Dad3353

There are capacitors and capacitors, some of which will 'age' even without use (or because they're not used enough, for some..!). More an issue for 'vintage' gear (too early to tell for some of the cheaper modern ones, although the technologies have evolved greatly...). A decent gear tech will recognise the signs pre-failure of the usual suspects, and will replace often enough with a more modern, more reliable piece. I've original valves in my Bassman, but the state of the main caps was... dreadful..! Not through over-use, just by aging. The heat in some amps is poorly dissipated, too, so the circuit boards (if there are boards...) and valve sockets, can deteriorate. Again, there are 'usual suspects', known by good techs. It's Good Practise, not to swap out components, but to have a routine check done by a competent tech every so often (Yearly..? A bit much. Five-yearly..? Reasonable, I'd say...)

'Need the space'..? It's tiny..!

Ahem ... April Composition Challenge... Never stronger; don't hesitate. Just jump straight in, as all of us have done in the past (and more will do in the future...). The more the merrier; all are welcome. No bagpipes, though.

Word.

Some of us are handy enough with a Stanley knife and some tough foam to cobble up a facsimile for a little less than that amount.

What is this 'engage the audience' of which you speak..? ...

I think I'd vote for 'nothing in the style of AC/DC, bagpipes or not'. ...

Our Youngest wanted to play bass, but insisted on wanting a 5-string (so my Hofners were not suitable...). OK, we got him the least-expensive Cort, on which he started to learn, from videos and books. Meanwhile, Our Eldest wanted to surprise me for a birthday, and imported a 6-string fretless, knowing I had always wanted to try that style. Out of luck, though, as Our Youngest picked it up, and has not released it yet (this was several years ago now...). As luck would have it, I'm the drummer in our band, so it was les of a loss (I do get to play it on rare occasions...). The point of all this..? To hear our band, no-one would know that it's a 6-string fretless. It plays (under Our Youngest's fingers...) exactly like any other bass, for a wide repertoire of modern pop-rock songs, from Pink Floyd, Rage Against The machine, R.E.M., Radiohead, Noir Désir, Alain Bashung, DeUS, System Of A Down and much more. Here's a clip from a concert a few years ago now (2013, Already..? Wow..!). A fretless bass can be played as any other bass, if you want to...

Yes, indeed. For power valves, the bias determines to a large extent, not just the 'tone', but also the longevity. That rich, creamy, 'Hendrix' 'Marshall cranked' tone came from a very hot bias, and explains why so many amps of the sort blew up or caught fire on stage, needing back-up amps pre-plugged to be switched in to continue the show. An expensive business, even back then, and source of much voodoo concerning valve reliablility. Correctly biased, and using a solid-state pedal nowadays for 'that sound', a valve amp will perform well for years, or decades for the good ones. The pre-amp valves are a very different affair, as different gains and noise-less versions of compatible valves can be chosen, to suit one's style and preference. Very little aging goes on in those valves (an exeptional 'duff' one may come up, but it's not a common 'thing' for pre-amp valves to get 'worn out'...). Once one has the set that does the job required, they may be forgotten. It can be useful, as a learning exercise, to swap an ECC81 for an ECC83, or vice versa, or a low-microphonic in an early pre-amp stage, but once the sound is right, they won't need regular maintenance, in general, whatever the usage. I've known discotheques and cinemas with valve equipment that ran for years, pumping out high volume night after night, with no maintenance whatever. True, they were 'static', so not subject to transport aleas, but breakage is a different issue. Just sayin'.

My Hiwatt 200 has its original valves from the '60s, as does my Fender Bassman 50. Our Eldest (guitar...) used his Laney VC50 for years with the same set, which are still in it, and now uses a Mesa Simul-Class 2:90; never changed a valve (nor needed to...). It's true we gig much less, now, but all our gear has seen multiple stages and festivals. We've just been lucky, I suppose.

@Gothic : I concur with my learned colleague.

Oh, sorry. I thought the subject was 'musicians'. ...

There are musicians beyond count that learn and practise their chosen instruments, or sing, or compose, in the privacy of their homes, with no intention nor desire to perform in public. Maybe, perhaps, for a family event or a social evening, but not 'gigging' in the accepted sense of regular outings, often for money. I suspect, but cannot prove, that there are more amateur musicians than gigging ones on the planet.

He's right, of course, and that's an oft-used 'approved bodge', but I think, seeing the intonation as it is, I'd still recommend going the extra mile. The cocktail stick method works, though, if done as described above.

I think that that's a sign of trouble further down the line, and would recommend addressing it straight away. Several methods, but looking at that intonation set-up, I think I'd take the strings off (again..!), remove the bridge and move it back, about half the distance of the intonation screws length. Drill new screw holes, but well under-sized, so that the screws have wood to bite into. If possible, use longer screws (not so long as they come through the body, of course; just slightly shorter than the body thickness at that point...). With the bridge a little further back, and the bridge screws now holding the bridge firmly in place, the intonation will need to be little further forward, which is no bad thing, and there's more scope for adjustment. The earthing wire would be better trapped, too. As an aside, I'd be very wary of those barrel height adjuster grub-screws. There's been many a wrist sliced open with the darned things, when they are as high as that. A couple of options (the original 'ash-tray' cover helped avoid accidents, but maybe no longer an option..?). Once the height has been set, I'd see about taking them out and shortening them (sawing the bottom off...), leaving just enough for further work. I'd have them short enough to bury themselves in the barrel, with nothing to protrude; access is still there to turn 'em, but they'll not be a danger any more. Just sayin'.

Update : ... I've had a reply from the Support team, saying essentially the same as @lowdown above (install the Manager on 'C' first, then change the Data destination...). I have many (too many..?) 'Install Managers'; if each of them needed to be on the 'C' drive, I'd have no 'C' drive left..! I specifically upgraded to an SSD to improve my aging System; at the time they were expensive, and limited in capacity. I have 110Gb, of which 30Gb are 'free' for now, but it doesn't take much (when unpacking 'rar' files, for instance, or rendering a video sequence...) for that to fall off considerably. I take great care to clear away 'Temp' files that accumulate on there, and I already have a few Legacy programmes that will not reside elsewhere, for which the option was to use 'em 'as is' or abandon them. I don't wish to allow more to get to that stage, especially a 'new' programme that should be able to give the User choice in the matter. Am I being stubborn..? With my feeble budget, I have to be..! I've advised them to update their Manager to modern procedures; we'll see if they are capable or not. To be continued...

Another option is to use an array of smaller, lighter resistors, calculated to have the same overall resistance and power handling, but less subject to shocks. As the power is shared, they have less need to be 'in the air', and thus less prone to damage. Four 4.7 Ohm 5W resistors in series/parallel, for example. Just a thought.

Man goes to the doctor, saying 'Doctor, I have pains all over', Doctor say 'Point to where it hurts...'. The man prods himself on the leg, then the arm, then the stomach, each time with an "Ouch". Doctor says 'You've got a broken finger'.

Those two creases are on the outer part of the suspension rings, and their presence will have little effect on neither the sound nor the longevity of those speakers. I'd close it up and carry on playing; after a while you'll have forgotten that they were there. If you've had some cash back, put it in the bank for now, but I doubt you'll be needing it. Just my tuppence-worth.

'Open this locked box with the key that's inside it...' I don't have the ASC, as it wants to reside on the 'C' drive, which is not permitted.

Would that it were so. I downloaded the programme manually (it takes bloomin' ages that way, but... Whatever...) I install the programme to my 'J' drive. When I check, the programme is indeed on the 'J' drive, but all the data (2Gb of it...) has gone to my 'C' drive..! I've written a stern note to the Support folk, asking for a solution for installing everything elsewhere, anywhere but the 'C' drive; without a decent reply from them it will all be removed and I'll trouble them no more. I have a goodly number of programmes of all sorts (zeek, 3D, modelling, and more...), all of which are happy enough to run from the drives I send 'em to. If all had to be on the System drive, there'd be no room left for the System..! Why, in this day and age, they can't do simple stuff such as allow me to browse my own system through their 'Browse' button beats me. I'll see what they reply, and advise, but it's not looking good. I've wasted an evening, and am now riled where I was calm. I shall abstain from using cuss words, but %*@#&%*£$ fits the bill right now. ... ... ... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...!

... that will only install itself on my 'C' drive, which I will not allow. Their loss.

Implies yet another 'Installer' to download; I now have over a dozen of the so-n-so's. This one seems to work, though, without too much fuss. I'm using the option 'Download/Export' so that I can choose, afterwards, which of these 'extras' I wish to install. I'm not sure that I want The Machine stuffing all sorts of files and stuff all over my system if left to itself, installing everything automatically. I'll do it progressively, in my own time. Good call, though; thanks.

OK, then, there's your answer. It will work, electrically. What will it sound like..? That depends on so many other factors (what size of cab, ported or sealed, specification of speakers and more...). You'll have to build it to find out more, as no-one can know until it's done. Create a Build topic in the Forum when you get started, with photos, please..? Good luck with the Project. I wouldn't go down that route, but...