Stingray noise/electrics problem?

[Stingray5]

Help! My fretless Stingray has just developed a pretty nasty noise problem. I've done a little research online and I'm thinking it could be the preamp (3-band eq).

Just wondering if any other BC'ers have had similar and how they may have fixed it. i.e., repair existing preamp? replace with new preamp?

I'm not much cop with a soldering iron so I guess a trip to an instrument techie person may be in order. (If indeed that is the problem).

Any help or advice will be much appreciated.

Cheers,
Steve

[Chienmortbb]

Noisy electrics. Firstly looks at electro-mechanical items like pots (Volume and tone controls) and battery connections. These are much more likely to be a problem than the parts in the preamp PCB.

Use pliers to nip the battery clip connectors a little tighter and don't forget the battery itself.

For the pots, rapid rotation 20-30 times of the pots can clear dirt and dust that accumulates below the wipers. If that does not clear it try deoxit. If that does not work you may need new pots.

It is unlikely the preamp itself is causing ge crackles but check each end of all the cables to see that they are still soldered properly.

Oh and some pictures may help if you can upload them.

[Stingray5]

[quote name='Chienmortbb' timestamp='1458558367' post='3008492']
Noisy electrics. Firstly looks at electro-mechanical items like pots (Volume and tone controls) and battery connections. These are much more likely to be a problem than the parts in the preamp PCB.

Use pliers to nip the battery clip connectors a little tighter and don't forget the battery itself.

For the pots, rapid rotation 20-30 times of the pots can clear dirt and dust that accumulates below the wipers. If that does not clear it try deoxit. If that does not work you may need new pots.

It is unlikely the preamp itself is causing ge crackles but check each end of all the cables to see that they are still soldered properly.

Oh and some pictures may help if you can upload them.
[/quote]

Many thanks for the advice. One thing I neglected to mention was that the noise is pretty loud (sounds like a small lawnmower!!) and the pitch actually changes slightly when I rotate the eq knobs.

[mcnach]

I hate to be the guy who ask this, but it has to be asked: the battery is ok, right?

If in doubt, replace it.
I'm not trying to insult you, but the number of times that I have overlooked something as simple as that is enormous and I wouldn't have minded someone pointing out the very simple things first, before I go crazy

[magee]

I had a recurring noise/buzz from a Musicman that nobody, just nobody, could fix. I lived in Dublin at the time and the guy who looked after U2's guitars pretended like he had fixed it, but he hadn't.
Turned out a later owner solved it - the copper wire in the pickup had broken, so it needed a rewind.
Another thing to think about checking.

[Stingray5]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1458739976' post='3010360']
I hate to be the guy who ask this, but it has to be asked: the battery is ok, right?
If in doubt, replace it.
I'm not trying to insult you, but the number of times that I have overlooked something as simple as that is enormous and I wouldn't have minded someone pointing out the very simple things first, before I go crazy
[/quote]

Yep, the battery was indeed the first thing I checked. I also wondered if it might be the flip-out battery holder. All seems well there.

[quote name='magee' timestamp='1458744870' post='3010453']
I had a recurring noise/buzz from a Musicman that nobody, just nobody, could fix. I lived in Dublin at the time and the guy who looked after U2's guitars pretended like he had fixed it, but he hadn't.
Turned out a later owner solved it - the copper wire in the pickup had broken, so it needed a rewind.
Another thing to think about checking.
[/quote]

Hmmm, yeah, that's a thought. Thanks.

[Stingray5]

I've found this video on Youtube which pretty much illustrates the same problem I'm having.

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxN6s4SqigE"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxN6s4SqigE[/url]

[AndyBob09]

I had some pretty horrendous noises from my '97 Stingray 5 during the summer. I took it to a tech who soldered it for around £30 or thereabouts. Mine was jack interference. But if you're not so great with techincal stuff anyway, take it to a shop to have it looked over. They'll usually diagnose a problem for free and it's up to you what you want to do about it.

[Stingray5]

[quote name='AndyBob09' timestamp='1459181118' post='3014184']
I had some pretty horrendous noises from my '97 Stingray 5 during the summer. I took it to a tech who soldered it for around £30 or thereabouts. Mine was jack interference. But if you're not so great with techincal stuff anyway, take it to a shop to have it looked over. They'll usually diagnose a problem for free and it's up to you what you want to do about it.
[/quote]

Yep, I'll be taking it to a guitar tech in the next few days and get it sorted, whatever it is. If anything, I suppose I could've expected it more from my older Stingray 5 (1989) rather than my relatively newer (2001) fretless Stingray. Ah well, obviously a first time for everything!