icastle

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1018775' date='Nov 10 2010, 01:50 PM']Cheers guys. The only reason i got a new iron (and didn't use my old fluctuating 25watt) was the coating on the tip of the 40watt seems to be melting, or breaking off. Ive not seen a tip go like this before and was worried it might be getting hotter than it should. Its fairly new as well. So more heat, more mass and less contact time seem to be what's needed.[/quote] The tip corroding is due to the rosin based flux used in multicore solder - it's why tips are replaceable. It's not a perfect solution, but you can take a file to the tip and get it back to a point where you can see copper again.

[quote name='dunnymod' post='1018662' date='Nov 10 2010, 12:26 PM']Hey there, just a quick query at this point – I use a DHA VT1 EQ bass almost exclusively, either through an amp or direct into the PA through the XLR. Within the last month whenever I play through the pedal there is now a background noise where there wasn’t before. Its not a Buzz or a Hum or an electrical noise, it sounds more like the pedal is constantly ‘breathing out’??? This is the same through the PA and the amp, and not there when I bypass the pedal. As this is my first prolonged experience with valve equipment im not sure if this is normal. Ive had the pedal over a year now, and this breathing sound has only developed, like I say, in the last month. Just from reading other posts about valves it seems that a pre-amp valve is quite hard to break, (electro harmonix fitted as standard) and the tone of the pedal has not changed, so my question is really is this normal once valves have been ‘broken in’???? Or could it be something else in the pedal?? Any info would be appreciated. cheers[/quote] If you look in the Affiliates Forums listing there is actually one there for "Ask an Expert - Dave Hall Amps" - if anyone can answer this I bet he can

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1018749' date='Nov 10 2010, 01:39 PM']Thanks for that. As im having a "buy the wrong thing" week i did get the wrong solder tips as well. I brought a new 30watt iron but it only came with a pointed tip. I really wanted a chisel tip so brought a packet of tips but of course they were for the wrong iron (in fact for a solder station). I must be getting old as i definitely checked they were the correct ones before i picked them up. I do have a 40watt that might be better for the back of the pot, and this has a thicker tip so maybe ill give that ago tonight.[/quote] Ah. Yes, try the 40w iron - you'll never manage to solder a cable to the back of a pot using a needle tip...

[quote name='owen' post='1018555' date='Nov 10 2010, 11:03 AM']"3/21/01vk", "piezotrim", "fishman" and "rev 2.1" They are the only identifying features.[/quote] Can't find anything like that I'm afraid I presume it's on an acoustic or DB?

[quote name='dmccombe7' post='1018708' date='Nov 10 2010, 01:05 PM']After 35yrs playing bass I guess I can pass on some experienced comments with feeling a twat.[/quote] Did you mean to say that?

[quote name='4-string-thing' post='1018596' date='Nov 10 2010, 11:37 AM']To me, it means you have good taste sir! And if you'd said Danny Thompson instead of Rick kemp, even better![/quote] I liked Pentangle well enough, but they didn't really make a huge impact on me - using electric instruments to play folk music though... it was unheard of at the time and was akin to witchcraft

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1018582' date='Nov 10 2010, 11:21 AM']I had the end of the wire flat against the back of the pot and then applied some heat and solder to cover it all.[/quote] Thats where you went wrong - you need to get a film of solder nicely flowing on the back of the pot before you introduce the wire(s). If you just add solder to the whole area you just create a blob of solder with a wire in it which sits on a layer of flux - at best it'll just all fall away if you jolt the instrument and at worst it'll just not make a contact at all. I know it's not very environmental to say, but I'm not a great fan of lead free solder either - it seems to have a tendency to produce dry joints very easily whenever I use it...

[quote name='dood' post='1018562' date='Nov 10 2010, 11:07 AM']Ha ha ha!! beat me to it! but glad we have a similar method![/quote] Yep If our guitars were to explode then CSI BassChat would at least find a pot with a piece of wire on it

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1018529' date='Nov 10 2010, 10:52 AM']Cheers guys. I was doing it in my kitchen so no, it wasn't cold. Im pretty sure i was blowing on it so maybe that was it. Im not sure there was any movement as the wires were clamped or twisted around the eyelets. While i have your attention, any tips on soldering the ground wires to the back of the pot? Ive done it but it looks a bit messy. Cheers again.[/quote] Don't blow Soldering onto the back of a pot can be difficult. Best way:- 1) sandpaper a small area that you are going to solder onto - this allows the solder to run smoothly and stops "blobs" appearing. 2) prepare the wire you are wanting to solder onto the pot - get it stripped and make sure you tin it. 3) with enough solder on the end of the iron to make it wet, heat up the back of the pot and every couple of seconds try pushing some solder to the area you are heating to see if it melts. 4) as soon as it melts, add enough solder to cover the area you have pre sanded - you are after a smooth layer of solder, not a half round shape. 5) keeping your iron in the solder flow, quickly push the prepared wire into the mass. 6) stay very very still for at least a minute 7) sorted

[quote name='Johnston' post='1018512' date='Nov 10 2010, 10:41 AM']We used to get told the instruments were too loud couldn't hear the vocals. Tell the drummer to take it easy so you can all turn down etc etc. then they heard the singer. now I know why your loud [/quote] A singer in a band I was with many years ago had a go at the guitarist for drowning him out. With a totally deadpan face the guitarist listened to the rant and replied very calmly and quietly... "it was self defence"

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1018493' date='Nov 10 2010, 10:32 AM']Sometimes if you move/shake just as the solder sets it will set without it's usual shine. A quick reheat and a wee feed of flux (fresh solder) will sort it. I don't know if that's what's happening to you too. Was it particularly cold where you were soldering?[/quote] That'll do it. So will blowing on the molten solder in an attempt to cool it down quicker. Over heating the joint will also do it.

[quote name='MarkBassChat' post='1018457' date='Nov 10 2010, 10:10 AM']The change was from 240V to 230V. So it is less than 5% and the voltage was lowered. It means that the change is not critical at all. And I don't think that there is any risk of damage either with Markbass amps or any other equipment. Equipment from (resonable) manufacturers has to work correctly within the tolerance guaranteed by mains power supplier (you can check the tolerance on Wikipedia). And most probably slightly more. So I would say that the tolerance of +/-20% should be acceptable for most equipment. The problem is when a country changes mains power voltage up. If you e.g. imagine the US changing form 117V to 230V. Do you think that such operation would be possible? Most of the equipment would fail and this would be a disaster. Such a situation will never happen but there were many countries where the mains power voltage was changed from 220V to 230V. They could have some problems with e.g. light bulbs but this was nothing critical. What is interesting with Markbass F1 is that the change means slightly lower voltage for the power amp. And lower voltage means less power. Of course you will not hear the difference but I wonder what Markbass would recommend. And I'm not refering to places where you have still 268V. There, most probably the conversion hasn't been done and if some equipment fails, you can most probably ask the power supplier for a compensation :-). Mark[/quote] Oh good grief I'm gonna bail out of this conversation while I'm still able to be polite

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1018430' date='Nov 10 2010, 09:51 AM']Yeah, i sometimes feel im not a real bass player because i dont know even 50% of the names banded about on here. The way some poepl go on about them make me feel liek i nee dot go and listen but liek you i just cant stay interested. Maybe its because its not really relevant to my playing as im much more of a basic driving bass line/rock player and i hate being asked to play solo's etc.[/quote] LOL - I'm the same with films... If something has picked up Academy Awards or worse still... [i][b]Oscars[/b][/i] then I just [b]know[/b] it's going to bore the arse off me

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1018393' date='Nov 10 2010, 09:22 AM']Ive never listened to Jaco, Wooten or many of the highly respected bass masters, especially the virtuosos. I find their sort of music just doesn't interest me in the slightest and in fact i find someone doing all that noodling very boring. Guess ive lived a sheltered life.[/quote] Know exactly what you mean, I feel I [b]should[/b] like them because people say how good they are, but just can't quite stay interested long enough to sit and listen to an entire tune. I think it's cos they only play the verses and leave all the choruses out...

[quote name='bumnote' post='1018384' date='Nov 10 2010, 09:13 AM']Im just a layman but what happens to all the other electrical equipment in the UK that was manufactured prior to 2008 when the change was made. Presumably that was designed for 240v and is now running on 230. Is that at risk of damage, or is the markbass particulalry sensitive?[/quote] I can spot loads of stuff in our house that was purchased pre 2008, still working fine. It carries on working because it just doesn't matter to it Can you imagine the outcry if they changed the voltage and everyone's appliances started dying as a result?

[quote name='MarkBassChat' post='1018332' date='Nov 10 2010, 07:17 AM']I agree. If you can get voltage between 210 and 250V it is safer to set the amp to 240V. But by doing this you void the guarantee. Are you sure that you may get 250V in UK? This could cause a failure of other equipment at home (light bulbs) and it is hard to imagine that some mains power provider is doing something like this. It's rather the other way round: they agree to deliver 230V but in reality they deliver 215V. Mark[/quote] Dood measured 258V last night and I have 247V here this morning. That is the very nature of AC and the reason why data centres spend a small fortune on conditioning their mains supplies (which are three phase and 240V not single phase 230V). If any company decided to impose what you seem to be suggesting here they would soon end up with a reputation that would deter customers. Lets hope that this is not the case eh?

[quote name='silddx' post='1018307' date='Nov 10 2010, 01:24 AM']I think mine are, in order of who spring to mind, when I'm writing a bass line on the spot are .. [b]Scott Thunes Paul Simonon Geddy lee[/b] So who are yours?[/quote] [b]Ashley Hutchings Dave Pegg Rick Kemp[/b] Can't work out if that lot makes me enigmatic or sad

[quote name='bumnote' post='1018265' date='Nov 9 2010, 11:36 PM']Uk Voltage is now 230V not 240 Beaten I must learn to type quicker[/quote] Yep I still say that as they're supplying 5% less electric than they used to, our electric bills should have gone [b]down[/b] by 5% as well

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='1018234' date='Nov 9 2010, 10:57 PM']According to wikipedia you're correct in that the UK as of 2008 is on 230V +10%/-6%. Most of the EU is on 230+/-10%. So probably the 230V setting would be appropriate, though hopefully I'm right in assuming either would be fine. I'm quite surprised that there is actually a difference in terms of required jumper settings, it makes me wonder if the F1 is going to be a temperamental amp when it comes to things like outside gigs using generators, long cables etc.[/quote] That's [b]exactly[/b] the point I was trying to make earlier. UK mains can be anything between 216V and 253V (230V +10%/-6%). If you follow the "out of warranty" rules you'd have to: 1) take a multimeter and measure the mains voltage at every venue 2) arrange for an authorised man in to change the jumpers before you plugged the amp in ...and the chances of any sane human being doing that are..? It is crazy to believe that a reputable and respected manufacturer like MarkBass, who have sold 1000s of these units, would ever contemplate issuing a piece of equipment that was going to fall apart because of a mere 5% fluctuation in mains voltage (5% being the difference between 230V and 240V). The reality is that people are just going to plug these things in and use them. The other reality is that if MarkBass were indeed selling a product that suffered from people doing this, they'd have fixed the issue long ago or suffered a reputation from hell! So, looking at this sensibly... if you were to select the 230V option and hit a 253V supply - you are 23V over the limit. if you select the 240V option and hit a 253V supply - you are 13V over the limit. I know which one sounds safest to me...

[quote name='MarkBassChat' post='1018116' date='Nov 9 2010, 09:02 PM']So the amp is sensitive to 230 or 240V power supply (contrary to what was said above).[/quote] Really? What voltage is coming out of my mains socket here in Leicestershire then? Is it 1) 230V 2) 240V or 3) None of the above

[quote name='martindupras' post='1017915' date='Nov 9 2010, 06:19 PM']Below is the result. What do you guys think? Success? Abysmal failure?[/quote] All kidding aside Martin - it does look really good. What metal did they use, it looks like copper to me?

[quote name='DarkHorse' post='1017972' date='Nov 9 2010, 07:01 PM']And then people will be asking "Is that a genuine relic?" [/quote] As opposed to a faked relic fake? ...I think I'm getting another one of my funny headaches...

[quote name='owen' post='1017947' date='Nov 9 2010, 06:45 PM']I have one in a bass and REALLY like it. I want to put one in another bass but they only sell them to manufacturers. Does anyone know where I might get hold of one? I have also posted in items wanted, but I think I might have to buy through a builder.[/quote] I've seen a pile of Fishman kit somewhere on my travels - which model number is it you are trying to find?

[quote name='martindupras' post='1017915' date='Nov 9 2010, 06:19 PM']I was a bit bored with the pickguard on my MusicMan Bongo. I went to a metal fabrication company and brought the old pickguard and asked them to duplicate it in metal. Total cost: £20. It didn't fit perfectly first time but they were very kind and tweaked it a bit for me at no charge. Fits great now. I buried it in the garden for a few days to rust a little. Then I piled dead leaves and left it for another couple of days. Below is the result. What do you guys think? Success? Abysmal failure? - martin [attachment=63488:rustpickguard.JPG][/quote] Good grief You [b]do[/b] realise that in 500 years time, Time Team are going to find a whole pile of these where people have forgotten where they've buried them don't you?

[quote name='dood' post='1017868' date='Nov 9 2010, 05:49 PM']Cha-Ching, shopping done.. come to pa-pa![/quote]