Problem with '62 P-Bass

[sunnpeg]

Hey y'all. My vintage P has started to sound differently lately and I'm looking for some input.

The output has dropped to about half of what it should be. A friend told me that the wiring in the pickup might be faulty. Someone else suggested that I have the pickup re-wound.

Any suggestions?

 

[ampegsvtca]

Re-winding sounds like the best bet but I would also look at the solder joints and maybe check the pots as well. Although you probably want to try and keep that bass original as it is a 1962.

 

[xyllion]

With a vintage instrument like that, I would have a pro look at it and tell them not to change anything without your approval. That bass can lose alot of value with simple changes.

 

[WildeStarr]

The pickups are the last thing that you want to mess with, so lets hope they are OK. I would start with the input jack, then the Volume & Tone pots. Those 3 items are pretty cheap if you need to replace them. If you do replace any of those parts, make sure that you hang on to them. If you ever sell the bass, people want to have as much of the original gear as possible.

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[sunnpeg]

Thanks for the replies. Most of the people I've spoken to have told me that bad wiring/connections usually don't leave you with any signal at all.

The fact that there is a weak signal scares me. I will have the bass checked out before I do anything to it.

 

[BassGreaser]

sunnpeg you might want to contact Larry over at Aero pickups. I know/and seen him rewind stock fender pups to exact Fender specifications of the time http://www.aeroinstrument.com