JapanAxe
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Everything posted by JapanAxe
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Well that's annoying. I rebuilt the bias board with the correct component values but the result is the same - the bias voltage disappears when HT is applied. With 450V of HT there should be about -37V on the control grids accordoing to the 6L6GC spec sheet. I'm pretty certain that the tapping I am using for the bias is a completely separate secondary as I checked continuity when I first got the transformers out of the Bugera. It has a centre tap (unused) but the HT secondary doesn't as it went to a bridge rectifier (which is what I'm using on this build). I'll check that again, and then consider the following options: Voltage doubler on the 41V AC secondary. It may be that it just can't produce a high enough negative bias without this. Creating negative bias by dropping the HT with a potential divider. Merlin Blencowe goes into all this. Sadly it's looking less. likely that I'll have the amp ready for the SW Bass Bash
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Yes. Yes it is.
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How many hours do people practice?
JapanAxe replied to Bassbooksbikes's topic in Theory and Technique
Probably at least 2 hours per day, but I am retired and either a member of, or dep with, a ridiculous number of bands. Not many days go by that I’m not practising something or other, and sometimes I spend pretty much the whole day at it. I recently worked out that I was working on learning some 65 songs: - 15 jazz or similar numbers on guitar for a one-off charity gig; - 32 rockabilly and country songs (again on guitar) for a first rehearsal / audition - now joined that band! - 18 West Coast rock numbers on bass for a theatre tribute dep. -
I love depping, although I frequently end up biting off more than I can chew! A lot of my opportunities have come through musicians who I’ve already played with, but if my diary is looking thin I put an ad on Bandmix. A couple of my long-term dep relationships have started that way. I always try to be the person that solves problems rather than creates them, whether that’s singing a couple of numbers, digging out cables from my spares bag, or giving a lift to another band member. Finally, I always thank the band for the gig, even if I have silently sworn to be unavailable next time they call - I’m pleased to say that’s a rare occurrence!
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I’ll bring a roll of wide masking tape - have at it!
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Well that's interesting. I've discovered that, when HT is applied, my nice negative bias voltage all but disappears, leaving the output valves to go full-on Fukushima. Which bit of this circuit is not a tried-and-tested design, but my own concoction? Yep, the bias supply. I consulted the writings of good old Merlin Blencowe, and discovered that my choice of component values may have left the output valves with too high a grid leak resistance. Time to re-design the circuit!
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And another payday bump!
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For anyone who may be wondering whether this amp is loud enough to gig with, I'm going to say... probably not! But without a drum kit, maybe. -
Not many people realise that, thanks to an oddity in the way the calendar is worked out, the 80s actually began in 1979.
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I've spent some time yesterday and today, carefully commissioning the amp. I found a couple of screen grid connections that had somehow escaped soldering, so fixed that. The amp is working, in the sense that it produces output but I need to tweak the bias circuit as at present it's way too hot (over 200% of rated dissipation), even on the lowest pot setting and 180V mains supply. The over-hot bias is likely responsible for the hum I'm hearing (regardless of control positions). There is no audible oscillation when I raise the master volume, so the phase of the NFB connection is correct. I also used my oscilloscope to check for oscillation outside the audible range, and again there's nothing. I've done enough for today. Working on amps into the evening really messes up my sleep! A bit more work over the weekend and I'll be there.
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I don't know, I know nothing about them!
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I’ve never considered anything other than fuses to do the job of protecting the transformers from excess current. Every valve amp circuit I’ve ever seen has used fuses. The front panel may not look quite so clean when I label all the controls!
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Tonight I trimmed the plastic face plates and re-glued them at the ends, fitted the knobs, and labelled all the DC power nodes (A, B, C, and D) on the board. I checked the circuit against the scematic and found a couple of issues: An output valve connection that had somehow escaped soldering, so that it was just hanging loose - not a great idea! Remember this post where I had a couple of 2.2nF caps but 'realised' I needed 22nF and had to order some? No, 2.2nF was right, I just wrote it wrong on the layout! I'm having some last-minute thoughts about fuse values. Based on the transformers from the donor amp, I think it would be T1.6A for mains and F2A for the HT. ALL BUILD PICS NOW IN POST DATE 01/11/2025
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Exploratory investigation of overuse symptoms in bassist player
JapanAxe replied to Bassslapper's topic in General Discussion
Done -
The wiring is finished! Last night I wired up the master volume, and I've just now finished doing all the heater filaments. I had put the tag strip with the heater balancing resistors next to the pilot light but that turned out to be stupidly inaccessible for all the connections I had to make. I moved the tag strip to a better location and got to it. I'm a little way from plugging in though. Next session I will compare the built amp to both the layout and the schematic, and buzz out all the connections with my test meter. Then I'll think about applying power... ALL BUILD PICS NOW IN POST DATE 01/11/2025
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The band plays rock’n’roll and a bit of country. ’Coward of the County’ was a massive crossover hit in 1979.
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‘Cultural appropriation is the adoption of an element or elements of culture or identity by members of another culture or identity in a manner perceived as inappropriate or unacknowledged.’ - Wikipedia (my emphasis) I think that’s succinctly put, and I’d commend it to anyone who has concerns about performing a particular song. I’m more uncomfortable when one of the bands I dep in plays ‘Coward of the County’ by Kenny Rogers. The central events in the narrative are a gang rape, and the visiting of violent retribution upon the perpetrators. The song does not sit well with me as light entertainment!
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Got some more done last night - PI and Normal channel. ALL BUILD PICS NOW IN POST DATE 01/11/2025
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Pedals for sale - Maxon, Arion, FuzzDog, Danelectro, Dazatronyx
JapanAxe replied to JapanAxe's topic in Effects For Sale
Stomping bump for the weekend. -
Robert bought some cables from me and all went swimmingly, despite me being a numpty and mis-typing my bank details first time around!
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I worked out that I am currently working on around 65 songs for upcoming gigs, some on bass, some on guitar. Despite that I managed to fit in some build time this evening and wired up the Bass channel: ALL BUILD PICS NOW IN POST DATE 01/11/2025
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Sold pending payment -
I played on the country music club circuit for a few years, and the target audience was mainly 70+ with the kind of outlook that you might predict. I joined a band where it became apparent that the drummer was very much of the persuasion (how can I put this?) ‘Stop the boats’. Now and then we’d work with another musician - let’s call him ‘Ken’ - who got frozen off Facebook for a month for his unsavoury comments about the adherents of a certain religion prevalent in North Africa and the Middle East. The band and WAGs were around a table in a break discussing an upcoming gig, and Mrs Axe asked, ‘Will racist Ken be playing?’ The drummer’s face was something to behold! I’m aware that some musicians that I play with hold political opinions far removed from my own. The same goes for some members of my extended family. I didn’t know the musicians’ views before I started playing with them, and my family are my family come what may. Online, it’s easy to end up in a bubble where we only hear our own views reflected back at us. In the real world I prefer to avoid that. But if a band is looking for players on the basis of a particular world view that jars with me - for example conspiracy theories, which I’ve seen more than once - I’ll give it a miss.
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A bunch of budget patch cables for whatever purpose you desire! 9x 50cm straight 1x 90cm straight 2x 50cm angled 4x 30cm angled All tested and working fine. Lengths are conservative and exclude plugs. £10 the lot delivered in the UK.
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With more shiny things acquired or heading my way, it's time to clear some space on my pedal shelf. Maxon AD999 Analog Delay This is a stellar analog delay that I've owned for 20 years and never thought I'd sell. In my country band it was always on, either as a slapback or a longer atmospheric delay. In recent years I have come to want modulation and preferably tap tempo, and sadly this has neither. Maxon developed their own BBD chips, of which this has eight (8), giving a maximum delay time of 900ms. The delay sound is clear and sweet, but not squeaky clean like a digital delay. Here's a Guitar Player review. Excellent condition, boxed with manual. £160 delivered in the UK. Arion SAD-3 Analog Delay Probably analog delay's last gasp before the Carbon Copy brought about its resurgence. Unlike the SAD-1, this squeezes up to 200ms out of a single Panasonic MN3208 BBD chip. Consequently the delay is short, dark, and somewhat low in level unless you whack up the Depth control. In excellent condition with box and manual. £65 delivered in the UK. Walrus Audio Fundamental Reverb Provides 3 types of reverb, of which the Plate is my favourite. The Mix control allows you to dial in more reverb than dry signal, right up to 100% wet, so it can be used in a series loop (most amps) or parallel (some Laneys). In very good condition, with hook velcro on the base for fitting straight onto your pedal board. £95 delivered in the UK. SOLD elsewhere FuzzDog Micro-V Envelope Filter Built by me from a FuzzDog kit, the circuit is based on a Mutron Micro V. All works as it should, but after an initial burst of wack-wacka lunacy, I kind of lost interest and have never found myself needing it on a pedalboard. Rubber feet on the base. The white spray-painted finish has sustained a couple of nicks, otherwise it is as you see it. Yours for £45 delivered in the UK. Boss AC3 Acoustic Simulator Does what it says on the tin - turns your clean electric sound into a passable facsimile of an acoustic. I think it sounds best with 'G. AMP OUT' into a clean guitar amp. In excellent condition with box and manual. £60 delivered in the UK. WITHDRAWN Burford Electronics Robot Ring Modulator (with useful mods) Not just any robot but one that has been out on the lash, scranned a kebab, had a fight, tried to shag a dustbin, and is now throwing up in a shop doorway - that's the sound you're hearing! You're probably not going to play Valerie through this but great fun can be had by tuning the oscillator to the key of the song and letting rip. (Some oscillator signal is audible when the pedal is engaged but nothing is being played.) This came to me faulty but I have rectified the wiring issues. I have also made it more user-friendly by adding a 9V power inlet (was previously battery-only) and a status LED. Some dings to the paintwork as per the photos. Comes with instructions. £75 delivered in the UK. WITHDRAWN because of an intermittent fault that I can't fix. Danelectro Cool Cat Tremolo A lovely optical trem. I think it shares the circuit with the earlier Tuna Melt (which I used to own) and the more recent Billionaire Filthy Rich. I was going to keep this but That Pedal Shelf is struggling under the weight... Controls for Speed and Depth, plus the Hard setting on the Hard/Soft switch takes you straight to choppy square-wave mode. In excellent condition with box - yours for £40 posted in the UK. Dazatronyx Optical Tremolo As far as I know, a unique design, hand-built in Australia. You don't see many over here. Controls for Rate, Tuning, and Boost. Tuning is kind of like depth but also affects the overall volume, and you then compensate with the Boost to taste. Mechanical true bypass switching. Operates from a standard 9V boss-style adaptor or a PP3 battery. In excellent condition, and just look at that artwork! £85 posted in the UK.
