Getting No Sound from Epiphone Accu Bass

[Serena27]

Hi everyone, this is my first time posting so I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong spot. My boyfriend bought me a used bass guitar on Kijiji for Christmas. I have never played guitar or bass guitar before (just the piano). There was no information with it, but I have determined that it is an Accu bass by Epiphone. However, when I plugged it into the amp, no sound came out.

My friend who plays guitar, came over and tested my amp and cable on his guitar, and tested my bass with his amp and cable. There is nothing wrong with my amp or cable, it is the bass.

We are considering calling the original owner for assistance, but I don't know if he will help or let us return it. Anyone have an idea of what could be wrong, and how much it would cost to fix?

Thanks so much!
Serena

[Stone Soup]

My guess would be a wire has come loose, but it could be several things. It's not possible to give an accurate answer without looking at it. Can you take the pickguard off and post clear photos of the wiring?

[Munjibunga]

First, accuracy is not the same thing as precision. Now that we've got that cleared up, it may be a dirty output jack. Try plugging it in and out a bunch of times. Some Caig Deoxit in the jack may help. If that doesn't help, then take off the pickguard and check to see that all wires are connected. Your idea to call the seller is a good one, too.

[Serena27]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

First, accuracy is not the same thing as precision. Now that we've got that cleared up, it may be a dirty output jack. Try plugging it in and out a bunch of times. Some Caig Deoxit in the jack may help. If that doesn't help, then take off the pickguard and check to see that all wires are connected. Your idea to call the seller is a good one, too.

Hahaha Munijibunga! Yes, at first I thought it was a fender precision with an Epiphone neck (I read a post where someone said they did that) but I kept searching and learned about the Accu bass. I am reasonably sure that is what it is. I'm waiting to hear from the seller. If he does not respond I will take off the pickguard (or look for that DeoxIT). Do I need to take the strings off, or can I slide the pickguard out without touching the strings?

[Stone Soup]

You can get the pickguard off without removing the strings, by flexing the pickguard a little to get the electronics out of the pocket they sit in.

[Serena27]

Originally Posted by Stone Soup

You can get the pickguard off without removing the strings, by flexing the pickguard a little to get the electronics out of the pocket they sit in.

Thanks Stone Soup!

[tmdazed]

the accubass has access from a cavity cover at the back , I would look at the wiring there first , my old one had a wire come off the jack from a crappy solder job , if thats the case , resolder everything in there, good basses, mine served me for years but the electronics work on it was sketchy

[Stone Soup]

Originally Posted by tmdazed

the accubass has access from a cavity cover at the back , I would look at the wiring there first , my old one had a wire come off the jack from a crappy solder job , if thats the case , resolder everything in there, good basses, mine served me for years but the electronics work on it was sketchy

This is what came up when I did a search for accu bass. Is this the right style?

[tmdazed]

yup identical to my old one



replaced my pots and jack , mine had a cavity in back so I didn't have to pull the guard

[TheFenderBender]

Originally Posted by Serena27

Hi everyone, this is my first time posting so I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong spot. My boyfriend bought me a used bass guitar on Kijiji for Christmas. I have never played guitar or bass guitar before (just the piano). There was no information with it, but I have determined that it is an Accu bass by Epiphone. However, when I plugged it into the amp, no sound came out.

My friend who plays guitar, came over and tested my amp and cable on his guitar, and tested my bass with his amp and cable. There is nothing wrong with my amp or cable, it is the bass.

We are considering calling the original owner for assistance, but I don't know if he will help or let us return it. Anyone have an idea of what could be wrong, and how much it would cost to fix?

Thanks so much!
Serena

Is the jack loose? Check, and just try tightening it, and make sure none of the wiring is messed up, its probably an easy fix and plenty of people will fix.

[Serena27]

Yes, Stone Soup that is exactly my bass, except the body is white. It has a black pick guard like the one in the picture. There is no cover in the back to check though. The only way in it through the pick guard on the front. If I can't get ahold of the previous owner by tonight, I will take it off and post pictures of it for everyone to see.

Thanks!

[Serena27]

The previous owner has just offered to take it back, so I'm not sure if I should of if I should get it fixed. I didn't talk to him, my boyfriend did (that's the problem with getting a bass as a present. I don't even know how much he paid for it). I do like how it looks, but that's not really the most important thing.

I'm wondering if I should just return it and pick out my own bass. Thoughts?

[tmdazed]

it is a rock solid bass , I would see if it is a simple solution before taking it back , If I could get my old one back I would in a heartbeat

[Lee Bruton]

See if the seller will pay to have it fixed, probley somethin easy

[M.R. Ogle]

It's probably a super-easy fix for someone with a soldering setup. Most likely just a loose wire, and it (hopefully) will be obvious where it came off.

[Serena27]

After looking online, I think mine is actually an Accu Bass Jr.

I'm going to check out a Squire Affinity Precision Bass in a store now, to see how they compare, and I'll take the Accu bass there for an estimate on repairs, and decide from there.

It all depends on how much my boyfriend spent on it. If he got it for a great deal, then it might be worth it to keep it, since I can get new strings, upgrade the pickups, etc.

I really appreciate everyone's opinions on whether it's better to keep the old one and upgrade it's parts, or buy a new squire. And there are also nearly-new squires for sale on Kijiji for $200-$300 including the amps.

[Serena27]

Here are pictures of the pots. We removed the cover and couldn't see any loose wires. Suddenly it started working, we put the cover back on and it still worked. I put it on and sat down to play, and it had stopped again. We can't figure out what is wrong.

I took this with my iPad. I can try to take better pictures with my camera if these aren't clear enough.

[Serena27]

Here is another picture.

[Serena27]

We tried again. He pulled on the red wire leading from the jack to the volume pot and it started working again. He's putting it back together again to see if the volume keeps working.

[Serena27]

It stopped working a couple hours later. I took it to Long & McQuade. There were several other issues with it, so I decided to return it and I bought a new Toby Deluxe IV. I couldn't afford the Epi Thunderbird, but the Toby felt nice. Thanks everyone, for your input! I will post a picture when my bass comes in.