alexclaber

[quote name='The Funk' post='25905' date='Jul 2 2007, 11:00 AM']How can I phrase this... huh? [/quote] Acmes have always had a protection bulb inline with the midrange, tweeter and L-pads. If too much power goes through them the bulb absorbs the power (by lighting up) to protect them from blowing - basically like soft limiting. If you put far too much treble power through the circuit the bulb blows like a fuse to protect the speakers and L-pads. You then have to remove the speaker grill and top woofer to change it - it's a standard car indicator bulb. I used to blow the bulbs quite frequently in my old band because we were playing really loud, my amp was short of headroom and I was running pretty vicious distortion etc. Since I upgraded to a more powerful amp I never blew the bulbs again, despite continuing to use effects at high volume. Anyway, Andy's now found a way that instead of the bulb you can use a polyswitch, which is basically a self-resetting fuse. If too much power flows through the polyswitch it heats up and its resistance goes through the roof, thus cutting the current flow and power. When the polyswitch cools down, business as usual is resumed. He charges an extra $10 for the polyswitch, which is definitely worth paying! Alex

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='25684' date='Jul 1 2007, 06:18 PM']What speakers are in your rig (very nice by the way!) and am I right that, in the one cabinet set-up, you've got something underneath the cab so that it's pointing upwards?[/quote] The cabs are Acme Low-B2's - www.acmebass.com - they're a really nice 3-way design that's correctly tuned to give near-flat response from 41Hz-22kHz, -6dB @ 31Hz. Despite other cabs on the market claiming similar specs none of them actually come close. The downside is that the Acmes need more power to get loud but at least they can handle twice their rated power in the lows whilst most bass cabs can only handle a fraction of their rated power below 100Hz. It sounds like your band is sensible about loudness, in which case an Acme Low-B2 should be plenty loud enough with a 500W head pushing it, and unlike the usual 2x10" it will sound big and fat. Obviously it won't go as loud as a 4x10" but it will bring as much bottom. Imported direct from the US with taxes and shipping costs figured in they're about £450 each. Alex

[quote name='machinehead' post='25651' date='Jul 1 2007, 05:19 PM']After saying that I think the band have a f***ing cheek telling you what gear to use. Tell THEM to get something smaller. See how well that goes down? ha ![/quote] I agree! Out of all the musicians in the band the bassist has by far the greatest need for a large rig due to the physics of reproducing low frequencies. What backline does everyone else use? Alex

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='25642' date='Jul 1 2007, 04:39 PM']Bill - how does that work exactly or is that like asking for an explanation of relativity theory?[/quote] Side by side speakers interact with each other in a bad way to cause comb filtering (peaks and troughs in response) as you move sideways. A vertical line of speakers disperses much more evenly. Also the dispersion in a given plane of a group of speakers producing the same signal is inversely proportional to their size in that plane. So a vertical line of 10" speakers will have narrow dispersion vertically (less sound bouncing off floor and ceiling) and wide dispersion horizontally (good for getting heard all round the stage and venue). [quote name='silverfoxnik' post='25642' date='Jul 1 2007, 04:39 PM']It really is a space issue and especially so because I always share the same side of the stage with the keyboard player...[/quote] That seems crazy! Can you put the keyboard player's amp on top of yours? [quote name='silverfoxnik' post='25642' date='Jul 1 2007, 04:39 PM']I use 5 string basses and I find the 2x10 doesn't deliver on the low B, hence the question of what cab to use.[/quote] This has a very small footprint and unbeatable response down to low B: If your band is LOUD then you may need two, in which case you stack them vertically: Alex

Most 2x12" cabs are the same size as 4x10" cabs. The ones that are smaller have less bottom, as bass sensitivity is tied in with cab size. A typical 2x10" will be significantly quieter than your 4x10" and therefore run out of bottom much sooner. I'm not quite sure why your bandmates want you to downsize your rig, it's not as if you'll save much space! Alex

The BFM cabs certainly give you another nice and low budget option. Where they stand apart from the Acmes is they have less flat and less extended bass response and are significantly bigger - on the other hand this means they play louder with less power. That doesn't mean the Acmes are quiet - you'd have to be in a seriously loud rock band for two Low-B2s or a Low-B4 to not handle it. But the BFM cabs are very efficient compared to mainstream cabs and thus will reach similar SPL with about 1/4 the power and ultimately play a bit louder. For my needs having been through numerous theoretical DIY designs I've concluded that the single Low-B2 for rehearsals and two Low-B2s for gigs is an unbeatable combination - the pair give such a huge sound without PA support whilst a single cab is more than loud enough to hang with most drummers and just sounds so fat and clear compared to everything else. One thing I have learnt is that any rig with true deep bass extension and output will conflict with any PA with proper subwoofers and you should thus keep the stage volume down and/or reduce your onstage bottom to avoid phase cancellation and reinforcement. Regarding the B2W and B4W, they'll certainly add a whole load of output through the mids and lows, especially in the true lows below 100Hz where most bass cabs are pretty hopeless. However, with the small extra cost of the standard models and the fantastic fullrange sound with that 5" mid and dome tweeter, I think you're better off stretching to them and turning the attenuators down for sub use - but I bet you'll like the sound so much from the mids and tweeter that you end up using them as fullrange cabs. My only bugbear with Acmes were the protection bulbs but now you can have polyswitches which solves that problem. Alex

Updated rig photos: Insert extra cab and remove tiltback foam block for gigs. Like this: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61yUim1d3FI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61yUim1d3FI[/url] Alex

Avalon U5. QSC PLX 3002. Who needs EQ? Alex

Interesting - like if a folk singer's daughter turned to the dark side and Black Sabbath. You were right about the gurning! I presume your style has developed round your technique so you really focus on playing the essential notes as twiddly stuff is technically more challenging - I'm forever fighting the battle against excess notes but I seem to be losing... Big sound, lots of atmosphere. Very cool to have played Glastonbury, I must do that someday! Alex

I used to slap like that. Used to practise Metallica stuff too. In fact my Mum used to holler at me in a similar manner - ah, it's like going back in time... My strap shortened over the years and my slap technique became more conventional, though I often like to slap further back towards the bridge a la Larry Graham (who I shall proclaim as The slap bassist to listen to, no unnecessary twiddles or flash there!) Alex

I am perplexed... You are raving about the sound of this rig but it sounded like mush on-stage during the gig? Doesn't sound that great to me! Alex

I'd just use whatever feels right to you, unless you're in a really precise tribute act I don't need a need to copy the tones of the original tunes. I think this post on the Low Down Lowdown from Ed Friedland sums it up pretty well: "To my way of thinking, the difference between a P and J bass goes way beyond the physical. Yes, P bass - fatter neck (usually), split pickup, chunkier tone, less highs. J bass - slimmer neck, easier to play, dual pickups, more note definition, more high frequency. But... I think P or J bass is a lifestyle choice as well. Committing to the P means taking on a set of preferences, and inherent parameters. You can't or at least shouldn't try to play a P bass like a Jazz. That would be missing the point. The P bass is a fat, chunky-butt animal that likes to take up space. It demands a high level of attention to what you play, because every note hurts - or helps. There ain't no takin' it back with a P bass. You better mean it, or be very good at making it work. You can play fast on a P, but it's not nimble like a Jackrabbit, more like a Grizzly doing 60mph to catch something to eat. Slap on a P? Sure, it's chunkfunk, think Boz Scaggs "Lowdown". The pop on a P is not as sharp as a J. It's like getting sliced with a serrated steak knife. Ouch! Use only when you gots to cut through some tough meat. Classic P guys... Jamerson, Rainey, Rocco, Bob Glaub. The J is a sleeker machine. Being a Jazz guy means having a little more wiggle room. It takes up less space in the mix, so you can get more active without squashing people. With great power comes great responsibility. Just because you CAN move around, does that mean you should? And if so - how to, how much, and why? The J is a bit skinnier, so you have to learn how to use that texture to fill it up, and how to play it fat when it needs to be fat. Soloing? Sure. Slap? You bet. Passive it cuts like a well honed Buck knife. Active with a good pre amp, more like a barbers razor. Classic J guys... Jerry Jemmot, Larry Graham, Jaco, Marcus... Some people make a choice early on and stick with it. Their entire style is built around that early decision, whether it was conscious or not. You may know some of these people. Players that would no sooner pick up the other axe than they would deliberately eat rotten food. There's honor in this I think, it certainly makes your life simpler when it's Friday night and you're trying to decide which bass to put in the bag. I think it behooves (love that word) a professional bassist to have both and spend time cultivating the characteristics of each instrument. You need to make each one speak it's native language. There are some gigs that just naturally call for one or another. Not to say you couldn't switch around. You learn alot about the nature of the P and J when you try to make one do what the other does naturally." Alex

Radio 4 rules. Yeah, I'm rock n' roll. Alex

Come on BBC, sort out your streaming, this is killing me! The video has progressed sufficiently far for me to comment on your impressive hair... Alex

[quote name='Oxblood' post='22821' date='Jun 25 2007, 01:16 AM']It's the famous inverse square law - y'know, the one that says that in order to produce twice as much SPL you need four times as much power. As you've heard for yourself, 17 Watts can make a whole lot of of noise - and if you wanted to make twice as much noise, you'd need 68 Watts. Four times louder would require 272 Watts ...and so on.[/quote] It's even worse than that! Twice the SPL (i.e. +10dB) requires ten times the power. My first bass amp was a Traynor Bassmate YBA-2B combo, which had a dual 12AX7 preamp, dual EL84 power amp, and a 15" speaker in small sealed cab. Just like this: A mere 15W or so but sounded a ton louder. However with the stock cab it wasn't loud enough to keep up with a drummer if you wanted a clean sound. I'd love to hear it through an OmniTop 212, I think that would be a seriously righteous (and LOUD) sound! (The OmniTop12 has less bass extension that the Omni10 but is usefully more sensitive and that reduced bass extension sounds more vintage). Alex

[quote name='chris_b' post='22597' date='Jun 24 2007, 11:04 AM']Well, I don't know if I've got a "Friday afternoon" Ritter but it was the top of the range when I brought it, at bout £70, and is now ripping apart along several seams. Looks like a flawed design to me.[/quote] I bought a Ritter which fell apart immediately - fabric split at the seams. They send a replacement - fabric split at the seams again and the zip pull snapped. They sent me their top model, I've had it some time now but the fabric started suffering after very little time. It's so damn big though that I take my bass loose and keep a simple raincover gigbag in my general stuff tote bag. Alex

Very professional - tight playing and arrangements, good backing vocals. Am impressed! Need to get our backing vocals that good... Alex

[quote name='chris_b' post='22935' date='Jun 25 2007, 12:35 PM']If you like the sound I'd keep this rig and find some way of raising the front of the top cab. Maybe something 2" x 2"? Wood, rigid foam etc, in order to angle the cab towards you. Just make sure the amp doesn't slide off the back!![/quote] I agree. There's nothing special about tiltback/wedge combos that you can't achieve with a well place bit of dense foam (my preference) or wood. Leave one cab at home, turn the other vertical and stick something under the front edge to tilt it back. Try some velcro or nonstick rubber to keep the amp in place (I rely on my rack's edges catching on the stacking corners). Alex

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='20752' date='Jun 20 2007, 01:42 PM']I don't think it was panned too far wide, just too much to the left, maybe u should move the right one in a bit closer next time?[/quote] Ah, I'm glad it wasn't just me hearing that! The 2488 is currently with our guitarist as he puts his parts on. Will update once it's back... Alex

[quote name='slaphappygarry' post='22700' date='Jun 24 2007, 06:04 PM']Ill look closer into the c02. I have never really used the samson mics but there is something about them that seems a little cheap. edit: £64 quid a pair?! No, i don't think these are gonna sound that great or last....[/quote] I thought they were cheap but I didn't realise they were that cheap! You can hear them contributing the bulk of the drum sound on my recording thread. If I could do it again I'd probably buy a matched pair of AKG 414s or something like that instead of pair of C1000s for overheads and a JM47 for vocals. Alex

The Rode NT4 looks particularly fine, though not sure if that's within budget. I have a pair of C1000s but they're not the sweetest sounding mics. We used some tiny cheap Samsons as XY overheads for a our recent recording and I was impressed with them. Alex

[quote name='Hamster' post='22208' date='Jun 22 2007, 11:28 PM']He doesn't - it's his aspiration to [/quote] Thank you. I do think that's a really nice size and layout for a venue. I shall keep writing songs, playing bass, singing, and doing all the other stuff required to get original music happening, and if I produce anything good enough and have a stroke of luck too, you may see me there! My point which MB1 keeps missing was that I abhor mediocrity and Bassist gave me a funny vibe about that. Yes, we bassists tend to be understated creatures playing an understated role but that doesn't mean we should view ourselves with the same undervalued view the layman does - you won't find a single top producer that doesn't appreciate the value of our role and we should all aspire to be the best we can - and that doesn't mean becoming a virtuoso, it means becoming as true to ourselves as possible. Alex

That really is very cunning! Alex

[quote name='MB1' post='22009' date='Jun 22 2007, 05:26 PM']MB1. ooooh sorry! pardon me! How did that george michael gig at wembley go the other night?[/quote] Aspiration and current reality are two very different things! (Not that I have ever aspired to play bass for George Michael - me and my own band selling out places like the Brixton Academy is FAR more appealing...) Anyway, I've often felt that AC/DC are like the ultimate pub rock band and there is nothing average about them - if every bassist had time and feel like Cliff Williams the world would groove a lot harder. Competent, I like - because in the process of striving for competence you'll find brilliance and originality if it's there. Average, I don't, it's just dull. Alex

[quote name='AdamWoodBass' post='21954' date='Jun 22 2007, 03:30 PM']Woooooooooooah! Thats funky as sh*t man! Love it![/quote] Exactly. Alex