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Post subject: 2006 P bass pickup failure...
Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 11:53 am
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Has anybody had their P bass pickup just flat out fail? I did some recording and then went to my Jazz to provide a different track, then went back to the P and the 4th and 5th strings had no output at all with the switch in the series position, and 0 output at the parallel position


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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 3:58 pm
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I have heard of this happening to someone else with an MIA deluxe p bass.

here's the thing... if the two strings were dying out in parallel mode, that would make plenty of sense, since the two coils in the split pickup act independent of each other. But in series mode the output of one pickup should effect the output of the other... the same thing happened to the other guy, and I don't have an explanation of why this is from a wiring standpoint.

My only suggestion is to check every wire and soldering point, including the wires connecting the two pickups. Either that or try building a simple circuit to test out the pickups outside of the bass. take one of the coils, take the output jack, and wire the coil straight to the output jack. Then take something metal and touch the poles with it. If you get output, then the pickup is fine. If you don't, then there's something wrong with the pickup.

If you don't want to do the diagnostic yourself, I suggest taking it into a shop.


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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 4:31 pm
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anubis16 wrote:
I have heard of this happening to someone else with an MIA deluxe p bass.

here's the thing... if the two strings were dying out in parallel mode, that would make plenty of sense, since the two coils in the split pickup act independent of each other. But in series mode the output of one pickup should effect the output of the other... the same thing happened to the other guy, and I don't have an explanation of why this is from a wiring standpoint.

My only suggestion is to check every wire and soldering point, including the wires connecting the two pickups. Either that or try building a simple circuit to test out the pickups outside of the bass. take one of the coils, take the output jack, and wire the coil straight to the output jack. Then take something metal and touch the poles with it. If you get output, then the pickup is fine. If you don't, then there's something wrong with the pickup.

If you don't want to do the diagnostic yourself, I suggest taking it into a shop.


Thanks for the thoughts, same thing I was thinking. unfortunately I would have to take it to Vegas ( 380 miles away ) for warranty service. guess I just have to pull her apart myself and check solder joints. I may just drop the par/series switch altogether and install a traditional volume pot.

Cheers!
Jim


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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 5:31 pm
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It's possible that it's not a bad soldering point, but an actual wiring short. If that's the case, then it would probably be somewhere in the S-1 switch. Check to see if there is a loose strand of wire that is connecting two points, or anything else that might be connecting points that shouldn't be connected. That could explain the bizzare wiring issues...

If you determine that the pickups themselves are fine and that the problem is in the S-1 switch but can't seem to be fixed, you can always get a push/pull pot. You'll be able to wire it to do the serise/ parallel switching. You can put a regular knob on the top, and it will look like a regular jazz bass. I have one in my jazz, and it works great.


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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 12:07 am
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I am beginning to think that the SWITCH might have an issue. It is very unlikely that a couple of basses would be showing the same problem and it not be the switch. The pickups should be good for 20 to 30 years. The odds of an actual pickup failure on a new bass are astronomical. (Sure some are better than others for whatever mystical reasons...but for half a nearly new P-bass pup to stop working is just...well...illogical.)

If it works out of the box it should keep working. Strands of wire don't move by themselves. Sure there might have been a cold solder joint here or there (maybe 1 in 200,000), but if this same problem keeps popping up I'm suspecting the switch and it should be covered under warranty. Moving parts are the parts that give the most trouble. Tuners, pots and bridge saddle adjustment screws. Add to that any switches. Anything that moves is always the first suspect.


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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 8:54 am
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brotherdave wrote:
I am beginning to think that the SWITCH might have an issue. It is very unlikely that a couple of basses would be showing the same problem and it not be the switch. The pickups should be good for 20 to 30 years. The odds of an actual pickup failure on a new bass are astronomical. (Sure some are better than others for whatever mystical reasons...but for half a nearly new P-bass pup to stop working is just...well...illogical.)

If it works out of the box it should keep working. Strands of wire don't move by themselves. Sure there might have been a cold solder joint here or there (maybe 1 in 200,000), but if this same problem keeps popping up I'm suspecting the switch and it should be covered under warranty. Moving parts are the parts that give the most trouble. Tuners, pots and bridge saddle adjustment screws. Add to that any switches. Anything that moves is always the first suspect.


My thinking as well, the Precision rarely leaves the studio except to travel to another studio! Pair that with the fact that it was fine an hour earlier (though not moved or anything is weird!) Just a bummer to have to make time to pull it apart - guess I'll have to finish this project with the Jazz....


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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 11:33 am
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hey i was wondering if you found a a solution? as im having a similar problem ith my 2006 fender pbass (4 strings). When i dont have the s1 pressed on i can barely hear anything through a 100w amp, but when i press in the s1 switch i can hear the bottom two strings clearly but not the top 2


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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 1:24 pm
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hi all. I've only just signed up.

I play a p-bass in a doom band. We are tuned to c standard.

After a nightmare journey to get to our first gig (as its a brand new band), we tried a quick line check before going onstage as we missed the soundcheck time.

My p-bass flat out refused to output any signal through an Orange ad200 head. We ran through a d.i and it was too weak an output to play.

I changed all the leads for confirmed working leads and was forced to borrow a bass.

Since I took it back to the guitar shop it suddenly decided to work again.

The only problem is that it has a much lower output. The shop didnt do anything. I rehearse with an ampeg solid state and an 8x10 cab. It was always a lot louder than it has been recently. I haven't been able to try an all valve again as I haven't had access (although negotiating to get a svt 2pro very soon)

I have put on 110 gauge strings, possibly going to go bigger with a 5 string set and losing the high g and using the largest.

Is there a common output problem with p-basses? I only ask as my bass worked perfectly at the start of the year. It was loud, sounded immense even in this tuning with smaller strings now it is weaker than an ethiopian kitten....

What do you guys think? For a bass that is less than a year old, could it simply be a set-up issue? maybe i should be raising the action? Maybe my bass is wired badly (im no expert at electronics - i could plumb in your bathroom, or re-build your motorcycle engine haha) and possibly a loose wire is shorting it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I would also be grateful if any snobs left their tuning issues at the door too. I have always played in low tunings on 6 string electric guitars for over a decade as have my bassists, not to mentiuon geezer butler has for over 30 years :D

Thanks in advance lovely low end maestros.

EDIT: Sorry I should really explain that the bass has split pickups, no selector switch and just a volume and tone pot.


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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 2:03 pm
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daviesnet wrote:
hi all. I've only just signed up.

I play a p-bass in a doom band. We are tuned to c standard.

After a nightmare journey to get to our first gig (as its a brand new band), we tried a quick line check before going onstage as we missed the soundcheck time.

My p-bass flat out refused to output any signal through an Orange ad200 head. We ran through a d.i and it was too weak an output to play.

I changed all the leads for confirmed working leads and was forced to borrow a bass.

Since I took it back to the guitar shop it suddenly decided to work again.

The only problem is that it has a much lower output. The shop didnt do anything. I rehearse with an ampeg solid state and an 8x10 cab. It was always a lot louder than it has been recently. I haven't been able to try an all valve again as I haven't had access (although negotiating to get a svt 2pro very soon)

I have put on 110 gauge strings, possibly going to go bigger with a 5 string set and losing the high g and using the largest.

Is there a common output problem with p-basses? I only ask as my bass worked perfectly at the start of the year. It was loud, sounded immense even in this tuning with smaller strings now it is weaker than an ethiopian kitten....

What do you guys think? For a bass that is less than a year old, could it simply be a set-up issue? maybe i should be raising the action? Maybe my bass is wired badly (im no expert at electronics - i could plumb in your bathroom, or re-build your motorcycle engine haha) and possibly a loose wire is shorting it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I would also be grateful if any snobs left their tuning issues at the door too. I have always played in low tunings on 6 string electric guitars for over a decade as have my bassists, not to mentiuon geezer butler has for over 30 years :D

Thanks in advance lovely low end maestros.

EDIT: Sorry I should really explain that the bass has split pickups, no selector switch and just a volume and tone pot.


Try replacing the pots. I'd be VERY surprised if the pickups were the problem, and you already changed all the wiring.


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