Bloodaxe

PM'd

Check your relief. You've downtuned three semitones so there is a lot less force being exerted on the neck. As a result it'll have relaxed & may even have a slight back bow. Tension is not the same thing as 'stiffness'. It takes a set amount of tension to take a string up to pitch for a given scale length - this is universal. If it takes 100Lb/Ft to get a 34" G string up to pitch on a 1951 Precision, then it'll take exactly the same pull to hit pitch on a 2015 Jazz. This is caused by Physics. Odds are the Newtones are engineered to have a greater resistance to bending so they [u]feel[/u] as though they have more 'tension', the 'High Tension' bit ought to be re-named 'Low Compliance' or 'Extra Stiff'. More on that here:— http://liutaiomottola.com/myth/perception.htm Big +1 on sorting out that neck pocket though, it shouldn't move around at all. See if the screws will take a turn with the strings off or slack - it [i]might[/i] be that at standard pitch the strings are gradually stripping the threads in the heel. Pete.

[quote name='itsmedunc' timestamp='1424003046' post='2691340'] Hi Pete, that would be great if you could provide the artwork for the very first image above. Thats what was on originally. I was thinking red so black lettering would be good I think (if thats possible? I could always go with black though and use the image as is though. Would you be able to email them to the address in my signature? Also, let me know if you want anything for your trouble? Cheers Dunc[/quote] I've got signatures turned off, as some people frankly take the P with them & it's stuff I don't need to download, so I've uploaded it to my Dropbox account here:— [url="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8453031/Mats%20Logos/Westone%20Eagle%209-up.pdf"]https://dl.dropboxus...agle%209-up.pdf[/url] That way anyone looking in the future can get to it too. I did these as a bit of a challenge, along with a shedload of Aria ones that cover the SB, Cardinal & some of the later RSB models; as far as I'm concerned, the fun is in the production & it'd be remiss of me to accept any reimbursement. On the PDF I've put 9 of the 'Eagle' Logos in black. Why 9? Well, from past experience Laser waterslide paper is very thin indeed & it's quite possible to mess it up when putting them on. They're a lot thinner than the old Airfix style decals. It also gives you the option of experimenting with foil lamination if you wanted a Gold version. If that doesn't work out, the PDF shouldn't present any problems for people like Rothko & Frost who do metallics as a standard service. In the past I've bought paper from [url="http://www.craftycomputerpaper.co.uk/category/Decals?gclid=CIndgoXR5MMCFQiWtAodszoAgg"]Crafty Computer Paper[/url] & had good results. [url="http://www.craftycomputerpaper.co.uk/.Laser-Transfer-Foils_FOIL-LAZ1M.htm"]This page[/url] gives the lowdown on applying a coloured or metallic foil onto a black laser print; I haven't tried this yet, so can't vouch for its effectiveness, but I will be experimenting at some point this year as my SB-1000 is in dire need of a refin. Pete.

Carl's got back to me & confirmed that the green one is one of his as seen on Ebay. The 'V1.3' doesn't apply to the circuit, but indicates PCB layout revisions. P.

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1423935385' post='2690584'] I lifted 'CE-2 Chorus' from a pdf of the user manual and laser-printed it onto DIY waterslide decal and it came out quite good, but if you look closely it is a bit pixelated round the edges.[/quote] Perfectly acceptable way of doing it especially if it's a case where there's no known typeface available or if there is but you're not comfortable with manipulating type in a vector-art program. The scanned method can fall apart if applied to smaller type—like the 'Original Custom Body' paragraph on old Arias—& in those cases there's little option but to get vector tracing. In your example, the pixellation could easily be passed off as 'screen bleed' A bit of hunting produced this solution to the Boss typeface: http://disasterfonts.co.uk/fonts/free/toss — AFAIK that's been on the missing list for us DIY-ers for an age. Pete.

[quote name='Clarky72' timestamp='1423861586' post='2689937'] I think that this one in my bass could be one of these... [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aria-Pro-II-SB-1000-bass-BB-Noisekiller-pre-amp-replacement-upgrade-/261765540352?"]http://www.ebay.co.u...-/261765540352?[/url] [/quote] Looks suspiciously like it, I've e-mailed the guy who makes them for confirmation. Here's an original Mk 1 PCB:— No branding at all. Ta for the pic of the switch, that confirms that it's a 4PDT wired as a 3PDT which is appropriate for an '84. What I [i]can't[/i] tell from the photo is if yours has dual-gang pots. They look like singles, but I can't be sure as the top wafer might be very close to the bodywork. Any chance of a photo without the rats' nest wiring loom in the way? Also... what value is printed on them? Is there any significant tonal difference with the toggle switch in either position & the vari-tone set to full left? Pete.

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1423857352' post='2689868']It's a very old (analogue!) photo so excuse the quality - and attire/haircut [/quote] Yup - a Series 1. The thinking on the dating-by-serial sketch has changed in the last year or so... It used to be that first digit = year, but it's got a bit more complicated as it looks like they changed the system in 1980. The new interpretation runs like this: Pre 1980 — MM-Y-NNN, where MM is the month (05 = May, 11 = Nov etc.), Y = Year (either 7, 8 or 9) and NNN = the production number for that month (not necessarily restricted to SBs) 1980 7 beyond — Y-MM-NNN(N), where it goes Year/Month/Prod. This should apply to Clarky's. At some point the production number went from 3 to 4 digits. So I used to think that my two batwings were from 1980 as they started with a zero. My SB-1000 is 049140 which I took to be 198[b]0[/b] & then either a random number or possibly April ([b]4[/b]) # [b]9140[/b], however that now gets interpreted as April ([b]04[/b]), 197[b]9[/b], # [b]140[/b]. Same applies to my SB-900 (059104) which translates as #104 from May '79. My RS-850 guitar follows the second system so 002039 turns into 198[b]0[/b] Feb ([b]02[/b]) #[b]039[/b]. Yours should be straightforward to rehabilitate. Essentially the BB is 'always on' and the toggle switch just drops the vari-tone in & out. There's the circuit schematic as posted above as part of the 'Noise Killer' leaflet, but if you wanted to do away with it I have a schematic that allows that & still keeps the 6-way vari-tone. That's what I did when I rebuilt mine (with an extra pickup), & it sounds fine to my ears.

[quote name='itsmedunc' timestamp='1423922786' post='2690398'] Ooooh! That looks good Pete. I can probably do something with those! Have you got them on file or do you mean use the image and print it out? Sorry but I'm a bit thick... Cheers Dunc [/quote] The posted images are low-res jpegs for preview purposes only. the 'file' version is done as a vector in Adobe Illustrator & the term 'resolution' doesn't apply as they're infinitely scaleable without loss. I can provide them as a PDF so you don't need any special software to view or print them at home, & commercial screenprinters shouldn't get any headaches either. The drawback of printing decals at home is that you're pretty restricted on colours as the ink layer is going to be very thin (so yellow or red will tend to disappear on a black background), & metallics are out unless you have either an old ALPS foil printer or a laser printer & laminator and are feeling brave. Another issue with inkjets is how lightfast the inks are, in other words their tendency to fade under daylight/UV. Some are really good, but others can produce random colour shifts over time. So... What colour is your refin going to be & which one (or one[u]s[/u]) did you want? Pete.

[quote name='Clarky72' timestamp='1423816786' post='2689263'] Hi Pete, mine doesn't have stacked pots, I'll have to check the switch tonight when I get home. I'm not sure what protective layer you mean on the spare Pete, do you mean the layer on the tape? [/quote] Yes. If it's double-sided carpet tape or similar, it'll have a peely-off layer so that it could be stuck to something. The Mk 1 Batwing-era BB was fixed to the cover plate by countersunk bolts - in your photo the BB is living where the batteries go on a Mk 1 & the battery compartment has been redesigned so that the PP3s can lie flat rather than edgewise. [quote name='Clarky72' timestamp='1423816786' post='2689263']I do have the diagram you have above, and also this one where only pin 7 is left free... <snip>Image</snip>[/quote] I reckon that schematic is for the modern 'RI' re-issue variant. It still has the bizarre dual-gang pots & more complex switch, but the LED circuit is now on the same board (instead of being wrapped up in insulation tape) & it has a multi-way connector block to call its own:— There are some alternative views of this [url="http://ariabasses.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/rsb-900-electronics-restoration.html"]here[/url] where a set of RI electrics are fitted to a Rev-Sound RSB-900. [quote name='Clarky72' timestamp='1423817086' post='2689267'] Oh and this... <snip>Image</snip> [/quote] That's pages 1 & 4 of the original Mk 1 BB advertising spiel, [url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MOYGBtYHiZA/TNfzuWIeXBI/AAAAAAAAAk0/-AynFfuyV1Y/s1600/sb-1000+noise-killer_2-001.jpg"]pages 2 & 3[/url] give the lowdown on what it actually does. I suspect that the later versions behave differently (hence the extra pottage & TPDT switching). A bit of Google-fu produced this page: [url="http://www.madinventions.co.uk/prj-ariasb1000.htm"]http://www.madinvent...-ariasb1000.htm[/url] where some other poor damned soul has reverse-engineered the Mk 1 BB. It's nice in that the last photo shows clearly the wiring going into the 10-way con-block. Of particular note is that there's an earth connection on pin 3 that should connect to the pickup screen that's missing from yours—is there a black (or blue) wire floating around loose somewhere? The little connectors that fit into the con-block can get pushed out, so it may be lurking in the rats' nest of wiring. The more I look at this, I'm of the opinion that yours is a Mk 1 BB circuit with a low-battery LED circuit shoehorned in. If that's the case, I'd be wary about using the 'spare' unpotted Black Box [i]just in case[/i] it's a different circuit that [u]might[/u] take offence to being thrust into unexpected surroundings. I don't think it'd explode or anything, but—if it is different—depending on where in the circuit the pots connect you could get instant screaming overdrive or a really sad & sorry excuse for an output signal. If there's any way you can get that out of the box without wrecking it & photo it to death that'd be really handy. I've fired off an e-mail to Mr. Madinventions with a couple of Q's & will update if anything useful occurs. Pete.

The nearest schematic I have is this one:— **BUT** there's a difference… according to that, pins 8 & 9 (of 11) aren't used, but in yours, it's only pin 8 (of 10) that's vacant. <sigh> It looks like you have [u][i]another[/i][/u] variant (that makes at least four) </sigh> Does yours have stacked pots? And how many contacts are on the toggle switch? Also... the 'spare' box has what looks like a piece of double-sided tape stuck to the top - has it still got the protective layer on it? If so, [u]that's[/u] the replacement. Also of note is that it's (unusually) unpotted, If it's at all possible to get the PCB out without damaging it, that could help with reverse-engineering a schematic to see what it actually does. The original Mk I BBs had green PCBs, but I have a photo from a 1986 Laser that's brown. Pete.

I know a few bods in Didcot, I'll give them a call later & ask... during the meanwhilst you could drop MoonBaseAlpha a PM - he's a local. Pete ***EDIT*** Based on a comparison with one of the other pubs in Didcot (the Prince of Wales), the Lounge Bar area is roughly 25' x 40' - maybe a shade bigger, so I'd suggest that 'small' would be the better option. From memory, if they've stuck you in the tiny Saloon Bar, you'd need a 'micro' option. P.

If you want to go down the DIY route, I have the following as vector art: Pete.

[quote name='Tom Brookes Music' timestamp='1422905514' post='2678219'] A few weeks back some guy told me that I am better than the bassist in Parliament (I'm sh*t!) [/quote] Maybe he meant [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP4_%28band%29]Ian Cawsey, ex-MP for Brigg & Goole[/url]

[quote name='JamesBass' timestamp='1422136728' post='2669213'] As many know this highly desired "tone wood" is restricted by the terms of CITES, but when did Fender stop using it? And how can you, if you really want to, get hold of it in the UK? [/quote] As you say, CITES will restrict trade, so you're unlikely to find it at any timber supplier - unless you know any boatbuilders with an ancient woodpile somewhere. However... if the antiques shows on the telly are to be believed, 'brown' furniture is a pretty depressed market at the moment, so scouring house clearance shops, architectural salvage yards & auctions ought to turn up the goods as the odds are that any Victorian/Edwardian mahogany furniture will be either Brazilian or even Honduras. I scored some lovely (if thin) mahog from a mate who was moving house & had an Edwardian fireplace surround he couldn't use at the new place. But... you still need to be careful. As I understand it, CITES forbids the re-working of otherwise exempt materials. For e.g. it's quite legal to buy & sell a Georgian Ivory billiard ball as it was manufactured pre-1947, but if you were to take that ball & carve it into, say, a pendant, you'd be stuffed if you wanted to sell it as CITES would regard it as 'new' Ivory. Daft I call it, but there you go. Not sure what the ruling is if you had a rough-sawn baulk of pre-war timber though. P.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1421432923' post='2661238']What does it mean by 'maple replacement neck'?[/quote] Partial misquote from the catalogue specs I suspect:— (Lifted from the 1984 catalogue).

PM'd

[quote name='Gregdach' timestamp='1420506718' post='2650205'] I looked for a serial number but I have found nothing and tomorrow invente got a rdv to stringed-instrument maker to CHECK my bass for re-fretting ! Grégoire, [/quote] It's likely that the serial number was on a little paper sticker on the back of the headstock & fell off a long time ago, however... [u]some[/u] Arias have the serial stamped into the fretboard around the last fret, but if yours was sanded down after the frets were removed, that may have vanished too. Over here, the Bass Gallery charge £180 (€230) for re-fretting a lined fretless, so that should give you an idea of how much it **might** cost. Pete.

[quote name='Guinness21' timestamp='1420216166' post='2646756']I know in theory, your bass should just hang sat down then it will be in the same place stood up.[/quote] This is a really common bit of misinformation. Every player has a different body geometry, so there [u]isn't[/u] a 'one size fits all' solution. It's better to adjust your strap so that your bass fits into your hands' neutral position:— [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRkSsapYYsA[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIYuqTsUlyM[/media] Expect to spend ages fiddling about with your strap to get things all comfy. FWIW I cannot play sat down for more than about 10 minutes without experiencing a lot of discomfort in my right wrist... so I don't - I gig standing up, so I practice standing up. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is not something I want to experience. As to pick playing, you say that [QUOTE]I place the side of my hand right on top of the string saddles[/QUOTE] That suggests to me that you may be using your thumb & forefinger to move the pick, which, if so, is probably where things are going adrift. Look up some of the 'classic' pick players on Youtube & you'll see that most of them are using their wrist (plus a bit of forearm) to drive the pick, like the pensioner in this clip: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBIa0o36pPo[/media] It's not a good idea to rest your forearm heavily on the edge of the bass, as that can lead to pinched nerves, but it's OK to bear lightly for a bit of support. You might find it easier to play a bit further up towards the neck as well, & don't forget to alternate upstrokes and downstrokes. Pe.te

Theoretically bypassing the CS-2 ought to have worked, but I'd try it ESP>>OC-3>>CS-2 just in case there's some difference. Other than that the only thing I can suggest is that you're sort of right about the component harmonics, however I'd term them Sympathetic or Resonant harmonics; i.e. they're the product of the note resonating through the body & confusing the OC-3, similar to the way that some tuners 'hunt' a bit before settling on the note - especially on a naturally resonant instrument. Maybe add a compressor between the ESP & the OC-3?

Sounds like the early ones as fitted to the SB-1000, SB-900 & others that look like this: That's one that came off my SB-900 & was utterly mullered. It got very stiff to turn - to the extent that the 'ear' worked loose & fell off, hence the crappy rivet job to hold it in place. When I took it out I found that there was a section of the threaded bit that wasn't there any more. I finally figured out that what caused it was spannering up the locknut too much causing the body of the tuner to bind on the capstan & resulting in the torn out section. I got lucky & found a replacement on Ebay, AFAIK, there are no direct copies/equivalents of these & Aria ceased to fit them after about 1981/2 or so. Off the shelf I think you're pretty much restricted to Grover 144 or Gotoh Compacts. I believe later Arias used either re-badged Gotohs or copies of 'em. Neither have a locking facility, but IMO that's not a big deal as the SBs are so stable that it's more trouble than it's worth. Pete.

I was living abroad & got dragged down to a fully-equipped rehearsal space when I was 18 by a mate who was a drummer. Apart from an abortive period at school where I failed to learn guitar I had no experience with any musical instrument. As I don't sing & my mate had got a guit player to tag along that just left one option... Bass. For some reason I took to to it like the proverbial. That first session I 'learnt' a 12-bar (root notes in A:D) & that was it... hook, line & sinker. Bought a bass (a month's pay) & set about learning stuff. I can't say what I learned first, but Quo (12 Gold Bars), AC/DC (If You Want Blood) & Deep Purple (Made In Japan) were all on heavy rotation back then. At first it was straight root-note follow-the-changes but then other bits crept in - nothing fancy, just pentatonic stuff (without actually knowing what a pentatonic was). Back to the UK & that was when I got properly stuck in. There were three people on the scene who were waayyy better than me - two slap-crazy fusion-istas & one progger - but for some reason that never bothered me as I was quite happy to plough my own furrow in Blues/R&B/Classic Rock. My influences have been the likes of Leo Lyons, Neil Murray & Jack Bruce (although I'll never forget Alan Lancaster & Cliff Williams for getting me started), rather than Geddy, Mark King or Jaco. 32 years later & nothing has really changed. OK I know more than I did, but there's vast acres of musical knowledge that I'm utterly blank to; I'll explore those as & when (& if) I feel the need. My advice FWIW... Don't sweat it, Don't over-think it. Lock in with the drummer & lay it down. The fumbling, uncoordination and flying fingers will settle down in time, & some days it seems as though nothing works - that's normal, when it happens knock off for the day & come back to it. Dadofsix sums it up I reckon: [QUOTE]Then I decided to sound like me and never looked back.[/Quote] Pete.

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1418687028' post='2632440'] The board does have a slight dent at the next position up - I'd say it's never had rounds on it, but it might have had a [u]lot[/u] of use with flats. So maybe that's it.[/quote] Do you bend the strings at all? That can cause hollow spots irrespective of string choice. [quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1418687028' post='2632440']I will try weights on the headstock and tweaking the trussrod. Reshooting the board sounds expensive and probably not cost-effective [/quote] Hopefully that'll get you out of jail. I always slacken the truss about 1/4 to 1/2 a turn & up the action a tad after a re-shoot as my playing style isn't very compatible with a super-scary low action. The Gallery are currently charging £80 for a re-shoot which I view as part of the fun of owning a fretless. I'll probably have to put mine in sometime next year for a skim which will make it 3 years since it was last done. It's my main bass, I use Rotosound Pressurewounds & don't have a light touch, so that works out as roughly the same as a set of new strings per year of use. I regard the expense as an acceptable cost vs the results. If you use flats, only play it occasionally, and don't hammer it the interval ought to be a lot higher. You're still applying steel to rosewood though & that's going to cause wear sooner or later. The other thing is how accurately it was shot in at the factory. Most mass-produced fretted instruments benefit from a level, crown & polish and to my mind a fretless is no different. P.

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1418517097' post='2630926'] Westone Thunder 2a, not that far from me. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Westone-Thunder-2a-4-String-Bass-/291325178027?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item43d45570ab"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item43d45570ab[/url] It looks as if it's had two extra screws added to the cavity cover. I might ask for info. [/quote] The extra holes look to be factory original: [url="http://www.westone.info/cats/81/07.html"]http://www.westone.i...cats/81/07.html[/url] I wonder if they're to secure the preamp circuit. The first run Aria SB-1000s have a similar feature - two c/sunk bolts that fit through the lugs on the BB casing.

It's probably a dip/blemish/worn patch at that spot. Any visible 'tramlining' on the board around that point? My SB frankenfretless started squarking a couple of years ago but on the D 7th; I put it into the Gallery for a re-shoot & it came back all better. P.

[quote name='billfaro' timestamp='1418324274' post='2629231']Just on about the Quo. I watched the Roundhouse AQUOSTIC LIVE! - 2015 It seemed funny to see an Accordion playing away in the back ground, but have to admit the guy was good.[/quote] <Threadjack> The mighty Geraint Watkins. Usually found bolted to a piano:— [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nD-0xpcHlA[/media] But, as you noted, knows one end of a squeezebox fom the other:— [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_qdXi899c8[/media] </Threadjack>