Dood

[quote name='bumnote' post='1018592' date='Nov 10 2010, 11:35 AM']Perhaps I should be more blunt. If my Ashdown, Eden, and all my old Acoustic stuff was made prior to 98, designed and manufactured for 240 are running at 230 without problems, why is it an issue with Markbass?[/quote] I don't think there is an issue. Certainly not with banging 268V in to mine here in Naaaaarfolk. [quote name='markbasschat'][b]The change was from 240V to 230V. So it is less than 5% and the voltage was lowered. It means that the change is not critical at all. And I don't think that there is any risk of damage either with Markbass amps or any other equipment. [/b] Equipment from (resonable) manufacturers has to work correctly within the tolerance guaranteed by mains power supplier (you can check the tolerance on Wikipedia). And most probably slightly more. So I would say that the tolerance of +/-20% should be acceptable for most equipment. ......[/quote]

[quote name='icastle' post='1018550' date='Nov 10 2010, 11:01 AM']Don't blow Soldering onto the back of a pot can be difficult. Best way:- 1) sandpaper a small area that you are going to solder onto - this allows the solder to run smoothly and stops "blobs" appearing. 2) prepare the wire you are wanting to solder onto the pot - get it stripped and make sure you tin it. 3) with enough solder on the end of the iron to make it wet, heat up the back of the pot and every couple of seconds try pushing some solder to the area you are heating to see if it melts. 4) as soon as it melts, add enough solder to cover the area you have pre sanded - you are after a smooth layer of solder, not a half round shape. 5) keeping your iron in the solder flow, quickly push the prepared wire into the mass. 6) stay very very still for at least a minute 7) sorted [/quote] Ha ha ha!! beat me to it! but glad we have a similar method!

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1018529' date='Nov 10 2010, 10:52 AM']While i have your attention, any tips on soldering the ground wires to the back of the pot? Ive done it but it looks a bit messy. Cheers again.[/quote] Yup, most pots have a shiny finish on the back that is a nightmare to solder to. I use an emery board (or fine sand paper) to take the finish off in a small area, usually an edge. I then prep the newly exposed area by tinning it in the same way that you'd tin fresh wires prior to soldering. You'll find that when you place your wires on to the area and heat all at the same time, the solder will flow alot easier in to the joint when you feed it in with your third free hand!! Oh and because it takes longer for the back of the pot to cool down, wait an extra 30 seconds before moving your hand, because you can guarantee that you hadn't waited long enough for the solder to solidify!! (I always manage to do it if I haven't soldered for a while!!) On the subject of dry joints, I owned some really ghastly solder that just would not 'weld' neatly. It always crystalised and looked brittle.. bin bin bin!!

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='1018234' date='Nov 9 2010, 10:57 PM']This is great! Thanks so much. Very glad I asked this question as no-one's referred to these other jumpers. MarkBassChat, welcome to bass chat and thanks for the clarifications, if you look in the bottom right of your posts you'll see you can edit them so if you want to make things clearer that's an option. Having said that.. According to wikipedia you're correct in that the UK as of 2008 is on 230V +10%/-6%. Most of the EU is on 230+/-10%. So probably the 230V setting would be appropriate, though hopefully I'm right in assuming either would be fine. I'm quite surprised that there is actually a difference in terms of required jumper settings, it makes me wonder if the F1 is going to be a temperamental amp when it comes to things like outside gigs using generators, long cables etc.[/quote] Hey Lawrence! Ah that's interesting - It'd be an idea for the UK to be the same as Europe to make life a bit easier when taking electrical goods over seas. - The amp I took settings from was a 2007 unit - so I wonder if newer ones are actually set to 230V for the UK market? Hmmm! Interesting stuff here! Incidently, in the name of science - I just check the mains supply in to my house - I'm receiving 268V AC at the moment! So quite a leap and a bit higher than the 10% tolerance expected. All good stuff!

[attachment=63539:UK240VF1a.jpg] [attachment=63540:UK240VF1b.jpg] OK, here we go - as clear as needs to be I think. disclaimer taken as read - this change voids warranty and should be carried out by qualified service personnel.

[quote name='MarkBassChat' post='1018163' date='Nov 9 2010, 09:40 PM']Hmm, I'm sorry - my mistake. I thought that you have 230V (so the photo I posted is [b]for 230V only[/b]). Please disregard my previous post in this case. Please post a photo of this little jumper. F1 is class-D amp with a switching power supply (with maybe not the best stabilization) and 10V difference may case some problems with the power amp. Mark[/quote] Hey it's ok! it's an easy mistake to make. You were absolutely right for a 230V supply and stuck to your guns, because there's the future of an amp at stake. Ok, I'll upload the pic I have just taken of a UK F1. For utmost clarity for future readers, it is marked as '240V' on the label.

Hi Mark, thank you for the additional information and pictures, that's brilliant. I'll just echo what iCastle has said though. Although I have seen (and owned) amps that happily worked in the UK on a 230V setting (Ampeg SVP for example) the Uk's supply is 240 Volts (kinda average as it can fluctuate.) If it helps, to clarify, I can get a picture of a UK F1 inside for clearer pics of those lil jumpers.

I'll make this one sticky so that any updates are visible.

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='1017946' date='Nov 9 2010, 06:44 PM']Yeah good eh?[/quote] Hell yeah! I'm glad you asked the questioned - otherwise I would have been hassling for flippyfloop in the For Sale forum to sell his F500 instead of trading! [quote name='LawrenceH' post='1017946' date='Nov 9 2010, 06:44 PM'].... - but are we talking about an internal fuse or just the one in the plug?[/quote] There is a fuse in the holder underneath the IEC power socket. No need to lift the lid. Infact there should be a spare fuse in the other half of the little drawer too. The F1 I have here (a UK model) has a 3.15A fuse in it. Sorry I didn't check if it was a fast blow or a surge type. The fuse in the mains plug is designed to protect the lead and can be 13A.

Cha-Ching, shopping done.. come to pa-pa!

[quote name='binky_bass' post='1013590' date='Nov 5 2010, 06:27 PM']Hey, Well, its been a while since I've been on here, and I cant remember if I ever posted a picture of the finished 10 string, so.... drum roll.... here it is in all its glory! (hopefully the picture is attached right!) Russ. [attachment=63110:binky.JPG][/quote] Hey Russ, good to see you back. I think I had seen a pic already; yes indeed that's quite a beast! - do you have links to more pics to see it in all it's glory?

[quote name='tombboy' post='1017768' date='Nov 9 2010, 04:21 PM']Dan, google is a wonderful thing!! I just typed 'Markbass F1 voltage conversion' and up it popped! [/quote] Hehh heh Jamie! - Well, I can't remember where I'd heard that they were all country specific - a bit like older Ampegs that required swapping out the transformer, instead of the newer ones where you can swap the terminals on the primary windings. So, I guess with that in mind, I just never bothered to look! Ahhh deary me!

[quote name='Muzz' post='1017754' date='Nov 9 2010, 04:15 PM']Yep, they certainly do - I had a US one I did myself via a bit of desperation-guesswork - the jumper is marked '240/110', or somesuch pretty obvious. There was an amount of clenching required to switch the thing on over here for the first time, but it worked perfectly. Incidentally, this one was stolen earlier this year, so if anyone in the North West gets offered a 110V stickered LMIII, do give me a shout... Edit: Just clicked that link above, and its the one I used. Ding dong.[/quote] Excellent, I reckon I am good to go then! Lets see what I can find lurking on interweb!

Oh no way! Seriously, I didn't know there was a flippin jumper inside these buggers! - Right, looks like I can go shopping for one stateside as well then. BassChat, I love you.

[quote name='Dread Bass' post='1016985' date='Nov 8 2010, 10:25 PM']TBH One of my bands tune to G already and i cant say i have noticed any massive problems now i dont know about fundementals or overtones but what ever it is it sounds fine. I am paranoid now. Im going to have a really close listen on Wednesday night when we play Rock city.[/quote] Well simple answer is, if it sounds fine, it is fine!

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' post='1016357' date='Nov 8 2010, 01:53 PM']That's great, cheers. Pretty much a notch at 800Hz. Hmm, I doubt the Genz' mid Q is that sharp. I'll give it a go though.[/quote] I recall posting the frequency centres a while back with the amount of cut and boost in dB - but you'd get a pretty good idea from the plot above anyway. IIRC there was a boost at 80Hz, a notch (as seen) at 800hz. I can't remember what the third was though. It looks like a wide boost around 3K though!

[quote name='icastle' post='1015954' date='Nov 8 2010, 04:06 AM']d) [b] Illility [/b] - ok, I made that one up but you'll reduce the time off work for back problems and hernias [/quote] Brilliant!

[quote name='Dread Bass' post='1015884' date='Nov 7 2010, 11:45 PM']Will do. I am going to try to go see Alan before the end of the month.[/quote] Excellent! WOOP!

[quote name='Dread Bass' post='1015869' date='Nov 7 2010, 11:23 PM']Thats a good point about the Machine heads i will add that to my list of things to ask Alan about, Its getting pretty long LOL. Between my ACG, Alembic and Warwick i have a fairly good idea of what i am after. My spec has quite a few similaritys to Doodle actually. Most notably: Single cut, Ash body (no fancy top), mainly Wenge neck (from the Warwick), Maple fingerboard (i think undecided on this bit). My goal is to have a bass that i can take on tour and can get marked etc without me wanting to die. I bought my 6 string to play but i dont want it to get wrecked .[/quote] Excellent, sounds like a really nice spec! - I have to agree, I couldn't have a bass that I would be afraid to bump and mark.. on tour it will happen.. not a case of 'if' heh heh! Cool, I look forward to seeing it - oh - and of course a build diary??

[quote name='Dread Bass' post='1015845' date='Nov 7 2010, 10:52 PM']Yeah i am going Custom its going to be an ACG and it will have the asymmetrical neck which helps. TBH i think a lot of the pain i was experiencing was from wearing my bass too high so i have dropped it a bit and that helps. I also am planning to keep it as light as possible to save my back. I am going to re read your build thread for Doodle now. Can you suggest anything else important to consider in the spec that will help?[/quote] I had a couple of Tobias basses with an Asym neck - it did help - but I think when the neck gets wider - is as much about the carve suiting your hand that will help relieve aches. There are even some 5 string basses that fatigue my hand in crazy passages that my 7 string wont. Interesting stuff, but I'm not a physio so I cant explain why It could be that your Bass was too height - though I found that most of my issues were because the bass was too low. I have found that I have set my strap length so that if I am sat or stood, the bass is always in exactly the same position. This helps to minimise changing your technique if you get up out of your chair. It's important to exercise and stretch with any sport - and I think that with anything that requires further exertion (ie playing tech metal with a wide neck) should be treated the same way - so warming up properly etc.. I know, I know - it sounds boring, but it's worth it! Ok - Bass design - Discuss your options of wood choice to get those harmonics singing out - they will help to improve that low note tone. I mean, a quality tonewood - not a becuase it's pretty! But our ACG man knows his stuff as well - so will be able to tell you better than I. I already knew what electronics and pickups I wanted on board as I had been studying bass tones I liked that were seriously down tuned - I was pretty chuffed to hear that most of the guys were using the same make pups as I had been for years! However, I changed from P style active EMG soapbars to DCs as they have more bite and have a very high output. My neck is pretty damn flat nut to bridge to facilitate tap style etc, but this requires a lighter touch when rocking out to keep buzzes to a minimum - though I actually like a bit when I dig in! ummmm.. what else - super lightweight hardware!! 7 small tuning keys actually can be fatiguing on your shoulder when they are hanging at the end of a bass neck! - So either look for the lightest ones you can find (I use Gotoh Reso-Lite keys that were the lightest on the market at the time). Better still, have you thought about a headless bass? Gotta say, having a headless 6 string is awesome! it feels like not wearing a bass at all! - Hmmmm.. What if my Shuker 7 was a headless!! ?? Right, I'm rambling now - but if there's anything that is useful, then coooo-el!

[quote name='Dread Bass' post='1015833' date='Nov 7 2010, 10:37 PM']Yeah i am only 5'7 so i have quite small hands and i already get really tired when playing with Taken By The Tide when a lot of the song on the first 5 frets but the lines a very busy. Thats interesting and useful cheers Dood.[/quote] No probs! If you are going the custom route, there's a lot you can do to have the bass designed and set up to make dextrous passages less tiring too, especially in the lower registers. Make life easy for yaself

[quote name='purpleblob' post='1015823' date='Nov 7 2010, 10:24 PM']...... I've not got the greatest levels of concentration and (especially on the 8 string) find myself occasionally lost when playing them (i.e. don't know what string I'm on ) whereas the 4-6 strings are not so much of a problem.[/quote] You should see me on a 4 string!! I keep thinking the E is the B or F# and my brain gets confuzzled just the same!

[quote name='Dread Bass' post='1015805' date='Nov 7 2010, 10:08 PM']Thanks for the replys so far. Dood i was hoping you would chip in. You have a low F Sharp, do you have any problems with amps/cabs reproducing the open note?[/quote] Ahh no problem, happy to help. In a word, yes I have experienced trouble with getting that low F# to sound clearly. The first thing to bare in mind is that most speaker cabinets will not produce the fundamental notes, probably not much below a normal B string - and even if they did, you need lots of power to be able to get the volume of the fundamental loud enough to be useful. Obviously, choosing a Bass that is also geared up to add as much definition and clarity to that F# string will help no end too. I worked very closely with Jon Shuker in designing my lil beast. He is very knowledeable and understood what problems were likely to be encountered in the design and we worked on minimising them. Interestingly I am using non-ported cabinets at the moment - however they are 1000W RMS each and I throw a lot of watts at them - but I concentrate on the lower harmonics that the cabinets *can* produce on stage (By use of EQ for example). FOH PA with dirty great subs can worry about anything below that! Besides, you really don't want too many sub frequencies on stage anyway, because it all just turns to mush, your fellow musicians will just turn up to try hear themselves and the battle will just get messy!

Oh - and you'll no doubt be happy to hear that Rotosound manufacture the low F# string gauge you'll need