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What am I doing wrong? ground from hell!

bassrebel

bassrebel

Mar 7, 2005
351
766
42
Upper East Side, NYC
#1
Hey Guys!

I recently started installing new pickups and preamp on my bass and for some reason, after (what I believe is right) installing the pickups and preamp according to darkglass's specifications... I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, and if so... what?

I have 2 jazz pickups (Epic Custom Shop) with one volume pot and one blend pot.

Can someone identify, based on the pictures what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks,

Danny
 

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Last edited:
#5
That diagram doesn't look quite right. The output from the preamp (blue in the diagram, but yellow in your bass) should connect to the Tip connector of the jack. The battery ground wire should connect to the Ring connector of the jack, with the Sleeve connector going to ground.

Also, it doesn't look like you have a stereo jack...
 
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#6
ctmullins said:
That diagram doesn't look quite right. The output from the preamp (blue in the diagram, but yellow in your bass) should connect to the Tip connector of the jack. The battery ground wire should connect to the Ring connector of the jack, with the Sleeve connector going to ground.

Also, it doesn't look like you have a stereo jack...
Click to expand...
This a chinese bass so there was plenty wrong with it... lol so I'm trying to little by little get it going...

I do have a stereo jack that I can install...

So, based on your observations,
yellow should go to the tip connector of the jack...
battery ground wire should connect to the ring connector
Sleeve connector going to ground... (where/what is the sleeve connector?)
 
#7
Referencing the wiring diagram...

Yellow Black Red Blue, from left to right, with connector in upper left orientation.

I'm not seeing THAT in the pic.

Make a copy of the wiring diagram, get a fine tip marker and take each wire, one by one on the drawing, and cross it off, AFTER confirming it's correct in the cavity.
 
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#8
bassrebel said:
I do have a stereo jack that I can install...
Click to expand...

A standard mono jack, also called a "tip/sleeve" or "TS" jack, has two connections - tip for the output from your bass' electronics, and sleeve for ground.

Apr16_PG_CLM_Guitar-Shop-101_photo2_WEB.jpg


For instruments with active electronics, you also need a way to switch on those active circuits. A stereo (more accurately, "three conductor", "tip/ring/sleeve", or just "TRS") jack is the standard way of accomplishing this. Tip and sleeve are still signal and ground, and the ring connector is used to complete the battery circuit.

Apr16_PG_CLM_Guitar-Shop-101_photo3_WEB.jpg


(Photos courtesy of this article from Premier Guitar) edit - for some reason they misleadingly distinguish between a "stereo" and a "TRS" jack...

So, based on your observations,
yellow should go to the tip connector of the jack...
battery ground wire should connect to the ring connector
Sleeve connector going to ground... (where/what is the sleeve connector?)
Click to expand...

Since your output wire is yellow, yes.
 
Last edited:
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#9
ctmullins said:
A standard mono jack, also called a "tip/sleeve" or "TS" jack, has two connections - tip for the output from your bass' electronics, and sleeve for ground.

Apr16_PG_CLM_Guitar-Shop-101_photo2_WEB.jpg


For instruments with active electronics, you also need a way to switch on those active circuits. A stereo (more accurately, "three conductor", "tip/ring/sleeve", or just "TRS") jack is the standard way of accomplishing this. Tip and sleeve are still signal and ground, and the ring connector is used to complete the battery circuit.

Apr16_PG_CLM_Guitar-Shop-101_photo3_WEB.jpg


(Photos courtesy of this article from Premier Guitar) edit - for some reason they misleadingly distinguish between a "stereo" and a "TRS" jack...



Since your output wire is yellow, yes.
Click to expand...
THANK YOU!!!

That definitely helped getting past this noise from hell!!!

Now, the pickups work... on their own, but when I put the blend pot to play both pickups it doesn't make sound. If I move the pot to the right or to the left, I can head each pickup, but when I put the pot to the middle position, all I hear is static...

What could possibly be the reason for it?

Thanks,

Danny
 
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#15
gregmon79 said:
Hell yes. Love these threads.

I have one of the first tone capsules released. I still need to put it in a bass. I just get scared at all the EQ knobs and how to mount them in whatever bass I choose to...
Click to expand...
Hopefully after a good tune I can record a sample and persuade you :)

Based on what I saw while doing this project, making new wholes is not too difficult... I had to make wholes bigger and fix some things and it went ok
 
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#16
bassrebel said:
Hopefully after a good tune I can record a sample and persuade you :)

Based on what I saw while doing this project, making new wholes is not too difficult... I had to make wholes bigger and fix some things and it went ok
Click to expand...

What I’m more concerned about is having the room. I’d probably do it to a Jazz bass I have. I’m not afraid of routing or drilling new holes. I guess what I’m confused about is the controls. Like mine has the high, high mids and bass for EQ. So would I be replacing all the existing controls and just accommodating for the new EQ controls? It’s like, in my mind, I’m adding all these new controls with the existing controls. Know what I mean???
 

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