Need help with an Aria Sinsonido bass electronics

[sandy_r]

2 hours ago, Aalin said:

HI Both of you

 

Is it possible that the difference in bass sound between our 3 Sinsos is only due to the adjustment of the pickups under the strings?
I cannot remember the name of the company that made those electret fo Aria.
but they could probably answer to the effect of the adjustment on the sound of the bass.
For me, I think the string must be sited firmly on the cylinder. Some folks report the problem of difference in sound between the strings, and probably due to the fact that the slot before the cylinder was too tight or too high to let the strings pass or sit correctly.
Don’t expect any answers from Aria, they don’t.

For the power supply
The only instruction I have is this paper. Are you sure of your power supply ?

 

 

Thanks Alain, yes, that single sheet of paper is the entire manual from Aria, for the Sinsonido (Guitar and Bass) - the information there is very poor! (No indication of detail, for power supply polarity, etc)

 

The pickups (and original guitar design) are from Soloette Inc. - as mentioned earlier, I wrote to them a few weeks ago - no reply so far

 

I have also contacted Aria UK to ask about availability of PCBs

 

 

[sandy_r]

2 hours ago, GetFletch said:

I didn't realise that not all Sinsonido's have the the DC Power Supply.  I have the same 1-page Sinsonido Guitar manual that show 9V/200mA.  I bought my Sinsonido second hand on Reverb and it came with 9V/150mA adaptor that did initially work.  I will go to my local electrical store and try to test a 9V/200mA adaptor of both polarities.  

 

Sandy - fyi, there is a Sinsonido "body" currently available on Reverb as replacement parts: 
https://reverb.com/uk/item/61229229-aria-sinsonido-bass-body-plus-parts-2001-natural

 

Good idea re. your PSU polarities - in fact, if you take your bass they may agree to confirm which DC socket pin connects to 0v (remembering it gets switched on by inserting a guitar jack!), so you will know if the socket is centre-positive (like most consumer goods, or centre-negative (like most guitar effect devices)

 

Thanks for the heads-up re: Reverb: A used Sinsonido body might be tempting at a much lower price (& i see they accept offers) ...but unfortunately that particular part appears to be the after-effect of a car crash 😞   

 

It's photos do, however, answer a question which Alain and i have discussed about the pickup: the 2 grub screws do not fix the piickup to the bridge, so they must only be for adjusting the pickup - probably to raise the pickup tube into the strings

 

good luck with thd PSU investigation!

 

[sandy_r]

1 hour ago, lemmywinks said:

There's a few different versions of the Sinsonido with three body styles, two body wing arrangements (with two different diameters of foam, again can be on either style) and AFAIK two different preamps with the controls located either on the upper or lower side. Mine is an early one with the straight body, two thicker body wings, preamp controls on the bottom and the headphones used the 1/4" output jack.

 

You get different arrangements of those as well so not like there were 3 distinct models or anything, just a random assortment. For a bass that didn't have particularly wide appeal or was available for a long time it underwent a lot of changes!

 

Nice review of the development, Thanks LW!  It seems that, between the 4 of us, we have 1 of each of these variants

 

In fact, there is still 1 later variant - it looks like @GetFletch version, but one of the controls, presumably Tone, is stacked (and therefore a different version of the PCB, too)

 

[sandy_r]

4 hours ago, GetFletch said:

Sandy - fyi, there is a Sinsonido "body" currently available on Reverb as replacement parts: ...

 

Hah - having said that Sinso body is not worth the money, the seller and i have agreed a lower offer and the bits will soon be on their way!

 

So hopefully, i will be able to inspect the pickup in more detail, and maybe even confirm the possibility of replacing electrets, if needed, and secondly i can inspect this earlier 2001 PCB (prone to capacitor aging, and with non-standard IC circuit config), check it on my Sinso for correct operation, remove unecessary caps, and confirm that the remaining old caps can be replaced by better types and still work satisfactorily

 

watch this space / à suivre

 

[GetFletch]

Sandy - you are a stickler for punishement 😁

[Aalin]

Sandy, you mean you bought it ?

[sandy_r]

1 hour ago, Aalin said:

Sandy, you mean you bought it ?

 

Yes, i'm afraid that is what i mean 

 

...please don't tell my wife - she is helping me deliver all my old pub-band bass gear to a local school next week!

 

[GetFletch]

Be careful the wife doesn’t throw it out  with the rubbish. 

[Richard R]

Slightly off the main topic- what wood is the Sinsonido made from? And is it one piece with the neck?

[sandy_r]

9 hours ago, Richard R said:

Slightly off the main topic- what wood is the Sinsonido made from? And is it one piece with the neck?

 

Throughout the Aria** versions, the Bass body is solid Mahogany, and the neck is usually Maple (with a Rosewood fretboard, i believe)

(** The Sinsonido is licensed from Soloette Inc, and their guitar versions appear to be a one-piece design, but not Mahogany)

 

Some versions of the guitar appear to have had Mahogany neck

 

Edited December 9, 2023 by sandy_r

[Richard R]

Thanks @sandy_r.

I couldn't remember if it was a separate bolt-on neck or was a single piece of wood for body and neck. Like a through-neck but without anything to go through. 

Looking at the headstock end it is now obvious there are the little maple "wings" just beyond the nut. 🙂

 

 

 

[Aalin]

On 08/12/2023 at 16:08, sandy_r said:

 

Yes, i'm afraid that is what i mean 

 

...please don't tell my wife - she is helping me deliver all my old pub-band bass gear to a local school next week!

 

You mean you will not play any more ?

[Aalin]

100 £ for two electrets and a PCB, could be a good idea

[sandy_r]

6 hours ago, Aalin said:

You mean you will not play any more ?

i finished with my blues/rock bands just before CV19, to be free to care for my mother.  i hope to play more acoustic type sets again, someday

 

6 hours ago, Aalin said:

100 £ for two electrets and a PCB, could be a good idea

i'm hoping that infornation will be more valuable than just the parts (£70 was accepted)

 

[sandy_r]

On 07/12/2023 at 11:23, GetFletch said:

I didn't realise that not all Sinsonido's have the the DC Power Supply.  I have the same 1-page Sinsonido Guitar manual that show 9V/200mA.  I bought my Sinsonido second hand on Reverb and it came with 9V/150mA adaptor that did initially work.  I will go to my local electrical store and try to test a 9V/200mA adaptor of both polarities

...

 

hi David

i've been able to confirm with a dealer who has some Sinsonido product that the DC supply spec. is 9V, 200mA, centre-negative, as for effect pedals

 

hope this helps!

 

[GetFletch]

Hi Sandy - that's a great help.  Thank you very much.

[sandy_r]

On 20/12/2023 at 12:46, Aalin said:

Speaking of the internal baffle arrangement, which can be adjusted using 2 allen-screws through the top of the tube,
Does trying to adjust the screws, turning them one side or the others could change the sound, to try to find the best position for the best sound possible ?

 

# part1

 

hi Alain, i've completely unscrewed 1 Allen screw from the old parts pickup and it is clear now that it is not adjusting anything - i believe that it is used to hold a metal part inside the plastic tube, to support the 2 strings on each side of that screw

 

 

Removing the electret at one end, and looking into the inside of the tube, there is a soft plastic ring next to something metal

 

 

So it appears that the whole tube is hollow but contains two internal metal pieces which each support 2 strings, with the 2 electret mics held in place with plastic end-caps

 

Gently tapping the pickup whilst connected to an amp at low volume, the tube sounds more hollow in the gaps between the strings

 

Edited December 21, 2023 by sandy_r

[sandy_r]

On 20/12/2023 at 12:46, Aalin said:

Speaking of the internal baffle arrangement, which can be adjusted using 2 allen-screws through the top of the tube,
Does trying to adjust the screws, turning them one side or the others could change the sound, to try to find the best position for the best sound possible ?

 

...#2

 

i slightly tightened the Allen screw between the D/G strings and the 'buzz' on the D string has now stopped - i don't think it changes the tone (the 1st recording sounds more 'bassy' because i used the stereo jack adaptor cable and received both pickup signals)

 

[Old PCB + fix, Tflat, 2 channel mixed (stereo-to-mono cable)]  ... before tightening screw

 

 

[Old PCB+ fix, Tflat, 1 channel (mono cable)] ...after tightening screw

 

Edited December 21, 2023 by sandy_r

[lemmywinks]

Just got my Sinsonido strung up with Thomastik Acousticore strings designed for piezo equipped basses - they really suit the bass and are ideal if you want something quite lively but still retaining that mellow/acoustic vibe. Mine has a piezo bridge/analog workshop preamp but I imagine they'd work fine with the standard configuration.

 

What strings are you guys using on the fretless version?

[sandy_r]

51 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

Just got my Sinsonido strung up with Thomastik Acousticore strings designed for piezo equipped basses - they really suit the bass and are ideal if you want something quite lively but still retaining that mellow/acoustic vibe. Mine has a piezo bridge/analog workshop preamp but I imagine they'd work fine with the standard configuration.

 

What strings are you guys using on the fretless version?

 

hi, interesting to read that there are strings available for piezo applications - that really rounds your setup off nicely!

 

Currently i have groundwound (?) strings on mine (a legacy from pub/band days), but i've recently been given some LaBella Copper flats as a birthday present (not sure if that's mine or the basses')

 

Maybe you would consider recording a short audio clip for this thread to show the results you've achieved with your own setup?

 

[Edit] ...actually, a bit of detail on the new thread re. Sinsonido electronics issues, about your own setup, would fit well if convenient

 

cheers

 

Edited December 21, 2023 by sandy_r

[lemmywinks]

1 hour ago, sandy_r said:

 

hi, interesting to read that there are strings available for piezo applications - that really rounds your setup off nicely!

 

Currently i have groundwound (?) strings on mine (a legacy from pub/band days), but i've recently been given some LaBella Copper flats as a birthday present (not sure if that's mine or the basses')

 

Maybe you would consider recording a short audio clip for this thread to show the results you've achieved with your own setup?

 

[Edit] ...actually, a bit of detail on the new thread re. Sinsonido electronics issues, about your own setup, would fit well if convenient

 

cheers

 

 

I'll try an cobble something together after these strings have bedded in, being a nylon core they take a bit of playing in to hold their tuning, also why they don't work with magnetic pickups! I have similar strings on my little Ibanez Artcore parlour bass (D'Addario EXPPBB190GS) which is my most fun bass to play around the house.

 

I think I got quite lucky fitting Aliexpress sources bridge/piezo arrangement as string balance seems to be fine whatever strings I use and the intonation is much better with the angled saddle which I tried to place as far back as possible, always an issue on the fretted Sinsonido as they tend to go a fair bit sharp up the neck.

[sandy_r]

sounds good, no rush, would be good to include it in the range of options for people to consider

 

glad to hear it all worked out well with the Sinsonido  ...and the Artcore sounds fun, too 👍

 

[Aalin]

Hi, Speaking strings, I strung with Thomastik JF 344, Flatwound. I like those stings that I had for a long time on my Takamine TB10. Very light gauge, Flatwound to protect the fingerboard, and I like the sound of them.
I have tried the Thomastik Acousticore on my Taka TB10, but the surface noise was too much important for me when changing position with the left hand on the fingerboard, otherwise I would have kept them, for the sound, the light gauge, despite the fact that they are round wound and it can mark the fingerboard.

- For the Allen key, so they must be tightened firmly and are just here to hold the electret.

This way, the buzz disappears, now Sandy no more buzz on the D string.

[lemmywinks]

The next string I'm going to try are black nylons but ideally I'd be looking at no more heavier than 50-115, not sure how feasible thicker gauges would be with the Sinsonido headstock.

 

Prices are off-putting though, looking at £70+£100 for Labella, D'addario or GHS.

[lemmywinks]

3 hours ago, Aalin said:

Hi, Speaking strings, I strung with Thomastik JF 344, Flatwound. I like those stings that I had for a long time on my Takamine TB10. Very light gauge, Flatwound to protect the fingerboard, and I like the sound of them.
I have tried the Thomastik Acousticore on my Taka TB10, but the surface noise was too much important for me when changing position with the left hand on the fingerboard, otherwise I would have kept them, for the sound, the light gauge, despite the fact that they are round wound and it can mark the fingerboard.

 

 

 

The noise is a little offputting and even if you're very careful with your technique it's still present, I'm going to see if I can lessen it with the 5khz brilliance control on my Fishman Platinum Pro.

 

I've just received a Zoom MS60b today and briefly tried it with my Sinsonido, using the Fishman and Punch Factory patches (AcBsPre and OptComp) gets good results.