It should be a brand new cord, I ‘just’ bought it XD; I’d hope. But!…it sounded good…if not better cause it was plugged into a…well he said it was acoustic…but it sounded ‘good’. I was gonna post a video later, I’m out and about now…I was hoping someone replied while I was up here XD. So thank you for that!. I’d feel better with a Bass amp anyway…I ‘don’t’ think this one is 0.0
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If I remember correctly you posted a pic of your bass. It was the Washburn with what looked to be Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders (good pickups). If you were hearing a hum (noise) it may have a grounding problem or even maybe the wrong capacitor was used in it. Sometimes lower grade pots (volume & tone) can do this too. And yes smaller cost effect amps can be noisy too.
There is even the possibility you were using a speaker cable and not an instrument cable. An instrument cable is shielded to help stop hum. Speaker cable are not always shielded. They do look very similar if not identical. Some cables will state their purpose in the print on the rubber cable jacket/ outer sheath.
The luthier should have no problem finding the schematics to help diagnose the problem as SD has the largest schematic website for pickups of any manufacturer.
Some questions you can ask are:
Could you check that the electronics are grounded properly including the bridge?
Is the right capacitor being used according to the schematics?
Are the pots all functioning properly and what are they? This would be an inquiry of the brand (Seymour Duncan/ CTS/ Alpha/ No Name) and the ohmage (250K or 500K usually).
Hope you can correct the problem soon.
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Yea that was her, the old Washburn :3. I did make a video but it’s late here now and I don’t want to disturb my neighbors. The video I made you can’t hear the static :/. I don’t think I had it loud enough…I was kinda messing with the knobs, trying to get it to even ‘work’. I’ll try again before mom takes it back. I haven’t even opened up the back…I’m kinda afraid too…I don’t know what’s back there XD jk
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One quick thing you can try is dial the tone knob all the way down (or closed). If there no hum or hiss I don’t think its the cable or the amp. It’s not a great test but it may help point out what the problem is.
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I tried that, and actually got a response from it…what do you guys think?. Also I’m aware that’s not a Bass amp…as it’s a gift…and…you know Mom’s sometimes ;3
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Is that a tape wound string or a round wound black string?
If it’s a tape wound string and you have a single coil passive pickups then that’s the sources of the hum/static.
Usually the metal strings would take care of the hum once you touch the strings, it’s quite common on fender’s single coil pickups. Nylon wrapped strings insulate your mass(body) from completing the circuit.
Just keep the tone down it should be almost noise free. Don’t worry about the terms that I use, if you don’t under it, you will. Just ask any questions here.
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I can’t hear it too well. Ill try again in the morn when I can play it through a loud speaker.
Ok so from what I can see and hear:
Your cable is definitely a instrument cable. It says so on it. It looks new so it probably is not that. But some new cable can be faulty. When you store your cable do not twist and turn it. Allows coil it up like a slinky, not tight and never tie it off. This way it’ll last longer.
I don’t think its the amp as you said it was new but one other test you can try is plug a phone or tablet into via the aux in and with nothing else plugged in play some music. Nothing to hard as you want to see if the amp crackles from the head portion. If it doesn’t we can look back at the base.
Those pickup don’t seem to be stock. If they are not stock someone installed them and its very possible it was not grounded properly or there may be a dry joint in the soldering.
The electronics are grounded at various points. The pots, the bridge and the output jack.
Also check to see if the jack is secure and not wiggling. If so tighten it up (be careful not to scratch the bass doing this). Then check to see if the pots (volume and tone on yours) are loose. If so you will have to take off the knobs and tighten them. again watch you dont scratch the bass with tools.
Another thing to check, If you can you, take the cavity cover on the back off and check to see if there are any loose wires. Again becareful doing this as its easy to pull a wire and then you’ll have no sound.
Try those things out and let us know.
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This!!!
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I honestly couldn’t tell you XD; I didn’t put the strings on…but they said that was new too, so shrug
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Does the hum decrease when you touch the strings? If so, then it’s likely a ground fault, particularly at the bridge.
It may be that your home is electrically noisy as well. Does the hum change between different rooms?
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No, I checked that, the hum stops mostly, and when I take my finger off, it hums again
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That sounds like a grounding fault in the bass.
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I’d have to look up a video on that, I haven’t took the back since I bought her so…I don’t know nothing about that stuff…but I ‘do’ know the pick ups were not stock, the guy replaced them. He never told me what was wrong with them. Think she could have had that grounding problem and they thought a new pickup would solve it?. Just a idea out of left field!
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@MC-Canadastan is right. It sounds more and more like a grounding issue. Especially if the hum disappears when you touch the strings. Try to see if it disappears if you touch the poles on the pickup or when you touch the bridge. If it does this is more and more a grounding issue.
I don’t think the hum is a characteristic of the P or percision pickups cause most Ps are setup up almost like a humbucker. Someone correct me if I’m wrong there. If it was a J or jazz pickup unfortunately they are know to be noisy.
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I don’t think there was anything wrong with them. The SDs you have now would be much better than most stock pickups at that level.
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Good to know, lol. I’ll try stuff out…and see…thanks for all the help! =3
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I thought maybe the old ones, that’s why they were replaced…but I dunno. Do you mean like touching the metal bits on the pick ups?..will it move them?..or just touch the pick up in general?..just so I…don’t screw anything up? O.o
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Yup. The metal bits on the pickup. Don’t worry you want screw up anything by touching them.
Just turn up your volume and tone and without touching the strings touch the pole pieces of the pickups and separately touch the bridge and see what happens.
Well…it did the same static for the bottom ones…I guess…the last two would be D and G?. But!…on the top metal bit, it literally popped!…it wasn’t a loud pop but it was enough to scare me. I didn’t try anymore after that XD
I guess it’s…still G?…I don’t know how the…pickups are identified o.o. I can take a picture and point em out?
A split P pickup, with a split coil, is indeed a humbucker. All humbucker means is there is no hum. Now we associate it more with soapbars, but there are many types of humbuckers.
My Paranormal Jazz has single coils which are linear humbuckers with no hum, but look just like a Jazz pup.
The P pickup that hums is a 51 style, which is not split. Although, there are many, many versions of a 51 coil on the market which do not hum.
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