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The Soundgear Club

#7,662
ClusterFlux said:
Speaking of defretting an SR: Anyone defret a 650 or similar model with the Norstrand pickups? I'm wondering if they will sound better than the Bartolinis.
Click to expand...

I played a 650 for an hour, switching between an older SR500 (Mk1s) and a newer SR400 (Power Spans). Wish I coulda played it beside a newer SR500 (BH2s). I liked the P/J tone and didn't feel the SC hiss was too bad. I have to say I could darn near duplicate anything on it with the Power Spans (I love those things!), however. But it definitely sounded light years better and more flexible than the Mk1s to my ears.
 
#7,663
To others reading my post, and to Mr. @Killed_by_Death , I think I've read in one of the threads that original USA made Bartolini's sound a lot better than the OEM's that Ibanez uses in my SR500L. So I thought of replacing the two Barts with USA made pups. Then I've also read that I should swap out the preamp to something like an Aguilar or Bartolini preamp. I'm confused. All I know is that now that I've drunk from the pool of Nordstrand I just don't care for the sound of my SR500L that much. I've raised the pickup height but the pickups sound dull compared to Nordys. Thoughts, anyone?
 
#7,665
alaskaleftybass said:
To others reading my post, and to Mr. @Killed_by_Death , I think I've read in one of the threads that original USA made Bartolini's sound a lot better than the OEM's that Ibanez uses in my SR500L. So I thought of replacing the two Barts with USA made pups. Then I've also read that I should swap out the preamp to something like an Aguilar or Bartolini preamp. I'm confused. All I know is that now that I've drunk from the pool of Nordstrand I just don't care for the sound of my SR500L that much. I've raised the pickup height but the pickups sound dull compared to Nordys. Thoughts, anyone?
Click to expand...
I would look at replacing your pickups with Nordstrand pickups. Make sure you research the size.
 
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#7,667
I've got an SR506 with an annoying issue. Stock pickups, NTMB preamp. Sounds glorious! It hums intermittently, and only when I touch metal. I've spent plenty of time troubleshooting, and think I have it figured out. My other basses are dead silent, so it's got to be this bass, and not other equipment. Thought maybe I'd double-check here with the hive-mind.

Had it inspected by a tech a few months ago, and he found a loose wire on a pickup and fixed (that did improve the hum, but not entirely remove it).

My initial thought was to get rid of the pedal board. Still hummed. Different amp. Still hummed, but less. (One of my amps is more susceptible to noise, I've noticed.) Plugged back in to pedal board - no hum with noise gates on, but definitely hum with gates off. Pedalboard accentuates the hum, as do certain cables when I go direct. I thought it was a cable, and found a "good" cable, but the next day the hum was back with that cable. Then I noticed that the hum suddenly went away while noodling, and I had shifted positions. The cord was under me, and had put a slight bit of pressure on the output jack. Tested it, and it seems that when there is a slight bit of pressure on the output jack, the hum is gone. With pressure, I can touch all of the metal I want, and get no hum. So none of my cords are bad, but some may fit better.

Here's my conclusion - barrel output jack is slowly loosening up, and going bad, leading to a minor grounding issue. Without the solid connection, I occasionally hear hum. I have heard barrel jacks are to be thought of as consumable, and actually had a different bass need one replaced recently as well, but that was a very obvious problem.

Here are the questions:
1. Does this make sense given the scenario?

2. Where can I find a replacement? My tech lives a few minutes away, and does solid work, but I have to order parts. (My previous bass was fixed by a local store, and it took over 2 weeks to fix the output, when it really only takes a few minutes to solder, and a few days to deliver the part.) Here's the official part from Ibanez, but I can't find one for sale and don't know of equivalents:
3JK1C14DZ

Also, my bass is a 2008 model, not a 2004, but I couldn't find the page for the 2008.

Thanks for the help as always!
 
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#7,668
kleinenenten said:
I've got an SR506 with an annoying issue. Stock pickups, NTMB preamp. Sounds glorious! It hums intermittently, and only when I touch metal. I've spent plenty of time troubleshooting, and think I have it figured out. My other basses are dead silent, so it's got to be this bass, and not other equipment. Thought maybe I'd double-check here with the hive-mind.

Had it inspected by a tech a few months ago, and he found a loose wire on a pickup and fixed (that did improve the hum, but not entirely remove it).

My initial thought was to get rid of the pedal board. Still hummed. Different amp. Still hummed, but less. (One of my amps is more susceptible to noise, I've noticed.) Plugged back in to pedal board - no hum with noise gates on, but definitely hum with gates off. Pedalboard accentuates the hum, as do certain cables when I go direct. I thought it was a cable, and found a "good" cable, but the next day the hum was back with that cable. Then I noticed that the hum suddenly went away while noodling, and I had shifted positions. The cord was under me, and had put a slight bit of pressure on the output jack. Tested it, and it seems that when there is a slight bit of pressure on the output jack, the hum is gone. With pressure, I can touch all of the metal I want, and get no hum. So none of my cords are bad, but some may fit better.

Here's my conclusion - barrel output jack is slowly loosening up, and going bad, leading to a minor grounding issue. Without the solid connection, I occasionally hear hum. I have heard barrel jacks are to be thought of as consumable, and actually had a different bass need one replaced recently as well, but that was a very obvious problem.

Here are the questions:
1. Does this make sense given the scenario?

2. Where can I find a replacement? My tech lives a few minutes away, and does solid work, but I have to order parts. (My previous bass was fixed by a local store, and it took over 2 weeks to fix the output, when it really only takes a few minutes to solder, and a few days to deliver the part.) Here's the official part from Ibanez, but I can't find one for sale and don't know of equivalents:
3JK1C14DZ

Also, my bass is a 2008 model, not a 2004, but I couldn't find the page for the 2008.

Thanks for the help as always!
Click to expand...

Is your bass shielded? I only ask because I went through a very similar thing earlier this year with a 2009 active Thunderbird Pro 5. The solution ended up being adding grounded copper shielding to it, especially the pickup cavities. Dead silent now.
 
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#7,669
KaraQ said:
Is your bass shielded? I only ask because I went through a very similar thing earlier this year with a 2009 active Thunderbird Pro 5. The solution ended up being adding grounded copper shielding to it, especially the pickup cavities. Dead silent now.
Click to expand...
Not specifically, no. Just the stock shielding paint and all that, though it hasn't had this problem the entire time I've owned the bass. Seems odd shielding would pop up as an issue now. Also - isn't shielding the opposite problem - where the bass hums UNTIL you touch it? I've got a guitar with that issue that I need to get sorted as well.
 
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#7,671
kleinenenten said:
Not specifically, no. Just the stock shielding paint and all that, though it hasn't had this problem the entire time I've owned the bass. Seems odd shielding would pop up as an issue now. Also - isn't shielding the opposite problem - where the bass hums UNTIL you touch it? I've got a guitar with that issue that I need to get sorted as well.
Click to expand...

You're probably right, I just like to look at all possibilities when troubleshooting, if for no other reason than to eliminate the ones not the issue. :)

If you haven't found a replacement jack yet, maybe this will work?

Ibanez Bass Output Jack 3JK1U14DZ
 
#7,672
kleinenenten said:
I've got an SR506 with an annoying issue. Stock pickups, NTMB preamp. Sounds glorious! It hums intermittently, and only when I touch metal. I've spent plenty of time troubleshooting, and think I have it figured out. My other basses are dead silent, so it's got to be this bass, and not other equipment. Thought maybe I'd double-check here with the hive-mind.

Had it inspected by a tech a few months ago, and he found a loose wire on a pickup and fixed (that did improve the hum, but not entirely remove it).

My initial thought was to get rid of the pedal board. Still hummed. Different amp. Still hummed, but less. (One of my amps is more susceptible to noise, I've noticed.) Plugged back in to pedal board - no hum with noise gates on, but definitely hum with gates off. Pedalboard accentuates the hum, as do certain cables when I go direct. I thought it was a cable, and found a "good" cable, but the next day the hum was back with that cable. Then I noticed that the hum suddenly went away while noodling, and I had shifted positions. The cord was under me, and had put a slight bit of pressure on the output jack. Tested it, and it seems that when there is a slight bit of pressure on the output jack, the hum is gone. With pressure, I can touch all of the metal I want, and get no hum. So none of my cords are bad, but some may fit better.

Here's my conclusion - barrel output jack is slowly loosening up, and going bad, leading to a minor grounding issue. Without the solid connection, I occasionally hear hum. I have heard barrel jacks are to be thought of as consumable, and actually had a different bass need one replaced recently as well, but that was a very obvious problem.

Here are the questions:
1. Does this make sense given the scenario?

2. Where can I find a replacement? My tech lives a few minutes away, and does solid work, but I have to order parts. (My previous bass was fixed by a local store, and it took over 2 weeks to fix the output, when it really only takes a few minutes to solder, and a few days to deliver the part.) Here's the official part from Ibanez, but I can't find one for sale and don't know of equivalents:
3JK1C14DZ

Also, my bass is a 2008 model, not a 2004, but I couldn't find the page for the 2008.

Thanks for the help as always!
Click to expand...

I'll touch on the shielding mentioned before, thats not the problem. I've had this happen to me but only after I made some electronic changes. I want to say that getting hum when touching metal is from either something wired backwards, a short or a specific connection is breaking free. I really can't remember what caused it. In my case, I had changed pickups and a pot or two and the touch activated hum was the last straw in a series of electrical issues so I went the nuclear option and rewired the whole thing but also doing so perfectly. Nothing but short direct wires, perfect solder joints, replaced the jack, replaced the bridge ground and twisted any wiring pairs that had to be long. I think I even added shielding for extra measure. Its dead quiet now, even more so than when it was stock but I never found what actually caused it. Its going to take a good amount of time for it to be tracked down and fixed unless you take it to one of those guys with a million years under his belt and already dealt with this sort of issue a dozen times. As a good measure I would possibly have all pots and jack replaced. Its possible that existing solder joints are building up and getting questionable and weak.

For getting parts I highly recommend BestBassGear.com they have just about everything and can help answer questions. My SR500 is from 2006 which means the only differences are the neck wood and the preamp is the same but I think a different generation, mine is a MK1 and yours may be MK3. Physically I think there is no difference between them. Does yours have a switch on it? I've replaced my electronics in mine with a Bartolini and that made a big difference. While I wired mine myself its setup near identical to this pre-wired kit from BBG Bartolini 5.4AP Preamp - Best Bass Gear I'll post again with links to the parts you will want/need.
 
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#7,673
kleinenenten said:
I've got an SR506 with an annoying issue. Stock pickups, NTMB preamp. Sounds glorious! It hums intermittently, and only when I touch metal. I've spent plenty of time troubleshooting, and think I have it figured out. My other basses are dead silent, so it's got to be this bass, and not other equipment. Thought maybe I'd double-check here with the hive-mind.

Had it inspected by a tech a few months ago, and he found a loose wire on a pickup and fixed (that did improve the hum, but not entirely remove it).

My initial thought was to get rid of the pedal board. Still hummed. Different amp. Still hummed, but less. (One of my amps is more susceptible to noise, I've noticed.) Plugged back in to pedal board - no hum with noise gates on, but definitely hum with gates off. Pedalboard accentuates the hum, as do certain cables when I go direct. I thought it was a cable, and found a "good" cable, but the next day the hum was back with that cable. Then I noticed that the hum suddenly went away while noodling, and I had shifted positions. The cord was under me, and had put a slight bit of pressure on the output jack. Tested it, and it seems that when there is a slight bit of pressure on the output jack, the hum is gone. With pressure, I can touch all of the metal I want, and get no hum. So none of my cords are bad, but some may fit better.

Here's my conclusion - barrel output jack is slowly loosening up, and going bad, leading to a minor grounding issue. Without the solid connection, I occasionally hear hum. I have heard barrel jacks are to be thought of as consumable, and actually had a different bass need one replaced recently as well, but that was a very obvious problem.

Here are the questions:
1. Does this make sense given the scenario?

2. Where can I find a replacement? My tech lives a few minutes away, and does solid work, but I have to order parts. (My previous bass was fixed by a local store, and it took over 2 weeks to fix the output, when it really only takes a few minutes to solder, and a few days to deliver the part.) Here's the official part from Ibanez, but I can't find one for sale and don't know of equivalents:
3JK1C14DZ

Also, my bass is a 2008 model, not a 2004, but I couldn't find the page for the 2008.

Thanks for the help as always!
Click to expand...

Jack: Jack - Switchcraft Stereo Long Threaded Jack - Best Bass Gear
EQ pots, you need 3: Noble - EQ Pot - 50K EQ - Best Bass Gear
Volume pot: CTS 250K Solid Shaft Audio Pot - Best Bass Gear
Blend pot: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Alt Blend: Noll 250k Blend Control - Best Bass Gear
I use this blend in my SR500, the difference is that it evens the volume out so when you use both pickups the volume doesn't dip. Completely optional but I love it.​
 
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#7,674
nickTpostman said:
Hey SDGR community! I am in need of a 5 string bass and have a SRMS800 that I will (reluctantly) part with to help me get there. I also have a MIM Jazz Bass that I will add to the deal if someone has a premium that they are willing to part with. Can anyone out there help? Thanks!

For Sale/Trade - Ibanez SRMS800 like new condition

For Trade - In need of a 5 string - 2020 MIM Player Jazz Bass
Click to expand...

Dang... I would have traded you my SRMS805. it just sold on reverb last week.
 
#7,675
Ibanez uses a 500k Ohm Linear taper volume pots & don't generally use 250k Ohm pots.
Most of the things that can be bought at Best Bass Gear can be bought elsewhere.

DeOxit is your friend, spray some on an instrument cable plug & then put it in & out of the jack a few times, spin it a little as well, while it's in there.
 
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#7,679
Dunno why I'm not a member here too. I currently have 4 SRs, an SR706, an SR256 and a pair of SRC6s, one of which will most likely end up a baritone.
Only pic I have on hand.
IMG_20191105_055238532.jpg


PS: Sometime in the future when I have a few sheckels spare, I'd like an older SR NT 4 string with soaps, not PJ.
 

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#7,680
hey all, i can't tell you how nice this 505 is, i am really starting to groove with it. i recorded my warmup song tonight, which is a tune i "wrote" with my buddy almost 20 years ago, and we would use it as our first tune each night when recording to warm up. it's called go cornelius, a pretty obvious title if you know what i mean. i can just see us jamming in the living room back then every time i play it. it is such a pleasure to fiddle with those chords and the timing of the song, it makes me long for the days of playing with actual people.
i just got a positive covid test result yesterday, so riding it out inside and trying to actually finish up some songs i've been working on. i hope you are all healthy and happy, and keep jamming people!! :bassist:
 

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