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This'll be my last post. But in the scenario above where someone is already getting electric shocks possibly due to a faulty amp, removing the earth from the mic wire is NOT an acceptable solution. If the fault is in the guitar amp (or the supply feeding it), removing the path to earth means they are still building potential which can easily be earthed through another path, like a different mic or some random bit of stage kit or touching someone else who is earthed. Especially dangerous if it's one where the potential slowly floats up over time. The ONLY safe solution is to stop using that guitar amp/supply. Hum is not necessarily a sign of serious danger. However, an electric shock is a damn good indicator (nylon trousers notwithstanding). The point is not that the fault is definitely lethal, but that you don't know it isn't

Thank you! I'll have a go

Having received the new electronics for my Thumb bass I began removing the knobs. The push/pull knob had a spring underneath which I was expecting, but I didn't notice that one of the other pots also had a spring until turning the bass over and it dropped off. Any idea which pot shaft it came from, or why the balance or the stacked T&B knob would have had a spring?

Nice cardigan.

Assuming there's no fault in the mic wiring.

Except that the amount of money you would have to spend to create such a beast would likely easily buy you two or three good standard basses. Also, it’s almost inevitable with this sort of highly specialised instrument that you are pretty soon going to be wishing that one or other of the transition points was in a different place to suit different pieces of music. double neck sounds more practical to me- especially if it was small bodied headless- or Ashula style 8 string with 4 fretted, 4 fretless.

In this bass, there is a simple output socket connected directly to the PU. I quite like how it sounds passive.

Before Epiphone consolidated their production to a single factory there were various Korean factories making them , two of the factories were Peerless and Unsung , that produced some of their higher end models. Their work was excellent.

I am not sure of the noisefloor/fan situation, but the Genz Benz Shuttle/max amps and then the Genzler amps are VERY precise and clean. https://www.thomann.co.uk/genzler_magellan_mg800.htm?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1581403900&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImovYv4i6jwMVQJdQBh0_lQG_EAQYASABEgL87PD_BwE A Markbass amp would probably get you there as well. LM4?

@Hellzero thanks for the list, much appreciated. Hadn’t considered Trickfish - Bass Direct have a Mini500 but looks like it has a fan and is top end of my budget. The Eich would be my choice from that list. @Stub Mandrel yes I’ve been wondering about the separate preamp, poweramp plan as well

To add to the other comments here, you’ll also need your product details/photography on point to give you the best possible chance of getting a sale. I know from personal experience when looking at bitsa builds, if someone’s got crappy photos I’m out as I don’t have anything else to go on, no historic reputation etc to know I’m getting value for my money Just my 2 pence worth.

We had become Facebook friends. He’s simply a tone nut , and loves to test and compare things , and is a builder. And with his YouTube channel , he can share that. I like to think I’m nerdy about such things but he has taken that to another level. And I love and respect that. He is a great guy. I’d love to meet him in person some day. The amp he built for me is a straight 500 watt power amp to power a preamp. I use it on every gig.

to be honest...'working' bass doesnt need extended tonal range in...hm... let's say 9 out of 10 songs 😉 and they are all there in the 25 fretted notes... well, yes, that was bit polemic and of course you are right. depends all on style and attitude. kind of learning to handle a newish instrument at least. i am simply in the comfortable position to play my way, no covers, no 'must-have sounds' et cetera and always looking for 'more'. a three piece band can do what most do with 5 members (or even more) if the band looses the chains they gave their bassist... don't get me wrong, please! absolutely no offense! if you feel so it's all about my poor english and i'm sorry. to explain myself: in the swiss/german bassic-community sb wrote once ' nonsense, what should that be good for at all?' well: more options, more music, more freedom, i guess. to experience that the world is not a disc, maybe it's round !? and i love the idea of ONE bass for all (and my bank account does too)

I'm pretty Shure that mics casings are not connected to the signal wires or capsule. If the cable shielding (ie : earth...) has been cut, the mic casing is essentially 'floating', connected to nothing.

Hi all, I'm looking to return to playing regularly after a fair time away, apart from the occasional rehearsal/gig breaking up the monotony. Held on to my gear since I tend not to sell stuff once I have it. Rackmounted Markbass LMK, 4 x 10 and 1 x 15 from back in the day when they were made in Italy. Couple of Yamaha basses and entirely too much by way of gadgets and gizmos... Very much looking forward to hearing what the good people on here are up to. Thank you in advance for all the wisdom and experience I'm about to learn from.

It's your logo... do it how you want! Mine evolve!

My main set of IEMs are moulded UE Lives which I keep for larger gigs. They are good but I'm not a huge fan of them actually. I moved from JH Audio Roxannes to UE a year or so ago, mainly due to poor aftersales service from JH (but that's another story!) For pub/club work I am happy with the KZs. There is of course a difference between them and the moulds (with seal and fit), but IMO the KZs punch well above their weight in terms of tone per £. The AS16 Pro X come with foam tips but I also have a supply of Comply which I change every 10 or so gigs. The ZAR is the most similar to the UE phones design-wise, as they have a dynamic driver as well as the usual bass/mid/treble apertures. The dynamic driver has a fairly significant impact on what the bass guitar sounds like, and not always in a positive way. I have learned that I prefer the sound of a more traditionally designed IEM without a dynamic driver. The AS16 Pro X fit this bill. A great sounding earphone for around the £50 mark on eBay. The first thing I did was upgrade the cable to one of those 8 core replacements, which cost around £20 in itself but certainly worth it.

A ground lift inserts a small resistor, it doesn't disconnect the earth. The issue is if a fault develops in the PA and a signal wire becomes live, there's nothing preventing the microphone casing becoming live. If the guitarist had touched any other grounded component in the setup while touching his strings, he'd still be getting a shock. Essentially, it sounds like it was his guitar that was live, but without a multimeter that would be difficult to determine. Usually opening the plugtop reveals a multitude of dodgy DIY wiring.

It can become a second output or left unconnected.

As electrical noise, not fan noise, is the issue the choice is very broad. For your needs you could be best off with an advanced di/preamp pedal for recording and then a fairly basic power amp for stage use.

Hi @LawrenceH - I don't know if that was aimed at me, but I was not suggesting moving physical earths from PAs or equipment. I was suggesting disconnecting the signal shield from the microphone. This would avoid a "bridge" between varying earth planes (existing or not) in various equipment plugged into various sockets in the building. A signal "ground lift" is a common option in DI boxes to isolate this to stop hum and no different to what I am suggesting here. I totally agree with the safety precaution of carrying a socket RCD and have one in my gig bag too. However, I think people need to understand the difference between serious electrical faults like mains voltage/current shorting to earth and small potential differences caused by less resistive paths to earth, which can happen due to bad connections, or some poor wiring in venues. Still not great and should be looked at by the venue and resolved, but if a microphone genuinely had mains voltage flowing through the casing, your mouth would have to be peeled away with a wooden pole once you'd burnt to a crisp (assuming a RCD hadn't tripped and saved you). These shocks are generally like static from your shoes or when you used to rub a balloon on your jumper. I am not belittling them by the way, I know they can bloody hurt, I have had a few myself in the odd venue over the years.

Welcome DS.