Got an interesting one for ya.

[Mr. Mom]

THERE WILL BE A RECORDING AT SOME POINT, if for no other reason than to show how much better it is than "TBBITW," but I actually need to work something up before I embarrass myself for your amusement.

Oh! OH!! Ooooohhhhh nooooo you di'int!!



Seriously, that is one super bad looking bass right there! WOW!! I can't wait to hear some clips!

[Mr. Mom]

Any updates? Inquiring minds....

[Kevin Baker]

Got it back from the shop a couple of days ago, so it will happen soon (Once we get off our asses and get it done).

[Ken Baker]

(Once we get off our asses and get it done).

Which will be after we get a new fridge because the old one took a poorly timed dump.

Ken...

[Mr. Mom]

Which will be after we get a new fridge because the old one took a poorly timed dump.

Ken...

Ouch. Sounds 'spensive.

[Kevin Baker]

Played it in anger this past weekend, only to discover that there may be an issue with battery power internally that I need to suss out. Played in the university pep band, through Dad's ART/Stewart amp with a 4x10 cab, and boy did it it sing. In passive mode. Because for some reason the batteries died. So, I had both mags but not the piezos, which didn't diminish from the sound, as those of you with L-series instruments know. Haven't had a chance to go through it yet, that'll probably happen some time next week. If it isn't something that I can fix (Dad thinks it might be a wiring thing inside the piezo buffer), I'll be sure to remove the batteries when I'm not playing and make sure to actually carry extras.

[Paulj]

Gorgeous woods. What are your plans for lining the cavities?

[Kevin Baker]

Gorgeous woods. What are your plans for lining the cavities?

When you say, "Lining the cavities," I assume you mean shielding, and not something else, right?

The control cavity is shielded by shielding paint, the pickup cavities are shielded with copper tape, battery box cavity is unshielded because it's unnecessary. Wire holes are unshielded due to size limitations.

[Ken Baker]

Went through the wiring today and it appears we found the issue. First off, a little explanation. The power circuit for this beast is a little unusual. There's 18v coming off the batteries that feed a Cafe Walter Piezo Buffer and a Nordstrand 3b preamp. This in and of itself isn't all that unusual; it's the power interconnects that Kevin used. The buffer and preamp come prewired with 9v battery clips, plus one from the series-connected dual battery box. Kevin used all the various clips to do the interconnects.

You REALLY have to pay close attention to power polarity so that you get power where you need it without creating a dead short across the power source. Well, he missed one and ended up with a short across the battery box. He immediately knew there was a problem because nothing worked. He found the reversal, fixed it, and all was fine in bass land. Until he was at his pep band gig when the batteries went flat. A few texts went back & forth and he did the gig passive (still sounded sweet!). I suspected a short or high draw condition and had him check the batteries for heat, but they were cool to the touch.

Fast forward to today with me poking around in there. First thing I do is pull the batteries and find that both had overheated to the point of swelling out the bottom cap - one so badly that the metal of the battery cover was slightly distorted. That initial polarity reversal had been in place long enough to suck both batteries dry. Kevin had found the problem but not the aftermath. Not sure how long the reversal was in place, but it would have been shorted until disconnected or the batteries pulled. I continued going through the power circuit and found that everything was connected properly. I then set up a test sub-circuit so that I could insert an ammeter into the power circuit; this to make sure that there was no current draw when the bass is unplugged. Everything tested perfectly (bass draws 2.5ma), so I removed the test sub-circuit and buttoned the bass back up.

There you have it. It's a working bass. There are a couple minor deals that need to be attended to, but they'll get taken care of soon. I just need to get him to record a little for you folks.

Thanks for staying tuned!

Ken...

[Mr. Mom]

Still tuned in. Like a pollster to a presidential debate.