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What kind of rig can handle F#?

G

Geðrven'

Sep 25, 2008
10
0
#1
I've long wanted a 5-string tuned F#BEAD, but only yesterday got around to replacing my bass - inadequate for B let alone F# - with something that stands a better chance of playing and sounding well down there. Now, I need a rig to match, since I have a 200W Hartke head of some sort, and no speakers (had a Hartke aluminium 1x15, but loaned it to a black metal band once and it came back in two pieces...:scowl:).

I'm not looking to register on the Richter scale (yet), but I do want to be heard in louder practice and smaller gigs all the way down to F#. Do I need to upgrade my head? And regardless, I'll need speakers - what should I look for, since that F#'s 23.something Hz is near or below the advertised frequency response of many 18" subs?

Put another way - what're you folks with ERB's, Knuckles, and other sub-B instruments using?
 
#3
Look into Acme cabs, as they are known for honestly producing the lows they claim, unlike many/most other brands.

Also remember that when you get down that low the harmonics are just as important as the fundamental, and our brains will "fill in the blanks"- when we hear all the harmonics for a low note, we "hear" the fundamental (even if it was rolled off by the speaker cab) because our brain fills it in for us.

I'm not saying you "can't" or "shouldn't" try to get those fundamentals out there, but that doing so may be expensive and unnecessary, depending on what kind of gigs you're doing.
 
#8
#9
bongomania said:
Look into Acme cabs, as they are known for honestly producing the lows they claim, unlike many/most other brands.

Also remember that when you get down that low the harmonics are just as important as the fundamental, and our brains will "fill in the blanks"- when we hear all the harmonics for a low note, we "hear" the fundamental (even if it was rolled off by the speaker cab) because our brain fills it in for
Click to expand...
More to the point, the second harmonic will dominate unless the string length is 1/4 wavelength. At 23 Hz that's twelve feet.
 
#16
bongomania said:
Look into Acme cabs
Click to expand...

Just a word against using Acme cabs for this. Per the manufacturer's website, power handling drops off drastically under 31Hz, making them vulnerable to damage.

BTW, Bongo: I've read and respected many, many posts from you since I started following talkbass. I mean absolutely no disrespect by disagreeing.

Also BTW, this is my first post ever. I've been feebly (and unsuccessfully) trying to resist assimilation. :)
 
#20
Elrend said:
I'm just curious: What does one need a low F# for? I'm just wondering.
Click to expand...
Low F# is a very handy octave to play in due to nobody short of a hump back whale or an elephant being able to tell if you know the song or not,
and they are not usually that critical.
So how will this bass part sound on Ipod headphones I wonder?.
:bassist:
 

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