HELP! no sound coming from bass..

inspired181 · #1 10-09-2007, 02:08 AM

Hi im new to bass guitars and well musical instruments in general just purchased a samick bass from an online auction site and plugged it into my friends bass amp and no sound came out any help would be much appreciated.
Nick

Foamy · #2 10-09-2007, 02:19 AM

How handy are you?
If you can do a bit of work, first always give the insides a gentle once-over visually.
Then, use a DMM to check continuity here and there.
Then, you can try connecting the pickup(s) directly to the amp by connecting the leads to the instrument cable. That'll narrow down the problem area.
The above assumes that you've eliminated the cable and the amp as the problem.
It is likely a very simply problem - like a loose or broken wire or solder. That's my bet - check the output jack first. Make sure it looks good - 2 wires connected.

skaliwag66 · #3 10-09-2007, 02:35 AM

Yeah the cable or output jacks are the usual suspects.
Maybe the pots have loose wires too.

inspired181 · #4 10-09-2007, 02:36 AM

Well everything looks to be connected inside no wires are loose and jack output seems fine..What exactly is a DMM and where can i find the instrument cable?
Cheers

Foamy · #5 10-09-2007, 02:41 AM

DMM = Digital Multi-Meter. Used for many tasks, but in this case, used to check continuity. If you are not familiar with it, don't worry at this point.
If everything looks fine - no broken wires, etc, then you can make a decision.
What I would do.....I would take off the pickguard or otherwise expose the electronics, and snip the pickup wires off at the pots (or better yet, de-solder them). Form those wires, strip back about 1/8", just what you're going to need to re-solder them. Hold those wires with your fingers to the instrument cable - the one you plug into your bass. See if that makes it make some good juicy bassy noise. If so, you know your pickups are fine. You need to look at pots that went bad, solders that have failed, broken wires, or a few other things.

Spoiled Grape · #6 10-09-2007, 03:06 AM

DIMENTO'S BASIC TROUBLE-SHOOTING GUIDE

musicelectronix · #7 10-09-2007, 03:25 AM

Why don't you simply return it?

futurepinstripe · #8 10-09-2007, 04:25 PM

did you turn up the volume knob on your bass? i have done that a lot.
turn the knobs that might help