I can't beleive I broke a p-bass. No output...

[StevieMac]

I was playing my Fender American Standard Precision V and all of a sudden I lost almost all of the output from the bass. I can crank my amp to 10 and it sounds like it's on 1. The bass still works but the output is extremely low all of a sudden. My other bass works perfectly through the amp.

I pulled the pick guard off and can't see anything disconnected. The bass is just two weeks old but I bought it in the US and now I'm home in Canada so I can't just take it back.

These are obviously pretty simple instruments so hopefully diagnosis can't be that difficult. I think… Help...

Thanks!

[StevieMac]

I have a meter if someone can tell me how to test the pickups and pots. Thanks

[TheDude007]

Did you try it through another amp to make sure it wasn't the amp? This doesn't sound like a problem with the bass to me, but I could be wrong.

[Pilgrim]

Pop the pickguard and look for loose wires or something hanging by a thread. If you don't see any, try a different cable between bass and amp, then try another amp.

[StevieMac]

I don’t have easy access to another amp but the behavior is the same if I plug the bass into my zoom bx1 and plug headphones into the zoom output. My Ibanez bass works perfectly in both cases but my Fender P has almost no output. I realize the Ibanez is active and the p isn’t. That’s not it. The level of output has dramatically changed.

I did pull the pick guard and nothing appears to be loose. I’ll try another cable tonight.

[Kirkowitz]

Maybe the input jack got a little bent? You could just open it up take a peek to see if the end of the cable is making good contact- give it a squeeze if it's not.

[line6man]

Originally Posted by StevieMac

I have a meter if someone can tell me how to test the pickups and pots. Thanks

Use the Ohm function.

The pickup should be somewhere around 8K-12K Ohms.

[line6man]

Originally Posted by Kirkowitz

Maybe the input jack got a little bent? You could just open it up take a peek to see if the end of the cable is making good contact- give it a squeeze if it's not.

OUTPUT jack!

[StevieMac]

Originally Posted by line6man

Use the Ohm function.

The pickups should be somewhere around 8K-12K Ohms.

Will do. Thanks!

[Kirkowitz]

Originally Posted by line6man

OUTPUT jack!

yeah, what he said..

[Metal Mitch]

Originally Posted by line6man

OUTPUT jack!

I crack up every time I see you say that

Classic hard to find problem on P-basses: stuff gets pushed up against the side of the control cavity when you put the pickguard back on.

Once I had a chronic problem where I kept breaking my tone cap connection every time I replaced the guard... and if you have shielding in the control cavity, that's just a short waiting to happen.

[StevieMac]

Looks like it may have been the jack. Not 100% sure but its working fine now. I tested the pickups, cleaned the pots and made sure the jack had a good connection and all is well. Thanks for the help.

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by StevieMac

I was playing my Fender American Standard Precision V and all of a sudden I lost almost all of the output from the bass. I can crank my amp to 10 and it sounds like it's on 1. The bass still works but the output is extremely low all of a sudden. My other bass works perfectly through the amp.

I pulled the pick guard off and can't see anything disconnected. The bass is just two weeks old but I bought it in the US and now I'm home in Canada so I can't just take it back.

These are obviously pretty simple instruments so hopefully diagnosis can't be that difficult. I think… Help...

Thanks!

First check the guitar cable. If it is active then change the battery. Then look for a bad solder connection. Then test the pickup.

[Kirkowitz]

Originally Posted by StevieMac

Looks like it may have been the jack. Not 100% sure but its working fine now. I tested the pickups, cleaned the pots and made sure the jack had a good connection and all is well. Thanks for the help.

Cool. Glad it was an easy fix.

[StevieMac]

This problem re-occurred again the other day and this time when I opened up the bass I was able to see the bad connection. The white wire from the output jack did not have a good connection at the volume control. A little bit of solder and all is well.

Just thought I would post up the solution in case anyone else runs into a similar problem.

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by StevieMac

This problem re-occurred again the other day and this time when I opened up the bass I was able to see the bad connection. The white wire from the output jack did not have a good connection at the volume control. A little bit of solder and all is well.

Just thought I would post up the solution in case anyone else runs into a similar problem.

That is what is known as a "cold solder joint". (means the solder wasn't heated hot enough to really melt the solder and have it flow over the wires and terminal and the wire came loose later).

Along with a broken wire, noisy pots, and a jack that has lost tension, it is probably one of the most common bass problems. Pickups do go bad, but it seems pretty rare to me. I think I've had maybe one go bad.

[BigOldHarry]

Originally Posted by line6man

OUTPUT jack!

Or cord.

It's usually the cheapest part, ya know...

[M.R. Ogle]

In the big list of "what can go bad"... the input jack is FIRST, by a country mile. Pickups "going bad" isn't even in the top ten.

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by M.R. Ogle

In the big list of "what can go bad"... the input jack is FIRST, by a country mile. Pickups "going bad" isn't even in the top ten.

Ahem,

<Stretching up to full height>

OUTPUT JACK!

I'm sorry Line6man made me do it!


Actually, since I've been installing phantom power on my active basses now many of my bass jacks are BOTH input and output!

[SGD Lutherie]

Does it work if the pickguard is lifted up? The output jack might have gotten rotated and is shorting out on something.