Fixed Bass!

[rOB]

Recently had a crackly jack socket on my Schecter C4. Bearing in mind my own technical capabilities (very limited) I had a bit of a peek at the electronics and managed to replace the socket the other day.

I was a bit nervous about using a soldering iron for the first time since school but found it surprisingly easy.

Hugely pleased that its fixed and proud that I managed it myself.

Edited September 6, 2010 by rOB

[gary mac]

Good man, nice job and saved yourself a few bob

[Cat Burrito]

I'm a bit of a technophobe myself & there is nothing better than sorting out the problem myself. Nice one

[ahpook]

good work - it's very satisfying to do your own maintenance...makes you feel more connected to your bass imho

[LawrenceH]

Watch out it's a slippery slope, soon you'll be sucked into a world of orange drops, copper foil and S1 switches never to emerge!

[steve-soar]

Good on ya. Every bassist needs to know basic maintenance of their instrument.

[waynepunkdude]

I also fixed the wiring on a bass today for the first time, I have tried many times to no avail but today was special.

[mep]

Nice one. Every musician with an electric instrument should get to grips with a soldering iron. If it's not your bass then it's some lead or connection that needs fixing.

[Bottle]

[quote name='mep' post='946647' date='Sep 5 2010, 08:37 PM']Nice one. Every musician with an electric instrument should get to grips with a soldering iron. If it's not your bass then it's some lead or connection that needs fixing.[/quote]
I'm pretty handy with a soldering iron - been doing it for something like 20-odd years - but I still have pangs of nervousness when opening up my bass' control cavity (silly, really). I've made my own 1/4" leads, XLR cable and speaker cables, not to mention all other types of cables and extension cords.

Think the toughest job was rewiring our stage multi (24 sends, 4 returns). Still, was glad I took the plunge and modded my spare bass (the Ibanez)

HTH, Ian

Here's a couple of piccies:

[rOB]

[quote name='mep' post='946647' date='Sep 5 2010, 08:37 PM']Nice one. Every musician with an electric instrument should get to grips with a soldering iron. If it's not your bass then it's some lead or connection that needs fixing.[/quote]

For sure, reading an article on somewhere (probably here) about electrical safety for musicians made me want to give it a go rather than taking it to a pro.

Does anyone have any recommendations for further reading on maintenance of basses/amps/cables? I'd like to do more but don't want to electrocute myself/damage any gear.