Pickups are components that convert vibrations of your bass strings to electrical signals that can then be amplified, located either on its body or repositioned for different sounds.
Sometimes the foam used to cushion pickups can compress, no longer providing support and pushing back on them – leading to high-pitched noise that emits from them.
1. Check the Wiring
When installing new bass guitar pickups, it’s essential to follow a certain procedure in order to ensure they are installed correctly. Improper installation could result in problems with magnet polarity or wire connections leading to sound cutting in and out as well as height adjustments being necessary.
First step to take when diagnosing amplifier wiring issues is using a multimeter to test pickup coil resistance, helping you determine if the problem lies with either your pickup itself or its wiring. Set it to Ohms mode and connect one probe of your multimeter with one of the pickup wires; connect another probe to ground wire; turn on amplifier and play some music; if intermittent sound breaks out periodically or cuts in and out then this indicates wiring issues exist.
To test the wiring, you can also try gently tapping each pickup with a screwdriver while they are connected to an amp, this should create an electromagnetic field and cause them to produce sound; any that don’t produce this effect are either not working correctly or should be replaced immediately.
When testing wiring, it is advisable to use fresh batteries in your multimeter to ensure an accurate reading. Furthermore, it would be prudent to clean any connectors on your amplifier or wiring of any dirt and grime that has accumulated over time.
Another way to test the wiring is to disconnect the pickups from the body of your bass. This can be accomplished by either unscrewing them, or gently prying them loose using a screwdriver. Once detached, remove what is known as an “oil guard.” This will give access to its internal wiring for inspection – such as bent or twisted wires, soldered connections becoming loose over time, etc.
2. Check the Pickups
If you’ve recently installed new pickups in your bass guitar, they may be misaligning with the strings. Fixing this is simple without needing special tools: first make sure that they fit the size requirements for your instrument; secondly remove any old pickups by unscrewing or prying; finally re-install new ones by screwing or pressing gently into their slots.
Multimeters are also an inexpensive and straightforward tool that makes testing pickups simple; once learned how to use, this inexpensive device should become second nature. Be careful though; using the multimeter on its magnet coil could damage it!
Use the ohm setting on your multimeter to test each fixed-lug north and adjustable south coil separately, noting their respective resistance values. Each will differ due to factors like copper wire thickness, type of magnet used and overall design considerations – these results should therefore be compared against manufacturer specifications of your pickups for accurate readings.
Howling noises may indicate one or more pickups are out of phase with the string, requiring you to switch their polarities in order to fix this problem. Reversing one or more coil polarities should usually do the trick; though reversal requires proper tools.
Howling pickups may also be caused by loose solder joints, high humidity or age-degraded insulation causing its cover to vibrate independently from the rest of the pickup. This may happen for various reasons such as loose solder connections, humidity changes or age degradation of insulation.
If you own a covered humbucker, try placing a piece of foam under its pickup to help stabilize it and stop its cover from vibrating and howling noise. Alternatively, a technician can often help by taking this approach: they remove the cover and tape over any holes with strong tape to block any moisture entering the pickup.
3. Check the Amp
Even when everything appears to be functioning normally, a bass guitar pickup may start making an unpleasant howling noise. This is often a problem with Fender p-basses and may be due to loose wires; to detect whether this is indeed the cause, use a basic multimeter.
A multimeter is an invaluable tool for any guitarist or bassist, providing invaluable information about the state of your equipment. From pickup resistance levels, which may indicate whether they’re working correctly, to whether there is any short in your circuit – having one of these handy devices at hand could save time, effort, and money! Plus they’re reasonably priced and easy to use! If you don’t already own one it might be worthwhile looking into investing in one as they are affordable yet simple solutions!
If your amp makes a loud clicking sound when the pickups are engaged, this could indicate they are malfunctioning and need replacing. Replacing them yourself should not be too difficult if you possess basic soldering skills. Otherwise, take your guitar to a local music store with professional technicians available who will be able to complete this job for a reasonable fee.
One possible cause could be dirt and grime building up in connections on your guitar or amplifier, which may cause problems such as its sound cutting out or becoming distorted. If this is the case for you, invest in some basic electric cleaner and spray all connections and knobs to eliminate any remaining dirt build-up.
If your bass still won’t play correctly, then it could be more serious with one of the pickups itself. In this instance, to access its wiring inside, it may require taking apart what is known as an oil guard which gives access to its wiring system – this process may prove challenging and require basic soldering skills for completion. At this point, professional repair services might offer faster and cheaper services to repair your instrument than trying it yourself at home.
4. Check the Battery
Battery issues in an active bass can often be the source of hum, an easily correctable problem which can often be remedied by switching batteries – this will prevent pickups from drawing a continuous current which causes them to stop functioning, leading to noise and eventually producing hum.
Additionally, it could be that your guitar’s wiring is improperly connected or that it is connected to an incorrect input on the amplifier. Try connecting to another input on the amp to see if that works; this can help determine if its bad connection or something internal to the bass is the source of its problems.
If your bass still isn’t producing sound, a voltmeter can help determine voltage and resistance in its pickups. Simply touch one lead of a voltmeter to the output jack’s sleeve (no matter its polarity) while touching another to any solder joint in the guitar that serves as grounding point (such as pot backs or volume knobs). If significant resistance or voltage readings appear here, that could be your problem!
If you can’t seem to pinpoint the source of the issue with your bass guitar, consider replacing its pickups. Replacing them is an effective way to enhance its tone and make it a better instrument; moreover, replacement isn’t as complicated as you may think and even DIY-ers with basic soldering skills could perform this process on their own. However, before undertaking any major repairs yourself be sure to consult an expert as to avoid electrocution or ruining it completely!