Electric problems already?...

[namsag]

Got a Squier FSR 70s Vibe at the new year to try to learn to make some sounds with my 12-year old daughter on her drumset. I have been having fun with it and maybe even making some slow laborious progress but then started having some problems with the bass.

A few weeks ago I noticed the output jack was suddenly very loose and wobbly even though the nut on the outside of the pickguard was snug. Whatever was loose was under the pickguard. Played like this for awhile, then the sound started occasionally skipping in and out, like something inside had come loose and the jack was losing contact with the cable prong. Wiggle the cable and sound came back.

Then earlier today went to plug in the bass and flip the amplifier on, and a hideous feedback sound results. It's not the amp, it doesn't do it with guitar or other bass (more on that later).

I guess something inside died and needs replaced? I got into this intending to learn how to do my own setups and tinker around with these things, so I'm up for whatever I need to do.

Any advice/help appreciated.

Thanks, namsag.

 

[96tbird]

Sounds like the jack is the problem for the first symptom. Inside there's a long prong that clips on the groove on the cable plug. That prong can bend. Or make contact to the shield paint or other wires insi You can remove the pick guard and bend the prong in or make sure it's not shorting out in the cavity, or just replace the jack with a good switchcraft jack.

Squeal: sounds like a microphonic pickup. Can be fixed or you can just replace with an inexpensive yet highly rated pickup.

Is it a jazz or precision? Squier doesn't make an FSR.

 

[namsag]

Thanks, so it needs a new output jack and possibly new pickups? I will tinker with it.

The bass is a precision, it is this one:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I don't even know what FSR means!

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Fender Special Run

 

[96tbird]

So Squier makes an FSR. They keep moving the goal line! Don't know why they'd do that except to further vindicate Squier owners that it IS a Fender: Asian built yes but a Fender product.

 

[Crater]

The symptoms you're describing sound like a loose output jack. Most Fender basses simply use the foil shielding on the bottom side of the pickguard as the 'ground/return' conductor, in other words, most of the time there's not a separate ground wire going to the output jack, just the 'hot' wire from the volume control.

It's almost certain that you don't need to replace your output jack, it just needs to be tightened up so it makes good contact with the shielding foil. And even less likely that you need to replace your pickup.