Fender 24 Fret Korean Electronics

smithatude · #1 01-08-2011, 07:19 AM

I've done a lot of reading on this bass last night. But I havent gotten any definitave answers.

I'll keep it short, I have three MIM J basses, and I bought a 24 fret Korean made J Bass recently in basically brand new condition. Looks aside, I was blown away with how great it sounded compared the the MIM basses (which also sound great),

I did notice crackling however in some of the knobs, but wisely figured it "wasnt a big deal" Last night I played it for about 15 minutes, with no issues. Then a lot of static, and now dead in the water.

The troubleshooting I did was:

Plug another bass into the amp to rule that out.

Take the 9 volt from the Korean and put it into another active bass, a SR700. Worked fine. I have to note that this was the first time I removed the battery since buying it. I have read that the design of the Korean makes it easy to install backwards and cause all kinds of problems.

Tried a different cord, and all of the other usual things.

When I opened the back cover, the only noticeable thing I saw was some of the wire insulation was work off, and possibly touching other raw wires near the volume pot. The circuit board, which I assume is the preamp, didnt have any visible signs of being fried.

Any takes or advise would be appreciated, like I said, I did spend hours on this site mainly, and some wasted time on other sites, but nothing was conclusive.

Thanks
Matt

frankieg · #2 01-08-2011, 07:30 AM

I got a J-24 four string when they first came out and it's been my number one 4 string ever since. Liked it so much I bought the 5 string version, which later became a 6 string!! The build quality and tone was just awesome. I had problems with the electronics after about a year and when I finally opened it up it looked bad inside. Wires all over the place, some even had masking tape rather than electrical tape. I also noticed alot of rubbing compound dust everywhere. Tired cleaning everything up and spraying the pots and still the same crackles and static. Long story short replaced it all with a real Seymour Duncan Pre and never a problem since!

smithatude · #3 01-08-2011, 08:14 AM

Thanks, thats what I figured would be the case. If you could let me know exactly what to buy. I saw this on ebay (which I try to stay away from if possible) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ht_1238wt_1141

Also, do you think that it would make sense to put in copper shielding, seeing as everything is coming out anyways? My thought has always been to not rip apart a perfectly sounding bass just to tape copper and start soldering somthing that isnt broken. It works great for a squire but as long as the J Bass is gutted, maybe put some sheilding in.

Thanks
Matt

frankieg · #4 01-08-2011, 01:14 PM

I've bought 3 SD pre amps for different basses over the years and I've never seen that paticular model before so I can't really speak on it. I always go with the 3 band they have listed on their webpage. When I go that far I always shield the inside so yeah, that'd be a good move there! BTW, when you order the pre from a distributor, you can special order that the the wires for the slap contour be left un-connected to anything and then connect them to the existing switch on the bass.

smithatude · #5 01-08-2011, 06:01 PM

Thanks,

First, just wanted to mention that I also had masking tape holding wires together. It was black masking tape however! I dont want to waste too much time on it, but it looks to me that the electronics were planned out well on paper, but in actual production, some rigging occurred by Fenders manufacturer, and because of the ultimate price of this bass, there wasnt going to be any last minute overhaul of the electronics. So this is the link to what I think I need. While $120 isnt a lot of money in the world of music instruments and mods, it's still a kick to the groin, seeing as less that 24 hours ago, this bass was the best sounding out of the 9 that I own. Here it is on ebay, the decription sounds correct.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...3#ht_977wt_660

Thanks
Matt

frankieg · #6 01-09-2011, 06:54 AM

That would be the one! STC-3p. Just get with them on the phone or through an email to get the config. you want for that bass. I'm pretty sure a stock harness for that pre has the slap contour switch on a push/pull volume pot. You'll like this unit better. There are trim pots on the board that allow you to adjust the slap contour to your tastes rather than the pre adjusted one you're dealing with now. I know it sucks but if your's plays, feels, sounds, anything like mine then it is sooooo worth it!! It's been my number one 4 string for a long time and still haven't picked anything up that I like as much. Unfortunately the 5 string version didn't match up. I hated the flat black finish. Neck is a little wide for my tastes. You could look at it wrong and scratch it and no matter what EQ settings I used I got some serious clank out of it! Neck joint and fret work on that one was a little sloppy also. So, I refinished it in the same finish as the Music Man SUB, learned how to dress frets on it, wired it passive with a Volume-Volume-Tone, and made it a 6 string. Now I have to say it's a super fun bass!

smithatude · #7 01-09-2011, 03:32 PM

Thanks! When this Bass was working it just blew away the other ones I own, so I dont mind spending money to get is up and running. Im sure there are cheap fixes, but SD is a great company in my opinion. Like you said, also a great time to get shielding installed, I have that on hand, so by the time the preamp gets here, I'll be ready to go.

The most important thing is that now I can justify to the wife the reason I need 9 basses. At the blink of an eye, one can stop working, leaving me in the perilous situation of only having 7 back ups! lol