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Topic: A shocking, new experience for me |
Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 29 Jul 2017 8:09 am |
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Well, this is a first. At rehearsal a few days ago, the lead guitarist broke a string, the loose end of which flipped over and touched the back of my picking hand - giving me a electrical shock! Hah! Never had that happen before! Weird...
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www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com |
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Jeff Garden
From:
Center Sandwich, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 29 Jul 2017 9:00 am
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I was only trying to help, Jimbeaux, and now we're being regulated. I passed your workplace safety incident on to OSHA and now they are requiring all steel players to wear full body insulated shockproof suits. I think fingerpicks and using anything less than 3 pedals at a time are going to be an issue.
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 29 Jul 2017 9:03 am
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Yes, weird! Don't shake hands with that guy while he's holding his guitar...at least until the electrical issue is sorted out.
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Best regards,
Mike |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 29 Jul 2017 3:30 pm
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Did it make you pick faster?
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Jim Fogarty
From:
Phila, Pa, USA
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Stu Schulman
From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
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Posted 30 Jul 2017 12:32 am
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Jim,Years ago I was playing guitar in one of those wonderful Alaskan dives I broke a string ...String end goes into an open A.C.outlet in the wall sparks everywhere,I look down and the string is now about three inches long...lucky to have lived through it.
_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952. |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Ken Fox
From:
Nashville GA USA
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Posted 30 Jul 2017 4:56 am
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No matter how small the accident a good accident report is a must. Here is one that should give you some ideas for format and complete detail:
Dear Sir,
I am writing in response to your request for additional information in Block 3 of the accident report form I submitted.
I put 'poor planning' as the cause of my accident. You asked for a fuller explanation and I trust the following details will be sufficient.
I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a new six-story building. When I completed my work, I found that I had some bricks left over which, when weighed later were found to be slightly in excess of 500 lbs. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley, which was attached to the side of the building on the sixth floor. Securing the rope at ground I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went down and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow descent of the bricks. You will note in Block 11 of the accident report form that I weigh 135 lbs. Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel, which was now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed.This explained the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the broken collar bone, as listed in section 3 of the accident report form. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my .right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley.
Fortunately by this time I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of beginning to experience pain. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Now devoid of the weight of the bricks, that barrel weighed approximately 50 lbs. I refer you again to my weight.As you can imagine, I began a rapid descent, down the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, broken tooth and several lacerations of my legs and lower body.Here my luck began to change slightly. The encounter with the barrel seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile of bricks and fortunately only three vertebrae were cracked.
I am sorry to report, however, as I lay there on the pile of bricks, in pain, unable to move, I again lost my composure and presence of mind and let go of the rope and I lay there watching the empty barrel begin its journey back down onto me. This explains the two broken legs.
I hope this explanation answers your request. Thank You. |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 30 Jul 2017 5:58 am
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I always carry an inexpensive ($5) AC fault tester with me these days. It came in handy as recently as last week when I discovered a venue provided outlet that had a faulty "neutral".
Guitar player was getting tingly all over. Not in a good way.
h
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Howard Parker
03\' Carter D-10
70\'s Dekley D-10
52\' Fender Custom
Many guitars by Paul Beard
Listowner Resoguit-L |
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Matt Elsen
From:
Deer Harbor, Orcas Island, WA
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Posted 30 Jul 2017 7:47 am
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| I have found that It's NEVER a good thing when a guitar player "gets tingly all over".... |
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Peter Harris
From:
South Australia, Australia
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Posted 31 Jul 2017 4:31 am
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| Matt Elsen wrote: |
| I have found that It's NEVER a good thing when a guitar player "gets tingly all over".... |
...particularly if he's the one holding the barrel rope.... 
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If my wife is reading this, I don't have much stuff....really! |
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Bill A. Moore
From:
Silver City, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 31 Jul 2017 2:44 pm
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| A lot of the venues in my area may or may not have grounded outlets! I used to bring my own power cable, and everything plugged into it, amps, PA, lights. In Clifton, we set up, and I ran the cable, meanwhile, our lead singer, plugged her amp into the wall. When she stepped up for a mic check, she got a tingle. Once I got her straightened out, all was well, but she didn't really sing like she meant it for at least 2 sets! |
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Rich Peterson
From:
Moorhead, MN
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Posted 31 Jul 2017 4:19 pm
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Playing a small Elks Club in Fargo years ago, the band set up on the floor; no stage. Everyone else had taken up the two outlets on the wall behind us, so I plugged into one to my left. We started playing and when I stepped up to the mic, I got a serious wake up call.
We managed to get me plugged in with the rest of the band and I survived the experience. But when I told the bartender there was a problem with that outlet, he doubted it, as it had been wired by one of their members who was an electrician. I suspect that he had gotten a few too many free beverages while doing the work.
We joke about this, but it is a serious matter. Ground faults can be deadly. |
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Murray McDowall
From:
Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia
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Posted 31 Jul 2017 8:32 pm
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Hi Guys,
What we use in Australia is called a RCD. Residual Current Device.
The way it works is, if the current is not equal in the active and the neutral line, there must be some going to ground...somewhere! So it switches the current off very quickly and so avoiding injury.
Cheers, Murray.
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Bill A. Moore
From:
Silver City, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 1 Aug 2017 9:04 am
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| Here they call it a GFI, ground fault interrupter. |
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Chris Walke
From:
St Charles, IL
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Georg Sørtun
From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
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Posted 1 Aug 2017 2:38 pm
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If available (in the right power-range) I prefer to have an isolation transformer between mains and my equipment, as then faulty wiring on the mains side doesn't pose such a risk.
Next best thing is a ground-fault detector that either disconnects or warns about any faults in wiring and/or equipment. One piece of faulty equipment in a band, can present as much hazard as faulty mains wiring.
When in the US I'm always aware of the risks associated with faulty wiring and/or equipment for your "Live-Neutral-GND" system. The risk of getting shocked doesn't bother me much personally, as 120VAC outlets only deliver half the voltage compared to the "Live-Live-GND" system we use domestically in most of Norway. Even so, getting shocked by 120Volt can definitely be unpleasant.
Replaced half a dozen regular outlets in my house in Florida when I moved in, to fix worn-out connections and faulty wiring, and a few feet of aluminum wire on the 240VAC cabling to the heatpump had smouldered insulation, caused intermittent shorts, and had to be replaced with copper wire. Not more than could be expected.
As electrician at hydro-power projects up in the Norwegian mountains - back in the -70s, it was my responsibility to keep the working environment safe from electric hazards. In pretty moist tunnels, with 22KVAC hanging in the ceiling and 440VAC delivered to the heavy tunneling-machinery that was running on rails, keeping current-leakage to ground at low enough levels could be a challenge.
- AFAIK I was the only one who got electric shocks during the 6 years I worked for that company, so I'd call it a success.
- OTOH, the burns from the about 10KV shock I once got through my right hand, took many months to heal and it really hurted for weeks. Thankfully I followed the procedure of working with only one hand and otherwise stay isolated while troubleshooting live equipment, or else I wouldn't have been here 
Advice: check everything before, check all over again later, and stay safe. |
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John De Maille
From:
On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.
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Posted 1 Aug 2017 8:48 pm
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| When I was playing in a country rock band, years ago, our bass player nearly bought the farm. It was a large affair and we were in a big tent on a plywood stage. He stepped off the stage onto the wet grass and the huge blue spark was tremendous! It knocked him flat on his back and luckily disconnected his base. I think that's what actually saved him. Luckily, this was during a sound check and not during a show set. It did shake him up quite a bit, as it did us. We always carried a long, thick rubber runner after that, just in case. To this day, I'm still super careful about outside jobs. |
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David Rogerson
From:
Victoria, Australia
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Posted 1 Aug 2017 11:08 pm
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Jeff gets his kicks !!
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Carl Mesrobian
From:
Salem, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 6 Aug 2017 11:51 am
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Sometimes being the fastest path to ground is a rude awakening. We had an electric stove that made the pans 57 VAC - talk about hot sauce. It was caused by old wiring insulation failure. Once I replaced with high temp insulated wire it was fine.
Carry a cheap multimeter with you and test other peoples ground references to yours..You might be (un) shocked at the results! Some old electronics have a hot chassis instead of grounded chassis - It can cause some unwanted results.
It could be a case similar to this
https://steelguitarforum.com/Forum11/HTML/003019.html
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--carl
"The better it gets, the fewer of us know it." Ray Brown |
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Godfrey Arthur
From:
3rd Rock
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Posted 7 Aug 2017 10:23 pm
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The case for going wireless...
Actually deaths from stage electrocution is not rare.
We take chances with our chosen instruments.
These might help.
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ShoBud The Pro 1
YES it's my REAL NAME!
Ezekiel 33:7 |
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Stu Schulman
From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
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Posted 8 Aug 2017 5:33 am
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Jim,I have one more,While playing guitar in a top 40rock band in Anchorage in the mid 80's we were at a capacity crowd one summer night ,very hot in the club,We had some hanging speakers for mains...for some reason I look over at one of the speakers and a small flame appeared,I signal the lead singer who was really high so he finally stops the band,Everyone leaves the club and runs into the parking lot sound guy grabbed an extinguisher,fire department shows up,Closed the club for the night...turns out the voice coil in one of the mains got really hot and caught fire!
_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952. |
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Bill A. Moore
From:
Silver City, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 8 Aug 2017 7:14 am
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Back in the day, getting a tingle used to be a regular part of the load in! All outlets were not grounded, and most singers plugged their mic into their own amp. Everyone knew better, than to hold your own guitar, and touch someone else's mic.
When PA's started to come on to the scene, a regular ritual was to get everybody's amp in phase with the PA, ground switches were great, but many amps had to have the plug reversed!
I still have an old amp that I've owned for 50 years, and took it over to a jam recently. Plugged it in, held my guitar, and brushed the back of my hand to the mic, and got a tingle. I reversed the plug, retested, all was well for the rest of the day! I intend to install a grounded cord someday, (if I ever have to pull the chassis again)! |
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Jim Fogarty
From:
Phila, Pa, USA
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Posted 8 Aug 2017 9:50 am
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| BTW, Jim Cohen........this is IT!! No matter how many times you ask when we're on-stage together, I'm NEVER gonna pull your finger again! |
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Mike Schwartzman
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 8 Aug 2017 2:04 pm
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"And now Ladies and Gentlemen I'd like to introduce the band. On Pedal Steel Guitar: Sparky Cohen"
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Emmons Push Pull, BMI, Session 400, Home of the Slimcaster Tele. |
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