alembic1989 Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 I have a Sire Marcus Miller jazz. Recently, the blend control decided it didn't want to work anymore. There is no crackling with the pot, just silence when panned to the front pick up. Everything else works perfectly..I'm stumped. Its not as if I've been tinkering with it or anything..it just doesn't work anymore. Any suggestions....?? or could someone recommend a tech who could fix it, preferably in my area..I live in Slough Berks. Many thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Have you looked at the wiring on the blend pot to see if anything has come adrift? Might be a bad solder joint that has just come away which is an easy fix. If the wiring looks good then the next thing to check is the front pickup to make sure it's working. Spoiler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 6 minutes ago, ikay said: Have you looked at the wiring on the blend pot to see if anything has come adrift? Hide contents What's the 'Hide contents' thing and how did you do it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alembic1989 Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 1 hour ago, discreet said: Haha..don't what it is tbh...don't even know how I did it..😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 1 minute ago, alembic1989 said: Haha..don't what it is tbh...don't even know how I did it..😀 Obviously you're in IT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alembic1989 Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 No wires adrift on blend pot..if the front pick up has packed in..how on earth could that happen when it hasn't been touched?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Agree it seems unlikely the pickup has packed in but it does happen. Are you getting any output from the front pickup when the blend is in the centre position (just tap the pole pieces)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alembic1989 Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 40 minutes ago, ikay said: Agree it seems unlikely the pickup has packed in but it does happen. Are you getting any output from the front pickup when the blend is in the centre position (just tap the pole pieces)? Nope. Ive just removed the front pick up, and stuck a multi meter across the 2 wires. It appears it is open circuit. How the hell did that happen ( shrugs his shoulders).?????. so I'm guessing I need a replacement front pick up..now comes the headache of finding one with the same dimensions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 (edited) Ugh, are the Sire pickup sizes non-standard in some way? May be worth emailing Sire customer service about a replacement - [email protected]. They promise to reply within one working day! At least then it would be a matched set. Edited January 19, 2018 by ikay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alembic1989 Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 (edited) 52 minutes ago, ikay said: Ugh, are the Sire pickup sizes non-standard in some way? May be worth emailing Sire customer service about a replacement - [email protected]. They promise to reply within one working day! At least then it would be a matched set. The dimensions are slightly different to affordable replacements..nordstrand and bartolini are very close...but around £100!! I have emailed Sire, so fingers crossed. thanks. Edited January 19, 2018 by alembic1989 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 How old is it? If under warranty, just return it for a repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 There's a set of Nordstrands in the classifieds for £100, if you're going to replace a pickup you might as well upgrade if some come along at the right time: Also some Reeds for £60: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 If it’s a 5 string, a guy is selling these on Facebook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 That's a good point, I'd assumed it was a 5er because mine is and I've been looking at pickups for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 If it's a 4 string and you need a neck pickup I have an old Kent Armstrong JVB-1F you can have for nowt if you need something to get it up and running, not the full blown KA but a "designed by" licensed jobbie. Sounds great although a bit scruffy. 92mm x 18mm, screw holes approx 38mm apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alembic1989 Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share Posted January 21, 2018 Its a 4 guys...thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 If it were me I i would email Sire. They have fantastic customer service. I asked when they would be selling their gig bags in the UK when they first came out and they ended up sending me two free of charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alembic1989 Posted January 22, 2018 Author Share Posted January 22, 2018 11 hours ago, dave_bass5 said: If it were me I i would email Sire. They have fantastic customer service. I asked when they would be selling their gig bags in the UK when they first came out and they ended up sending me two free of charge. Hi Dave, I did email Sire, they told me to contact Thomann, who in turn told me that they have a suitable Di Marzio.....that would set me back 85 euros (inc postage)..... not the answer I was seeking. I was willing to pay but would have preferred a Sire pick up, that sound nice, and I suspect would be considerably cheaper. 🤔🤔 it seems it isn't possible to get a replacement from Sire.....not the service I was expecting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Hands Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 That sounds like a standard initial stock answer from any manufacturer - send you to the "local" distributor to get it sorted. I presume Sire would then expect Thomann to offer you a replacement Sire part through the correct procedures/channels. Might be worth sending Sire the response you got from Thomann and say you're not happy with it - they should surely then get involved, if they have anything about them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Give somebody like House of Tone a call... they may be willing to take the broken pickup and repair/rewind it for you. Certainly should be a lot cheaper than replacing it... and if it is rewound, it will likely sound better than most of the off the shelf stuff anyway. http://www.houseoftonepickups.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 3 hours ago, alembic1989 said: Hi Dave, I did email Sire, they told me to contact Thomann, who in turn told me that they have a suitable Di Marzio.....that would set me back 85 euros (inc postage)..... not the answer I was seeking. I was willing to pay but would have preferred a Sire pick up, that sound nice, and I suspect would be considerably cheaper. 🤔🤔 it seems it isn't possible to get a replacement from Sire.....not the service I was expecting. No, not the service i have had or seen through others. I guess they may be getting large enough to not need to bend over backwards for customers now. When i dealt with them it was direct with Mickey Cho on this email [email protected] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 2 hours ago, Huge Hands said: That sounds like a standard initial stock answer from any manufacturer - send you to the "local" distributor to get it sorted. I presume Sire would then expect Thomann to offer you a replacement Sire part through the correct procedures/channels. Might be worth sending Sire the response you got from Thomann and say you're not happy with it - they should surely then get involved, if they have anything about them? I think it is down to Thomanns to sort this out, if that's where the bass came from, but in the past Sire have been amazing so yeah, worth continuing down that avenue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alembic1989 Posted January 23, 2018 Author Share Posted January 23, 2018 I got another email from Sire this morning, after I emailed them telling them what Thomann said. They said " they would be willing to assist me" getting the replacement, that they'd send it to me via Thomann, and would I please forward the Thomann email to them. Ive done all this..now just waiting to see what happens...I'm not sure whether or not I'm going to be charged..so I did ask. Im expecting a response from Sire or Thomann soon..will let you all know what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alembic1989 Posted January 26, 2018 Author Share Posted January 26, 2018 (edited) Well, Sire emailed me today, and told me that they were very sorry about my problem, and that they would supply me a pick up SET for $59 , but I'd have to pay for the shipping ( there would also be a customs charge). The price is of course very reasonable, however I only wanted the neck pick up, and they won't supply it by itself....also I'm probably looking at around £80-90 in the end. I have a buyer for my bass, and was gutted when I found out the pick up wasn't working, so having to spend another load of money on it..all of a sudden I'm taking a big hit. I managed to find the fault on the pick up this morning, and fixed it myself, it now works perfectly, so I won't be taking them up on their offer. So there you have it....the stories of being sent free replacement parts from Sire was certainly not true in my case, but they were trying to be helpful...and if I actually needed a set..the price was very reasonable..as they're actually very nice pick ups. CHAPTER. Edited January 26, 2018 by alembic1989 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Good to hear it's now sorted. Out of interest, what was the fault with the pickup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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