BOD2

Yes, it means you can daisy chain cabs together and that if you do so the cabs will be connected in parallel. You need to know the "parallel" but so you can work out the total load seen by the amp. For the majority of amps with two speaker outputs, the effect of daisy chaining cabs in this way is the same as connecting one cab to each of the two speaker outs on the amp. Why would you daisy chain ? If you have two cabs a long way from your amp then it would save having to run two long speaker cables - just run one long one then link the two with a short one. But note that ALL the power is going through the single long lead so it better be a good heavy duty one. There is no other advantage in connecting cabs this way and it will make no difference to the sound.

What kind of onboard preamp is it ? What controls are on it (e.g. bass/mid/treble) ? Do the controls have a centre detent (a notch) as you sweep them fully ? What positions do you have the preamp controls in ?

It's a strange problem. Do you have another E-string you could swap in (even an old one) ? It would be worth trying that just to eliminate the string itself from the problem. Does it happen all all notes played hard on the E-string or just some notes. I'm wondering if there's some resonance problem somewhere ?

[quote name='ahpook' post='142743' date='Feb 18 2008, 09:02 PM']as a rough guess it looks like someone's taken the active circuitry out...[/quote] I would agree with that. It looks like you have two volumes and a master tone (all passive). There's no preamp in there, the battery is completely disconnected, and you have two spare pots also disconnected.

Well it's possible there might be internal fuses as well as the easy access one at the power inlet. I would check all the fuses I can find all along the way first before taking it to a repairman. So that would be the one in the mains lead, the one where the mains lead plugs in to the amp, then take the lid off and look inside for any more fuses or any obviously damaged components. Beyond that there's not much you can do without experience and test equipment. Check the sticky at the top of this forum for repairmen.

Do you hear any buzz when you play the bass acoustically (i.e. with the amp switched off) ?

yep, that'll do the job.

[quote name='finnbass' post='141923' date='Feb 17 2008, 03:03 PM']Search for 'matchstick' and you'll find half-a-dozen threads on this topic [/quote] Or "cocktail stick".....

[quote name='Alun' post='141909' date='Feb 17 2008, 02:49 PM']Thanks Bod. Any idea what the effect would actually be? I'm assuming the "k" is the pot's resistance but I don't have a lot ( if any!) elctrical knowledge so am curious to see know what the difference would be. Cheers Alun[/quote] I've never tried this with pot values that are so different. It would most likely not work at all, be full on all the time, or have all the pot volume variation limited to a fraction of a turn of the knob - so the pot would act more like an on/off switch.

What kind of shaft do you need on the pots ? Splined or solid ? [url="http://www.axesrus.com/axeknobs.htm"]axesrus.com[/url] scroll down to see 25k pots [url="http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/category/Electronics/Pots"]wdmusic.co.uk[/url] some here too

If it's an active bass with a preamp and a battery then 25k will be the correct value. You can't replace it with 250k as this wouldn't work right with the electronics.

[quote name='Jonny Walker' post='141614' date='Feb 16 2008, 04:14 PM']So if i set the head to 2 ohms and the 4x10 and 1x15 to 4 ohms ill get the full 750w, but only 550w with the 1000w cab (which is a 1x15 in the middle of a 4x10) ?[/quote] Yes. It's the impedance (ohms) that determines the power drawn from an amp NOT the power rating of the cabs. Solid state amps always produce more power into lower impedances (e.g. 750W into 2 Ohms as opposed to 550W into 4 Ohms). BUT, and it's a big BUT, note that these power ratings are manufacturer specs using test signals and only give you an idea of what the amp is capable of. Also, Watts does not equal Volume. You need approximately 10 times the power to get twice the volume (all else being equal) so the difference between 750W and 550W is not as big a difference in volume as you might think. Finally, the efficiency of the cabs (Sound Pressure Level - SPL) had a huge effect on the volume of a rig. It's not as simple as it seems at first.

[quote name='markdavid' post='141394' date='Feb 15 2008, 10:09 PM']thanks for the info guys , can I use cardboard to shim the neck (eg. the carboard that the rotosound string packs are made of) , this would be ideal if I can as it would be easy to cut to fit , however im concerned that humidity/changes in humidity/weather might affect the shim if made of cardboard , forgive me if this sounds dumb, im not very bright were these kind of things are concerned[/quote] From what I've read in various places you can use just about anything ! It seems to make no difference at all. Once the neck is screwed back down tight humidity won't be able to reach it. I can see the logic of sandpaper but if your neck moves enough in the neck pocket to make the sandpaper bite in then I would think that shimming the neck is that last of your worries

All good suggestions above. As a former (and current) Strat player I've been round all the mods over the years (many because they were "in fashion" at the time ). Provided you want a genuine Strat sound the only two mods worth considering are very simple and are - 1. Treble bleed capacitor on the volume control [url="http://www.bothner.co.za/articles/volumepot2.shtml"]Details Here[/url] 2. Put tone control on bride pickup [url="http://www.bothner.co.za/articles/hotrodstrat4.shtml"]Details Here[/url] You can mess about with the earthing and shielding but, TBH, unless it's particularly bad I never found it made much difference at all. Single coil pickups hum - there's nothing you can do to stop that. You can add TBX controls and stacked humbuckers etc. but then you're moving away from a Strat sound.

There are no issues with any of these combinations. Just adhere to the golden rule....."If anything starts to distort when you don't expect it to, then turn it down". The power supplied by the amp is determined by the impedance of the cabs attached. If you use two cabs it's usually better to use two with the same impedance, and these will be connected in parallel. 2 x 8 ohms in parallel = 4 ohms total 2 x 4 ohms in parallel = 2 ohms total The total power rating for cabs in parallel is just the sum of the two single power ratings (and if they're the same impedance they will split that power equally). Your single 1000 W cab will draw a maximum of 550W if its 4 ohms and 280W if its 8 ohm. Your two cabs will draw a maximum of 550W (2 x 8 ohms cabs) or 750W (2 x 4 ohms). These figures are all well within the cabinet ratings. Do make sure the amp is ok running into a 2 ohm load before you choose that option (a quick question here or to the manufacturer will confirm that)

And of course, don't forget that you can have your cable impregnated with crushed mother of pearl which gives your sound added sparkle, fullness, and body. Why would you want this ? Because you're worth it....

[quote name='mhuk' post='140548' date='Feb 14 2008, 06:40 PM']It didn't quite make sense - I was at work and trying to remember what the cable was that I used to make the XLR leads (which having just looked were from my CDP to pre-amp). The cable is microphone cable: [url="http://www.connectronics.uk.com/Musiflex.htm"]http://www.connectronics.uk.com/Musiflex.htm[/url] and I also have some [url="http://www.connectronics.uk.com/quadflex.htm"]http://www.connectronics.uk.com/quadflex.htm[/url] Are either suitable?[/quote] Yes, both of these are suitable for a cable from preamp to poweramp. The first one uses a conductive plastic sheath for screening instead of the normal wire braiding. The bare "drain wire" touches this sheath all along the length and you solder this drain wire to the ground contact on the plug. The second one is sometimes called "Star Quad"cable and is overkill for this purpose. It's used in very electronically noisy environments or for very long cable runs where interference must be kept to a minimum. Broadcasting people sometimes use it. There are actually 4 conductors plus an earth but these consist of two twisted pairs of two conductors each. It's a lot more fiddly to work with and you solder the two similarly-coloured wires together at the plug so you effectively get 2 conductors plus a ground. You can use balanced cable for mono jack-plug applications (either solder both conductors together at each end, or cut one of them off at each end) if you don't have single core cable. Good article here [url="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan02/articles/faq0102.asp"]SoundOnSound.com[/url]

[quote name='mhuk' post='140242' date='Feb 14 2008, 12:42 PM']Are there requirements/ suggestions for the lead between a pre and power amp? Is unshielded cable OK (the same that I use to make XLR leads between the pre and power amps in my hifi)?[/quote] I've no wish to sound pedantic, but that doesn't quite make sense ? XLR leads use screened pair cables - two separately insulated wires inside an overall shielded braid. So a proper XLR lead will be shielded. XLR connectors are the locking type used for mics etc. and have three pins - one for each conductor wire and one for the shielding.

[quote name='jimbartlett' post='139420' date='Feb 13 2008, 12:17 PM']Sorry, just to clarify something....where you say "keep the volume controls set to a low level initially then bring them up slowly while listening for any distortion"....do you mean the level on the output of the POD or the master volume of the amp? I imagine you are saying it's the level on the output of the POD? Thanks, Jim.[/quote] +1 to ped. Yes - as a general rule whenever you attach ANY equipment together for the first time and you are at all uncertain about if you're plugging things in properly....turn all the volumes/gains/levels right down. Connect it up then bring things up slowly and listen. If something starts to distort then turn it down and investigate.

Ok - that information is helping to build up a picture. You have three basic choices - 1. active speakers and a mixing desk 2. passive speakers and a powered mixing desk 3. passive speakers, a power amp and a mixing desk Choices 1 and 3 are probably the easiest and quickest to setup (less wiring up to do) but all are capable of the same sound. You're probably looking at a MINIMUM of 300 Watts RMS per side (600W total) but you'd be better aiming for 500-600 Watts per side (1000W to 1200W total). 8 inputs -> probably best to look at a 10 or 12 channel mixer (i.e. one that actually has 10/12 channel faders). Most of these will come with some form of AUX output which would allow for controlling monitors. You'll probably want reverb on the vocals so look for a mixer with built-in FX, otherwise you'll need a separate FX unit. With the inputs you describe you probably don't need sub-woofers (although you need to watch out for the keyboards). A pair of good 12 inch or 15 inch full-range speakers should do the job. Mackie SRM450s plus a 12-channel mixer would be ideal, but might blow your budget unless you get a good s/h deal. Maybe try a little research on the above points to get familiar with what's out there, then monitor this thread to see what other feedback you get.

Ok, you've specified the venue size you're aiming for - that's good. What you also need to think about is - 1. Do you want the whole band through the PA - if not, then which instruments ? 2. In connection with (1) above - how many inputs do you need ? 3. Will you need monitoring ? 4. How are you going to move the PA from gig to gig (this impacts on size) ? 5. What budget do you have ? These things are more boring than talking about gear but it's worth planning them out first - plus it'll help people here give more accurate recommendations.

[quote name='jimbartlett' post='139281' date='Feb 13 2008, 09:01 AM']Sorry, bit of a thick question here......when you say "patch it into the effects return" where do you plug the input from you Bass? Does it go into the POD or the Input on your Amp? Is one method better than the other? Thanks, Jim.[/quote] Bass into POD. Output from POD into RETURN jack of the Send/Return loop on the amp. Make sure you use the correct output from the POD (i.e. the one with the modelled sounds, not the DI one which doesn't have any modelling applied). The Return jack is effectively an input into the power section of the amp - it usually bypasses the preamp section (and therefore all of the tone controls of the amp). Whenever you're connection something up like this (that you haven't done before) keep the volume controls set to a low level initially then bring them up slowly while listening for any distortion. Find an "optimum" level and that's it.

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='139219' date='Feb 13 2008, 12:56 AM']use cocktail sticks & glue[/quote] +1 That's the usual remedy. A white wood glue and some cocktail sticks. Remove screw. Squeeze glue into the hole. Cut a cocktail stick roughly to length and stuff it in the hole. Then stick in another one. Two or three should do the trick. You want it pretty tight. Wipe off any excess glue with a damp cloth. Leave to dry for a few hours then trim down any cocktail stick ends. You now have a good solid base into which you can screw firmly. You could use superglue but it can get messy. White wood glue (e.g. Evo-stick in the green bottle) wipes off with a damp cloth while it's wet and doesn't stick your fingers together. This same technique can be used to fill any screw holes.

[quote name='Hamster' post='138939' date='Feb 12 2008, 04:02 PM']The contact the neck makes with the body makes a difference in tone - the more contact the better. When I shim a neck I use several layers of very thin shielding tape to make more of a 'wedge' shape to optimise the contact, a bit like this: ______ __________ ______________ __________________ A professional luthier I'm not - but it seems to make sense Hamster[/quote] While I totally agree with the logic behind this, it appears that things are not quite as simple as they seem. The Fender "micro-tilt" neck worked by embedding a small circular metal plate (about the size of a 10p but thicker) into the heel of the neck. A small allen screw and threaded holder were then fitted into the neck route on the body. If adjusted to pull the headstock back, the allen screw would push the heel of the neck away, such that the heel of the neck would not be touching the body at all ! I've seen other people recommend exotic wood shims whereas many make do with business cards. Amazingly it doesn't seem to make any difference ! I don't understand it really, I'm just making an observation.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='138867' date='Feb 12 2008, 02:12 PM']The technical spec is Vd, the volume displacement of the cone at full excursion, and can be found on the manufacturer's driver spec sheet.[/quote] Ah now I think you're having me on ! You just want me to walk into a speaker shop and snigger while I ask for speakers with serious Vd