Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 I'm noodling on my newly acquired Classic Vibe Bass VI and I'm playing it through my Fender Mustang GTX100 amp rather than a bass amp so I can make use of some of the lovely fx. I am getting a fair amount of electrical noise which goes away when I touch the control plate, but stays at the same level if I only touch the strings, bridge or vibrato unit. Is there likely to be a loose/missing ground wire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 Could be. Might also be the single coils pickups and this amp is making the noise more apparent. Does it go away if you touch the switch plate as well as the one with knobs on? What about if you select the middle along with either the neck or bridge pickups (these combinations should be hum cancelling)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted January 5, 2023 Author Share Posted January 5, 2023 A combination of the Rainger treble boost, vintage Tremolo & 65 Reverb fx in the amp is making the noise more noticable. Touching the switch plate silences the noise the same as touching the control plate. The noise is pretty much the same with any combination of pickups or a single pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 Do you have a multi-meter? If so you could check for electrical continuity between the bridge, vibrato mechanism and the control plates, before going to the trouble of taking the bass apart to check for missing/disconnected earth wires. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted January 5, 2023 Author Share Posted January 5, 2023 I have one somewhere, I will have a look for it and try that, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twangabilly Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 (edited) I have been having this same issue on my Squier Bass VI and turns out sometimes a way to fix it is to move the bridge either back or forth towards the neck or tremolo end. The bridge posts are too small for the holes in the body (which is a pretty terrible design as it means intonation can easily be changed by accident). No need to detune, just give the bridge a firm shove with your thumb. I think the ground wire must also be connected to there, as when I nudged the bridge further towards the neck, I then found the noise went a LOT, and if I touched the strings etc, then it would cancel out the expected normal quiet background noise. Beforehand I could only do it by touching the pickup selector plate, or the plate with the jack/knobs on like you’ve described. I think the only solution is going to be to buy a new bridge with larger mounting poles, or find some metal sleeves to bridge the gap, while still making contact to the ground wire… Edited March 24 by Twangabilly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 3 minutes ago, Twangabilly said: the bridge posts are too small for the holes in the body (which is a pretty terrible design as it means intonation can easily be changed by accident). The bridge design had been carried over from Fender's Jazzmaster and Jaguar Guitars, where the wobbly bridge was an advantage when used in conjunction with the vibrato mechanism, and later used to great effect by bands like My Bloody Valentine. On the Bass VI is of less use since the vibrato has significantly limited effect even with the lighter Bass Vi strings fitted at the factory. You are best off finding some way of stopping the wobble either by changing the bridge for a 3rd party version or adding sleeves to the posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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