EB-2D SMOKIN' STORY ;-)

MARICOPAA · January 31, 2008, 03:10:34 PM

Ok...so I have a number of basses with mudbuckers that I love to play. Mid 60's Rivoli's, late 50's EB-2's, early & mid 60's EB-O's, EB-3's and one nice 1967 sunburst EB-2D. They are all stock save for some locking studs wich help immensely but don't change or mod any of the basses.

Among the things I do musically is my teaching practice. I have been doing that for 18 years or so. I have a nice private teaching studio in the downtown are of my city...near a few schools & colleges...a nice set up. there are seven appartments in my building along with a couple other businesses. So when I moved here three years ago I set up my teaching station with two chairs facing each other. Each chair has a headphone jack and each chair also has a "Tactile Sound Transducer" from a company in Colorado called Clark Synthesis...they are essentially amazing butt kickers. The idea was to be able to set myself and my late afternoon/early evening students up with headphoes and then supplement the cans with the extended bass and actual physical sensation of low end from the transducers in each seat. I also have a small 12 channel console and some self powered monitors for daily use. A big stereo power amp gets signal from an aux send and feed the low end transducers in each chair.

WEEEEEELLLLL...yesterday I was sitting with an older student who loves his basses. I was playing the EB-2D on full mud through the powered mons and also the butt kickers...really kicking I mean. i sent another aux send to a distortion unit that I folded back into the mains and the low end transducers in the chairs. This sound was amazing...huge fat but with this attitude and growl from the distortion. I was being creative and ripping through some heavy lines when my student sitting acroos from me said "ER...UH...Chris...your butt is smoking"!!!!

Sure nuff...there was a ton of smole coming from my nethher regions. Turns out it was the Tactile Sound Transducer belching smoke. It was still working but it was pooring out smole. I quickly turned of the beast...shut down the power amp to the transducers and looked underneath. yep...there it was coming out of the plaxce where the wires were coming out of the transducer.

I was so takin' with the girth and power of the sound that I hadn't noticed the smoke until my student made the comment.

I called Clark Synthesis and spoke with Bill (owner?) I described what happened and we went through a couple diagnostic checks...turns out the transducers are filled with what's called a Ferro-Fluid for cooling and heat dissipation...I had BOILED THE FERRO-FLUID and subsequently it over heated and burned up.

Bottom line is MUD RULES and exceeded all operating parameters of this device. A great recipe for fun...a little quailty distortion and lots and lots of pure MUD!

There ya have it ;-)

Basvarken · January 31, 2008, 03:22:20 PM

Great story!

First Mud wrestling, now Mud smoking

Is there such as thing as Mud gas?

I think I have it right now...

cheers, Rob

Dave W · January 31, 2008, 06:43:31 PM

Damn! Now that's what I call output!

Any more and you might have set off the Bay Area seismometers.

Chris P. · February 01, 2008, 12:40:21 AM

This is the best mudbucker story I ever heard!

If you like butkickers check out the Pleasure Board and Pleasure Pump (No porn content. Only bass porn.) by German maker TecAmp. I tried them out at a fair and I never had so much fun only playing the low E. It's absurd but brilliant.

Check: http://www.tecamp.de/ (products, specials)
Also check their Bad Cab. A cab with 2x12, 2x15 and 4x10 at the size of a small van:)

Talking 'bout trade fairs. Uwe: Musicmaker/De Bassist (the magazines I write for) take me to the Franfurter Messe in March of this year. is it advisable to bring some Panzerfausts and other weaponary or are you at work those days? We won't go by bike.

Bart! · February 01, 2008, 01:35:05 AM

Must have been ass smokin bass grooves...

Hey Chris, is 'De Bassist' magazine gonna do a report on ze collection/herr collector?

drbassman · February 01, 2008, 03:11:32 AM

Maybe you should nickname your EB-2D the "Destroyer!" Great story. Did the kicker survive after cool down?

uwe · February 01, 2008, 04:07:42 AM

Brilliant! This story will be integrated into our treasure grove of collective mudbucker mythology. The devil's frequencies wreaked havoc.

And Chris P: No need to bring the Panzerfaust, you'll have the right of free passage whilst in Germany as long as you drop by in my office for an espresso and some ritual adoration of ze Sammlung ... my office is a ten minute walk from where the fair will be.

Uwe

Barklessdog · February 01, 2008, 06:07:38 AM

really cool & funny just the same.

All hail the Mudbucker in all it's glory!

Everyone should one at least one.

exiledarchangel · February 01, 2008, 06:29:06 AM

I don't think it would be allowed to carry Mudbuckers with you on a plane for example after that incident.

Chris P. · February 01, 2008, 08:56:14 AM

Quote from: Bart! on February 01, 2008, 01:35:05 AM
Hey Chris, is 'De Bassist' magazine gonna do a report on ze collection/herr collector?

No, it's a Dutch magazine. We hate Germans.

uwe · February 01, 2008, 09:33:46 AM

Sigh!

Chris P. · February 02, 2008, 03:08:27 AM

Quote from: uwe on February 01, 2008, 04:07:42 AM
...as you drop by in my office for an espresso and some ritual adoration of ze Sammlung ...

A ritual bass adoration. Great! Are we doing some African dances naked together again? After we finger painted eachother with big t-bird logos?

uwe · February 02, 2008, 04:01:19 AM

Fingering is alright, we can do without the paint this time.

exiledarchangel · February 03, 2008, 10:45:05 AM

This thread is getting dangerous.

TBird1958 · February 03, 2008, 10:53:44 AM

"A ritual bass adoration. Great! Are we doing some African dances naked together again? After we finger painted eachother with big t-bird logos?"

This how to hurt a girl's feelings Chris ! $:-\$

"Fingering is alright, we can do without the paint this time. "

And I'd expect this kind of comment from myself........ Uwe? Who knew? Scandalous!