Temporary bodges that just last the course

[Geek99]

1 hour ago, Len_derby said:

Gluing cut-up bits of an old trouser belt on to a standard sized gig bag that allows it to be used for a short scale bass and hence stored in the car boot, out of sight.

 

 

That looks quite familiar ….

[Dood]

I was once asked to dep for a band, and the next thing I know, two years later I was still playing for them.

 

... wait.. *penny drops*

[BillyBass]

16 hours ago, Dood said:

I was once asked to dep for a band, and the next thing I know, two years later I was still playing for them.

 

... wait.. *penny drops*

I was considering posting something about a new band member of some famous band that I thought was crap, but I couldn't think of any.

[bass_dinger]

On 29/06/2025 at 11:28, Marky L said:

Does anybody else have a dodgy temp fix that has become  semi-permanent? 

 

The earth pin somehow snapped off my pedal board power cube PSU whilst in its case. An IKEA pencil in the bottom of my gig bag pocket and a quick reshape with the multitool and voila! It's now fixed to the PSU with a hair tie and after six months is proving is efficacy 😃

 

 

 

 

 

One could instead use an earth pin repair kit.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/315722101136?_skw=replacement+plug+pin&var=614139214463&itmmeta=01JZ3AWDX0KBZVACP3MC8BXV3T&hash=item498280f190:g:0HcAAOSwxiBm1tjf&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1eTrMiAGCJNorG0l7hwVVWPKgUQq0m0Wsden2GMNXeci9%2B%2Fdt8F7Yz6zHc0mcLCZwslevuhVCQayf1i1c5PTrfq4nBAXPsmRCsLlhy9nMVT2WsfbI2crLzT2y2Mq%2FMtkMg6MYvmprscq5FlM%2Fo5sc4AyailVWLNHN%2BR8J2lfk6WpJM6DhbDudxDgsXgHua%2FWExvC2yhsJmIjWu4624OriFaFuCeCYgDyDnsFhC8CBj9N%2B9ijt2mzZpelclfsqne56GkDhnXZbGCwkqpF85%2F7pKtmqR%2Bp3FB5wpwdqP2l3jV%2Bw%3D%3D|tkp%3ABFBM3t7x6vhl

 

 

Its purchase preserves both the pencil and @Marky L, for future and alternative use in the band.

 

I have one in my kit case, should the previous superglue-and-dowel repair to my own adapter fail.

 

[BillyBass]

4 hours ago, bass_dinger said:

 

One could instead use an earth pin repair kit.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/315722101136?_skw=replacement+plug+pin&var=614139214463&itmmeta=01JZ3AWDX0KBZVACP3MC8BXV3T&hash=item498280f190:g:0HcAAOSwxiBm1tjf&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1eTrMiAGCJNorG0l7hwVVWPKgUQq0m0Wsden2GMNXeci9%2B%2Fdt8F7Yz6zHc0mcLCZwslevuhVCQayf1i1c5PTrfq4nBAXPsmRCsLlhy9nMVT2WsfbI2crLzT2y2Mq%2FMtkMg6MYvmprscq5FlM%2Fo5sc4AyailVWLNHN%2BR8J2lfk6WpJM6DhbDudxDgsXgHua%2FWExvC2yhsJmIjWu4624OriFaFuCeCYgDyDnsFhC8CBj9N%2B9ijt2mzZpelclfsqne56GkDhnXZbGCwkqpF85%2F7pKtmqR%2Bp3FB5wpwdqP2l3jV%2Bw%3D%3D|tkp%3ABFBM3t7x6vhl

 

 

Its purchase preserves both the pencil and @Marky L, for future and alternative use in the band.

 

I have one in my kit case, should the previous superglue-and-dowel repair to my own adapter fail.

 

If the plug in question houses a transformer and isn't easily replaceable, ok, but at £6.99 that is way more expensive than a plug.  Just replace the plug with a new plug, which will cost under £2.

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, BillyBass said:

If the plug in question houses a transformer and isn't easily replaceable

 

It does... see start of the thread. 

[borntohang]

Festival talk has reminded me we once got a dodgy golf cart with a blown fuse. We bodged it with the foil bit out of a fag packet and it ran like a champ for a week. 

 

The following year, same festival, I got a suspiciously familiar golf cart. Opened up the fuse box out of curiosity and found that ciggy foil is much more durable than expected, or possibly that a series of unlucky crews were inspired by our initial bodge. 

 

At least it wasn't a nail this time. 

[Stub Mandrel]

4 minutes ago, borntohang said:

Festival talk has reminded me we once got a dodgy golf cart with a blown fuse. We bodged it with the foil bit out of a fag packet and it ran like a champ for a week. 

 

The following year, same festival, I got a suspiciously familiar golf cart. Opened up the fuse box out of curiosity and found that ciggy foil is much more durable than expected, or possibly that a series of unlucky crews were inspired by our initial bodge. 

 

At least it wasn't a nail this time. 

 

In the 70s things came with fag packet foil ready fitted 🤣

[Count Bassy]

On 30/06/2025 at 12:59, Rosie C said:

 

Been there! Mid 1990s, me and a friend were renovating a flat I'd bought, on evenings after work. It was winter so we'd left the mains on, confident that a particular wire was not live. 

 

Me too. Working on our house on a genuinely turned off circuit. Touched the earth and neutral together, which tripped the RCD (leaving me in darkness). Shouted down to my daughter to reset it please, and seeing the RCD and this circuits MCB tripped, helpfully reset both for me. In I went with my cutters............

 

 

EDITED : Luckily they were properly insulated electricials cutters.

Edited Thursday at 11:59 by Count Bassy

[cheddatom]

A jubilee clip came off a pipe under the bonnet of our old band transit. A lad fixed it for us with a ratchet strap from his pickup. I assumed the boss had had it fixed but I asked him about it a few years later and apparently it had sailed through 3 MOTs before he swapped it for a new transit

[Dad3353]

23 minutes ago, cheddatom said:

... with a ratchet strap from his pickup....

 

A bridge or neck pickup..? 

 

...

 

 

[tauzero]

On 30/06/2025 at 12:59, Rosie C said:

 

Been there! Mid 1990s, me and a friend were renovating a flat I'd bought, on evenings after work. It was winter so we'd left the mains on, confident that a particular wire was not live. 

 

 

And after cutting through it, it wasn't. Problem solved.

[Bilbo]

I always used to smile when I saw early photos of Pat Metheny playing his Gibson Es175. He suffered a broken strap button early on in his career and did a temporary fix with a toothbrush. It stayed like that for decades.

[dave_bass5]

Years ago I got a new Fender. It was lovely but I had some Fralins in another bass that I wanted to use in the new one. I took the Fralins out and installed them, and put the Fender's in to the Squire. Just put them in the bass, didnt wire them, didnt screw them in etc. Just storing them. 

Told the band I had this new bass and all were expecting to hear it at the gig. Opened the gig bag and there was the Squier, all in bits lol. I had taken the wrong gig bag. I had to secure and wire in the pups using gaffa tape back stage, even the wiring to the output jack. I was panicking all night that it would cut out. It didnt. 

Other than replacing the tape over the ends of the pup's with actual screws, the bass is still wired with tape holding the wires in place. At least 20 years after. 

Edited 15 hours ago by dave_bass5

[Dad3353]

48 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Years ago I got a new Fender. It was lovely but I had some Fralins in another bass that I wanted to use in the new one. I took the Fralins out and installed them, and put the Fender's in to the Squire. Just put them in the bass, didnt wire them, didnt screw them in etc. Just storing them. 

Told the band I had this new bass and all were expecting to hear it at the gig. Opened the gig bag and there was the Squier, all in bits lol. I had taken the wrong gig bag. I had to secure and wire in the pups using gaffa tape back stage, even the wiring got the output jack. . I was panicking all night that ti would cut out. It didnt. 

Other than replacing the tape over the ends of the pup's with actual screws, the bass is still wired with tape holding the wires in place. At least 20 years alter. 

 

... and you've still not sorted out your keyboard..? 

 

...

 

 

[dave_bass5]

1 hour ago, Dad3353 said:

 

... and you've still not sorted out your keyboard..? 

 

...

 

 

Fixed 😂

Trying to type while keeping an eye out for the boss at work. 

Edited 15 hours ago by dave_bass5

[nekomatic]

6 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

Years ago I got a new Fender. It was lovely but I had some Fralins in another bass that I wanted to use in the new one. I took the Fralins out and installed them, and put the Fender's in to the Squire. Just put them in the bass, didnt wire them, didnt screw them in etc. Just storing them. 

Told the band I had this new bass and all were expecting to hear it at the gig. Opened the gig bag and there was the Squier, all in bits lol. I had taken the wrong gig bag. I had to secure and wire in the pups using gaffa tape back stage, even the wiring to the output jack. I was panicking all night that it would cut out. It didnt. 

Other than replacing the tape over the ends of the pup's with actual screws, the bass is still wired with tape holding the wires in place. At least 20 years after. 

Great story!

 

Just reassure me you’re not an electrician in the day job though?

[dave_bass5]

19 minutes ago, nekomatic said:

Great story!

 

Just reassure me you’re not an electrician in the day job though?

Haha, no, just an embarrassed bass player. The worst part was having to explain why i ‘decided’ not to bring the new bass that i had been praising 24/7 before the gig. 

I don't use the Squier much (its an anll original CV, other than the bridge and pups lol), but id say its done a good few dozen gigs since.