Tips/Tricks/Hacks/Etc.

[Jake]

Here's a semi-useful tidbit that I've recently discovered:

When I make a speaker or guitar cable, after the solder is set, I use a hot glue gun to fill all around the solder joints. It keeps them from ever moving and from potentially shorting out. I actually fill the whole cavity of the 1/4" plug and screw it tight before it dries. Now the two pieces of the plug can't wiggle loose, either. The whole thing is then very, very solid. Like Han Solo encased in carbonite.

I'm sure you fellas have tons of discoveries that could help benefit us all. Drop some science here.

[RacerX]

That's fucking brilliant. Wonder if epoxy would work even better.

[RAGER]

Dollop of silicone on heads of fasteners to keep them from backing out.  Also good for squeaks and rattles.

[liquidsmoke]

Wear ear plugs as much as possible 

Holy fuck 

[RAGER]

Partially deaf here.   Partially to blame are 3 gentlemen named Jim, Cliff, and Conrad.

[Lumpy]

That's fucking brilliant. Wonder if epoxy would work even better.

Hot glue dries in a minute, is cheap (for the bulk it provides), dries solid, and doesn't need to be mixed. If you have epoxy (and no hot glue) then why not. Better? Probably not.

Only thing about this is that your connector is unusable if the cable shorts out or something (said in a whiny voice). No big deal I guess.

I have some nice-looking but shitty "big barrel" speaker cables that fail all the time (because the barrel is big but the actual hardware/connection is weak, it rotates etc). Maybe this would help.

[Mr. Foxen]

Use interdental toothbrushes to clean preamp valve sockets. I'm gonna buy a bunch of these and resell for the purpose. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Useful-Cute-5-PCS-Interdental-Brush-Tooth-Dental-Floss-for-Teeth-Hot-ItS7-/121215505128

[RAGER]

Certain silicone sealants can be used for potting electronics too.

[Lumpy]

If you play bass with your fingers, use an emory board (nail file) to sand down your fingertips so they're smooth. The fine side of the emory board works best, and the cheap disposable ones are what you want. I suppose you could use fine sandpaper too? Afterwards, wipe off your fingertips, then catch some natural oils from the side of your nose (or behind your ear) to lubricate. Reduces drag on the string, reduces blisters. You can do it on both hands, but more important for your plucking hand. Sounds dumb but it works. A trick of Stanley Clarke's.

[everdrone]

moving heavy items solo can really hurt your back and causes 500+ pounds of pressure on your spine due to the bulkiness and physics.  use 212s with neodymiums, health over tone.

logic and science...

OSHA website states " maximum lower back compression force of 770 lbs. "  https://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_vii/otm_vii_1.html

Back pain will eventually effect nearly everyone at one time. In 1998 the healthcare cost for lower back pain was estimated to be around 26.3 billion dollars. It is now thought that as a nation, we spend at least 50 billion dollars for lower back pain.

Another reason why a lot of us suffer with lower back pain is because of our lack of physical activity. Many of our jobs require us to sit and sit and .... sit, in front of a computer. This sitting is continuously putting a static load on our back, while at the same time promoting weak and faulty muscles that are meant to support and protect the back.

When the muscles in the lower back become weak and faulty, people tend to curve their back when bending over. The bowing out of the back makes it so that the muscles can no longer provide sufficient protection to the lower back.

lifting 55 pounds at a distance of 22 inches from your shoulder = 550 pounds of pressure on your back

http://www.oshatrain.org/courses/studyguides/711studyguide.pdf

http://ehs.okstate.edu/modules3/back/a1-back.htm

[RacerX]

LMFAO @ "health over tone"...

[dunwichamps]

want to avoid lower back problems then learn to dead lift properly

[everdrone]

fyi I am a 200 pound 6'2" weightlifter (3 weightlifting workouts a week) that knows how to lift and has no injuries or weakness. I lift using a back brace and also have a rocknroller cart for my gear.  I just want to minimize injury risk due to bulkiness of cabs etc.  

[Jake]

Here's another little hack I stumbled onto. When I got my Atlas 6x12, I was worried that because of its robust volume/bass/vibrations that I might just rattle my amp head right off its perch.

I searched for those amp feet cups, much like the ones on the top of Ampeg 8x10s. I went to every hardware and specialty store in town with one of my amp's rubber feet in my pocket hoping to score something similar. Then, it dawned on me that it'd be a lot easier and cheaper to flip the script, and take advantage of the center hole/cavity of the rubber feet instead of making "holes" on cab for the feet. All I had to do was to screw a pair of hex bolts into the top of the cab and the feet could rest right on top of them. It works fantastically and was probably under $1.

Here's some pics to explain it better. Note: I have four hex bolts on there now – a pair for my Orange and a pair for my Sunn amp.

[VOLVO)))]

When wiring guitars I started putting spade clips on the outputs to my jacks so if the jacks go south I can change them in about two minutes by taking the jackplate off and replacing it. Works great.

Use orange extension cord for speaker cables. You will always know which is yours.

Take a multimeter to every place you go jam. Alternatively, i take a power conditioner with me everywhere I jam.

Electrical tape capo.

Wood shim under the nut to raise action for slide playing without filing a new nut.

The lead guitar trick: cotton wristband muting the strings for leads

[RAGER]

Use this stuff to keep your amp from sliding off your cab.  No drilling or anything.

[VOLVO)))]

Shelf liner!

I use that shit as sanding pads, too.

[liquidsmoke]

I've thought about using this type of thing


but these ideas are better

[dunwichamps]

fyi I am a 200 pound 6'2" weightlifter (3 weightlifting workouts a week) that knows how to lift and has no injuries or weakness. I lift using a back brace and also have a rocknroller cart for my gear.  I just want to minimize injury risk due to bulkiness of cabs etc.  

that might have come off as accusatory. My bad. I meant it more in general for anyone

[RAGER]

Cheap, easy, no work, no drilling

[Lumpy]

The lead guitar trick: cotton wristband muting the strings for leads

That explains so much about every pic I've seen with guitar players wearing wristbands. I always wondered about that (are they really getting that sweaty? )

[Mr. Foxen]

If you don't want you head moving about on your cab, open up the cab and jam in a brace from top to bottom so the top panel can't vibrate your head. Cab shouldn't flex enough to make a head move, it scoops that frequency from the output.

[RacerX]

Jake will like this:

[liquidsmoke]

Jake inspired me. My new head is wider than my cabs so I moved the feet so they sit on the screws. Just round screws but they are enough to hold the head nicely.

[mutantcolors]

want to avoid lower back problems then learn to dead lift properly

All future and past back pain threads may refer to this post.