Hmm...
The Q seems a bit low for an open-backed design. Then again, cabinets for instrument speakers are rarely as big as they need to be to get the low bass. I prefer open backed for guitar use as too-small closed back yielded a horrible one-note sound around the 5th fret of the lowest string.
Perhaps, in such a situation, having the cabinet open backed, but heavily stuffed (or closed back, but with lots of small holes in) would be best?
The Q seems a bit low for an open-backed design. Then again, cabinets for instrument speakers are rarely as big as they need to be to get the low bass. I prefer open backed for guitar use as too-small closed back yielded a horrible one-note sound around the 5th fret of the lowest string.
Perhaps, in such a situation, having the cabinet open backed, but heavily stuffed (or closed back, but with lots of small holes in) would be best?
I got a good price offer, and 15" is on order
one reason is what you mention, it has the higher Qts(0.56)
if needed I have a midrange horn and CD driver(cheap stuff)
well, it certainly aint pro stuff, I know
main reason Im here is I have had amateur luthier work as a hobby
and I got this crazy idea to learn about electric guitar/bass
small steps
one reason is what you mention, it has the higher Qts(0.56)
if needed I have a midrange horn and CD driver(cheap stuff)
well, it certainly aint pro stuff, I know
main reason Im here is I have had amateur luthier work as a hobby
and I got this crazy idea to learn about electric guitar/bass
small steps
woofer look ok
but materials appear to be average
might sound ok tho
cant say yet
but connecting the woofer directly to my small guitar combo didnt work so well
distorts badly, very nasty
tried with another woofer, same thing
appears to related to combo amp
but it works better when connected in paralel with existing 8", which I find strange
no way around it, proper preamp/amp combo needed
but materials appear to be average
might sound ok tho
cant say yet
but connecting the woofer directly to my small guitar combo didnt work so well
distorts badly, very nasty
tried with another woofer, same thing
appears to related to combo amp
but it works better when connected in paralel with existing 8", which I find strange
no way around it, proper preamp/amp combo needed
Attachments
yeah, my thought too
which is why tried another woofer I have, a 12" hifi woofer
I just looked, and its also 4", like the original in the combo
could it be that the two big woofers reach lower frequencies
and that this guitar amp simply cannot play low frequencies at all
can such amp really distort that much
or maybe it comes from woofers not being monted in anything stable
but I did place the woofer on something to isolate it from the floor
well, hitting them low notes on a bass guitar really sets things in motion, and much different from playing music
I guess I need to do it right and mount the woofer properly, before it makes any sense at all
which is why tried another woofer I have, a 12" hifi woofer
I just looked, and its also 4", like the original in the combo
could it be that the two big woofers reach lower frequencies
and that this guitar amp simply cannot play low frequencies at all
can such amp really distort that much
or maybe it comes from woofers not being monted in anything stable
but I did place the woofer on something to isolate it from the floor
well, hitting them low notes on a bass guitar really sets things in motion, and much different from playing music
I guess I need to do it right and mount the woofer properly, before it makes any sense at all
I may have found the reason of distorted sound
the thing is, I have been practicing using this little guitar combo with 8" woofer
very nice tune, but ofcourse I have had to play gentle
when I got this new 15" woofer I thought it could really take some "beating" now
so I played it harder, and as it seems, too hard
I guess what I need is more amp power, instead of pulling them strings so hard
btw, I got my shortscale Moses Graphite bass neck yesterday, and its simply perfect
its passive pickup's, and only 15watt
So? - it's got knobs on the front, turn it DOWN!.
Why would anybody want a horn in a cabinet for a bass guitar? IMO you can't beat the top of the line Electro Voice speakers and as long as you don't feed them a severly clipped signal you can't blow them either. That amp you said you have would not blow one unless you clipped the crap out of it which you probably couldn't do although I have never had any experience with that particular amp. With any high quality bass amp you couldn't unless you turned it all the way up which is almost always very stupid.
gain is set at about half
both woofers I have tried never moves much
I play it at no louder SPL than normal speaking level
problems only comes when playing aggressive, its not even loud
well, the distortion is maybe more like a rattle
I suspect it has to do with total loss of control
Either a too wimpy amp, or maybe it could be related to the pickup
If by "rattle" you mean the sound I would describe as a "rattle" I would think it is coming from the cabinet or the speaker. Maybe a blown speaker or a cracked cabinet or something like that.
Unless you mean frett buzz from the bass which would intensify the harder you play it. If that is the case you need to raise the action. Check and see if the neck is warped and if it is have the truss rod adjusted. I wouldn't advise doing that yourself unless you really know what you are doing. Using heavier gauge strings would help some also. I am not a bass player so I may be wrong about this but I have never seen anybody use a high C on a 5 string bass before. I think they are meant to be used with a low B. Using a high C instead would probably change the string tension enough to require a truss rod adjustment because with a high C there would be a lot less tension on the neck then it was designed for unless it was designed to be used with a high C which again I have never seen. Using heavier gauge strings would also increase the tension and probably help some. They sound better too but they are harder to play and tear your fingers up more.
Trying a different bass should let you know whether it is the bass or the cabinet. If you don't have access to one you could bring the amp to a music store and ask them if you could play one of their basses through it for just a minute. Most would let you as long as you were cool to them. You could also ask them who does the best guitar work around. Some guys are really terrible so you want to ask around before you use one.
Unless you mean frett buzz from the bass which would intensify the harder you play it. If that is the case you need to raise the action. Check and see if the neck is warped and if it is have the truss rod adjusted. I wouldn't advise doing that yourself unless you really know what you are doing. Using heavier gauge strings would help some also. I am not a bass player so I may be wrong about this but I have never seen anybody use a high C on a 5 string bass before. I think they are meant to be used with a low B. Using a high C instead would probably change the string tension enough to require a truss rod adjustment because with a high C there would be a lot less tension on the neck then it was designed for unless it was designed to be used with a high C which again I have never seen. Using heavier gauge strings would also increase the tension and probably help some. They sound better too but they are harder to play and tear your fingers up more.
Trying a different bass should let you know whether it is the bass or the cabinet. If you don't have access to one you could bring the amp to a music store and ask them if you could play one of their basses through it for just a minute. Most would let you as long as you were cool to them. You could also ask them who does the best guitar work around. Some guys are really terrible so you want to ask around before you use one.
no, I tried another woofer, same thing
I know what you mean by fret buzz
I strugled with that in the beginning
I spent days and days adjusting, over and over again
Its well adjusted now
well, the story is, I have had violin building as a hobby through many years
and now I want to learn about bass guitars
which is why any kind of feedback is of value to me
well, it is children's bass, so you may have a point with soft strings
but it is US made D'Addario strings, which seems quite good on a 150 dollar bass
tho, I have noticed that upper pickup isnt alligned 100% below the strings
maybe that might be a problem, but I dont know
hmm, I remember someone mentioned that thicker strings
a special trick used on shortscale bass especially, because of the short strings having natural lower tension
whatever, I like soft playing, on middle to upper frets especially
I can practice without any problems
but its an annoying issue, and interesting
it would be nice to locate the problem, and not change things that work ok
Attachments
It is hard for me to tell if the neck is warped from that angle but it doesn't look like it is.
That pickup shouldn't cause that kind of problem. Unless the problem is with the electronics inside. I really would have to see it in person to help you. Do you know any musicians you could show it to? That's about the only thing left I can think of to tell you. I wish I could be more helpful.
Well one more thought I just had. If by rattling you mean what I would describe as crackling then it could possibly be a bad cable. Have you tried using a different one? It could possibly be a bad pot or a bad input jack also. Or maybe the parts are ok but you have a bad solder connection. The problem is that I don't know exactly what you mean by a "rattling" sound.
What I think you should do is ask a bass player (in person) what the problem is and what needs to be done to fix it and THEN ask some DIY guys how to do it.
That pickup shouldn't cause that kind of problem. Unless the problem is with the electronics inside. I really would have to see it in person to help you. Do you know any musicians you could show it to? That's about the only thing left I can think of to tell you. I wish I could be more helpful.
Well one more thought I just had. If by rattling you mean what I would describe as crackling then it could possibly be a bad cable. Have you tried using a different one? It could possibly be a bad pot or a bad input jack also. Or maybe the parts are ok but you have a bad solder connection. The problem is that I don't know exactly what you mean by a "rattling" sound.
What I think you should do is ask a bass player (in person) what the problem is and what needs to be done to fix it and THEN ask some DIY guys how to do it.
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Im sure the neck is fine
though string are a bit low
but I found it optimal with no fret buzzing
like you said, 15watt is really a joke with bass guitar
but I got it for free
I feel certain the speaker noise is caused by inadequate amp control
imagine what happens if the woofer continiously "starts" and "stops" at the wrong time
surely it wont sound as a clean swinging string, but like something completely different that has nothing to do with music
I hope to get enough money to buy a BBE preamp
and I should be able to build a cheap power amp, maybe classD
but needs to have balanced input
might be integrated with the speaker so that it could be used as "party speaker" as well
which is why I might use a tweeter to make it fullrange
time will show
though string are a bit low
but I found it optimal with no fret buzzing
like you said, 15watt is really a joke with bass guitar
but I got it for free
I feel certain the speaker noise is caused by inadequate amp control
imagine what happens if the woofer continiously "starts" and "stops" at the wrong time
surely it wont sound as a clean swinging string, but like something completely different that has nothing to do with music
I hope to get enough money to buy a BBE preamp
and I should be able to build a cheap power amp, maybe classD
but needs to have balanced input
might be integrated with the speaker so that it could be used as "party speaker" as well
which is why I might use a tweeter to make it fullrange
time will show
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