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I just bought myself a brand new Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass, and whenever i adjust the tone pot, it makes no difference what so ever to the sound of the instrument.
is there any way I can check for a dud tone pot or any fixes for this problem? Preferably that I can do myself, as I have just spent £535 on this bass.
And also, I am looking to upgrade the bridge on this to a Badass 2 bridge, but all the sites i've found that sell them don't supply them with the saddles grooved out. Where can I get this done?
Joined: Apr 19, 2005 Posts: 5138 Location: At the bottom of the garden, amongst the birds and the bees
I don't know the setup on that particular bass, but are you sure it's not doing anything? Sometimes one pot will only have an effect if another is turned all the way up or something - like on my bass the tone pots only work when the volume is pulled out (making it active).
You can check it by putting a volt metre across the two contacts (the ones with wires soldered on) and turing the pot - if the voltage steadily goes up then the pot works; if there's no change, or it suddenly leaps from one reading to another, it's dead. There's not another way really, so you'll jsut have to trust your ears otherwise.
If it's dud and you only just got the guitat, take it back to where you got it - if you can't, they're easy to replace; just take the knob off the top, unscrew the nut/washer on the top and it should come out easily through the back. Then just replace it with another one - make sure it's the same Ohm rating (on guitars they're normally 250K with single coils, 500K with humbuckers, and you can get 1M too - not sure if it's the same with basses) and type (linear or logirythmic, also called audio). If you go into Cookes or Sound Control they'll have replacement Fender ones, so you don't have to worry about getting the right diameter and shaft type. USA and UK guitars have different standard sizes, so take the old one along with you and check its the the height and diameter of the shaft are the same, and whether it's a split shaft or not (does it have a split through it like a flathead screw).
Can't help with the bridge, but try asking PeteD or ScottyJimb on here - I believe they've both put Badass 2 bridges on their basses.
Steve _________________ If you're insulted, you're reading it wrong. You fucking imbecile.
"Enlightenment at the cost of my wings is not a price I am willing to pay"
Joined: Feb 16, 2005 Posts: 2045 Location: norwich
Premium Member
A-ha! So this is the source of my mysterious PM. Yes, I've fitted a Badass II bridge onto my old Precision and it's one of the easiest and best sounding mods you can do to any Fender bass.
They don't come pre-grooved. I bought a set of needle metal files from B&Q to make the string grooves. It's pretty easy, if just a little time consuming. Make sure that you finish off with a very fine file as you don't want to catch your strings on any sharp edges.
I'd recommend joining BassChat.co.uk in general, but have a read over this thread http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=193 as it talks all about the BADASS range of bridges and the pros and cons of them. Looks like you might have a little more working fitting one to an Aerodyne as they have an arched top. Very recommended reading.
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