Help! Stingray Special shorting out

[agentcooper2001]

I bought this bass used from guitar center and it arrived yesterday. The bass looks and plays great, however when I plugged it in I noticed there was no sound. I put 2 new 9v batteries in and still nothing. Then I noticed if I opened one side of the battery compartment, sound would come through and when I closed it, it would stop again. Then the clip that holds the battery down broke off....so I ordered another battery box from Ernie Ball. They are great to deal with, by the way!

Any idea what could be causing this? I uploaded a video to show what's happening: Stingray battery box - YouTube

 

[danny-79]

I’d follow up on the battery box. Replace that and go from there 99.9% of the time its down to that.
And BTW, only use Duracell batts, they are the correct dimension for the boxes

 

[tbonesullivan]

That's not what I would call "shorting out", that sounds like losing contact. The battery compartments for 9V batteries need somewhat specific sizes of batteries to get the contacts to touch. The contacts can get bent, and also batteries that aren't duracell can have issues putting pressure on the contacts. You can usually solve this by putting some foam at the back of the battery to push it forward.

 

[agentcooper2001]

I’d follow up on the battery box. Replace that and go from there 99.9% of the time its down to that.
And BTW, only use Duracell batts, they are the correct dimension for the boxes

I actually did buy Duracell 9v for it.

I have that side of the box slightly open and a piece of scotch tape holding it and it worked for hours last night. I guess it’s a good temp fix til the new battery box arrives. Hopefully replacing it will do the trick.

Super happy with this bass otherwise…this thing plays and sounds awesome. I loved my slo special but this is much lighter weight and has more tonal options.

 

[danny-79]

I actually did buy Duracell 9v for it.

I have that side of the box slightly open and a piece of scotch tape holding it and it worked for hours last night. I guess it’s a good temp fix til the new battery box arrives. Hopefully replacing it will do the trick.

Super happy with this bass otherwise…this thing plays and sounds awesome. I loved my slo special but this is much lighter weight and has more tonal options.

The battery box is a personal pet hate for me. They cause nothing but trouble to the point I totally do away with them where possible in favour of snaps and a plate to cover. If something does go wrong with the bass at least I know it’s not going to be something silly like a battery terminal breaking contacts)
The box is designed for quick easy battery changes. Batteries get changed that often (usually go past use by date before they go flat, that kind of often) that the terminals go stagnant, bend back and eventually contact is lost causing problems like described.
I have voiced my opinion on the matter several times in multiple threads )

Get powered up and enjoy your new bass !