SI cutout on a gig last night..

[glocke]

i was running this with a bluebox and 5 pin cable from bayou last night and during the first set heard some random crackling on a couple of tunes, heard it during the first tune of the second set and than there was no sound at all for about 30 seconds.


Sound came back and than on the next tune more crackling and there was no sound at all for the duration of that tune.  Luckily I had a jazz bass with me as a backup so was able to finish playing.


Just tried the SI now at home and it produces sound but Im not even sure where to begin diagnosing this.  First guess is the bayou cable as its much thinner and less robust looking than an alembic cable, but all the other stuff I've got from them is solid. 


where do i start figuring this out>?

[JimmyJ]

Gregory,

Sorry to hear about your trouble, that is super frustrating. 

I would first check to be sure the 1/4" cable from your blue box to your amp wasn't the culprit.  Then I think look at the 5-pin cable.  That's probably the least robust part of the entire system as it gets constantly flexed, coiled, uncoiled, stepped on, etc.  Examine every inch to be sure it hasn't been run over and cut.  Then plug it in with the bass on and flex it all down the line to see if you can find a spot which stops the sound.  When my old/new Belden cables failed it happened about a foot from the bass where the wire bent through my strap and down towards the floor.  I could bend the cable there and the bass would turn on and off.  (If it's power you're losing, it can send a huge audio spike down the line so don't have your amp turned up too loud.)

Don't forget that you can also switch to the 1/4" jack in these situations.

Do you have a 2nd 5-pin cable?

Jimmy J

[lbpesq]

If it’s working now, I think the first step is to try and recreate the problem (intermittent issues are the worst!).   Have you tried moving the Bayou cable while you are playing, especially near where the cable meets the plugs?   Tried wiggling the end plugs in the sockets on the bass and the blue box?

While I was typing this, I see that Jimmy essentially suggested the same, but with more specific info.  Boy, I love this site!

Bill, tgo

[StephenR]

If you think it is the cable then you need to try another cable, if you don't have another five-pin cable take the one you have somewhere that has a cable-tester that can check it. Seems like the logical place to start, though, you should also give the bass a long workout using the 1/4" jack and batteries, if the issue persists that would eliminate the five-pin cable as the source. Is the 1/4" jack wired in stereo or mono? If stereo check it with a stereo 1/4" cable.

One question, do you change the settings on the pickup selector much? When I brought my Series I bass "out of retirement" after many years of non-use I got some funky sounds and crackling noise when changing the pickup selector. "Exercising" the selector cleared it up.
Seeing Jimmy's post as I am about to send this one. Point about the 1/4" cable from the blue-box to the amp head is a good one.

[David Houck]

Another place to check is to make sure the connection between the cable and the bass is nice and snug.

[glocke]

Gregory,

Sorry to hear about your trouble, that is super frustrating. 

I would first check to be sure the 1/4" cable from your blue box to your amp wasn't the culprit.  Then I think look at the 5-pin cable.  That's probably the least robust part of the entire system as it gets constantly flexed, coiled, uncoiled, stepped on, etc.  Examine every inch to be sure it hasn't been run over and cut.  Then plug it in with the bass on and flex it all down the line to see if you can find a spot which stops the sound.  When my old/new Belden cables failed it happened about a foot from the bass where the wire bent through my strap and down towards the floor.  I could bend the cable there and the bass would turn on and off.  (If it's power you're losing, it can send a huge audio spike down the line so don't have your amp turned up too loud.)

Don't forget that you can also switch to the 1/4" jack in these situations.

Do you have a 2nd 5-pin cable?

Jimmy J

Thanks Jimmy..No extra 5 pin cable at the moment. 

As for using the 1/4" jack, I didn't have a battery in there or the 1/4" stereo cable with me I brought...only the extra jazz bass.

I did notices that the male part of the 5 pin connector is a little loose/wobbly inside the jack.  meaning i just move it ever so slightly with a fingertip and only a little pressure.

Ive got a jam session this wedsenday so Ill bring this setup and see if i can reproduce it.

thanks everyone.

[edwardofhuncote]

Greg, email me directly if you need to borrow a 5-pin cable and/or a DS-5... might get you out of a tight spot, or at least help you isolate what's at fault. I have extras of both, and not far away.

[mica]

I did notices that the male part of the 5 pin connector is a little loose/wobbly inside the jack.  meaning i just move it ever so slightly with a fingertip and only a little pressure.

There's a set screw to hold the male part of the connector in the metal housing - check that the screw is snug when you take off the backplate and inspect the 5-pin connections.

[glocke]

I did notices that the male part of the 5 pin connector is a little loose/wobbly inside the jack.  meaning i just move it ever so slightly with a fingertip and only a little pressure.

There's a set screw to hold the male part of the connector in the metal housing - check that the screw is snug when you take off the backplate and inspect the 5-pin connections.

thanks..found that setscrew and got things tight.

Gregory, thanks for the offer of the cable/box loan.

Played this bass for a couple of hours wednesday night, no issues.  Maybe I'll get lucky and it was just the loose male connector not playing nice with the 5 pin cable.

On another note, I know Alembic did a run of the blue box power supplies a few years back, are the still available ? I wouldn't mind a spare.

[edwin]

I had a problem with a set screw on a 5 pin side mounted jack for my Starfire. It came out and then fell out through the empty 1/4" hole, leaving the insert hanging. I thought I could find a replacement screw but it was impossible. I finally got in touch with Neutrik. They wouldn't tell me the specs of the screw, but sent me a brand new connector. And a care package of 1/4" cables, short mic cables, a pair of headphones, other connectors and other stuff. I think it was because I sent them a picture of the bass and the US Director of Sales loves Alembic and the Grateful Dead. I would have been happy with the specs for the screw!

[mica]

On another note, I know Alembic did a run of the blue box power supplies a few years back, are the still available ? I wouldn't mind a spare.

Yes, we have these in stock.