Distorting pickup issue

[bassgod76]

I recently purchased a Cort Axe bass. After playing it through my SWR combo, I noticed this distorted tone when popping the strings or plucking aggresively. I thought my amp was having an issue since it's old (model year: 2000) and has never been serviced. Then I take the bass to practice using a different cord and amp, yet I get distortion again.

I haven't opened the cavity up to investigate. This is a passive bass with PJ configuration.

Anyone have any ideas?

[JP Morin]

I would check pickups height, that can happen if they are too close to the string when digging in.

Check this thread :

Frequent Screwing: pickup height & intonation

As a starting point, using this method start at an height of 2mm on the treble side and 2.5mm on the low side...

it works for me !!

[bassgod76]

Originally Posted by JP Morin

I would check pickups height, that can happen if they are too close to the string when digging in.

Check this thread :

Frequent Screwing: pickup height & intonation

As a starting point, using this method start at an height of 2mm on the treble side and 2.5mm on the low side...

it works for me !!

They aren't that close, and it happens randomly. It doesn'y happen everytime I play hard. It's so odd.

[JP Morin]

Well... I don't know... May be try an other guitar cable... Then it could be a bad solder, a pot or the jack that getting old...
Seems like a "bring to a tech" case...

I don't know these basses but if you have a kind of trim pot for the gain for the electronic in the bass that could be that too... I have one in one of my basses I bought used and I had a problem like this until I found the trim pot... lol

[bassgod76]

I swapped out three cables. It's not a huge issue since I already have a set of EMG's on order. The stock pickups blow in these basses.