Ok someone please explain this to me because I have NEVER heard of this before.

[Falloffthebonetone]

Regarding bass amps and bass guitars specifically. Are there some that just don't work with others?

Not in terms of complementary tone or anything, but I mean when you plug this bass in, it doesn't make any sound but plug another in and everything is fine. Then you plug the same bass in another amp and it works fine too.

I say this because I lent a buddy my GK 2001rb because his Acoustic amp crapped out on him and wouldn't turn on for what ever reason. He uses an old school Rickenbacker 4001 and it has always worked with his Acoustic amp, but when he plugged into my GK he couldn't get sound to come out. So he borrowed a Fender bass from one of the other guys playing on Saturday and the amp worked fine.

He also said he has had this problem before with the Rick through an Ampeg, where any other bass like a Fender would work. He ended up using a small Hartke combo for a show they played yesterday and that also happened to work with the Rick. It should also be mentioned the GK works fine with my own G&L basses and I've never had a problem getting sound out of them.

Is there something about this Rick that will make it work with an Acoustic head and cab and a Hartke combo but not something like Ampeg and GK? I've seen plenty of Ricks played through GK and Ampegs, but could it be something with the amps I'm unaware of? I'm trying to wrap my brain around what is happening here...

My guess is it has something to do with the mono and stereo jacks on the Rick?

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Ok someone please explain this to me because I have NEVER heard of this before.

Had a buddy whose bass rig stopped putting out sound

Came down to speaker cable jacks on back

He didn't have one plugged in

Probably as you said some jack thing

Some jacks are just too big to fit the inset of my Ibanez bass



*(Sent from my durned phone!)*

 

[jeremy]

Re: Ok someone please explain this to me because I have NEVER heard of this before.

there is no reason that any bass guitar shouldn't work with any bass guitar amplifier. there are lots of things that might make it seem that way. the rick-o-sound jack might make it act weird but the standard jack should be fine. is he using a stereo cable? does he get no sound at all? does pulling the jack half way out make a difference?

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Ok someone please explain this to me because I have NEVER heard of this before.

Jackhole.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Ok someone please explain this to me because I have NEVER heard of this before.

The Rick-o-sound dual socket system, like the Gibson "Stereo" wiring on some ES Thinline models, can and does operate in mono provided that a regular tip-sleeve jack is plugged into the correct socket.

What I have occasionally found is that some instrument output sockets really do not like the flexible raised sections in the shafts of the plugs supplied on Planet Waves Custom Series cables. The other feature of these cables that could upset some instruments is the intentional policy of only grounding at the amplifier end.

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Ok someone please explain this to me because I have NEVER heard of this before.

K so I'm not the only one who thinks that is why. But the mono should still work right? I believe he is getting no sound out of it at all. I told him about the 2 jacks and he looked at me, almost confused. He should be using the same cables as ever and it still works with other amps of his.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Ok someone please explain this to me because I have NEVER heard of this before.

Sounds like operator error to me, at least on some level, though there could be some kind of short going on in the bass, somewhere.

It would be interesting to sit down with the bass and a variety of amps to see what exactly is going on. Hard to diagnose over the internet.

Bill

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Ok someone please explain this to me because I have NEVER heard of this before.

Sounds like operator error to me, at least on some level, though there could be some kind of short going on in the bass, somewhere.

It would be interesting to sit down with the bass and a variety of amps to see what exactly is going on. Hard to diagnose over the internet.

Bill

I agree. I'll try and get my hands on them when I go to pick it up and see if I can't make them work. SOMETHING has to be being overlooked here. I just hope nothing is wrong with either the bass or amp.

 

[zzmoore]

Re: Ok someone please explain this to me because I have NEVER heard of this before.

The Rick-o-sound dual socket system, like the Gibson "Stereo" wiring on some ES Thinline models, can and does operate in mono provided that a regular tip-sleeve jack is plugged into the correct socket.

What I have occasionally found is that some instrument output sockets really do not like the flexible raised sections in the shafts of the plugs supplied on Planet Waves Custom Series cables. The other feature of these cables that could upset some instruments is the intentional policy of only grounding at the amplifier end.

I would think the answer lies in here somewhere. ^^^^^^^^^
At some point the jack on the 4001 is not lining up with the plug on the instrument cable. I doubt it has anything to do with the amp(s) at all.
best

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Ok someone please explain this to me because I have NEVER heard of this before.

I m assuming he used the exact same cable between amps and still got it to work with different amps.

 

[EDX]

Re: Ok someone please explain this to me because I have NEVER heard of this before.

maybe a loose solder or damaged pot
the loose solder happened to the bass of a friend, at start he experimented the same you descrive, plug a bass on an amp, not sound, plug-in other bass and sound, plug the first bass on another amp and sound, after cheking everything, i pluged my soldering iron and opened the bass, as i started to check a loose solder on the jack was evident.....

if not, user error or crapped instrument cable