Quote:
Originally Posted by pjmuck  My '73 P has been losing power/tone lately. When first plugged in, it sounds fine, but about 30-60 seconds thereafter it drops in volume significantly and the tone thins out. The bass is all original with original PUP and I'm also noticing that the PUP magnets hum when touched. is this an indication that the PUP is going, or is there (hopefully) a simpler solution (i.e. loose wiring, jack, pots, etc)? |
Getting hum while touching the poles and/or loosing volume sounds like a loose wire.
BUT
Are you sure it's the bass & not the amp?
Hum is a grounding problem & a simple fix. Loosing volume, if it has to do with your bass, will usually be intermittent (unlike your description). It's usually the wires connected to the jack that are loose. If it is that, jiggling the cord will let you determine which it is.
No harm in taking the pickguard off and looking for obviously loose/broken wires or dull looking solder.
Oh yeah, if it is the bass & not the amp, make sure you don't turn on any lamps while holding the bass... it tends to hurt a wee bit.
