icastle

As far as I can remember, there are no clever electronics in there so it's definately going to be a bad contact somewhere. Take a look at the pickup selector switch - if it's one of the open skeleton ones then are the contacts clean and are they actually making physical contact correctly when they are actuated? Undo the scratchplate and turn it over, plug it into your amp (keep the volume down to a sensible level) and try having a poke around with a plastic biro - you'll probably hear a noise if you manage to hit the faulty part of the circuit and either break or make it.

[quote name='jackduran' timestamp='1325454932' post='1483376'] I was going to start a new thread for this, but found this one so I'll just add to it. Recently noticed a buzzing when playing through my set-up, which used to be an issue all the time when I powered my pedalboard off a brick-type power supply but went when I switched over to a Rocktron one-spot. Yesterday and today, when I've been playing through my newly patched pedalboard (just got a set of those solderless Planet Waves patch cables) there is a horrible buzz that clicks when I touch the strings on my Stingray, or even when I make contact with any of the pedals themselves. I've checked the patch cables and they are all properly put-together etc. I'll have another play around later on to see if I can remedy it, but for now, any suggestions? [/quote] Sounds like a cable fault to me. Take it back to basics and use a process of elimination - try your bass running directly to the amp. If your buzz disappears then add pedals to the chain one at a time until it reappears - that last added patch cable or pedal is then the prime suspect.

Two things to bear in mind when trying to compare costs in this manner. First off he may also need to pay out for a transformer (unless the amp has a 240V setting) and secondly there probably won't be any warranty as it will be seen as a grey import.

I used to sell these back in the 80's in a shop I worked in. Like the Arias of that period, these were made in the Matsumoku factory and we sold absolutely loads of these straight from the box, no setup needed and never found a defective one. Real groundbreaking basses for £129 and obviously well made to still be around and lusted after 30 years later...

Same as just about everyone else - everything gets shoved into the passive socket here.

[quote name='RalphDWilson' timestamp='1325417810' post='1482863'] I don't think you or the seller will get anywhere with Parcelfarce, I seem to remember a disclaimer in their T&Cs that say they won't accept liability for damage to guitars if not packed properly. [/quote] Why should they accept liability for things that aren't packaged properly? They're there to deliver parcels, not to check that the sender hasn't been a pillock.

It's not just the weight of the bass, it's the way it balances as well. As for fitness, I have to stay in good condition if I want to be part of a Search & Rescue team, running, cycling and climbing figure heavily in my regime and, if for some reason I can't do any of those activities on a particular day, I have a multigym.

If the truss rod really has run out of relief then you're going to be screwed later down the line should you decide to use a lighter gauge of string or if the bass needs a maintainance 'tweak'. The warranty will cover defective parts, it's unlikely they'll cover free setups for 4 years so I'd be inclined to speak to the shop you bought it from ASAP and get them to resolve the issue.

Stuff a bass into a gig bag and expect it to survive being couriered and we all know that this is what inevitably happens - certainly not Parcel Force's fault IMHO. You've managed to get £15 back and (presumably) your bass is now back in working order - I'd ask myself if all the effort and stress over £14 was actually worth it.

Work situation dependant, but the main musical project for 2012 is going to be converting the brick built barn into a studio - at about 15' x 30' that's going to be a major piece of work. I've budgeted on the high side for that, so one of those dinky little Ibanez Promethean amps to save lugging 2x10 and amp head to acoustic gigs has sneaked onto the list. If I can remove some of the labour costs by learning how to plumb, roof and plaster then my SR505 is getting a little old and battered now so maybe an SR5005 (if I can find one to try out first!).

[quote name='patch006' timestamp='1325277440' post='1481758'] Aren't we supposed to live in a socially, culturally, lefthandedly, righthandedly inclusive world!!!! [/quote] Well that's me told.

Doesn't that make it the same as the Midlands Bass Bash?

[quote name='EmmettC' timestamp='1325272854' post='1481667'] You shouldn't even deal with DHL, you ordered off Thomann, and it's their responsibility to get it to you. They choose the courier company, and it's up to them to deal with the problems DHL cause. If the problem was reversed, if you were returning something to Thomann, do you think they'd chase up royal mail for the package, they wouldn't refund you untill it was back with them. [/quote] That's a reasonable response if the entire transaction took place in the UK. However with Thomann being in Germany the quickest resolution is always going to be to report the loss to Thomann (keeping them 'in the loop' so they can start investigating from their end) and approach DHL in the UK. DHL get squeezed in both directions and have nowhere to hide that way...

[quote name='TheRev' timestamp='1325265822' post='1481549'] Has anyone else had problems with couriers claiming to have delivered stuff when they clearly haven't? Did the issue get resolved? [/quote] Yes quite a few times over the years. It's easily sorted out - I just demand to see a signature on the delivery note and, when they can't supply it, they climb down pretty quickly. Sometimes the parcels are 'found' in a depot and sometimes the sender re-despatches a replacement order and beat up the delivery agent privately at their own leisure.

First thing to do is to find out whether it's the guitar or the USB/PC configuration. If you don't have an amp to try the guitar out then you need to eliminate the USB\PC part. Do you have a way of feeding an alternative signal into the USB adaptor (an MP3 player or something like that)? Alternatively, if you unplug the guitar and tap your finger on the tip part of the 1/4" jack plug you should hear a noise coming out of your PC speakers.

[quote name='la bam' timestamp='1325202404' post='1481024'] Just one last thing! The EP2500 is second hand, and has 10 dipswitches on the back. As i dont know in what configuration he used the amp for - what configuration is best for me in the set up mentioned above (ie to power the subs) [url="http://www.retrevo.com/pdf/23214dj390/9/Rear+panel#q=Behringer+EP2500"]http://www.retrevo.c...ehringer+EP2500[/url] Thanks [/quote] This should do it: 1= LEFT 2= RIGHT 3= LEFT 4= RIGHT 5= RIGHT 6= LEFT 7= LEFT 8= LEFT 9= RIGHT 10= LEFT I started doing this using 'ON' and 'OFF' but they've fitted some of the DIP switches back to front so that 'OFF' is sometimes 'ON'...

[quote name='la bam' timestamp='1325202099' post='1481019'] I think its the best route, but just a bit disappointing to find out that what these manufacturers claim (ie will handle 2ohm loads etc) isnt exactly 100% true. [/quote] Manufacturer claims about loads are, misprints aside, totally spot on. Where the confusion starts to creep in is where wattage is concerned as there are different ways of working it out. 100W from manufacturer A may actually be louder than 200W from manufacturer B for example. Unfortunately, the maker of your chosen 'main' power amp is a frequently cited example of what I shall politely call 'optimistic specifications'.

You can't use the Samson as a backup amp if you want to run all those cabs - it'll only work down to 4Ω and you'll be trying to stick a 2Ω load across it if your speakers are all 4Ω. My inclination would be to get hold of another Samson plus an active crossover and ditch the Behringer.

[quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1325194540' post='1480901'] No you can't. That's not good advice. You would be running an amplifier "expecting" 16ohms into half that resistance. A partial short-circuit to rather over-state it. [/quote] +1 I certainly wouldn't want to risk it. With valve amps an ohm or two here or there isn't too bad but as soon as you start halving or doubling the load it expects to see then you're going to get a repair bill somewhere down the line. Jack - to go back to your original requirement, the point that's being missed in this thread is that, even if you added a different cab to your combo, it's limitation is that it's only ever going to be a 25W into 16Ω amp. I very much doubt you'll ever be able to successfully gig with it unless you mic it up and stick it through the PA (at which point you'll probably lose half of the tone you liked so much in the first place of course).

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1325192668' post='1480868'] For a start you lose half the power of the amp into the resistor. Then that power turns to heat and the resistor explodes. [/quote] The first part is true, but the second part isn't if you use a big enough resistor.

[quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1325192710' post='1480869'] Because half of the power will go to warming up the resistor which means that the cab is only getting 12W max (i.e. not much) EDIT: >>snap<< the resistor will work because you get one rated at 25W. It's just a bit pointless though. [/quote] Well I never claimed it was a perfect solution.

Why not just wire an 8Ω 25W resistor in series with your new output socket to fool the amp into seeing 16Ω? A 1Ω difference is nothing in the big scheme of things. Use one of the switchable sockets so you disconnect the internal speaker as you push the plug in just to be on the safe side.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1325181245' post='1480706'] He didn't have a choice under the Distance Selling Regulations. [/quote] Nope, but they paid for a courier to come and collect it at their expense and my convenience - that's way above the call of duty in my book.

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1325151857' post='1480196'] It turns out they thought it was genuine and paid more than they should and didn't want to lose out. [/quote] That may be a suitably defensive statement for a retailer to make to someone querying the authenticity of an item on sale, but I don't think Trading Standards would accept it.

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1325179043' post='1480665'] How many people on here regret buying basses/amps without trying. [/quote] I only ever did it once with a 'major' purchase. A Line 6 amp head, I hated it within minutes of switching it on. Fortunately, the online retailer agreed to take it straight back and collected it the following day.