dave_bass5

I took it apart again and re soldered the ground wires. It didnt seem as bad as i thought but i took all the advice posted here and re done it and it is indeed better, and a bit shinier :-) I used the 40watt and the new solder and it seemed a lot easier than last night. Im probably going to re do my other two basses now. Im sure i can do a better job now ive had a bit more practice and proper guidance. Cheers all.

[quote name='lojo' post='1019132' date='Nov 10 2010, 06:25 PM']Glad you had a good gig, thats why you spent all the money on gear [/quote] And not take any of it ;-)

Never trust a man in a suit :-)

Cheers for coming out publicly lol. That all makes sense. My 25watt is a Antex and the 40watt is a Draper. I did tin the 40watt before using it but i guess i didnt do something right. Yes, i can see some copper and its the iron thats breaking up. Ive got some of that tinning/cleaning power stuff Maplins sell but didnt use it that on that iron. Ive just got the correct tips for the 30watt so might stick with that for now, and picked up some 60 Tin/40 lead solder to see if that helps. Its funny but this is the first time ive worried about all this, but not the first time ive changed pups in a bass. And its the cheap bass.

[quote name='icastle' post='1018800' date='Nov 10 2010, 02:04 PM']The tip corroding is due to the rosin based flux used in multicore solder - it's why tips are replaceable. It's not a perfect solution, but you can take a file to the tip and get it back to a point where you can see copper again.[/quote] Thanks. The iron has only been used 3 times so i was very surprised this happened. My old 25watt iron is about 7 years old and its tip is fine.

Cheers guys. The only reason i got a new iron (and didn't use my old fluctuating 25watt) was the coating on the tip of the 40watt seems to be melting, or breaking off. Ive not seen a tip go like this before and was worried it might be getting hotter than it should. Its fairly new as well. So more heat, more mass and less contact time seem to be what's needed.

Thanks for that. As im having a "buy the wrong thing" week i did get the wrong solder tips as well. I brought a new 30watt iron but it only came with a pointed tip. I really wanted a chisel tip so brought a packet of tips but of course they were for the wrong iron (in fact for a solder station). I must be getting old as i definitely checked they were the correct ones before i picked them up. I do have a 40watt that might be better for the back of the pot, and this has a thicker tip so maybe ill give that ago tonight.

[quote name='icastle' post='1018707' date='Nov 10 2010, 01:04 PM']Thats where you went wrong - you need to get a film of solder nicely flowing on the back of the pot before you introduce the wire(s). If you just add solder to the whole area you just create a blob of solder with a wire in it which sits on a layer of flux - at best it'll just all fall away if you jolt the instrument and at worst it'll just not make a contact at all.[/quote] Thanks. Yes, that had crossed my mind and was one of the reasons i started this thread. It looks like its just sitting on the back of the pot, and while it feels firm enough, an dis working fine, i think i will re do it tonight, just in case. Good reply. I would try some non lead free solder but all the places i can get to at lunch time sell just the lead free stuff.

Cheers Guys. I hadn't thought of roughing it up first. Ill give that a go when i take it apart again at the weekend. I only did the volume pot this time but i do want to change the tone pot as well, and use some nicer cloth covered wire so ill have to re open the bass after i get this weeks gig out of the way. For what its worth, this is how i did it. I tinned the leads (3 of them) and then twisted the ends together and soldered them, so i only had one thick wire to deal with. I then held it in place with one of those multi soldering tools that has the clamps on it. I had the end of the wire flat against the back of the pot and then applied some heat and solder to cover it all. This is why i know it didn't move. I wasnt sure how long it would take to heat the back fo the pot, and didnt want to keep the iron on it for too long so i didnt prep the pot first. This sounds like a good idea so ill do it that way next time. All the other wires are hooked and twisted through the eyelets so im not too worried about the dull joints.

Cheers guys. I was doing it in my kitchen so no, it wasn't cold. Im pretty sure i was blowing on it so maybe that was it. Im not sure there was any movement as the wires were clamped or twisted around the eyelets. 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 name='EssentialTension' post='1018467' date='Nov 10 2010, 10:13 AM']Funny that, because I've also used Billie Jean to cue the drummer to end that solo now.[/quote] If my drummer even attempted to do a solo i would just throw my bass at him, in bar one.

I noticed last night i was getting the above when i was putting my bass back together and couldnt figure out why it was happening. This was with a new pot and clean wires (and even a new iron). I was using Maplins lead free solder and a 30watt iron.

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1018455' date='Nov 10 2010, 10:07 AM']I've got a standing bet on with a guitarist that, at every gig, I can somewhere slip in the main bass phrase from Green Onions or from Billie Jean whatever songs we play.[/quote] Funny that, I also slip a bit of Billie in when i get bored. Normally if a guitar solo goes on for too long (when will they learn), its normally his cue to finish up. The other one is groove is in the heart.

Nice one Gareth. I think most of us knew the outcome before you posted. Glad it went well though. Seems like the band came through in the end. What bass did you take?

[quote name='icastle' post='1018407' date='Nov 10 2010, 09:33 AM']Know exactly what you mean, I feel I [b]should[/b] like them because people say how good they are, but just can't quite stay interested long enough to sit and listen to an entire tune. I think it's cos they only play the verses and leave all the choruses out... [/quote] Yeah, i sometimes feel im not a real bass player because i dont know even 50% of the names banded about on here. The way some poepl go on about them make me feel liek i nee dot go and listen but liek you i just cant stay interested. Maybe its because its not really relevant to my playing as im much more of a basic driving bass line/rock player and i hate being asked to play solo's etc.

John Taylor was my first and biggest influence. John Deacon because i love his bass lines Bruce Foxton. I really got in to his bass line when i had to learn a load of Jam covers for the tribute thing i did a few years ago. So much energy. ....and who ever played the bass line im learning at the time. Ive never listened to Jaco, Wooten or many of the highly respected bass masters, especially the virtuosos. I find their sort of music just doesn't interest me in the slightest and in fact i find someone doing all that noodling very boring. Guess ive lived a sheltered life.

[quote name='sk8' post='1017873' date='Nov 9 2010, 05:52 PM']whys a gig thread in off topic? Surely its bass related [/quote] Not if your playing guitar or drums ;-)

And getting back to gigs. Has anyone played at Caerphilly Castle (THE castle. not a pub ;-) ? We have a gig there on Sat and have been told its pretty basic. Just wondering.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1017740' date='Nov 9 2010, 04:09 PM']Me too. Had to top it up half way through because I ran it too cold before I got in. On the upside, the new soap I got seemed to cut through better than my old body-wash... and smelled nicer. Got some nice comments afterwards. [/quote] I had 4 other bathers turn up expecting me to lend them my new Active shower gel One didn't even have a sponge.

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1017695' date='Nov 9 2010, 03:36 PM']Bath last night was fine.[/quote] I had a bath last night as well. No issues to report ;-)

[quote name='mart' post='1016793' date='Nov 8 2010, 07:33 PM']Fair enough. It shouldn't be a big job to replace the pot.[/quote] Yuo would think wouldn't you. The pots just turned up and ive ordered the wrong bloody ones. I knew i needed split shaft but seems like i ordered solid instead. I dont evne have any knobs that will fit. Im still going to try and get them fitted tonight and if they go in ok ill order some knobs tomorrow. I've also ordered some split shaft mini CTS pots, just in case although i would prefer to use the larger versions. what a mess lol. Im sure it will be al worth it.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1017222' date='Nov 9 2010, 09:44 AM']Agreed, being a perfectionist is annoying.[/quote] Nah, it just means your not perfect.

Gareth. I understand all your issues but having been through them all i say you really dont have anything to worry about. Too many bands spend way to long rehearsing, getting every note spot on. I've found this can drain the life out of a band. Your lucky in that you haven't been going for long and you have a big gig. There is nothing like a gig to help tighten a band up IME. I can see your girlfriends point, and assuming the band are rubbish ;-) then i would agree with her but it doesn't sound like you are. No band is going to be spot on, ever. I find in rehearsals there can be a lack of adrenalin running through the band if your going over the same songs week in week out. Im sure even if there are mistakes they will be so minor that no one will notice other than the band, and you'll all be have such a good time that it wont matter. I'm like you, always want the band to preform at their best and seem to worry the most, and get annoyed, when things dont go 100%. I find this has a detrimental effect on me though and if im in that sort of mood i dont enjoy the gig. When i look around at the others having a good time i want to kick myself (i tend to do a loud slap line when its not called for instead). You have done all this before so expect more, but give the others a break as im sure the last thing they will need is to feel down about the band. Again, ive been a pain with my lot and i could see that it creates the wrong atmosphere and doesnt help. Smile, enjoy the gig and report back tomorrow. Good luck.