Sustain

[Mog]

Hi folks. Wasn't sure where to lob this one so apologies if its in the wrong section.
I've noticed that when I use my Yamaha BB G5 into my TE the notes decay rapidly. Theres no comp/limiter in the chain and the volume pots on the bass are brand new.Strings are never more than 5 gigs old and still bright by most peoples standards when I change them. Totally stumped as to what the problem is. Eq settings maybe??
Anyone got a solution?

[SteveK]

Have you tried your Yamaha through another rig?
If so, did it sound better?
Have you tried another bass through your rig?
Was that ok?
Does the bass sound dull acoustically?

Need more info to nail the problem.

Not sure why you would think the pots on you bass would effect sustain.

[xilddx]

Input impedance?

[Mog]

[quote name='SteveK' post='853904' date='Jun 1 2010, 06:08 PM']Have you tried your Yamaha through another rig?
If so, did it sound better?
Have you tried another bass through your rig?
Was that ok?
Does the bass sound dull acoustically?

Need more info to nail the problem.

Not sure why you would think the pots on you bass would effect sustain.[/quote]
No. Normally use the wick at shows.
Yes, the wick sounds great
Unplugged sounds like any other bass I have.

Pots were changed because it was due its 5 year service.(I sweat a lot on stage, trust me its not good for electronics) All my basses get an overhaul every five years. Bad pots = bad output = rapid note decay.

Silddx: explain

[thepurpleblob]

Action too low?

Pickups too high?

Basically, a good setup might be a sensible place to start. It's not the pots. They're just resistors (not that clever). You might want to check you haven't melted any caps and/or soldered them back in the wrong place but I'd be a bit sceptical about that being the reason. Just for the record, if the pots are working and are not crackling on adjustment then I'd leave them alone. There's a lot of rubbish talked about pots on basses - they really aren't very interesting.

Edited June 2, 2010 by thepurpleblob

[Mog]

A winner! Cheers purplebob. Raised the bridge pup a bit and its much better. Yea the pots were scratchy so they went. But for the few pennies they cost I dont mind changing them every few years.

[Sean]

[quote name='Mog' post='854395' date='Jun 2 2010, 01:41 AM']All my basses get an overhaul every five years.[/quote]

If my service interval for instruments was this long, I'd be left with nothing but a pile of rusting, decaying lumps of wood and metal!

Edited June 4, 2010 by Sean

[thepurpleblob]

[quote name='Sean' post='856802' date='Jun 4 2010, 07:34 AM']If my service interval for instruments was this long, I'd be left with nothing but a pile of rusting, decaying lumps of wood and metal! [/quote]

It's funny how people differ... mine get a quick squint over and a clean when I change the strings. Other than that I get the screwdrivers and the big hammer out when something goes wrong. I have been a car mechanic, an auto-electrician and a service engineer in my time so I have a bad attitude - "It's more likely to break by me fiddling with it than if I just leave it alone"

[chardbass]

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='856867' date='Jun 4 2010, 09:25 AM']"It's more likely to break by me fiddling with it than if I just leave it alone"[/quote]



Relate!

[Mog]

When I say service I mean a trip to the tech for electronic work etc.This particular bass is on its 3rd set of pups. Di Marzios. Me and soldering irons dont see eye to eye anymore. Naturally when I change strings etc, which is quiet often (a full gigging week could mean avg. 10 shows, string change after 4), everything gets waxed/polished/buffed/cleaned. Strings are wiped down after a gig with surgical swabs to remove as much gunge as possible and the body/hardware get a quick wipe down with a home brew of cleaner.