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Alembic Club » Owning an Alembic » Troubleshooting » Archive through February 17, 2014 » Distillate volume drop out « Previous Next »

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hammer
Intermediate Member
Username: hammer

Post Number: 109
Registered: 9-2009
Posted on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - 1:12 pm:   Edit Post

I've recently experienced severe volume drop out with my Distillate. I'll be playing a normal levels for a while and all of the sudden my volume is 1/4 of what is was a few minutes earlier. I'm playing through a Yamaha 5500 and FX-1 using Phil Jones speaker cabs. The Yamaha is brand new so I'm thinking the difficulties are elsewhere but I don't currently have another bass at home to try to determine if its the bass itself or the difficulties lie somewhere else in the system. After unplugging from my guitar and plugging in again the volume will, at times, return to normal for a while. Other times this has no impact. I'm going to install new batteries in the Distillate later today, but when the batteries have worn out in the past I've gotten distortion as opposed to a drop in volume. Any thoughts on how to troubleshoot further.
pauldo
Senior Member
Username: pauldo

Post Number: 789
Registered: 6-2006
Posted on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - 2:32 pm:   Edit Post

Brian - Battery is a good start. Like you, I also usually experience a really great distortion sound; just before the bass dies completly on a dead battery. Electricity is like magic - I'm thinking after your new battery that you won't need to troubleshoot anymore.

Good Luck.

Paul TDO
mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 7654
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - 7:50 pm:   Edit Post

The phrase "install new batteries in the Distillate" leads me to believe you may not be changing the proper battery. If you have side LEDs and a compartment that have several batteries in it, they will not impact the output of the bass. Make sure you change the one 9V battery in the large electronics cavity.

Of course, the loss of signal can be related to corrosion of the effects return jack. You can read about the procedure to address this in the F-1X FAQ.
mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 7655
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - 7:50 pm:   Edit Post

The phrase "install new batteries in the Distillate" leads me to believe you may not be changing the proper battery. If you have side LEDs and a compartment that have several batteries in it, they will not impact the output of the bass. Make sure you change the one 9V battery in the large electronics cavity.

Of course, the loss of signal can be related to corrosion of the effects return jack. You can read about the procedure to address this in the F-1X FAQ.
hammer
Intermediate Member
Username: hammer

Post Number: 110
Registered: 9-2009
Posted on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - 8:35 pm:   Edit Post

No side LEDS on this baby. It's a simple lady who has only one large electronics cavity. Unfortunately, believe it or not the store that I went to on the way home from work this evening (initials BB)was out of 9 volt batteries. I'll need to try Radio Shack tomorrow. As for exercising the effects return jack, I've exercised all of the jacks on the FX-1: Plug-Unplug 30-40 times - do I need to do more than that? Seems like an excessive amount of foreplay.
mica
Moderator
Username: mica

Post Number: 7657
Registered: 6-2000
Posted on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - 9:11 pm:   Edit Post

Only the effect return jack seems to suffer from the corrosion that leads to volume drop, but you won't hurt anything by exercising the others. How long ago did you give this attention to the effects return jack?
hammer
Intermediate Member
Username: hammer

Post Number: 112
Registered: 9-2009
Posted on Thursday, March 15, 2012 - 10:27 am:   Edit Post

A few days ago.

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