P bass suddenly has low to zero output

[Mornats]

Hey basschatters,

My 2015 MIM Fender Player P bass has suddenly lost around 95% of its output volume. I'm playing through a Laney Digbeth into headphones and also into my PC. I initially thought maybe the Digbeth had an issue but I plugged another guitar in using the same cable and it sounded fine. So I've narrowed it down to the P bass. I've taken the pickguard off and plugged the cable in so I can see it sitting in the jack socket correctly. I can't see any loose wires on the connections to the pots or the jack or the ground. I can't see under the pickups without taking them out so I can't say for certain there isn't a problem under there.

 

Bass was working last week and it's just sat in my room behind me doing nothing since then so I'm at a loss as to what may have caused it.

 

Any ideas for troubleshooting? I'm on a budget of naff-all so anything I can do to fix it myself would be best although I'll take it to a guitar tech if it's beyond me. 

 

Thanks in advance!

[Bigguy2017]

Hmmmm.... If none of the wiring has come adrift it sounds like a pickup problem.

 

Do you have a Multimeter or a soldering iron?

 

With a multimeter measure the resistance across the two outer volume pot lugs - should be around 8K Ohms ish... 

If it measures around 250K Ohms then the pickup is open circuit.

 

Desolder the pickup lead from the vol pot outer lug and measure the pickup directly - again should be around 8-10K Ohms

 

If no multimeter, desolder both pickup leads at the vol pot and croc lead them to your guitar cable/amp input - if no signal then pickup is open circuit.

 

If you are feeling brave unscrew the pickup (both halves) and pop the covers off.

Have a good look at where the cables solder onto the very fine pickup windings - sometimes these break.

 

 

[Mornats]

Thanks for the detailed reply! 

I've never soldered before, would this be a relatively easy/safe thing to do for a beginner? I wouldn't mind having soldering as a skill but a little worried about how much damage I could do.

[PaulThePlug]

@Mornats What's ya Location?

I'm BR6 and happy to take a look.

I'm sure there are other Basschatters also happy to help.

[Mornats]

22 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

@Mornats What's ya Location?

I'm BR6 and happy to take a look.

I'm sure there are other Basschatters also happy to help.

I'm in Bristol, BS9 so a teeny bit too far but thanks for the offer, much appreciated!

[BassBunny]

Really it's impossible to say what the problem is without diving in with a multimeter.

It could be a duff pickup/vol pot/output jack. You really need someone who can check it out for you.

Have a look here to see if there is anyone local who can help.

https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/277468-bcers-prepared-to-help-fix-a-bass/

[itu]

Take a picture of the electronics, and share it here. It may reveal something.

[Mornats]

Thanks for all the help folks. I think BassBunny is right, I'll find someone who knows what they're doing to take a look at it. 

[Mornats]

Update on this. My mum and dad were visiting (I live at the opposite end of the country to them) and as my dad was a guitar tech in the 60s he took a look at the bass. I grabbed a soldering iron and multimeter kit off Amazon and he tested it. Turns out some of the solders on the pickups had dry connections. He wasn't particularly impressed by the soldering! So he's fixed that and I have output once more!

 

Another problem has crept in though. When I play I have my thumb resting on the pickup. I've noticed when I play the A, D or G string my thumb brushes against the pickup poles and makes an electrical static type noise. A bit of googling suggests a grounding issue. Strange that I hadn't experienced it before. Perhaps my pickups were lower? I can't remember to be honest. Worth noting I use Elixirs so they're coated strings which is possibly a contributor to the issue.

 

Would grabbing a set of closed pickup covers be a solution here? I could do some basic soldering if needed and if I had good instructions to follow but fitting new covers seems very easy in comparison.

Edited September 21, 2023 by Mornats

[ezbass]

1 minute ago, Mornats said:

Update on this. My mum and dad were visiting (I live at the opposite end of the country to them) and as my dad was a guitar tech in the 60s he took a look at the bass. I grabbed a soldering iron and multimeter kit off Amazon and he tested it. Turns out some of the solders on the pickups had dry connections. He wasn't particularly impressed by the soldering! So he's fixed that and I have output once more!

 

Another problem has crept in though. When I play I have my thumb resting on the pickup. I've noticed when I play the A, D or G string my thumb brushes against the pickup poles and makes an electrical static type noise. A bit of googling suggests a grounding issue. Strange that I hadn't experienced it before. Perhaps my pickups were lower? I can't remember to be honest. Worth noting I use Elixirs so they're coated strings which is possibly a contributor to the issue.

 

Would grabbing a set of closed pickup covers be a solution here? I could do some basic soldering if needed and if I had good instructions to follow but fitting new covers seems very easy in comparison.

Putting some tape over the poles would be the quickest and easiest solution. Some clear nail varnish would also achieve the same outcome.

[Mornats]

8 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Putting some tape over the poles would be the quickest and easiest solution. Some clear nail varnish would also achieve the same outcome.

Ah of course, nice I'll try that thanks! You just saved me considering a complete upgrade of my pickups. I was only looking for covers but you know how it always ends

[hooky_lowdown]

21 minutes ago, Mornats said:

Ah of course, nice I'll try that thanks! You just saved me considering a complete upgrade of my pickups. I was only looking for covers but you know how it always ends

Cut up something like a business card, put a small piece at each end underneath the pickup covers. It'll raise the plastic cover enough to level the poles.

 

Also, in 2015 there was no Fender Player, it was Standard then!

[Mornats]

53 minutes ago, hooky_lowdown said:

Cut up something like a business card, put a small piece at each end underneath the pickup covers. It'll raise the plastic cover enough to level the poles.

 

Also, in 2015 there was no Fender Player, it was Standard then!

Good tip, thanks!

 

And yes, I got it wrong about it being a Player. It's definitely a Standard. And despite this issue, it's still a cracking bass. I never intended to buy a P bass, I just grabbed this one to compare it against a Squier I was trying out. 45 mins later and my mate says I think you like that bass, you've played it for 45 mins. Haven't bought a new bass since I got this one.