Problem with my Jazz bass

[guillaume91188]

Hi everyone, I will do my best to describe my little problem in english. I speak french normally.

I have a Fender jazz bass american deluxe (active-passive) since 2012 and I have a problem with the electronic. Am I the only one? There is always a buzz sound and it's most intense when I put it in Active mode. I have a problem with the volume too. It's not very high and I think that I lost sound. It was very remarkable in the studio.

It's a great instrument but this is very annoying in studio and live. I have a markbass and I can reduce this buzz but it's change my sound that I want.

Thanks!

Guillaume

 

[MrBKerth]

If your amp is a tube amp that may be the issue. It may also be the battery in your bass dying. It could be your cable also. Jazz basses also have single coil pickups and so if you are running them with unequal output there will be 60 cycle hum

 

[louloomis]

I'm sure you've done this, but have you checked your cable, etc. etc....in other words the obvious stuff? It's not obvious from your post that you already checked all these components (including different amps, etc. etc. same rig/cable with different bass).

Maybe there's an electrolytic component in the bass's preamp that is on its way out.....perhaps with some other issue?

Just some ideas to enhance your search....

LouLoomis

 

[stuntbass77]

The above posts are what you should check. All I can add is check that your bass has enough shielding as even American fenders usually need a little more. I added copper shielding in the pickup cavities, under the pick guard, and in the control cavity. Make should you use "star grounding" too avoid any ground loops.

 

[guillaume91188]

Yes I tried another cable, amps, etc. It's definitively the bass.

Stuntbass : what do you mean with "should use star grounding" ?

The ground was less bad since 6 months, then when I switched my bass from active to passive mode, it got worst.

 

[Warpeg]

Some troubleshooting:

1.) While you are having the buzz issue, does the buzz go away or get quieter when you touch a grounded piece of metal (bridge, control plate, etc.) with your finger?

2.) Does the buzz get louder when you touch the pole pieces on your pickups?

3.) Is the intensity of the buzz effected by moving your bass around the room?

4.) Have you ever received any kind of an electrical shock from your bass?

5.) Have you confirmed that you are using shielded instrument cables in your chain to the amp and not unshielded speaker cables?

6.) Do you have true single coil pickups or are they stacked?

7.) Does the buzz go away or get quieter when both pickups' volumes are all the way up?