How to test active bass electronics?

Gear
1

Hi all,

As the title says, I’m looking for some collective wisdom regarding how to test the active electronics on my Edward’s E-BB-145.

I’d been chasing through some buzzing issues in my signal chain (Bass - Pod Express - Tonex One - Rumble 100), which I’d initially thought were power supply related and believed I’d found a solution (I wasn’t getting any buzzing). However over the last couple of days the buzzing has come back and is worse, but stops when I touch the strings - which I think indicates a grounding problem? If I connect my Ibanez Mikrobass, which is passive, I don’t get any buzzing- which would seem to further confirm that the problem is related to the active electronics in the Edward’s?

I’ve got a multimeter and I’m wondering where are the best (most likely) places to test for grounding problems, so I can try and narrow down the cause.

Phil

2

Hi,

Did you try to replace the battery? Sometimes a weak 9v battery causes weird issues on an active bass.

The buzzing could also come from loose wires. I would first check if they are properly connected or if there are any solder joints that are perhaps broken. One ground wire on the bridge could be the issue.

3

simply testing continuity between the bridge and the output jack sleeve is a good start and requires no disassembly. Just plug in a cable and test between the bridge and plug sleeve on the loose end.

1 Like
4

So I found some time to experiment with things, to try and track down the issue, but I’m not sure if I’m any the wiser … :thinking:

I tried swapping out the battery for a fresh one, but this didn’t seem to change anything. I tested all the grounds and everything seems to be correct. I also added shielding (copper tape) to the electronics cavity, but this also didn’t seem to change anything.

I’ve plugged the bass into the amp directly, and tried a different amp, but again this didn’t seem to change anything. I’ve tried playing in different rooms through the house, in case it’s an environmental issue, but this also didn’t seem to change anything.

This all makes me wonder if the issue is a result of noisy domestic power? I’ve ordered a Harley Benton isolated power supply for my pedals to try and improve things, but that still leaves the amp running off a potentially noisy power source. I don’t know whether a power conditioner would help, but they seem to be quite expensive so I may just have to live with a bit of buzz? :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

Phil

5

I tried plugging in my Ibanez MikroBass and I get absolutely no buzzing, which can only lead me to the conclusion that it’s the Edwards active circuit that is the issue - but I just can’t find anything wrong with it :exploding_head:

I think I’m going to have to get a pro to take a look at it, and make sure I haven’t missed anything. In the meantime I’ll go back to the relative peace and quiet of the Ibanez …

Phil

6

it rarely does. However, just to make sure, you also grounded the tape, tight?

Just adding the tape doesn’t do anything and can actually probably make things worse. It also needs to be grounded.

2 Likes
7

Yeah, after adding the tape I made sure I also connected it to the same ground as all the other components :+1: I (hopefully) confirmed everything afterwards with a continuity test.

I’m going to get a luthier to take a proper look at it, since I don’t know enough about instrument electronics to go any further.

Phil

1 Like