BassTractor

Thanks, Flyfisher! The shop who sold me the bass had possibly assumed the Music Man cases are sturdier and tighter than they really are, and had omitted to pack the bass inside the case. Also, they had omitted to fill the void between the case and the way too wide outer currugated board box. So the bass moved freely about and got the case lid to flex, and the volume pot knob was knocked off by the case innards. As said, the pot shaft is brass and just a few mm in diameter where it enters the pot body. Dunno whether the normally visible thick part of the shaft is in one piece with the thin part of it, but it makes no difference for the repair methods that were contemplated. BTW, I could've sent it back, but chose to be friendly with the seller, and do the repair myself. Thanks for the words on soldering technique. I've soldered electronics a lot before, as a hobby, but haven't done it that much the last few decades - only when necessary. Still got good gear for it, so the bottleneck is me.

[quote name='thefyst' timestamp='1410886032' post='2554341'] yeah id just replace the pot also... allthough cant find any decent images of the pots but they look like they have extended lugs that go straight into a board...might be tricky to replicate with a standard pot. [/quote] Thanks, Thefyst. I saw your post after writing mine (laptop battery trouble). Yup, the pots are a mini type with rectangular body, and three pins coming out from their sides. Trying to use a standard pot here, while probably doable, would require one side of one or two mini circuit boards to be moved out of its way, and there is not that much space, so I think it's is better avoided. I do have the correct pot for it, so no sweat. Dad: I think they're brass shafts, but thanks!

Thanks guys! I went out and bought the tools necessary to get this dismantled (I think it's Imperial stuff), and you know what: replacing the pot seems like a doddle. Several methods are available, and I just need to count the amount of wires I'll have to desolder and solder for each method. For those interested: two and two pots are mounted sideways - directly on tiny circuit boards (with the three pins through the board) that are anchored only on those two pots, meaning I can center the pots in the pot holes and the circuit boards will follow, so there are no special requirements for placement of the pots on the boards other than that I must keep their shafts parallel to each other. I might remove just one of those boards or both or even the whole pre-amp constellation, depending on what I think is easiest. The guy warning me seems to have had little reason to. Like KiOgon says, I could spend hours building small rigs and stuff. Seems quite unnecessary now. Thanks again!

[quote name='Lewbass' timestamp='1410865717' post='2553970'] The looking cool and impressing the ladies part I've got down to a tee, naturally. Its the playing part that I have trouble with. [/quote] I'm sorry to read this. You must be very jealous of me then. The playing part I've got down to a tee, naturally. It's the having contact with a person of the opposite... er... gender! that I have trouble with.

Quit the talking around the bush! You have 900 quid burning. We need to know what you're going to buy. WITH PICS!

Hey Lee, and welcome! There's tons of advice on here in addition to a rich marketplace. Should be no problem getting a good second hand one for that price. Oft mentioned ones are Yamaha, Ibanez, Vintage, Squier VM series, Squier CV series as well as J&D, but there are enough others. Enjoy the forum! best, bert

Bonjour, David, et bienvenue! Je ne connais pas Lyon, mais j'aime la demoiselle d'Avignon. Elle est si belle et charmante! ;-) (You may be too young for that one. Twas a French tv series fourty years ago, and the whole male population of Europe was in love with Marthe Keller, who had one of the main roles.) I hope you will have a good time here! best, bert (that would be bertrand to you)

Anyone know what the quickest fix would be? I see: 1) metal glue to glue the 2mm or so thin part of the pot shaft back on the pot. I'd use vaseline on those parts that must not get glue on them. Requires a rig for placing the shaft semi-perfectly over the pot. 2) stainles steel "rod" glued into both parts. This would require drilling a 1mm or 1.5mm hole in the pot part of the shaft as well as in the thick part of the shaft, and glueing in a fitting stainless steel bit into them. I can easily mount the thick part of the shaft in a vertical bench drill with clamping system, but may have trouble mounting the body perfectly horizontal. 3) soldering in the new pot (or whatever method is required). This seems like the easy solution, but someone warned me against it, as reportedly these preamps are not that easily serviceable as one might assume. Before I put the bass on the operating table and remove its innards, can someone give a heads up on the preferred method?

Hey Lucien, and welcome! I like the tug bar bottle opener idea. Enjoy BC! Bert

Sorry for the confusion. I was trying to save you from a long thread of helpful advice in the style of "the correct placement of a generic bridge cover on a Japanese Precision copy body, slightly depending on the build year - as there are some complications for the latter part of 1992 and the years 1993 through 1995, is... over the bridge"... ...or "over the headstock of course, you dumbass!". So, are you asking for advice about the work method to get it precisely where you want it, or about the positioning choices themselves? If the former, then just cut three bits of wood to have around the bridge so there's no leeway for the cover, before placing the cover and marking the exact right spots for the screw holes. Me, I use Velcro instead though, which is a more flexible solution, with quicker strings change. Also adds height to the cover, which can be nice, and is slightly better for resale value when one can offer a bass without the holes.

You are aware that you're asking for it, are you?

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1410634555' post='2551528'] but "play" button saves your work ? [/quote] Hahaha! Like this Siemens ISDN phone that had dedicated buttons near the display for: - Latest Missed Calls (very nice indeed) - Latest Outgoing Calls (the whom-have-I-already-called-so-I-don't-really-need-a-dedicated-button-really-THAT-much-even-though-it's-a-great-feature button) but where the function for Latest Incoming Calls (who have called me and asked me to call them back when I had thought this through and know the answer to their questions) is conveniently placed..... ...wait for it..... ...in the Phone Installation menu! Man, this cries for a dedicated Off Topic thread. It's so hilariously stupid!

C'mon guys! OF COURSE there's a name or a logo on the headst... Oh.

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1410562707' post='2550953'] No [/quote] That Korg KR thingie will do exactly what you'd expect, and at reasonable sound quality. Haven't used that exact one, but a similar one, and it worked well. In my own case I did however notice getting bored with it, so I'm not convinced anymore that after some time, it is so much better than a metronome. What I'd like to see though was one like just that, but with three foot switches: the chosen pattern is repeated until you press the switch for one of the other two that you've stored "under" them. Never seen one, but equipped like that, it should come in well under 100 quid.

. Welcome, Mission man! ...to BC and back to the low end again. [quote name='lowdowner' timestamp='1410545253' post='2550675'] except me - i'm 'orrible [/quote] True. Lowdowner is 'orrible, just like Xilddx and JTUK (and me, but you understood that). The rest is kinda "charcoal"...

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1410534998' post='2550532'] Well obviously, the one that sounds best would be the roasted maple one [/quote] Fixed, and with you there!

I'd think the MarkBass with VT pedal is the safe choice given that it's a very flexible solution without too many knobs (ymmv). The Terror Bass is a lovely amp (just sold mine but not because it's not great), but because of the heavily scooped sound, one is more limited (IMS, a relatively flat respons is reached by turning the Mids all the way up, and the other ones all the way down). I'd not advise anyone to buy one untried. If you like it, chances are you'll love it, but if you need to buy untried, then get the MarkBass with the pedal. The model is not that big an issue, but some prefer their LM II over the LM III (don't remember why), the F1 is very clear and true to the original signal, and by large the "valve" version of the little ones seems not worth the extra price of admission as it's reported to have a limited effect on the sound. Personally I haven't heard it, but from reading on the web, I'd get an F1 with a VT pedal.

[quote name='donslow' timestamp='1410444050' post='2549507'] Sorry if I seem to be so dismissive [/quote] Not at all, mate, and I'm totally with you. Similarly, I have this thing against Hartke, where I'd be hard pressed to buy it after one negative experience. I know it's nonsense, but the feelings are there, and I choose to follow them. Now if we can only get you to hate Ashdown soo much that you throw away those cabs, and then invest in a nice CTM 100 instead, with some big ass CL cabs!

You's messin' wid me head, Ben. Less than 24 hours ago, I wrote "Welcome, Ben!" to wenbainhouse, and now this. It's too complicated for me. Other than that: welcome, Ben! Sounds like you made the right choice several times. I hope you enjoy BC. best, [s]ben[/s] bert

Suddenly got an idea: The MAG 300 head has a good EQ (if you're willing to dial a little), and so has a used ABM head which I guess would be within budget. Try and test one of those with these cabs, and see what you get. I'm not initially believing that it is exactly what you want, but the result might just be less wrong than feared. If some people on BC are to be believed, there is little of this "perfectly matched" in our bass guitar world. Reportedly it's a world where production costs are what is looked at first and foremost. (For reference: I used to shove my 4 - 8,000 quid synths through 4,000 quid amps and 20,000 quid speakers. It's a different world.)

I'd expect that the tone you want can be found, but your situation is a budget and two cabs you are keeping, which may be somewhat limiting. But I don't think BC gives up yet, if you don't. The sound you describe (as I think I understand it) is what I feel I get from the Little Bastard and two LB cabs, and the Little Bastard indeed has a valve power amp. Mind you: the LB cabs are not lazy. Send a Hi-Fi signal from a good amp (I tried the Genz Benz GBE 750) through them, and hear them perform. Have you heard the BH500 with other cabs? It's quite possible the combination that killed the joy. I got a nice bluesy, rocky sound from it with either TC's own BC cabs (they are not so good, but this seemed to work well enough for that sound) or TC's more expensive but awkward RS cabs (which had a weird litte edge to them that probably needs taming). When you want warm and thumpy but also clear at the same time, I feel the cabs need to be quick. The MAG cabs IMHO are lazy, and I feel no remorse whatsoever over having sold mine. But as long as you're keeping them, my guess is you're better off with a flexible amp with great EQ and good damping factor than with a head that has that tone built in, as my guess is the cabs are gonna ruin that tone - whether it comes from a Streamliner or a MarkBass. Unless; if by "clear" you do not mean "enough high mid and treble output" but instead "max control of the power amp over the movement of the cones without any old skool after-movement (sorry, I don't know the correct term for this), then you are gonna need an amp with a high damping factor. I do not know which amps have that, but my spine seems to tell me that a cheapish Class D with a switching power supply is not the ideal partner for this. My gut feeling says: weight and size are your buddies. YMMV.

Are you gonna keep the Ashdown 115 and 210? Are they MAG or ABM or...? If you're keeping them, my initial thought would be that you could even get a Hi-Fi head, and rely on the cabs for the blues/rock sound, especially if they're MAG cabs (or ABM cabs with tamed tweeter). If however you may be looking into new cabs, I'd probably choose the head with the new cabs in mind. Nothing wrong with the Terror Bass or the other heads mentioned, but for your type of music and sound cravings, I'd add the TC Electronic BH 500, which has great flexibility, and if memory serves, a Class AB power amp. In general, after all the reported stuff on Class D power amps (sensitivity to mains' "cleanness", demand for effective cabs), I'd consider whether a Class AB could be worth it instead. Looking quickly at all the suggestions, I think they're all Class D. Mind ya, I've got Class D amps myself (Terror Bass, Streamliner, Promethean...), but just thought I'd mention the notion. Good luck with the search! You can hardly go wrong with any of the above, I feel.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1410385767' post='2548994'] James Thurber [/quote] Ah! Great call! Also, IMS, Kinky Friedman's "Greenwich Killing Time" as well as his "A Case Of Lone Star" were funny. If translated to English: Knut Pettersen's "The Patients" (aka "The Pig Farm") had me in stitches.

[quote name='Dazed' timestamp='1410376970' post='2548817'] You must know my friend Colin [/quote] Of course I do. Everyone in Norway knows Colin! (...and ya know, it's not even that far-fetched. In Norway everybody does seem to know everybody. Never ceases to amaze me.)

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1410383956' post='2548954'] I was of course referring to 'Into The Lens". ;-) [/quote] Fcourse you were. (Twas only by mistake I actually remembered its title today. I'd normally never do that, swear to god.) ...and silly me, some hours after our previous talk I suddenly remembered how the Buggles version you mentioned was indeed called "I Am a Camera", just like the GG song. Looking it up, I was surprised to see the GG release date predated the Buggles release date, but I guess the Buggles song actually was written before the Gentle Giant one, seeing as the Buggles took the song with them into Yes. [/prognerd]