KILL ME! PLEASE! (Bass wiring help)

Ekim · #1 08-14-2011, 01:02 AM

So I get a new-to-me rig: SWR SM-500, SWR 4x8 Henry Jr and SWR 4x10 Goliath II.

Sounds great, right?

I wouldn't know. Because my main bass is in the shop waiting a setup, wiring check and Hipshot D-Tuner installation.

So I pick up my other bass (Ibanez BTB405 5-string) to test my new rig.

No sound. Fiddle with all knobs, switch cords. No sound.

Plug in a guitar. Get sound.

Getting mad now, as the 5-string worked fine testing my Raven Labs PHA1 the other day.

Pull out batteries from 5 string. Put 2 brand new Energizer Max 9Vs in. Plug into rig.

No sound.

Plug guitar BACK in to make sure I'm still sane. Get sound.

Pull battery cover off of BTB. Plug into bass rig.

Play with battery terminal with my skull next to stack. Nearly get deafened by popping noises.

The batteries LOOK plugged in, but if I move them around I get popping noises but no notes.

Any thoughts, please? Without paying a tech to fix my wiring?

I'm pretty sure I'm screwed. Someone please help me NOT be so. I just want to hear my new rig with a BASS!

BogeyBass · #2 08-14-2011, 01:40 AM

sounds like the clips are bad, or the wires leading to the board are starting to get loose.

The soft style battery clicks can lose connection and break inside the clip, obvious failure point from twisting and pulling them off.

or the wires leading to the board might still look connected but are starting to break loose.

desolder, re-strip for a new clean lead and re solder wire.

otherwise replace battery clips with new ones, radio shack might have them, buy the more expensive heavy duty hard plastic ones.

soft clips like this are poo poo

heavy duty hard plastic clips are good

soft bad, hard good...thats what she said ...Drumroll please

Ekim · #3 08-14-2011, 01:48 AM

Yeah, the Ibanez clips seem very soft.

Thanks for the input. I'll just hope that my local Radio Shack has these in stock and that they're somewhat sturdy:

Heavy-Duty 9V Snap Connectors - RadioShack.com

or

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062219

BogeyBass · #4 08-14-2011, 03:42 AM

Yah ...but dont get me wrong it wont hurt to replace the snaps.

But you might not need to, did you check the connections to the board. if you have 2 clips then their is going to be four wires to check connections for.

otherwise if all looks good, i mentioned the snaps because the wires break loose under the vinyl where you cant see, and a perfectly good looking snap could be bad.

really i was hoping the board connections were loose and you would be able to plug in sooner.

Ekim · #5 08-14-2011, 06:47 PM

The prongs on the battery clip seemed loose, so I grabbed a pair of pliers and squeezed them a little. Did the trick.

Thanks for the input, though. I was dead tired and shouldn't have been messing with my rig that late last night anyway. I'm not so sure I was thinking too clearly.

I might put in a battery box and replace the clips anyway. Especially if I can find a set of balanced strings that make the G string tension feel better. I really love that low B!