help me! Pickups dead

[9M2E]

Both pickups

[NYCbassist]

Originally Posted by 9M2E

Ny....i did that...thats when i discovered my fingers on the pots produced sound

Sometimes the input jack gets buggered up when you tighten it back to the pickguard. Does that all seem okay? Wish I was there to see it in person.

[9M2E]

Its a bottom mount it wasn't touched
Until i removed for pic

[NYCbassist]

Originally Posted by 9M2E

Its a bottom mount it wasn't touched
Until i removed for pic

It's the one thing we can't really see so I wouldn't rule it out. The wires may have gotten pulled just a pinch too far.

[9M2E]

We can see it i took the thing completely apart and labeled the pic

[NYCbassist]

Originally Posted by 9M2E

We can see it i took the thing completely apart and labeled the pic

Okay, so you have plugged into it just like that where you can see the entire circuit? Can you do that with the p'ups back in and the strings on? (if you haven't already)

[9M2E]

Ny.. i have it all back together with out the pg on .. plugged in...still have to put my finger in each pot to get sound from the pickup...

[Jo6Pak]

it is difficult to see from the pics, so i will ask: is the control cavity covered with conductive paint or foil of some sort? if so, make sure none of the terminals on the pots are touching the wall of the cavity. this happened to me once. the culprit was the pot closest to the output jack on a p-bass. the cavity was tight and i was unable to position the pot precisely centered and away from the walls. i ended up just wrapping some electrical tape around the entire pot, below the surface of the pickguard, thus isolating it from the conductive walls.

[9M2E]

Ny-at work now , lol ... will remove jack again and take pic if you would like?

Jo6 - I do not know if the paint is conductive, there is no foil present. It appears to be the same paint as the body, but then why the randon gound screw into the body (in previous pics) There was foil shielding on the back of the factory guard but none on the after market guard. The problem remains even if i take all the pots out of the cavity sort out all the wiring, dont let anything touch anything... i would still have to touch the metal on the pot its self for the sound to come through the electronics .. if i touch one of the pots at a time only one pickup sounds, touch both with your hand, you get both. And the hum goes away when you touch one or all of the p/u pots and the bridge or the metal of the cord going into the jack ... discovered this after i put it back together ... at this point the only thing i havnt tried is putting the factory guard on ... as if the elecronics relied on the shielding for a commin ground/connection which ive never heard of and makes no sense but all the wiring and grounds look good and my human body seemes to solve the problem when i touch them simultainiously soo ... IM LOST....

[NYCbassist]

The random screw is definitely for ground and the paint is conductive. It is mainly to control static noise. If a wire hasn't come loose the the only other possibility is a short. The wires soldered to the "shell" of the Pots are ground. You'll also notice terminals on the pots that that connect to the shell of the pot. those are also grounds. The other wires (usually white) connect to the other terminals on the Pots. Basically no white wires should touch black wires. Nor should a white wire rub against the shielding paint. The answer is there. it's just hard to find. You could try forcing ground to the black wire coming out of the pickups. Also check for Bad solder jobs. Each Pot needs a good ground.

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by 9M2E

... as if the elecronics relied on the shielding for a commin ground/connection which ive never heard of and makes no sense ....

You just figured it out. Solder wires to the backs of all three pots, linking them all together. Your old PG did the job previously through the shielding.

Here's an example of essentially what you had. In this case the common is through the solid metal control plate; see 'Note 1' :

http://www.guitar-mod.com/wiring/jbass.gif

[NYCbassist]

Originally Posted by dmusic148

You just figured it out. Solder wires to the backs of all three pots, linking them all together. Your old PG did the job previously through the shielding.

Here's an example of essentially what you had. In this case the common is through the solid metal control plate:

http://www.guitar-mod.com/wiring/jbass.gif

Good Catch! I bet you're correct. In which case He could just solder A wire between each pot Casing to Casing. Or go back to the old pick Guard.

[9M2E]

$70 for the custom abalone pickguard which looks sick and is non returnable ... i guess ill be stopping at wally world on the way home for some solder... I thought the grounds were chained to each pot but i hope i am wrong and this is the fix! I shall update as as soon as i know and i thank you all very much for you help!

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by 9M2E

I thought the grounds were chained to each pot but i hope i am wrong....

I believe this is the answer - I can't be absolutely sure but I can't see a ground wire on the bridge pot, just the pickup shield. The neck has one but I assume it goes to the shielding lug, and the tone has two but one goes to the bridge and the other to the jack, yes? This means the circuit is incomplete. The pots must all be joined at the shells. The rest is OK.

[Plays_For_Dog]

This is why I love Talkbass.

I learned something and someone in need got help (saving them tech cost).

Even a little barely humor... o.O

[abemo]

Right when you said it started working when you were touching ground (cable, pots, bridge, etc) that should tip you off to a ground issue, as your body was grounding out the system when you touched it.

Another way to do this would be to pick up some metallic tape (ideally copper, but aluminum dryer vent tape works too) and lay a strip down on the bottom of the pg where the pots mount, then remount the pots to make contact with the tape.

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by 9M2E

I thought the grounds were chained to each pot but i hope i am wrong and this is the fix!

The old pickguard might have had aluminum foil on it. They probably used that as ground. That's not the best way of doing it. So just solder a ground wire from the back of each pot to the next one, and then to the ground at the output jack. I'll assume there is at least one pot with ground running to the jack.

[9M2E]

Originally Posted by abemo

Right when you said it started working when you were touching ground (cable, pots, bridge, etc) that should tip you off to a ground issue, as your body was grounding out the system when you touched it.

Another way to do this would be to pick up some metallic tape (ideally copper, but aluminum dryer vent tape works too) and lay a strip down on the bottom of the pg where the pots mount, then remount the pots to make contact with the tape.

it did tip me off but all the grounds i knew to be required were in place... under the bridge, tone pot to the jack, bridge pick up to body/conductive paint...i just didnt realize they all were not chained grounded together or know that they needed to be ... couldnt find my soldering iron i have not used it in years !! another trip to the zoo.... i mean wally world tonight.

[Jay2U]

Glad that the cause has been found. It remains to be expressed, that a market leading manufacturer should not rely on a mechanical contact only. Crackle programmed! Those pots should have been grounded properly anyway. Even my cheap beginners Ibby has proper grounding of all pots.

[dmusic148]

So...... Do we have a result? Curious to know if I was right or not...lol