Congratulations Lyn, I think you're the first here to fully recognize how out of touch I am about such stuff. 
Now back to the cabinets and 'Ext Amp'...
Now back to the cabinets and 'Ext Amp'...
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The official Ampeg V-4BH thread
- Thread starter TSanders
- Start date
Pedro; Here ya go! MF is having a "Direct Box Sale"
There's a ton of 'em, from $20 to $1100!!
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigation?q=Direct Box&src=00630&247SEM
also http://www.sweetwater.com/c957--Direct_Boxes
I've used the Whirlwind Imp 2 for years, still carry it in my bag even though all my amps have direct outs.
This article might be good reading http://www.jdbsound.com/art/art504.htm
The electrolytic capacitors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolytic_capacitor). These are typically found in the power supply, for cathode coupling, and in the bias supply. Typically, they have a shelf life of 10-15 years whether they are used or not. They could last longer, but chances are, they will be bad...when most people get old amps, the first they they do is change out all the caps that could go bad in an attempt to create a realiable amp that will run for many years without any trouble. [You should also have the tech check the resistors around the power tubes at a minimum.]
Old amps require maintenance to keep them in top running order. You are simply trying to bring it back to factory specification.
I am sorry - I assumed you were "Pedro" from the Fender Discussion Page.
An external DI is simply a box that is plugged into your cable before your amplifier...similar to a 'stomp box.' This will provide the FOH with a clean signal that is not affected by your amplifier (no EQ or tone shaping). Most amps that have them built in will have a switch so you can choose if the signal is taken before or after EQ. A soundman will always want it pre-EQ (as with the external unit) because chances are the EQ settings that make your speaker cabinet sound good won't be the same settings that sound good through the house PA system.
The ground lift I mention is a switch that lifts (disengages) the ground pin of the mic cable. This is typically done because the ground reference for both the stage power and power where the mixing console resides won't be equal...and they will get hum along with your bass signal. Only grounding the cable at the mixing board side prevents this hum. The V4BH does not have this feature built in.
The Imp 2 is a great sounding unit for little $. Like lbwdog, I carry one around as a backup.
If you know me from there then you should've known that I have the understanding of technical matters of the averge 4 year old.
A punch-list of things to ask the tech to look at would be nice. Any idea how much this type of 'looksie' should cost?
I make the assumption that everybody on the FDP is competent. Especially the users that have been there as long as I.
Of course the amp discussion limited, which is why I hang here now.A tech shouldn't require a punch list - it is pretty much standard practice to check all those things, nor are they specific to Ampeg. There are some little quirks with Ampeg products, but any good tube amp tech should do just fine.
I do my own work on my Ampegs, however a few years back I brought my guitar amp (1959 Bandmaster) to a well known Fender guy to have it resurrected. I think the electronics work, and he did the works, was just under $500. I also had Sound City head gone through a year or so back, and that bill was $381.70.
Most people will charge a bench fee to poke around and then will give an estimate before proceeding with the work. I would expect maybe a $35 to $100 bench fee depending on the shops reputation.
I'm quite sure I've been there much longer than you but you'd be making a serious mistake to take that to mean I'm competent on this sort of stuff. Ever watch 'Peanuts'? You know when Charlie Brown is in the classroom and the teacher is talking and what he hears is 'wah, wah, wah,' that's what its like for me when the local professors start talking electronics. I try, I really do but most of it floats above my head.
Effectively spending lots of money on an awesome amp only to give the crowd none of it. I don't understand why people do this.
I may be misunderstanding Timi's response but does this method suggest that the sound of my bass out front will be whatever the sound man says it will be?
I mean the Ampeg 810. I come across them occasionally for sale and I wonder if my V4BH would work with one.
Right, but at outdoor shows you may have to do something like this. Not the preferred method, but you make do.
That's why in clubs I generally just try to use my stage volume for the bass tone.
Isn't there a way to take the DI after the eq so that the PA is simply amplifying your sound? Perhaps mic'ing would be preferrable.
Many amps have switchable (pre/post-eq) DI's. If yours doesn't, you could run its line-out or fx-send jack to a DI box for a post-eq DI. The problem is, the EQ settings that happen to sound the best to you with your amp, may not necessarily sound best for the PA system in that room. That's why many soundmen prefer a pre-eq DI signal.
