Yamaha bb1200s preamp: lost cause?

[bluespenny]

Picked up a bb1200s for cheap, but the battery is not activating the active side.
My local tech tells me preamps often fail, and are not worth repairing.
He's checking it for the exact cause now.

But reading about the 1200s, I understand the preamp was a bit special.

So, being an electronics noob, help.

If the preamp is dead, can it be repaired? Is it worth it?

 

[ex-tension]

Onboard preamps don't fail often. And they're worth repairing. Especially if it's an old one and difficult to find the replacement.

It looks like you want to hear the original sound of this bass. So you should try repairing it. If the problem is not a broken connection then some components on the preamp is failing. Most probably the 'opamp'. It's a cheap thing and easy to replace.

See this thread:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/my-new-1982-yamaha-bb1200s-966435/
There is someone there who has the Service Manual. Ask him to send it to you. It would help your tech for the repair job.

 

[bluespenny]

Thanks, I got the manual and sent it to the tech. If it can be repaired, I want it fixed. Thanks for letting me know that's possible.
I guess I wait to hear the diagnosis and go from there.

 

[bluespenny]

Just a follow up. It's fixed and working, by a great tech here in Calgary.
Sounds so good. Thanks for the encourgement.

 

[ex-tension]

Hey, not at all. Glad to be of help.

so, what was the problem, do you have info about it?