| Author | Message | ||
| roberto
Member Username: roberto Post Number: 56 Registered: 3-2006 |
Hi Guys! I recently encounter a problem wth my Persuader6 str.I put on 2 Fatboys and it used to be okay. But in the last weeks the lower/bigger strngs sound distorted.Iput on new battery and did the following. 1.Plug into a TRace Eliot amp that has light indicators:yellow for more input,green for okay and red means overoad input. 2.I pluck moderately and turn up the volume until the second yellow light ,before the green light,liht up.I notice that the E str and the Low B is slihty louderThe green liht lihts 3.WHEN I PLUCK HARD,THE IST,2ND 3RD AND 4TH STRNGS MADE THE GREEN LIGHT SHINE BUT THE E STR AND LOW B MADE THE RED LIGHTS SHINES ALL THROUGH THE WAY FAR BEYOND THE MAXIMUM LIMIT. Does any of you fellas ever experience this?Is ita sign of electronic failure? I wouldbe very grateful if anyone could share the knowledge and remedy for the problem Or perhaps Mica could help ? Thanks Best regards robert | ||
| dadabass2001
Senior Member Username: dadabass2001 Post Number: 860 Registered: 6-2002 |
Hi Robert Have you tried fresh strings? You may be hearing an apparent increase in fundamental tones due to reduced overtones. my .02 Mike | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 1833 Registered: 6-2002 |
As it happens, I've been trying out a Fatboy in the bridge position over the weekend. It is a lot louder than an AXY, with lots more bottom and much reduced highs. It really is a different animal. Do you plug the bass into something like a compressor and/or a sonic maximizer before the signal goes into the Trace? Turn that off! Not sure if the Trace indicators are before or after the tone shaping, but it can't hurt to put all the tone controls in neutral, see if that makes a change. If it has a built-in compressor, turn that off too. What happens if you change the filter control on the Persuader? Finally, what happens if you adjust the output gain with the trimpot in the Persuader's cavity? | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 1689 Registered: 10-2002 |
Why not just lower the B and E string side of the pickups and see what happens. graeme | ||
| dfung60
Advanced Member Username: dfung60 Post Number: 311 Registered: 5-2002 |
I'd agree with jacko's recommendation here. The magnetic response of the strings may be wildly different across the set. If the output level is too high on the low strings, then drop that side of the pickup down to see if it's evened out. You can also drop the overall output level from the bass at the trimpot, but that won't address the balance problem across the strings. Good luck, David Fung | ||
| bassman68
Junior Username: bassman68 Post Number: 26 Registered: 10-2007 |
The level indicators on a Trace head are only there as a guide, are you hearing any clipping distortion? I agree with Graeme, try lowering the P/up. If i remember rightly any built in compression on a trace should also be pre eq as well & if anything should act as a limiter to stop input clipping, you could try boosting the low comp a bit more, but i do think David & Graeme have hit the nail on the head.. (Message edited by Bassman68 on March 18, 2008) | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 1837 Registered: 6-2002 |
I wouldn't trust a compressor to function as a limiter ... Anyway, the idea of lowering the pickup on the bass side is indeed a good one. | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 1695 Registered: 10-2002 |
Steve, I had a trace GP12 SMX for a while and the compression circuit came post eq.  graeme edit.. just checked the new range and it looks to be the same order. (Message edited by jacko on March 18, 2008) | ||
| bassman68
Junior Username: bassman68 Post Number: 27 Registered: 10-2007 |
I was only guessing Graeme,Stopped using trace in the early '90's before the smx range came out. Worked there for a while, probably why i changed amp brands! | ||
| jacko
Senior Member Username: jacko Post Number: 1696 Registered: 10-2002 |
I think Trace's method is the exact opposite to just about every other amp manufacturer - I now use eden and the compression circuit comes straight after the input gain. I've spoken with other bass players a few times around effects etc and they're all putting compression pedals or rackmount compression units in the input line rather than later on in effects loops. graeme | ||
| bassman68
Junior Username: bassman68 Post Number: 28 Registered: 10-2007 |
I still think you should try that as well Roberto, aswell as dropping the P/up on the bass side. Especially with a six string, should even out the balance of output, altho Adriaan has stated that the Fatboys put out alot more bottom than top. It's a bit compressor overkill but you can turn the compression down/off on the amp. | ||
| roberto
Member Username: roberto Post Number: 57 Registered: 3-2006 |
The strings are a month old.The amp is brand new.I plug the bass directly with noeffect at all. inI did lower the pickup at the bass side side and if I pluck gently,the light indicators shows more or less equal input signal volume.But with louder plucking,the lower strings signal goes way way ahead and distorted sound occurs.With my Series 2 and my other Persuaders without Fatboys this doessn't happen. I agree with adriaan.I did notice bigger low frequency and high frequency loss. But yhr ovrtload and distorted sound forces me to pluck moderately al the way,without dynamics. I dnt think this is right.There must be some thing wrong somewhere in the system.I am suspecting the harness.I ll try putting back the original pups back and see what hapens. robert | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 1838 Registered: 6-2002 |
Did you turn down the trim pot(s) inside the cavity? The output level is also much bigger than with AXYs. | ||
| 0vid
Intermediate Member Username: 0vid Post Number: 133 Registered: 4-2003 |
Hey Adriaan Do you like the Fatboy? It does have much higher output than the AXY, and this certainly more noticeable at the bridge position. | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 1840 Registered: 6-2002 |
Hey 0vid, The Fatboy in bridge position is absolutely brilliant for slapping, but for regular fingerstyle I really-really-really miss the clear highs from the AXY ... or at least I think I do. I have to max the Q switch (6dB in my case) and boost the highs on my SWR to get the same brightness as with the AXY, which I can run with zero Q and a lot less boost on the amp. I'm comparing with fairly new DR LowRiders, so I wouldn't think it's the strings. The Fatboy also overwhelms the AXY in the neck position, no matter what I try with the blend pot. I'll play around with pickup heights and trimpots some more, see if that can improve things. I'll also put on some old strings to see if there will be any highs left in that situation. Final option would be to see what the Fatboy can deliver in the neck position. Right now, I get more brightness from the neck AXY than from the bridge Fatboy! I'm wondering if this could be due to the koa top on my Spoiler, which is supposed to be a little less bright than other woods. Perhaps the Fatboy would be great with a brighter top like maple. | ||
| 0vid
Intermediate Member Username: 0vid Post Number: 134 Registered: 4-2003 |
"The Fatboy in bridge position is absolutely brilliant for slapping, but for regular fingerstyle I really-really-really miss the clear highs from the AXY " Funny you say that... I prefer a single Fatboy in the bridge position for a fretless fingerstyle ( the neck one does not get used much), it has that low mid grunt the AXY does not have, but I much prefer the AXY for slap on a fretted... does not have that mid grunt, I prefer the 'cleaner' AXY sound for that. (Message edited by 0vid on March 21, 2008) | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 1842 Registered: 6-2002 |
0vid - you're talking about a bass that you built yourself, right? Is the bridge pick-up in the StingRay sweetspot, or closer to the bridge like on an Alembic? Maybe it's the sheer loudness of the thing that makes me enjoy the slap qualities of a bridge Fatboy soloed ... but it definitely needs the hyped Q and lots of treble boost! As my fretless Epic has MXYs I can't try out the Fatboy there, but what you say about the Fatboy being more suited as the bridge pickup on a fretless makes a lot of sense. Let's ask the experts if they have any complaints about the highs on an Excel with the single Fatboy in the middle position ... | ||
| 0vid
Intermediate Member Username: 0vid Post Number: 135 Registered: 4-2003 |
The fatboy bridge pickups are loaded on basses I made snug right up to the bridge, not the Stingray or Jazz bridge position. Also I use no EQ on the bass or on the rig, the F1-X is flat usually. I do use the low pass filter for a couple of tunes but usually run them wide open. I don't use the Q switch. | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 1843 Registered: 6-2002 |
I've put the AXY back in the bridge position, and it restored the clarity I was missing. I hadn't realized but the Fatboy seems to be less focused for those little harmonics all over the lower frets. Kind of like the proximity effect on a microphone. Going back to the AXY does not make quite the big difference in clarity like I thought it would, but still too much to ignore. Then again I lose the oomph I was winning with the Fatboy - it really is frustrating either way. Next up, I'll put the Fatboy in the neck position. The AXY there is brighter than it needs to be, and it does have nice oomph - who knows what the Fatboy can add. | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 1844 Registered: 6-2002 |
Oh dear - I'll be returning the Fatboy to 0vid, who very graciously proposed a swap of his Fatboy for my AXY. It's been an absolute pleasure to be able to find out the differences in person and on my own Spoiler, but the AXY is the better option for me - the Fatboy is just too dark. | ||
| rneub
Junior Username: rneub Post Number: 15 Registered: 6-2007 |
Adriaan, how did you like the Fatboy in the neck position? ( I've read that you went back to AXY, but I just like to hear about your experience)I did not do it yet, but I'm wondering. Was it more or less the same as the Fatboy in the bridge position? | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 1910 Registered: 6-2002 |
In the neck position, it didn't make much of a difference other than the loss of sparkle, when soloed. But it seemed to overpower the AXY at the bridge, rendering the pan pot quite useless. People seem to agree that you can combine a Fatboy at the bridge with an AXY at the neck, but not the other way around. A set of Fatboys should probably work fine. Perhaps a short comment about my playing conditions - I play only in our living room through a SWR Workingman's 12, with the volume pretty low. Perhaps with a louder rig, in a band situation, the loss of sparkle is less of a problem. | ||
| dannobasso
Senior Member Username: dannobasso Post Number: 787 Registered: 3-2004 |
My Excels have Fatboys in both positions. I can attest that live it is plenty crisp. I usually have to turn off the bright switch on the F1X. That is for the basses with Spoiler or Distillate electronics. | ||
| rneub
Junior Username: rneub Post Number: 16 Registered: 6-2007 |
Thanks guys! Always a pleasure getting advice from our great Alembic community  |
