dave_bass5

I think you can get extra large covers off ebay that might fit the higher mass bridges, although ive never heard of anyone getting one to fit a BAII. I actually replaced the pups in my HW-one Jazz with Wizards and it transformed the bass. I just love the tone i get from it now, and it was good to start with. I guess im just agreeing that Wizards are a great upgrade and very cheap.

[quote name='philipleonard' post='1020956' date='Nov 12 2010, 08:00 AM']I've fitted the Fender chrome plate over the bridge and want to keep the look but I'm not sure which bridges (Badass,Gotoh,Hipshot etc) will fit under it. Have you guys got any tips? Phil.[/quote] Badass definitely not, cant comment on the others.

Agree with London Calling and Baggy Trousers. I learnt them a few weeks ago (just for my own amusement). Nice and simple once you know how. Ive also finally learnt Tears of a Clown (the original). For some reason thats eluded me for ages, although ive never HAD to learn it before.

Well, after all that soldering i think im going to change the volume pot again. Compared to the Squeir pots both the new CTS pots feel scratchy and cheap. Ive only put the one in but have tested both. The Squier pots are very smooth and feel really nice when i turn them. There are no sound issues, no scratchy noise or anything like that, i just expected more from a £4 pot. As both are like this i think ill try another brand. Maybe im being a bit too fussy now but when a "quality" item feels cheaper than a budget one it bugs me. Ill also give the blade idea a go, cheers for that.

[quote name='icastle' post='1020267' date='Nov 11 2010, 03:39 PM']Watch it Dave - I have a vague idea of where London is and will hunt you down, replace your solder with a coat hanger wire and watch you suffer... [/quote] Sorry, no offence meant. I wouldn't want you travelling all this way [i]up north[/i] with your coat (or kagoule) hangers ;-) I actually threw my lead free solder out last night as i felt the new stuff was easier to work with. Im glad i started this thread now. Ill impress the rest of the band with my new soldering knowledge on Sat.

Cheers icastle, that's sort of put my mind at rest over the dullness issue i thought i had. You learn something new everyday. At least when i put the bass that ill never sell up for sale the buyer can rest assured the joints are good. I was going to ask about National railway route numbers next........;-)

[quote name='Bigwan' post='1020000' date='Nov 11 2010, 01:12 PM']In my experience lead free solder produces a duller solder joint than leaded solder. I hate the stuff myself, as do most high volume electronics manufacturers. Just doesn't do the job as well as the real thing.[/quote] This is what i was thinking. I know my skills aren't great but compared to the other joints in the bass all my joints were dull. I was thinking it might be the solder, that one of the reasons i started this thread. Looking at the new joint with the new solder there is a bit more shine to it now. Its all good now. Bass sounds great, looks exactly the same and plays like a dream. Job done.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1019724' date='Nov 11 2010, 09:22 AM']Cheers chaps. In the end I had my USA P and I also was testing a kindly loaned J copy project bass from Conan, (much appreciated). I didnt have my own amp or cabs, but now I wish Id at least just taken my LM3.[/quote] You cant go wrong with a P can you. Even if its not the most ideal bass it gets the job done.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1019478' date='Nov 10 2010, 10:51 PM']Still have them? Maplins type ones? Apparently fit my solder station, so I can paypal ya if they are no use to you. Proper hardware stores do lead solder, make sure it is flux cored, it is a joy to use after being used to fake solder.[/quote] No sorry, i got them exchanged for the correct ones, even though i didnt need them tonight. The solder i got was flux cored and a bit easier to use than the lead free stuff. And yes, it was from a proper hardware store. Cheers icastle, i think i might open the HW-one up over the weekend and see how its looking. The big difference between the CV P and the others is the new pot. Normally when i change pups the back of the pot is already primed.

Fender might. They do have tapered B's in the 7250-5 sets but im not sure if you can get singles. Might be worth emailing stringsdirect to ask them. just an idea.

I took it apart again and re soldered the ground wires. It didnt seem as bad as i thought but i took all the advice posted here and re done it and it is indeed better, and a bit shinier :-) I used the 40watt and the new solder and it seemed a lot easier than last night. Im probably going to re do my other two basses now. Im sure i can do a better job now ive had a bit more practice and proper guidance. Cheers all.

[quote name='lojo' post='1019132' date='Nov 10 2010, 06:25 PM']Glad you had a good gig, thats why you spent all the money on gear [/quote] And not take any of it ;-)

Never trust a man in a suit :-)

Cheers for coming out publicly lol. That all makes sense. My 25watt is a Antex and the 40watt is a Draper. I did tin the 40watt before using it but i guess i didnt do something right. Yes, i can see some copper and its the iron thats breaking up. Ive got some of that tinning/cleaning power stuff Maplins sell but didnt use it that on that iron. Ive just got the correct tips for the 30watt so might stick with that for now, and picked up some 60 Tin/40 lead solder to see if that helps. Its funny but this is the first time ive worried about all this, but not the first time ive changed pups in a bass. And its the cheap bass.

[quote name='icastle' post='1018800' date='Nov 10 2010, 02:04 PM']The tip corroding is due to the rosin based flux used in multicore solder - it's why tips are replaceable. It's not a perfect solution, but you can take a file to the tip and get it back to a point where you can see copper again.[/quote] Thanks. The iron has only been used 3 times so i was very surprised this happened. My old 25watt iron is about 7 years old and its tip is fine.

Cheers guys. The only reason i got a new iron (and didn't use my old fluctuating 25watt) was the coating on the tip of the 40watt seems to be melting, or breaking off. Ive not seen a tip go like this before and was worried it might be getting hotter than it should. Its fairly new as well. So more heat, more mass and less contact time seem to be what's needed.

Thanks for that. As im having a "buy the wrong thing" week i did get the wrong solder tips as well. I brought a new 30watt iron but it only came with a pointed tip. I really wanted a chisel tip so brought a packet of tips but of course they were for the wrong iron (in fact for a solder station). I must be getting old as i definitely checked they were the correct ones before i picked them up. I do have a 40watt that might be better for the back of the pot, and this has a thicker tip so maybe ill give that ago tonight.

[quote name='icastle' post='1018707' date='Nov 10 2010, 01:04 PM']Thats where you went wrong - you need to get a film of solder nicely flowing on the back of the pot before you introduce the wire(s). If you just add solder to the whole area you just create a blob of solder with a wire in it which sits on a layer of flux - at best it'll just all fall away if you jolt the instrument and at worst it'll just not make a contact at all.[/quote] Thanks. Yes, that had crossed my mind and was one of the reasons i started this thread. It looks like its just sitting on the back of the pot, and while it feels firm enough, an dis working fine, i think i will re do it tonight, just in case. Good reply. I would try some non lead free solder but all the places i can get to at lunch time sell just the lead free stuff.

Cheers Guys. I hadn't thought of roughing it up first. Ill give that a go when i take it apart again at the weekend. I only did the volume pot this time but i do want to change the tone pot as well, and use some nicer cloth covered wire so ill have to re open the bass after i get this weeks gig out of the way. For what its worth, this is how i did it. I tinned the leads (3 of them) and then twisted the ends together and soldered them, so i only had one thick wire to deal with. I then held it in place with one of those multi soldering tools that has the clamps on it. I had the end of the wire flat against the back of the pot and then applied some heat and solder to cover it all. This is why i know it didn't move. I wasnt sure how long it would take to heat the back fo the pot, and didnt want to keep the iron on it for too long so i didnt prep the pot first. This sounds like a good idea so ill do it that way next time. All the other wires are hooked and twisted through the eyelets so im not too worried about the dull joints.

Cheers guys. I was doing it in my kitchen so no, it wasn't cold. Im pretty sure i was blowing on it so maybe that was it. Im not sure there was any movement as the wires were clamped or twisted around the eyelets. While i have your attention, any tips on soldering the ground wires to the back of the pot? Ive done it but it looks a bit messy. Cheers again.

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1018467' date='Nov 10 2010, 10:13 AM']Funny that, because I've also used Billie Jean to cue the drummer to end that solo now.[/quote] If my drummer even attempted to do a solo i would just throw my bass at him, in bar one.

I noticed last night i was getting the above when i was putting my bass back together and couldnt figure out why it was happening. This was with a new pot and clean wires (and even a new iron). I was using Maplins lead free solder and a 30watt iron.

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1018455' date='Nov 10 2010, 10:07 AM']I've got a standing bet on with a guitarist that, at every gig, I can somewhere slip in the main bass phrase from Green Onions or from Billie Jean whatever songs we play.[/quote] Funny that, I also slip a bit of Billie in when i get bored. Normally if a guitar solo goes on for too long (when will they learn), its normally his cue to finish up. The other one is groove is in the heart.