Dan_Nailed

[quote name='TGEvans' post='434946' date='Mar 14 2009, 10:58 PM']I would like to know if anyone out there uses a bass pod or any other form of processor direct to pa for gigging? I have a bass pod pro xt floor unit and use it straight for recording but would like to know what they are like live in a band setting.any info much appreciated,tim[/quote] Works for Meshuggah - both guitars and bass go Line 6 -> PA.

I'd just buy a tube amp like my Bass 400+. It puts it's full power rating out into any impedance, it's got 2, 4 and 8 ohm jacks on the back. Makes all of this see like the silly marketing it is.

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='440620' date='Mar 20 2009, 08:35 PM']Thats cos you were mixing cabs [/quote] I thought that too and even when I borrowed another 410TVX it didn't sound anything specacular. The best it ever sounded was when I used just the 15", it was scooped and aggressive but got lost. The 4x10" was much louder but just sounded, well, bland. A support band ran an SVT3 through it once and it didn't really change. Loud though, very loud. Did I mention it was loud?. Cos it was. Loud that is.

[quote name='KASH' post='437823' date='Mar 17 2009, 09:34 PM']Well...I'm really looking forward to play with it in the studio, hopefully it will cut through better than the peavey and don't need to push it so hard.[/quote] Peavey cabs are quite efficient, but a little lacking in tone. I had a 4x10TVX and 115BXBW and ran it with a few different heads/rigs and it was never anything really special. GK on the other hand IS special. They do rock well, very well, and the thing they're reknowned for is growl. A friend of mind had a Hartke rig and was using an ODB-3 for dirt, when he got his 700RB he didn't have to use it. It's not a dirty sound from a GK, but very aggressive and brings out the snarl. GK cabs are quit eefficient as well so volume wise they won't be lacking, but tonally you'll notice a lot more of that X-factor that the Peavey doesn't have. The gel where it sits in there perfectly and the mix feels tighter.

[quote name='mike257' post='305663' date='Oct 13 2008, 04:54 PM']As an idiot question (I've never dabbled with the insides of my amp) do I need to be concerned with biasing if I do this, or can I just throw the new ones in? I think my SVT3 would benefit from this, it's sounding a bit lifeless lately.[/quote] You never need to bias preamp tubes, they don't suck enough juice to require it. In fact I'm pretty sure it's impossible to do. The 12AU7 in an SVP-Pro is the driver tube, that pushes the "poweramp" section and is last in the chain, position 5 of 5 on an SVP-Pro. It won't add any grit really, to change that characteristic you need to change the V1 tube, 1 of 5, as this is THE most significant tone shaper tube. Changing V1 has the most effect on overall tone, should I say, as it's the first tube your signal hits before the rest of the preamp does it's business. The 12AU7 in the SVP-Pro IME experience dictates more the punchiness of the amp, not any grit, although if you have a dirty midrange then you may notice the 12AU7 have an effect. It's all down to your setup and tonal preferences. Basically and in general, if you want more grit, change the V1 tube for a higher gain one. If you want less, go for a lower gain 12AX7 or even a 12AT7.

[quote name='ped' post='439784' date='Mar 19 2009, 09:54 PM']No idea mate! I got it for £90. It's 800w (400w stereo), digital, weighs nothing and is totally silent. I bought it from a chap on eBay... actually come to think of it, the make is 'Starsound' I think but I can't find a manual or anything. The seller used it for a long time so maybe it is quite old. Cheers ped[/quote] The 3 most furthest are probably just gain inidcators with Maplins-style patronising lettering. High quality means good incoming signal level. The rest are db meters, with 0db being the full 400W output per side. If it's less than that and loud enough for your needs, it means you've got headroom to spare which is a good thing.

[quote name='NJW' post='24652' date='Jun 28 2007, 09:48 PM']Now I really can't wait to get it in for service and have a matched sextet of power tubes put in, instead of the current 'compliment'. At the moment there are 4 Marshall 6550's and 2 Sovteks... hmmmm.[/quote] Just to warn you, getting a matched sextet might not actually make it sound any "better" than it does now. Tubes are funny things and sometimes mix and match gives a really unique personal tone for you. So keep those power tubes and remember where they were placed, just in case!

Another thing to bear in mind is that sometimes FX loops have a set blend, so that not all your effects are in the signal. For example my SVP-Pro had a pre-set 50% blend on the FX loop, so only 50% of the signal from the preamp EQ went through the FX loop, the rest was dry. This mean I got nice clean, punchy distortion if the distortion was in the loop, as it was blended with my clean tone. However for other FX that isn't really what you want, i.e. compressors.

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='435448' date='Mar 15 2009, 07:38 PM']I think this pedal needs a tuner with a mute switch, i could pretty much do away with my pedalboard then![/quote] That's one use of the parallel out, and certainly what I'm using mine for. Signal chain goes Spector->M80->Bass 400+. Started using the 40hz slider on the Bass 400+ to tame the low end on the M80 no, got a much tighter more defined sound. The pedal just gets better and better!

[quote name='The Bass Doc' post='436722' date='Mar 16 2009, 10:25 PM'][attachment=22161:IMG_0002.jpg][/quote] Obviously a master craftsman...look at all the pens in his pocket!

Doesn't look half bad actually...couldnt be arsed putting the same configuration on a P body it's more work. Think that might not look as good, the offset J shape allows a lot of permutations - i.e. double humbucker's Jazz's look pretty dang nice!

[quote name='dlloyd' post='435079' date='Mar 15 2009, 10:29 AM']You could probably get away with having them on less than that. What you really need to be doing is concentrating on preventing condensation rather than just removing water from the atmosphere. Humidity isn't a problem per se. You said that the problem of moisture on your gear was weather dependent. I'm guessing the place isn't heated particularly well or consistantly. You might want to set the dehumidifier to come on several times a day, particularly when the temperature drops at night.... and especially for a couple of hours after you have a rehearsal (when the amount of water in the air is at its highest and the temperature is going to drop the most). It might be a good idea to invest in a decent hygrometer, one that records relative humidity levels throughout the day, so you know if you're doing enough to stop the relative humidity getting to 100%, where condensation forms. Relative humidity is temperature dependent (which is why dew or frost forms overnight outside) so you can't rely on a single measurement in a 24 hour period.[/quote] If it's cold when we walk in, we turn on a small convection heater for about twenty minutes till we start playing, then it goes off once the old fingers are warm. If it's too hot we open the door My current viewpoint is we move to another band room that isn't £8.66 a square foot and doesn't have damp problems...he's agreed to drop the electricity bill to £395, same as we paid last time. Even though we rehearse less often for shorter periods with energy efficient lightbulbs. Next plan is to get out of there ASAP. Why would he drop the bill unless he is in the wrong though? I'd chase an extra £250 if I was in the right, guess that's as much an admission of guilt as anything on his part.

Cheers for all the advice, I was thinking about a timer for the dehumidifier...maybe run it 8 hours a day instead of 24 hours a day? It's only if we leave it OFF that after a week we notice the start of damp. Also on the doing a runner front, he doesn't actually have any way to trace us! Obviously that's a last resort as we need to rehearse. And he did agree two years ago to start bringing us quarterly bills...he just never bothered and has admitted that as his fault.

[quote name='Jono Bolton' post='433901' date='Mar 13 2009, 05:00 PM']I've yet to question her about it as it's not been a problem so far, but I'm fairly sure she said she would play bass on the assumption that she could use my gear as and when she pleases, as I'm not currently gigging.[/quote] If she's not directly asked you about using it out of the house, then in my view it's a non-issue. Let her assume what she likes but making presumptions without gaining your permission is very direspectful IMO. And no to derail, but onmthe support band thing, sometimes changing out four bass cabs on a gig for each band isn't feasible. I won't lend out my amp head but I have lent my cabs out before, I rarely meet players with decent enough gear to blow a Mesa up anyway!

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='433217' date='Mar 13 2009, 08:05 AM']What does it say in the contract you have with him? If there is no contract he can charge what he likes.[/quote] Actually he can't, due to the amended Utilities Act 2000, as of 1st January 2003 landlords can't re-sell utilities to tenants at a price higher than they've paid. This was the first thing Energywatch told me!

The most radical tone shaper is a preamp, no doubt about it. In a Tube amp the V1 preamp tube will have the most effect on tone. But Tube power does have an impact that can't be ignored. A tube pre into a solid state poweramp doesn't sound like a tube amp however tube-driven MOSFET style poweramps (such as an Ampeg SVT3 or SVT6 for example) are a lot closer in tone to an all-tube head IME. However I ran an Ampeg SVP-PRO into a QSC PLX1602 for a long while and the tone wasn't far removed from a couple of SVT Classics and SVT2's I used...so I say give your tube pre/solid state power a go. It'll sound better than the Peavey anyway!

[quote name='Soulfinger' post='432480' date='Mar 12 2009, 02:44 PM']I bought mine from Dood (hi, Dood! ) and it´s great. The distortion feature is perfect for a nice, crunchy rock sound. I also have a Sansamp BDDI and they are completely different beasts tonewise. I can´t really say which I prefer, both are excellent IMO. Actually, the M-80 in distortion mode into the BDDI with the Drive cranked makes for some killer sounds![/quote] And the award for inevitable BDDI comparison goes to Soulfinger (with an honourable mention to dood) Having tried them both, I get a fairly close sound through my 400+ with the M80 as a direct, fully-blended in BDDI. Not so close it's indistinguishable but same ballpark. Could be that the BDDI is a tube emulator and I've actually got tubes though One thing I will say, is that the M80's gain structure blends better with the hi-gain Engl sound (5150 on steroids tone) than the more Ampeg-y BDDI. I notice this a lot more on tremelo picked higher notes.

[quote name='agoulding' post='432937' date='Mar 12 2009, 09:58 PM']this might be the case. you may be happy where you our now in a musical sense just as much as nathan east is. you dont have to achieve what he has, to be "successfull"[/quote] Never said or implied I did? It's just the phrasing of the interview in that video - "the difference between an A list player and a B list player is X, Y and Z" etc. The fact is the difference between being "B-list" and "A-list" is nothing to do with having chops or talent, it's about getting the chance to show that talent off which is pure luck. You need chops to get to the upper echelon of session players sure, but who's to say you'll ever get the chance to demonstrate your ability unless you've scratched the right backs?

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='432905' date='Mar 12 2009, 09:23 PM']You have 2 choices, pay up or move out.[/quote] Not if it's wrong.

Solid advice I guess but once again skips the most important factor - getting the gig in the first place is a combination of luck and knowing the right people, NOT hard work or application!

Just to clarify, the building supply comes in in 3 phase power, which we don't use as we don't have a compressor running in our band room! These three meters are then further split into another 3 meters per band room(of which there are 7). He then reads the meters and sub divides the usage and sends us his own bills, obviously only one of the three sub meters attached to our room actually move, the rest are all zeroed. As such the company wouldn't be able to give me any information on our unit, all they see is 3 meters. When we got our last one, which was Jan 2007, it was £390 for 2 years worth. After that we started turning everything off at the wall and installed energy efficient lightbulbs, and started rehearsing less (not for electricity purposes it just suited us more) and the new bill was £650.34. The unit price on the bill he brought is 17.53p. I brought that up and he was saying "Well I actually get charged nearly 20p per unit as I have carbon tax blah blah" like he was doing us a favour. He's on British Gas so it wouldn't surprise me if he was paying an extortionate rate. We asked then to bring us bills quarterly which he did not not, and he admitted that this was his fault. The stickler for me is the amount of units. Did a reading last night and on average we've used 38 units a week since December 9th. That works out at £6.60ish a week - I know people who run their houses on prepayment meters for that much. The dehumidifier could indeed be the cuplrit but he blames us for using it saying we don't need it, but if we turn it off for say two weeks, depending on the weather we'll come in and there will be moisture on the drum kit and cases. This is all on top of the fact that he's charging us £8.66 per square foot of room in rent (£50 per week) whereas most places charge between £2 and £6. I've been pushing for a move for a while or a rent reduction and this could be the stickler. We move rooms, pay less rent and won't need to run a dehumidifier all the time! Still until we find a new place we'll have to deal with this bloke.

I did contact the company but they can't give me any specific info concerning the account due to data protection - the supply is in his name. Also I haven't signed the lease, this room was taken on before I joined the band but I assume there's at least a verbal contract between the drummer and landlord agreeing for the band to pay the electricity, if there wasn't it would have come up by now. But I'll double check with my drummer, could be a good fact to point out!