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Foundation No Worky

Old Fart

Old Fart

Mar 11, 2011
2,518
4,372
#1
Getting rid of some stuff. Look what I found. I think a change of strings might be in order here.

So I changed them and the bass does not work. Makes no sound. I do not see a broken connection in the electronics chamber. Here is my question: At the input jack, should I see a millivolt signal when strings are vibrating?

I am also fishing here. Something happened to those strings as well. Coincidence?

20200223_155649.jpg
 
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#4
That makes sense. Thank you. I have Deoxit.

I am still wondering what happened. The fuzz on those strings was not hard, crusty rust. It was lie....fuzz. Metal bits sticking to the strings as if they were magnetic.
 
#8
Yes. This bass sat for a few years in a plastic Peavey case. My plan is to get them working (I have three old Peaveys) and give them to kids in high school who want to play. Maybe keep one for that punk band project which may be in my future. I've never destroyed an instrument on stage.

I see these things advertised for $300 or so, but I think they actually sell for closer to $100.

Tonight I will likely try to clean the pots.
 
#9
Old Fart said:
Yes. This bass sat for a few years in a plastic Peavey case. My plan is to get them working (I have three old Peaveys) and give them to kids in high school who want to play. Maybe keep one for that punk band project which may be in my future. I've never destroyed an instrument on stage.

I see these things advertised for $300 or so, but I think they actually sell for closer to $100.

Tonight I will likely try to clean the pots.
Click to expand...
Good luck with the cleaning!
80s Foundations with Super Ferrites most certainly sell for $250-350! The only ones selling for $100 are gems found locally or trashed. The word is out and the prices reflect that.
 
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#11
That could be case fuzz. Was the case lined with grey plush?

If so I doubt it's causing your electrical problem.

I would start by verifying that the pickups work. Attach two wires to the pickup leads where they are soldered to the controls and connect the other ends to a regular 1/4 inch lead that you plug into your amp. You can test the pickups one at a time this way, bypassing the controls and wiring. If the pickups work you can then trace the problem to the faulty pot or jack (or just replace them all).

Years ago I made a bunch of test wires by attaching alligator clips to both ends of a bunch of lengths of insulated wire. Extremely useful for this kind of situation.
 
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#14
The cases were known for shedding their liners, leaving a foam strip over the strings, the foam actually was mildly corrosive. I'd be surprised if you didn't have a little corrosion on the bridge as well.

Edit...Just saw richntiffs post... Guess I'm late to the dance :)
 
#15
I was gifted an early 80's T-20 in the hard case (aka the "chainsaw" case) last year. Against the strings glued into the top half of the case was a deteriorated thin gray piece of foam, that crap was all over the strings and the inside of the case. Pretty sure that's what you found. Removed what was left of the foam, cleaned everything up and replaced the foam with a thin strip of semi dence foam. Bass plays great though, didn't have the issues you're getting.
 
#16
Naw, I am not likely to destroy one of these basses. They are, as you say, too good for that. Really good basses, actually. One has a broken truss rod with a nut screwed down deep into the neck so that it is tensioned. Certainly playable. Sadly, the broken truss rod is on the best of the three. Blonde (natural) with the really cool VVT knobs. I could swap necks, but I'm not sure I feel good about that. I digress.

I am troubleshooting the electronics. Any tips? I am not seeing a mV signal from any pickups, even on basses I know are working.
 
#18
Update: After some snarky and some helpful (but still incorrect) comments from the Audiokarma guys, I find these pickups generate about .040 VAC (or less). The problem with this bass is.....wait for it......



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....The output jack.
 
#19
I now think the problems were unrelated. I think, as you guys have suggested, the hair on those strings was plastic fuzz. The rear cover of this instrument was off when I found it. The output jack problem may have already been present.
 
#20
Well, good! That's an easy fix.
FWIW, I typically replace those barrel jacks with a standard Switchcraft #11 jack and a metal football plate. It's a little work to drill out a bigger hole and such, but it's a much more durable solution, chances are you will never replace that jack again. If you install another barrel jack, chances are you will be replacing it again. Here's one I put on my Patriot when I relocated the jack to the side.
enhance.jpg
 

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