Help! Replacements for defective preamp and/or microphonic pickup ('96 20th Anniversary SR4)

[spkbri]

Hello, I'm writing this on the edge of a nervous breakdown and English is not my native language so please bear with me

Some years ago I've bought an used 20th Anniversary Stingray and it was a dream come true: my first Stingray, finally. It was perfect.
Then after 3 or 4 years I've stopped playing it much in fear of ruining it.

Recently, when I played it at home, I've noticed that the volume was particularly low (I have to turn off the Active switch on my audio interface) but I thought that it was normal, compared to my main bass which has a 18V preamp, so I didn't think much of it.

Recently though, I've noticed a "spring-y" sound when (even lightly) tapping on the pickup cover with my finger, or when plucking and immediately stopping any open string, and a lack of bass frequencies even when playing with everything boosted: the mid pot is practically a second volume and the treble is just "clank" sounds (I play with a low action so that's sort of expected).

I don't know if the problem is with the pickup or the preamp, and my technician is afraid to ruin something of value so he doesn't want to disassemble the pickup or the preamp.

My only hope then is to replace them with an accurate replica: what do you recommend?

I've found the Nordstrand MM4.2 for the pickup but I can't decide for the preamp
Unfortunately (or fortunately, seeing the recent events) I don't live in the US and I don't have access to so much stuff, market in Europe is quite limited for MusicMan stuff (and I hate it)

Thank you in advance

P.S.: Tomorrow I'll retrieve the bass and I will be able to record some clips to explain the problem better

 

[DrKev]

1) Have you emailed customer service?

@Rod Trussbroken @bovinehost @Golem How the stingray output compared to other active basses? Do electrolytic capacitors in 30 year old preamps ever need changing?

 

[spkbri]

1) Have you emailed customer service?

At first I was writing this in the textbox to contact the customer service but then I realized: "wait a minute... surely there's no original components from 30 years ago still; so I'm practically asking one company to recommend me stuff sold by other companies". So it didn't sound right to me and I chose to post here instead.
Do you think it would still be a valid question for the ernieball customer service? I can write to them no problem, I just didn't want to be inappropriate.


By the way the output volume from my 2012 Sterling By Musicman Ray34 is WAY higher, and it sounds fuller and it doesn't make that strange sound when lightly tapping the pickup cover. I remember when I bought the Stingray I compared the two and thought "ohhhhh, that's why they cost so much more...": it didn't sound at all like it does now, so something happened, I just don't know if it's the pickup or the preamp.
I did a visual inspection of the preamp and it looks like new, nothing blown or desoldered or explicitly wrong. I have a multimeter but I don't know what to measure

 

[tbonesullivan]

Definitely email customer service. They have all the schematics etc for stingrays in the past, which have not really changed much. Has basic maintenance such as cleaning the pots, changing the battery, cleaning the contacts, etc been done? It is possible that a solder joint has gone "cold" on the pickup.