bass cutting in and out

Llaslo · #1 01-23-2013, 09:08 PM

I was practicing for my lesson tomorrow, and my bass quit making much sound through the amp. Then I would fiddle with it and it would start working again. I thought it was the amp at first, but my guitar plays just fine through the amp. So I tried a different cable but that didn't help. The problem got worse, until it now randomly makes a sound out of my amp like a police siren. I'm thinking it might be one of the pickups. Any ideas? It is a schecter stiletto custom 4 and a fender rumble 150. Any help would be gtrestly appreciated Bc. I need to get this fixed quickly so I can do my lessons.

**Ric5** · #2 01-23-2013, 09:10 PM

Active bass??? new battery???

Llaslo · #3 01-23-2013, 09:12 PM

It is active, i changed the battery,and that didn't help

NYCbassist · #4 01-23-2013, 10:12 PM

I'm betting on a fried Preamp. But check the wiring and especially the Output Jack. You can wire the Jack directly to the Pickup(s) in a pinch.

two fingers · #5 01-23-2013, 10:16 PM

That really could ba any number of things. Any guess from a distance on this forum would be just that...... a guess. Could be the jack, any one of the pots, any loose wire, either pickup, the preamp circuit, etc.

Best of luck. Get it to a tech unless you are handy with such things.

Llaslo · #6 01-24-2013, 06:01 AM

By the way, I was mistaken, they aren't active pickups, but I guess an Active Pre-amp. There is a 9v battery in there, but the website says it has Passive EMG 35Hz pickups. Regardless, I changed the battery. I guess I'll try and take it into the shop.

Crater · #7 01-24-2013, 08:17 AM

The obvious things to check first are the "moving parts"...the output jack is the most likely culprit here, followed by the volume and tone controls. Either of those parts can wear out or fail and cause the intermittent (cutting in and out) problem you describe. There could also be a loose wire inside your control cavity, but that's not as common.

Quote:

Then I would fiddle with it and it would start working again.

What did you fiddle with? The cord? Then it's probably the output jack.

Llaslo · #8 01-24-2013, 08:22 AM

Yes, I would unplug it and then plug it back in and would work for a few seconds.

Llaslo · #9 01-24-2013, 11:32 AM

So, it looks like the battery I chose was bad. Just to try one last thing I went to the store and bought a new battery and threw it in there and now it's back to normal. I played on it for 30 min at lunch with no issues whatsoever. Yesterday I couldn't go 2 minutes without a problem. Thanks all for the help. I'm just glad it wasn't any big deal.