AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...

[Marial]

I can't make a direct comparison, but if the TC112 is sonically in line with its bigger sibling, then I would guess that the CN112 is more mid-forward than the TC112 and probably has a more baked-in tonal character. That how it seems to me comparing the CN112 to the TC212.

Duke's cab's, so far, are the most transparent I've encountered. You get a big, glorious, version of what you put into them. That said, they will also expose any weakness in your tone too, so in that sense they can, perhaps, be a little less forgiving. That said, they're also a lot more flexible than most other cabs given the switches and ports.

Edited to add: I'm really talking out of my heiny... this is just conjecture. As the old saying goes, the only way to know for sure is to play through both.

 

[nutdog]

I have a question for the collective on adjusting the tone of the TC-112V.1 thru a change in pickups.
Looking for a little more cut in a mix but nothing harsh. Currently I have a jazz bass with Nordy NJ-4's running passive,
with LaBella light gauge flats and a TH 500. Great tone but a little too smooth. The guitarist say's he has a hard time hearing me sometimes.
Where have we heard that before. So rather than sell the cab and go thru all the work to find a new cab that has the sonic merits of this cab,
I thought a set of EMG's might solve the issue. Any thoughts on this are appreciated.

What settings are you using on the amp?

 

[Type-55]

What settings are you using on the amp?

Nothing to drastic. bass/no boost, treble/no boost, drive/9:00am, gain/9am, mids/noon, mid frequency/9am

 

[Type-55]

Some sonic reference points are: Ron Carter with Steve Kahn album Headline song Tyrone
Suzanne Vega early stuff with Mike Visceglia, who told me he uses EMG's on a 62 jazz bass.
I know upright vs electric but the warm growl is evident in both situations
Also Michael Rhodes playing with Guthrie Trapp. EMG's with Fender jazz. Flats?

 

[nostatic]

You have EMG's in your Fodera correct?
Any comparison's to other pups with the TC-112?

Rob Allen (bridge piezo), Smith (Smith pups/preamp), and I've briefly had Fender and some other stuff. I prefer the H1203 to the TC112 if I'm only using one cabinet as I like the 3" paper "tweeter" on the Hathor. The TC goes a bit deeper though, so it really is ideal for me as a second cabinet. That said, the horn in the TC112 sounds better than pretty much any other tweeter/cab I've run. It just doesn't have the same edge as the 3".

 

[Type-55]

I'm biased toward paper cone drivers as well. That might be my issue.
Thanks

 

[MarkA]

I got a lot of growl out of GHS Precision flats. Had them on a sixer and a fretless fiver. Don't have either bass anymore, but both are nicely present in a live mix. Put them on a P/J I put together for a friend. Nice midrange presence, enough top end (slapped well) and meaty without being boomy. I like them - just wish I could still buy singles as I was putting together my own custom set.

I ran EMGs in my PJ forever - very clear, can growl nicely, and pretty forward sounding. I'd say that they're more present up top and more growly than the Nordies I've heard - though to be fair, I've only played Nordie dual coils. The EMGs will reproduce your touch, etc. well, and, I think, are more detailed and responsive than most pickups, but there is another level of detail and nuance that a really good passive set have. EMGs (talking about the classic ceramic pups) have a very immediate attack. I'm experimenting with passive pups now, but could happily gig with the EMGs. They were always present in a mix and I always got compliments on my tone.

All that said, strings really are cheaper than pups, and favoring the bridge pickup even a little bit can add a surprising amount of clarity.

 

[nutdog]

Nothing to drastic. bass/no boost, treble/no boost, drive/9:00am, gain/9am, mids/noon, mid frequency/9am

Some sonic reference points are: Ron Carter with Steve Kahn album Headline song Tyrone
Suzanne Vega early stuff with Mike Visceglia, who told me he uses EMG's on a 62 jazz bass.
I know upright vs electric but the warm growl is evident in both situations
Also Michael Rhodes playing with Guthrie Trapp. EMG's with Fender jazz. Flats?

I always thought tonehammer was a good choice for the name because it felt more like it was beating you than slicing. The TH500 with the V1 TC115 was pretty smooth in general, kind of too dark and smooth for me actually. I would suggest playing around with the gain and drive, starting at noon on each. This seemed to tighten up the bottom and inject a little bite. You may need to boost bass when increasing the drive. Also boosting mids with the mid freq in the 3 to 5 oclock range.

Having said all that I listened to some clips from the artists you listed and if your guitarist is as tasteful as those guys you shouldn't have any trouble being heard in a mix with that rig and a jazz bass with any pickups.

This post contains information believed to be accurate and complete at the date of preparation. However, no guarantee is expressed or implied by nutdog or any subsidiary of nutdog. Advice given assumes compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.

 

[Type-55]

I always thought tonehammer was a good choice for the name because it felt more like it was beating you than slicing. The TH500 with the V1 TC115 was pretty smooth in general, kind of too dark and smooth for me actually. I would suggest playing around with the gain and drive, starting at noon on each. This seemed to tighten up the bottom and inject a little bite. You may need to boost bass when increasing the drive. Also boosting mids with the mid freq in the 3 to 5 oclock range.

Having said all that I listened to some clips from the artists you listed and if your guitarist is as tasteful as those guys you shouldn't have any trouble being heard in a mix with that rig and a jazz bass with any pickups.

This post contains information believed to be accurate and complete at the date of preparation. However, no guarantee is expressed or implied by nutdog or any subsidiary of nutdog. Advice given assumes compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.

I agree with your tonal assessment of the TH500 and even though I don't have the TC-115 I think it would be in the same tonal family. I'm gonna try playing with the settings you suggested and see what happens. That's why I think the EMG's might put a little edge to it.
Thanks

 

[Type-55]

I got a lot of growl out of GHS Precision flats. Had them on a sixer and a fretless fiver. Don't have either bass anymore, but both are nicely present in a live mix. Put them on a P/J I put together for a friend. Nice midrange presence, enough top end (slapped well) and meaty without being boomy. I like them - just wish I could still buy singles as I was putting together my own custom set.

I ran EMGs in my PJ forever - very clear, can growl nicely, and pretty forward sounding. I'd say that they're more present up top and more growly than the Nordies I've heard - though to be fair, I've only played Nordie dual coils. The EMGs will reproduce your touch, etc. well, and, I think, are more detailed and responsive than most pickups, but there is another level of detail and nuance that a really good passive set have. EMGs (talking about the classic ceramic pups) have a very immediate attack. I'm experimenting with passive pups now, but could happily gig with the EMGs. They were always present in a mix and I always got compliments on my tone.

All that said, strings really are cheaper than pups, and favoring the bridge pickup even a little bit can add a surprising amount of clarity.

I really like the Nordy's I have. NJ-4's. Very fat but smooth. I've tried many single coil passive pups over the years. The only one's I haven't tried are the EMG's which would be the JA (which aren't passive) version and the CB Barts. I really want to keep the amp and cab I have but I really want to add a little warm growl. I agree about the strings but I really love the LaBella's.
All responses are really appreciated.

 

[maisbass]

I don't know about going with EMG's. I never really cared for them. They seem to overtake the natural tone of the bass. It really depends on the wood. If you like the way your bass sounds already, installing emg's may change the tone drastically, so it may not be the best move to do.

I was talking with Vinny Fodera about this the other day. He basically said in order to complement the hi if tone of the EMG's you really need to pair them with a bass that has a softer wood, otherwise they can be too aggressive. The yin yang he builds for Victor is a softer wood and complements the EMG's well.

 

[Freddels]

I got a lot of growl out of GHS Precision flats. Had them on a sixer and a fretless fiver. Don't have either bass anymore, but both are nicely present in a live mix. Put them on a P/J I put together for a friend. Nice midrange presence, enough top end (slapped well) and meaty without being boomy. I like them - just wish I could still buy singles as I was putting together my own custom set.

I ran EMGs in my PJ forever - very clear, can growl nicely, and pretty forward sounding. I'd say that they're more present up top and more growly than the Nordies I've heard - though to be fair, I've only played Nordie dual coils. The EMGs will reproduce your touch, etc. well, and, I think, are more detailed and responsive than most pickups, but there is another level of detail and nuance that a really good passive set have. EMGs (talking about the classic ceramic pups) have a very immediate attack. I'm experimenting with passive pups now, but could happily gig with the EMGs. They were always present in a mix and I always got compliments on my tone.

All that said, strings really are cheaper than pups, and favoring the bridge pickup even a little bit can add a surprising amount of clarity.

I think you can get singles at JustStrings.com or BassStringsOnline.com

 

[nutdog]

I really like the Nordy's I have. NJ-4's. Very fat but smooth. I've tried many single coil passive pups over the years. The only one's I haven't tried are the EMG's which would be the JA (which aren't passive) version and the CB Barts. I really want to keep the amp and cab I have but I really want to add a little warm growl. I agree about the strings but I really love the LaBella's.
All responses are really appreciated.

I've got EMG PJ's and pre in a bass and they are very bright compared to the stock pickups. I've played with various nordstrand equipped basses and find them to be a quality product all around that can own a mix. I considered putting nordy's into the emg bass but I'm reasonably happy with it now don't want to deal with it.

My take is you've got a smooth bass with smooth strings and pickups into an amp that's smooth with eq at noon and low gain/drive into a smooth, studio monitor like cab. Probably sounds stellar under certain conditions in certain rooms but with the same settings may get washed out "sometimes".

I'm just a chemical salesman with a bass and you may know all this already but I've struggled over the years to get consistent tone in live situations. Hollow stage? Hard surface walls/floors? Carpet and sofas? Loud crowd? Quiet crowd? Long room? Square? L shaped? Outside? Near a wall? In a corner? Hard rock? Pop? Smooth jazz? Acoustic guitars banging open chords? Half stack power chords? Busy left hand on keys? Double kick drummer on meth? So many things affect the total band sound that each situation may require sound modification by all band members to create a quality mix.

So play with all the knobs, move your right hand further and closer to the bridge, change cab location/angle and listen for the total band sound, not just 'your sound'. You may end up with settings that sound like crap but work in a particular situation. I've plugged the port on the last two gigs but in our rehearsal room it sounds anemic.

Or maybe a pickup change is what you need. Maybe you're P bass guy and don't know it.

 

[MarkA]

I think you can get singles at JustStrings.com or BassStringsOnline.com

Maybe some NOS - BSO was out of one of the gauges I wanted, last I checked, and I don't think GHS sells them anymore, but will give a look again. Appreciate the heads up.

 

[tombowlus]

I don't know about going with EMG's. I never really cared for them. They seem to overtake the natural tone of the bass. It really depends on the wood. If you like the way your bass sounds already, installing emg's may change the tone drastically, so it may not be the best move to do.

I was talking with Vinny Fodera about this the other day. He basically said in order to complement the hi if tone of the EMG's you really need to pair them with a bass that has a softer wood, otherwise they can be too aggressive. The yin yang he builds for Victor is a softer wood and complements the EMG's well.

I recently wrapped up a review of both the Yin Yang Standard and Yin Yang Standard II, and I was amazed by how neutral and balanced those EMG's sound in those basses. If I were to play those basses without being able to see what kind of pickups were installed, I would have never guessed that they were EMGs.

 

[maisbass]

I recently wrapped up a review of both the Yin Yang Standard and Yin Yang Standard II, and I was amazed by how neutral and balanced those EMG's sound in those basses. If I were to play those basses without being able to see what kind of pickups were installed, I would have never guessed that they were EMGs.

Agreed. I felt the same way when I played one. That just goes to show you how talented the Fodera team is knowing how to analyze and take into account all aspects of building an instrument.

 

[Type-55]

"I was talking with Vinny Fodera about this the other day. He basically said in order to complement the hi if tone of the EMG's you really need to pair them with a bass that has a softer wood, otherwise they can be too aggressive. The yin yang he builds for Victor is a softer wood and complements the EMG's well.[/QUOTE]

My bass is alder same as the yin yang with an east indian rosewood board.
I assume Fodera uses there own pre? Which is one of my favorites.

 

[Type-55]

My take is you've got a smooth bass with smooth strings and pickups into an amp that's smooth with eq at noon and low gain/drive into a smooth, studio monitor like cab. Probably sounds stellar under certain conditions in certain rooms but with the same settings may get washed out "sometimes".

I think you've nailed it. My thoughts exactly.

 

[Type-55]

tombowlus said: ↑
I recently wrapped up a review of both the Yin Yang Standard and Yin Yang Standard II, and I was amazed by how neutral and balanced those EMG's sound in those basses. If I were to play those basses without being able to see what kind of pickups were installed, I would have never guessed that they were EMGs.

I agree. I really think the Fodera/Pope pre is a thing of beauty. Unless EMG winds to Fodera specs.

 

[Type-55]

I remember seeing a Pattituchi (sp?) when he was using a 4 string Sadowsky with EMG's installed.
Sounded huge very un EMG like.