stefBclef

Ok, I got my hands on the amp and, after wrestling with it for half an hour, I got it sounding pretty damn nice so I am happy. It then played nicely for the rest of rehearsal (2 hours or so). Some description of the symptoms: The pots are more than crackly. I would describe the sound as more of a rumbling storm that's brewing and occasionaly gets really loud and then dies down. The sound then cuts out at times and comes back when you turn the dial (although not consistently in terms of the position of the dial). This is the same on both pre and power amp pots and also on the treble pot. There is also some horrible loud noises when you so much as touch the input jack. Both active an passive jacks seem affected by the same problem. So... When I get the chance I will open it up and have a clean with the contact spray as suggested above. [list] [*]Is there anything in particular I need to be careful with when opening the amp / touching the circuitry or anything? I don't want to damage it further you see. I can solder but I am deffo an amateur! [*]Do these symptoms suggest something different might be going wrong? The fact that its affecting so many parts makes me think that maybe there is something else the matter. Someone mentioned it might not be earthed properly...plausible? [/list] Thanks a bunch all y'all Stef

[quote name='andyonbass' timestamp='1338584618' post='1676956'] The Korg Pandora has a load of drum patterns, as well as many other useful features for a practice anywhere solution. I had the older PX3B but I'm sure the current models have the same if not more features. [/quote] You got me interested in a Pandora and turns out they are quite sought after these days! This one went for £78.50! [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320915905528?ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1435.l2649#ht_2178wt_1185"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320915905528?ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1435.l2649#ht_2178wt_1185[/url] I may have go down the Alesis route! Thanks Stef

Thanks. I am picking the amp up today (just bought it on ebay for 30 quid) and I will pop into Maplin at the same time to get some of that contact cleaner. I'll let you know how I get on! Stef

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1338567634' post='1676572'] He doesn't though. Let UPS collect as is...it's not the seller's responsibility once UPS has collected. [/quote] Couriers don't collect stuff that is not properly packaged. They just won't. Then who would have to pay for another courrier? Althogether bad idea to leave it unpackaged. I don't think the buyer can leave any bad or neutral feedback - the buyer is the one who agreed to the terms and is now not complying to them. Might take this conversation down to the pub actually...

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1338566799' post='1676549'] What's the difference between the buyer collecting and UPS collecting? NOTHING [/quote] Packaging. A boatload of packaging.

[quote name='Ian Savage' timestamp='1338554418' post='1676261'] What a tit! Ah well, means you can legitimately re-list it, I suppose... [/quote] +1. If an item says collection in person, you've gotta stick to that. If you want to try and convince the seller to post it then ask them before you put your bid in. Gonna be hassle for you either way mate...unlucky. But, do you think you'll get more than 50quid for it second time round?

[quote name='derrenleepoole' timestamp='1338548828' post='1676104'] Got an iPhone or a good smart phone of some description? Loads of good tools that are super cheap on phones, cheaper than a drum machine. [/quote] Thanks. I am one of the few people left without a smartphone actually...and to add to my archaicness, the room I practise in has no internet, so no online thingys will do it for me. That said, I am due an upgrade in September so smartphones/apps are looming in the not-too-distant future.

Happy Friday everybody, I wasn't sure where best to post this but settled here as my quest for a drum machine is purely based on wanting to practise and improve... Everytime I read an article or post about how important it is for us bass players to sit and spend a lot of time with our good old friend the metronome, I promise myself that I am going to build that kind of practise into my routine. After watching a Victor Wooten / Anthony Wellington video, (in which they used a drum loop) I thought that using a drum loop instead of a metronome may be a lot more agreeable and inviting. Is it generaly agreed that you can use either or? Or is there something to be said to keeping to the pure and simple click of a metronome? Do you practise with a drum loop? If so, do you have a cheap, simple to use drum machine that you recommend? Ta Muchly Stef

Hello all As the title suggests, I would like to know if the crackling pot is something that can be fixed, and how easy it is to do. It's not my amp, but one I am considering buying as I am looking for a cheap combo to leave in a rehearsal space. Apparently, as well as crackling, the signal cuts in and out when you adjust the volume pot but is fine when you leave it at one level. [b]My questions:[/b] [list] [*]Does this kind of fault usually develop into a more pronounced fault, maybe even to the point when it crackles and signal cuts when you are NOT adjusting the volume pot? OR does it tend to only be an issue when you are adjusting the pot level? [/list] AND [list] [*]How may one go about fixing this issue? [/list] The details I know about the combo is that it is a 120watt Laney. Many thanks everybody. Stef

[quote name='Oxblood' timestamp='1185910019' post='39703'] Nice one, Alex. Coherent indeed. The mention of Gain and Volume brings to mind one of my pet bugbears: the habit that many manufacturers have of mis-labelling the controls on amplifiers. First let's deal with the worst culprits. It seems to be a commonly held view among certain companies that in selling to musicians, they are ipso facto selling to idiots who are easily impressed by shiny objects and flashing lights, and to whom they can pretty much spin any nonsense they wish. This leads to products on which perfectly normal Signal Level and EQ controls have been given stupid, subjective names like "bite", "heat", "balls" etc. Does anyone really find such descriptions useful? I doubt it. Personally, I just find them embarassing, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who immediately ignores any product with such twaddle printed on its panel. However, even among those companies who avoid such inanities, there is still a common practice of mis-labelling going on, and one that leads to endless confusion among non-technically minded users. I'm talking about all those amps (including well-respected, high-end products) that have an input level control which, bizarrely, is labelled "Gain", and may well be accompanied a bit further down the panel by another knob marked "Master Volume", "Master Gain" or "Output Level". In nearly every case, such labels are wrong! And let's not forget that old favourite, "Volume Control". We're all used to saying that, aren't we? Yet even that is a piece of 'creative' labelling - a hangover from the days of domestic wireless sets. In a typical instrument amp, the first "Volume Control" you find is simply a pot placed in the signal path - just like the one we find in a passive guitar or bass, between the pickups and the jack socket. All it does is act as a [i]potential divider[/i]: a variable resistance that bleeds some of the signal away to earth and allows the rest through to the next amplifying stage. Turn it up full, and all (or nearly all) of the signal gets through. Like a water tap, it's a purely passive device. It can't give out more than is being fed in. In some amps this first pot is positioned directly after the jack input itself, but more commonly these days it is placed after an initial amplifying or buffer stage. Either way, the effect is the same. Likewise, the "Master Volume" or "Output Level" control is another passive pot, placed at the point where the signal leaves the pre-amp/EQ circuitry and is being fed to the input of the Power Amp. What it [i]doesn't[/i] do, in either position, is alter the GAIN of the amplifying stage of which it is part ...but that doesn't stop some manufacturers calling it a "Gain" control. Confused? I'm not surprised! So, just for the record: A true Gain control works by modifying the operating conditions of an amplifying device (varying a DC control voltage on an Op-Amp, for example) and in so doing actually determines how much gain that device can apply to whatever signal it is being fed. Genuine Gain controls are usually only found on professional studio equipment, mixing desks and so on. They are not used alone, or instead of passive pots. Both are used together, as they have different roles to perform. They're part of the variety of control options that make such equipment flexible enough to accept and process signals from the widest possible range of sources, and do it efficiently, with the best possible signal-to-noise ratio. I think that's it. Don't want to hijack Alex's excellent thread. I'll shut up now. [/quote] Hiya, thank you for this info, there is some good stuff on this thread. Can I ask, what are acceptable names for these two pots then? My amp is labelled "Input Level" and "Output Level" which I thought sounded about right when I read your post and started to understand what these two controls actually do. However, later posts suggest that these are not correct either. Anyway, I would like to find out about how to SET these knobs so I would like to get the names right first before I start a thread about them! Thanks.

[quote name='vsmith1' timestamp='1338294929' post='1672233'] Though I have not really ever used it, I have a Pub Prop from a magazine subscription years back. I did a quick search and found this.. [url="http://home.btclick.com/briarmill/Pub%20Prop.htm"]http://home.btclick..../Pub%20Prop.htm[/url] [/quote] That's pretty cool. Although I don't think it would attach to most amps/cabs. Plus I have already handpicked my old teatowel which I will be using to tie my bass to the cabs' side handle thanks to the earlier tip in this thread! If only all problems could be solved that easily!

[quote name='LiamPodmore' timestamp='1338293212' post='1672199'] Startup band i'm in. We met up first to get to know eachother (I only actually didn't know one of them) decided on a few songs, jammed out those few songs at a rehearsal. We used that rehearsal to see where the singer feels most comfortable musically and then spent the last hour coming up with song suggestions which i've compiled into a list (something like 40 songs). We're going to meet up again with the list, go through and pick 10 songs to do over the next few months, and then break them up into which songs to do at which rehearsal so we know what we need to work on and when for. This really helps because i obviously have my main band, work, and regularly dissapear for a weekend, plus all the other members are at college, so having a bit of structure makes things easier to work with. Liam [/quote] That sound like a good setup/strategy. Is there an official leader in this band?

[quote name='geoffbassist' timestamp='1338225927' post='1671148'] It's such a great system. It sounds a bit dodgy but the towel never loosens off so the bass is really secure. The neck is resting against the loop of the towel so it doesn't get marked. I've been doing it for 8 years full time and never had a problem. [/quote] Yeh it sounds perfect. That's one I can cross of my list of "Gig problems/queries" so thanks!

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1338219667' post='1670998'] Like this one? [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvAJFmfkh1k[/media] [/quote] Yes thats the exact one! It works so well if the surface is the right height, but I feel the majority of rigs are too tall.

[quote name='geoffbassist' timestamp='1338219781' post='1671002'] I always carry a small towel. About half the size of a tea towel to wipe my hands and clean the strings. I feed it through the handle on the side of the cab & tie it round the bass neck. Works great, very secure & no need to carry a stand. [/quote] I love it! Thanks.

You've soundchecked and now its time to drink some free beer. But first you need to find a secure place to put your bass for the next few hours... Obviously, a guitar stand would be the best solution. However, I am thinking about those times when you don't have a proper stand to hand. I once saw someone who had a small piece of rubber, designed to sit on the top of an amp, and it had, jutting out, a nice curved notch to rest your guitar's neck in. I can't seem to find anything like this online, and it wouldn't work for rigs that are taller than the nut. It got me thinking, perhaps there is some clever sneaky way that some clever sneaky bass chatter knows about. Before now, I have been either: -leaning the bass on the amp but leaning it to one side so that it leans (ever so slightly) on the jack - not ideal at all! -at the last gig I actually lay my bass on top of the amp as there was no decent leaning oppurtunity. This was also far from ideal as it could have fallen off quite easily given the contours of the amp top combined with the loud bass heavy music that the DJ was playing and the drummer fiddling with his kit... So, I am looking for tips on how to create a good lean spot for your bass, either on a wall or amp or anything else you're likely to find on stage. OR If anyone can recommend a super small foldaway guitar stand. Many thanks everybody.

I went round to my mates house the other week. He is a guitarist but he has a decent P bass copy lying around and it gets some love from me when I go round. I play reggae, and I like the motown sound, and so I like the muted sound. The strings on my bass are about 7 years old and I love the tone I get from them. Anyway, you can imagine how I felt when my mate turned to me and said "Hey, I've got a surprise for you, I changed the strings on the bass!". So I was presented with the P with brand spaking new, ultra twangy, light guage strings...BLAAAAHH! My friend did make up for it by then making a mute out of a washing up foam sponge. This was one of those smaller ones that you get when you buy cheap packs of ten, and he ripped off the green tough layer and just cut the sponge in half. Fit absolutely perfectly and did a very good job sonically too!

[quote name='oldslapper' timestamp='1338202184' post='1670653'] All the usual spares:- leads, strings, fuses, batteries, pliers, screw drivers, DI, etc [/quote] When you say fuses, what type of fuses are you referring to? Do you have a set of fuses that will fit a variety of amps? Or are they pretty standard? When you say DI, are you saying that even if you are going to be playing the house backline and PA you still bring your own DI box in case? Thanks

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1338194093' post='1670497'] How do you use your gear? Do you throw it around? Are you rough with it? I'm not and the only thing I've needed to change on a gig has been batteries (and my bass is passive these days). I have never broken a string or used any of the fuses that I've carried for years. So, IME, if you look after your gear, you don't need to carry any spares. The reason to buy and carry another bass is because you need a different sound; a fretless, acoustic, 5 string, etc. It seems to me the one thing that could let you down on a gig is the public transport! I’d save up for a car. [/quote] I would say I am very gentle and caring towards my gear. But I also understand that no matter what you do, stuff can go wrong. Even if this is going to be very rare, I would like to be prepared if/when it does happen. I think I will buy a cheap backup (or maybe a nicer bass and use my current as a backup!). That way, I can learn more about fixing/setting up basses with the spare, and I may get to the point where I feel I could have a decent chance of fixing a bass with a soldering iron. In the meantime I can get used to carrying 2 basses. I guess next in line to worry about is the amp failing. Would something like a SansAmp cover that problem? Also, a few of you have mentioned spare fuses. Are you refering to amp fuses? I.e. there aren't fuses in an active bass are there? Do most amps use similar fuses? In other words, if you are going to be playing with a variety of amps as you use the houses backline rather than your own, is there a certain type of spare fuse you can keep with you that will fit all amps?