The Last Bass Outpost

Gear Discussion Forums => Rickenbacker Basses => Topic started by: Alanko on August 18, 2015, 03:20:15 PM

Title: How did the light show work?
Post by: Alanko on August 18, 2015, 03:20:15 PM
I'm interested in the guys of those Lightshow instruments Rickenbacker made, including a 4005 variant. I've never seen it explained as to how they worked. From what I gather, the lights run off of mains electricity delivered via a 5-pin jack. The lights themselves seem to respond differently depending on which notes, or strings, are being played. How did this circuitry sense the strings, and convert that into switching for the lights?

Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: Highlander on August 18, 2015, 03:29:18 PM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9LhbRdWrFs

A "Light Organ" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_organ)

QED... ;)
Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: Alanko on August 19, 2015, 03:17:08 AM
Thanks for the links! They sound like a nightmare of hot plexiglass and mains voltage...

I still don't understand the circuitry involved, from converting the output of passive pickups to 3-bands of control voltages for the lights.
Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: chromium on August 19, 2015, 03:43:02 PM
Quote from: Alanko on August 19, 2015, 03:17:08 AM
I still don't understand the circuitry involved, from converting the output of passive pickups to 3-bands of control voltages for the lights.

There's a circuit example here with a nice video walk-through explaining how the color organs typically work.  Similar concepts are probably at play in the Ric, just using different components...

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?search_type=jamecoall&catalogId=10001&freeText=2126272&langId=-1&productId=2126272
Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: Alanko on August 20, 2015, 02:11:44 PM
I cannot get that link to work.  ???
Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: Highlander on August 20, 2015, 03:43:23 PM
Strike 2...
Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: chromium on August 20, 2015, 04:37:41 PM
Weird- the link works ok for me, so not sure what's up with that.

Here's the link for the video at any rate:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sf6lq6NcJU
Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: Highlander on August 20, 2015, 11:22:55 PM
Very geek...  ;)

Went the other way, Joe, and got back to the source... two links...

Light Organ PDF (http://www.jameco.com/Jameco/Products/ProdDS/2130845.pdf)

relevant page link (http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_10001_2130845_-1)
Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: Alanko on August 21, 2015, 02:54:05 AM
Many thanks guys! I will look at these when I get some down time.
Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: Denis on December 28, 2015, 03:54:49 PM
Here's a video of one in the dark!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sraw-Pah_lg
Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: uwe on January 06, 2016, 11:04:32 AM
I didn't know that it goes on and off as you play it, très cool if not exactly practical. I'd play it in a psychedelia band. A thousand p(o)ints of li(gh)t(e).
Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: Jeff Scott on January 07, 2016, 02:46:51 PM
Quote from: uwe on January 06, 2016, 11:04:32 AM
I didn't know that it goes on and off as you play it, très cool if not exactly practical. I'd play it in a psychedelia band. A thousand p(o)ints of li(gh)t(e).
It's a light organ; remember those?
Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: Denis on January 17, 2016, 07:45:21 AM
Until I found that video I assumed that individual lights were tied in with individual strings or tones. Never occurred to me that groups of lights or sections of the bass would light up like that.
Either way, I like it.
Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: uwe on January 19, 2016, 01:53:55 PM
Quote from: Jeff Scott on January 07, 2016, 02:46:51 PM
It's a light organ; remember those?

I like my organ heavy.
Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: Highlander on January 19, 2016, 02:55:26 PM
Hammond C3 is pretty heavy...

John Lord let me play with his organ, just would not cut it, I guess... :mrgreen:

Edit Uwe: Un-for-give-ab-le!
Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: Alanko on January 19, 2016, 03:06:39 PM
Light Organ circuitry seems fairly convoluted for something that is, frankly, a bit of a gimmick.  Many thanks all who have replied. In my head the lightshow 4005 somehow used a 3rd pickup and some sort of tricksy filtering circuit to make it all work. Seems the answer is a bit simpler, and just a healthy chunk of mains voltage powered disco lighting hidden inside a bass.
Title: Re: How did the light show work?
Post by: Denis on February 07, 2016, 07:06:23 PM
From The Rickenbacker page, I copied this: "The Model 331- commonly called the "Light Show Guitar" because of its frequency-modulated internally-lit body-reflected the psychedelic 1960s in both sound and substance. The flashing began when the player hit the strings: yellow for treble notes, red for mid-range, and blue for bass. (Rickenbacker also produced a kaleidoscopic light projector called the Phantasmagorian.)"