Ok, alright 
I guess these were just some Sunday evening musings…
Let’s go back and play some bass 
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I do kind of like the idea of a recessed switch on the back that could do this.
Being on the back, it would be out of the way and being recessed, it would be difficult to hit by accident.
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Yeah. This would be easy and trivial. Though for guitarists lots of pedals also have the idiom of “input plugged in = on”; the footswitch is not an on/off on them either, it’s a bypass but the pedal can still be drawing power.
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Since my new Fernandes Zo has a powered speaker, the volume also has a shut off at low end (like a radio etc) that would also be good for this purpose.
I guess I don’t know why they don’t use something simple like this, other than convention.
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So much so that I poked around trying to find a battery compartment with an integrated switch. Seems like a natural part for toys. Didn’t find one though.
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Well got my new purple heart bass today. I am getting a little buzz on the first fret, so will let the neck settle before tweaking the truss. But, when I turn the tone up, I get 60 cycle hum. Still hums when I touch the strings, goes away when I roll the tone off.
So looking for a noisegate. What’s a good model? Pros/cons?
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I’d fix grounding vs a noise gate. AFAIK, folks around here seem to frown on them for bass (I don’t remember why though).
I’ll go through it on the weekend. What makes me not think it was grounding is touching the strings doesn’t affect the hum. Hum is constant
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Noise gates are generally used for high gain situations and so the issue I would have with bass is that if you are usung them to mask hardware or muting issues, then it’s best to fix the root of the problem instead. Of course if it is a high gain/distortion situation then a noise gate might be a good plan.
This sounds like you want one to fix RFI noise. In that case I would try to fix the RFI instead. What are the pickups?
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Aguilar AG 4P-60
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AG4P-60PU--aguilar-ag-4p-60-4-string-p-bass-pickup-set-60s
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Shielding?
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Is the copper tape actually grounded?
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haven’t opened it yet will take it apart n the weekend probably
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No it isn’t. No ground wires and therefore it’s doing noting. Both cavities. The control cavity needs tape connection between plate and cavity and the pickup cavity needs a ground wire run back to ground. That will solve your noise.
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Yep, 100%. Copper tape without being grounded is just making a better antenna to pick up the RFI. You’ve basically got Noise Arecibo 
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The one on the cover is via the pot shafts. The question is , is that tape contacting the tape inside the cavity? Does not look like it.
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Maybe, if the tape extends close enough to the hole.
I’m mostly concerned about the ones reflecting up into the bottom of the pickup windings 
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Yes, you would think it does, but with the shielding looking like a 1st grader did it, assuming … well you know how the saying goes. LOL
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well here’s hoping his entire bass doesn’t cave in
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