AnalogBomb Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 Hi everyone, Looking for some advice. I recently purchased some active Seymour Duncan p bass basslines from a guy on Facebook. They were attached to the wiring loom, pots, Jack and 9v battery socket. I've installed them into a bass I'm modding and they don't work! The guy I bought them from has been fine and offered to refund the money, but I'd quite like to keep them, if I can get them working. My question is, as I'm pretty new to this, could I remove the pickups from the loom and install another loom, with pots and Jack, but that doesn't require a battery? Or is the battery powering the pickups as well as the active eq? Any help appreciated! AB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 (edited) A picture would be good or model number if the pickups. Edited May 5, 2020 by BassBunny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 Also do you have a multimeter or continuity tester? IME trying to track down even simple wiring problems is extremely difficult without one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnalogBomb Posted May 5, 2020 Author Share Posted May 5, 2020 1 hour ago, BassBunny said: A picture would be good or model number if the pickups. I'll have a look and see if I can see a model number, will also take a pic. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnalogBomb Posted May 5, 2020 Author Share Posted May 5, 2020 5 minutes ago, BigRedX said: Also do you have a multimeter or continuity tester? IME trying to track down even simple wiring problems is extremely difficult without one. I don't I'm afraid - it's not looking good, is it!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cribbin Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 This may sound a bit stupid, but have you tried a fresh battery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnalogBomb Posted May 5, 2020 Author Share Posted May 5, 2020 6 minutes ago, John Cribbin said: This may sound a bit stupid, but have you tried a fresh battery? I've tried two! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cribbin Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 OK, I like to work on the KISS principal, the simplest solution is often the right one ... Have you tried a different cable, just in case the one your using isn't connecting fully with the socket on the new harness. With the lead in and the volumes up full do you hear any clicks through the amp when you tap the pickups? Try all the knobs and switches. If you hear nothing at any point with a fresh battery, then something is dead somewhere ... Other than a failure of the active unit, the most likely problem is a bad connection or a faulty jack socket. Do a close visual check and look for a loose wire. On an active bass, the jack socket will have three connectors. One will connect the tip of the jack plug, the other two connect to the barrel of the jack plug, it's that connection which connects the battery and powers the circuit when the lead is plugged in. If you short those two connections, you may be able to power the circuit if the socket is faulty. Photos would help, sometimes the problem can be seen rather than heard. A multimeter is a great piece of kit for this kind of stuff. You can easily pick up one on Ebay for less than a tenner these days. I've got one at least twenty five years old, sometimes I may not use it for a few years at a time, but every time I do it pays for itself. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnalogBomb Posted May 7, 2020 Author Share Posted May 7, 2020 On 05/05/2020 at 15:09, John Cribbin said: OK, I like to work on the KISS principal, the simplest solution is often the right one ... Have you tried a different cable, just in case the one your using isn't connecting fully with the socket on the new harness. With the lead in and the volumes up full do you hear any clicks through the amp when you tap the pickups? Try all the knobs and switches. If you hear nothing at any point with a fresh battery, then something is dead somewhere ... Other than a failure of the active unit, the most likely problem is a bad connection or a faulty jack socket. Do a close visual check and look for a loose wire. On an active bass, the jack socket will have three connectors. One will connect the tip of the jack plug, the other two connect to the barrel of the jack plug, it's that connection which connects the battery and powers the circuit when the lead is plugged in. If you short those two connections, you may be able to power the circuit if the socket is faulty. Photos would help, sometimes the problem can be seen rather than heard. A multimeter is a great piece of kit for this kind of stuff. You can easily pick up one on Ebay for less than a tenner these days. I've got one at least twenty five years old, sometimes I may not use it for a few years at a time, but every time I do it pays for itself. Good luck. Thanks John Cribbin, I'll have a look and run through the steps you mentioned. Much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.