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.
