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Dankology

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Posts posted by Dankology

    Pickups - please help an idiot out

    in Repairs and Technical

    Posted

    8 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

    If it is louder (much louder) when either pickup is solo than when both are present, it is out of phase - there can be a slight drop in volume when they are both up, but not to the point where it is problem.

    Thank you for taking the time - really appreciate this: first day of a much needed holiday and I really didn't intend spending it repeatedly taking a bass apart.

    It's passive with a VVT layout. The earth seemed well-anchored under the bridge and the continuity you describe above seems intact.

    I've just taken the P pick up out and run a multimeter across it: 8.4ohm across the two units and 4.1 when each is checked individually. This means almost nothing to me but it seemed promising that there wasn't a huge discrepancy between the two.

    Pickups - please help an idiot out

    in Repairs and Technical

    Posted

    1 minute ago, Woodinblack said:

    Depending on how tinny, either one of your pickups is out of phase (either the coil is wound the wrong way, the pickup is in backwards or the lead is reversed), or its a feature of the bass.

    I would just swap the wires from one of the pickups round and try again

    But it's definitely got worse since I started fiddling with it - there was no volume difference when the P pickup was soloed before which makes me think I've possibly damaged the coil while tinkering.

    I forgot to mention as well - when both volume pots are turned all the way down there is still some output...

    Pickups - please help an idiot out

    in Repairs and Technical

    Posted

    I'll try and keep this short.

    I recently picked up a second hand Relvelation PJ with a known issue with the pickups. On playing it, it seemed that both the P and J pickups were fine on their own but when set at the same volume (ie both full open), the D and G strings became very tinny.

    I'd already ordered a new loom from Kiogan of this parish and had hoped that installing this it would rectify any dodgy wiring issues. Sadly the D and G issue remained. I tried swapping the white and black wires from the P around but by the time I tested this, the P pickup on its own now had a huge volume difference between the E/A and the D/G.

    So I suspect I've broken (or at least finished off) the half of the P pickup that covers the higher two strings.

    I was looking to replace it like for like as I really quite liked what little I heard of the Entwistle PBXN before killing it.

    So, two questions, please:

    1) is there anything else I can do or check before replacing the pickup?

    2) if I do replace it, can I save a couple of quid by buying the standard PBX pickup and swapping in the neodymium magnets from the existing pickup?

    Where do i stand legally

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I like HW, they seem like decent people.

    Although I do recall one of the staff threatening to impale my friend on a Les Paul about 25 years ago... The friend did have it coming in truth.

    I was wondering if this might have been Rimmers, who I recently had a slightly underwhelming experience with.

    Fretless Revelation

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    I've now had a listen through an amp. It definitely needs a new jack socket (or possibly a bit of bending to innards of the current one).

    But explain this one to me: when both volume pots are wide open, the D and G strings are suddenly very tinny. This only happens during the final couple of degrees of their range and for the rest of the range they have no effect at all when used together. Either seems to work fine when the other is zeroed.

    I'm hoping the new wiring will sort out any oddities but just curious to know what might be causing this particular effect.

    Fretless Revelation

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    It arrived early!

    Just been messing about with it unplugged so far. The strings seem a little on the thin side for my tastes so I'm hoping some heavier ones will solve the nasty rattle that the A string has at the nut when played open.

    There's also some slight choking of the A and D stings around the very top of the neck. Not really sure what to do here but will probably treat myself to a nice set up once I've restrung it and got the new loom in place.

    Reasonably happy thus far...

    Fretless Revelation

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    5 minutes ago, Grahambythesea said:

    Is this your first encounter with fretless? If so 2 tips trust your ears and remember your fingers have to where the fret would have been, not behind it.

     

    I've had an unlined acoustic for a couple of years - really wanted a lined electric but the price on this one was too good to let go.

    Fretless Revelation

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    I'd been holding out for a fretless Jazz of some variety but with studio time booked I couldn't resist a £110 Revelation RPJ-77 on Ebay last night:

     

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Revelation-4-String-Fretless-Bass-RPJ-77-Sunburst/264877128842

     

    There's an odd comment about a phase issue with the pickups but I'm presuming that will be a straightforward fix.

    I know a couple of people here have owned the same model so please tell me what a smart buy I've made and what cool mods I might consider...

    • Like 1

    Disappointingly short gigs

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    8 hours ago, Monkey Steve said:

    I've got the cover of Gimme Shelter...  I've got the Indie one too, with Tom Jones doing the same song with New Model Army and it is one of my all time favourite recordings

     

    I thought I was the only person who remembered that... one of my all time favourites too, despite having otherwise little interest in either artist.

    • Like 1

    Double albums that do and don't work.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I've just had to double check London Calling's tracklisting.

    The Clampdown, Rudie Can't Fail, The Card Cheat, Guns of Brixton, I'm Not Down, Train in Vain,  London Calling itself... I can see why it blindsided some punks and it certainly waxes and wanes over its full length but the Clash would go on to much, much worse than this.

    On topic though, I reckon the White Album, Tusk, Physical Graffiti and Trout Mask really work. But it's a bit hard to call nowadays as someone said earlier: almost every album that has come out since the early 90s would have been a double vinyl record back in the day.

    I especially like Wreckless Eric's Big Smash LP - but that's a bit of a cheat as he interleved a new album and a singles collection across the four sides.

    Live album shenanigans

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Having worked on far too many live recordings for my own good (all very low level stuff btw) I've long reconciled myself to things like vocals and mic'd instruments being overdubbed after the fact.

    But what narks me is additional fake audience noise, especially when they get it wrong. The original pressing of Dylan Unplugged had a terribly obvious loop of audience whooping running incessantly through one song...

    I think there is a long history of dropping audience noise from one recording into another: the famous Oasis live cover of I am the Walrus I think has crowd noise from a Faces bootleg; Lou Reed Live has a John Denver audience - although I'm not sure the cry of "Lou Reed sucks" comes from the JD gig.

    The Woodstock live LPs have several tracks recorded elsewhere sneakily dropped in - always been particularly annoyed by this one. And speaking of Woodstock, the more recent Hendrix releases ov his set have everyone other than the basic trio essentially mixed out...

    Was a bit gutted when I heard the raw version of the Doors doing Gloria having spent years marvelling at what a tight "live" performance it was on Alive She Cried.

    I recently mixed a live recording for a reasonably well known US band where there was no chance of overdubbing anything. Cheats I used included:

    -muting a lot of bvs

    -putting the main vocal through a valvey distortion effect to thicken it up

    -re-amping the rhythm guitar throughout

    -copying a couple of passages from one part of a song to another to cover flubs

    -a few instances of stretching bass notes to hide chokes

    -loads of automated eq to kill feedback 

    So nothing controversial or too devious but a massive amount of work to make it sound halfway decent. I can definitely understand even the most well intentioned verite project fast descending into studio trickery.

    • Like 1

    Mass extinction event

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Dankology

    Over lockdown I've been involved with a weekly series of compilations to raise funds for independent Manchester venues.

    Vol 15 came out today - we've so far compiled 150 tracks by 148 artists, a mixture of old, new, local and famous - all the tracks can be sampled as streams without having to pay. While not all of it is entirely to my tastes, I'd feel very sorry for the person unable to find something new, good or both in here:

    https://lockdownlive.bandcamp.com/

     

    Shall I pop my blisters. Updated !

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    12 minutes ago, bassist_lewis said:

    I've done similar, but rather than just poke the side, I put a short piece of thread on the needle and go all the way through, leaving the thread poking out both sides. This allows the fluid to drain and for it to heal. I also usually put a plaster over it to hold the thread in place but leave it open to the air as much as you can.

    It's an old hiker's trick.

    Do not do this.

    • Like 1
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