Troubleshooting my guitar...

[manfred]

Long time lurker, First time poster.

I apologize if my searching skills aren't quite good enough and this has already been covered.

I have a Squier Jazz bass that will not respond to an amp. The amp works with other guitars fine.

Is there a good starting place for me to begin troubleshooting? Or perhaps an arrow someone can point me in the right direction to documentation that will assist me in figuring out why I get no sound?

I know I shouldn't spend too much money on this particular guitar, but this bass is seasoned and has much sentimental value to me.

Any help will be appreciated, thank you.

[Tijuana Tex]

Hey there,

Okay, so if it works fine with other guitars, then we can assume that the lead you're using is alright too. My advice is to take it apart. You'll be surprised at how simple a guitar is internally. I'd start by unscrewing the nut of the jack and pulling it out of the cavity. Look for dry or cracked solder joints or the more obvious loose wire/s. That's most likely. Do you get any sound at all? Buzzing or anything? The absolute best and safest way to do this is to get yourself a multimeter. You don't need a fancy one to troubleshoot guitars. Any one that you can find. You can get a half decent one for less than $20.

Until then, take it apart and have a good look for anything unusual. Check in here if you can't solve it and we can troubleshoot

Tex

[ThePerfectBass]

I think Tex is right on... Open her up and take a look. Sounds like a loose wire to me if you are getting nothing out of it at all.

[pudge]

Iwould start wit hthe conections on the jack and work from there especially if it had the stock jack on it.

[Tijuana Tex]

^ Very good point. Squier jacks are notoriously cheap. You'll pick up another one for about a dollar at any electronics shop

[zakkwyldefan79]

I'd say one of the wires, or possibly both wires, going to the jack is disconnected. Usually when a guitar or bass won't make any noise at all it's an issue with the jack.

[bass whaler]

Nearly every time its the jack input , these get loose and the ground wire breaks away. Use soft locktight thread sealer on the nut when installing it, this will keep it secure. Bass Whaler