BOD2

Most DI boxes have a ground lift but it would be safer not to rely on this. What you could do is make a short XLR male-female lead (half a metre or less) with the earth removed from the end that fits into your amp's DI socket. You can daisy-chain XLR leads so if you always plug that short lead into your amp then you 'll be able to plug any other XLR lead into the free end of that lead.

"Winfield" was the Woolworths own brand label. I can't recall if they ever sold guitars under that brand name but they certainly sold everything else.

+1 to the advice above. Fender usually use 250k pots for basses. Changing to a higher (eg 500k) will make the sound slightly brighter. You may also notuce that the usable area of the pot (where it actually makes a difference to the tone) will shift and become narrower. Going higher (1 MB) can make the pots almost like on/off switches ! Ideally use "audio" or "log" pots for volume controls and "linear" pots for tone controls.

It's possible you could have a "ground loop" problem. But note that this would most likely show as a humming noise and not a hiss or any random popping noise. If you're getting hissing/popping it's likely to be something different. To cure a ground loop you can disconnect the earth wire from ONE of the XLR connectors used to connect the DI out to the PA. Only disconnect one end. This breaks the loop without losing the earth connection completely. Note that it's perfectly safe to do this (the earth on an XLR cable is NOT a safetry feature) but never remove the earth from a mains plug. If you try this and it works then make sure to mark the XLR cable so that you know it has the earth disconnected at one end.

I think it might be something to do with environmental conditions (be it heat or humidity or whatever). I recall a post very similar to this during the same sort of warm, damp conditions last year. At that time I commented that I hadn't noticed any effect on my guitars but that one of the internal doors in my house must've swollen up as it was sticking in the doorframe a little. Well, guess what - the same door just started sticking again a couple of days ago ! The door is sealed (varnished) and does not get wet but something is making the wood move. I see no reason why the same couldn;t happen to the wood in a bass guitar. Bear in mind that it doesn't take much movement to make a noticeable effect on the action of a guitar.

[quote name='Peaty' post='22874' date='Jun 25 2007, 09:58 AM']I have scored a bunch of recycled teak planks and was thinking of making a bed with them but now i am begining to wonder if a jazz style body might be an interesting test. Does anyone know any good reason why teak should not be worth a shot.[/quote] I recall from somewhere that you can get some problems with teak as it is a very "oily" wood. To be safe you should maybe do a little research first to make sure whatever finish you choose will work ok. A quick Google found this [url="http://antiquerestorers.com/Articles/SAL/oilwood.htm"]Finishing Oily Woods[/url] but I'm sure there will be more relevant information out there.

Bartolini do humbucking J-pickups. They're mentioned on the [url="http://www.bartolini.net/information/bass/new_bass_pu_s4.htm"]bartolini website[/url] as on option but there'e not much detail. Lindy Fralin do them too [url="http://www.fralinpickups.com/bass.asp"]here[/url] Or you could speak to [url="http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk/"]wizard pickups[/url] in the UK to see if they have or can make something.

What dr.funk said These pedals often have sample/loop modes. I'm not sure what the difference is in this case between the modes "HOLD" and SMPL" (SMPL is "Sample" obviously). Try setting a long delay time, switching to one of these modes, then experiment with the footswitch. Try switching it on and holding it down while you play something and listen to see if anything different happens. "HOLD" might allow you to "overdub" the delay part continuously while you keep the switch pressed. Whereas "SMPL" might allow you to "record" something (within the duration of the delay time set) while the switch is held down, and then it will replay this continualy when you release the switch. Just guessing, but it's worth a try.

[quote name='martthebass' post='22461' date='Jun 23 2007, 08:24 PM']Often thought this meself. I had a white MM 'Ray (1990), only had to blow on the finish and it would fall off. At the same time I had a 1996 MIM red Jazz that I'm sure the paint job would have withstood a nuclear blast. What gives?[/quote] Could this be the difference between a polyester finish and a nitrocellulose finish ? I don't know what MM finiished their instruments with but I know Fender changed from the original nitrocellulose finish to polyester and that the more modern polyester finish is definitely harder wearing.

[quote name='The Burpster' post='20870' date='Jun 20 2007, 05:04 PM']My guess is at was an active that someone has done a (not very tidy) job of converting it to a passive.....[/quote] I'm not that familiar with Warwicks - that's the other option above. Where's the battery in an active Warwick ? That would help help confirm it.

I would agree with Machines' conclusion. The original owner has replaced the electrics at some point with electrics that required one additional pot. When he's come to sell it he's removed the new electrics and put the originals back in place - leaving the hole you see now. It's perfect if you fancy doing the same thing your self at some point in the future - no drilling required. You can't really plug the hole but you could fit a dummy pot (not connected to anything) or a switch (again not connected) if you wanted to fill the gap.

[quote name='dazco' post='20853' date='Jun 20 2007, 04:46 PM']I have got picsb ut for some reason this site says I cannot upload them. JPEGs[/quote] The pics might be too big - this is often the cause of upload problems. Can you resize them at all (down to about 800 x 600 pixels is usually sufficient) ?

Try a Google search on "Variax 705 transplant". It throws up some articles and experiences from people who've doen this before. Some general info here too [url="http://www.transaxeguitars.com/convertscorner.htm"]transaxeguitars.com[/url]

Wouldn't recommend WD40 for wood. I think it might tend to dry the wood out. Plus that WD40 smell lingers forever and it wouldn't do the skin on your fingers much good. If it's an untreated wood fingerboard (i.e. rosewood) then get some lemon oil. It's a varnished maple board then just use a furniture cleaner like Mr. Sheen. As for strings - if you wipe them down with a cloth after you play that'll keep them clean. If they're so cruddy that a wipe doesn't work then they probably need replaced.

Do the pedals work OK in the FX loop ? Stomp boxes like these are usually intended to be placed between the amp and bass. Have you tried them out in the FX loop to make sure the work ok ? I would do this first (using any spare leads to hand) just to make sure everything works ok. I don't know that there's a "maximum" cable length for the FX loop. It's generally good practice to keep leads as short as is practical (i.e. as long as you need them to be but not much longer). The FX loop should be a stronger signal than the output of the bass so it should be able to drive longer cable runs. Use good quality cables throughout (including patch leads) to get the best out everything. I suggest you contact obbm here about leads, you could also PM him with this specific question.

[quote name='Paul_C' post='18622' date='Jun 15 2007, 11:05 PM']anyone know of a location of pre-94 Ibanez wiring diagrams ?[/quote] Probably worth asking here [url="http://www.ibanez.com/forum/"]www.ibanez.com.forum[/url] or here [url="http://www.ibaneztalk.com/"]www.ibaneztalk.com[/url] or here [url="http://www.ibanezcollectors.com/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi?pg=topics"]www.ibanezcollectors.com[/url] Isn't the internet amazing !

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='18157' date='Jun 15 2007, 11:49 AM']oh cool - cheers for that basically my idea is: Switch 1 Off - Clean Laney/Ashdown (LED off) On - Switch channel Laney/Grind on Ashdown (LED on) Switch 2 Off - Reverb off Laney/ Sub Harmonic Off Ashdown (LED off) On - Reverb on Laney/Sub on Asdown (LED on) Ideally, I'd like the the LEDs to go on an off independently with the switch[/quote] Yes, that diagram should do that for you. To get the LEDs to come on with the correct amp selection you might need to change one or other of the GREEN earth connections on the switches to the other (currently unused) pole vertically above it. You could probably work this out beforehand using a meter but if you wire it up and an LED comes on with the wrong selection, then just move the earth wire on the appropriate switch.

OK. Assuming that the two footswitches work by connecting either the tip or the ring of the stereo jack to the sleeve (earth) of the stereo jack (you'd need to check this ith a meter), then the I think the diagram below should do what you want. [attachment=698:FootSwitch.jpg] To conserve the battery the LEDs are off for one footswitch state and on for the other. You could use 2 pairs of LEDs and switch between then but than means there's always an LED on and the battery won't last as long. It's been a while since I've done this so will someone please check it

The Behringer one could probably be made to work but, as obbm says, the cabling would be a nightmare. You could use two of the Boss FS5L switches and make up a "Y-cable" which effectivley changes what was your stereo jack into two mono jacks. OldGit's Matrix FSL-2 looks promising (although I can't find any detailed info about it) but it looks to be the right sort of thing. Likewise the Marshall footswitch shown also looks promising (the LEDs must be battery powered). Other than that I could post a circuit diagram (would have to be tomorrow now) showing what you'd need to do to make one but it would probably end up costing just as much as the Matrix FSL-2. Lots of options there

In order to operate an LED at the same time as switching over some function, the actual switch (i.e. the electronic part) needs to have two separate "poles" that switch over when the switch is pressed. The chances are, the standard switch supplied will not be this type (for reasons of cost) therefore it will not have the facility to switch an LED at the same time. You could, however, replace the switch. The next thing you need to be aware of is that here are two types of switch. A non-latching (or "momentary") switch only changes over while the switch is actually pressed. When you release the switch if flips back again. If this type of switch is used then circuitry in the amp detects the switch operation and that circuitry actually changes the channel. If this type of switch is used then it becomes more of a probelm to fit an LED, as the LED would only stay on as long as the switch was pressed down and go off when you release the switch ! A latching switch changes over when you press it and stays changed over until you press it again. It is relatively easy to replace the actual switch in this case with one that has more poles to allow it to also switch an LED. If you you an LED you'll need to power it. You can power the LED from a 9V battery but you'll need to find space to fit the battery. Alternatively you could power it from a 9V dc power supply if there is already one on your pedal board. In this case you'd need to fit a socket to take the power plug. To test the existing switch the most reliable way of doing this would be to open up the switch casing and disconnect the wires inside (having first made a careful note of where they go). You could then use a meter safely to determine exactly what the switch does. If it's a latching switch then it should be fairly simple to replace the switch with a double pole one, and fit and LED (you'll also need a resistor for the LED) and find a way of getting 9V to the LED. If it's non-latching then it becomes much more complicated and I'd be inclined to leave it alone.

[quote name='Alpha-Dave' post='16807' date='Jun 13 2007, 12:33 PM']The obvious reply is that like oak it's <be>too </be>good.[/quote] I don't know that it's "too good" - after all, oak often ends up in flooring and even palettes. You're probably right about it being difficult to work with, though. (i.e. hard on tools and more difficult to sand etc.). Having said that, guitar makers often use ebony for fingerboards and that's like iron ! It's probably a balance between finding an attractive grained wood and wood that's easy to work with and not too heavy. There may also be some issues with the stability of the wood as regards warping/shrinking etc. which might make hickory and oak a less popular choice.

I'm no "vintage geek" lol, but shouldn't the "Custom Contour Body" transfer be placed further to the right, rather than tight up against the rest of the writing ? Is this a fake ? Difficult to say exactly what it is from just the one picture but that picture does seem to throw up several questions which suggest that something's not right. If it's an aftermarket decal that's been put on then you have to ask if it's a Fender at all ?

[quote name='paul, the' post='16420' date='Jun 12 2007, 07:11 PM']I always figured bass bins are bass cabs designed for PA systems. Am I right? Can you just use them for bass?[/quote] This goes back to the topic of "bi-amping" really. A "bass bin" is a speaker enclosure designed to handle only the lower end of the frequency spectrum. Depending on the design it won't have much response in the mids and none at all in the highs. When used in a PA appication it will be teamed up with separate mid and high speakers so that the together the complete setup has a full frequency response. If it doesn't have a built-in crossover then it should be fed with the low signal from a separate crossover. You could only use them with bass if there's a crossover and other speakers to handle the mid/highs.

Lots of 9V preamps will also run at 18V (e.g. Aguilar OB series preamps). According to the blurb, the higher voltage will not increase the output but will allow "more headroom". I take this to mean you can use the full range of the EQ adjustment without any distortion or loss of clarity. The biggest problem with going beyond 18V as far as I can see, would be making space for the batteries !

OK. This one here looks similar [url="http://www.skytronic.co.uk/product/product.php?s=154.062"]Skytronic 24[/url] and has a downloadable manual. Another one here [url="http://82.112.116.238/product_more_info.php?hdnProductID=144"]Transcension Scene Setter[/url] with user manual. It may be that these products are not identical but you might get an idea of how they work from these manuals. Hope this helps.