Fender Aerodyne Club!

[Cider]

Hi Cider,
The usual responses all apply here:
1. Try a different guitar cord
2. Try a different room and different plug in for your amp.
3. If it's none of the easy stuff, it may be that there's a loose ground in the control cavity - that's either for you to look at or send it off to a competent tech...

Hope that helps.

Thank you for replying!
1. I did this, the hum was still there.
2. This can't really be helped - I live in a studio and use a multieffects unit (Line 6 Firehawk FX) for my amp sims :/
3. I will probably inspect the loose ground. How do I identify it?

Hey Cider - same thing on my Aerodyne. It's not a problem with the Aerodyne, even American Fenders can hum, that's the price for the J Pickup. If it's a passive J or PJ it's going to hum with passive pickups. If you turn both pickups all the way up, that might help. It might also help to play using your P pickup without the J pickup. But there's really only 2 permanent solutions, shield the bass, or replace the pickups with noiseless pickups. I'd shield the bass first, then replace pickups later if you don't like the sound of the stock pickups (I do). There's a lot of articles out there about shielding, and a lot on this site. Read, study, then take your time. Mine is perfectly silent now. But don't get down on your bass, there's nothing like them anywhere. Enjoy it!

You know, I thought it was 60 cycle hum to, but it's not, because the hum is there with or without the J pickup. Both pickups on - hum. J pickup only - hum. P pickup only - still hum. The only thing that makes it go away is if I touch the knobs/ strings/ bridge.

This is normal. The player is an interference that goes away when grounded to the instrument (same potential). Shielding may eliminate some of it, but as the strings act as antennas, and can't be shielded, grounding the player to the instrument by touching it is the normal way of eliminating this noise.

Our bodies contain a lot of water, salts and other chemicals which makes them fairly electrically conductive. Any electrically conductive material can serve as either an antenna or a electromagnetic reflective element. So, the position of your body relative to the instrument will affect this noise interaction.

Thank you for explaining this! It wouldn't matter if I got noiseless pickups, right, because the hum would still be there?

 

[Shardik]

Thank you for replying!
Thank you for explaining this! It wouldn't matter if I got noiseless pickups, right, because the hum would still be there?

That is a difficult one. Even if both strings and pickups may pick up the noise, it is hard to pinpoint exactly the causality chain here. Since the pickups have coils, they are designed to pick up electromagnetic variations more than the strings. I think shielding or noise cancelling pickups have a fair chance of improving the situation considerably. Reducing some other noise sources may also be helpful. Fluorescent lighting, electrical floor heating, nearby fridges etc may also contribute with a fair amount of noise. The point is that as long as the noise disappears as soon as you touch the strings, your body probably is a part of the overall noise equation, and it is quite normal. For a passive instrument I'll go as far as saying it is unusual if touching strings/metal does not reduce some noise. THEN you probably have a grounding problem in your instrument.

 

[bonz - darrell]

That is a difficult one. Even if both strings and pickups may pick up the noise, it is hard to pinpoint exactly the causality chain here. Since the pickups have coils, they are designed to pick up electromagnetic variations more than the strings. I think shielding or noise cancelling pickups have a fair chance of improving the situation considerably. Reducing some other noise sources may also be helpful. Fluorescent lighting, electrical floor heating, nearby fridges etc may also contribute with a fair amount of noise. The point is that as long as the noise disappears as soon as you touch the strings, your body probably is a part of the overall noise equation, and it is quite normal. For a passive instrument I'll go as far as saying it is unusual if touching strings/metal does not reduce some noise. THEN you probably have a grounding problem in your instrument.

Hey Shardik, just to clarify - are you saying that if the hum doesn't lessen when you touch the strings it's a grounding issue? I thought it was opposite. As soon as I touch the strings, I ground everything out, and the hum lessens -- leading me to believe that the grounding internal in the bass is inadequate.


Either way, working on the assumption that it's a grounding issue, the two most likely cause is a bad ground under the bridge, or the ground on one of the pots has come un-soldered.

For item one, pop the bridge off and try to see if the ground wire is touching the back plate of the bridge. On new builds I always run the ground wire down into one of the bridge screw holes. There's no mistaking that you have a ground at that point.
For item two, pop off the control cover and look at the blobs of solder on the back of the pots. If they are loose they need to be soldered back on. This is called a 'cold solder joint' and the bond will break between the solder and the pot metal of the pot -- usually caused by a jarring (ie: the bass falling over while in it's case). While you're in there, look at all the other joints for loose connections.

Hth,
darrell

 

[9mmMike]

Hey Shardik, just to clarify - are you saying that if the hum doesn't lessen when you touch the strings it's a grounding issue? I thought it was opposite. As soon as I touch the strings, I ground everything out, and the hum lessens -- leading me to believe that the grounding internal in the bass is inadequate.


Either way, working on the assumption that it's a grounding issue, the two most likely cause is a bad ground under the bridge, or the ground on one of the pots has come un-soldered.

For item one, pop the bridge off and try to see if the ground wire is touching the back plate of the bridge. On new builds I always run the ground wire down into one of the bridge screw holes. There's no mistaking that you have a ground at that point.
For item two, pop off the control cover and look at the blobs of solder on the back of the pots. If they are loose they need to be soldered back on. This is called a 'cold solder joint' and the bond will break between the solder and the pot metal of the pot -- usually caused by a jarring (ie: the bass falling over while in it's case). While you're in there, look at all the other joints for loose connections.

Hth,
darrell

Good plan. Good grounding has fixed this issue on all of my Fenders.

 

[Shardik]

Hey Shardik, just to clarify - are you saying that if the hum doesn't lessen when you touch the strings it's a grounding issue? I thought it was opposite. As soon as I touch the strings, I ground everything out, and the hum lessens -- leading me to believe that the grounding internal in the bass is inadequate.

Yes. If you don't get less noise when touching the strings, you probably have a grounding issue (a missing contact between the bridge and the electronics is a probable cause). But even if the noise do get less when touching metal, you may still have a grounding issue somewhere.

 

[bonz - darrell]

Yes. If you don't get less noise when touching the strings, you probably have a grounding issue (a missing contact between the bridge and the electronics is a probable cause). But even if the noise do get less when touching metal, you may still have a grounding issue somewhere.

Yeah, we're on the same page, just saying the words differently. Lol.

 

[MrPierre]

Hey everyone,

Can someone clarify something about the Aerodyne bass for me?

I read somewhere that they are now made in mexico but some still have a "made in japan" stamp on them.

A local store has one in stock with the serial "JD15005813", and I can't find any info about serial starting with "JD" on Fender website.

Can someone clarify where it was actually made?

 

[bonz - darrell]

Hey everyone,

Can someone clarify something about the Aerodyne bass for me?

I read somewhere that they are now made in mexico but some still have a "made in japan" stamp on them.

A local store has one in stock with the serial "JD15005813", and I can't find any info about serial starting with "JD" on Fender website.

Can someone clarify where it was actually made?

Current picture on Fender.com says "Made in Japan" on the back of the neck at the heel, as expected.

 

[Malak the Mad]

Hey everyone,

Can someone clarify something about the Aerodyne bass for me?

I read somewhere that they are now made in mexico but some still have a "made in japan" stamp on them.

A local store has one in stock with the serial "JD15005813", and I can't find any info about serial starting with "JD" on Fender website.

Can someone clarify where it was actually made?

Where did you read about Aerodynes being produced in Mexico? That would represent a massive shift in the history of the instrument, since they've been "Japan Exclusive" models during their entire fifteen year history.

As for product dating, check this out…

How can I find out when my Japanese-made instrument was manufactured?

 

[MrPierre]

I read it somewhere, that is not reliable information, I know.

As for the serial number, I saw that page, but it only goes up to 2011...

 

[Malak the Mad]

I read it somewhere, that is not reliable information, I know.

As for the serial number, I saw that page, but it only goes up to 2011...

What exactly does yours say? "Made In Japan" or "Crafted In Japan"? What are the letters, the first two digits of the serial number and how many total numbers are there? (No, you don't need to tell us the whole serial number. Keep that to yourself. )

 

[Cider]

Thank you @Shardik, @bonz - darrell and @9mmMike for answering my questions. I'll be working on the bass in the next couple weeks - I might just swap the electronics with a pre-wired harness & get new pickups if I'm going to open it up

Can anyone tell me whether the pots on our Aerodyne's are imperial or metrics?

 

[chienmort]

Thank you @Shardik, @bonz - darrell and @9mmMike for answering my questions. I'll be working on the bass in the next couple weeks - I might just swap the electronics with a pre-wired harness & get new pickups if I'm going to open it up

Can anyone tell me whether the pots on our Aerodyne's are imperial or metrics?

Everything from Japan is metric. The pots have a 6mm splined shaft. That is A tad under 1/4" (1/4" is 6.35mm).

 

[chienmort]

Does anyone know which Japanese Factory made the Aerodyne?

 

[Malak the Mad]

Does anyone know which Japanese Factory made the Aerodyne?

I know they switched manufacturers…possibly factories, too…around 1997, thus the switchover to "Crafted In Japan". That went on until 2007 when they returned to the "Made In Japan" designation. Unfortunately, that's as far as my knowledge goes. I can't say which factory made this-or-that year, but if it's any help, I've heard the name "Matsumoku" pop up from time to time.

 

[Xandrell]

Just received a new aerodyne and it's noisy. If I touch the strings it goes away. It also makes a pop sometimes touching the bridge or tone controls. Touching the controls actually makes it a little louder. Turning the tone knob down fixes it. My other basses don't do this. Do they all do this. I don't want to hassle with returning it for a replacement if this is normal for this bass. Thanks

 

[Catbuster]

Just received a new aerodyne and it's noisy. If I touch the strings it goes away. It also makes a pop sometimes touching the bridge or tone controls. Touching the controls actually makes it a little louder. Turning the tone knob down fixes it. My other basses don't do this. Do they all do this. I don't want to hassle with returning it for a replacement if this is normal for this bass. Thanks

That is a wonky ground, probably on the tone pot. It's not normal, but it's a cheap fix from a tech if you otherwise like the bass.

 

[XontheP]

Mine had noise too, although not when I touched the knobs. I immediately shielded mine with conductive aerosol spray and copper tape. I planned on shielding it anyway. Completely took care of it. In your case taking it apart might also expose and fix your grounding issue. Personally, excepting the beautiful shape and finish, I'm not that impressed with the build quality of my bass, and the sound is just average.

 

[Shardik]

Just received a new aerodyne and it's noisy. If I touch the strings it goes away. It also makes a pop sometimes touching the bridge or tone controls.

This is probably not a grounding fault in the instrument. It may come from electromagnetic room noise and/or from you. Shielding may help, as I believe shielding is not a strong suit of this bass. Have you tried to put the bass down and walk away from it while it is on? Still the same noise? If not, you may be the source of the noise, and it goes away when you touch metal (strings or bridge) on the bass because you are grounding yourself. The pop of the initial touch may be static electricity differential between you and the instrument.

On a new bass I'd check out the shielding. I bet the electrical bits of the bass are connected as they should be.

 

[aah_scary]

Woo! Aerodyne club!

I'll post pics when I get home from work.