Author Topic: Cable/controls issue (Read 429 times)

kungfusheriff · « **on:** November 22, 2006, 10:19:55 PM »

Hey, all
My Series 2's cable developed one or more shorts not long after I bought it a few years ago, and mostly for that reason the bass hasn't seen much play time since July or so.
I was trying it out with a new amp tonight, and I noticed more problems I can't directly attribute to the cable -- when I put the pickup selector in the standby position I'm still getting some signal, albeit at a low level, and I also continue to get signal when I roll the master volume back to zero. To be clear, the short is pretty bad, and sounds like rolling thunder when the cable is shifted. The pickups' output seems to change from time to time, but the LEDs burn bright and strong.
Could this strange behavior stem just from shorts in the cable, or might I need the electronics upgrade? The bass is whisper-quiet everyplace but in my house, which is so old the power sockets don't have ground plugs, so I'm cursed with buzz.
Any troubleshooting you could recommend would be great, and I hope you enjoy(ed) the holiday.
KFS

keavin · « **Reply #1 on:** November 23, 2006, 05:03:34 AM »

My Old cable does the EXACT same thing, it's not your Bass ,a couple of your wires are shorting or have broken from the constant movement of the cord,what you need is to get them re-soldered to the head of your jack,& it would be cheaper than getting a new Cable........or try summonsing a fellow club member for a used cable that's what i did & it was in the mail in less than one week i couldnt believe it!....& it was Free too!

lembic76450 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 23, 2006, 07:17:55 AM »

KFS,
I had a similar problem a couple of years ago. It turned out to be a bad ground in one of the cable ends. I was able to solve this by cutting 4-6 off each end and resoldering the connectors back on. If you are not comfortable with a soldering gun, it is a quick fix for your local tech.
Good luck

kungfusheriff · « **Reply #3 on:** November 23, 2006, 09:00:55 AM »

Free? That's me!

So it sounds to you guys like the problem is near the ends of my cable, rather than in the middle?

keavin · « **Reply #4 on:** November 23, 2006, 09:50:50 AM »

Yep it's the Cable & Not the Bass,Cause when i plugged in the new cable the problem was gone,i still have my old cable & when i plug it in i get the same problem you're describing with your Bass......but see if some-one here will help you out with a used one or donate one,these are some Very cool guys here like i said i got a FREE cable rite here from the club!

811952 · « **Reply #5 on:** November 28, 2006, 07:03:18 AM »

If you can't get it sorted out, I'll do the right thing and let you have my nearly pristine Lakland Skyline 5-string in trade for your broken and therefore worthless Alembic.

Sounds (no pun intended) like a cable problem to me as well.

John

kungfusheriff · « **Reply #6 on:** November 28, 2006, 10:34:37 AM »

Thanks, but no thanks, John.

I broke out and played the bass for a few hours this weekend, and this continues to get stranger -- I usually store the cable in the case, looped up and with the male plug clicked into the female plug. Ahem.
Usually, when I play the bass, I plug the female end of the cord into the power supply and unloop four or five feet of the male end, leaving the rest coiled up on top of the amp. Soundwise, it's crackle city. But this weekend, I uncoiled the entire cord and heard barely a crackle and the controls worked as they should. Huh?
I also went down the length of the cable, from the amp over to the bass, holding the slack cable down with my toe and shaking the cable behind that point to try to isolate a break or a short; my theory was, if there's a spot where the wire's gone bad, it should crackle like crazy when shaken in that spot. My theory proved wrong.
Thoughts?
Thanks to all for your continuing aid.

811952 · « **Reply #7 on:** November 28, 2006, 11:10:40 AM »

Maybe your cable is picking up noise/RF from a unit in your rig. Coiling it would exacerbate the situation, making the cable function somewhat like a coil in a pickup (current flow in the cable and lots of metal nearby, etcetera). I have also had to be careful with where my cables are routed whenever I've used digital delays and such - even with the Bass Pod Pro. Shielding and isolation can make a huge difference. My cable is at least 20' long, and most of is gets left in a coil beside the speaker cabinet or on the guitar stand, away from the Classic Keys module for my pedals (which I suspect would also create interference).

Your bass hasn't had the upgrade yet, has it? Mine hasn't, but maybe these are some of the sorts of problems the upgrade fixes. ??

John

David Houck · « **Reply #8 on:** November 28, 2006, 06:27:52 PM »

Have you tried recreating the usual scenario of coiling the cable on top of the amp?

keavin · « **Reply #9 on:** November 29, 2006, 03:27:27 AM »

Or it sounds like where the cable goes (into the shaft) of the five-pin connector that there could be a wire going bad from bending/plugging/unplugging,that's where my old cable went bad.

keavin · « **Reply #10 on:** November 29, 2006, 03:30:46 AM »

Remember Cables will wear from bending over time......I'm on my third cable in 26yrs.

georgie_boy · « **Reply #11 on:** December 07, 2006, 05:52:30 AM »

Gosh!!!
That soon Keavin!!
I've just had a foot cut from my original 1976 cable---------it cost me ?7---about 10$-works perfectly, and it was a Scot who fixed it!
It's the original cable, but no doubt you play No. 12 a lot more often that I play my series 1
Love your bass
G