MIJ-VI

I hadn't played my MIJ Fender VI in years and was going to sell it. It needed a help-it-sell set-up. I gave it one.

'Big mistake/blessing.

It now has Curtis Novak pickups and LaBella flats. It's a keeper for life.

Hindsight: It didn't change. I did.

A case of narrowly averted seller's regret.

Only eighteen...

[quote name='Jateca' post='729353' date='Jan 29 2010, 07:22 PM']Well, I removed and checked both coils and they both seem ok. Pushed both in evenly at the dustcap as suggested and didn't notice anything obviously out of place.

There was also very little sign of any burning apart from a slight brown mark at the very back of one speaker (which could easily be something else harmless) and some of the fibre glass lining appeared melted near to the point where the cables connect to the other speaker cone.

I'm stumped, think [u]I'm going to get a fella at an electronics shop to look at it.[/u] Thanks for the help anyways. Any more suggestions would be welcome![/quote]

I concur. At this point it's tech time.

Please keep us posted re any further developments.

[quote name='Jateca' post='728643' date='Jan 29 2010, 08:10 AM']^

Cheers for the reply

Not to worry, first thing I did when I smelled burning was to disconnect and separate the amp and cab.

The power amp section on the amp never went past 1 o'clock, though I do make a lot of use of overdrive pedals. I wouldn't have thought they would actually damage a speaker though.

The tweeter attenuator is low but never completely off. The damage to the 1/4" jack port is just cosmetic I think, just sheared off the plastic outer part in transit. The rest of the component seems fine. Think it was just coincidence that I noticed that just before the problem happened, but thought I'd mention it anyway.

The input to the cab I was using at the time was GKs own speakon input which has separate signals going to the tweeter and woofers. It uses their 4-core cable but I don't think these have taken any damage.[/quote]

Well the good news here is that you're a player who knows how to use their gear (I've seen many 'different' approaches on TalkBass).

An amp's volume knob setting is relative to the strength of the signal being fed to the pre-amp. Do you play an active bass?

Overdrive pedals won't cause speaker damage but they can obscure the sound of a power amp which has been driven into clipping.

A burning odour indicates that something in the cab is fried and possibly partially shorting out the signal to the speakers (which would explain the loss of volume you mentioned in your OP).

A next step would be to confirm that the woofers are OK.

To do so, place your fingertips around the circumference of each woofer's domed dust cap and gently & evenly push the speaker cone into the cab slightly while listening & feeling for any scrapping that would indicate a voice coil which has been deformed due to overheating.

Next, remove one of the woofers, and using a flashlight, peer into the cab to examine the tweeter and wiring for any sign of scorching.

Please note: speaker cabs are usually stuffed with fiberglass insulation (to damper resonant frequencies) so wear old clothes and gloves if you have to reach inside the cab any distance.

[quote name='Jateca' post='728564' date='Jan 29 2010, 07:06 AM']So in rehearsal this evening I think I blew at least one of my speakers but I'm not sure!

My rig is a Gallien Krueger 700rb - II running via the GK biamp into an old-design GK neo 212 cab (8 ohm).

Whilst playing my volume dipped and I noticed a strong burning smell that came from the speaker cab. Checked the crossover on the back panel and all the components seem fine (except for a little external damage to the full-range 1/4" jack port) and the burning smell seemed to be from inside the cab.

I'm going to inspect them properly tomorrow but I'm not sure what I'm looking for. I'd guess that I've fried the voice-coil somehow, but how do I tell if this is the case?

Also, could the problem be my amp? I got it 2nd hand but all that was wrong with it were dirty pots. Any way it could have a fault that is causing the damage to my speakers?

The cab is rated at 600W rms at 8 ohm and my amp puts out about 380W at 8 ohm (480W at 4 ohm). I got the impression from reading here that underpowering shouldn't be a factor, right?[/quote]

Hi Jateca.

First off, the obvious: please don't power up your amp until the issue is identified and has been remedied.

As long as you weren't playing your rig loud enough to clip (distort) its power amp then none of the woofers should be fried.

(Please note: I've never used this make & model of bass amp. Hopefully someone who has will chime in.)

Does this cab have a tweeter? If so, did you have it completely turned off? Doing so can result in the L-pad (which is what I believe the tweeter's attenuation device is called) being overpowered at high volumes. The prevention here is to keep the tweeter turned up a bit to better handle the power being fed to the L-pad and tweet' by the crossover.

Also, you mentioned damage to the cab's 1/4" jack. Is it scorched? What is the condition of the speaker cable you were using.

Do your amp & cab have Speakon connectors as well?

[quote name='Beedster' post='727765' date='Jan 28 2010, 11:25 AM']I returned my Flightcase, and now [u]I've sold my Superflightcase[/u]. Phil Jones is a good guy who was very helpful with my issues. However, I can't help thinking that, like so many manufacturers, he has to rush stuff to market, and at a lower price than perhaps he'd wish, to remain competitive. My Flightcase was shocking to be honest, not only was it noisy to run but it was also, ironically, pretty quiet for an amplifier rated at 150w, and almost unusable as anything other than a practice amp. The Super Flightcase however was outstanding, sublime tone and great volume, a different deal, and at only 100w more [u](I've sold it for completely unrelated reasons that I won't go into here).[/u] I don't get the inconsistency to be honest, so I guess the Flightcase may have had more than one fault. Certainly I find it odd that they use different classes of amps in two products that are marketed as simply different versions of each other? Anyway, it annoys me that people were aware of these issues a fair while back, BUT STILL SELL THE GEAR. I won't mention names, but I was told by the dealer from whom I bought the Flightcase, and this was over a month ago, that a step-down/step-up transformer might solve the issues. I said no way, give me my money back, and they did. But they're still selling the model in question, knowing that this is an issue in UK models?[/quote]

WOW! I hope circumstances will soon allow for another (or something even better suited to your needs).

As for the BG-150? 'Seems to me that the appropriate response would be for Mr. Jones to offer properly functioning replacement amp sections for these little rigs on a per case/need basis as a means of bolstering customer confidence in PJB products.

Mr. Gallien did this when dealing with the extensive teething problems of the Gallien-Krueger MB2-500 with the result being a further bolstering of G-K's already truly impressive customer loyalty.

Perhaps residents of higher voltage (and other) regions would do well to bring along good headphones when auditioning a PJB BG-150 (or any amp sporting a headphone jack).

Knowing what I know now I'll be bringing mine to any amp audition.

I would expect that Phil Jones will remedy this Class D problem in his future Class D designs.

It is worth noting that Chris seems quite pleased with his BG-300--a Class A/B amp.

It'll be interesting to learn how PJB's latest rigs work out.

Before buying a PJB BG-150 in the U.K. or continental Europe please read this:

[url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8602392&postcount=11"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php...mp;postcount=11[/url]

[quote name='Beedster' post='723006' date='Jan 24 2010, 06:58 AM']That's a very interesting idea, and one that provides the best of both worlds (assuming the power lead doesn't prove problematic for the wedge, but I'd sure you can sort that). We do a lot of gigs on the same small stage, but in quite a big room. The PA is crap so I refuse to go through it, we leave it for vocals only. This unit has completely changed the way the sound is transmitted to the band anyway, the drummer has to sit behind me and I have too stand over the cab, so previoulsy he struggled to hear me, which is fine when he's taking the song, but there's a few where I lead and he was largely having to watch me as opposed to listen to me, which is never entirely satisfactory. First gig with the SFC he had no trouble, neither did other guys in the band, and neither did the 150 or so audience. It does seem to disperse the tone very well indeed. As a wedge monitor, you may find that it isn't as directional as you'd like, does that make sense? That is, it doesn't seem to point to sound in any one direction. However, I think it's a good idea and will no doubt make a big difference to your sound. Once again, the tone is great!

C[/quote]

The Bose 802s I used eons ago made me a disciple of small drivers = superior articulation & dispersion--[i]very[/i] intelligible.

If a BG-300 can cover a bandstand and 150 audience members with proper P-Bass tone [i]without[/i] PA support, then the '300 should do a [i]bang-up[/i] job with a 30" 'VI!

Your stated experience (along with that of other BG-300 users on TB) has served to further convince me that if tone/the ability of everyone to hear & enjoy one's playing is the number one consideration, then in the ~30 lb. weight class the PJB Super Flightcase is the rig to beat.

--------

And now for your viewing pleasure...



Please note: not pictured are the three 650 Watt RMS all-tube amps which power these.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='722918' date='Jan 24 2010, 05:34 AM']In't PJB stuff made in China? Nowt wrong with that, mind...[/quote]

"Just to put the record staright. PJB is ASSEMBLED IN CHINA. It does not mean that all parts are Chinese. Many parts come from Japan, USA, UK and Europe.
Many so called American made amps are nearly 100% Chinese parts. Often the labor cost of screwing them together offsets the total build cost to legally call it "Made in America".
I know because I used to manufacture in New Hampshire,USA Platinum Audio was 95% Chinese parts but had "Made in America" and was considered at the time to be some of the finest US audio speakers."

- Sir Funkalot (aka Phil Jones)

[url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3230015&postcount=99"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php...mp;postcount=99[/url]

[quote name='Beedster' post='722819' date='Jan 24 2010, 01:43 AM']Yes and no really! Yes, for monitoring it's infinitely better than any other small combo I've used (i.e., when it's also having to serve as the backline). Flip side is you can't beat a wedge firing directly up at you, as well as a backline, as well as a PA!

So small band, not too much stage noise, yes. Larger bacd, more srage noise, it might be asking a bit much.

Still gets my vote though!

C[/quote]

Hmm... I'm thinking that a Super Flightcase positioned in front of a bassist, and laid on its side atop an [url="http://www.ampwedge.com/"]Ampwedge[/url] so that the 4x5's are aimed at the player and the two now side-firing fives are aimed at the opposite rear corner of the stage, may result in a further leveraging of a BG-300's bass monitoring capabilities to allow the bass to be heard well enough by band members in louder (within reason) situations with PA support.



I'm guessing/hoping that exploiting the Super Flightcase's superior (and adaptable) sound dispersion characteristics will offset its comparatively modest maximum volume (that is, compared to more directional compact combos which can't do 40Hz) with the result being a very PA-friendly bass monitor suitable for a wider range of gigs.

From what I gather, when it comes to 30 lb.-ish, 40Hz-capable, wide frequency range bass amps (or cabs), aside from the PJB BG-300, there's the AI Ten2, and the ACME B1--none of which exhibit a high sensitivity. (IIRC one can have any two of these three bass amp attributes: light, low, or loud.)

I'm glad to hear that your new Super Flightcase is working out well for you Chris. Your descriptions of its near-surround-sound character reminds me of the the ambiance which one can obtain from open-back guitar combos. I've always wanted to have that omnipresent sound for bass guitar.

Gary

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='722592' date='Jan 23 2010, 04:00 PM']+1 and having now used the word regearsal myself we can claim it has entered the lexicon

And Beedster, come on, [u]we're waiting for pics[/u]![/quote]

Yeah! Red amp pics!

[quote name='Beedster' post='722404' date='Jan 23 2010, 01:12 PM']OK......

Overall I'm extremely impressed. I'll do this by bullet points as I think it'll be easier to read than my usual rambling and lengthy narrative

Good

* It's very, very quiet, no hiss, no whistle, no nothing. Lovely quietness.
* The tone is outstanding, really outstanding. It makes my other gear sound mono by comparison - I'm sure you know what I mean.
* The tone controls are extremely versatile, I can dial in a serious range of tones, very small changes in orientation of controls makes a big change in tone.
* I can hear myself clearly, the band can hear me clearly. The bass feels like it's playing through a surround sound system at times
* It's very light and very small, surprisingly so on both counts
* I've had very good follow-up from Phil Jones via email regarding my previous issues

Bad

* It was very expensive (close to £900).
* It doesn't move a lot of air. It's rated at 250w but I'd say it puts out half what my old Trace/Marshall 250w rig put out (that rig was however very powerful and big)
* It seems more sensitive to room acoustics and dimensions than previous gear I've owened (I struggled to hear notes around D at rehearsals. Fine at the last gig)

All in all, if I didn't need a small amp with good monitoring capability, I wouldn't have paid £900. But I did need one, and on that basis, it was worth the money. All USA-built gear is very pricey at the moment, and had any UK manufacturer made anything like this (or even the continental guys e.g., Markbass), I'd have gone for it, but having owned a lot of Markbass gear, I'm confident the PJB tone is way better. Seriously way better.

Trust me, it will NOT keep up with a loud drummer or a Marshall/pointy dude on lead. I think the title 'Super Flightcase' (and it's '300' model number which perhaps suggests it's more pwerful than it is), is a little misleading. Furthermore, I'm not convinced the Flightcase was a whole lot quieter (although I never gigged it). Luckily we have a well trained guitarist and a drummer with a light touch, and for that band, this unit is perfect (although I'm running it close to max most of the time at gigs). I gigged at a party for a singer last week, and many of the guest were musicians themselves. It was the first gig in a long time at which I was complimented on my tone as well as my playing (TBH the latter doesn't happen all that often either). A couple of the more knowledgable guys commented on how the bass tone was also clear and articulate.

Will I be using this for the newly formed Texas Boogie band? NFW. Will I be keeping it? Yes.

Hope that's helpful guys, please let me know if you need any further info

C[/quote]

Thank you for posting your further impressions re the Super Flightcase Chris.

Your assessment resonates with what I've read on TalkBass concerning the BG-300 delivering premium tone for use in bands where the guitarist and drummer are under adult supervision.

It seems then that, for lower volume occasions where tonal nuances can actually be discerned and appreciated, PJB rigs are A-list contenders.

Do you feel that the Super Flightcase would provide sufficient volume as a bass monitor in conjunction with PA support?

Thank you.

Gary

Update?

"We're trying to convince LaBella to make Hellcat VI-specific strings. They seem to be really considering going in this direction. It would be really beneficial if anybody here could take a minute to email LaBella to let them know of your interest in buying Hellcat VI-specific strings (flat and roundwound) from LaBella. Direct your emails to: <[email protected]> Thanks!"

[url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8575993&postcount=190"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php...p;postcount=190[/url]

[url="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=153636914012#/group.php?gid=153636914012"]http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=1536...id=153636914012[/url]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LpB1E4EE7k&feature=related"]ugly truth behind Cort/Cor-tek guitars[/url]

Just imagine how far Mr. Harris' career could've advanced if it weren't for his personal problems.

As it is, his body of recorded work stands proud.

Credit where it's due I say.

He proved that a bass player could be more - a [i]lot[/i] more - than just a 'sideman'.

Jet Harris has my respect.

Gary

[url="http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/gloucestershireheadlines/Shadow-Harris-honoured/article-1662139-detail/article.html?cacheBust=69r7tu1X33cm&success=true#community"]http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/glo...=true#community[/url]

--------

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iMlOWz7TTI"]Scarlett O'Hara by Jet Harris and Tony Meehan[/url]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAUOnTaa_TE&feature=related"]Diamonds - Jet Harris MBE & Tony Meehan[/url]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPMp5XRxpjE&feature=related"]Jet Harris - 'The Man With The Golden Arm'[/url]

"On January 11, guitar manufacturers from Korea will travel to Anaheim to protest the illegal actions of their employer Cort Guitars. In 2007, Cort Guitars—which manufactures instruments for popular American companies like Fender, Ibanez, and Gibson—fired all of its Korean employees and closed all of its Korean plants in a blatantly illegal move to avoid paying proper wages, or to fix its deplorable working conditions..."

[url="http://axisofjustice.net/korean-guitar-workers-take-struggle-to-usa/"]http://axisofjustice.net/korean-guitar-wor...truggle-to-usa/[/url]

[url="http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=11107&post=58564&uid=153636914012#/topic.php?uid=84437728562&topic=15007"]http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=11...amp;topic=15007[/url]

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='714664' date='Jan 16 2010, 06:05 AM']I nominate this as a new word:
[b]regearsal[/b]: [i]n[/i] a rehearsal in which one is testing new gear[/quote]

I second this nomination.

It's a practical morphological derivative.

[quote name='Beedster' post='714635' date='Jan 16 2010, 05:22 AM']Well I got it Wednesday afternoon, rehearsed it that evening, and gigged it last night. It took some getting used to at the regearsal, it's a very small room and [u]there seemed to be a lot of acoustic dead spots with this amp that I hadn't noticed with other amps in the past (namely Mesa Boogie venture and various Markbass combinations). In fact, for the first hour or so I was quite disappointed and worried that I'd spent a lot of cash on an amp that wasn't going to meet my needs. In flat, running it flat I was losing the D-string in the mix,[/u] not something I've come across before. The great thing about this amp though is the 5-band EQ, and playing around with that solved all the problems, and it's amazing how much more powerful the unit sounds with only very slight modifications in tone.

Last night was interesting. To cut a long story short, we were playing in quite a big and high room, probably 120x40x25, like an old dance hall. I thought I'd need to go home and get the Mesa Boogie when I first plugged in for the check, but we played a couple of numbers and although I wasn't really sure how it was cutting through, a couple of the guys were pretty impressed by the tone, even an early arriving guest (a guitarist) came up to me during the check and said how great the bass sounded. More to the point, the drummer could hear me really clearly, and said the bass sounded like it was all around us, not just in one place, strangely consistent with what PJB claim.

I've got a monstrous hangover so am gonna get some air (and possibly some hair of the dog) and probably come back and write some more, and a little more coherently, but first impressions are very good.

BTW my Super Flightcase is a lovely dark red, almost looks like leather!

C[/quote]

Hmm...

From the [url="http://www.philjonespuresound.com/products/download.htm?ft=download&id=11&fid=20"]BG-300 manual[/url]:

"Positioning the SUPER FLIGHTCASE for Best Sound

Often, playing in different venues will cause your bass to sound different. This is partially
due to the acoustics of the hall influencing the low frequency waves that are coming from
your speaker. Bass waves are large and room dimensions heavily influence them when the
walls reflect the sound waves, causing them to collide by adding together or canceling each
other out. This causes some fundamental notes (the ones you feel more than hear) to ring out
louder than others and some notes not to be heard at all.

Here is an indication of where fundamental bass frequencies are, showing open string's approximate frequencies and acoustic wavelength:
F# string 24Hz 46feet
B string 31Hz 36feet
E string 41Hz 27feet
A string 55Hz 20feet
D string 73Hz 15feet
G string 98Hz 11feet
C string 130Hz 9feet
This may give you some indication of the offending notes (frequencies) that may be booming or resonating louder or quieter than others. For example if your speakers are five feet from a wall, the open A string may sound weak. That could be because the path length of the reflected sound off the wall from your speaker is exactly corresponding to half a wavelength on the open A string causing at that particular note to cancel out.

Where you position the SUPER FLIGHTCASE will ultimately affect your low frequency
limit. For best results keep the SUPER FLIGHTCASE on the floor. Placing it on objects off
the floor will cause it to sound thin and lack bass punch. Placing the SUPER FLIGHTCASE
with the back close to a wall will help reinforce the lower notes. Placing it in a room corner
will further enhance the low notes.

Room size makes a large difference in how deep the bass will sound. The further the distance
to the listener the less the bass will be. This is due to the physics of acoustics not the unit
itself.

Unfortunately for bass players, low frequencies are always very difficult to control with
room acoustics. The reproduced wavelengths of the notes you are playing often correspond
to the room dimensions, in which case the reflected sound off the walls interferes with the
sound from the speaker as you get further away from it..."

I want one in red too.

[url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=616525"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=616525[/url]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='712188' date='Jan 13 2010, 08:43 PM']There is a large thread on tbass about this....seen some comments from some basschat guys

Looks impressive....BUT....it also looks a little 'overboard' for me. I wouldnt use all those options on it. [u]Id prefer a normal VT Bass with a proper DI built in,[/u] same size as the BDDI.

Any idea on price?!

If its REALLY good, I might consider one mid 2010.[/quote]

[url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8535175&postcount=150"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php...p;postcount=150[/url]

Perhaps wait a few weeks to see what NAMM offers?

[quote name='Beedster' post='711060' date='Jan 13 2010, 06:08 AM']Hi folks

Right, just taken delivery of the Super Flightcase and guess what.........

Not a sound other than bass, pure, sweet, bass. Even with all controls rolled fully up the hiss is barely audible, and this is 250w, so that's pretty good going. I'll keep you posted as to what the cause of the previous problem was, but thanks again for all your help, really appreciated.

Chris[/quote]

Bon!

I look forward to your BG-300 gig report Chris.

Gary