Author Topic: Batteries and Series 2 (Read 1486 times)

hammer · « **Reply #45 on:** June 06, 2013, 08:40:21 AM »

Just checked out the BigE facebook page. Is it my imagination or are they taking note of the approach used by Phil Jones in many of their cabs?

edwin · « **Reply #46 on:** June 06, 2013, 10:07:48 AM »

It's totally different from Phil Jones. Phil is basically using standard speaker technology to build multi driver, optimally tuned cabinets. Big E is using something they call a Vortex, which is very different. There's been a ton of skepticism because it's uncharted territory, as far as I can tell, but they claim to get much better efficiency and dispersion characteristics than any other design. It seems to be one of those scenarios where people don't believe until they've heard it. I've not heard it, so I don't believe, but I'm will to suspend my disbelief until I do. I know Andy Lewis, of Acme, who's a friend here in Denver, is pretty skeptical from looking at the cabs online, and he's got a ton of experience. All I know, is from the hype, I'd love to hear one, but I can't afford to buy one.

811952 · « **Reply #47 on:** June 06, 2013, 11:36:47 AM »

I heard what looks to have been a BigE 2x10 cabinet at a Lakland open-house last October and was not impressed. It was loud, but I thought it sounded awful. But, it was loud. Maybe it was the room we were in. People were ooh-ing and aah-ing over it until the guy who brought it (who was the builder, if memory serves) plugged it in.

John

edwin · « **Reply #48 on:** June 06, 2013, 12:14:14 PM »

Interesting. I didn't realize they'd been around that long.

bigredbass · « **Reply #49 on:** June 06, 2013, 11:07:07 PM »

To me, it's a huge problem that I fortunately no longer have to worry about.

Bass amps and cabs were for me, always on one side or another of this fence:

Line up all the usual suspects (Fender, Peavey, Sunn, Acoustic, etc., augmented by later, supposedly 'smarter' rigs like SWR, Eden, and Trace, MarkBass, and all those who followed in the Trace / SWR wake), and these were all 'bass amps', built for the guys who sweat out the five and six night a week sitdowns with Fenders or Musicmans or any of their clones.

Then the other side of the fence: Rigs built primarily from Sound reinforcement / studio gear. Channel strips, dedicated bass preamps, commercial power amps, Demeters, Millenias, Universal Audio, dBx, rack gear of any and all persuasions, and God knows what kinds of cabinets, from straight touring cabinets to more esoteric bass guitar cabs like Acme, etc. For guys playing Alembics and Ritters and all sorts of 'furniture' basses.

Spin the wheel and it's a crapshoot what will work well in any given room.

And then, does my fabulous tone I built solo VANISH when mixed into the dizzying randomness of a band situation: Did I do all this to get buried by a doofus with a Marshall half-stack, will my standing wave (just had to have that five-string, didntcha?) knock glasses off the back bar, this gig has NO PA and I'm TOO LOUD anyway, this gig has a fabulous PA and I didn't need to bring all this . . . . . my brain melted just re-hashing all this.

Then I go to see a band, and the guy has a crap PBass and a rusty Peavey stack and sounds great. Sigh . . . . .

I COMPLETELY understand why Jimmy travels with a direct box and wedges.

I spent my playing days completely understanding that the bass+amp+cabinet=my instrument. I also never mastered my sound, spent a lot of time fighting rooms where I could not hear myself while roasting everyone else, and always felt I was swimming uphill because of it. I once read an interview with Joe Osborne where he said he way preferred the studio, as he couldn't ever hear properly on the gig. I know . . . .

Where's the Tylenol ?

J o e y

stout71 · « **Reply #50 on:** June 07, 2013, 06:22:19 AM »

Yeah Joey, you nailed it. When I first started regularly gigging and touring 15 years ago, I'd carry around 2 huge Ampeg rigs and run them in stereo, only to have that idea zapped when the house sound was always mixed mono anyway (which makes total sense, but I was young and naive.) I scaled it down to 1 after awhile and I did run it post-eq into the console which give it a decent tone through the PA. I mainly used the cab for my stage monitor. Then in-ear monitoring came out. I sold the cab for a high-end set of in ears and I've never looked back. Now I carry around an Ashdown 2X10 with a small GK head just to give the other guys something to hear if they aren't also using in-ears. The next step is to ditch all that completely and buy a nice direct preamp, speaker simulator, etc. It makes loading in and out a lot easier as well. Everyone used to tell me that it must suck to be the bassist and have to carry all that stuff around. Now they can tell the drummer.

And I just realized we totally hijacked the original thread.

811952 · « **Reply #51 on:** June 07, 2013, 06:59:04 AM »

Not totally. There's still time to save it. How long do the batteries last in your in-ears? Is the replacement cycle in-line with the replacement cycle for, say, an SII Alembic?

John

stout71 · « **Reply #52 on:** June 07, 2013, 07:15:08 AM »

Chuckle.

edwin · « **Reply #53 on:** June 07, 2013, 07:42:08 AM »

No point in making the assumption that in ears are wireless. I run wired ear because they sound better and I've got a wire going to my bass anyway. I bundled a Series cable with a headphone extension cable and it works perfectly. One big cable and I'm done.

stout71 · « **Reply #54 on:** June 07, 2013, 08:29:12 AM »

That's a great idea, Edwin. Currently, mine are wired as well. Did you just use zip ties? That would take the stress off of the connection where the extension cable meets the in-ears.

edwin · « **Reply #55 on:** June 07, 2013, 08:31:34 AM »

No, I used this mesh tubing that I got from a local electronic surplus store. It does feel like one fat wire. Zip ties sound painful and dangerous! I think it was our own Jimmy J that gave me the idea. If you can't find any near you, I can see about picking some up and sending it to you. It's not super cheap, but it works quite well.

stout71 · « **Reply #56 on:** June 07, 2013, 08:35:56 AM »

The stuff has to be available online SOMEWHERE. I'm not concerned with price. I'll only have to do this once, hopefully. Way better than zip ties.

On another note, I saw you guys a couple of times when I lived out in Denver. Good stuff.

edwin · « **Reply #57 on:** June 07, 2013, 09:38:23 AM »

This or something like it: http://www.markertek.com/Cable-Management-Protection/Expandable-Cable-Tubing/Techflex-Inc/PTN0-25BK.xhtml

Thanks! Which band was it and when? I've only been with Shakedown Street since the end of 2009.

edwin · « **Reply #58 on:** June 07, 2013, 09:44:18 AM »

This or something like it: http://www.markertek.com/Cable-Management-Protection/Expandable-Cable-Tubing/Techflex-Inc/PTN0-25BK.xhtml

Thanks! Which band was it and when? I've only been with Shakedown Street since the end of 2009.

stout71 · « **Reply #59 on:** June 07, 2013, 09:53:48 AM »

Oh this was back sometime between 1998-2001. El Chapultepec or Herman's or something. Thanks for the link.