Here's another major problem: When plugged into the amp there is no ground.
The star ground of the Fender wiring is not working which means the cavity
is not shielded which means there is humming coming out the amp and grounds
only when one touches the strings meaning there is NO ground and this makes
for a dangerous bass to play.
This is common with EVERY bass that comes off the assembly line, Fender
too. Every bass I have ever touched needed to be grounded. You can't have a
screw go through a painted cavity into wood and think this makes a ground.
They at Fender are retarded~! They may have painted the cavity with
shielding paint but when they painted the body they painted over the ability
for the ground grommet and/or screw to contact the sheild. The paint SUCKS.
Tests I've performed have proven this.
QUOTE: A test was performed on a painted cavity and showed very high
resistance (3.41k ohms) resulting in a low shielding effect. When upgraded
with foil shielding, the results proved very low surface resistance (.07k
ohms) - Low resistance = High shielding effect.
This is why I should have insisted on shielding the cavities on your bass.
Now, if you go to your page on my site and follow what I'm doing you'll see
a photo or photos of the wiring. There is NO WAY that I caused this to be
defective. And for me to continue work on your electronics is going to cost
you at least for labor. Shielding is a two hour job. All electronics have to
be disassembled and removed, including pickups as well as the bridge to
ensure a larger contact area by means of a piece of copper foil attached to
the wire under the bridge.
When you told me everything is fine and was fine . . . there's no way. This
thing hums badly due to no ground. I could not have had any affect on this
because I didn't remove the pickguard to remove the ground grommet.
What I should have insisted being done is to shield the cavities and rewire
this to the Fender Upgrade diagram. Why they call it an upgrade is beyond me
as it is still basically the same wiring as the standard active jazz wiring.
And it still has the defective star grounding grommet. Now, I'm not going to
get into all the ways telling you why this is wrong. You have to trust me
that this way of grounding causes ground "loops" where more than one path to
ground exists and this causes failure of the system.
Now, you can either pay me to go through the rewiring and shielding or I can
send your bass back the way it is. I don't mean to sound cold but I'm not
spending another day on this without payment. And if parts are needed then
this also will have to be included. The only thing I can offer you is the
shielding labor for zip. But the labor for disassembly and rewiring is going
to run you $50 which is also half the regular price I charge. And if there
is a need for parts, which I really don't know at this point, then that will
be extra as well.
Or you can deal with the humming and the pan pot as it is and I'll ship it
out tomorrow. Are you aware of the humming of your bass guitar(s) as being a
"bad" thing? This can get you killed, especially if your amp or the place
you plug your amp into has improper grounding. In effect, YOU become the
path to ground. Now, I had this bass hooked up to my amp and felt the
"tingle" when touching the strings. Not good Bob.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I just cannot come out of my own pocket
for parts and labor for you at this time. Yes, I do have customers who
receive this benefit but not the first time around and not after I've
suggested the work be done from the beginning.
Brian
Sunday, January 24, 2010 11:29 AM
The blend pot worked when I tested it b4 purchase and after I got her
home. Strange...
Having it for the weekend isn't crucial, just would be fun (my first
paid gig after a 3 year semi-retirement). So enjoy your Sunday. If it
can be to the 2519 address by Friday 3pm, I can use it that night.
Thanks Brian!
Sunday, January 24, 2010 9:17 AM
Hi Bob,
Do you remember the two pickups playing together during those two days you
had it or were you playing it on one of the two pickups? In other words,
are you certain you were playing with the pan pot centered?
I soldered three external wires in order to remove the butt connectors. I'll
double check the pots themselves to make sure someone hasn't moved a wire.
I'll be going with comparisons to Fender specs you can find here:
http://www.buzzardsbass.com/electronics/wiring/diagrams.html#fender
Fender Deluxe Active Jazz:
http://www.fender.com/support/diagrams/pdfs/DLXJAZZACTIVE/SD0136700BPg2.pdf
Fender Deluxe Active Jazz Upgrade:
http://www.fender.com/support/diagrams/pdfs/DLXJAZZACTIVE_UPG/SD0136760APg2.pdf
But I don't have any of those pots in stock but Sam Ash down the street is
open on Sundays from noon to 6pm. They stock Allparts products so they
should have one. But you were wanting the bass to play before the end of the
week. Maybe I can still get this shipped Monday . . . UPS trucks usually
leave first thing in the mornings so it would be Tuesday at the latest if I
miss the morning truck.
Oh well . . . I'm going to double check that pot wiring just in case I
missed something last night, which I doubt . . . but this is also running
overtime here and Allparts prices aren't cheap either . . . I can slide on
the labor some but not if you need parts. But we'll get to that when the time comes.
Brian
Sunday, January 24, 2010 1:47 AM
It seemed fine here, but I only had it a day or 2 before I sent it. The guy I bought it from only had it a few months and didn't mention
any issues...
Let's replace the pot.
Bob
On Jan 23, 2010, at 7:27 PM, "Brian Cornwell" wrote:
> Hi Bob,
>
> The bass was completed about 8pm Saturday night but there seems to
> be a problem with the pan pot not operating like a blend pot for the
> two pups. There's a center detent on the knob that should position
> the pickups to play together, but it does not. How was this bass
> operating before you sent it? The one thing I regret not doing when
> I received it is not to have tested it through an amp, which I
> normally do when I'm expected to be working on the electronics.
>
> I was planning on shipping this Monday morning . . . and I don't
> have another pan pot in stock yet. I have double-checked the wiring
> and replaced the butt-connectors that were splicing the wiring. I
> soldered those connections and covered them with shrink tubing but
> the problem remains. IF that is what is considered a problem and not
> how it comes from the factory. I haven't seen a bass come from the
> factory with those butt-splice connectors though. Somebody fucked
> around inside the cavity.
>
> Whattaya wanna do?
>
> Brian
