| Author | Message | ||
| strappa
New Username: strappa Post Number: 1 Registered: 12-2010 |
Hi My '95 Epic 4 string was left (stupidly) in my car during 20 degree weather when i plugged it in to my tuner it was fine and i tuned it up when i plugged in the amp i got no sound checked with the tuner again and it responded to the strings and tuner adjustment but nothing coming through the amp i have checked the battery, the amp, the cord, the connections inside, i unplugged each pickup and tried them individually and nothing did the cold damage my pickups? anyone know a good repair person in the Philadelphia area? thanks for any help you can provide | ||
| adriaan
Moderator Username: adriaan Post Number: 2718 Registered: 6-2002 |
Did you try if the amp works with another instrument? Same cord, obviously. | ||
| strappa
New Username: strappa Post Number: 2 Registered: 12-2010 |
thanks adriaan i have eliminated all external causes tried 4 new batteries used the chord and amp with a different bass etc. the odd thing is the tune recognizes each string and responds to adjustments so the tuner must be getting a signal | ||
| strappa
New Username: strappa Post Number: 3 Registered: 12-2010 |
i found another thread related to this topic and i followed some of the suggestions and discovered that one of the pickup wires broke off from the connector what is the best way to reconnect the wire? it has to go inside the connector and it looks like it would be very difficult to solder it in place if that is the correct way to attach it to the connector | ||
| strappa
New Username: strappa Post Number: 4 Registered: 12-2010 |
ok looks like my posts were a bit hasty i have found the loose wire and i read the faq on how to pull the crimps out of the connector what would you recommend now? should i get a new crimp, splice the wire and try to fit it in the crimp or could i just solder the wire to the crimp? | ||
| adriaan
Moderator Username: adriaan Post Number: 2719 Registered: 6-2002 |
Unfortunately I barely know what to do with a soldering iron, so you'll have to wait for others to chime in - which I'm sure they will. | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 7109 Registered: 6-2000 |
How long have you had this bass? Was it working fine before? You can solder the crimp on in a pinch to get you up and running, then we can supply you with a pre-crimped wire you can splice (and protect with heat shrink tubing) later. However, that still doesn't explain the symptoms you experienced. Even with one pickup completely disconnected, you should still hear the other one if the pan control was anywhere but 100% to the disconnected pickup. If your tuner has an output, you should try leaving it in the signal path and see if you get the signal from the bass then. Let me know what you find. There are some connectors on cables that overshoot the battery switch on the completely standard Switchcraft connector in the bass (strange, huh?). You can try pulling the connector out very slightly and see if that turns the battery on (and then of course you hear the output). If you try this, let me know what you find. Leaving your bass in the car in any weather condition is not a good idea, mainly because that's where reports of stolen instruments happen most often. A sudden, dramatic temperature change can hurt your pickups in that the coil can pull away from the magnet and cause it to be microphonic, but it won't make a wire come loose. | ||
| strappa
New Username: strappa Post Number: 5 Registered: 12-2010 |
thanks for the reply mica i just purchased this bass a few months ago. it worked fine at the time. the original owner traded it in at guitar center it had the original paperwork too the build date is 10/31/1995 - Holloween! i will solder the wire to get it working i would like the pre-crimped wire you mentioned let me know how to order it. it was strange that when i disconnected the pickup the other one did not work but i also tried unplugging the preamp (or is it the battery?) and plugged the other pickup in there and that worked as for leaving it in the car, i always put it the trunk so its out of sight but still not a good idea i didnt know that about how the cold could affect the pickup. i will certainly be more careful in the future thanks again! | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 1455 Registered: 11-2004 |
Just another addition, my bass case lives in the garage, in the cold weather(especially here in the UK right now!) I bring it in the house and open it up to 'pre heat' it for a couple of hours before I put my MK Signature in it before going to gig. Interesting to find that extreme cold can cause PU damage but metals expand/contract even more than wood so it makes sense. | ||
| strappa
New Username: strappa Post Number: 7 Registered: 12-2010 |
i got it working but the bridge pup had a hum so i tried to fix it and broke off the other wire those little things are tough to solder! is it safe to bypass the pre and plug the neck pup into the pre slot? that works but don't want to damage anything it sounds great too without the pre thanks | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 7111 Registered: 6-2000 |
Perhaps just sending the whole of the guts here for resplicing the pickup connectors, and just everything a bench test would be the best thing at this point. |
