BOD2

I can't add anything too the idebtification of the wood but the knots might be an indication that either the body was not originally a natural finish. Alternatively it might just be the fact that it was a lower cost bass therefore used cheaper woods.

[quote name='Kirky' post='319150' date='Oct 31 2008, 03:55 PM']That's great, thanks dangerboy (they don't call you that because of your history with electronics projects do they?!). The latter diagram particularly. Just not sure what to do about the DC socket.[/quote] It depends on the "polarity" of the DC power supply. If you look at the power supply you're going to use it will either be "centre negative" or "centre positive" This tells you if the centre contact on the DC supply plug is attached to the positive (+) or negative (-) of the power supply. What you need to do is follow it from the plug on the power supply, through the DC socket on the pedal, and onto where the battery would normally go. Red on a battery clip = positive Black on a battery clip = negative Work out which part of the DC power supply plug touches which part of the DC socket, determine which is positive and negative, then wire the appropriate contact to where the battery would otherwise go, making sure you get the polarity correct. Sorry - can't be more specific than that without all the bits in front of me !

[quote name='Dave' post='318304' date='Oct 30 2008, 12:40 PM']..... I wouldn't say I was overly adept with electronics, but am always willing to give it a go ...[/quote] There's no electronic knowledge required. You just need to be able to figure out how to get the chassis out and then identify where the pots are (which is easy enough). An aerosol spray with a "drinking straw" attachment is easiest for getting into any awkward to reach areas. While you're in there you should also give any jack sockets and switches a squirt as well - saves having to open it up again and do it later. It also won't do any harm to remove the valves and spray the contacts in the valve bases. If you remove one at a time, spray the base, then put the valve back you can't go far wrong. Note that the valves have a notch or missing pin that must be correctly aligned before it will fit in the valve base so it's not possible to put the valve back in the wrong place.

The "correct" way (i.e. the method an amp technician would use) to clean the pots would be to open up the amp so that you can see the pots from the inside of the chassis. If it's a Marshall valve amp then the whole chassis slides out of the wooden sleeve once a few bolts are removed. The bottom of the chassis is completely open and you can see all of the components from there. NOTE: Valve amps contain potentially lethal voltages. To avoid any problems disconnect the amp from the mains and leave for 24 hours before opening, and then avoid touching any components while the amp is open. Once you can see the pots locate the open front of the pot (where the 3 connectors are) or often there is a little pressed "notch" in the pot casing that gives access to the insides. Attach the "straw" that comes with the Servisol spray to the tin and direct a couple of short burst into the inside of the pot. Leave the pot for a minute of so then rotate it fully backwards and forwards several times. Reassemble, switch on and test. If it's not a valve amp it will probably still be very similar, with an open-bottom metal chassis.

[quote name='Jamesemt' post='314161' date='Oct 24 2008, 09:15 PM']Cheers for that, I'll have a look over the weekend - I'm sure the two capacitors I've got are the same value??...[/quote] They'll probably actually both be 0.047 uF. There is so little difference real between 0.03, 0.047 and 0.05 in practice that it's a surprise Fender have labelled it as such. Check the values printed on the capacitors and if they are the same just go ahead with them. Also, for that type of capacitor is doesn't matter which way round they go - there is no "polarity" to them. Good luck !

Not the clearest of diagrams. They could learn a thing or two from Seymour Duncan. Ok - you have a stcked knob, which is effectively two pots mounted on a concentric shaft. As you look at the inside of the plate (i.e. the way it's shown in the Fender diagram) the pot nearest the plate (the wider one) is the tone control and the pot nearest you is the volume control. The earths are all common and are connected to the metal pot shells. The capactors connect between one of the outer legs of the tone pots and the pot shell (to earth). If you orient the pots the same way as on the diagram then it should be clear which pot leg the capacitors connect to. Then you solder the other leg of the capacitor to the metal shell of the pot somewhere - anywhere really as they should all be connected together anyway. Note the different capacitor values on the different pots. You'll find you need a fair bit of heat to solder onto the pot shell. Apply the soldering iron to the shell first to heat it up then test it with some solder to check when it's ready. Then solder the capacitor onto it. A third hand is useful. Does this help ?

Ah - I understand now. Have you the got the URL for the Fender PDF and I'll have a look.

Would this be what you're looking for ? [url="http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=jazz_bass_blend"]http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wirin...jazz_bass_blend[/url] If not try looking for more at [url="http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/"]http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/[/url]

Ah this old chestnut again That oft-quoted JBL article has done more to confuse the issue than it has to explain anything. Try searching this forum for "clipping" and/or "JBL". There have been a few threads that went into this before that you might find help. The bottom line however, is that you can use ANY combination of amp and cab power together (i.e. big amp & small cab or small amp & big cab) provided you LISTEN and back off as soon as any unexpected distortion occurs. Also, there was a question as to whether the JBL article in question was referring to full range hi-fi types of setups rather than purpose designed bass rigs. Cheers

[quote name='clauster' post='310409' date='Oct 20 2008, 01:31 PM']Oops sorry Bod! Forgot about searching :blush: Useful stuff in there.[/quote] No problem ... I knew there had been some posts before so you might as well get the benefit of them. It might be worth deciding how much you're prepared to spend on lights first, then asking what you can get for the money. LED lights are great, if for no other reason than they don't generate the same heat.

I suggest you have a read through these previous topics to see if they are relevant... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?act=Search&CODE=show&searchid=95e048973ec998d9390794d382f20465&search_in=posts&result_type=topics&highlite=%2BLED+DMX"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?act=Search...lite=%2BLED+DMX[/url]

Try turning it up on the hi-fi then going through to the next room.... Maybe not very neighbour friendly but it's surprising what jumps out at you from the mix when you do that.

You'll get copper and aluminium sticky-back foil here (just scroll down a bit) [url="http://www.axesrus.com/axeknobs.htm"]http://www.axesrus.com/axeknobs.htm[/url] Copper foil shouldn't "focus" the pickups at all as it is not magnetic at all - it will only screen electrical interference without affecting the magnetic properties of the pickup.

[quote name='Clarky' post='307448' date='Oct 15 2008, 10:40 PM']The Bass Day ad has 8 winds - you can never be too sure (or too lazy)[/quote] Try doing that with the low B on a 5-string

[quote name='Geek99' post='307172' date='Oct 15 2008, 03:51 PM']thanks for that - I will double check the exact behaviour that it gives given what the second poster said. What capacitor would I change it for ? I presume I can buy them from Maplins - they're not special in some way? Tone control doesnt seem to do very much anyway. I have no idea whether they're RWRP pickups (sorry) - how would I find out?[/quote] RWRP - Reverse Wound Reverse Polarity If the two single coil pickups are wired such that one is RWRP with respect to the other, then when the two pickups are used together they effectively form a "humbucker" pickup and cancel out any hum. If one if the pickups is not RWRP with respect to the other then combining them together will make no difference to the noise picked up. You'd need to check the specifications to see if one pickup is RWRP. Single coil pickups can be noisy. Check here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=194"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=194[/url] It may just be local electrical interference causing the problem.

[quote name='phil_the_bassist' post='307157' date='Oct 15 2008, 03:39 PM']nice one! I've wanted one for a while (as I love to let notes riiiiiiing out), and it's nice to see that real people have experienced good things, and it's not just all hype![/quote] Let's not jump tp conclusions, though. What Mike has said is that the FatFinger cured his problem of a deadspot on the neck, not that it made ALL notes ring out. If the deadspot was caused by a resonant frequency somewhere then by adding a FatFinger it has effectively changed the mass of the neck and therefore shifted the resonant frequency (hopefully to somewhere it doesn't cause any problems). If you want to check this out before buying, you could get the same affect by attaching a simple woodworkers G-clamp to the headstock. If it cures it for you then a FatFinger might be a more aesthetically pleasing alternative !

There's no practical way of taking a sound from the speaker outputs without buying some kind of additional hardware. The output level would be way too high. But one thing you should be aware of is that even if you had a DI on the amp you wouldn't get the same sound as that you hear at the speakers because the speakers themselves "colour" the sound quite significantly and your DI would be taken before the sound reaches the speakers. That doesn't solve the problem, though. Wait a while and someone should suggest a good way of recording bass.....

If I'm not mistaken the MDX2200 is two channel compressor/limiter/noise gate. I've not used the MDX2200 but I have used the MDX4600 which, I think, comes from the same "family". For basic use with your bass, you can safely ignore the side/chain and think of it as a 2-channel compressor. Yes, you should be able to use one side in mono. Check here for an explanation of compression... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=337"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=337[/url] Then go back and have a look at the controls on the MDX2200 and see how they fit in with that explanation. An expander/gate is a bit like a compressor/limiter. One is an extreme form of the other. For bass it's probably best either to ignore this section or just use it as a noise gate with a very low threshold so that it doesn't interfere with anything.

[quote name='BassInThePlace' post='303872' date='Oct 10 2008, 02:17 PM']Hi mate - i've actually got a spare switchcraft stereo output jack. I suppose I could just solder it mono-style and ignore the extra stereo connector plate? I still need to pick up the bass from the studio tonight anyway, so i'll take the plate off, have a look at it, and post a pic later. Cheers.[/quote] Yes you can do that - see here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=28785"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=28785[/url] If your switchcraft stereo jack fits ok then I would just go ahead and use that.

If it's definitely a passive bass then it will just be a mono jack socket. The only issue then becomes choosing one that will fit in the space available. Try unscrewing the jack and having a look at it to see what it looks like. I you can, take a photo and post it here then someone shou;d be able to advise on what you need. Choose a good quality replacement - "Switchcraft" probably make the best jackl sockets so one from them would always be a good choice - but you need to know what shape you need first.

Never tried this but I shouldn't think there'll be problem. If you think about it the strings follow a line dictated by the nut at one end and the bridge at the other. The nut will fir the neck so there can be nio problems up that end. The only possible problem could be if the strings were too near the edges of the neck at the body end or (less of a problem)too far in from the edges at the body end. Given that playability dictates string spacing on any bass must be within a reasonable range it's unlikely you'll have any problems. I would just wait until the neck arrives than check it out.

It could be that the resistance track on the pot isn't quite perfect (although probably within manufacturing tolerances). The only way to check this would be to put an ohm meter across the pot contacts and check the resistance at various points. With the meter across the two outer contacts you should get a reading of the full resistance of the pot of around 250k. With one meter probe on the centre contact and the other on one of the outer contacts you should see the resitance change as you sweep the control. The fact that the volume tails off early doesn't mean that the pot range has "shifted" at all - it's might just mean the the pot resistance reaches near maximum a little earlier than it should. With the volume control on "full" the pot is actually "bypassed" and it's resistance is not relevant. As you turn the volume down you introduce the resistance into the circuit.

[quote name='pedroferreira' post='300201' date='Oct 5 2008, 10:53 PM']Use a XLR -> Balanced Jack. Phantom power only goes through XLR inputs. You get a balanced signal without phantom power. Pedro[/quote] That would work but provided you put the balanced jack at the MIXER end and not vice versa (assuming your mixer has a balanced jack input). Just thought I'd better clarify that !

Might just have been a dodgy lead, or a dirty jack socket - either of these would cause intermittent problems. Also, cleaning the pots with Servisol should sort out any crackles and pops.

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