bremen Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1365540698' post='2041004'] Ted said it was labelled 100K. 100K is 0.00001 MFD 103K is 0.01 MFD 104K is 0.1 MFD [/quote] Either the marking is wrong, Ted mis-read it or that cap had no effect on the tone whatever the position of the pot. 0.00001 MFD is 10pF, a small fraction of the capacitance of the jack lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedmanzie Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 ah ha! i think it actually says 10u? its quite hard to make out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 [quote name='tedmanzie' timestamp='1365626817' post='2042139'] hmmm.... this is going not too well! i can solder to the pot 'arms' ok but i just cannot get the solder to flow onto the pot casing. its like my soldering iron is too low (15w) , or the solder is crap (lead free), or both.... [/quote] A little bit late, but for future reference:- You can't solder directly to a pot casing, you need to 'rough up' the surface you intend to solder on with a little bit of sandpaper or the like before you start. Once you've done that, you hold the soldering iron flat against that prepared area and melt the solder onto it. That'll give you (hopefully) a neatly flown pool of solder. Tin the wire you want to connect, reheat the pool and push the wire into it. Hold it perfectly still and don't be tempted to blow it to cool it down artificially. A 15W iron is a little small for the job and LF solder isn't what I'd use from choice, but it's not impossible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 [quote name='tedmanzie' timestamp='1365682279' post='2042765'] ah ha! i think it actually says 10u? its quite hard to make out [/quote] That's too high. It probably says 104 or 0.1u unless someone has done a radical piece of experimentation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedmanzie Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1365701809' post='2043255'] A little bit late, but for future reference:- You can't solder directly to a pot casing, you need to 'rough up' the surface you intend to solder on with a little bit of sandpaper or the like before you start. Once you've done that, you hold the soldering iron flat against that prepared area and melt the solder onto it. That'll give you (hopefully) a neatly flown pool of solder. Tin the wire you want to connect, reheat the pool and push the wire into it. Hold it perfectly still and don't be tempted to blow it to cool it down artificially. A 15W iron is a little small for the job and LF solder isn't what I'd use from choice, but it's not impossible. [/quote] tried to do exactly that after having watched several youtube vids. roughed it up ok, but just couldn't get the solder to melt. i gave up before i did any damage as it was stressing me out too much! charlie turned it around in a day for £25 which was money well spent i reckon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedmanzie Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 for anyone interested, i now have the 32" scale bass back with the '62 fender pickups installed. it sounds good, better than before! BUT... my 34" JV p-bass still sounds better! hard to describe but it just has a richer tone, more resonant, more woody. i am surprised there is still so much difference, it must be down other factors - wood and scale length i suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 (edited) FLUX!!! For the pot casings, you not only need to "rough up" the edge of the surface, but in order for the solder to flow, a little bit extra flux needs to be applied to the roughed up spot immediately so that it forms a film to keep oxygen out, to help the iron heat the surface, and to provide the vehicle to melt the solder to make a good, shiny joint, as it is supposed to do. Use (American spelling) rosin flux, NOT ACID FLUX (that's only for water pipes), and apply just a small, thin film with the proper flux brush to the area to be soldered. Something like this would be good: [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/rosin-flux-dispensing-pen-33850"]http://www.maplin.co.uk/rosin-flux-dispensing-pen-33850[/url] Edited April 12, 2013 by iiipopes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 [quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1365747163' post='2043730'] FLUX!!! For the pot casings, you not only need to "rough up" the edge of the surface, but in order for the solder to flow, a little bit extra flux needs to be applied to the roughed up spot immediately so that it forms a film to keep oxygen out, to help the iron heat the surface, and to provide the vehicle to melt the solder to make a good, shiny joint, as it is supposed to do. Use (American spelling) rosin flux, NOT ACID FLUX (that's only for water pipes), and apply just a small, thin film with the proper flux brush to the area to be soldered. Something like this would be good: [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/rosin-flux-dispensing-pen-33850"]http://www.maplin.co...nsing-pen-33850[/url] [/quote] Not necessary. In the UK, provided you aren't using plumbing solder, the most commonly available solder already has rosin in it. The trick is to understand that pot casings are either tarnished or have a lacquered finish and you need to remove that before you start. If you don't then you have a layer of crud (technical term ) between the pot surface and the solder pool and you'll never get a good solder flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bremen Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 I find flux pens helpful when soldering to big lumps like the back of pots, ground planes on pcbs and suchlike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 (edited) [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1365756696' post='2043869'] Not necessary.[/quote] Having soldered all kinds of electric guitar, bass, amplifier, audio equipment and other parts to keep gigs going for over thirty-five years, I must disagree. When soldering more than just a simple terminal or wire splice, the rosin core of the solder is insufficient to keep the metal clear. It's not crud; it's the immediate oxidation that occurs as the metal heats up with the oxygen in the air. Yes, on the back of a pot casing, a small bit of flux, as set forth in the post above, is necessary to assure a good, clean, compact solder joint that does not overheat the component. Can you solder the casing without the added flux? Yes, but why run the risk of a cold joint or stressed component? Edited April 12, 2013 by iiipopes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 [quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1365774908' post='2044347'] Having soldered all kinds of electric guitar, bass, amplifier, audio equipment and other parts to keep gigs going for over thirty-five years, I must disagree. When soldering more than just a simple terminal or wire splice, the rosin core of the solder is insufficient to keep the metal clear. It's not crud; it's the immediate oxidation that occurs as the metal heats up with the oxygen in the air. Yes, on the back of a pot casing, a small bit of flux, as set forth in the post above, is necessary to assure a good, clean, compact solder joint that does not overheat the component. Can you solder the casing without the added flux? Yes, but why run the risk of a cold joint or stressed component? [/quote] Righto. Have it your own way, but I'm doing it the way I've always done it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamfist Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 [quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1365774908' post='2044347'] Having soldered all kinds of electric guitar, bass, amplifier, audio equipment and other parts to keep gigs going for over thirty-five years, I must disagree. When soldering more than just a simple terminal or wire splice, the rosin core of the solder is insufficient to keep the metal clear. It's not crud; it's the immediate oxidation that occurs as the metal heats up with the oxygen in the air. Yes, on the back of a pot casing, a small bit of flux, as set forth in the post above, is necessary to assure a good, clean, compact solder joint that does not overheat the component. Can you solder the casing without the added flux? Yes, but why run the risk of a cold joint or stressed component? [/quote] thanks for the flux tip. I have always struggled with soldering onto the back of pots. Rosin flux pen now ordered ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 In my opinion, the electronic components are the most important part of an electric bass or guitar, after strings, in shaping the tone of it. I've upgraded pots on basses in the past, and it does definitely make a difference, not a huge amount, but it's noticeable. I usually put in 500k pots, so that will change the sound too if there are 250k pots in it, as 500k pots make it sound a little brighter. I think it's difficult to get good pickups on a cheaper instrument, so upgrading those is probably a good choice. Best thing to do for a good sound though is find the strings that make the sound you want! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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