front disk brake setup, trapping the jack handle firmly under the front wing (fender). EIGHT-FOOT LONG DOUGLAS FIR 2X4: Used for levering a car upward off a hydraulic jack. TWEEZERS: A tool for removing wood splinters. PHONE: Tool for calling your neighbour to see if he has another hydraulic floor jack. SNAP-ON GASKET SCRAPER: Theoretically useful as a sandwich tool for spreading mayonnaise; used mainly for getting dog-doo off your boot. BOLT AND STUD EXTRACTOR: A tool that snaps off in bolt holes and is ten times harder than any known drill bit. TIMING LIGHT: A stroboscopic instrument for illuminating grease buildup. TWO-TON HYDRAULIC ENGINE HOIST: A handy tool for testing the tensile strength of ground straps and brake lines you may have forgotten to disconnect. CRAFTSMAN 1/2 x 16-INCH SCREWDRIVER: A large motor mount prying tool that inexplicably has an accurately machined screwdriver tip on the end without the handle. BATTERY ELECTROLYTE TESTER: A handy tool for transferring sulfuric acid from a car battery to the inside of your toolbox after determining that your battery is dead as a doornail, just as you thought. AVIATION METAL SNIPS: See hacksaw. INSPECTION LIGHT: The mechanic's own tanning booth. Sometimes called a drop light, it is a good source of vitamin D, "the sunshine vitamin," which is not otherwise found under cars at night. Health benefits aside, its main purpose is to consume 40-watt light bulbs at about the same rate as 105-mm howitzer shells during the Battle of the Bulge. More often dark than light, its name is somewhat misleading. PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads. STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws. AIR COMPRESSOR: A machine that takes energy produced in a fossil-fuel burning power plant 200 miles away and transforms it into compressed air that travels by hose to a pneumatic impact wrench that grips rusty bolts last tightened 30 years ago by someone in Dagenham, and rounds them off. PRY (CROW) BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part. HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to cut hoses 1/2 inch too short. DAMMIT TOOL: Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling 'DAMMIT' at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.[/quote] Ha Ha, as someone who has built 3 kit-cars with the aid of various Haynes manuals over the years, I know exactly where you are coming from!

Does anyone want to buy my Landrover Freelander and my girlfriend, so I can buy this? Peggy is my hero (met him a couple of times) and The P is my favourite bass..... PS: if anyone off here buys it, any chance of me coming round for a butchers?

Not sure if this is relevant, but any electrical wholesaler such as the one I work for, will be able to sell you all sorts of fuses and give you good advice on slow blow and time delay fuses etc. You could try glass fuses instead of the ceramic ones you normally get for 13a plugs, these are obviously see-through and allow you you to see if the fuse has melted or blown. If there is still fuse wire visible inside the fuse (just broken in the middle) then the fuse has melted, usually caused by overload, ie, the fuse is rated too low for the current drawn. If there is no visible fuse wire and the inside of the glass looks burnt or brown in colour, then it has blown, usually due some kind of short circuit. If it's just melted, you could uprate it by a couple of amps and try again, if it's blown it would be best to get it looked at.

[quote name='Ancient Mariner' post='834199' date='May 11 2010, 01:32 PM']Resistance and impedance are not the same thing, and what you are measuring is resistance. Impedance varies according to, among other things, the frequency of the signal sent through the speaker.[/quote] I also believe sticking an ohmmeter across a speaker is not a good idea (I stand to be corrected on this though)

Years ago, bread used to come in poly bags with a plastic tag to seal it...they worked a treat, think I still have some in my bass case....

I'd definitely be up for this provided the date fits in with work etc, or there was enough notice to make arrangements.....