Bass (preamp?) making a regular, consistent chirping/cricket sound

[dave64o]

I have a parts bass that I put an Audere 4-band preamp into, installed by a professional luthier. Recently, that bass started making a regular chirping or cricket sound so I stopped playing it. FWIW, the bass did this when plugged into multiple heads and none of my other active basses did this with any of my heads. Also, the volume of the sound varied with the volume knob.

But I'm now considering selling/trading the bass (LOVE the bass, but I'm gassing for something else) and wanted to have it checked out. The luthier who did the work is now focusing on building but he had an apprentice who is now handling the repairs and setups side. He hadn't seen that kind of problem before but he was going to check it out and, if he couldn't find the issue, he'd have the original luthier take a look as well. Unfortunately for me, after the problem existing for a couple of months, I took it to the shop and it worked fine. Figures.

I haven't heard back from them so I'm looking for any other info I can find while they're looking at it. I'm emailing Audere today to see if they have seen this kind of issue before, but I thought I may as well post here as well.

Any thoughts?

 

[Snaxster]

I have a parts bass that I put an Audere 4-band preamp into, installed by a professional luthier. Recently, that bass started making a regular chirping or cricket sound so I stopped playing it. FWIW, the bass did this when plugged into multiple heads and none of my other active basses did this with any of my heads. Also, the volume of the sound varied with the volume knob.

But I'm now considering selling/trading the bass (LOVE the bass, but I'm gassing for something else) and wanted to have it checked out. The luthier who did the work is now focusing on building but he had an apprentice who is now handling the repairs and setups side. He hadn't seen that kind of problem before but he was going to check it out and, if he couldn't find the issue, he'd have the original luthier take a look as well. Unfortunately for me, after the problem existing for a couple of months, I took it to the shop and it worked fine. Figures.

I haven't heard back from them so I'm looking for any other info I can find while they're looking at it. I'm emailing Audere today to see if they have seen this kind of issue before, but I thought I may as well post here as well.

Any thoughts?

Hello Dave. I just found this random answer to a question about a squeaky car dashboard:

"you've got crickets in your car. get a pet snake and keep it in the car over night. it will solve the problem"​

Now, that may not apply to your bass. Yet it could be worth a try while you're waiting for David Meadows to reply. If you do get a pet snake for your car, I think you will need to leave the bass in the car, too, and leave the bass's electronics cavity uncovered, so the snake and crickets can find each other.

Good Luck!

 

[nashvillebill]

Obvious question, have you changed the battery? Dead/dying battery can do strange things.

Otherwise, it sounds like the preamp has gone south. A preamp is typically very simple, especially an op-amp version. If it's an op-amp version and the op-amp is socketed, change the op-amp.

 

[dave64o]

Good point, I intended to mention that in my original post but never did. The first thing I did when the bass started doing this was change the battery, however the bass was still showing the same symptoms even with a fresh battery in it.

Regarding your second idea, I don't know but I can ask Audere about that. Was planning to email them when I got home from work tonight.

Thanks.

 

[grisezd]

Do you keep your cell phone in your pants pocket? The pre might be picking up the signal. I've got a bass with a home wired MM 2 band that picks mine up within a few feet.

 

[iain westland]

Was this in a multitude of locations? If you tried loads of heads at your rehursle space only it might be a spike on the facilities power line its picking up.

 

[dave64o]

Do you keep your cell phone in your pants pocket? The pre might be picking up the signal. I've got a bass with a home wired MM 2 band that picks mine up within a few feet.

Good question about the phone, that's something I just saw online regarding a similar problem someone had with an amp. I don't usually have my phone in my pocket unless I'm out somewhere or if I'm moving between locations, so it might have been in my pocket a few times but wouldn't have always been there. Plus, I always keep it in my left pocket rather than my right (my right pocket would be directly behind the bass body). But even my left pocket it's still within the few feet you described so that's something I can pass along to the guys looking at it and/or try when I get it back.

Was this in a multitude of locations? If you tried loads of heads at your rehursle space only it might be a spike on the facilities power line its picking up.

Not sure a spike has anything to do with it, at least given the conditions I've seen. A spike sounds like something that would be momentary but this is a problem that has happened every time I plugged in this bass for a few months (although the fact that it behaved properly the last time I plugged it in before taking it back to the luthier made me think it might be a wiring/connection/grounding issue in the control cavity?). I also have two other active basses and none of them have shown this behavior on any of my amps. I'll keep that suggestion in mind in case no other cause is identified, but right now it doesn't seem to be a likely cause unless I misunderstood what you meant.

Thanks, guys!

 

[iain westland]

Does the click happen in many places? By spike i mean something like a smoke alarm with dying battery.... In the uk business fire alarms are on the mains with 9v back up. Beeps when going flat.

But if its in many locations......?