Has this happened to you?

[ddwilkins]

Yesterday, I was in the middle of sound check before service when I suddenly lost volume. Immediately I thought that I needed to change my battery so I did. Well, with a new battery installed, I began to play and my volume dropped again, until I touched my volume pot, which lead me to know that something wasn't grounded. Low and behold, my ground wire had popped off. On this sunday, I left my backup bass home and my normal bass player left both of his basses home because we were switching on this Sunday. So I had to play the churches bass that had strings the age of Moses on them. Has anyone else had something similar like this to happen to them during or before a service/show?

[floaded27]

never had a problem like that. until my fender got damaged a while back, i always used to have a backup sitting in the church and i'd bring my main bass with me. so i always had both of them. but it doesnt hurt that i live down the street from my church so if i didnt, i could always run home right quick. lol.

so did something spectacular happen with the Moses strings? did the root notes part water? did your hair and beard turn white? hopefully no burning bushes. lol.

what i would suggest is to make an arrangement to have upkeep of the church's bass (setup, strings, etc. which it wont need that often if nobody really plays it) just so it would be a viable backup in case something like this happens (it did once) again.

i was jokin with my brother the other day about how churches dont have no bass equipment, and we came up with a hilarious solution: grab a mic and sing bass like one guy always does in those old acapella barbershop quartet groups. lol!!

[ddwilkins]

Come to find out, it wasn't actually the church's bass. It was someone elses bass that belongs to the church. He kept saying that he needed to change the strings, but never did change them. BTW, no I didn't see any burning bushes or parting of the waters, but I gave them a vintage reggae sound with them dead strings. I tried to pop my high string a few times, no luck at all. Sounded like I was popping a shoe string. So I played all fingering yesterday even though one two of the songs called for poppling and slapping together.

[dhagler]

I broke the nut on my SX 5-string at the G string during a Sunday service. I didn't carry a backup bass and my church has no equipment. I managed to play the songs with only 4 strings.

[jeremyr]

Yes i've had that problem.

Sound like your Jack (more than likely it's a Barrell jack) is biting the dust (thus the reason I refuse to use monster cables anymore).

You can fix the problem by taking the jack out and squeezing the leads together so the cable end gets a more secure fit.

[Bullitt]

That's kind've ironic....I almost always take a backup with me but I've been slack lately and only took my main 5 string with me to svc on sunday.

Well, for the first time EVER my batteries died! lol...thankfully they didn't completly fizzle out until the preacher got up to speak so I just ran to the store and made it back in time to close out the svc.

I've also gone to svc's in the past and been asked to play (I didn't have my bass with me) and had to play with the churches bass.  Not really a problem since it belonged to the pastor and was pretty well maintained except for 2 minor problems:
1) I don't like playing 4 string basses for gospel and
2) I'm left-handed.  HE'S NOT!!!! God's grace was truely with me lol

-J

[ddwilkins]

Yes i've had that problem.

Sound like your Jack (more than likely it's a Barrell jack) is biting the dust (thus the reason I refuse to use monster cables anymore).

You can fix the problem by taking the jack out and squeezing the leads together so the cable end gets a more secure fit.

Its not the jack. I've already checked. Since I installed the electronics, I new exactly where to look and sure enough, the last wire that I called myself soldering to the back of my volume pot was looking at me without being connected to the pot again. So, I'll be fixing that problem this afternoon. So I'm not blaming the monster cable on this one.

[mjl422]

Wow, I never knew so many churches had backup basses.  Most of the churches that I've been to didn't even have a bass rig, let alone a backup bass.

[floaded27]

Wow, I never knew so many churches had backup basses.  Most of the churches that I've been to didn't even have a bass rig, let alone a backup bass.

you and me both. anywhere i go, anything bass related is my stuff. lol.


how u guys be blowing through batteries so often? I changed the battery in my MTD back in july because it came with a cheap discount store brand one. I cant remember the last time i changed the battery in both the Schecter and Fender. It definitely had to be at least in the first few months of this year.

[malthumb]

Last year we had a a particular guest minister coming in one Sunday and he had requested a particular song.  It's one of the few songs that I can sing lead on while playing FRETLESS.  So I figured what the heck, and I only brought my Roscoe fretless.  Usually when I take the Roscoe, I also take a fretted bass, but not this time.

Of course, Murphy's Law was in full effect. The batteries on the Roscoe crapped out in the middle of the song BEFORE the one the pastor requested.

To make matters worse, I keep a pack of 9 volt batteries in the piano bench to stock the cordless mics, so I knew where to get batteries to make the swap.  Unfortunately, I could not find a screwdriver to take the battery plate off of the Roscoe.  We did the song with piano and drums only.  I now keep two 9 volts and a screwdriver in every gigbag and case.

[dhagler]

Based on what I have read, I think that I need to take the following with me to every engagement:

1. a backup bass
2. a backup cable
3. two 9V batteries (the schecter uses two)
4. a small screwdriver

[lowlife350]

...and if you can a backup head or way to patch into a PA.

Some also carry strings and wire cutters (or a multi-purpose tool), but I'd just switch to my backup bass.


Malthumb - I keep trying to understand why they even put batteries behind screwed compartments.  I love my Shecter, but I hate having to unscrew the back just to test the voltage of the batteries then put the same battery back in. lol

[floaded27]

some basses have the battery in a separate flip up compartment, no tool needed. so you only have to unscrew the panel to get at the preamp electronics. im not sure why that isnt standard on all basses now.

[malthumb]

some basses have the battery in a separate flip up compartment, no tool needed. so you only have to unscrew the panel to get at the preamp electronics. im not sure why that isnt standard on all basses now.

..One of the things I used to LOVE about the Bongo I used to own.  Both Hanewinckels that I used to own had those, too, so when I ordered my Marchlewski, I specified the flip out battery box.



Thing is, my most favorite-ist basses are my Alembics, and they have REALLY unmanageable battery covers.  And since they eat batteries like chocolate, I try to play them through the external power supply whenever I can.

[ddwilkins]

..One of the things I used to LOVE about the Bongo I used to own.  Both Hanewinckels that I used to own had those, too, so when I ordered my Marchlewski, I specified the flip out battery box.



Thing is, my most favorite-ist basses are my Alembics, and they have REALLY unmanageable battery covers.  And since they eat batteries like chocolate, I try to play them through the external power supply whenever I can.

external power supply? you mean something like an A/C adapter? Now that's unique.

[malthumb]

Alembic has been using external power supplies on their higher end basses and guitars since 1973.  I'm actually surprised more manufacturers don't do this.

In the rack pictured below, the DS-5R on top provides power to either of my Alembic basses.  The jacks marked BASS and TREBLE can be sent to different amps or different effects loops.  In this case I'm sending them both clean to the same preamp and power amp.




If you look on the front of these two basses, you'll see a connect point to the left of the 1/4" jack.  That's where the 5-pin XLR cable connects from the DS-5R to the bass. 



It provides power for all the electronics on the bass, including............

AIRPORT LANDING LIGHTS!!!!



Very poor quality picture, but you get the idea.

[ddwilkins]

Thanks for that quick lesson because I had no clue of this technology. So basically, you would have to take your rig where ever you played just so that you can have the power supply and not worry about batteries dying on you in the middle of a set.

[malthumb]

Thanks for that quick lesson because I had no clue of this technology. So basically, you would have to take your rig where ever you played just so that you can have the power supply and not worry about batteries dying on you in the middle of a set.

No.  The older models came with a DS-5 floor box.  I just showed the DS-5R rackmount because I don't have a good picture of the floor box handy.  It's about the size of two Boss effects pedals.  Fits in my gig bag. 

My 4 string is a 1987 and it came with the floor box.  My 5 string is a 2000 and it came with the rackmount, so I guess they changed somewhere in there.

[ddwilkins]

No.  The older models came with a DS-5 floor box.  I just showed the DS-5R rackmount because I don't have a good picture of the floor box handy.  It's about the size of two Boss effects pedals.  Fits in my gig bag. 

My 4 string is a 1987 and it came with the floor box.  My 5 string is a 2000 and it came with the rackmount, so I guess they changed somewhere in there.

Ok.

[floaded27]

well of course if you got LEDs in your bass, that one 9V aint cuttin it.