Make sure the pickup is OK. If you have a scope or an amplifier with a probe, you can check for
audio on either side of the FET. If the tuner is not working I would suspect the pickup.
The tuner is working. My problem seems to be the same like yours: When I plug in the cable to the amplifier, the audio quickly fades out.
Pickup looks ok for me. When i connect the pickup directly with the amplifier I get a very weak signal. Seems to be the same signal strengths as when I have the preamp in between. What's the reason for the faulty preamp? Are the capacitors aging aging, shall I replace them? OpAmp seems to be ok, power supply is ok, what other component should fail?
My colleague will give me an USB oscilloscope end of the week - maybe that helps to identify the problem.
Its most likely the 2SK30 FET or switching control.
The FET is an audio switch that that turns off the guitar sound when the tuner is active.
Jumper the two outside leads of the FET which is at the left side edge of the PCB in the photo above.
If shorting the FET works then change R64 (47K) on the small board to 4.7K.
I don't recommend the 10M resistor mod I described, though it did work for me once.
I got the USB oscilloscope from my colleague and traced the signal from the pickup to the FET. Looks pretty good. What I know so far is, that also the FET is working. On the output side of the FET I have a good Signal, when I put the tuner on it's muted.
According to your schematics the next part is the equalizer. After that the signal once again goes through the OpAmp (Pin 12 = +in). At this Point (Pin 12) I have no signal any more. Do you also have schematics of that part?
It is usually difficult to see signal at op amp input pins. If you send a signal into pin 12, the place to look for it is the output pin of that IC, pin 14. Is the signal present at the volume control itself?
Education is what you're left with after you have forgotten what you have learned.
If the configuration of the op amp is inverting, pin 12 (+in) may be connected to the ground (so there is no signal at all). Additionally, you won't be able to observe signal at pin 13 (-in) due to so called "virtual ground": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_ground . Please check the signal before resistor that is connected to pin 13, or (better) on the output of the op amp (pin 14).
This is all I have so far. The dashed "shape" box is the Shape slider and associated components that I didn't sort out.
You might have a bad Volume pot. See if you have signal at both the top and the wiper terminals.
If or when I see another of these preamps I'll fill in some of the gaps.
First of all: thank you very much for all your help!!
I had some time to look at this again: I found out that nearly all of the 50v electrolytic capacitors were defective. I changed them all and it works now. My preamp is working again! *yippieh*
I purchased an AEB10-E bass which turned out to have this problem ... and fixed it with this mod:
> If shorting the FET works then change R64 (47K) on the small board to 4.7K.
dmeek, I have a Ibanez SST that has failed also. I am not a solid state electronics guy. Been following this post to see if this unit can be repaired as a new one, although available, is just too much $ for this guitar. I have removed & disassembled the unit, tried the jumper on the FET & have volume loud & clear. My question is, can I solder a jumper on it and use it that way essentially scrapping the tuner. I run through a tuner on both of my rigs so I don't care if tuner on the guitar does not function. Please advise.
D.
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