brensabre79

I think its all sorted now. Well done team!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1361274044' post='1983594'] That circuit should work. The volume pots are the right way round for them not to interact. Interesting way of wiring up the tone controls... You've replaced both pickups. Do you have the tech specs for their impedances? Are they very different? I can't help but think that having a different value for each volume pot isn't helping. I think you might be asking too much of a passive circuit. [/quote] Yes maybe the 250k / 500k is messing it up! I've got a Kent Armstrong Toaster humbucker in the neck (with 500k) which comes in at 8.7k, and a Gemini Waverider single coil (with 250k) on the bridge, 10.2k. The balance between both pickups on full volume is good, maybe I'll swap out the 250k for a 500k pot and see if that works, hopefully won't lose too much treble! Yeah the Ric wiring is definitely odd, but better than the Gibson way I think as you don't turn the bass off by accident so easily, it uses more wire and its a more fiddly circuit, but I can see how its supposed to work to keep the two signals separated for stereo operation until the last possible point.

Wow i'm kinda glad I prefer a maple fretboard actually, rosewood seems like a minefield with all the products you can buy to permanently damage your instrument. I think I'm going to nitro my Ric copy just to be sure Does WD40 do any harm? I use it on my oak floors as it really makes it shine without being slippery. Its good at preventing water spots on shower screens too and a thousand other uses.

OK I appreciate that the site can't run for free forever, but asking me for £20 every time I click on a topic is a bit much! I've subscribed (I also donate whenever I sell on here) thinking some warning would have been nice before locking me out! But having done so, I'm being asked again for £20. So I can't open any posts but it appears I can create a new one. If its happening to everyone i assume its a site glitch and nobody can read this anyway!

Thanks folks. Ok, here's the original diagram i used I ignored the Stereo connections as its a mono bass. I also dispensed with *C3 (this is the Vintage wiring mod basically and I don't need it). Thanks Bert, the bass was previously wired Les Paul style though with the same problem, I'd hoped that wiring it this way would help matters but it has not. The LP goes to the volume first and the switch does the blending, with the Ric circuit, the switch keeps the pickup signals separate and the output jack is where the two signals are combined. Mart, it works as you say, if I turn one vol. completely down I still get the sound of the other pickup. The problem is if I turn it 3/4 up, the sound does not change, then, turn it a little further (almost full) and the second pickup comes on, like a switch, so now I have both at full volume. Basically, its pointless having two volume controls the way this works as I can blend. BigRedX, sorry don't have a pic of mine handy, but I have wired it correctly i promise (i triple checked) I've wired and repaired hundreds of Fender style basses, made looms for people and even designed custom circuits! But for the life of me I cannot figure out how to make two volume controls work properly. It sounds like this is a normal issue then? I've never had a two vol / two tones bass, i always thought the Les Paul wiring was daft, but for guitar I suppose its more of a pre-set system, one for Rhythm one for Lead so you just flip the switch to do a solo, then flip it back at the end to continue chugging - I don't think they were really designed to combine/blend the two pickups.

Changing the pickups will totally change your sound. If you're happy with the stock ones I'd keep 'em, Yammy's a pretty good out of the box, in fact the only basses I've had that I've not modified are Yamaha BBs. However, if you're looking for a differnt sound, you're in luck because you have the soapbars, (The P/J BBs are a nightmare to find replacements for), EMG, Bartolini, Seymour Duncan, Lace, and a myriad of manufacturers make soapbar sized pickups - each with their own personality. The question would be what is your BB lacking? Or what would you like to change about the sound?

Gotoh or Schaller are the best IMO. I think Warwick used Schaller until they started making their own. Gotoh are Japanese, so you'll find them on many high end Japanese basses, Schaller are German, hence they were used by Warwick. Both of these makes are rather expensive, and it may well be a false economy to get them for some basses. i once bought a bass off eBay because it had been upgraded with Schaller tuners, and the bass was worth less than the tuners! Wilkinson stuff is pretty cheap and its good for the money, its not the sort of quality you'd expect on a £1,000+ bass, but It'll do the job perfectly well though. I would trust the brand over any no-name ones you can get off eBay.

I would go for a matching 2x10 Ashdown cab, and by matching I mean the same drivers inside etc. i.e. an extension cab designed to go with your combo. Anything else, even if you get the right impedance, is like a game of roulette to be honest.

So I've re-wired my Ric copy with CTS pots as per the original Ric schematics (minus the stereo jack). I've used a 500k log pot for the humbucker (neck) volume and 250k for the single coil (bridge). I was hoping this would cure the blending issue but if anything it's exactly the same as before with the stock Alpha 250k pots. It has a Kent Armstrong Toaster pickup in the neck and a Gemini Waverider in the bridge. Both sound awesome on their own, but when together I want to be able to blend. The issue is, when the switch is in the mid position (both pickups on), if I back the neck volume down slightly it behaves like a switch! about 1/8 turn down and suddenly the neck pickup is out of it completely. So its either on or off. Similar story with the Bridge pickup, back it off 1/8 turn and its gone. How do I get these to blend smoothly? like a Jazz bass?

Yep, I have to tweak mine every time I change brand even with the same gauge. You'll probably have to give a very minor tweak to the truss rod and intonation going up to 110 (I use 110, 85, 65, 50).

Thanks everyone, have used lemon oil to clean and then tung oil to rehydrate/seal came up a treat! I think if I'd just gone straight in with the tung oil it would just seal the gunk in there, I needed to get the green cack out of the grain before sealing it

I always thought Rics had an abundance of low frequencies, especially from the neck pickup. Although if its a 4001, has it got the toaster pickup in the neck position or the hi-gain? The toaster is actually a guitar pickup. Also, are you sure it's not your amp, maybe it has a high shelf because the speakers are small?

Shine? I've never played one myself, but I've seen a few very good players with them locally.

They look pretty much the same as the original Stu. Good find. No guarantee those Aria ones will not be microphonic though, best to get new ones!

110 is pretty heavy, heavier strings have a higher tension, and the more you tune up the higher the tension too so you're adding a lot of tension. You will probably have to adjust the truss-rod to compensate. But I would check with the manufacturer. It should be OK, but you might void your warranty if you go outside their recommendations so check first.

Here's the full bass, don't have a close up of my bridge handy but I'll try and get one. (sorry pic is a bit poor, iphone camera) Here's a close up off the net, same thing going on here with the angle of the string between the saddle and the anchor, yours looks to be more of a straight line wheras mine and this one are diagonal... (see how the string is centered over the mute knob - yours is off to one side on the E) Also the angle of the saddle might help, you could try lowering the inner one and increasing height of the outer one - its not much but it might make a tiny difference)

Hey folks, if you're near Brighton & Hove and fancy coming along I'll be playing with the Matt Carpanini Band tonight. On stage at 8.30pm (doors 8pm). Live at the Brunswick!

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1360795591' post='1976807'] There I'd a ton of click in Chef's kick drum sound on Blood Sugar [/quote] +1 I think, lots of click on Chads KD. And the snare is bloody loud too! Personally I don't like a clicky bass drums, but in some types of music it works well to accentuate the rhythm. Combining very low and very high frequencies like that also makes things sound BIG. Just like in orchestral arrangement when you have low notes and high notes with not much in between there is more vastness to the arrangement.

It really depends on the couple. I play in a band with a couple, have done for years. You can tell when they have had an argument at home before a gig or practice, but they don't bring it in with them, ever. Having said that, I don't like my partner commenting on gigs she comes to at all, she's a musician, but not a gigging one and she plays classical. I prefer to go do my band thing alone to be honest, and she respects that. Fleetwood Mac syndrome (as I call it) is always worth considering, I've been in bands in the past where there have been issues. But usually with the girl sleeping with more than one bandmember, sparking egos and tempers to flare up and ultimately splitting both the band and relationships in the process. If, as couples you're solid, then you will probably be OK as long as you both know that when you enter the practice room/gig venue, you are not a married couple any more, you are part of a family (the band) and you should leave your marriage out of it (and the band out of your marriage too).

Sounds like a plan. get some needle files and do a bit at a time. I'd get the bridge issue sorted first though. I forgot about the bolts, its gonna be a mission to move those a couple of mm. The neck on yours is much more figured than mine, looks lovely.

Well it occured to me the string position issue you have could be because the nut has slipped towards the low string. But if it hasn't, if its where it should be I would leave it well alone. Fitting a new nut properly is quite a skilful job so if there's nothing wrong with your nut I'd leave it alone!

Yep, whichever Armstrong you choose you'll get a decent pickup I think Aaron is UK based too.

Not sure a new nut will help much unless its really far over. Any pics?

Shuttle 6.0 here, never had any trouble with my DI, engineers love me as I even bring my own XLR lead. Just plug in and play. And I crank the preamp on my shuttle! It has a ground lift button i think, sometimes helps. Also worth checking if the engineer has left the 48v phantom power on. Otherwise, you may have a fault with the amp, is it new?