rmorris

So how much did the kit cost and what price the BB bridges ?

YES

Same thing happened to me on a Hohner B2 about ten years ago. Ended up calling the Bass Centre who had one of the pullers available.

[quote name='Greg.Bassman' timestamp='1450293582' post='2931487'] Just spotted the Zvex WM 'Vexter'. Same sound. The simpler paint job means that they shave about a 100 off the top. [/quote] yeah - I think it's even more than that - £120 ? from memory - it's on the website anyway. I'd definitely rather have that money in my pocket than the hand painted graphic !

[quote name='Chienmortbb' timestamp='1450437178' post='2932759'] Many Amps in those days had the turn on/off thump. It is caused by one of the voltage rails rising or falling faster than the other. Contrary to what many people say it does not damage the speaker. The noise probanly comes from the controls. They need to be cleaned with a good switch cleaner, preferably deoxit. It is the most expensive but it is the only one that works long term. The other alternative is to replace the control pots themselves. If you can use conductive plastic ones as the last much longer. [/quote] +1 The Caig DeOxit stuff is the stuff to use. Look through the product range as they have some specific products for pots etc. Of course you have to be able to get to the pots first ! yeah - if replacing CP pots are preferable though not cheap. On the popping - how old is the amp ? Have another look round the caps for any sign of heat - scorching etc - or for misshaped resistors. Might be worth changing electrolytic caps in any case as they are generally the components that deteriorate most quicly with heat / time.

[quote name='Greg.Bassman' timestamp='1449831477' post='2927245'] Agreed rmorris, can't justify the price. What do you make of the clones that are available? [/quote] tbh I haven't used a WM or a clone. Not really my thing. So I'll rely on others for opinions on the sound but the clones do generally seem to get the thumbs up from what I hear. But I do know about designing and manufacturing electronics into boxes etc. Zvex seem to be placing a huge premium on the value of their engineering design input - as well as the case artwork - and it just looks all out of scale. I guess that's why the clones can be that much less expensive. It would be interesting to know how many WMs ZVex shift ? On a similar note wasn't there something about charging what seemed like a lot for a blanking plate or similar (or did I imagine that :-?) I remenber that, in the pro audio field, Focusrite sold a rack unit blanking plate at a rather high cost but it was what you needed if you wanted your rack to have a red anodised aluminium plate in keeping with the Focusrite kit, rather than a plain back metal sheet from Studiospares etc...

Well the 'business model' seems to be is to charge very high on basis of reputation. Whether you appreciate the 'novel' aesthetics is a matter of your taste I guess. The circuitry itself is based around a fairly standard transistor fuzz circuit that varies gain and bias levels etc. I think any justification would be in selecting and matching the discrete transistors - I believe that the transistors in the ZVex tend to have their part number etc obscured - but various sites seem to indicate optimum hfe parameters. And other design detail eg the tone circuit values / characteristics. Doesn't seem to justify the big money to me fwiw.

Do any / all of the basses have low impedance pickups (EMG etc...) and / or active circuits ?

Could you expand a bit on why the quality of the OLP electrics concerns you. I have one of these but not yet looked 'under the hood'. Is it the quality of the components - pots etc. or the way the wiring is done or ... ?

Good Info. Thanks.

Firstly I'd say you really don't need to start spending the 'big money' to get good rack compression. I'd say hit ebay and pick up a decent VCA based rack unit. As an example an 'early' Behringer MDX2000 Composer (Yes - Behringer !) is likely a good buy (Later versions with the 'shiny' fascia are more dubious by reputation but I have an earlier model) But pretty much anything from the likes of Yamaha / dbx etc that has full control over attack / release as well as auto options should get you a long way. Control of the knee function is handy too. They can be a bit more work to get your sound compared to pedals but that's basicaly because they give you more options rather than trying to have a particular sound. Bearing in mind that these things are meant to be applicable to any sound source or mix and not aimed specifivcally at bass / guitar use. Plus of course you get two channels to play with allowing a great deal of flexibility. Probably a bit further up the price scale, the Rane DC24 is no longer available new but would be good if found used. Ovnilab link: [url="http://www.ovnilab.com/reviews/dc24.shtml"]http://www.ovnilab.c...iews/dc24.shtml[/url] And if you do want to spend big money you'd probably want to take a look at this : [size=4][color=#000000][font=verdana, tahoma, arial, helvetica]Empirical Labs EL8 X Distressor[/font][/color][/size] [size=4][color=#000000][font=verdana, tahoma, arial, helvetica]- One channel but has tube / opto emulation etc.[/font][/color][/size]

Well they seem 'standard issue' for shipping technical kit etc to exhibitions and things so I reckon it should be fine if the bass fits in nicely.

[quote name='AinsleyWalker' timestamp='1447965976' post='2911961'] Yeah I have tried this, works outm but currently only have one right angle cable (10ft) and I used that to go into my bass. My local guitar shop closed so when I go in one soon I might grab a 20ft to go out of the board [/quote] Right angle jacks the obvious answer. Use quality Neutrik jacks if space allows.

How was the G5 powered ?

First stop - the pots themselves. For cleaning I'd recommend you take a look at the Caig DeOxit products. If they are accessible and you're handy with a soldering iron then I'd suggest to consider replacing them. The pots fitted will almost certainly be carbon track types but if you can get the same value / taper / size with either Conductive Plastic or Cermet tracks then they will l;ast longer. If the pots don't fix the problem then I'd suspect any electrolytic capacitors in the signal path - small metal cans on the pcb - as they are the most likely to fail with time. This can then lead to dc voltages on the controls and noise when pots are moved.

6 Ohms ????

Get a piece of dowel that best fits (shape it to suit if practicable). Make sure the hole is clean inside. put a good measure of wood glue into the cavity. Push dowel in. Excess wood glue will come out of the hole - wipe it up quickly. The glue should fill small gaps between the dowel and the wall of the cavity. Position bass so that gravity is in your favour keeping dowel in the hole - it probably not practicable to clamp it but you could try a piece of masking tape or similar if it seems necessary. Leave to set. I'd suggest using a standard type glue (ie not fast drying as these can give a slightly weaker join although it would probably be fine.) Be patient and leave to set 24hr minimum. Resulting join should be as strong as, or stronger, than wood itself. You will need to sand down to get a uniform finish - use masking tape and take your time, Any minor issues will likely be covered / obscured by the new straplock.

[quote name='elephantgrey' timestamp='1444578947' post='2884256'] As always, gigrig is the king of power supplies (how many more times do i have to suggest them before they give me some free stuff?), but for just those pedals id suggest the [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_powerplant_junior.htm"]HB powerplant jr[/url]. Id avoid the larger HB supply, as its not isolated, but for the price of the jr, you cant beat it for a small board. [/quote] I hope you're right - I've just bought 3 of these but haven't yet had time to try them. Had a look inside though (bit fiddly but doable) late at night in front of the TV . Looks okay :-)

Have to 'chip' in that with a decent magnifier and basic tools / aids etc surface mount components are only a real issue if they are ultra tiny, say below 0603 case size or, in the case of ics, fine pitched. Standard SOIC8 packages for example are easily handled with a bit of practice. And there may be components on both sides so look out for that. In some ways it's better with SMT stuff as ypou don't get so much wear and tear on the pcb holes for component legs.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1444803006' post='2886078'] I seem to recall the switch was added to bump up the output 'cos it wasn't hot enough to drive a power amp. [/quote] That sounds about right - it basically goes between the sort of level you get in an effects chain and 'proper pro audio' line level

[quote name='phuze' timestamp='1444726074' post='2885298'] Not sure as it's at the beginning of the chain on my pedalboard. I do recall using the XLR in studios and engineers saying it was a low output. I swear it never used to be this low though [/quote] Does the Output Level switch (as mentioned by wateroftyne above) have any effect ?

[quote name='phuze' timestamp='1444632413' post='2884551'] Bumping this thread as I have a similar issue. My Sansamp is pretty old now, 15 years or so, and I'm sure it didn't use to be this quiet. Any tech wizards got any thoughts? [/quote] Do you have the problem on both the XLR out and the Jack out ?

The Joyo etc stuff and the odd auction can be well worth it on eBay but unless you can conveniently pick up yourself then Gumtree etc seems the way to go in general. Recently picked up a Boss ODB3 for £25 on Gumtree. Then again got a real bargain on the Zoom B1xON on eBay auction even allowing for them being a real bargain at new retail price.

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1443962878' post='2878983'] Sorry, should have mentioned they are good for widening the slots without making them deeper. Which is what I thought you wanted. [/quote] Well I think that's what the OP wanted but I sort of overlooked that as I have been cutting a nut to be lower. It's a useful tool nevertheless for not much money so thanks for the tip. Makes me wounder if feasible to stick an abrasive surface on the edges but may be to fiddly to get it on flat and accurately.

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1443621171' post='2876327'] Or get your frets dressed [/quote] +1 Def sounds like you need to get the frets sorted.