I think I have a wiring problem...

I plugged in my Washburn Force ABT earlier today after changing the strings and heard a crappy noise. It reminded me of the noise you hear when you touch the end of the cable with the amp on, or when you accidentally unplug your bass by stepping on the cable (for instance). I could hear some bass in the backround but it sounded very distorted and cracky. I changed the battery for a brand new one, tried a different cable, and tried a different bass. The second bass I used worked fine. I hadn't played the Washburn in quite a while but if I remember correctly, it worked fine before. Could there be an internal problem with the bass? Any help would be great, thanks.