Not good - Bass fades in and out

[bassgroove7@yahoo.com]

I'm having a problem with my OLP MM2 fading out for about 60 seconds.
It seems to be a slow, steady fade to nothing then 30 seconds later
the signal comes back along a similar fade curve. It is not common but
it sure takes the wind out of a tune when the bass drops. I had first
thought it was a component somewhere in the signal chain but I was
direct into the PA at last night's practice and it happened again.
There are not many moving parts on this thing. I had the pots replaced
when I first got it and everything else is stock.

I would appreciate any thoughts on what could be the problem and/or
solution.

Thanks in advance!

[Clive - Selectron]

<bassgroove7@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1178282055.324916.197130@n59g2000hsh.googlegr oups.com...
> I'm having a problem with my OLP MM2 fading out for about 60 seconds.
> It seems to be a slow, steady fade to nothing then 30 seconds later
> the signal comes back along a similar fade curve. It is not common but
> it sure takes the wind out of a tune when the bass drops. I had first
> thought it was a component somewhere in the signal chain but I was
> direct into the PA at last night's practice and it happened again.
> There are not many moving parts on this thing. I had the pots replaced
> when I first got it and everything else is stock.
>
> I would appreciate any thoughts on what could be the problem and/or
> solution.
>
> Thanks in advance!


Not a lot it could be other than a dry
joint somewhere but the symptoms are very weird!
Maybe worth changing the pots (bad track?) again and
the tone cap...it sounds as if the signal is leaking to ground
for some obscure reason.
Good luck!!

--
Clive P Norris
Managing Director
Selectron (UK) Ltd
Musical Equipment Distribution.
www.skullstrings.com
www.espguitars.co.uk
www.emgpickups.co.uk
www.tube-shop.com
www.coreoneproduct.com
www.whirlwindusa.com
www.espshop.co.uk

[JoeSpareBedroom]

<bassgroove7@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1178282055.324916.197130@n59g2000hsh.googlegr oups.com...
> I'm having a problem with my OLP MM2 fading out for about 60 seconds.
> It seems to be a slow, steady fade to nothing then 30 seconds later
> the signal comes back along a similar fade curve. It is not common but
> it sure takes the wind out of a tune when the bass drops. I had first
> thought it was a component somewhere in the signal chain but I was
> direct into the PA at last night's practice and it happened again.
> There are not many moving parts on this thing. I had the pots replaced
> when I first got it and everything else is stock.
>
> I would appreciate any thoughts on what could be the problem and/or
> solution.
>
> Thanks in advance!
>

Batteries dying?

[Brian Running]

> I'm having a problem with my OLP MM2 fading out for about 60 seconds.
> It seems to be a slow, steady fade to nothing then 30 seconds later
> the signal comes back along a similar fade curve.

Have you isolated the problem in the bass, for certain? Have you
swapped out every other component in the signal chain, including cables?
Have you tried the bass with a completely different rig, including
cables, and still had the problem?

If you haven't changed the battery, do that. Otherwise,
fade-in-fade-out suggests a bad capacitor.

[Pt]

On May 4, 9:09 am, Brian Running <brunn...@XXameritechXX.net> wrote:
> > I'm having a problem with my OLP MM2 fading out for about 60 seconds.
> > It seems to be a slow, steady fade to nothing then 30 seconds later
> > the signal comes back along a similar fade curve.
>
> Have you isolated the problem in the bass, for certain? Have you
> swapped out every other component in the signal chain, including cables?
> Have you tried the bass with a completely different rig, including
> cables, and still had the problem?
>
> If you haven't changed the battery, do that. Otherwise,
> fade-in-fade-out suggests a bad capacitor.


I agree with Brian.
Sounds like a leaking capacitor.
Could be dirty pots too.

Pt

[Clive - Selectron]

"Brian Running" <brunning@XXameritechXX.net> wrote in message
news:s8H_h.109$sL7.29@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...
>> I'm having a problem with my OLP MM2 fading out for about 60 seconds.
>> It seems to be a slow, steady fade to nothing then 30 seconds later
>> the signal comes back along a similar fade curve.
>
> Have you isolated the problem in the bass, for certain? Have you swapped
> out every other component in the signal chain, including cables? Have you
> tried the bass with a completely different rig, including cables, and
> still had the problem?
>
> If you haven't changed the battery, do that. Otherwise, fade-in-fade-out
> suggests a bad capacitor.

The first thing I'd have suggested is a dying battery.
This bass is passive is it not?
-C-

[Brian Running]

> The first thing I'd have suggested is a dying battery.
> This bass is passive is it not?

It is when the battery's dead! :-)

I honestly don't know if it's a passive bass or not. I'm just taking
shots in the dark, as usual. I'm using a .50 caliber sniper rifle, you
want to hear about it?

[bassgroove7@yahoo.com]

On May 4, 10:54 am, "Clive - Selectron" <c...@selectron-uk.co.uk>
wrote:
> "Brian Running" <brunn...@XXameritechXX.net> wrote in message
>
> news:s8H_h.109$sL7.29@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...
>
> >> I'm having a problem with my OLP MM2 fading out for about 60 seconds.
> >> It seems to be a slow, steady fade to nothing then 30 seconds later
> >> the signal comes back along a similar fade curve.
>
> > Have you isolated the problem in the bass, for certain? Have you swapped
> > out every other component in the signal chain, including cables? Have you
> > tried the bass with a completely different rig, including cables, and
> > still had the problem?
>
> > If you haven't changed the battery, do that. Otherwise, fade-in-fade-out
> > suggests a bad capacitor.
>
> The first thing I'd have suggested is a dying battery.
> This bass is passive is it not?
> -C-

The bass is passive and when this occurred last night, it confirmed
that it was the bass as it was connected using a new cable and a known
good DI. Since the problem occurs infrequently and seemingly randomly,
I have been at a loss to explain it. I will change out the cap and
check all the joints. This is a weird one and it made me retire the
bass from gigging due to unreliability.

Thanks for the help all.

[Clive - Selectron]

"Brian Running" <brunning@XXameritechXX.net> wrote in message
news:F2I_h.7215$rO7.6460@newssvr25.news.prodigy.ne t...
>> The first thing I'd have suggested is a dying battery.
>> This bass is passive is it not?
>
> It is when the battery's dead! :-)
>
> I honestly don't know if it's a passive bass or not. I'm just taking shots
> in the dark, as usual. I'm using a .50 caliber sniper rifle, you want to
> hear about it?

Optical or IR imaging?
Those Barrett Light 50s are the dogs.
I used a Google 'cos i didnt want to look a...
never mind.
-C-

[ptooner]

"JoeSpareBedroom" <dishborealis@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:oWG_h.7868$B25.85@news01.roc.ny...
> <bassgroove7@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1178282055.324916.197130@n59g2000hsh.googlegr oups.com...
>> I'm having a problem with my OLP MM2 fading out for about 60 seconds.
>> It seems to be a slow, steady fade to nothing then 30 seconds later
>> the signal comes back along a similar fade curve. It is not common but
>> it sure takes the wind out of a tune when the bass drops. I had first
>> thought it was a component somewhere in the signal chain but I was
>> direct into the PA at last night's practice and it happened again.
>> There are not many moving parts on this thing. I had the pots replaced
>> when I first got it and everything else is stock.
>>
>> I would appreciate any thoughts on what could be the problem and/or
>> solution.
>>
>> Thanks in advance!
>>
>
> Batteries dying?
>
I'm pretty sure the OLP MM2 is passive.
Gerry

[Kloka-mo']

Same house/electrical circuit?

--
-rob Bartlett, TN
O>
/(\)
^^
<bassgroove7@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1178292040.368390.182990@y80g2000hsf.googlegr oups.com...
> On May 4, 10:54 am, "Clive - Selectron" <c...@selectron-uk.co.uk>
> wrote:
>> "Brian Running" <brunn...@XXameritechXX.net> wrote in message
>>
>> news:s8H_h.109$sL7.29@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...
>>
>> >> I'm having a problem with my OLP MM2 fading out for about 60 seconds.
>> >> It seems to be a slow, steady fade to nothing then 30 seconds later
>> >> the signal comes back along a similar fade curve.
>>
>> > Have you isolated the problem in the bass, for certain? Have you
>> > swapped
>> > out every other component in the signal chain, including cables? Have
>> > you
>> > tried the bass with a completely different rig, including cables, and
>> > still had the problem?
>>
>> > If you haven't changed the battery, do that. Otherwise,
>> > fade-in-fade-out
>> > suggests a bad capacitor.
>>
>> The first thing I'd have suggested is a dying battery.
>> This bass is passive is it not?
>> -C-
>
> The bass is passive and when this occurred last night, it confirmed
> that it was the bass as it was connected using a new cable and a known
> good DI. Since the problem occurs infrequently and seemingly randomly,
> I have been at a loss to explain it. I will change out the cap and
> check all the joints. This is a weird one and it made me retire the
> bass from gigging due to unreliability.
>
> Thanks for the help all.
>

[bassgroove7@yahoo.com]

On May 4, 6:40 pm, "Kloka-mo'" <RobZon5...@XXXyahoo.com> wrote:
> Same house/electrical circuit?
>
> --
> -rob Bartlett, TN
> O>
> /(\)
> ^^


No, completely different location and equipment.

[Thump]

On May 4, 8:34 pm, bassgroo...@yahoo.com wrote:
> I'm having a problem with my OLP MM2 fading out for about 60 seconds.
> It seems to be a slow, steady fade to nothing then 30 seconds later
> the signal comes back along a similar fade curve. It is not common but
> it sure takes the wind out of a tune when the bass drops. I had first
> thought it was a component somewhere in the signal chain but I was
> direct into the PA at last night's practice and it happened again.
> There are not many moving parts on this thing. I had the pots replaced
> when I first got it and everything else is stock.
>
> I would appreciate any thoughts on what could be the problem and/or
> solution.
>
> Thanks in advance!


First thing I'd do is just re-solder every joint in the bass. This is
cheap and quick and there's a very good chance it will fix the
problem.

The other thing that sprang to my mind is that a winding inside the
pickup is broken.

It's very unlikely but it happened to me on a Rickenbacker I had about
15 years ago. There was still some (greatly reduced) volume but the
tone was thin and weedy and an ohm-meter showed the pickup as being
open circuit.

Apparently it is possible to resolder the wires together, but having
tried this on my Rick I personally wouldn't bother as it's beyond my
skills. The other options are a pickup rewind (not really worth it on
the OLP) or a replacement - here's the opportunity to put in a Seymour
Duncan or similar (I ended up putting a Jazz pickup in mine).

Thump

[Pt]

On May 5, 3:49 am, Thump <mal.skin...@gmail.com> wrote:

>
> First thing I'd do is just re-solder every joint in the bass. This is
> cheap and quick and there's a very good chance it will fix the
> problem.
>
> The other thing that sprang to my mind is that a winding inside the
> pickup is broken.
>
> It's very unlikely but it happened to me on a Rickenbacker I had about
> 15 years ago. There was still some (greatly reduced) volume but the
> tone was thin and weedy and an ohm-meter showed the pickup as being
> open circuit.
>
> Apparently it is possible to resolder the wires together, but having
> tried this on my Rick I personally wouldn't bother as it's beyond my
> skills. The other options are a pickup rewind (not really worth it on
> the OLP) or a replacement - here's the opportunity to put in a Seymour
> Duncan or similar (I ended up putting a Jazz pickup in mine).
>
> Thump



A few years ago I had pretty much the same problem.
I was using my Olp and SWR amp w/ Yorkville 4X10 and 1X15 cabs.
The problem ended up being a cracked solder joint on the 4X10 input
jack.
Easy fix.
I have not had any problems with the Olp at all.
Good luck.

Pt

[Mike Rieves]

<bassgroove7@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1178292040.368390.182990@y80g2000hsf.googlegr oups.com...
> On May 4, 10:54 am, "Clive - Selectron" <c...@selectron-uk.co.uk>
> wrote:
>> "Brian Running" <brunn...@XXameritechXX.net> wrote in message
>>
>> news:s8H_h.109$sL7.29@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...
>>
>> >> I'm having a problem with my OLP MM2 fading out for about 60 seconds.
>> >> It seems to be a slow, steady fade to nothing then 30 seconds later
>> >> the signal comes back along a similar fade curve.
>>
>> > Have you isolated the problem in the bass, for certain? Have you
>> > swapped
>> > out every other component in the signal chain, including cables? Have
>> > you
>> > tried the bass with a completely different rig, including cables, and
>> > still had the problem?
>>
>> > If you haven't changed the battery, do that. Otherwise,
>> > fade-in-fade-out
>> > suggests a bad capacitor.
>>
>> The first thing I'd have suggested is a dying battery.
>> This bass is passive is it not?
>> -C-
>
> The bass is passive and when this occurred last night, it confirmed
> that it was the bass as it was connected using a new cable and a known
> good DI. Since the problem occurs infrequently and seemingly randomly,
> I have been at a loss to explain it. I will change out the cap and
> check all the joints. This is a weird one and it made me retire the
> bass from gigging due to unreliability.
>
> Thanks for the help all.
>

I had the same problem with a guitar and it turned out to be a broken and
corroded solder joint on the guitar's output jack. The solder had
crystalized and broken apart, but the corrosion acted like a resister and
caused the guitar to fade out for a few seconds every few minutes. A bad
solder joint usually goes in and out abruptly, but not this one.

[Dave Curtis]

On Sun, 6 May 2007 01:57:18 -0500, "Mike Rieves" <mriev@hotspam.com>
wrote:

>
><bassgroove7@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>news:1178292040.368390.182990@y80g2000hsf.googlegr oups.com...
>> On May 4, 10:54 am, "Clive - Selectron" <c...@selectron-uk.co.uk>
>> wrote:
>>> "Brian Running" <brunn...@XXameritechXX.net> wrote in message
>>>
>>> news:s8H_h.109$sL7.29@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...
>>>
>>> >> I'm having a problem with my OLP MM2 fading out for about 60 seconds.
>>> >> It seems to be a slow, steady fade to nothing then 30 seconds later
>>> >> the signal comes back along a similar fade curve.
>>>
>>> > Have you isolated the problem in the bass, for certain? Have you
>>> > swapped
>>> > out every other component in the signal chain, including cables? Have
>>> > you
>>> > tried the bass with a completely different rig, including cables, and
>>> > still had the problem?
>>>
>>> > If you haven't changed the battery, do that. Otherwise,
>>> > fade-in-fade-out
>>> > suggests a bad capacitor.
>>>
>>> The first thing I'd have suggested is a dying battery.
>>> This bass is passive is it not?
>>> -C-
>>
>> The bass is passive and when this occurred last night, it confirmed
>> that it was the bass as it was connected using a new cable and a known
>> good DI. Since the problem occurs infrequently and seemingly randomly,
>> I have been at a loss to explain it. I will change out the cap and
>> check all the joints. This is a weird one and it made me retire the
>> bass from gigging due to unreliability.
>>
>> Thanks for the help all.
>>
>
> I had the same problem with a guitar and it turned out to be a broken and
>corroded solder joint on the guitar's output jack. The solder had
>crystalized and broken apart, but the corrosion acted like a resister and
>caused the guitar to fade out for a few seconds every few minutes. A bad
>solder joint usually goes in and out abruptly, but not this one.
>

Sounds like someone used acid-core solder instead of rosin-core.

[Mike Fleming]

In article <1178292040.368390.182990@y80g2000hsf.googlegroups. com>,
bassgroove7@yahoo.com writes:

> The bass is passive and when this occurred last night, it confirmed
> that it was the bass as it was connected using a new cable and a known
> good DI.

Has it gone through the same "known good DI" every time the problem
has occurred? It's just that this sounds like the sort of problem
you'd get if the power supply to a component in the signal chain was
interrupted but it had a big enough smoothing capacitor and low enough
current drain that it took a long time for the voltage on the power
rail to drop far enought for it to cut out, and it makes me wonder if
the known good DI actually has some issue.

--
Mike Fleming

[bassgroove7@yahoo.com]

On May 7, 7:34 am, Mike Fleming <{mi...@tauzero.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <1178292040.368390.182...@y80g2000hsf.googlegroups. com>,
>
> bassgroo...@yahoo.com writes:
> > The bass is passive and when this occurred last night, it confirmed
> > that it was the bass as it was connected using a new cable and a known
> > good DI.
>
> Has it gone through the same "known good DI" every time the problem
> has occurred? It's just that this sounds like the sort of problem
> you'd get if the power supply to a component in the signal chain was
> interrupted but it had a big enough smoothing capacitor and low enough
> current drain that it took a long time for the voltage on the power
> rail to drop far enought for it to cut out, and it makes me wonder if
> the known good DI actually has some issue.
>
> --
> Mike Fleming

In this case, known good means this is the first time that this DI has
been used with this bass and it has shown no sign of problems
previously. Your suspicion makes sense and is part of why this problem
confused me. The first time this happened, I was connected through a
relatively convoluted wireless>pre w/FX loop>amp>cab rig. The next 2
times was through a straight forward head>cab setup. After that it was
shelved (standed?) in favor of other basses. When I took it to
practice on a whim, it had never been connected to any of the
equipment there and after about an hour of play, it faded as decribed.

Nothing jumps out after a visual inspection of the solder joints, so
I'll just have to retouch them all. I am glad to hear that others have
had similar problems, only because their solutions were simple too.