Members Ibbyfan Posted January 19, 2008 Members Share Posted January 19, 2008 Hello everybody. I just bought my first electric bass. It was a used one off of Ebay. I like the bass and it's in good shape except for one thing. When I plugged her in there was no sound at all! It wasn't the amp because I tried it at the music store and plugged another bass into just to be sure and it worked fine, but when I plugged mine back in there was no sound at all. The bass has passive pickups if that makes a difference. I don't know much about how the electrical circuits work, or what could be the problem, but I'm wondering if maybe it is the input jack? Can anybody tell me what the problem could be and how to fix it? Thank you in advance to those who reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassgirl9 Posted January 19, 2008 Members Share Posted January 19, 2008 try having your cable just plugged into your amp (volume down) touch the end of the cable and see if the cable makes any noise when you touch it. If there is no noise, it's a cable problem. Then plug into the bass, hit a note on the bass and turn all knobs on the bass to see if maybe there's either some dirt in a pot that's holding you back or if you just weren't up high enough. If you still can't get anything, You'll have to take it to a tech, hopefully it's just a bad jack. A common repair and shouldn't cost too terribly much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ibbyfan Posted January 19, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 19, 2008 try having your cable just plugged into your amp (volume down) touch the end of the cable and see if the cable makes any noise when you touch it. If there is no noise, it's a cable problem. Then plug into the bass, hit a note on the bass and turn all knobs on the bass to see if maybe there's either some dirt in a pot that's holding you back or if you just weren't up high enough. If you still can't get anything, You'll have to take it to a tech, hopefully it's just a bad jack. A common repair and shouldn't cost too terribly much. Thanks for the reply. I did check the cable and it was giving me noise when I tapped my finger on the end. I plugged in the bass and turned all the knobs and nothing. I hope it's just the jack. I took the cover plate off the back and the pickups all seem to be wired solidly, but again, I don't know much about the electronics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitargod0dmw Posted January 19, 2008 Members Share Posted January 19, 2008 Can you post any pics of the insides of your bass? If it's not the cable or the amp...it's got to be the bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassgirl9 Posted January 19, 2008 Members Share Posted January 19, 2008 It must certainly be the bass then. Is the jack loose at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Low Tone Posted January 19, 2008 Members Share Posted January 19, 2008 Simple, cheap fixes would be the jack, bad pots or a short in the wiring.If it's not one of those three, your pickups are hosed and you're looking at more money but there are a few brands that can be had without spending a terrible ammount of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ibbyfan Posted January 20, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 Can you post any pics of the insides of your bass? If it's not the cable or the amp...it's got to be the bass. I tried to take some pictures of the insides but they didn't come out very good. It's nighttime and it was hard to hold the camera steady. If these pictures aren't good enough I can try to take some tomorrow in the daylight without the flash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ibbyfan Posted January 20, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 It must certainly be the bass then. Is the jack loose at all? The washer on the inside of the body cavity was loose. I tightened it up but it didn't make any difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ibbyfan Posted January 20, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 Simple, cheap fixes would be the jack, bad pots or a short in the wiring. If it's not one of those three, your pickups are hosed and you're looking at more money but there are a few brands that can be had without spending a terrible ammount of money. Sigh! I hope it's something simple. I'm trying to contact the seller about it, but so far he hasn't replied. But still, I love the bass, I just wish I could get her working. Thank you all who replied for trying to help me. I really appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guttermouth Posted January 20, 2008 Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 that's an awful lot of wiring in there to be passive.what kind of bass is this? fwiw - i can't really tell due to the blurry pics but, it looks like the hot lead going to the jack is missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Incubitabus Posted January 20, 2008 Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 If You're using a digital Camera to take these, switch it to macro mode (the little flower), and it should focus when you're that close. It does look like a lot of wiring for a passive bass... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ibbyfan Posted January 20, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 that's an awful lot of wiring in there to be passive.what kind of bass is this? fwiw - i can't really tell due to the blurry pics but, it looks like the hot lead going to the jack is missing. It's a 1984 Ibanez RB850. Here's a pic of the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ibbyfan Posted January 20, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 If You're using a digital Camera to take these, switch it to macro mode (the little flower), and it should focus when you're that close. It does look like a lot of wiring for a passive bass... Thanks for the advice. I'll try that tomorrow. I'll try to take some shots in the sunlight and see if they come out better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Incubitabus Posted January 20, 2008 Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 It's a 1984 Ibanez RB850. Here's a pic of the front. looks to be in great shape for a vintage bass. nice find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guttermouth Posted January 20, 2008 Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 It's a 1984 Ibanez RB850. Here's a pic of the front. hmmmm... all the rb850's i've ever seen were active. that being said - they all had jack issues too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ibbyfan Posted January 20, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 looks to be in great shape for a vintage bass. nice find. hehehe If only she worked! She has a few dings and had a penny sized paint chip on the bottom that I touched up with some black nail polish and some belt rash scratches on the back, but all in all she's in good shape and all original too. I can hear her if I put my ear to the body and play, and the wood sounds nice and rich. I just wish I could hear what the pups sound like! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ibbyfan Posted January 20, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 hmmmm... all the rb850's i've ever seen were active. that being said - they all had jack issues too. I know alot of them had active pups, but this particular one has passive. http://www.ibanezrules.com/catalogs/us/1985/p25.jpg This is a pic of the back and there's just the body cavity plate and the neck plate. I hope it's just a matter of the jack. How much would it cost to fix it? I know the part is only a couple of bucks and it should just be a pretty simple solder job right? Man, I wish I knew how to do this stuff myself but I'm a total retard when it comes to anything even remotely technological. Do they have classes where you can learn this stuff? I'd love to be able to maintain my guitars myself as much as I'm able. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guttermouth Posted January 20, 2008 Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 I know alot of them had active pups, but this particular one has passive. This is a pic of the back and there's just the body cavity plate and the neck plate. I hope it's just a matter of the jack. How much would it cost to fix it? I know the part is only a couple of bucks and it should just be a pretty simple solder job right? Man, I wish I knew how to do this stuff myself but I'm a total retard when it comes to anything even remotely technological. Do they have classes where you can learn this stuff? I'd love to be able to maintain my guitars myself as much as I'm able. those enclosed jacks are in the 8 -15 dollar range and any decent shop should put it in for less than 40 bucks or so.you might also check and make sure there's not an end of a cable broken off in it - they had a tendency to do that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ibbyfan Posted January 20, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 those enclosed jacks are in the 8 -15 dollar range and any decent shop should put it in for less than 40 bucks or so.you might also check and make sure there's not an end of a cable broken off in it - they had a tendency to do that too. Really? oh wow! But if there was a cable end stuck in it wouldn't I not be able to plug it in? I used two different cables with it, one at home and one at the music store and both went in fine. I will check it all the same though. Thanks for the advice. What is the best way to go about finding a good tech to work on it? I have a Guitar Center not far from me, they would have techs wouldn't they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guttermouth Posted January 20, 2008 Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 Really? oh wow! But if there was a cable end stuck in it wouldn't I not be able to plug it in? I used two different cables with it, one at home and one at the music store and both went in fine. I will check it all the same though. Thanks for the advice. What is the best way to go about finding a good tech to work on it? I have a Guitar Center not far from me, they would have techs wouldn't they? alot of the times the cable will go in most of the way but won't click. as far as techs go -use gc as a last resort they'll rape you on the repair fees. find a local mom and pop music store that's been in business for a while and take it in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ibbyfan Posted January 20, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 alot of the times the cable will go in most of the way but won't click. as far as techs go -use gc as a last resort they'll rape you on the repair fees. find a local mom and pop music store that's been in business for a while and take it in there. Thanks for the advice. I'll have to search for a mom and pop place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guttermouth Posted January 20, 2008 Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 Thanks for the advice. I'll have to search for a mom and pop place. sure thing man. just as a heads up - you might wanna fill in the location in your profile. there might be a forumite with a soldering iron local that could help you out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ibbyfan Posted January 20, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 sure thing man. just as a heads up - you might wanna fill in the location in your profile. there might be a forumite with a soldering iron local that could help you out. hehe Thanks. I'll have to do that. I was just so upset about the bass not working, I just signed up as fast as I could so I could post my question. There done! If anybody is in South Florida with a soldering iron and wants to help a poor girl out let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guttermouth Posted January 20, 2008 Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 hehe Thanks. I'll have to do that. I was just so upset about the bass not working, I just signed up as fast as I could so I could post my question. bwahaha. i know that feeling. maybe someone in florida can help you out.good luck with it mang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ibbyfan Posted January 20, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 20, 2008 bwahaha. i know that feeling. maybe someone in florida can help you out.good luck with it mang Thanks alot Guttermouth. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out. Do you know of any good book or DVD where they teach you about the electronics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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