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Broken Bass?

Sundown1206

Sundown1206

Jan 26, 2010
620
32
34
Chicago
#1
I just bought a 01 deluxe mim jazz bass active and it makes terrible noise in the amp when I turn up the treble bass or mids knobs at all. Makes it useless. What do you guys think could be causing this? If you help me find the problem, I can fix it I'm sure. Thanks
 
#4
Hissing and hum. The noise gets quieter when I bring the bass closer to the amp with the pickups facing it. By close I mean like two feet or less. I play it fine lol I didn't check for loose wires but I did change the battery and that didn't help. Yes, a new one.
 
#6
When you turn up mids and treble, you will get hissing and hum, PERIOD. Noiseless pickups don't alter that all that much, but if the noiseless were replaced with other p'ups, then it's even worse. There's no way around it, besides trying different cables.
 
#7
Goober1206 said:
The bass originally had noiseless pickups in it. I got it from a pawn shop with ****** pickups. What if fender put noiseless pickups in to cover up that noise?
Click to expand...

Well they DID. It's called "single coil noise". It can only be eliminated by either using "noiseless" pickups of some type OR (If the new pickups are wired correctly) turning both neck and bridge pickups on full. That should reduce hum but not hiss.

Note that turning up the bass control will normally bring up the single coil hum as well. Turning up treble almost always brings up some hiss on active basses. However, the question is how much hiss? Is there just some noticeable hiss (usually tamed by turning off tweeter in cab) and you being a sensitive musician have called it a "terrible noise" that "makes the bass useless", or is there really in fact a HUGE hum and hiss that really is out of the normal range?

Test for usual hum is: hum goes away when you touch ground (strings, jack, etc.). Test for single coil noise is that hum does NOT change when you touch ground but DOES change when you change orientation of bass (especially around your amp).

That can help you diagnose the problem.
 
#9
scottbass said:
First step is to try a different instrument cable.
Second step is to put in a new battery.
Click to expand...

So a low or dead battery in the bass can cause a hissing/static sound through the amp? This is a problem I have been having. I have checked every cable, every connection, and every setting on the amp (Marshall MB450). I had assumed it was a problem with the head but maybe it is actually my bass (Dean Hardtail).
 

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