Pickup issue on HH Stingray

[Reaper0fTruth]

Hello everyone,

New here, but figured this might be the best place to ask for any advice. I'm a worship leader and my HH Stingray has started giving me some issues with the bridge pickup. The biggest problem is it is one of those pesky intermittent problems that I can't reliably replicate. What happens is every now and then when I'm playing my tone changes. My bass and treb seems to drop out and the guitar becomes totally honky. I thought I discovered the issue last week in that my bridge pickup was unusually high. Higher than I would have set it. When I pushed down on it I got a crackling sound. I figured this might have happened because when I'm not leading worship I also play some hard rock like Skillet and occasionally simply punch the bass to have it ring out rather than plucking a string. I tightened it down thinking I had solved the problem, but last night it did it again (the tone changed not the pickup was high). I tried loosening the pickup this morning to reproduce what I thought was the problem but was not really able to replicate it. The one thing I can replicate is the crackle that happens when I push on the pickup. And that crackle only happens when the pickup is very high. When it is tightened down it does not crackle and there is no crackle at all when I push on the neck PU. Any thoughts on what could be the issue or what course to take. Luckily I have a back up Traben Phoenix that I switch to when the tone goes wonky but it just doesn't sound the same. I could get a new MM but I really don't want to spend the money right now and I absolutely don't want to put this one out to pasture. I've had it for 15 years and I absolutely love this thing. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

My guess (and only a guess) is that the p/up height adjustment screw insert/s has/have come unaffixed from the body and, in turn, the extra p/up height is stressing the connecting leads. The stress could be resulting in poor solder connections and/or shorts.

But my guess is not a fix and could be completely wrong. I suggest taking your Bass to a guitar tech for a check over.

Advice is also available from Ernie Ball Customer Service (including parts if needed).
[email protected]

Let us know how things turn out.

 

[kevins]

Wiring on these isn’t too crazy for someone who knows what they’re doing, as Gavin said it’s probably a lead issue, pretty cheap electronics fix! Might not need to send it into musicman or anything, doesn’t sound like anything that’ll cost more than 100 bux to fix. Even a new preamp is only around 100 dollars and that’s the worst possible case scenario and from what you’re describing that’s definitely not what’s going on. Bad pickup wouldn’t have any noise coming out of it so it’s probably just a bad lead wire, they can cut those and replace them with a better wire! 25 dollar job!