Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Let's spread some musical misinformation
- Thread starter pklima
- Start date
Berzerker is based on a life encounter with Mr. Smith.Silent Bob didn't make it through the audition.
There's some interesting discussions on another thread about over powering a cab vs under powering and which does the most damage. I think all us smart guys on this thread need to jump over to that thread and help clear things up!
I mean the folks over there just don't know what they're talking about. The fact of the matter is that the number one killer of bass cabs is cranking an amp that just doesn't have enough headroom.
Everybody knows that all SS amps have less headroom than tube amps, that's why significantly more cabs are blown by SS amps. Again the key to not blowing a cab is getting an amp with lots of headroom for a good clean signal. Unfortunately, many amp makers don't list the values for the headroom of their amps. Good news is its easy enough to figure out on your own.
To calculate headroom just pull the cover off the amp and measure the space from the top of the tubes in a tube amp or from the top of the tallest device on the circuit board of a SS amp to the underside of the cover. That's your headroom and nearly all tube amps have more of it for heat dissipation. This extra headroom in tube amps is what keeps your amp cool and consequently your signal clean.
Everybody knows that heat is the enemy if all electrical systems but few put two and two together to realize its the lack of headroom that is allowing heat to build up in a SS amp that ends up sending bad signals to your speakers and eventually blowing your cab.
I hope this highly informed opinion has helped clear things up. Now for our next topic, how to keep your speakers from farting out...
I mean the folks over there just don't know what they're talking about. The fact of the matter is that the number one killer of bass cabs is cranking an amp that just doesn't have enough headroom.
Everybody knows that all SS amps have less headroom than tube amps, that's why significantly more cabs are blown by SS amps. Again the key to not blowing a cab is getting an amp with lots of headroom for a good clean signal. Unfortunately, many amp makers don't list the values for the headroom of their amps. Good news is its easy enough to figure out on your own.
To calculate headroom just pull the cover off the amp and measure the space from the top of the tubes in a tube amp or from the top of the tallest device on the circuit board of a SS amp to the underside of the cover. That's your headroom and nearly all tube amps have more of it for heat dissipation. This extra headroom in tube amps is what keeps your amp cool and consequently your signal clean.
Everybody knows that heat is the enemy if all electrical systems but few put two and two together to realize its the lack of headroom that is allowing heat to build up in a SS amp that ends up sending bad signals to your speakers and eventually blowing your cab.
I hope this highly informed opinion has helped clear things up. Now for our next topic, how to keep your speakers from farting out...
Last edited:
The real cab killers are lower harmonics, the ones which aren't a multiple of the fundamental tone, but a fraction thereof. These so called half, (one)third and quarter harmonics cannot be heard by human beings. They make the speakers dissipate too much power, leading to overheating and a certain death. What can you do to avoid this? Don't use digital effects and solid state amps. The combination of both kills your cab straight away.
^ That's all well and fine, but so far you guys have only referred to single driver cabs or matched drivers in the cabs — but what if they're not singles nor matched?
The real problems arise in a multi-speaker cab, such as a 12" woofer, 6" mid and/or a tweeter.
Where the frequencies crossover is the most problematic. Rarely do speaker/cab designers get the crossover set right, 'cause they're obsessed with Hz. They need to be set for actual notes, specifically "fourths". So for example if you're playing in the Key of "G", your crossover would automatically crossover on the fourth harmonicas at "C". This creates a nice rich intermodulation between the speakers soundwaves that's similar to an orchestral harp's blending of tones — thus the term "cross-harp". Failure to use cross-harp leads to drivers fighting each other and then everybody gets... well, but, Hertz.
So remember, save the perfect fifths for a fine single-malt whiskey, and always use cross-harp for musical vibrant harmonicas in your playing — The speakers you save could be your own!
And now a word from my sponsor:
This post is brought to you by — SSD.
Yes, that's right friend, you too can regurgitate utter gibberish in online forums with... Super Sleep Deprivation!*
It's easy to use, the instructions are quite simple to follow and in no time (well, relatively speaking, it takes a few days but what's a few days in a lifetime?) ... where wa... ah yes, in No Time you'll astound, entertain and maybe even amaze your online compadres with obtusely humoured mostly nonsensical ramblings. Get some SSDtoday! Tonight, and tomorrow night and maybe the night after...
* Do not operate heavy machinery such as Peavey T-40s and SVTs with Fridge; do not operate any transportation devices under the influence of SSD such as Cars, Trucks, Skateboards, Motorcycles, Tricycles, Forklifts, Aeroplanes, Submersibles, Space Stations etc.
Do Not Exceed Recommended Dosage; Side effects may include: deliriousness, impeded speech, irritability, inability to focus (attention, eyes or both), uncontrollable giggles, oh, and drowsiness. CAUTION, SSD has been known to lead to prolonged sleep and may interfere with your boss' expectations.
The real problems arise in a multi-speaker cab, such as a 12" woofer, 6" mid and/or a tweeter.
Where the frequencies crossover is the most problematic. Rarely do speaker/cab designers get the crossover set right, 'cause they're obsessed with Hz. They need to be set for actual notes, specifically "fourths". So for example if you're playing in the Key of "G", your crossover would automatically crossover on the fourth harmonicas at "C". This creates a nice rich intermodulation between the speakers soundwaves that's similar to an orchestral harp's blending of tones — thus the term "cross-harp". Failure to use cross-harp leads to drivers fighting each other and then everybody gets... well, but, Hertz.
So remember, save the perfect fifths for a fine single-malt whiskey, and always use cross-harp for musical vibrant harmonicas in your playing — The speakers you save could be your own!
And now a word from my sponsor:
This post is brought to you by — SSD.
Yes, that's right friend, you too can regurgitate utter gibberish in online forums with... Super Sleep Deprivation!*
It's easy to use, the instructions are quite simple to follow and in no time (well, relatively speaking, it takes a few days but what's a few days in a lifetime?) ... where wa... ah yes, in No Time you'll astound, entertain and maybe even amaze your online compadres with obtusely humoured mostly nonsensical ramblings. Get some SSD
* Do not operate heavy machinery such as Peavey T-40s and SVTs with Fridge; do not operate any transportation devices under the influence of SSD such as Cars, Trucks, Skateboards, Motorcycles, Tricycles, Forklifts, Aeroplanes, Submersibles, Space Stations etc.
Do Not Exceed Recommended Dosage; Side effects may include: deliriousness, impeded speech, irritability, inability to focus (attention, eyes or both), uncontrollable giggles, oh, and drowsiness. CAUTION, SSD has been known to lead to prolonged sleep and may interfere with your boss' expectations.
The most stable necks are laminated, using maple from both hemispheres. Warp will develop in opposite directions and hence cancel out.
I've also heard that it helps the neck stability a lot if you use quarter sawn wood. That's a fairly laborious process of sawing one quarter of the way through the wood to expose the grain and then carefully hand splitting the wood the rest of the way. This apparently keeps much of the grain structure intact and avoids damaging the all important grain boundaries which are essential in wood stabilization.
I use foam ear plugs, instead... I find them more comfortable... AND recyclable!
Bass players are always chasing "that sound that's in their head". For some, "that sound" is a very nasal jazz type tone. The best way to achieve that sound is to play your bass as you normally would except turn your in ear monitors on full volume and then insert a piezo pickup in one nostril (or both if you want stereo). Run the piezo output to the FOH and now everyone else can enjoy that perfect nasal jazz tone exactly matching the one in your head!
I simple "like is not enough". This is really funny. I think Peter Frampton used to do that on guitar, didn't he?
The reason you don't see really long scale basses, say, 45" or so, is not because it's really difficult to reach the end of the frets. It's due to the sonics. Above 44", the strings can be drop tuned to the point where they actually play infrasonic frequencies- which are too low to hear, but can still be felt. These can cause unease and nausea, and, at high enough volumes, intestinal distress. In fact, in one unfortunate incident in early 1972, The Who had to cancel a concert when John Entwhistle attempted to tune a custom made 46" scale bass without realizing it was connected to an amp at high volume. The entire stadium was closed for a week for cleaning.
Pretty close, I think he used a tube down his throat, similar to the ones they use for pumping your stomach out when you've swallowed poison. Of course that explains the song, Do You, Feel Like I Do.
Here he is, getting his stomach pumped at one of his concerts...
From the look on his face its not a pleasant feeling.
