What would you do?

[karl_em_all]

Punctuation and grammar ARE your friendS, friend.

Ooooh...it burns.

 

[brianrost]

Seriously though, how can a standard outlet be 242 volts?

It happened to me once at a private party. We were instructed to plug everything into an outlet next to the well pump. It was 220V and luckily only blew the fuses in all the amps. There's plenty of ways for the line voltage to be wrong since in the USA the 110 and 220 come from the same source. If you connect only one leg you get 110. So if somebody made a mistake when doing the wiring, guess what...you can have 220 at the outlet. Read more here.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

Don't rely on power strips. The will partially cover you, but they can't detect a sudden spike fast enough to prevent it damaging your gear. A power conditioner is a much better safety device, but a whole lot more expensive than a power strip.

 

[Grumry]

Sounds like a normal day on Broadway to me. A lot of these clubs are in 200 year old buildings, with wiring nearly that old. Someone always has a 60 cycle hum, someone's digital pedals aren't getting a regulated voltage so they only half work and sound distorted, some keyboards don't stay on, my console freezes and shuts itself off, someone gets shocked through the vocal mics, it goes on and on.

Electricity matters more than we think, but don't think about it until it doesn't work properly.

 

[Engle]

The wall outlets looked like they were putting out the wrong voltage?

They probably looked sketchy: Upside down, crooked, not screwed in all the way, not flush to the wall, missing plates, etc.
When you see signs of poor workmanship like that, you should be suspicious.
This story is making me add a meter to my gig bag.

 

[Clark Dark]

Damn the punctuation, your bandleader, who should never energize your equipment and then turn around and call it s#it, deserves punch-tuation....over and over and over

 

[fingerguy]

 

[Slevage]

If it went down as you say and whatever bandtard plugged it in won't compensate you and the BL won't fire him I know I couldn't stay in that band - this will just fester and ruin any "fun" you might otherwise have had . I'd never play that venue again either and would sic the electrical inspector on him.

AHJ (electrical inspector) wouldn't touch that "complaint".

 

[Deleted member 165050]

The wall outlets looked like they were putting out the wrong voltage?

Is your eyesight not sensitive to electrical potential difference? Everyone else's is...

 

[Sixgunn]

Didn't know the Grammer police would be such an issue!

We just like to easily understand what people write.

 

[azureblue]

I've played too many dives to not check voltage and grounding on the outlets, after one venue almost electrocuted a singer. This is why I carry my AC (appliance) cord with my bass. Nothing gets plugged in until I am there.
But your BL owes you for this one. You told him not to but he did it anyway so his call, his bill.

 

[tedious1]

Looks like this is going to be a degradation thread

Ever been to see a band, and the first thing you notice is that they are out of tune. Then you notice that there is no groove, the drummer and bass player just can't seem to lock? Remember how difficult it was to sit through that set?

That's the same feeling many of us get reading your original post.

EDIT: It's not about degradation, it's about clear communication. It's easier to read a post that uses proper grammar and spelling, just like it's easier to sit through a band playing in tune and in time. If you want to connect with the audience on stage, you stay in tune and in time, if you want to connect with the audience in a forum, spell and grammar check before posting. Hell you don't even have to transpose live on the fly, just take the minute or so it takes to proof and correct before clicking post.

 

[ShadowImage]

Guy said he was an electrician not an English teacher Besides his post read easily enough.
Personally I would be pissed, your band mates should never touch your gear besides moving it short distances unless you expressly ask them to. That said hopefully your amp has a fuse and once replaced you're back in business.
Most importantly, always always always bring a surge protector/power conditioner with a fuse to a gig.

To those still hung up on his punctuation, give it a rest. We all come from different backgrounds and as long as an effort is given you should not rebuke people for their grammatical skills. It comes off as pompous and petty. If you do this while people are speaking in person, expect not to keep too many friends besides others who have an ego to indulge.

Huh? What possible reason would there be to have a standard wall outlet carry 242 volts?

The building was probably converted from another purpose and an appliance/machine used to be located at that socket. Pretty typical if it's an older building and the stage used to be a kitchen/shop.

 

[SteveHeissner]

"We always bring power strips. They blow first, protecting your gear."

Interesting thread. I'll start doing this in addition to using my power conditioner.

 

[delta7fred]

Ever been to see a band, and the first thing you notice is that they are out of tune. Then you notice that there is no groove, the drummer and bass player just can't seem to lock? Remember how difficult it was to sit through that set?

That's the same feeling many of us get reading your original post.

EDIT: It's not about degradation, it's about clear communication. It's easier to read a post that uses proper grammar and spelling, just like it's easier to sit through a band playing in tune and in time. If you want to connect with the audience on stage, you stay in tune and in time, if you want to connect with the audience in a forum, spell and grammar check before posting. Hell you don't even have to transpose live on the fly, just take the minute or so it takes to proof and correct before clicking post.

It's all fine and dandy to be grammatically correct with properly formed sentences and good spelling, I am all for it. It does however make the thread very difficult to read for anyone who is actually interested in the content rather than English composition with all the criticism going on especially when most of it is just piling on.

Mention it once then let it be otherwise it is going Off Topic which by TB rules is reportable.

Ok, grumpy old fart hat off - back on topic.

I never touch our guitarist's rig (unless asked) and he would never dream of touching mine. The PA is shared responsibility.

We have a mains quality checker which checks for correct live and neutral connections and continuous ground connection and we plug nothing in until we are satisfied that the connections are correct.

Unlike you guys in the USA we don't have a problem with higher than spec line voltage, it is 230 all the time, and venues are now rigorously inspected for safety before they can operate (unlike years ago but that's another story).

 

[LowActionHero]

Spelling too!

And penmanship.

 

[RED J]

Don't know about any others, but being an electrician you'd be surprised at what some people will do

I'm one of you. nothing really surprises me anymore.You should see some of the Bubba rigs where I live. Lots of places burn. Lots more surprise me that they haven't.
And like the club owner, won't listen. I got a call one day where a guy had pried the cover off a panel with a claw hammer and had succeeded in lighting up the skin of the building.
To top it off, he was barefoot on a concrete floor fishing around in the panel. Then he told his cousin I talked to him like a dog because I pointed out he was about to be electrocuted.
People just don't get it, nope.

 

[electracoyote]

One more reason why no one touches my gear without permission, and no one plugs in and fires up my rig under any circumstances. All you free love types who loan your gear to whomever whenever, take notice.

Also, I do a lot of upscale formal events, and my contract has a clause specifically dedicated to adequate power, up to code, and sufficient to power my P.A and lights. If my stuff fries, it's on the client. If I can power my whole stage off of two home outlets, I expect the venue to be able to do at least the same if not better.

If you have a suspicion about the integrity of the electricity in the venue you play, take it seriously. Better safe than sorry. Same for outdoor generators. I played a gig over the summer where my keyboard kept going in and out and my pedals turning on an off because of the inconsistent generator. Fortunately for the client, nothing fried.

 

[Mark_70]

Hm - that's interesting.. I learn something every day.. Didn't realize that a hack-job could lead to 240V on the outlet. Good to know. I'm putting one of these power strips on my shopping list, next time I go to Home Depot.

On a different note - I'm surprised nobody has addressed the elephant in the room yet; the band leader referring to that TH500 as "poopy gear"

Regards
Mark

 

[aprod]

Is English your second language?