Equipment failures - always the worst time!

[SICbass]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

 

I've seen stomps randomly stop and need a reset several times.

 

That's a bit scary, isn't it? I mean it's not the end of the world, but then it kind of is when you're in that moment.

[neepheid]

I had my amp crap out on me once at a gig, thankfully it was right at the end of the last song.  Sorry folks, no encore!  I do bring a small spare amp with me now so I can limp on with a single cab if the need ever arises again.

 

I also once had my wireless bugs run out of juice because I forgot to charge them but that was self inflicted rather than an equipment failure per se.  Quick switch to a cable and back up and running, but no wandering off for me

 

[Huge Hands]

At @Jakester - how are you doing the switching between DB and guitar?   Are you able to use the L and R inputs as two completely different sources?

 

I don't own a Stomp, but have looked at them before, but couldn't really justify the money.  I have a guitar/EUB setup.   I didn't realise they could do this - if so I might rethink!

 

[Stub Mandrel]

23 hours ago, SICbass said:

 

That's a bit scary, isn't it? I mean it's not the end of the world, but then it kind of is when you're in that moment.

 

Indeed. The worst offender was a Zoom board of some sort that died every other rehearsal. Fortunately(?) that band didn't gig much...

Maybe I just emit a field that screws up multi FX units? That said, Al uses one and it hasn't died yet.

[asingardenof]

Having an amp crap out on me on a NYE gig was the most fun thing ever! These days I think my bandmates think I'm a bit odd for having spares of everything, but having had two amp failures at gigs I'm not taking any chances. I worry for them if they have a failure though. Drummist always has spare sticks and skins, but our guitarist has a Boss Katana combo with a footswitch that's a bit temperamental and no means to DI from her pedalboard, and our keyboardist's keyboard isn't treated very well, so if either of them have an issue we're screwed. We were nearly in that situation last summer when the keyboard had a bit of a moment, leading to a hasty rearrangement of the set, but no lessons appear to have been learned.

[tauzero]

I managed to blow the speaker in my combo at one gig, I think due to some weird room resonance which I didn't try to sort out immediately (lesson learnt). I put the bass through the PA - Alto TS408s, which coped admirably well.

[Jakester]

8 hours ago, Huge Hands said:

At @Jakester - how are you doing the switching between DB and guitar?   Are you able to use the L and R inputs as two completely different sources?

 

I don't own a Stomp, but have looked at them before, but couldn't really justify the money.  I have a guitar/EUB setup.   I didn't realise they could do this - if so I might rethink!

 

Yep, EB in L and DB in R, and with a pan block at the start of the input to hard L or R and assigned to one of the foot switches allows an A/B switch. 
 

It can be a bit temperamental though - I’m sure I’ve set it and saved it so L is the starting input on each patch, but sometimes it will start on R, which is confusing.  
 

It does limit the available blocks and if you’re doing a patch where you’re not intending to use the DB (such as a synth) you have to remember to add a pan block, otherwise you get horrendous feedback from the open DB. Ask me how I know!

[Huge Hands]

14 hours ago, Jakester said:

Yep, EB in L and DB in R, and with a pan block at the start of the input to hard L or R and assigned to one of the foot switches allows an A/B switch. 
 

It can be a bit temperamental though - I’m sure I’ve set it and saved it so L is the starting input on each patch, but sometimes it will start on R, which is confusing.  
 

It does limit the available blocks and if you’re doing a patch where you’re not intending to use the DB (such as a synth) you have to remember to add a pan block, otherwise you get horrendous feedback from the open DB. Ask me how I know!

Erm....sounds a bit of a fiddly bodge for such a lot of money.   I would also be concerned as I currently use a Tonebone Bassbone to switch and for the EUB I have the input gain switch for piezo levels selected - I imagine this might not support this and I would need a preamp.....

 

I will keep thinking on it - thanks for the info!

 

 

 

[Jakester]

40 minutes ago, Huge Hands said:

Erm....sounds a bit of a fiddly bodge for such a lot of money.   I would also be concerned as I currently use a Tonebone Bassbone to switch and for the EUB I have the input gain switch for piezo levels selected - I imagine this might not support this and I would need a preamp.....

 

I will keep thinking on it - thanks for the info!

 

Well, it's fiddly in the sense that you need to understand how it works; but once you do it (usually!) works. 

 

I had a Tonebone, but found because it was cut only, and at the levels needed to equalise the DB and EB, it reduced the signal going to the amp too much. 

 

You can select input impedance for acoustic instruments on the Stomp if you like. I don't use a DB preamp (ATM - that's going to change) but it is a Realist pickup which as I understand outputs a 'usual' level signal. 

[TimR]

22 hours ago, asingardenof said:

and our keyboardist's keyboard isn't treated very well,

 

Did a gig once where during soundcheck the keboard was randomly turning itself on and off. I watched him playing for a while and spotted it was when he was tapping his foot.

 

He was knocking the mains cable, which, on closer inspection, was about to fall out of the plug. So I said I'd open it up and rewire it quickly. To which he said he'd just keep his foot on it for the gig. 🤯

 

I rewired it.

[asingardenof]

2 hours ago, TimR said:

 

Did a gig once where during soundcheck the keboard was randomly turning itself on and off. I watched him playing for a while and spotted it was when he was tapping his foot.

 

He was knocking the mains cable, which, on closer inspection, was about to fall out of the plug. So I said I'd open it up and rewire it quickly. To which he said he'd just keep his foot on it for the gig. 🤯

 

I rewired it.

Our guy has a tendency to just throw his in the boot of his car with no case and then leave it there. He's done a firmware update recently which has solved the issue of his pitchbender messing up, but I suspect it's on its way out. He also has a tendency to just throw cables into a satchel willy nilly, and every time he opens it up it makes me twitchy.