Bloodaxe

A good amp can make a cr4p bass sound great. A cr4p amp can make a great bass sound cr4p.

[quote name='chaypup' timestamp='1342606425' post='1737634'] Too fancy for me! Wiring doesn't look quite right, only neck pup connected to the volume which I guess might be the problem? Mine is the same as the 400 at the very bottom of [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/bass/tsb/tsb.html"]this[/url] page - poles aren't exposed, cream pickups (which is the same as mine hiding under that black paint) If you have any pics of your wiring, I'd be really grateful to see them so I could compare. [/quote] Mine's been so chopped about over the last 30 years that a photo won't help much: See? However... I also have a 1984 ZZB Custom that has the same arrangement & is untouched: [s]& an attached PDF drawing.[/s] Actually, that last bit is a lie as the damn thing won't upload properly, so it's living [url=https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8453031/ZZB%20Wiring.pdf]here[/url] Pete.

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1342627407' post='1738216'] ... can't use a pick for toffee... [/quote] I reckon you *could* use a toffee for a pick though... one of those round flat ones out of a tin of Quality Street.

Is the toggle on the switch round or flat? If it's round, it's a replacement. From ypur description I suspect that the old DPDT switch toggle broke off (not uncommon) & it's been swapped out for a 3-position one but wired up the same, hence the centre 'off'. Pete.

[quote name='chaypup' timestamp='1342120251' post='1730043'] Any idea where I'd find a wiring diagram? Thanks! [/quote] Assuming it's not a prototype, there's nothing fancy under the bonnet... Vol, Tone & a 3-way pickup selector (Neck/Both/Bridge). I'd venture it *might* have been re-pickuped as well as carved about - my 1981 TSB has staggered exposed poles & the p/ups aren't sealed. Pete.

Another happy user of SuperAntiSpyware here. It's free too. I'm surprised that no-one's mentioned [url="http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html"]Spybot S&D[/url] yet. I've used it for years & it's very good at rooting out little nasties that others may miss. Not had any issues with ZoneAlarm either at home (XP Pro) or on the laptop (W7 Home Premium), so that's still a 'must have' for me. A site worth poking around is Steve Gibson's [url="http://www.grc.com/intro.htm"]Gibson Research Corporation[/url]. Try the 'Shields Up' test - if you don't get the 'Full Stealth' rating on the first three tests, you're possibly open to attack. Another thing us Windows sufferers can do is to lock off the 'Hosts' file... ...you'll find it in C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc. (there really is a folder called "etc"!). Open it in wordpad & check it looks like the attached screengrab. [sharedmedia=core:attachments:46042] Delete any entry below the "127.0.0.1 Localhost" line unless you run Spybot S&D, in which case it's OK to leave the Spybot stuff intact. Then save it & change its Properties to Read Only. There are some nasties that'll write entries to this file - usually in the form of urls - & this'll block access to any website in the list. Ever wonder how viruses (virii?) block access to AVG, Norton, McAfee etc? It's also a cunning way of legitimately blocking websites. FWIW, the last nasty I got came (I think) from YouTube when there was a security issue with Adobe Flash Player a year or so back. Video files can harbour malware, so if you're 'researching a technique', be careful where you go. Pete.

[quote name='Mitchallica' timestamp='1328300479' post='1525293'] Thanks for the advice! Unfortunately it looks like only one pickup is working (The upper) Your pictures look a lot (If not the same as) my wiring like you said Cheers Mitch[/quote] That's a bugger. But just to double check - Did you have both volumes & tones wound all the way up? They interact on mine, so if one's down you get nothing. Also... Is that the Jack Socket next to the bridge, or what's left of a pickup selector toggle switch? Even if all the above check out, all may not be lost... If it's the same as the ones on my TSB-400, they're not potted so a repair or rewind is likely to be an option. Pop the strings off, take out the four bolts (DON'T LOSE THEM!) & have a gander at the underneath - if you see a brass plate you're in luck. Prise it off (mine were glued in with Evo-Stik) & the pickup bobbin will be revealed. It ought to come straight out, but might be Stikked down as well. If you're really lucky it's just a pickup wire come off & that can be reattached - if not then it could be a rewind. However... if it turns out the pickup [u][i]is[/i][/u] potted (with epoxy, the swines), disconnect it from any switches, bung a multimeter across the wires & measure the resistance - use a low scale (less than 100 Ohms). Could be the switch is well 'n' truly mullered and that's what's causing it. If all else fails, contact Aaron Armstrong through WD Music. He can supply a drop-in replacement. They're not the same tonally, but there's not much wrong with them. Also, if you do end up having to get a replacement, PM me as I'll gladly have the dead one off you for a reasonable sum. Pete.

[quote name='Mitchallica' timestamp='1327965883' post='1519792'] @ Muttley and Wilco Guess What Guys! I do get sound but im not sure if both pickups work! Two switches broken :0( No. 4061574 Made In Japan [attachment=98729:IMAG0105.jpg][attachment=98730:IMAG0108.jpg] [/quote] For the pickups, try the screwdriver test. Turn your amp way down low & the vol/tones on the bass all the way up, then tap the pole pieces with the tip of a screwdriver - you should get a pop or thud. No pop could equal a dead pickup. Those switches can be prone to breaking if they get a hard life - [url="http://www.allparts.uk.com/online-shop/guitar-bass-parts/electronics/switches/mini-switch-dpdt-on-on-2-p-4055.html"]Allparts[/url] do the correct pattern replacements (or as near as you're likely to find). I'd expect the wiring to be the same as my factory stock RSB Deluxe-5 where the toggles are a series/parallel switch for each pickup: Pete.

[quote name='Jayben' timestamp='1327756920' post='1516301'] Thinking about those questions, I think it is because [b]I dig in more live so I can hear myself[/b]. Thinking back to last night I was really hammering the strings.. Perhaps time to relax a little more? [/quote] DingDingDing! We have a winner! Turn up / get better monitoring & dig in less. Standard cure for 'Iron Bar' forearm. Pete.

Try the 'original' by Deep Purple: - [url="http://www.911tabs.com/link/?3693405"]http://www.911tabs.com/link/?3693405[/url] - Ab, Eb, Bb, F looks about right - I'm away from my bass at the moment so can't check. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgW0eMKXGJA[/media] There are two earlier versions: The Real Original written by Joe South & recorded by Billy Joe Royal: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoJP65nAMGA[/media] & the one that Joe South recorded a bit later on, which is virtually a facsimile of the BJR version - both pre-date the Deep Purple take. Pete.

First: 1981 Aria TSB-400 Go To: 1980 Aria SB-900 Sig: Modified 1980 Aria SB-1000 Fretless

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1325336616' post='1482221'] what's with these *ipb* files that everyone is posting? My PC isn't liking those at all or is it some conversion that my browser is doing? [/quote] I think it's a result of the changeover to the new forum format - some files uploaded directly to BC seem to have got munged. FWIW I've edited mine to link to a version in my Dropbox folder & the post now shows a natty little player thingy. P.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYph_LGY6YE[/media] Dead easy, everyone knows it, and it's in E!

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1324303011' post='1472751'] Same here on the Status v Rotosound. I found the Status too close to a full on flat wound and like the extra grunt of the Rotosounds on my fretless. Shame because the Status are an amazing price. [/quote] Another naysayer here. I find the Status strings feel too much like flats, going back to Rotos in the new year. JakeFoord... If your bass has got a 2+2 headstock & a 34" scale, PM me & we might be able to do a trade of some sort. Pete.

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1323903036' post='1468643'] The Bass doesn't have a pick guard. I shall try somewhere on the back. Assuming I ever actually get around to it. I do use lighter fluid for cleaning stuff* but I would have thought acetone would have been more appropriate for this, or am I very wrong? *Sometimes, when I've had to take a lot of my painkillers... I get obsessed with cleaning things, especially metal things. So I have a lot of cleaning fluids and equipment. One of the best cleaning fluids I've got is made up of the dregs left over from soak baths using various noxious substances. Just walking past the shelf where the jar of it sits makes my eyes water! [/quote] Wouldn't risk Acetone... It might well degrease the finish right the way down to bare wood, & that would be bad. Assuming there's some overspray in the control compartment and pickup routs, you could do worse than to experiment with various solvents on the end of a cotton bud - if there's transfer, you know not to use that one (and get a clue as to what finish will be safe to use for the re-spray).

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1323747708' post='1466543'] Cool, that answers a question I've been meaning to get around to asking. I've got a Bass that's a pearlescent white and I was thinking of refinishing it to Piano white. I was hoping I would be able to get away with not having to take it all the way back to wood. [/quote] It *should* be fine - but Ou7shined makes a very valid point about compatibility of different finishes. If your Pearly has a scratchplate, hoy it off & mask up everywhere else, then use the bit you'll never see as a test bed. For degreasing, pop to your local cornershop & grab a can of Zippo-style Lighter Fluid. Apply with a sheet of kitchen towel folded into 4 - it'll evaporate almost as soon as you wipe over. After each wipe, use a new bit of the towel, that way any grease or yuk stays on the towel & doesn't get spread back on the bass. P.

[quote name='bassist_lewis' timestamp='1323630423' post='1465249']...what I'd like to know is, those of you who use only one bass or one brand, how did you arrive at that conclusion?[/quote] Serendipity in my case. When I was shopping for my first bass, I had my heart set on a Precision... preferably in Dynorod Orange. This plan was scuppered by two things. First was finding that the neck profile was significantly different to the one I'd played at the local practice space & second was the price - completely out of my range by a factor of a lot (this was 1982 so it was a USA Fender or nothing). The nice chap in the shop asked what I was prepared to spend, & then fetched down an Aria TSB-400 that was love at first feel. Been brand loyal ever since, but the TSB doesn't get much love these days as it's been usurped by an SB-900 & a modified SB-1000 fretless. Between them, the two SBs do all I need. Pete.

[quote name='Ancient Mariner' timestamp='1317041201' post='1385791'] To refin it will have to be stripped, possibly taken back to bare wood...[/quote] Why? Fender never used to: [url="http://www.curtisnovak.com/vintage/JazzBass59/"]http://www.curtisnov...age/JazzBass59/[/url] If the existing finish is sound, all it needs is a light sand to key the surface, a thorough degrease & then go straight over with the new colour. Black will obliterate any underlying colour very quickly - possibly in one pass. Pete.

15V is unusual, but not outrageous; ditto the negative tip bit. It *might* run quite happily on 12V - What is it? Pete.

Found this: [url="http://www.joemeek.com/pdf/mq1quickstart.pdf"]http://www.joemeek.c...1quickstart.pdf[/url] but it doesn't give any power specs. The contact details at the bottom of the page may well be out of date, as the main Joe Meek website gives an e-mail address of [email protected] & they're in California. However, PMI Audio do seem to have a Torquay faction - 01803 612 700 ought to get them. Pete.

This might help.

[quote name='ritch' timestamp='1322343033' post='1449790'] Hi Pete Thanks for the information! That's a big help. I'll give that circuit a go and see how far I get. I'm not 100% sure what current the meeks take - somebody has guessed at no more than 1000ma, but there doesn't appear to be much information online about it. A couple of questions though ... 1. What should I search for as a transformer? Would this be the sort of thing? [url="http://www.bitsbox.co.uk/transformers.html"]http://www.bitsbox.c...ansformers.html[/url] 2. What is the "LOAD 100" on the right of the picture? 3. You mention a fuse - where is that in the diagram? Scuse my lack of electronics knowledge! Cheers Rich [/quote] OK... your last line worries me a tad, so you might be better off taking Flyfisher's advice & just buying a ready-made one and swapping the plugs. But, to answer your questions... 1. No. The 6-0-6 will give 500mA total, and the 12-0-12 a mere 125mA per Secondary. To get a total 1000mA out, you'd need a 12VA transformer, but if each JM unit is 1000mA then you'd need a 24VA transformer with either a 6-0-6 or a 12-0-12 secondary - that'd give you 1A per secondary tap @ 12V. 2. As the "Load 100" label is right next to the symbol for a resistor, I'd take it to mean "Load = 100Ω". 3. The diagram doesn't show a fuse (or a mains switch for that matter), but it would usually live in between the switch & the mains side of the transformer (the "Primary Winding"). Value should be a tad more than the total expected load. All these figures are based on your conjectural 1000mA consumption - which is quite high. What JM units do you have? P.

[url="http://www.zen22142.zen.co.uk/Circuits/Power/psu.html"]A basic PSU[/url] is a simple enough beast... just needs: A Fuse A Transformer (240v to 12V) A Rectifier (4 Diodes) Some form of smoothing (A couple of chunky electrolytic capacitors) A 12v Voltage regulator (either an IC or a Zener Diode) Something to mount the bits on (preferably a PCB, but Vero or Tag Board are fine) The main thing is to make sure that [u]all[/u] the bits can cope with the power you need plus a bit more. If you try to draw 500mA from a 100mA PSU it'll blow in no time at all (which is probably the problem you've had to date). How much current do the JM units draw? Pete.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1321915459' post='1444486'] It isn't the evaporation of the meths that kills it, it absorbs atmospheric water and can rust strings if you leave them in for ages. [/quote] +1 White Spirit works too, & has the advantage of not absorbing moisture. 2L of turps & a tupperware pasta box from Poundland makes for a good bosh tank. Pete.