rmorris

Interesting. Maybe I'll re-evaluate :-) Thanks.

I say no need to apologise. You're properly entitled to an opinion and your generosity of expertise is appreciated here :-)

Yes there would appear to be the possibility of sideways movement. But there's a lot of string tension holding it in place at that point and since the string is plucked / hit relatively far away from the nut / zero fret then there's little actual sideways force there (unlike a bridge without grooves for the grubscrews). Theory aside I've never heard of it being a problem in use ?

No. 3/32 inch to 5 dp is 2.38125 1 inch = 25.4mm (to one dp) think you have the 3 and 8 switched in your answer, 2.8313 mm is approx 3.57/32

I have one of those 'Wesley' basses in transparent blue. But I reckon the break angle at the bridge is too much. Would like to replace the bridge but wondering how acrylic takes screws ? Is there any 'give' in it such that woodscrews with a pilot hole would be okay or do I need to tap threads or use threaded inserts or...

I worked in a factory where acrylic (perspex) was cut for fabrication. IIRC cutting speed was quite high. Fine tooth blades and constant fluid cooling. But this was an industrial cutting machine doing sheets at a time. For one off manual cuts other considerations may apply...

+1 All that's being done really is putting a buffer / preamp inside the bass and not on the end of a cable. The pickup remains a 'standard Hi-Z' pickup. There are some lower Z pickups which benefit from a preamp and pots designed for them (lower Z typically means lower output but lower noise) eg 'proper' EMGs. But the Thunders have standard type pickups.

Peter Hook... http://equipboard.com/pros/peter-hook/shergold-marathon-6-string-bass

OK. I felt compelled to translate the imperial measurement to metric 2.4mm

The reason the hum/buzz reduces when you touch strings/metalwork is that you are grounding yourself via the bass/cable to the amplifier(etc) ground. When you are near the bass but not grounded you become a source of electrical noise - generally mains frequencies and multiples thereof. So the pole piece effect implies that some of the 'bass' side pole pieces are grounded whilst the 'treble' side pole pieces are not. Test with a meter...

For not so easy battery requirements I can recommend http://www.smallbattery.company.org.uk/

JB Weld ? (It's American but likely available in UK as we have it at work)

It's not a problem. I've never known of it causing a problem. As long as the bass is hanging vertically then the forces will be (essentially) symmetrical. The tension on the bass is dominated by the string tension. If the weight of the bass were to be an issue then there would be something seriously amiss with the design of the instrument.

Yeah - I didn't t check the Big Muff type circuits. I was looking at Fuzz Face type circuits again the other day so was fresh in my mind. Th Big Muff types have a 'proper' transistor buffer before the cliiping stage so should be okay with actives as you say. The clipping stage is driven by the buffer stage. Meaning that the result should be more consistent with different pickups / basses. Th input impedance is still quite low esp for a passive bass ( circa 140K) so in this case some form of True Bypass switching would be a good idea.

Just to note that the impedance issue relates to Si Transistors Fuzzes too, though the sound will differ (a bit :-)

The basic issue here isn't that the signal level may be too high - though that is a possible issue it's usually relatively easily dealt with . The specific issue with active basses and some effects is related to output impedance of the bass. Some pedals - basically "Fuzz Face" type circuits (Zvex Wooly etc...) rely for their characteristics on the signal plugged into it having a high impedance. Basically the output impedance of the bass is in series with the ...err...base of a BJT transistor and that influences the circuit operation. And an 'ordinary' passive pickup(s) have quite a high output impedance so that's okay. An 'active' pickup/preamp system has a much lower output impedance and the resulting sound from a "Fuzz" type circuit is generally thought to be undesireable. It also follows from that that a "Fuzz" needs to be first thing in any chain so that it sees the pickup impedance. To get around the problem you can try putting resistance (and optionally inductance) in series with the signal. I think Zvex do this with a seperate pot on one of their Fuzz pedals ( I won't name it from memory in case I get it wrong but it'll be on the website I guess).

Internal or external threads ?

Sounds like a fret issue to me if it's only one fretted position showing the problem and on all strings. Disclaimer: I tend to favour minimal relief and minimum fret buzz.

+1 This is the important thing to know.

I recommend taking a look at the Caig Deoxit product range. (No association). Also if socket contacts have lost their 'springiness' the could try to push the contacts to compenstae. Else replace if possible ?

I've had a look inside. There are several voltage regulators. IIRC both 9V and 12V. So it seems 18V would generate more heat but that might not be a problem. 12V unlikely to be okay for 12V regulator - I don't think it was a very low drop type (that might be okay if the 12V in was actually a tad more). But the 12V in should just come through unregulated which might be okay if it's already regulated and quiet enough..?

He has quite a lot of patience :-) I guess next stage would be to investigate the fabrication of the cables wrt screening - eg conductive foil / drain wire ; braid ; spiral shield / double spiral etc. Plugs an obvious point where screening might be compromised.

That link comes along with a safety warning on my PC courtesy of Avast...

Not necessarily. Jazz bass shape offers alternative aesthetic and there are significant differences in the neck, nut width etc...

Yes - working out the real transformer operating conditions requires knowledge of the source and load impedances, transformer specs' and a calculator ! The specs are fairly meaningless without a test circuit diagram. re isolation - Orchid state that they have appropriate (non switchable) circuitry to obviate the need for earth lift and also allows phantom operation. Without having one in front of me I asssume this is along the lines of a resistor / capacitor parallel connection from the input 0V to chassis ? This should work in nearly all cases (exceptions I'm thinking are eg outside broadcast in electronically hostile environments).