Hiss like a untuned radio
 

Hi,
my bass is making a weird hiss while i play...

i`ve checked a lot in the net about that and i CAN guaranty that this hiss is NOT: a shielding problem; ground; or either an amp problem...

i`ve got weird noises on other instruments before... but this one its totally different....

i`ve tried different cables and basses...but this hiss just happens with this one bass... its a fender precisiion bass...

its like a soft hiss... similar to the sound when a radio station its not 100% tuned... or a noise like when a person blows air into a mic... or like a bag of crisps... very soft... but loud enough to ruin a recording...

and the hiss is not steady... it comes and goes.... happens more often when playing higher tones....

i`m lost on this one... i cant figure out what could be causing this hiss....

Bad pickups maybe?

it could be... but i have this bass gonna be 3 years now... never had that problem.... what could cause the pick ups to be suddenly defected???

how can i know if its really the pick ups or not???

I know you said it isn't a shielding option, but bear with me.

Turn your amp way up and crank your gain, be careful not to actually play anything at this ridiculous volume. Take your hands off the bass. Does it hum?

If it stops humming when you touch any metal/strings/bridge, you have a shielding issue. If the hum gets louder when you touch and metal/strings/bridge you have a grounding issue.

It could very well be bad pickups. If it is active, change your batteries.

yeah, but like i said ... this isn't a shielding or ground problem....

actually this bass does has indeed a shielding problem!!!!
and it goes away when i touch the strings..... BUT

the hiss which im trying to fix, its a complete different noise than the shielding noise... its just like a subtle SANDY noise ... its comes and goes while picking....

Are you sure it is a bass problem? Not an amp problem? Or a cable problem?

Are you in a room with something that is putting out an acyclic magnetic or electronic field (mobile, fan, wi-fi, motor) or is your amp plugged into a circuit that one of the previously mentioned items is drawing against?

i tried that already... i tried with 3 different cables.. and 2 other basses on the same amp...... but this hiss just happens with this one bass that im talking about....


tomorrow i will record it... and then i will post a link here so you can have a better idea of what im talking about...

Try to replace capacitor. And check all soldering points.

If your bass is passive and doesn't have a preamp, that hiss isn't coming from there. Passive electronics don't hiss. That's from noisy resistors and gain stages that are set/designed improperly. Caps, cables and shielding don't affect hiss, either.

What amp and effects are you using? Post a photo of the control settings when you hear the hiss- include all devices in the photos. It's cumulative, so don't think that leaving out details about one device or control doesn't matter.

So you have only tried one amp? Hmm...

+1

Have you tried another amp?
Depending on what has been lost in translation, it sounds like it could be the speaker/tweeter or the amp itself

Tweeters don't cause hiss or any other noise.

Tried another cable? Playing under a florescent lamp?

What kind of bass?

It sounds like preamp hiss to me. I have two Audere preamps, one hisses slightly when I crank the treble, the other is noiseless.

Great description of the noise but not so much of the bass! It must be an active bass because passive basses don't hiss (usually). Hiss comes from active electronics. Usually when preamps develop hiss it comes and doesn't leave. I have seen weak batteries cause hiss (and other funny noises) try that one. Try to isolate the hiss location. Turn the treble (tone) down. Does the hiss go away? Yes, means the hiss is before the tone control (pickups etc), no means it's after (amp, cords etc.).