musicman electronics problem

vic_6 · #1 08-15-2005, 09:48 PM

so i just got an '80 stingray. and it sounds great! but now that im at home and have more time with it to eperiment, i've found that there's quite a big jump to an extremely bright sound when i roll the treble up. it happens at about 3/4 of a turn from 0/rolled off. it sounds steady when you're turning the knob up then suddenly it just gets extremely bright. would you guys have any idea what's causing this? it's a nice sound for slapping but i'd like to have a smoother transition from normal tone to slapping tone.

any help would be much appreaciated.

ps: now that im here, id also like to ask, how do you fix scratchy pots?

niftydog · #2 08-15-2005, 09:56 PM

scratchy pots can be blown out with compressed air in a can, then sprayed with a deoxidising agent such as CRC 2-26 or Deoxit (be sure to follow the deoxit instructions, applying twice does make a difference!)

Just about any electrical contact cleaner will do, but those two are top of my list.

You could have a bum treble pot, if you're handy with a soldering iron it's a trivial task to replace it. Otherwise, I'm wondering if that's just how they are. I cannot turn my stingrays treble control much past the detent before the tweeter in my cab starts to protest. It's a pretty extreme EQ control IMO.

vic_6 · #3 08-15-2005, 10:32 PM

detent? detent is the thing in the knobs that "locks" the knob right? usually a center detent? if it is, mine doesnt have a detent.

well i cant really test it with a tweeter and complete set up right now. i only have a practice amp here at home at the moment...

thanks for the advice on the pot cleaning (now that doesnt sound right.

)

niftydog · #4 08-15-2005, 10:51 PM

ah, of course. Replace the word detent with 50% then!

I'm no EBMM buff, so I can't say if your 80's model is the same as my '04 model, but mine is a treble cut below the detent and a boost above the detent - so maybe you're just not accustomed to hearing the transition between cut and boost.

vic_6 · #5 08-15-2005, 11:07 PM

oh mine's totally different. mine's a pre-EB. so the preamp is different... but yeah thanks for the help!

and yeah 50%. hehe

vic_6 · #6 08-20-2005, 12:30 AM

hey, come on guys, no one else willing to chime in here? i need help!

i'd really like to understand what's causing this... and well, i dont really know that many people that great with electronics.

ddnidd1 · #7 08-20-2005, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by niftydog

scratchy pots can be blown out with compressed air in a can, then sprayed with a deoxidising agent such as CRC 2-26 or Deoxit (be sure to follow the deoxit instructions, applying twice does make a difference!)

Just about any electrical contact cleaner will do, but those two are top of my list.

You could have a bum treble pot, if you're handy with a soldering iron it's a trivial task to replace it.

The quote above is your answer. Its either a dirty or defective potentiometer. Either way a relatively simple fix.

danomite64 · #8 08-20-2005, 12:13 PM

It's not always a dirty pot, even if it sounds like one, as I'm currently finding out on my '80 Sabre. But, seeing as how it's easy enough to replace the pot, I'd start there.

vic_6 · #9 08-20-2005, 04:34 PM

yeah thanks. uh, what kind of pot should be used? 250k or 500k?

ddnidd1 · #10 08-22-2005, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vic_6

yeah thanks. uh, what kind of pot should be used? 250k or 500k?

Look on the bottom of the pot. The value will be listed there. The value will be in thousands of ohms most likely followed by the letter 'B'. That indicates it's a linear taper pot rather than a logarithmic or audio taper pot.

Here's a link to general information about pots. http://sound.westhost.com/pots.htm

steveksux · #11 08-22-2005, 09:42 PM

Why not try the ernieball forums? They should be able to get you the info about the preamp, pots used, etc. ernie ball forums

Randy

vic_6 · #12 08-23-2005, 05:15 AM

yah? aryt. cool. thanks guys!

danomite64 · #13 08-23-2005, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vic_6

uh, what kind of pot should be used? 250k or 500k?

The treble pot is 1meg, the bass pot is 100k, and the volume pot is 25k on an old Ray. They don't have a "B" suffix, either; it's an "A" suffix.

Maverick Blues · #14 08-23-2005, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danomite64

They don't have a "B" suffix, either; it's an "A" suffix.

That surprises me a bit, but if that's the case it would contribute to a faster change in the latter half of (clockwise) pot rotation. vic_6, if no other solutions work for you and your treble pot is indeed audio taper, you might try swapping it out for a linear taper pot. Perhaps not what the factory intended, but it's your bass and you're the person who needs to be happy with it.

'rick