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randyspeaker
New
Username: randyspeaker

Post Number: 1
Registered: 9-2005
Posted on Friday, September 16, 2005 - 12:27 am:   Edit Post

I HAVE CHECKED ALL THE WIRING INSIDE AND FOUND THEY ARE ALL OK. THE OLD 9V BATTERY IS REPLACED BY A NEW ONE. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO NOW.
adriaan
Senior Member
Username: adriaan

Post Number: 604
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Friday, September 16, 2005 - 4:10 am:   Edit Post

Welcome to the Club!

... but please turn off your CapsLock key - you are shouting.

What kind of noise? If it is the same sound as when you touch the end of your cable with your finger while plugged into your amp, then check inside the control cavity. Perhaps the pots are touching the shielding paint (or only the terminals to which the wires are attached).

Check the Use and Care Guide (http://www.alembic.com/support/care.html) especially the Knobs section - good info on how to adjust the "collet" type knob used on probably all Epics.
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 2361
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Friday, September 16, 2005 - 4:29 am:   Edit Post

Hi Randy;

The following suggestions are from what I recall from reading past messages in this forum.

Is this a new instrument? If not, how old is it?

Did you just acquire this bass, or have you had it for a while? If you've had it for a while, did the problem just suddenly start, or has it been making noise the entire time you've had it?

Is the noise intermittent or constant?

Is the noise directional? If you move around, does it change?

First, try another new 9v battery from a different batch. Sometimes when you buy batteries, the whole batch can be bad.

Take the control cover off the back. Do you see what looks like a short piece of pipe? If you don't, then you are missing the ferrite bead and will need to order another from Alembic. If you do see it, are the leads from both pickups running through it? If not, carefully unplug the leads by pulling on the plastic connectors, not the wires, and the little latch that holds them in place, and then run the leads through the ferrite bead and reconnect them. A missing ferrite bead seems to be the most common noise problem for older non-Series basses.

Check to make sure none of the components have worked themselves loose and are touching other components. This seems to happen every once in a while to the pan control. If the pan control is loose, you will need to gently remove the top of the knob, then remove the knob itself, reposition the control and tighten the nut. Loose components causing grounding problems seem to be the second most common noise problem.

If neither of the above situations is the problem, you may have a leaking capacitor. At this point, you may want to take the bass to a guitar tech and have them check the capacitors. Since it's an Alembic, you'll want to find the most reputable tech in your area, someone who has experience working with Alembics. If the tech doesn't find a leaking capacitor, there may be another problem that the tech can detect. For instance, every once in a great while there may be a problem with one of the leads where it enters the pickup housing.

Let us know if you need additional help.
bottomzone
New
Username: bottomzone

Post Number: 3
Registered: 9-2005
Posted on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 - 10:07 am:   Edit Post

I own a 1983 Spoiler and am not getting any signal from my bass to my amp. Removing the back plate, I discovered that the black ground wire was detached from the jack connector. After resoldering the wire to the jack connector, I am still having the same problem. A technician is currently troubleshooting m bass and cannot find the cause. He did say that a chip is loose and he will do a thorough inspection for any loose connections. Any assistance that anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated.
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 2408
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 - 2:33 pm:   Edit Post

Hi Keith; it's not clear whether your technician is a guitar tech who knows how to set up basses and guitars or an electronics technician who knows how to troubleshoot electronic circuits. If he's an electronics tech, my guess is that he will be able to find the problem. I believe it is the case that the pots are grounded to the shielding when they are fastened in place. If they get loose and turn to where some part of the circuit board or other componant is touching the shileding, that could cause a problem. Let us know what he ultimately finds.

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