Fender P Bass STAY GROUNDED

[@randymallory6301]

Back in the old days, 1966-1968, I was stationed at Itazuke Air Base in Japan. Aside from my Air Force duties, I also played guitar in a band that performed there on the base at the various military clubs as well as some off-base locations. I had Fender Deluxe Reverb amp. In those days the amps had a two-prong plug...no ground wire. The first night I played there at the NCO club, as soon as my amp warmed up, it started playing music being broadcast of over the local FEN(Far East Network) radio station. The antenna was location on the base very close by. The solution was to unplug the amp, turn the plug over and plug it back in. It took awhile to figure this out the first time, believe me!

[@13coyote13]

I remember many eclipses ago sitting in a friends basement in bare feet on the cement floor strumming on his Les Paul when my finger touched the pickup and my arm wrapped itself around my back, suffice it to say I never did that again.

[@lenniejosephful]

A time I do any kind of electronic work, I always make sure that ground is on!! Dave, you rock!!

[@pedraw]

I had a old guy that was a retired electrician back in the late 80's tell me that if you get shocked and you taste copper.....you got a good poke. He was a Swede name Joe Johansen

[@_leopold_butters_stotch]

What a weird joke.

[@johnromansky6834]

Thank you for the advice, I would have never thought about getting shocked while playing my bass . I will be more vigilant about making sure everything is grounded correctly

[@thepaulmacfarlane]

You're a literal life saver.

[@r.l.rachel740]

Wow. Thank you.

[@FAMUCHOLLY]

Shocking story Dave. Just shocking!

[@MontrealMusiciansExchange]

Hi Dave, you’re joking but I saw a guy do exactly that! (Grab Mic+guitar) FIREWORKS! (it was great) Thanks again.😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤

[@mccypr]

Thanks fellow Oldie! 🙂😎

[@DavesWorldofFunStuff]

Any time!

[@sd3falco]

Yes, I've gotten that lip shock in the past. Now I know how to check it. Thanks!

[@DavesWorldofFunStuff]

You bet!

[@jamesonpace726]

I learned this all night long, in a basement under the garage, there was just enough room to cram the drums in a corner over by the Dodge, through a cheesy little amp, with a sign on front said Fender Champ...

[@dl7509]

You've been to Joe's garage. Turn it down !

[@ooinvsaoo]

Everyone says necessity is the mother of invention, I say that it's actually laziness that's the mother of invention..

[@carlsbadidea8639]

Dave. Do you remember that place we played in Trenton. The electric was so bad that everything hummed like a bastard. Some places are just plain dangerous.

[@DavesWorldofFunStuff]

Sherwood?

[@carlsbadidea8639]

@@DavesWorldofFunStuff Yes. It's like a single coil pickup and a fluorescent lamp had a baby.

[@mightyV444]

I'd joined a band on bass at the start of December that's gigging regularly, and as I'll also be starting to sing background vocals in the near future, this topic of possible electric shocks had crossed my mind only about 11 hours before I watched this video! Thank you for bringing it up, as well as for sharing that safety check trick, Dave! 😀👍

[@heikkivuori]

Thanks video Dave!

[@DavesWorldofFunStuff]

Thanks for watching!

[@johnvenditto2908]

Thanks for the explanation on grounding Dave. You already helped me by telling me to do this, now I see the importance. The only hairy part was drilling the hole from under the bridge to the controls cavity. No more buzz, no getting zapped! I used to do the ground test with the strings and the mic in the old days, think I'll start doing it again.

[@thefool2007]

Wow I can remember playing a gig at a small bar and got my lips shocked. Now I know why. I wonder if my mouth lit up. On another note...I played bass in church yesterday. My bass is quiet (and no ground issues) but I noticed when I had the master volume turned off, I heard some radio frequencies that disappeared as soon as I opened it. Weird.

[@BasicDrumming]

Great video.

[@thetaperoomstudio]

Dave, real helpful vid man. Thank you.

[@DavesWorldofFunStuff]

You bet!

[@wademiyataki9221]

When I first saw that knob with the huge screw, I thought WTF??? When you explained what the deal was, that works. And buddy also knew who to take it to in order to get it fixed. Smarter than the average bear.😁

[@telecatsermaster]

Yup. Great work-around

[@fernandogarajalde4066]

These days it’s important to stay grounded and stay away from ungrounded sources such as frenemies and extremists. 😆🎸

[@JeffD63]

208V 3 phase. Nasty stuff.

[@larryburwell8550]

who uses 208 3 phase with guitars and PAs

[@JeffD63]

@@larryburwell8550 Well, JBL & Meyers PA speaker systems we can start with. 208v 3p can split off to 110v single phase. While many people would use 120/240, 120/208 will deliver a slightly higher load capacity, 240 75A vs 208 85A, when done correctly. For power to many items on the stage. A distrobox does wonders when coupled with a properly setup dry transformer. Thats for the 25-30 Kva gensets. When you get up into the area of 60-75Kva and larger skid mounted gensets the 120/240 will yield and higher load potential.

[@StevenHess]

The electrical path between your hands is your heart. Don't be that dead guy.

[@larryburwell8550]

great to see you back dave first of all. second i learned in the 70s about proper grounding. hell you can leave you lips on the mic if you holding your guitar

[@aminahmed2220]

Fantastic ❤😊

[@Anson120]

I was electrocuted by a US wall outlet. It kinda hurt at first ,but afterward it made my arm feel relaxed and free of pain. The ultimate Tens unit LOL

[@offtherealm5438]

😊I've been watching too much Dave. On my Fender Pbass, i decided to gut it and completely upgrade every component....now it sounds like shit!!

[@offtherealm5438]

Update: took it to a geetar tech and my jack was touching the shielding paint....easy fix, no charge and he complimented me on the soldering job!

[@stevenkimsey7039]

I've got a 1974 fender champ, original condition. I've been shocked at the microphone while playing electric guitar. Electric shock to the lips.

[@Riverdeepnwide]

Steve, use a Circuit Tester, about $10 to check for correct polarity on your receptacle. If your Champ or PA has a two slim prong plug, turn it over 180 degrees to align the polarities. I've always had my Amp Tech install three prong supplies on my vintage two prong amps.

[@DavesWorldofFunStuff]

That is also not that tough to do ..good upgrade

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

All this talk about electric shocks is the reason why I always play gigs using a wireless transmitter

[@samstinkeringaround8961]

Dave , so the American professional 2 P-bass with the new style 5 bolt neck , is the neck pocket the same size as the 4 bolt ? 1963 profile it has a high mass bridge and the adjustment is to the deck at 5/64. I ordered some labella flats , I was wondering about a neck shim ? it's new never had the neck off of it. About to brave a set up

[@yobentley7274]

Nice looking meter. What brand is it?

[@DavesWorldofFunStuff]

Fluke the only brand

[@iansmith9125]

I got a really nasty belt through a mic once. 240v definitely smarts 😮

[@artrogers3985]

That is a pretty good hack.

[@telecatsermaster]

Hell yea…. Very resourceful…. Im sure it took some trial and error as well

[@stevenedwards4470]

If the owner was famous, could you imagine the hilarious "tone search" that might ensue? 😝

[@lenniejosephful]

Sing and play and get a shock, isn't that a polarity thing as well?

[@DavesWorldofFunStuff]

it can be

[@stevec.1802]

macgiver solution. 🙃🔊

[@flash21502]

I assume live performance these days is a lot less “ shocking “ due to the popularity of wireless systems.

[@Ernesto87]

The late frontman of The Yardbirds died when he got electrocuted by a mic he was using. Supposedly, it wasn't grounded properly.

[@davidaustin1875]

try peeing on an electric fence.

[@telecatsermaster]

Wireless mics sound like a better idea every day….

[@scottmacdonald1826]

You could ask Keith Relf, from The Yardbirds, about the dangers of playing an ungrounded instrument. Except you can't, because that's what killed him.

[@pauldavis6356]

It's a pity how much of the body of the guitar is covered up by the pick guard. That finish is beautiful.