Nostromo

Thank you Phil . . . excellent reply and you are right there are lots of variables to take into consideration . . . to the point that I now realise my initial question was a bit of a dumb question !!! In the end I settled down with a second hand Epifani 3 x 10" cab, not sure of its power handling but it goes well with my 300W head and it has served me well as "loud enough" backline performer and certainly is light enough to haul about without breaking my back. Cheers.

Well here we are in August 2023 and both amps are still running 100% trouble free. Still thinking about upgrading the filter caps but almost frightened to do it due to the old "if it aint broke don't fix it" adage !!! Cheers.

And still working ok - 100% reliable and with no problems so far in 2022 😀

For those who like the chunky neck . . . there's a Roger Waters Bass Neck on eBay at the moment ! . . as of 24/9/19

Still going strong eight years later !!!... and I found another one ... which needed the same mods !

Hi, Does anyone know which Bass Cabs have the best "Power to Weight" Ratio . . . ie High Output sound wise but low weight lifting about wise ??? Thanks Nostromo

Just been looking on the Schroeder site . . nice gear. Does anyone know what's the difference between the cabs suffixed "L" and the ones suffixed "PL" ? They all look the same . . they cost the same . . and the specs are the same . . I'm obviously missing something that's blindingly obvious . . and I know I'm gonna feel stupid when someone tells me ! . . ha ! thanks

Thanks for replies and sympathy ! . . . I don’t mind how far away a good luthier is who could fix this . . I’d be willing to post it to someone who was recommended and who could undertake a good cosmetic repair. Regarding the finish . . I’m almost certain it’s Poly . . . its quite a thick and a hard finish and the missing corner surface piece came off in one piece my wife says . . but got hovered up ! If anyone knows a guru who fixes this sort of damage anywhere in the UK then please please let me know.

Slightly off topic as this is a guitar cab rather than a bass cab but I’m a bass player with a problem and wondered if any one could offer advice ? . . . . . As well as play bass, I occasionally jangle a Telecaster and have ([u]on loan[/u] ! !) a nice blues junior with a highly polished sunburst finish – Which, unfortunately got damaged on one of its back corners this weekend by my wife and her hoover ! ! ! . . . spoiling the finish of what is otherwise a mint condition combo. At the moment I just can’t face having to tell the owner it’s damaged ! . . does anyone know how or even if its possible to cosmetically repair this – or know of anyone in the UK who I could send it to to have a cosmetic repair undertaken ? . . . I’ve got about 2 months till it has to go back to its owner ! ! ! Pic’s below showing first, the damaged back corner and second the other back corner showing what it should look like:- Thanks . . . . Damage'd Corner [attachment=212427:Champ Damage 1.jpg] Good Corner [attachment=212426:Champ 3.jpg]

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1455470595' post='2979370'] For the price of a tin of Briwax that will last you 10 years of waxing warwicks and you *know* works I don't know what the benefit would be of making your own... [/quote] Re the BRIWAX . . . . which one do you recommend for cleaning up a Bass ? . . . . they seem to market loads of different products . . . most of which don't look like they'd be suitable for polishing up a bass ? . . . however one's called "Briwax Sheradale" . . . . is that the stuff ?. . . . or is it just the Briwax original . . . which seems to be coloured ? Beyond that and re the original post . . . . I'd say Beeswax = Good for wood . . . . Olive Oil = Not so good . . . . ?

Is a Brunetti Bass Preamp (rated 220v) compatible with UK voltage ? Hi, I’ve been searching through previous threads in this subject area - but can’t exactly convince myself I’ve found my answers – hence this new topic. I’ve recently picked up a second hand Brunetti Mr B Pre Amp and so contacted the original builder for a user manual. I got a nice email back from Brunetti in Italy (a nice touch I thought) together with a very very brief user guide, which, to be honest, didn’t provide much technical info. However, they did advise the following:- [i]“The MrB is very strong and reliable preamp. The only thing that could be a problem is the line voltage. I noticed you’re writing from UK where the line supply is 240V, correct? The MrB was wired specific for 220V and this could generate some power supply problem ??”[/i] To be honest, normally I would just assume the tolerances in modern products would take account of the 220v/240v variance between UK and Europe and just plug it in and go. However, having googled the subject, there are dozens of stories posted in different forums talking about 220v rated gear going “pop” on UK voltage, other recent online info revealing that UK voltage is routinely higher than 240v these days rather than lower (I had thought that we were harmonizing toward 230v but I read the reality is, that the UK voltage supply tends to be higher than 240v generally). So, all this reading together with the direct health warning from Brunetti has got me wondering whether I can safely use this pre amp at all without a step-down 240v to 220v transformer ? . . I certainly don't want it to go "pop" on me ! ! ! That said I can't even find any 240v to 220v step-down transformers on line and so am wondering if they even exist ?? Any advice or experience on the general issue of running 220v gear or the specific of availability of small portable 240v to 220v stepdown transformers would be very much appreciated ?

Hi, Does anyone have any experience of these strings. I’m thinking of trying some on a Fender Jazz bass. Am intrigued to know if the "balanced tension" thing has any noticeable impact on playing feel or tone ? Also wondered what colour the winding silks would be on these ? . . and I guess anyone who is using them would known that ! Cheers

Hi, Does anyone have any experience of these strings. I'm thinking of trying some on a fender jazz bass. Am intrigued to know if the "balanced tension" thing has any noticeable impact on playing feel or tone ? Also wondered what colour the winding silks would be on these ? . . and I guess anyone tho’se using them would known that ! Cheers

Hi, I'm trying to find a quality supplier for a 19" rack I need. It'll be a special order Tolex covered (wooden rather than plastic) unit to house Pre & Power bass amps I've recently aquired and maybe also a 19" rack tuner. I have surfed the net, but can't seem to easily locate anyone in the UK specialising in the supply of these . . plenty of USA websites and suppliers but not so easy to find a UK supplier. I had a rack case made a couple of years ago by a superb supplier called Mark Philips in south wales, unfortunately he's not in the business these days. If anyone has bought a specialist "made to order" tolex covered wooden 19" rack case recently ? . . . or knows of a good supplier I'd be really pleased to have the details ? Any advice very much appreciated.

Hi, I'm trying to find a quality supplier for a 19" rack I need. It'll be a special order Tolex covered (wooden rather than plastic) unit to house Pre & Power bass amps I've recently aquired and maybe also a 19" rack tuner. I have surfed the net, but can't seem to easily locate anyone in the UK specialising in the supply of these . . plenty of USA websites and suppliers but not so easy to find a UK supplier. I had a rack case made a couple of years ago by a superb supplier called Mark Philips in south wales, unfortunately he's not in the business these days. If anyone has bought a specialist "made to order" tolex covered wooden 19" rack case recently ? . . . or knows of a good supplier I'd be really pleased to have the details ? Any advice very much appreciated.

Thanks for the link . . . Very helpful . . . . I just need to pluck up the courage to choose a connection method ? . . . . I have no idea whether I should incorporate the neg to earth link in the XLR end of my connector cable ????

Just read that there would be a 6dB loss by connecting a balanced preamp out into an unbalanced power amp in ? . . . I have no idea why ? Still don't understand this subject at all . . . . obviously pre / power amps are just not plug and play ? Can't seem to find any general advice for the layman bass player ? . . . loads of "techi" stuff online but I'm lost before I've finished the first paragraph ? . . . Any advice very much appreciated . . . . am just realising that if I do get the power amp I'm going to have to get a preamp to go with it anyway . . . . and it looks like understanding what bass preamp will work with what power amp is a real difficult issue ? Grateful thanks for any advice ?

Thanks for your input dincz, Could you (or anyone) elaborate on why the 6dB loss ? . . . Cheers from the UK

Hi, Can anyone confirm if its ok to connect a balanced output preamp to an unbalanced input power amp ? My preamp has a balanced XLR output and the power amp has an umbalanced mono jack input. Any thoughts on if its possible to connect them together and where I might get a lead ? Thanks,

Just been searching google for more info on this question of cross-connecting balanced and unbalanced audio equipment. I found a Rane Corporation technical note “Rane Note 110 titled Sound System Interconnection”. Reading this note my intention of using a preamp with balanced output into an unbalanced power amp doesn’t sound like a good idea ? !.... here is an extract from the Rane Technical Note where they touch on the concept of cross connecting balanced and unbalanced components:- [i]“And what of those who think connecting unbalanced equipment into "superior" balanced equipment should improve things. [u]Sorry. Balanced interconnect is not compatible with unbalanced[/u]. The small physical nature and short cable runs of completely unbalanced systems (like home audio for example) contain ground loop noise currents. However, the architecture of balanced topography ensures currents in unbalanced professional systems never get large enough to affect the audio to the point where it is a nuisance. Mixing balanced and unbalanced equipment, however, is an entirely different story, [u]since balanced and unbalanced interconnect are truly not compatible”.[/u][/i] Any thoughts ?

Hi everyone, Wondering if any of you techi type guru’s out there could help me with a very simple question ? . . . . well simple if you understand electronics which I have to admit I don't !! I’ve got the chance to buy a second hand Demeter VTHF-300M Power Amp and want to quickly use it with a preamp to check its working ok before I make my final decision on it one way or the other. A mate of mine has offered to lend me his Avalon VT 737 SP preamp so as to test the Demeter, but, looking at the two units, the Avalon’s output is by way of a balanced 3 pin XLR output (plus, minus and earth pins) whilst the Demeter input looks to be a simple unbalanced mono jack input. At the moment I dont have a lead that could connect one to the other ! Question is, will these two units work together, (one balanced and the other unbalanced ?) and how exactly should I make up or order a lead to go from Balanced XLR to unbalanced mono jack ? . . . ie, do the two unbalanced jack terminals connect with the balanced XLR plus and minus pins or plus and earth pins . . . . or, will these units not work together ? Sounds simple I know, but I don’t want to get the lead wrong and damage either unit by connecting them together incorrectly ! ! Also wondered whether there would be any background earth hum etc what with the preamp being balanced and the power amp unbalanced ? Any advice very much appreciated. Cheers,

Thanks guys, Advice much appreciated, and yes it does look like it's no longer listed on the Fender web site, I gave them a ring but coudn't get any sence out of them (nothing new there !) so fender UK dont seem to know whether it's discontinued or not ??? . . so, now might be the right time to get one. Thanks again all.

Hi, I've been toying with buying a Kingman Bass SCE acoustic for some time as I think it might work well in an Americana project I'm involved with. Couple of questions really, has anyone used one of these live, as I'd be interested to know how much different it sounds to a solid body fender bass, how it behaves regarding acoustic feedback issues and with regard to both, whether users have got best results playing it through a backline bass amp or just by running it into the PA ? ? Final question . . . probably only a bit of pub gossip, but, I've been told that these have been discontined by Fender so that only the "in shop" stock now exists and once they're gone they are gone so to speak . . . would be good to know if this rumour is true or just another rumour rustled up to boost new year sales ? Any info much appreciated and a very Happy and Prosperous New Year to all you bass players out there, Regards,