tauzero

There isn't any route for live to the synth via the power adaptor. Conversely, there's no route to earth from the synth via the power adaptor. The livened up earth had to be from the mixer via the jack lead (as it only happened when I touched the metal-cased jack plugs or plugged in the jack lead and touched the case). Inside the synth case there is a bridge rectifier to allow power supplies of either polarity to be used followed by a 5V regulator to supply the Raspberry Pi. I don't think that there's anything I can do to sort this, it's the studio wiring or the mixer.

I don't think our guitarist bought silly numbers of tickets and he'd won twice (a Les Paul and a Fender Meteora). If you look at the number of tickets available and the price of the tickets, you could buy the item for about the price of buying half the tickets.

The jack sockets are metal chassis type, set directly in the metal case. The output is only earthed via whatever the soft synth is connected to - in this case, the mixer. There is no other connection from the soft synth to earth as it uses a guitar effects 9V power supply which doesn't have an earth connection. 9V DC power adaptor (Boss type) --- 2 core lead & barrel jack --- soft synth --- jack-jack cable --- mixer The only way that the synth can be live is if the mixer instrument input ground is live. At home, using the same power adaptor, through the barrel jack which is isolated from the casing, the synth doesn't go live.

Yes. And there was no issue with it plugged in and powered up but the jack-jack not plugged in, plus this is a 9V adaptor supplying 9V to a 5V regulator which would have blown up had it got mains voltage, plus it's completely harmless at home using the same adaptor.

Rehearsed with the covers band last night. I have a soft synth module (a Squishbox) in a metal enclosure that I use with a McMillen 12-Step for one song. Plugged the soft synth in with the 9V adaptor I use for it, then went to connect it to the mixer with a jack-jack cable and got a shock. Can't remember exactly what I did next but with the soft synth connected to the mixer, I touched the case and got a real zap. The studio owner had a look at the wiring but couldn't find anything wrong, and there was no tingle from touching microphones. We carried on without the soft synth as it's only for embellishment. Anyroadup, my playing got sloppier and sloppier. A song that I'd been playing fine earlier in the evening was suddenly a complete cock-up. Then I went to the toilet which is along a fairly cool corridor and it felt freezing, and by the time I'd got back to the room I was shaking badly. Shock. We cut the rehearsal a little short and I managed to drive home, and went to bed soon afterwards. Had a bad night, nauseous and barely sleeping, almost unable to stand up to get out of bed, but feeling somewhat better today. Mrs Zero wanted me to go to A&E but 12 hours in A&E versus 12 hours in my own bed was no competition. The studio owner messaged our drummer to ask after me and to say he'd checked the wiring and it was OK. He suggested I check the power adaptor - that's not the problem, I've checked the connections between the pins and also plugged it in and powered up the soft synth, which would have exploded if it had been fed mains power. I suspect the mixer.

Will she be doing the supplies at the next Scotland bass bash?

I was thinking about bidding on that but decided I'd got enough Seis. Looking at it, the top horn strap button is between frets 10 and 11, on the 6-string headed Sei Flamboyant (34" scale) on my left it's between 12 and 13 so there are slightly different proportions. I think the GH auction for the Alembic said that it was a 35" so there's no excuse for them not mentioning the double bass scale of the Sei. Come to think of it, you could try NS WAV-5 strings for it although they are ludicrously expensive.

ISTM that all Fenders are dodgy, or at least should be viewed with extreme suspicion.

Rehearsal with the originals band last night - third rehearsal for the three of us, and we've got a gig next Friday. Ran over the three songs we'd already got, then worked on the next three and started looking at BVs for both me and the drummer.

Luxury. There's variable numbers at the ones I do - generally me and one other at one, me and a guitarist who owns a bass at another, and up to four plus me at another depending on whether the band of young lads are there (all but the drummer can play guitar and bass). I'm the official house bassist for the last one, generally finish up bookending it with the occasional excursion in the middle.

I had a tentative go for the Alembic, it went for a bit more than I wanted to pay. It's one well-travelled bass - America, New Zealand, UK - see http://alembic.com/club/messages/411/25827.html?1341369299. £2750 including buyer's fee, a bit under market value. The Sei Flamboyant 5 for £1250 inc was a bargain, didn't go for it as I've already got enough Seis.

Coming back to this, their Next range of headless guitars are scratchplate free, so they're able to do it, they just aren't bothering to. I'd like to try one out as a C neck profile is more to my taste than the D profile of the EHB1265MS. Guildford is a long way away though.

How about disconnecting the shield at one end of the jack-jack cable connecting Stomp and JHS? Should be the equivalent of a ground lift.

We play one song down a semitone, Sweet Child O'Mine. I have no problem playing it a semitone down but decided I'd use a pitch shifter (MS-60B) and relearn it in "proper" position for the odd occasion when I might play it with someone else.

You have to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.

Apart from the weight, you mean? 😁

If you find that there is a new model out which is the one you must have, then you haven't got an alternative. If not then there's a huge range of used basses for that much (and almost all of my 5 strings are 34" and they all work, so don't think you have to get a 35" one). Try an assortment out, preferably back to back if you can, and make sure the neck profile works for you and that it hangs well on the strap if you're going to be playing standing up.

I thought that the left/top edge wasn't parallel to the body edge but converged towards the top horn, but putting a straight edge on it I found that the two are parallel - it's just an optical illusion.

Oh yes.

I'm not using mine and want to thin the herd a bit...

One of the most comprehensive descriptions of a bass I've seen on Ebay - in fact probably the most comprehensive.

Would you be interested in Pluto on a string?

Maybe he wants to be the new host of The Apprentice and is demonstrating his potential.