Getting Shocked

[Al Dente]

Purchased a Squier CV P bass some months ago, used off TB. The previous owner had changed pick ups, jack, "everything" according to him. I get a shock when I touch other electrical items, e.g., laptop, and even got shocked when I touched the metal lock bolt on front door.
The bass plays and sounds really good.

Anyone know what the problem could be?

 

[Precision101]

I'm guessing something isn't grounded. Look inside the cavity and make sure everything looks right and grounded.

 

[iiipopes]

Either not grounded or the wires are flipped on the jack.

 

[dincz]

Grounded or not, there is no voltage in a bass high enough to give you a shock. I suggest you have your amp (or whatever your bass was plugged into) checked before you use it again.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Grounded or not, there is no voltage in a bass high enough to give you a shock. I suggest you have your amp (or whatever your bass was plugged into) checked before you use it again.

+1
Also bare feet or socks only enhance the effect.
This time of year are you wearing wool and shuffling your feet? Could be static electricity.

 

[megafiddle]

Any shock from an isolated object like a door lock is from static discharge.

If there is any continuous shock (a steady "tingling" sensation), you really need to have the amp checked out.

-

 

[RoadRanger]

Yah, on the off chance that you're still alive and want to stay that way you might want to get somebody over who knows something about electricity .

 

[BassinCT]

Is this a static electricity shock, or is this a *strong* shock that occurs when you are also touching your strings? Either way, spend a few dollars and get a polarity tester to be sure that the wiring of the building you are using isn't faulty. looks like this:

If it indicates that there is a problem, call an electrician right away. Please don't use adapters that remove the ground.

 

[seamonkey]

Sounds like static.
Is the bass actually plugged into an amp? If so the strings would be grounded and should dissipate the static.

 

[Al Dente]

When I use my other bass, I don't get shocked. So, probably I can rule out the amp. It is a steady tingling sensation, but does not happen with the other (active) bass.

 

[seamonkey]

Better get a meter.

 

[Al Dente]

It does not occur when touching the strings or playing the bass. It occurs when I reach over and touch some other object. Weird.

 

[Bob-I]

Sounds like the leads on the output are reversed. Easy to check with a meter. Measure from the edge of the gap to the bridge, there should be 0 resistance.

 

[friendlybass]

Its probably the bass grounding to you but something in the outlet isn't grounded so you get the extra. Its happened to me at churches with poopy power

 

[Matty Koff]

I used to get shocked playing any guitar our family had in the house as a kid playing barefoot in a basement with a cement floor if I touched a string with only 1 finger. While playing it wasn't an issue but if I accidentally brushed it or something I'd get a quick jolt. ;P Really have no idea what to attribute that to, but thanks for the memory lol.

 

[Spectrum]

Just so you know, you can die from this. Take it seriously.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Harvey

 

[ReidK]

There is absolutely no way that the bass is at fault. If your amp and wiring are correct, there is no way to get high voltage into the bass. The problem is your amp, or possibly the outlet wiring.

If you don't get shocked with your other bass, then your other bass is probably not grounded properly. I know that sounds backward, but the problem is that the "ground" connection on your amp has high voltage on it (which it shouldn't). If a bass is grounded correctly, that voltage will be present on the "grounded" parts of the bass when you plug it in, which is what you're feeling with the new bass.

The hardware on your front door probably has some connection to ground. It depends on the construction, but it's not too surprising that you'd feel a shock when you touch it.

It's either the amp (does it have a "polarity" switch?) or the outlet. Get this fixed. It could kill you.

Reid

 

[dincz]

Sounds like the leads on the output are reversed. Easy to check with a meter. Measure from the edge of the gap to the bridge, there should be 0 resistance.

If they were reversed, he'd get no sound, but according to the OP the bass "plays and sounds really good".

 

[Al Dente]

It's either the amp (does it have a "polarity" switch?) or the outlet. Get this fixed. It could kill you.

The amp has something on back that says polarity (middle position), and you can turn it on by choosing the left or right "on"--is that a polarity switch? Also, it only has a 2 prong plug, is that a problem?

 

[Bob-I]

If they were reversed, he'd get no sound, but according to the OP the bass "plays and sounds really good".

I disagree. Reversing leads will still make sound because of the ground reference from the volume pot, but the small trickle of voltage from the input can cause a small shock.