Matt P

how have people been contacting Hercules? I have just found that one of my stands has broken at the handle pivot, i have had it a fair while and it did have the sticky finish problem but i just cleaned it with IPA and it has been fine since. I don't really have anything to lose in trying for a replacement, shy bairns get nowt. Matt

I am now super careful about buying knobs after I scored these cheap on ebay, they might go to 11 but they're still wrong!

I would always go windows, the price difference would easily buy some nice extras like mics or other recording goodies, I'm actually running Linux on my desktop pc running reaper which saved me a fair amount as I didn't have a copy of Windows so would have had to buy it. Matt

This is very cool, I love smaller basses and the string spacing on this is exactly what I want. @Mikey D I have also been looking for a 30" 5 string, there is now a budget option as ibanez ha e released a talman short scale 5, it's only available in one colour but I have had one in my basket for weeks, just haven't managed to click buy yet. https://www.gak.co.uk/en/ibanez-tmb35-bass-mint-green/932730?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAjw8J32BRBCEiwApQEKgb69TsW0gv9Utq6A4pZMc_RwW4AJ898DI58U1uVnMnyVOJ7nYO5l8BoCe2UQAvD_BwE Matt

I just finished the rebuild of this for our guitarist, it started life as an encore which was signed by everyone in the pub on his birthday, just had a coat of lacquer on the body and a new scratchplate and pickup, volume only as requested.

I bought Nigel's focusrite scarlett, it couldn't have been a better experience, all sorted and delivered in 2 days and the packaging was excellent, Definitely someone you can trust to deal with. Matt

If it really is a silly price (and you can afford it) then why not give 5 strings a go? I am assuming it is secondhand so if you don't get on with it then you shouldn't lose anything when selling it on (or you might find someone that wants to swap a 4 string version for a 5) What bass is it? Some models seem to be more popular in 5 string than 4 (I have seen far more ibanez sr505 than the sr500 but that might just be me) Matt

I had a very similar (although right handed and a 5er) rockbass a while ago, it had the one piece bridge and a regular (non adjustable) nut, I was under the impression that the earlier rockbasses had regular nuts and also lacked the easy access truss rod hatch, I think these features were added on the later ones ro bring them closer to the spec of the German ones. I may be wrong though! Matt

i had forgotten about the numpties! i've encountered them on occasion, i have obviously been on lockdown too long.

excellent work! i don't know why more companies don't use these sockets. Matt

There are 2 different ways to attach to an angle grinder, one is the plain 22mm bore and the other is a 16mm thread that goes in place of the locking nut, usually used for wire brush attachments, https://www.toolstation.com/abracs-twist-knot-wheel-brush/p67421?store=RP&utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2PP1BRCiARIsAEqv-pSHXBJ2ZAGmxp7BhVOD6lM8RXk39L_tjJkDi9lCuovJrL8GedqYLEsaAmBCEALw_wcB I'd imagine that the ones you are looking at are the screw on type as I have never seen an angle grinder with a 16mm plain bore. Matt

I had this dilemma when I rewired a les paul guitar, I don't like 2 volumes so went for one vol and one tone, I put a coil tap switch on one hole and a bullet in the other, a Winchester 38 special fitted nicely with a bit of tape on the inside of the cavity to hold it snugly

I played one of these a little while ago in a shop in Newcastle, they are really very nice, I wss very tempted but was in a 5 string phase so passed (I wish I hadn't!)

you might find that the +2 and -2 connections are already connected across to the +1 and -1 connections, it is hard to tell without seeing the underside of the board, they might not be connected to anything at all (just there to help stabilise the connection or because the same board is used in a few different amps Matt

which version of the speakon do you have as there are 2 different ones, i believe that the -H variant should be the right one, unfortunately many of the pictures online show the -V version which sounds like the one you have as a spare -V version and the -H Version Matt Edit - i've just had another look at the Neutrik website and they seem to be using the same photo for both versions of the socket so the legs aren't shown unless you open the Pdf drawings! and every retail website has simply copied the image from the Neutrik website to further confuse the issue.

i've got a similar setup, using a pair of JPW Minims and a class T amp, not the flattest sounding speakers but i am very familiar with them now and most of the time it's just me listening to music rather than mixing, i have a graphic eq that i switch in for listening purposes and a second set of really nasty speakers ( from a £10 5.1 surround set) that i use for double checking the mix similar to the little auratone speakers used in big studios. Matt

The dimensions of the connectors are identical in every respect except for the extra 2 poles on the 4 pole socket so it should fit exactly into the existing space, I would expect that the tolerances will be very good so the fit will be identical. The chassis mount designation is just because it screws onto the chassis as well as mounting to the pcb, if you look at the technical drawing then you will see that it is almost identical to the one you have fitted already, Matt

Neutrik only make 2 versions of the combo socket, both have a 2 pole designation but unlike other 2 pole sockets they are compatible with both 2 and 4 pole plugs (as per the 4 pole sockets) i would expect that the 4 pole socket is used here as it is the most versatile of the SpeakON compatible ones and probably the most common one in use. the connections will be +1, -1, +2, -2 and i would expect that the +2 and -2 connections are either connected directly to the respective 1 connections or just soldered to isolated pads on the PCB, if that it the case then the 2 pole SpeakON socket will be a direct replacement. is there a model number on the socket currently fitted? the solder tab dimensions could be compared to the available combo socket to see if it lines up (the overall housing dimensions will be the same as they are a common size) as a guess it is a NL4MD-H-1 so the +1 and -1 connections are in the same position so it will connect straight in. https://www.neutrik.com/en/product/nlj2md-h did you get a photo of the underside of the PCB? this would tell you what the connections are to the pins. Apologies if you already know most of this, i included it for others who might stumble across this post in the future trying to do something similar. Matt

i probably should have phrased it better, i know they are copies and not legit (they don't look right at even first glance), but that doesn't mean that they are total garbage for a tenner (but they probably are) i'm still tempted to buy one to see how bad (or not) they are, i need a basic preamp for an experiment and these would make an ok preamp donor for a test before i shell out for something quality. if they turn out to be vaguely usable then it would do for a stopgap system whilst a better quality item was sourced. Matt

the cheap fishman ones certainly don't look Legit although there is a cheap OEM fishman that looks identical (the sonitone) and it is available through more reliable channels https://www.dv247.com/en_GB/GBP/Fishman-Sonitone-Undersaddle-Pickup/art-GIT0033735-000?campaign=GShopping/UK&ProgramUUID=HADAqJarPzAAAAFlea9yjI.G&gclid=Cj0KCQjwka_1BRCPARIsAMlUmEpNkbLoHTiCVVRMBdQ7JFCIP8Pk9YKTV3wYa7m3oh34vbRfRsZt2coaAhfOEALw_wcB the Sonitone may be the cheapest of the Fishman offerings but it is fitted as standard to some big name instruments, even Gibson and Martin use this Pickup/preamp in their entry level acoustics. https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/gibson-g-45-studio-antique-natural-electro-acoustic-guitar?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwka_1BRCPARIsAMlUmEoaTZSo625zyOEzM4VW1UM5H-FxgPntJnX0Ra5ehsdtjR-LlPQu-JMaAm7FEALw_wcB#product-details i have been debating buying one of the stupidly cheap ebay ones though as an experiment, it might not be proper Fishman quality but it might not be total junk and for under 12 quid i don't have a lot to lose. Matt

@prowla have you managed to get any further on this? i have been debating doing something similar myself if i can find a suitable donor instrument. i was thinking of 4ths/guitar tuning and maybe 5 pairs of strings if the neck is wide enough, what are your plans for the bridge/tailpiece? i was thinking maybe a simple wooden floating type bridge (possibly pinned down) and a wooden tailpiece with pins for the string ends (loop end strings?) and a decorative cover to neaten it up. this might happen if i win the guitar i'm watching on ebay right now. Matt Edit - just had a better look at the picture, can see that you are using a bass bridge, and that it's pretty much ready to go, how is it sounding?

i would suggest that one of the endpin or soundhole preamps would be the easiest and least destructive to fit, my main acoustic has the AER AK-15 which is a soundhole preamp with an undersaddle piezo and a mic, it's not cheap though. Artec make some soundhole preamp options, http://www.artecsound.com/acou/shp.htm there are some Fishman ones on ebay but i don't know if they are Legit Fishman or copies as they are so cheap . Like this one https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Fishman-Acoustic-Guitar-Pickup-System-Fishman-VT1-Tail-Nail-Pickup-EQ-DIY-UK/264420760972?hash=item3d90b49d8c:g:2EkAAOSw3O5dSASd I have aversions to cutting holes in acoustic guitars to fit preamps (although my dreadnought is a factory electro with a side mounted preamp and battery) my blues guitar has one of the Basic Fishman soundhole magnetic pickups wired straight out to an endpin jack, this is for blues playing though so i wanted that particular sound Matt