rmorris

3 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

 

This is a good point. If you remove all the strings at once, rather than changing them individually, the neck relaxes and angles back as the tension is taken out of it. When you put on the new strings, it can take a while to be puled back into its previous position by the string tension. It's worth leaving it for 24 hours before adjusting the truss rod, so it can settle.

Good point, and I'll generally change one string at a time (A/D/G/E) but it depends a lot on the neck itself. I have a Westone Thunder where the neck seems very very stable and doesn't seem to 'be bothered'. It's laminated (I can see  as it's the natural finish) and I suspect that is related. And it's generally rock solid.

Meanwhile other basses, and I'm looking at OLP Musicman copies here, seem to need constant truss rod attention on string changes and generally.

Not laminated so I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

Then you get into half sawn / quarter sawn timber etc.

Carbon Fibre ? - above my budget ! 

13 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

 Somehow, the AC adaptor or plug adaptor blew a 13A fuse. That is ungood.

Yes - it does sound odd if it is now working with the fuse replaces.

Might it be that the output (that was not plugged into the brick) was inadvertently shorted ???

Sounds unlikely with that connector type but otoh something happened !

53 minutes ago, moley6knipe said:

A new 18v 2000mA centre negative power supply with (I guess the standard Boss size) 2.1mm dc jack doesn’t look to be an easy thing to find, according to a quick scan of eBay… otherwise I’d suggest buying a new PSU that’s UK specific. Hey: they’re all made in China anyway including the stock adaptors!

 

This https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18V-2000mA-AC-DC-Adaptor-Power-Supply-Charger-5-5mm-x-2-1mm-For-DC18V-0-5A-0-8A-/174766222090?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0 *might* do the trick but the listing doesn’t state polarity.

If the polarity is opposite to that required then simply cut off the connector and git a new one as required.

Most supplies are centre positive. Guitar fx are the general exception.

On 12/11/2021 at 19:33, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Indeed, hum is caused by an electric field not a magnetic one.

Are we talking about 'mains' related hum here - '50Hz' noise + harmonics (100Hz is often the largest component due to rectification) ?

Adjust frequencies for '60 Hz' territories of course !

That interference is primarily magnetic field related (H-field). It's always an electromagnetic field but the relative contributions of electric and magnetic field strengths vary.

It's the reason why mains frequency transformers may need to be shielded with a suitable grade of mumetal rather than copper or aluminium.

You need some ferrite element to shield against H-fields. Similarly microphone input transformers are typically fitted with mumetal shields.

So...it seems clear that your bridge/string grounding is fine. To reduce noise when you're not touching earthed metal - check the shielding. Not simply ground continuity - is the shielding complete and how it is implemented.

And yes - SCR dimmers are a major source of noise so if you can avoid them then all the better.

And don't ignore noise sources that may be in an adjoining room or building. Or, from experience, even further away.

Note on this: Coated strings can be an issue with this.

34 minutes ago, LeftyJ said:

 

The EMG's will be less susceptible to noise, as they barely have any windings to pick up noise and rely on their internal preamp to get the output to the desired level, and are internally shielded so well that they don't even require a ground connection to the bridge. I would expect it's either the (lack of) shielding of the passive bass, the mains earth, or a loose ground wire to the bridge of the P-bass. I would start by checking whether the wall socket you're plugging into truly is grounded, and I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet. I live in a home built in or around 1990 and the only place where I originally had grounded sockets was in the kitchen, in the shed (attached to the house) and in the attic, for the central heating boiler and the ventilation system, even though the sockets in some other rooms look like grounded sockets too 

Yes - low impedance pickups like EMG are less susceptible to interference as you say. And the associated controls are then lower impedance themselves eg 25K pots vs 500K or 1M0.

But can we dispense with the idea that there is some problem with the earthing of the bridge in this particular case.

The noise 'goes away' if the OP touches the strings. That indicates that the 'Earth' path is intact.

When the player is near the bass but not touching any grounded metal - be it the bass strings / bridge or another piece of metal that is grounded eg a rack unit / chassis - the body acts as quite a good antennae for the 'emi soup' we are immersed in and causes this to be picked up by the (High Impedance) bass electrics.

Screening is advised as it will attenuate the amount of interference getting through to the electrics. I'm an advocate of screening the rear of any plastic pickguard. It also reduces the problem of them "going static" where touching them causes a "brushing / rustling" noise in the output.

1 minute ago, Geek99 said:

Pacemaker ?

Not in general. Anyone near the bass but not at a fixed potential - practically this means not touching 'Earthed' metal acts as a source of radiated noise due to the RFI soup we are generally immersed in. 

So if there were no one near the bass there wouldn't be the buzz. But it's difficult to play it from a distance !

By 'Earthing' to the player it stops the antennae effect.

Having said that I did once he ave a glitch at distinct one second intervals and I really should have realised it was my quartz movement watch causing it as it was synchronised with the movement of the seconds hand 🙄

45 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

You can use copper tape to hold it down 

Yes. Copper tape is great. But make sure to use one with a conductive adhesive if relying on that - tales from the EMC lab 🙄.

But the OP's bass seems to be correctly grounded. The noise is coming from the player. When the player touches the strings/bridge or anything else that is grounded then the noise stops as the player is held at a fixed electrical potential (voltage).

3 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

When the noise stops on touching the bass, this is because you're effectively helping ground the signal. Also, it frequently varies as you rotate the instrument - radio waves are directional.

 

No. It's the other way round. The bass in question seems properly grounded given that touching the strings / bridge stops the buzz. That is because it is the player that is acting as an antennae and transmitting radiated interference to the bass electronics that are sensitive to it due to high impedance (normal passive bass). Until the player connects to ground via the bass Similarly as the OP observed, the player can ground themselves by contact with any other grounded metalwork.

Screening will help  as has been advised.

1 hour ago, Doddy said:

 

If you don't know the chords, I would stay away from the minor 7. It won't work over any chord.

 

True. But it will work over most. Now the trick is to play it with confidence. Then if it doesn't 'fit' you can make it sound like it's the chord being played is 'wrong' and not your bass note 😃

+1 for learning the most common chord sequences and permutations.

1 hour ago, paul_5 said:

In my experience it’s mostly down to how hard you’re plucking/picking. 
 

Playing softer helps me to eliminate some of the clank. Flats will help reduce fretting hand noise too.

Yes I get the technique aspect and strings can go all the way from packet fresh super zing SS roundwounds through to old flats and all points between.

But my real point was about online presentations where the player carries on apparently fine with, or oblivious to, the amount of 'non musical' noise that is audible.

And it's also noticeable that a lot of stuff doesn't really have much low errr...bass in it. And this isn't a case of listening on tinny speakers. It's generally going through decent sized monitors that I also use listen to recorded/streamed audio including my own DI bass.

Yes. And I fully appreciate that some of it is legitimate articulation that you may positively seek to feature - similar to putting a mic pointed toward the neck of an acoustic to get the noise of fingers on strings.

And there is always going to be some 'noise' associated with metal on metal contact. Very much depending on the elements involved - string type most obviously.

But it gets to the degree that the euphemistically named 'bite' at the front of a note is obscuring the real attack of the note and it becomes difficult to really hear the note itself.

What brought it to the fore of my thinking was that I was in a bass shop on Saturday (Bass Gallery in that London) and there were a few people plugged in and playing.

So no drums to mask things, no 'mix'. And everything sounded good - and not like a bag of spanners being shaken 🙂.

I appreciate that online stuff is likely DI into an audio interface and so not a mic'd amp but it shouldn't take much to turn out a decent sound if you're going to the trouble of making a demo'/lesson/review.

tbh it just sometimes seems that people have their actions set too low and are willing to keep a straight face while the note they've just hit a tad too hard continues to bothers the frets in an unmusical way.

I don't know if this counts as "elephant in the room" territory but...is it just me (taking on a standup comedian pose) or do nearly all online bass demos/tutors/reviews etc simply have far too much fret noise and clank in their audio output ?

Again not wood but anyone else remember these - Magnesium Alloy / GRP - and from Pete Townsend's brother I believe...ToneMetal ?

http://guitarz.blogspot.com/2011/10/staccato-mg-bass-circa-1986-made-from.html?_sm_au_=iVVQRMM0jS7Jjk2s1F81QKHFkHCjJ

3 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

 

I'm pretty sure the Squier VM's have a modern 2-way truss rod and so, as said above, the washer fix isn't relevant as the adjusting nut on these rods are welded to the rod.  The washer method only applies to single action trussrods with a removeable nut.

 

 

Okay. I think i probably assumed 70s = Single Action.

Seems kind of disappointing either way (no pun intended !) though.

Good Luck.

58 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

I don’t think all truss rod nuts come off to get a washer on though do they ? , I always thought dual action ones were fixed, otherwise they wouldn’t work both ways 

Good point. I'm assuming a Squier VM 70's Jazz Bass as per the OP would have a single action rod ?

12 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Yeh, but what sort of carbon fibre, and what sort of glue? Makes a difference!

I have an acrylic bass. It's blue - do other colours sound better ?

Of course. we could bypass the whole timber argument and go all Carbon Fibre ?

I'll get my coat 🙄

My old Rocktek Chorus Pedals. 

worth reading this write-up

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/ebow-vs-tc-electronics-aeon-first-impressions.1352769/

4 hours ago, 4000 said:

 

 

“Here Kate, I reckon the second side of Hounds of Love goes on a bit, and I don’t like the way it’s recorded, it’s a bit too reverb-y”. “No problem Ted from Wigan, I’ll re-write the 2nd side just for you - have you any specific suggestions? - and I’ll try and take a bit of reverb off when I re-record it”.  Does that get my point across better?😉😂

 

tbf That is proper funny 🤣🤣🤣

5 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Perhaps because you framed playing covers as a creativity-free process of mimicking someone else.

 

If that's true neither Jacqueline du Pre or  Paul Robeson were creative artists.

But I don't read the posts as framing playing covers in that way.

For transparency IIRC I've played (for public consumption) one 'Cover Version' ever. But I didn't listen to the original recording before interpreting it. The guitarist presented it as he would have done with something he had originated and I took it from there.

On 16/11/2021 at 22:12, TheGreek said:

You'll need a couple of washers or a truss rod nut with a bit more thread. If you look in the builds thread @Andyjr1515 has just done a similar thing to a BC member's bass...

 

I'm surprised your Luthier didn't have the solution.

+1. I don't want to sound harsh but if your bass tech just passed it back to you without suggesting the "washer solution" I have to suggest taking stuff elsewhere in future.

On 14/11/2021 at 11:08, mybass said:

 

Commonly used for instruments with active electronics to ‘un switch’ the battery when not in use…..

Yes, but the battery switching function is not intrinsically associated with the barrel form. Any TRS socket has the same switching functionality.

On 01/10/2021 at 19:55, SumOne said:

 

That is probably true, but there is the 'money to make money' thing in that a cheap Bass is probably going to lose it's value pretty quickly whereas a rare and expensive Bass' will probably get more rare and valuable over time. Also, even if the cheap Bass does sound the same to the audience it's the player that has to spend 1000s of hours with it and have it up on their wall at home, so they might as well get something that's more comfortable/enjoyable/easier to play and looks better - and sounds better for them (and the 0.05% audience) and holds it's value better if they can afford it - why make a hobby more mundane and 'it'll do' than it has to be?!.....These are the things I'm telling myself as I look through expensive Bass adverts anyway! 

I think that's basically the point. The difference in feel and playability to the bassist can make a huge difference to the performance. As can many other factors like monitors etc.

Audience will not generally ascribe this to s particular instrument.

When did you last go to a gig and think that the bassist should be using a slightly lighter/ heavier gauge of string ? Or neck profile ? But it will feel different to the player and influence the performance.

Emphasises that setup can be more important than the bass itself.

Obvs there are limits - Don't try and 'do' Mark King or Peter Hook on a Precision set up with flats and a high action a la Jamerson 😳