NHM

or one of these:

Rafferty HPF Pre 2 Bass Preamp / Adjustable High Pass Filter / Phase Switch Custom Color | Rafferty Guitar Pedals | Reverb

I haven't used one so can't vouch for it, but it is cheaper than the other two listed here.

your assistance is much appreciated - many thanks

Thanks for the suggestions. I've tried lifting the inner prong with a needle, this works to a certain extent but the worn shaft means the plug can still wiggle around and power still is intermittent. I've tried wedging in a bit of paper, but I can't risk this in a gig.

So it looks like a replacement socket. The one in the pedal looks like the one in the picture above - Ian, do you have a link for where I can buy one?

The plug from the power supply is loose in the pedal's socket. It's weird, never experienced this before, it's as though the internal sleeve of the socket has become worn. Other power supply plugs that I've tried are also loose, suggesting the problem is the socket.

Hi BCers

I've a much loved pedal where the 9v power supply socket has worn, meaning the plug occasionally disconnects (usually mid song). 

Unfortunately the socket is soldered onto a pcb and I don't fancy replacing it, that's beyond my soldering skills. Of course I can run the pedal on battery only, but I've never been a fan of this when gigging.

Any ideas how to fix it?

Invoke 'bass law' - all gear manufacturers should be made to put some form of meter on every item of kit where there is variable gain, so you can assess the output of the device. 

You wouldn't cook a recipe just with a list of ingredients but no sense of quantities, are signal chains any different?

Happy Christmas, by the way...

just read about the case in the Grauniad. He doesn't come across well Isn't it disappointing that all that fame and privilege can't instill a more humanitarian outlook? He's dealing with fans, after all. 

Imagine if Boris was a lead guitarist...

Are you having a bad morning? Anyway, she wouldn't want it as she knows it isn't expensive.

no-one has mentioned the blues!

I'm Fender Fender Fender - Musicmaster, Downtown Express, Bassman 500 - all of which seems to do the job OK.

thanks for the helpful advice about where best to place the HPF. I've been running mine in the effects loop so I'll switch it around to come after the compressor - it will be interesting to hear the difference.

On 20/11/2021 at 17:11, Count Bassie said:

... It's the first thing my signal hits from the bass ...

Is it more effective to put a HPF first in the chain, or last, (such as in the amp's effects loop)?

NOW SOLD

This set has had hardly any playing time and thus is in excellent condition.

Cut for a two-a-side headstock.

GHS Balanced Nickels, long scale £20 PRICE DROP TO £12 inc. UK postage

see pics:

thanks Marc. I don't understand why it hasn't been snapped up.

Bought for a beer festival gig but then covid struck... Been in the wardrobe since, and never worn.

size large.

price includes postage to UK.

Hi 

I've been exploring the High Pass and Low Pass filters on the B3n.

The first knob on each filter determines whether the filter is set to HPF or Shelf. I get how the HPF works, but I can't figure out the Shelf - this, working in conjunction with the Gain,  seems to boost or cut all frequencies, not those determined by the Frequency knob.

Any insight on how the Shelf/Gain works, and how it differs from the H/LPF, would be greatly appreciated.

PA with foldback for sale:

(1) The main PA consists of a stereo Sansom Servo 600 power amp and two 250w Sansom XP510 speakers (each with a 10" driver and 1" tweeter). The amp has only been used twice. The speakers are in great condition and have been used about a dozen times for vocals only, so never pushed hard. The system sounds really good and I've owned all this gear from new. With mains lead and 2 x speaker cables. £175

(2) The Foldback consists of a stereo Sansom Servo 260 power amp and two Wharfedale 70w speakers in homemade wedge cabinets. The foldback also sounds really good but has been well used. With mains lead and 2 x speaker cables. £50

Or the lot for £200. PRICE DROPPED TO £150 

Collection only from Faversham.

Air on a G string

that lot's from me!

well I'll buck the love, I thought this was pretty disappointing fare from such esteemed musicians. Can't see much use for self indulgent bass-lead-noodling at a gig (leave that to others) although it might be OK with a chum at home after a few beers. Perhaps that's what they're doing here.

Given we're in an education platform, I'd be more interested in seeing what bass patterns could be used under a single repeated chord to keep the interest going without resorting to being showy. We had a repeating root after a minute or so of fluff, but I didn't see much 'extended vamping' to develop this classic bass support-pattern which would have been more useful to see what a maestro can do to educate mere mortals like me into how a pattern can be developed, so I gave up at 3.30. Perhaps it was all in the second half.

For me 'going off on one' doesn't make great music, it's better if development is structured.

Hi

I've various spares, bridges, strings etc. If you pm me your address I'll make up a parcel.

You're doing a great job for a worthy cause.

best wishes

if you're interested I've just posted a review of the Schaller in the 'Reviews: Hardware and Accessories: section.

Schaller 3D-4 Bridge

I wanted a replacement 4 string bridge to give me a narrower string spacing than the standard 19mm. I like a spacing of 17mm, but there aren't that many options out there. When looking at the Schaller product literature online, it said that the string spacing had a range from 14.5mm to 24.5mm; so I took the plunge as the spacing range would give me the 17mm plus scope to experiment. Also I liked the aesthetic of the design, which is really important to me. When it arrived I was very impressed by the build quality / engineering. The bridge oozes class, it really is stylish. My first impression was 'every bridge should be of this standard'. Even the box it is packaged in is one of the classiest you'll come across!

However, there are a few pitfalls to be aware of:

(1) String spacing: you may be able to set two strings to a 14.5mm spacing, but not all four, so that figure is pretty misleading! The narrowest the bridge will go is about 53.5mm overall (E-G), so a string spacing of about 18mm is the tightest you'll get. Also, when you fit the strings the rollers rotate, so it is hard to get accurate/consistent spacing without a fair bit of trial and error.

(2) The saddles are so long the intonation range is much more limited than a standard 'barrel' saddle bridge. That isn't a problem in itself - before fitting the bridge I lined up the saddles as much as possible with the existing bridge, which meant there was only about 5mm of intonation travel available. Care is needed when screwing the bridge down to get its location spot on, as there is such little amount of play available to adjust the octaves. Also, this meant new screw holes were needed in the bass body. Fortunately for me, these were nearer the strap button so the bridge covered the old holes.

(3) The bridge comes with a 3mm thick base plate to raise it up should you need to. I didn't, which I was glad about as the base plate alone weighs 48g and this just adds unnecessary weight to the instrument (the bridge without the bass plate weighs 195g). Instead of using the plate it seems longer grub screws can be fitted in each saddle to get the same effect. The grub screws Schaller supply are quite short; the ones I took off the outgoing saddles were about 5mm longer so more than compensated for the base plate thickness and I'd have used these had I needed to.

(4) the strings come through the back of the bridge at 19mm spacing, so there is a bit of a change in linear direction as they pass over the saddle. I hope this doesn't cause the saddles to move or encourage the strings to jump out if played aggressively. We'll see.

Overall a stunning looking bridge. However, you need to give some careful thought to how to fit it before you start drilling new mounting holes. There are some design issues that could be improved: I think it would be a better bridge if the saddles were a little shorter and the string spacing was set at 18mm rather than 19. 

Finally, if I'd known that 18mm string spacing was the narrowest I could get, then there are other (and cheaper) options out there to consider and I wouldn't have bought this bridge; I'm disappointed that I could not get the 17mm spacing that the literature lead me to believe. 

It's only a bit of re-soldering to try out both parallel and single options see which one works best. Thanks for the help.

we're still looking. Auditioned about half a dozen since my last posting, sadly none cut the mustard for one reason or another.

Is it asking too much to find someone that ticks these five boxes:

• a bit of charisma
• a decent range
• a bit of raw power
• reliable
• gets 'em in while we're setting up

no. 5 obvs being the critical one.

Thanks itu, that's really interesting.

So parallel has the advantage over single coil of slightly higher gain; single coil has the advantage of a bit more edge (I assume you mean more 'cut' as in an eq-shape - or is it better 'attack' - or something else?).

I can't see the point of having impractical options available (sort of devalues the modification), so perhaps I'd be better off going with a two way switch rather than a three.

Decisions, decisions, another thing to worry about at night!