| Last resort for a bass guitar question [message #9570] |
Thu, 14 August 2008 10:00  |
KustomKyle
Messages: 14
Registered: February 2006
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Junior Member |
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This is a pretty "unrelated to Kustoms" question, but I'm hoping someone can help me. I do own 3 Kustom amps, so at least I'm legit. 
I have a '66 Epiphone Newport bass. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed an issue: when playing a note and letting the note ring out (doesn't matter what note or what string), right before the note has completely ended, it makes a crunchy, distorted crackling sound. It doesn't do it when you strike the string or anything - just when the note is about to stop making any sound. I've tried the bass through several different amps using several different guitar cables, so it's definitely the bass.
Newports are pretty simple basses - 1 big humbucker pick-up close to the neck, 1 volume knob, 1 tone knob.
If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I posted this question on the actual Epiphone Bass Forum....80 views and not a single response. So I thought I'd come back home to the fine folks on the Vintage Kustom website.
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| Re: Last resort for a bass guitar question [message #9573 is a reply to message #9570] |
Thu, 14 August 2008 12:40  |
rodak
Messages: 516
Registered: October 2001
Location: Georgia
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Senior Member |
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Hi, Kyle: I don't know what might cause this, but I can speculate. Perhaps something is going south with the pickup - the only way I know to test it would be to replace the pickup. A more likely scenario, though, would be the capacitor that's used for the tone control. Capacitors do go bad over time - mainly electrolytic, but I suppose a regular cap could go goofy, too. Try unsoldering one lead of the cap, and see if the problem goes away.
BTW, I also play an Epiphone bass - a much newer one, though. It's an EB3-5. Terrific 5-string bass with a real cherry finish SG-style body - I love it! I don't think they make them any more - I got mine at Musicians Friend for $250 - I think it was a closeout special.
www.combo-organ.com
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| Re: Last resort for a bass guitar question [message #9580 is a reply to message #9570] |
Fri, 15 August 2008 07:04 |
stevem
Messages: 4773
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY
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Senior Member |
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Yes, it sounds just like a dirty pot issue, when the pickups voltage output gets low enough, it can not bridge the connection in the pot all the time from the pts wiper to the pts carbon trace and you get that distorted intermitant sound.
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