icastle

[quote name='Doctor J' timestamp='1336588171' post='1648096']
Not sure they're the same, the Texascustoms ones look quite decent, that one above has a different logo, different headstock too. No Texas state icon after the logo either.
[/quote]

Have to admit I didn't look at it too closely, but yes, the custom ones have a little map after the Texas logo.
Maybe they're doing a Fender\Squier thing?

[quote name='merlin' timestamp='1336580310' post='1647908']
I just sold some bits and now have a little cash in my wallet,now I have seen these amps and there is a burning in my pocket,should I do this?
or the other option is to give the cash to Mrs Merlin???
[/quote]

Unless the amount of money can buy you a ticket to South America and a new identity you're probably best off just handing it over...

When I read the thread title my first reaction was 'shout YEEHAH before playing a random pile of notes'...

It's actually a US based custom build shop, although I've never seen any of their gear over here.

[url="http://www.texascustoms.us/id20.html"]http://www.texascustoms.us/id20.html[/url]

You usually go in through the front - just unbolt the speaker.
I'd guess that the attenuator itself is still inside the cab somewhere because it'd be too big to find a way out of the cab.
The retaining nut has probably fallen off the outside and allowed the attenuator to fall inwards.

[quote name='StraightSix' timestamp='1336425651' post='1645547']
An easy way to check if the material is likely to be suitable is to hold it tightly over your mouth and try to breath through it - if you can in comfort, it should cause no problems with your sound.

This is obviously not highly technical but gives a reasonable idea.
[/quote]

There are a number of variables of course.
You need to consider the insulation qualities, the acoustic dampening, the frequency changes and reflection.

Best bet is to wear a single wellington boot, pull the material over your head and whistle loudly after removing all your clothes to ensure no reflected frequencies are being absorbed.

Honest

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1336426593' post='1645563']
Replacing the ribbon would require me to take the amp completely to bits, remove a load of silicone sealant, break and remake a perfectly good joint at the main board end. I'd rather not do this unless I have no alternative.
[/quote]

Of course you could always adopt 'Plan B'.
Just ignore the ribbon cable and solder another single cable in place...

[quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1336417651' post='1645395']
A real man can strip *any* wire with a pair of decent side cutters
[/quote]

Yep.
But it soon becomes a real ball ache if you have 50 or 60 pairs to do...

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1336408882' post='1645202']
I've got four of those damned things sitting in draws and none of them have ever worked, no matter what I do with them.
[/quote]

Ah.
You have to have the magic touch...
The cheap and cheerful varieties don't work very well - mine came from RS and work every time.

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1336408882' post='1645202']
I've got some of these:


[/quote]
I can't work out if you're a dentist or a proctologist...

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1336408882' post='1645202']
Also got a bunch of crimping tools that also claim to strip wire but never can.
[/quote]

Crimp tools are definately rubbish at stripping cable, mind you, a lot of them are pretty rubbish as crimp tools as well...

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1336399815' post='1644989']
Thanks for the help, guys.

Not sure whether it will shrink with a bit of heating. I will have a ratch about in the spares box to see if I can find anything similar and practice on it.

Can't quite make out the detail on that stripper, though it's a nice red colour! I was thinking though that it might be sensible to separate the individual cables for half an inch or so, then strip each one individually, is that what you recommend?
[/quote]

It depends on the cable really.
If it's solid stranded then I do it in one hit, if it's multiple stranded then they'll need dressing before soldering.

The pots probably crackle because of the fibres floating about from the cloth covered cable.
A squirt of switch cleaner should wash that away for now.

Cloth covered wire is best cut with a hot knife (it 'welds' the fibres and stops them from fraying).

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1336397933' post='1644952']
Have you got a big baggy jumper Dave? If so wrap it tightly around said small cab and it may give a close approximation of what'll happen.
[/quote]

It'll look like Susan Boyle?

You need a stripper like this for ribbon cable:


You'll need to strip the ribbon back in 1/2" sections along its length but this sort of stripper is easily available and you don't have to pay £100+ for a proper single pass ribbon stripper.

You might want to have a practice on an old PC ribbon cable just to make sure you've got the tension set right if you go for a manual version (the manual ones have a knurled tension screw on the back of the head - but then, don't we all... )

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1336328186' post='1644114']
Since it's 54 years old the wear is probably genuine.
[/quote]

I hadn't realised it was that old, I thought it was just another fake.

I'm just gonna brick myself up in this little alcove here...

£8k for something that looks like it's just been pulled from a builders skip?

I'll never get my head around this 'thing' some people have with fake roadworn instruments...

Well if you're already running two cabs off of this amp then you're probably already running it at the maximum level.
What amp is it?

Really depends on how disciplined you are with the volume control.

[quote name='deanovw' timestamp='1336296075' post='1643540']
These elixir nano web strings seem very interesting though. I may try them out.

However, I fear change .......
[/quote]

Don't worry.
Out of £30 there won't be much...

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1336216167' post='1642583']
once my strings get a bit old i wipe them down with isopropyl alcohol - seems to have the same effect
[/quote]

That's much better than meths.
The purple meths has a chalky residue, admittedly not much, but the general principle is to leave the windings as clear of debris as possible.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1336207544' post='1642411']
Boil them or soak in meths - there are several threads about it if you search.
[/quote]

I wouldn't recommend trying to boil them in meths without some careful thought first...

[quote name='Doctor J' timestamp='1336215356' post='1642568']
I'm an Elixir devotee, I'm baffled by how you only get a month out of them.
[/quote]

+1
I get at least 6 months out of my Elixirs and they get used for a couple of hours every day (and no, I don't use a plectrum ).

From a purely CNC perspective, it makes absolutely no difference whether a piece of wood is shaped in the US, Mexico or Barnsley - that's the whole point of CNC, it's a repeatable process.

I think that's been highlighted on here before.
I hope Fender didn't make more than a handfull of these because they aren't going to sell double figures.

Make sure your hands are clean before playing (dirt on your fingers will scrape off and sit between the windings).
Make sure you wipe the strings down before you put the bass back in its case.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1335957104' post='1638507']
I would have offered to dep for them on a no strings attached view.
[/quote]

Wouldn't that be a bit quiet..?

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1336146436' post='1641689']
Thats the entire contents of my toolkit
[/quote]

That's the entire contents of my fridge...