No Sound.

[Rudy]

Hey

I have an Ibanez SR500 bass guitar and I get no sound when I plug it in to my amp.

I’m new to this and don’t know that much. But I have a multimeter, a dream and hopefully help from people here .

Let me tell you what I have done so far. I have tested continuity between the pots and all good. The end. What should I do next to isolate the problem?



That should be the correct wiring diagram and I just wanted to add a photo just to give a overlook of it.

thanks in advance

[g1]

Make sure your battery voltage is getting through the jack. A cord must be plugged in (mono, not TRS type stereo cord). Measure voltage between black and red wires at that 3 pin connector on the diagram.

[Rudy]

Make sure your battery voltage is getting through the jack. A cord must be plugged in (mono, not TRS type stereo cord). Measure voltage between black and red wires at that 3 pin connector on the diagram.

Okay, so if I did this right, I will tell you what my readings are. When I tested to see if I was getting 9v through the output jack, I only got 1.1v and that was on the negative, the positive gave me no reading at all. I also got no reading when I tested black and red at the 3 pin.

I hope I was measuring this right, but I would love to hear your thoughts on these measurements.

[g1]

Test with one probe on the red and one probe on the black at the 3 pin. (with cord in jack)

[Rudy]

Test with one probe on the red and one probe on the black at the 3 pin. (with cord in jack)

Okay. I have the cord in. I have my multimeter on the 9v setting. I touched the prongs to red and black on the 3 pin and It reads 0.

[g1]

Try again but put red probe to red on 3 pin, and black probe to (-) terminal of battery. (with battery connected and cord in jack)
Was it working before with the jack that is in it?

[TomCarlos]

Rudy....

If the back of your guitar looks like this one, open the lid to the battery compartment and look at the connectors for the battery. Make sure the wires (as there must be wires going to the battery connector are still connected. If the battery slips into the cavity and you see two pieces of metal that touch the ends of the battery, make sure they are not corroded.

And measure the voltage right at the battery terminals.

See if you can take a photo of the battery compartment. Also, take a photo of the 3 wire cable that connects to that 3 pin post. G1 is asking you to measure the voltages on the cable. Once those look ok, you can connect the cable to the terminal.

Follow the diagram. The negative side of the battery goes to the guitar jack. When you insert the guitar cable, a switch closes inside the plug. So the negative (ground) goes to the other side of the jack. Follow the black wire. It goes to the back of a pot where it is soldered to the pot's case. From there, the negative (ground) goes to the center pin of the cable. So if your battery measures 9 volts but you do not measure 9 volts across the black and red leads of that cable, one of the wires must have become dislodged.

[Rudy]

Try again but put red probe to red on 3 pin, and black probe to (-) terminal of battery. (with battery connected and cord in jack)
Was it working before with the jack that is in it?

I’m getting 9v when I connect red to red on 3 pin and black to negative on battery terminal.

There is nothing between red and black on 3 pin with or without the cord in the jack.

[Rudy]

Rudy....

If the back of your guitar looks like this one, open the lid to the battery compartment and look at the connectors for the battery. Make sure the wires (as there must be wires going to the battery connector are still connected. If the battery slips into the cavity and you see two pieces of metal that touch the ends of the battery, make sure they are not corroded.

And measure the voltage right at the battery terminals.

See if you can take a photo of the battery compartment.

Yep. It looks like this. The battery terminal looks good and I see no corrosion or exposed wire. Not sure what’s going on under the black sheath at the terminal though. I reached my image upload limit, but I will work on uploading using the URL link

[TomCarlos]

If you have a multi-meter, use the resistance settings to check your connections for the negative side. It does not matter if the battery is in or out of the guitar. Check the resistance from the battery connector (not the battery) to the jack. Make sure it is a shorted (closed) connection. Next, check the connection from the center terminal of the jack to the other terminal (with a guitar cable plugged into the jack). Next, check the resistance from the jack to the back of the pot. Check the resistance from the back of the pot (where the black wire is connected) to the 3 pin terminal. You might have an open somewhere. Those connectors are prone to failure, were the wires insert into them. Look at it closely. With the cable attached to the 3 pin connector, check the resistance from the back of the pot to the center of the connector. You may need to touch the back side of the connector board.

[TomCarlos]

G1 gave you instructions on where and how to measure. If your battery is good, and you have the plus side of the meter going to the plus end of the battery while connected and the negative side of the meter going to the guitar jack (while the guitar cable is connected, you should see 9 volts. If you go not, there might be a problem under the sheathing on the battery connector. Make sure your voltmeter is in the DC volts setting.

[Rudy]

G1 gave you instructions on where and how to measure. If your battery is good, and you have the plus side of the meter going to the plus end of the battery while connected and the negative side of the meter going to the guitar jack (while the guitar cable is connected, you should see 9 volts. If you go not, there might be a problem under the sheathing on the battery connector. Make sure your voltmeter is in the DC volts setting.

Yeah, I put red on + at battery and black on jack and I get nothing. I put the black probe on every part of the jack just to make sure and I get nothing.

[TomCarlos]

Thanks for sending me the photo. I am posting it here for you.

If you can get the probes of your voltmeter across the battery terminals with the sheathing connected and you measure 9 volts, you then go to the other end of the red and black wires. If you do not measure 9 volts, you have a problem with either the connector or the wires.

If you can, try to pry some of that sheathing away and make sure both the red and black wires are connected to the posts that snap onto the battery. If you see a problem, you can buy a new battery connector. Heck, I have some of those around here somewhere - I will send one to you. But check inside the sheathing.

[TomCarlos]

After reading your other post, there could be a problem with the Jack. There is a switch inside that guitar jack. See if you can put a jumper across where the two black wires connect.

[Rudy]

She’s alive!!!

Thank you G1 for your help and I’m especially thankful to Tom for his guided support. I was clueless and you guys really helped me.

The problem was that the negative cable at the battery was disconnected under the plastic sheath. Checking the resistance from the negative on the battery terminal to the jack was key to identifying where the issue was.

I am very pleased to have the bass working!