BOD2

Glad to hear you got it sorted. Maybe you could post how you wired it up in the end so that it's here for future reference ?

Yes that's right. You can also use an amp with more power than your speakers can handle, provided you keep the levels under control and listen out for any distortion from the speakers.

Not entirely familiar with what you've got but.... Are these active pickups or passive ? A PASSIVE pickup is just one long fine piece of wire wound around a bobbin. The ends of this fine wire are soldered onto the bobbin and then stronger connecting wires are soldered to these ends. The green wire will be soldered to the start of the coil and the red wire will be soldered to the end of the coil. Either of the two can become the "earth" and will only do so when you connect it to the earth on the guitar electronics. To avoid polarity problems with multiple pickups, you would normally ensure the same end of each coil is attached to earth. Two identically wired coils can be wired in series by connecting the red from one coil to the green of the other (effectively making one larger coil). They would be wired in parallel by connecting the two reds together and the two greens together (provided the coils are identically wired). If the pickups are ACTIVE (i.e. the actual pickups are battery powered and not just the preamp) then I'm afraid I don'ty know as I've never had to deal with these. Don't know if this helps ?

OK - it's not an obvious question at all. Yes it does make a difference if the pot value is changed as the electronics are generally designed to work best with specific pot values. To be honest I'm not sure exactly what difference it would make in this case. Often the most noticable difference is that the useful range of the control is reduced (i.e everything happens within a very small movement of the pot rather than all the way throughout its travel). I would suggest you email Peavey. Tell what make and model bass you have, suggest that it's been modified at some time and that you want to restore it and therefore need to know the correct pot value. [url="http://www.peavey.com/support/contactinfo/"]Peavey Contact Info[/url]

^ what he said, although sometimes the value is written in a sort of "code" so it isn't immediately obvious what you're looking at. Have a look at the pot and take a note of any numbers/letters written on it. Send them here and someone should be able to make sense of it.

Yes and No. Yes the "common" contact is the one that the switch will connect the pickup(s) to as the switch is operated. If you just look at one side of the switch (i.e. one set of numbers 0 to 3) then as you move the switch through the 5 positions it will connect - 1 to 0 1 and 2 to 0 2 to 0 2 and 3 to 0 3 to 0 That's your 5 positions. At the same time, on this design of switch, it also connects the other side of the switch (the other set of numbers 0 to 3) through the same combinations - but note that the two sides of the switch are not connected to each other. In guitar wiring all of the grounds are connected together (usually to the metal shell of one of the controls) and the grounds are NOT switched - only the "hot" or signal side is switched. If you had very simple electrics with only a volume control and no tones, then you would connect the pickups to one side of the switch (1 to 3) and then take the output from 0 on the same side to your volume control. You wouldn't need to use the other side of the switch. If you use the same single tone circuit for all pickups (unlike a Strat) then you could take that 0 outpt tag to the tone circuit and then onto the volume control and again you wouldn't need the other side of the switch. The other side of the switch is only needed because of the tone control layout of the original Strat wiring (i.e, indpendent tone controls for two of the pickups).

I don't know if I can answer your question but I can perhaps shed more light on it (or confuse matters more !). Firstly the 5-way switch is really a 3-way switch with 2 "in-between positions". Historically the Strat had a 3-position switch - 1 position for each pickup. Players found they could "wedge" the switch at two "in-between" positions, which gave them two additional sounds. Later switches added a notch to hold the switch in these poistions giving 5 positions but still only 3 electrical contacts. In addition there are two "sides" to the switch that operate in tandem. For each side of the switch, one tag is the common contact and there are three pickup contacts. The pickups were connected to one side of the switch and the tone controls were connected to the other side of the switch (except that one tag wasn't used on this side because there were only two tone controls but three pickups). This scheme is shown [url="http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WDUSSS5L1201"]here[/url] (click on the diagram to enlarge it). The [url="http://www.stewmac.com/wiring101/diagrams_for_3and5_way.html"]Stewmac[/url] sites shows how the different layouts of Strat switches relate to each other. On the original 3-position switch each position connected one (and only one) of the three pickup contacts to the common contact. while the other side of the switch connected in a tone control (except for the bridge pickup which didn't have one) So for a 3-position switch you would get three sounds as follows - Tag 1 to tag 0 (bridge) Tag 2 to tag 0 (middle plus tone) Tag 3 to tag 0 (neck + tone) The 5 -position switch added a further two sounds Tag 1 and tag 2 to tag 0 (bridge + middle + tone) Tag 2 and tag 3 to tag 0 (middle + neck + tones) The Allparts switch is a variation on the original. It is laid out differently but operates in the same way. So that's what the switch does. I don't know enough about your pickup wiring (how the coils are split etc.) to know if you can achieve what you want with this type of switch. Hope this helps.

Technically it should work, but there are a couple of issues to be aware of that might limit it. If you take a headphone feed from the mixer you'll get the mix sound ok but it might not sound anything like what you'll hear out front. If you use any outboard processors then the headphone are fed before these so you won't hear the effect of that. The PA speakers will colour the sound and you won't hear the effect of that. The room will change the sond too. Also, if the band use any backline then you won't hear how that is contributing to the overall sound. If you can work within these "limitations" then it should be ok. I've never tried what you suggest but I have recorded directly from a feed on our mixer. I was always struck by the difference in what was recorded compared with the sound out front and eventually identified the above as the reasons for this.

I think the egg-box idea comes from deadening the sound in a room (i.e. reducing reverb) and not from sound insulation. Egg-boxes might reduce reverb (by reducing the number of large flat surfaces than can reflect the sound) but you need mass and/or air-gaps for sound insulation purposes as synaesthesia suggests above.

Most intonation problems I've had have been cured by new strings. Let the new ones settle down then recheck the intonation. Also, it sounds like you'll need a longer scale length string if you want to put them all through body. Some sets are available in "extra long" lengths.

Most basses use fairly standard electronics. Is there something unusual about the electronics in your Fernandes ? If you can be specific (description/pics) about what you need then someone here can usually help.

I don't need MIDI myself. Note that the Boss BR600 needs a power supply, so that adds another £10 to the price.Plus it only comes with a 128MB CF card so you'd probably want to replace that with a bigger one (another £10/£20) fairly soon. I did come across a complaint that the BR600 has a limit on the capacity of CF cards it supports - so don't buy a big one until you know it will work ! I've been looking at [url="http://www.absolutemusic.co.uk/shop/index.php?cat_id=474&catname=Multitrack+recorders"]absolutemusic.co.uk[/url]. I bought something from them a while ago and they were very good. Maybe someone else will pick up on this soon....

I've been thinking along the same lines so, if you don't mind, I'll lurk here The only disadvantage with the BR600 is that it records to CompactFlash (not a hard drive) and it can't take the latest very high capacity CF cards. That limits the record time/quality a little. But you get what you pay for. I've also been looking at the Tascam DP01FX and the Fostex MR8-HD.

I would suspect the tv might be the culprit. A tv isn't generally designed for connection to other audio devices so there may be something inherent in the design that is fine when used on it's own, but causing this problem in this setup. What output from the tv are you connecting to ? You mention a 3.5 mm jack. Is it the headphones output from the tv ? Does the tv have any RCA phonos (often there are three phonos - yellow for video and red/white for audio) ? If it has phonos have you tried connection to these ? If there are no phonos then you can get a SCART adaptor plug with phonos on the back - then you just need to find a free SCART socket for the adaptor and connect in to that.

[quote name='Beedster' post='42752' date='Aug 8 2007, 09:19 AM']Sorry to add this, but our guitarist turned up to a rehearsal a few months looking like death warmed up and said that the guitarist in his old band had died from an electric shock while rehearsing. Much as I do not wish to undermine the expertise of the chaps above, trial and error in such a situation clearly runs the risk of error. I would get someone in who knows what they're doing to check out your kit. The problem is probably simple, however, a simple electrical problem can become a complex and dangerous one when an inexperienced person starts trying to solve/fix it Chris[/quote] I agree 100% - hence the recommendation for fitting an RCD and exercising caution. I tried to emphasise that I wasn't in favour of "trial and error" but you have to accept that peope often go ahead and try these things anyway (especially if it's in their own house). That being the case I feel it's better to give some guidelines rtahre than nothing. But yes you are correct - [b][i]any elecric shock is a serious thing and should be treated with extreme caution[/b][/i] Always use an RCD and if you are in any doubt then consult someone qualified.

Wow - that is complicated ! This is a tricky one. You shouldn't really mess around with anything that gives you an electric shock but I suspect the only way to resolve this is by a bit of trial and error, which is NOT good. Do you have an RCD circuit breaker at all ? It would be a good idea to introduce one of these somewhere as that would provide some protection. Check your home fuse box first. If it's a reasonably new fuse box then there may be one built-in. If not then it would be a good idea to buy one, plug it into the wall then plug some of the gear into that. If the house is very old (or you suspect the wiring might be dodgy at all) then you should get that checked out first. Next check the mains plugs of all the equipment (where you can open up the mains plug). Ensure that the all the wires in every plug are connected correctly and tightly - especially the earth wire. If you don't know how to do this then have someone who does know check this out. If a plug is moulded on, or built-in to a power supply then you can't check these ones and must assume they're OK, unless they're damaged in some way. When you say "separate mains supply" is it just a different socket in the same room, or a socket in another room ? If it's in the same room then it should be fed from the same mains circuit, which means it 's effectively the same supply (unless there is strange wiring going on). If it's in another room then the next thing to do would be to feed everything from the same mains circuit - use a large adaptor board or two adaptor boards from a double socket, or two sockets in the same room. After that I would disconnect everything then build it up slowly again, ensuring there are no unnecessary connections between equipment. Checking that everything works along the way. I really do NOT want to say "check when you first get a shock" as you build it up but I don't see what else you can do ! If you've got an RCD in place then that should minimise any risk but it's never a good idea to work this way.

Well you're right about not being able to use an adaptor. The PSA is designed for US voltage and would probably get damaged if plugged into our higher UK voltage. What you need is a UK dc adaptor capable of putting out 9.75 Volts @ 820 mAmps (I presume this is written on the adaptor). 9.75 Volts might be a problem, in that off-the-shelf adaptors usually put out 9 Volts. However, it's possible that 9 Volts would be enough to make it work. I suggest you contact DBX and explain the problem, asking if you can use a 9 Volt adaptor or if they can supply a UK adaptor for this unit. Failing that, it is possible to get adaptors with variable dc outputs (using a rotary control for setting the voltage). You'd need a voltmeter to measure the output voltage. With any dc adaptor make sure the current capacity is 820 mAmps or greater at the required voltage. I'm probably just confirming what you already know - sorry I can't actually suggest a source for a dc adaptor.

[quote name='NancyJohnson' post='38411' date='Jul 29 2007, 12:16 PM']Around three years ago, there was a thread on the alt.guitar.bass newsgroup about how Monster Cable had trademarked the name Monster and consequently issued hundreds of cease or desist lawsuits to companies who had the word monster in their trading name. They were pretty indiscriminate as to who they went for, what size they were or what type of business they were in or how long they had been operating for. Rumour has it they even went after The Disney Company & Pixar (because of Monsters Inc.), The Chicago Bears ('The Monsters Of Midway'), pinball machine makers Bally (who had a gaming machine called Monster Slots), along with a ton of small independents too; Monster Vintage (vintage clothes), the makers of Monster Garage (a TV show) and a company called Snow Monsters that makes soft toys. I've never owned a Monster Cable (I've laid a few though), but I understand their stuff is pretty expensive and pretty mediocre to boot. I think their aforementioned actions pretty much made my mind up that I didn't want to use their products. P[/quote] The [url="http://www.omrlp.com/"]Monster Raving Loony Party[/url] must be quaking in their boots ...... not

You sometimes get that message when the bandwidth has been exceeded (i.e. too many users logging). Maybe it will reappear later.

Have you considered replacing the neck ? Necks without "Fender" stamped on the headstock can be found at quite reasonable prices and would save a lot of work if you can spare the cash. To convert the fretless neck back to fretted you'd have to re-make the fret grooves. Until you try there's no way of knowing how easy it'll be to get the plastic stuff out of the existing grooves - it depends what it actually is (might just be a wood filler). It might be easier to create new grooves using a saw but then again that could be a little tricky. What I'd do is price a new neck (or second hand one) then have a go refretting the old neck. If you make a mess of it then get the replacement neck.

If it's actual "pitting" then that usually means the plating has come off the metal beneath. You can't really clean that. Don't use anything abrasive or you'll make it worse. Any general polish (e.g. Mr Sheen etc.) on a soft cloth will buff things up a little but you won't get rid of the pitting I'm afraid.

Just to add a little, slightly off-topic but very related. We had our own PA (600W sub, 400W mid/high each side) and would find that if we ever set up with the PA mounted ON a raised stage we had problems with the PA sound. Lots of feedback and ringing from the mics, especially when the drums were hit hard. So we would setup with the band on the stage but put the PA on the floor, just in front of the stage, and the problems were solved. Reading through this thread I think we were getting "mechanical coupling" in most cases - so the stage itself was resonating and amplifying the PA sound (at certain frequencies) which was then being picked up by the mics and causing the feedback. So if you're in a similar situation, then setup the PA on the floor. Another good reason to do this is that the mid/highs should generally be setup at about head height for the audience. If you put the PA on the stage then the mid/highs can be way above the audience heads. Since higher frequencies are more directional the result is that the highs can "miss" the audience altogether. You're expert playing literally does "go over the audience's heads".

It sounds like you're checking all the right things. It was your comment about the hum increasing/decreasing as you move the guitar about that made me think the guitar was "picking up" on some electrical noise (i.e. the closer you get to the source of the noise the louder the hum gets). It's normal for the tone controls to affect any hum (no matter the source) so that doesn't help identify the problem. My next step would be to suggest trying the bass in another location (at least another room in the house but preferably another house, if possible) just to rule this out completely. If you still get the hum in another room then you can be fairly sure the problem is in the bass (probably in the earth/ground wires of the bass) so you can concentrate on that.

If you can increase/decrease the hum simply by moving the guitar around then it's likely that the problem is not the guitar itself but rather there is some elctrically "niosy" equipment in the close vicinity. If this was the case the you should also see the hum disappear if you use your guitar/amp at a different location (e.g. rehearsal space/ friend's house). I would check this first. Typical "noisy" electrical equipment - fluorescent lights, "low-energy" lights, lighting dimmer switches, computer screens, fridges (but only if the noise switches off and on again periodically)

My understanding was that in order to get a good bass sound you would need an amp simulator (like a Bass POD or similar) to give you the amp sound that you want, which would then be amplified by the Bose system without much colouration from the Bose speakers. Just the same as playing bass through any other PA speakers, really. But I also got the strong impression that the system was designed to be setup with a separate Bose system for each player. Very expensive, although if it worked and you were starting from scratch with no PA and no backline (which is pretty unlikely) then the cost wouldn't be quite so bad. And if it worked the convenience would be terrific. I'd need to hear it in practice, though, and I suspect there might be some issues on very small stages (i.e. the average pub/club gig) where you can't all physically get far enough from the speakers to hear them properly on stage.