umpdv5000

Truss rods just shouldn't snap and if they do, they've been poorly made. You should be able to over adjust a neck curve long before a truss rod comes under the stress needed to break. However, as a luthier I can tell you that not all snapping is necessarily due to a break in the truss rod. Depending on the type of truss rod and how it is fitted, I have come across a few that manage to pull themselves through the wood where they are anchored. This can give the impression that the truss rod has broken but in actual fact its the wood at the anchor point. The cure is still the same... fretboard off and fix the problem.

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]IN (at the moment):- A 70's Antoria EB-3 type bass, which is in a renovation state at present. Being a luther I buy in knackered instruments and renovate / improve on them. This is such a project. It's an everything type job, ie: total strip and repaint, new pickups, new bridge, new machine heads, new wiring and pots (new everything) and a refret. As you may be aware, early Antoria was built in the Ibanez factory and I wouldn't normally go to such expense on incoming instruments unless they were of high value, but this one I find a bit quirky and may find a place in my collection (I do normally sell them). What do you reckon to metal flake yellow as a colour? Quirky or too much?[/size][/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]Out:- Not really applicable this bit, as the ones I sell are not personal.[/size][/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]Learned: Having been in the muso business for over 40 years I've learned a hell of a lot, but this forum has taught me that most of you guys (including me) have a great respect for the Precision Bass.[/size][/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]Knowledge / Advice I would pass on:- We each develop a particular tone in our heads that we have as an ideal. Every time we use a new or different bass, we tweek and alter controls to get as close as we can to that ideal. It can save you a hell of a lot of money if you learn that Scale Length, String Type (round or flat), The Density of Body & Neck Wood (crucial) and Pickup Sensitivity are all the important factors and not the Name on the Headstock. When set up well, there are so many makes out there that will give you your ideal sound and you probably already own one.[/size][/font]

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]Considering that you mention in your original post that you can make the mic peak into the red on 9 - 10 then you are maxing out on the amount of gain that you can use on the mic anyway. Have you also taken into account the Proximity Effect and the volume at which you speak? Dynamic microphones reject intensity of sound the further away the sound source becomes. This means that the louder and closer your voice is to the mic, the louder the output. If you are recording to your hard drive using this system, what is the volume / sound like after its been recoded? [/size][/font]

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]Adding a "small" mixer can be useful for certain appliations, but you would need to add the word "good" small mixer to have any advantage and they're not so common. You may also find that you will need to turn the mic gain up on a mixer just the same and the result will be one of you just spending money. My home recording mixer is a Roland VS1680, which is a stand alone 16 track digital recorder and desk. I have to turn the input gain well up on this too for some mics, but as long as it's peaking when you do that, it's as good as you'll ever get (you can go overboard).[/size][/font]

The Chinese turn out some excellent products as well as poor stuff. There are good and bad tradesmen all over the world. However, irrespective of how good or bad the tradesmen are of China, when it comes to the quality of wood used at Fender China, it is markedly different to that used in Fender US and Japan. Choice wood makes a big difference when it comes to natural body sustain and the reduction of muddy overtones. Fender would never allow a subsiduary / cheaper manufacturing outlet to use high end wood, as this would devalue the US models (same applies with Epiphone by Gibson). It stands to reason that a company would be foolhardy to manufacture and sell cheaper the same standard of product, it would be cutting their own throat. My experience as a luther is that if you are happy to live with the wood quality, you can get a good basic guitar from these far eastern lands, but they usually need a few finishing refinements.

Hi MoJo, you will need a DPDT ON-ON-ON Mini Toggle Switch. Don't go for the micro toggle as they are a little less robust and are apt to break sooner. You can get one of these switches from www.warmanguitars.co.uk or go on ebay for them (Warman Guitars are the only ones that sell them on there anyway). As for the wiring... Looking at the back of the switch as the terminals are running in a verticle line. The two centre terminals would be wired together and a wire from these leading to your volume control (assuming that you are using only one volume control). Take note of how the center pins connect indevidually to the outer pins when the switch is in the centre position and connect your neck pickup to one end pin and the bridge pickup to the other end pin on the opposing side. The pins to connect to should be apparent to you from the diagram. Good luck. Martin. [URL=http://s26.photobucket.com/user/umpdv5000/media/3PositionDPDTON-ON-ONMinToggleSwitch_zpsd51080d0.jpg.html][IMG]http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c135/umpdv5000/3PositionDPDTON-ON-ONMinToggleSwitch_zpsd51080d0.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]Although I have never used a Rode Procaster mic, I do have a Rode NT1 (along with many others) and have a lot of experience with various microphone types and preamps used in film and recording. The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 will contain a preamp and while I might say that it does look like it is designed for condenser mic use, it should still suffice as use with a Dynamic mic such as the Procaster. Yes, you may have to turn the gain up high to get the desired sparkle from the mic, but as long as this does not introduce any electrical background noise, it will do the same job as any other preamp. Try not to think in numbers on the dial, just use your ears. Oh, and make sure you don't have the phantom power swiched in unless you start using a condenser mic.[/size][/font]

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]As a luthier I can confirm that most guitar builders will use a slightly highter fret for the Zero fret, although this is as much a technical matter as it is a preference. In a perfect engineering world, it should be exactly the same height as the rest. However, there are two things to take into account....[/size][/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]1. Player enthusiasm. Any string will rattle a bit if you hit it hard enough and so many players have been used to giving the open strings an extra whack whilst expecting them to be rattle free. A slightly higher fret will better allow this.[/size][/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]2. Getting an angle over the Zero fret so that it connects firmly. When a regular nut slot is cut, the bottom of the slot is not parallel to the fretboard. It is cut sloping toward the head so as to pivot on the fretboard edge of the nut. A Zero fret still needs a sufficient angle in order that the string frets properly. As long as the wood between the deep cut nut string guides does not inhibit this, then a Zero fret of the same height will work perfectly well and depending on the player, be more preferable. [/size][/font]

[b][size=8][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Then turn up the volume.[/font][/size][/b]

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]@wishface ...[/size][/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]Out of interest, what is the make and model of your bass?[/size][/font]

[size=5][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Yes, I email Hohner direct a few days ago, but they're closed until the 7th Jan for the holidays.[/font][/size]

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]They'll have to shout louder, I've gone really deaf over the years.[/size][/font]

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]@mickster .... If you have the need to do that on the saddles of your bass because the string angle isn't quite enough to do it naturally, the cure is to put a shim in the neck socket to give a slight backwards tilt. This will give need for the saddles to be raised to accommodate the tilt and Voila! problem solved. [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5] [/size][/font] [/size][/font]

[quote name='mickster' timestamp='1419732146' post='2642339'] And, you never know, it might just work... [/quote] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]Do you have to say any words when you do that, like... abracadabra? [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5] [/size][/font][/size][/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]I'm not having a go at you mickster, I just find the idea a bit of a joke. Lets face it, if you've tuned a string to the correct pitch, then it's going to be at the right tension to make any connections over saddles and nuts. Giving it a hard push can only serve to crush a bit of winding on the string and I can't see that as being helpful. Can you?[/size][/font][/size][/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]Truth is, that there are many articles of advice and tips on the net, but you must always bear in mind that they are someones personal ideas and sometimes missguiding. Once again... no offence meant. [/size][/font][/size][/font]

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]I would have to disagree and say that method would have little or no effect on the intonation. Occasionally you can get a piano string like sound when a string is plucked open on some instruments. This is caused either by the nut slot being cut incorrectly (too parallel to the fretboard) or the string angle over the nut or bridge saddle is not sufficiently angled. In either of these cases, it is time to have your instrument looked at by a competant repair luthier, having to press your finger hard down to crease the string is frankly nothing short of a joey fix.[/size][/font]

[url="http://s26.photobucket.com/user/umpdv5000/media/YamahaSB35Bass_zps4b739193.jpg.html"][/url]

Well guys, the info that you found on the net about this bass was probably one of my postings on another site. These basses are really rare and I cannot believe how cheap that one sold for. It's real value aught to be £1000+ and then some. Needless to say I own one of these SB-35's and wont part with it. The problem with the valuation of these basses is that they are so rare that not many people have ever seen one and information on these just doesn't exist, even from Yamaha. I bought mine a few years ago from a local flee market. I saw it stuck in a box of other brick a brack and I immediately honed in on it. It was in a bit of a very well used state and I bought it from the trader for £45. I remember seeing one of these basses (just one ever) during the early 70's in a local music shop that was stocking the new Yamaha SG range. This was the bass version of the range and obviously didn't sell as well at the time as did the SG2000 guitar and the like. Being a repair luthier, I renovated it back to a good playing state and I searched on the net to find information about it (I didn't even know the model name). The only thing that I found was a post on a forum a couple years ealier, from a guy in the States that had bought one second hand and was asking if anyone knew what it was (no one replied to him). By chance I found a guy who was a Yamaha rep during the 70's who knew everything about these basses.... Neck - Maple, Body - Katsura, 31.5" scale, single pickup, made between 1972-75. It's really heavy and for a medium scale it has a great ding. It's really different to other basses and a delight to play. If you ever find one of these for sale anywhere near the price of the one in the original posting.... TAKE THEIR ARM OFF! (and if you don't want it, tell me)

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]If your 1st string saddle is pulled back further than your 2nd string saddle, then you've got a duff string.[/size][/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]Don't forget to check out that website I posted, it may come in handy for your next string change.[/size][/font]

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1419586351' post='2640996'] How far back is it safe to have the saddle on any given string? There must come a point where the angle is too severe? [/quote][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]The only limitation you have on pushing the saddle back, is how much your bridge will allow you to do so. If you can intonate at some point, then you may get away with using the string. However, you may get a few wavery overtones from it.[/size][/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]Just as a point... if you're taking the saddle back to extremes, then you should slacken off the string a little every time you move it in that direction, then retune and test. A new string would be best though.[/size][/font]

[size=5][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Wonderful Kit. It's carrying it that I find difficult these days.[/font][/size]

Hi wishface, I would concour that it's most likely that it's a bad string you've got there. As a repair luthier I can tell you that this is not an uncommon problem with cheap sets of strings (not that I'm implying that yours are a cheap set). Having tried loads of different makes of strings over years, what is apparent is that some of the cheaper brands are not made to a precise standard and you can have the odd string that isn't perfectly round throughout its length. This creats problems with the intonation when you come to set it. You need to ditch the string for another. A bit of professional advice for buying "cheap" reliable strings... I use this suppliers own brand of strings on all my guitar / bass jobs. They always intonate as they should and are as good as any leading brand elsewhere. www.newstrings.co.uk

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1363953827' post='2020027'] Only got the one............ haven't any gut shots but will do when it gets worked on - hopefully soon. It's as I bought it except for a couple of replacement pre-amp valves & I had a Bulgin put back in - it had some kind of multi-socket connection when I got it. Loving your Ashton - never seen one of those before!!!! [/quote][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=5]Some 40 years ago when I was a young fella, I played with a pro band as lead guitar touring the Workingmens Clubs around the UK. The bass player had one of these Hiwatt 200's connected to 2 x 15" Fender Bass Cabs, using a 1961 Fender Precision Bass. I'd played with a couple of bands prior to this and thought that the bass players in those had a good sound, until I experienced this guy's. It was AWSOME! It was this that gave me a love for the bass (of which I now own 3). Although I am predominenty a guitarist, I enjoy playing bass when I get chance and although I've got a couple of good 15's cabs, I'd love to top them off with one of these (if I ever find one). There is a certain oomf and warmth that is unmistakable.[/size][/font]

I have it on good authority that Peavey (along with Trace Elliot) are pulling out of England and withdrawing to the States. This means only specific imports may reach our shores and no UK customer service.

Hi all, I am a repair luthier that has been presented with a Hohner B2A Bass in a rather "well used" condition, with the request as to put it back to working order. This particular model is what I believe to be the older type that includes an XLR socket as well as a standard Jack. I sorted a few jobs on the bass, give it a good set up and it now plays nicely working on it's passive controls. However, the active section is having none. I have given it a relatively brief once over making sure connections are in place, but I suspect that someone may have alterered the odd connection over its lifetime and this is why I could do with a circuit diagram for this model. I intend to give it a good inspection today and it may be that I can sort it without one, but I am a little bemused by the choke that is stuck to the XLR, which is the reason that I suspect it has been altered. Looking on the net, this site is the only place where someone has posted a circuit diagram for one of these basses, albeit the later model (which is a little different). If anyone could oblige I would be most grateful. Martin.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1419352550' post='2639072'] It'll be a standard unbalanced XLR wiring convention: Pin 1 - Earth Pin 2 - Live Pin 3 - Link to Pin 2 [/quote] Thanks for the reply, but it's not really the XLR wiring that I'm looking for (although this particular XLR has a choke on it that is sealed around with heat shrink tubing), I am in need of a full wiring diagram for the model that has an XLR. My fault really, I should have started a new thread asking for that, but I miss read the title of this one thinking that is what the original poster was after. To clarify... I am a repair luthier that has been presented with this bass in a rather "well used" condition, with the request as to put it back to working order. I sorted a few jobs on the bass, give it a good set up and it now plays nicely working on it's passive controls. However, the active section is having none. I have given it a relatively brief once over making sure connections are in place, but I suspect that someone may have alterered the odd connection over its lifetime and this is why I could do with a circuit diagram for this model. I intend to give it a good inspection today and it may be that I can sort it without one, but I am a little bemused by the choke that is stuck to the XLR which is the reason that I suspect it has been altered. Looking on the net, this site is the only one where someone has posted a circuit diagram for one of these basses, albeit the later model (which is a little different). If anyone could oblige I would be most grateful. Martin.