HowieBass

If you're going to shield the bass and replace the pots then you may as well just check the bridge ground wire is in good contact as well. EDIT: Though I've never had to shield any of my own basses with foil under the scratchplate I think if you bring some foil up from a cavity to just lie next to/over one of the scratchplate mounting screw holes then when you screw down the plate you'll get contact in that area.

[quote name='jazzyvee' timestamp='1418652722' post='2631984'] Don't use Switch cleaner on Alembics, the pots and switches are sealed and are self cleaning. [url="http://alembic.com/club/messages/16271/16357.html?1107712343"]http://alembic.com/c...html?1107712343[/url] As for the switches it's recommended switching them on and off about 30 times or so to clean them. [/quote] Ah thanks for the correction, I wasn't aware of that.

Most Thunder 1A basses have the coil tap as a separate switch so if there's a coil tap on this one it's probably a push/pull on the volume pot. Looking down at the bass as you play it the leftmost pot should be the volume, the middle pot should be the passive tone (which is basically a conventional treble cut - this also works in active mode) and the rightmost pot should be the active tone which ought to have a centre détente. You turn the active EQ on using the small switch. The active tone seems to be a parametric type control offering a fixed boost with a sweep frequency, one way it boosts in the treble frequencies, the other way it boosts in the bass frequencies - the passive and active tone pots work together so you can have some unusual combinations of the two.

It's probably worth using switch cleaner spray on all pots and switches just in case any of those are affecting the signal.

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1418637023' post='2631809'] What sounds good at home often doesn't work effectively in a band situation, and what works well with a band isn't necessarily going to sound great in isolation, also worth noting that that the sound you get will change as you crank the volume up due to the limitations of the amp/cab and the non-linear way that the human ear perceives volume at different frequencies - really you need to tweak your equipment at rehearsal where it is running at band volume and you can make adjustments so it fits within the overall mix properly. Using the headphone socket on an amp is also not going to give an accurate idea of the end result, because you will be bypassing the speaker cab, which will have a large influence on the sound when you have the amp cranked. [/quote] This ^ There's no way you can audition your live sound through headphones because the speaker in the combo will colour the final sound. Volume does make a difference too; as an example, I've read that the TC Electronic combos only really start to sound their best when you've got the volume cranked quite high. You'll probably also find it necessary to tweak the EQ on the combo depending on what kind of room you're in. The headphone option allows you to hear yourself playing without annoying the neighbours and I'd say also helps you get to grips with any effects you might be trying out but as already mentioned what works well in isolation can suffer in a band live mix and vice versa.

Have you tried a different guitar cable? There's a chance that's at fault. Have you also tried the bass through a different amp head and cabinet? You need to be sure which element is the problem.

Whatever you've got the body now looks lush! Very nice looking bass indeed!

You'd hope that'd be peak, if it's genuinely RMS f**k knows what it'd be peaking at!

Just discovered this, an Internet radio station created by Brian Bromberg, 'Bass on the Broadband' http://bassonthebroadband.com/ "The world's first radio station devoted to the art of the bass!"

If you're really keen for a PK-5 like solution then Dawsons have a Roland PK-6 in stock but it's pricey http://www.dawsons.co.uk/roland-pk-6-pedal-keyboard?gclid=CLuz7ZLxxcICFeHHtAodaEcA5Q

I think the Behringer unit is more for controlling other devices that have MIDI interfaces where you could change presets/patches on them and not something you'd use when playing a bass line as you'd do with say a Moog Taurus. The Roland unit that jonsmith mentions is more like what you need though it needs to drive an external synthesizer for bass lines (and I think it's discontinued so you'd need to find a second-hand one).

I'll second the advice to buy something like a Zoom multi-effects unit. The amp/cab simulations are pretty good, you'll get some decent stomp box equivalents like octaver, chorus, reverb, overdrive, a chromatic tuner, plus your desired headphone output and on many of the Zoom units there's a built-in drum machine - all of which can be employed with both headphones only and also running into an amp for band rehearsal/performance use.

Try giving the neck a touch more relief - the fingerboard probably would benefit from levelling but you might find a sympathetic set-up will eliminate the sizzle. It's tempting to try for straight necks and low action with fretless basses but I was having similar issues with my Cort B4FL with the D in a similar position on the fingerboard and I ended up giving the neck the same amount of relief as my other (fretted) basses and also the same action and that pretty much eliminated the unwanted buzzing.

The University of Salford offers a one-year MA... "On this exciting and challenging music course, you will have the opportunity to follow one of four specialist pathways:[list] [*]Composition (C) [*]Performance (P) [*]Critical Musicology (CM) [*]Interactive Music and Advanced Studio Production (IMASP). [/list] If you are keen to broaden your musical knowledge, you can also combine your specialist pathway with other pathways." http://www.salford.ac.uk/pgt-courses/music2

The speakers in the cabinet are designed by Turbosound. I think everything Behringer related is manufactured at their massive site in China.

The Music Group company, chaired by Mr Uli Behringer owns (fairly obviously) Behringer as well as Bugera and Turbosound. Maybe not such a surprise then about the similarity noted since Behringer themselves like to create products which closely resemble other manufacturers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behringer

Ahh now that's good news, I wonder if the magnets/poles for the D had somehow lost their strength?

The advantage of the split P pickup is you can angle each half and vary the individual string to pole heights. Unless the difference is huge you might be able to get a better balance by adjusting the mounting screws so that the D has the smallest gap. Usually you have a larger gap for the E and the smallest for the G but maybe in your case you need the D closest. Are the strings new? You might have a bad D string. I'd also make sure the D isn't choking out on any frets.

Bear in mind the fretless effects with the Zoom units are supposed to help a fretted bass sound more like a fretless - I think it modifies the envelope (slower attack maybe). Though there's nothing to stop you using the fretless effect with an EUB/DB you'll hear a bigger difference between dry and wet (effected) signal with effects like chorus/detune, octaver and reverb.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1418388839' post='2629802'] Yep, this thread is far from my finest hour. I did mention 'fretless' in the OP, but then should have said "there is a buzz on the first three fret positions". No, maybe "when I fret the first three notes". No. What terminology is used here? [/quote] Strictly speaking you 'stop' a string on a fretless instrument, hence the term 'double stop' for when you hold down two strings simultaneously and the term 'sliding stop' for when you slide the position where the string meets the fingerboard. Nut slot depth on a fretless should get the string down to very close to the surface of the fingerboard, maybe a gap of .04" or 1mm - that's about the thickness of a plastic credit card, maybe slightly less.

Nice find; I think you've done well!

Check the nut slot depths by fretting every string at the 3rd fret and check for the slightest gap between the string and the 1st fret. If there's no gap then the slots are too deep. A large gap means the slots aren't deep enough. But you were right to realise that fret buzz on the frets nearest the nut are usually down to too little neck relief. If you ever plan to replace a nut; to get a precut nut down to the right height I think it's easier to file the bottom of the nut rather than deepen the string slots. That way you can use a flat file or sheets of sandpaper and hold the nut when sanding the base.

... and take that look off your face before it sticks!

Presume one of the differences is the power output transistor used which is why the heat sink design has changed?

Looking at where the cooling fan is, with the extra space found within the 2013 model, it looks like that would be more efficient than the airflow through the cramped arrangement of the earlier 2011 design.