Charvel San Dimas ProMod IV - Buzz Off! How to fix the noise issues! - LowEndLobster Fresh Look

[@MichaelBoroditsky]

Thanks for posting this. I have this bass, and depending on the condition of the power from one day to the next, it goes from no buzz to a terrible buzz when I let go of the strings, but still a bad buzz even when I am touching the strings. I sent this video with a couple comments to the guitar store where I bought this, and the tech agreed to do the same things as in this video for $123 Canadian which is pretty cheap. He said the only difference was he used big sheets of shielding instead of small strips. He says he pulled about 30 meters of extra cabling out of the cavity full of millions of extraneous solder connections that were not shielded and many of which looked really flaky. I don't know how this comes about. Great parts this bass is made of, great sound, but less then impressive assembly in the electronics department. Thanks again for posting this video! Buzz is gone.

[@dchauser4]

Man... that close up of the control cavity told the whole story. Gotta love shoddy workmanship.

[@LowEndLobster]

Right!?

[@bobbyfields7359]

Absolutely the best electric guitar grounding tutorial I’ve ever seen!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you!

[@sethbrown8912]

You mentioned this bass in a later video that I was watching and I went back to check it out. I have a 1989 Chavel/Jackson 4B and I love the Charvel company. I don't play my Charvel anymore because the pointy headstocks were found to be a leading cause of STDs in 1990's. Anyway, this video is one of the best shielding videos I've seen and I've seen many. Shielding the back of the pickups and the foam to make contact is something I had never seen. Thank you SO MUCH.

[@chriswenkle2635]

Lobster QC strikes again! Nicely done! The Audere preamps use ALPS pots which have smaller diameter shafts than lets say, CTS pots. But they are really high quality. Plus you get everything from Audere to do the installation. Can't wait for that video!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Chris!

[@thefool2007]

Great video. Watching the high speed shield job was strangely satisfying. Your content is fresh and honestly it kills. It’s stuff like this where manufacturers try to hide the corner cutting. Yes I want- grounded/shielded electronics, non-jagged fret ends, tuners that hold tune, real metal knobs, strap locks standard, and body wood that doesn’t strip out when I upgrade strap buttons. Oh and a realistic setup in the U.S. when it arrives. Sorry for the rant.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Rick! Your rant echoes how I think a lot of us feel, especially when faced with an instrument like this. The consumer suffers when corners are cut!

[@benking8665]

This is why it is so important to test drive an instrument before buying. On paper this bass has it all: roasted neck, himass bridge, premium pickups, etc. Unless you play it before you buy it (or watch one of Lobster’s excellent reviews) you won’t know what’s going on under the hood...until it’s too late.

[@themigwel6185]

Almost pulled the trigger two weeks ago. Glad I did not.

[@LowEndLobster]

Very true! These basses show that a brand name can carry only so much weight, I mean look at the spaghetti wiring job and terrible shielding on this. I've come to appreciate consistency, which is one thing that I appreciated across the Sterling by Music Man line. They're not perfect instruments, but they're consistent with each example. Hoping to explore other brands and find the same (G&L Tribute specifically, they're on my radar for sure).

[@TheGurner1]

@@LowEndLobster I have a JB 2, nice player ;-)

[@HaloFlutie27]

I bought one of these after playing it at a local music store. Unfortunately I did not turn the amp up loud enough to notice the hiss. (It’s basically undetectable at lower volumes/gain levels). Lesson learned 😢

[@jsorensen]

Great job! I appreciate the way you silently and quickly show us this work, and then comment. Really useful and easy to follow without spending 20 minutes listening to people talk. Awesome.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you! It's taken some time to get to this point where I'm comfortable presenting and editing in this manner, but I really enjoy making vids like these. More to come :)

[@lOWfEUL]

i have the same problem with my newly acquired 5 string version of that bass. This video is exactly what i needed! thank you:)

[@s3hooligan]

This bass recently caught my eye. Felt great in my hands…. I didn’t notice any hum but maybe the gain was turned down low enough. Thanks for sharing!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks for sharing! New examples seem to have gotten the noise sorted, but I got two in similar condition and Bully's 5 was noisy as well. Seems to be luck of the draw with this MIM stuff.

[@philipmcadam5339]

You make the mod look so easy, it takes a bit of know how to get the wiring right.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you! It definitely is easy, though the fast forwarding probably made it look easier. Whole project took about an hour and a half, and sped that footage up. It's all about taking your time and focusing. I find stuff like this super relaxing.

[@teleespantoso]

Amazing effort buddy! So thorough and passionate! One wonders why on earth they didn't do this originally. Ieam, you got a high end neck and fretboard, active setup with DiMarzio, badas-styled bridge, and a finish out of this world. You should really consider contacting the manufacturer to convince them doing this modification to make everybass player completely satisfied. Great turn on the gain/issue, clean good signal without that horrible distorsión. Wow, great job. You may recall me talking down my previous mex-fenders? A 2015 p bass and a 2018 jaguar, which both were nightmarish! Such a struggle with these with intonation, hum, and overall performance. And we're talking about the range of 600-900 dollar instruments. Appalling, really. My harley benton pb-50 outclassed these, and without any tweaking as of yet. (gonna put inte SD QP and high end Bridge). This should not be possible, since this instrument cost me about 110 bucks or something like that. See you later! /Peter

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Peter! Yeah I hear you. Consistent QC has never been Fender's strong suit, and goes double for their active instruments for what it seems.

[@DrSpeener]

Came back to this video after seeing it a few months ago and was able to finally fix the buzz in my Ibanez bass! Thanks man!

[@LowEndLobster]

Glad it helped!

[@prestachuck2867]

Shielding paint is always inferior to copper foil, but that factory job was definitely a reflection of what happens when the workers are under pressure to meet an unreasonable production schedule. And the pandemic backorders are still stacking up as we speak. I purchased a MIM Player Strat this year, and found the same poor shielding inside along with some sort of powdery residue and bits of sawdust. Otherwise, excellent workmanship though. I shielded it the same way as your San Dimas bass. Big difference! Thanks for the great video.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Chuck! Yeah man, the pandemic and supply chain issues surrounding it definitely exposed the cracks in the armor of many big manufacturers. It makes me wonder if these would have come out better being made overseas.

[@funkingitup1805]

I put a multimeter on it. It's not shielding paint. It's primer.

[@bbt9458]

The state of that bass from fender reminded me of something that came out of toys r us back in the day . Great job once again lobster.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you Bryan!

[@rhinovandriver]

Lobster I love your electronic wizardry well done sir

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Ryan!

[@markwood1986]

Nice video! I did a jazz bass copy a few weeks ago that was equipped with Fender Noiseless pickups, but it was anything but Noiseless...I pushed the pickup wires all the way to the cavity edge, wrapped the wires with the tape, then pulled them back through until I saw the tape inside the pickup cavity. I then added another piece to connect the covered wires to the shielding. I then did the same thing to my Johnson P bass equipped with EMG GB pickups and controls. It made a world of difference! I plan to sell the Jazz and grab a Sterling soon!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you Mark!

[@markwood1986]

@@LowEndLobster thank you for the awesome content!

[@valentinafiorini5324]

Great job!!! You are a god! Could you please post a normal-speed video of just the fixing? So that i can show it to my shop and see if they can do the same? Thanks so much! Ciao from Rome!!

[@JS-jz3zo]

Thank you Lobster for telling it like it is! Instruments should not arrive in those conditions specially with that price tag! Fantastic work from you as usual. Have a nice weekend, my low end brother! 🦞🔥💪🏻

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks J S! You too :)

[@ronaldwilson9525]

Great job as usual Lobster

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Ronald!

[@mightywaffle51]

Great work and great video! I'm still very saddened that you even had to do this in the first place on a NINE HUNDRED DOLLAR BASS. Man that's so disappointing lol. I think you hit the nail on the head with that last video though, even after removing the buzz that preamp and pickup combo just ain't it, is it? Really a shame and I do once again reiterate that I do genuinely hope this gets addressed in the future. It's not the first model to struggle with a pretty rough first run but it's the one I was really hyped for man lol.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you Waffle! Yeah, the hype surrounding this bass was huge and it's super messed up that they'd ship like this. I was just playing around with the bass a few minutes ago, and yeah it does sound much better now without the noise and the gain turned down significantly (why is there even a gain trim pot on the preamp? it needs to be all the way down or else it's too hot) but I still feel that the preamp choice just isn't suited for a bass like this. A lot of the comments mentioned how a passive V V T setup would have made this an instant buy.

[@FransvandenBergeMuziekschuur]

Such a beautiful bass. I usually screw a small screw in the wood with a solder lip so you can solder the ground wires to that lip.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Frans! Sometimes I do that too, but I've also found it pretty easy just to solder straight to the copper with a smidge of flux.

[@FransvandenBergeMuziekschuur]

@@LowEndLobster it’s more because the adhesive of the copper might come loose someday and short the sound or break the grounding. So a longlevity decision. Enjoy that bass. It looks the part and sounds great.

[@twiglurid666]

The difference is night and day wowie zowie. Can’t wait to see that new preamp in it

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Twig :)

[@trentoleksuik534]

Thanks for this..I've recently run across this bass at a local shop for the first time and was interested, but I've been reading a LOT of the QC issues (most notably the hum problem from others as well)..here in Canada, these will run around $1500 after taxes..if I spend that dough, I don't want issues like this that should have been taken care of at the plant..Thank you again for this review!

[@misterbreakit2006]

Another successful cure by Dr. Lobster. Wow, what a colossal difference, especially considering you didn't change any of the electronics. Major QC issues, systemic ones too, because you had to send the original one back as well.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you! To be clear, the original one actually had a busted preamp. The preamp output (regardless of the gain trim pot setting) was super super super distorted and low output at the same time. Very weird. Both did share the same grounding hum and pole touch noise though. MIM Quality XD

[@jmichaellee]

You're going to love the Audere preamp. Their stuff is strikingly high quality and really lets the character of the instrument shine through (transparency). I've installed a few of them into instruments of mine-J-bass plate with z-switch and classic versions-and have been delighted with the outcome every time.

[@LowEndLobster]

I'm excited!

[@MrSparks54]

Good stuff, I just did a shielding job on my buddy's 60s Mustang bass. Always makes a difference. Thanks Lobster 🦞

[@LowEndLobster]

Noice! Thanks Sparks :)

[@cskeise]

As always Lobster 🦞 amazing...💙👊😎

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you my friend!

[@bmac1205]

Great hit! The Sound of Silence

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks B Mac!

[@PhullyNo1]

Following this tutorial today and fixing the awesome playing poor sounding San Dimas.

[@LowEndLobster]

Nice! Glad you found this helpful!

[@DrSpeener]

Thanks for showing this. I just got a Squier CV 50's bass and the 60 cycle hum is bad! I knew there would be some hum as it has a single coil pickup but I need to shield and properly ground it. Your method seems fairly simple and well explained.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Speener! This probably won't do much for single coil hum but any sort of grounding/not touching strings noise will be fixed by this. Glad you found it helpful :)

[@DrSpeener]

@@LowEndLobster Yes when I am not touching the strings or bridge or tuners, etc it is bad. I expect some single hum still but it does seem like a grounding issue. Thanks again man!

[@LowEndLobster]

@@DrSpeener My pleasure and good luck my friend!

[@bbrowne]

Dude...Thank you as I have the 5 string and love the bass, it's the worst for buzz. I am looking at so many options and just saw this post as I was looking at power conditioners, bought a simple one and no improvement at all. Unfortunately I am past the 30 day mark since buying the bass, sent an email to the store and see what they say as I continue to test, I think I will do the same in taking video evidence:)...

[@LowEndLobster]

Absolutely! Let me know how it goes. You've got my permission to use this video to help your case. Best of luck :)

[@oggorat]

Fender seems to have a bit of a history of doing this with active basses, I remember the CIJ Jaguar bass from years ago having similar shielding/hum issues. Shame since both the Jag and this Charvel are killer looking instruments. Great job as always Lobster!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you Oggo!

[@jamessmith-zk4co]

Thank you so much Lobster! I have a couple of basses to "fix". I greatly appreciate you.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks James :)

[@samlelowitch]

Great job, Lobster! I loved this video.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Sam!

[@TheCrusader1099]

Lil bit of noise from this kind of Pickups is normal, but when you touch the strings or any part out of metal on the bass the noise should be almost completely gone...definetly not normal/good on the charvel! nice you fixed it!

[@LowEndLobster]

When you get noise that goes away then touching the bridge, that could indicate a grounding problem. It means the bridge is grounded, but something else isn't right. I've encountered basses like this and have been able to correct some recently using the same stuff I did here. My EBMM Old Smoothie was a huge culprit of this and noise when you touched the poles. A full shielding and grounding job fixed er right up :).

[@shahramyousefi5379]

Excellent job, The best tutorial for shielding pickup cavity! Thanks

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you :)

[@dominicrossitto5890]

Boy, what a mess inside that control cavity! I have NEVER seen such a jumbled mess of wires like that in a bass before. And the poor application of the shielding paint.... The copper shielding tape actually made it much easier to see what was going on/how everything was laid out inside the control cavity, much more so than just the black shielding paint. I had a friend many years ago who used to do all his own upgrades/mods on his guitars (bridge, tuners, pick-ups, etc.). He always used shield tape because he said it made it easier to see everything in the cavity because it reflected SOME light and it was easier to apply evenly then shielding paint. I have watched plenty of videos but it was never anywhere this noticeable how much easier it is to see everything in the cavity,....I now understand what meant all those years ago....., In your next video, you should do the sound with the CURRENT pre amp with the shielding vs. The new pre amp. Wow, I bet this is really going to sound like a premium instrument even with just the new shielding and with the current pre amp turned down.😎👌

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Dominic! Yeah they really dropped the ball here. I will definitely revisit this bass with the stock preamp and explore it further before swapping, don't worry :)

[@timrush1315]

Dude you are most awesome for this video. Im really going through it at the moment trying to keep this bass and have it work correctly. Got it two months ago and imediately noticed the hum issue. I took it to a fender licensed shop and they are waiting for a part to arrive to fix it., its been a month. I dont think the warrant will cover this job so probably will just do it myself.. kinda still thinking of returning it but reverend basses are all sold out due to supply chain issues too ! FML...

[@camilosandovalurzua365]

Very Nice! so educational and interesting job here, thanks Lobster!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you Camilo!

[@christopherstorrier5560]

Good job, I've never grounded the pole pieces, i was taught to create a Faraday Cage then ground the cavity to pot cavity wall/plate, earth wires to one pot only then pots earthed to each other to last pot then output jack,you really only want a single ground and star earthed as much as possible...as long as it does the job,i can use single coils with no noise or buzz at all,though it's a passive Fender Jag PJ..i sometimes watch Dan on 'Guns 'n' Guitars and he put me onto a guy in Dallas,Texas,Epic Custom Shop ,who made me a fantastic bassy large pole piece Jazz bridge pick-up..better than a SD quarter pounder, more bass & definition, Reech, that's what he goes by made me a great pick-up for a very good price...check-out his pickups on one of Dan's 'Guns & Guitars' vids if you like great tone for a great price...i like the San Dimas, maybe......no, she won't put up with any more 4 or 5 string guitars as she calls them.. lol

[@matthewlunsford4351]

That's impressive! For that price it should have already been taken care of by the manufacturer. Looking forward to another soundtest and a new preamp.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Matthew :)

[@neiloooio6494]

Great channel mate! You’re very informative, thorough and quite funny! Nothing like some good bass porn and a laugh to start the day.... keep up the good work brother, but you are gonna cost me a fortune in new basses, pickups, preamps.... all the fruit I never knew I needed.... especially that SunFish.... that’s a real sick rig !! cheers from down under 💪

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you Neil! Welcome :)

[@hambam8398]

I Just got one in the blue finish and I love it! haven't noticed any noise yet but I'm gonna check out the shielding for sure after your vid lobster. Thanks for the warning!!!

[@LowEndLobster]

My pleasure ham bam!

[@hambam8398]

@@LowEndLobster hey lobster Im trying to lower the preamp gain on this and I cannot for the life of me find the controls on the preamp. If you could offer any help I'd appreciate it man I'm a noob at this stuff lol

[@LowEndLobster]

Little blue and white thing on the preamp module. Clockwise is down

[@hambam8398]

@@LowEndLobster so I don't see anything like that on mine, the preamp board itself is just a green motherboard/chip. Doesn't look like the one in your video

[@LowEndLobster]

Very interesting! Send me a pic, lowendlobster at gmail

[@videonerds6415]

Thanks for this video Lobster. I am having the same problem with one of my basses.

[@LowEndLobster]

You're very welcome! Indeed noise like this is common and most of what I do here will apply to most other basses. Just got a MIM Fender Geddy today and it's noisy as well when not touching the strings -_-. A testament to Fender MIM QC. Luckily I got it for a steal and lightly used.

[@osodelcity]

🦞, made that look a lot easier than I thought it would be, this video can come in useful some time. I was in the BASSment at CME and they’re a 5’er hanging up. I picked it up and played it acoustically, definitely liked the neck, this was after your 1st video with the green one. I didn’t plug it in, also I would want a tone control, especially for passive mode.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Ozzie! Indeed the necks on these are comfy, very curious to try out the 5'er.

[@Solelova67]

I ordered a blue one. Let’s see what happens. If need be this video will be my template. The neck on these basses are sweet. Thin, roasted and has graphite reinforcement

[@christopherstorrier5560]

Great bass now... all my Fenders when bought were the same, every one needed finished, no screening, i even had 500k pots in my newly bought Fender Jaguar PJ bass, now 250k... i like the San Dimas, yours may sound a lot cleaner now, no hum at all, strangely no sound at all... lol... would have been nice to hear how it sounds now, hope you do another 1 letting us hear it...

[@richshields6692]

Thanks for this video lobster. This was really helpful. You're the best.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Rich! Glad you found it helpful :)

[@alienarmor33]

Thank you, Lobster. My Ibanez EHB1005MS has the same issue. I ordered the tape from Amazon and will be followinbg your lead.

[@keithpasculli7465]

Totally impressed and I was totally wrong; I thought that it was the preamp. I would gig with this bass if you did your magic on it, totally agree about the QC or lack thereof

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Keith!

[@Suthrnfried]

Finally got around to doing this on my Aerodyne. Holy 💩what a world of difference!!!! Although for future grounding projects I think I’ll use a grounding washer. Soldering to copper was tricky for me.

[@grizelda4526]

After watching this I now feel confident that I could do the same. Thanks!

[@LowEndLobster]

My pleasure Griz :)

[@bassimprovjams3772]

I really dig this bass! I'd totally play one!!

[@LowEndLobster]

I just popped a darkglass in it ;)

[@bassimprovjams3772]

@@LowEndLobster uh oh!! Can't wait to hear that beast!! What Emg would you recommend for a 5 string that will work with a BQC something nice and aggressive 🤔 for a Sterling 5

[@LowEndLobster]

If you wanna get crazy, convert it to a DC style pickup. Check out Rodney McG's video on the different EMGs

[@bassimprovjams3772]

@@LowEndLobster ok ill check it out now

[@lakingscup]

Great job 👏🏼 This is one of the advantages of a boutique build vs. mass production. Of course, for the price.... w your current level of knowledge & experience, it may be worth it. Sadly shouldn’t have to, though.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks BP!

[@milosmajinovic8034]

Great job, and great sounding bass. I've started to watch your videos from the beginig, didnt wanna miss a thing. So far, i came to this video 😁 See u at the last one 😁😁😁

[@rallymaniak]

Good Job Lobster! i did something similar but with aluminum tape and it work as well with a Seymour Duncan + Yamaha PJ combo! nowadays i had an Aguilar combo and had more noise than ever hahaha

[@LowEndLobster]

Awesome! Thank you for sharing Rally :)

[@PorchBass]

That's the way to do it! Bravo

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks James!

[@danplaysbass6294]

Low end I hope you will continue to call out these big companies that take short cuts on the everyday musician... thanks.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Daniel! That's what we do here :)

[@ramshaar2597]

Good job claw man !

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you Ram!

[@darvinclement3250]

Nice shielding job!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Darvin!

[@mattrodela2030]

Nice work. Great demo. Thank you

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Matt!

[@markpickardlife]

Huge difference!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Mark!

[@filippozanoli4871]

Well done!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you Filippo!

[@thejoetandy]

I'd really love to hear one of these with a Darkglass pre-amp, and the shielding. I was about to pull the trigger before I saw your reviews showing the wiring and shielding problems.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Joe! That video is scheduled for July 21st, the Wednesday after next. :)

[@busuttilkevin]

i did the same shielding operation with graphite paint i bought from ebay . it needs some time to dry to but it did the job pretty well on my carvin kit bass.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Kevin!

[@jmichaellee]

BTW, shielding a pickup cavity is a pointless exercise since you cannot form a Faraday cage by shielding one side only. Grounding the pole pieces is what helps to reduce at least some of the RF interference-and happy to see you do that. Conducting paint can work with *lots* of coats, but most manufacturers sloppily do a coat or two and that's pretty much pointless. It would be nice to see you use an ohm meter to demonstrate the difference in conductivity point-to-point with (i) the crappy conducting paint and (ii) the copper shielding. Still enjoying your videos.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks! That's a great idea

[@roeldeleon8598]

Wow that's awesome men .. thanks..

[@LowEndLobster]

You're welcome :)

[@jasonhendon4109]

Great video dude. Fender really dropped the ball on this bass in the QC department

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Jason! Indeed they did

[@quantumechanical]

Thanks... considering this bass.

[@LowEndLobster]

Buyer beware ;P

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

I see a new video from Lobster - I click like!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Chris :)

[@robertjova5400]

Mission accomplished 👍

[@LowEndLobster]

Indeed! Thank you :)

[@jacobcorrigan3871]

I expected the results to go from bad to better. This blew past my expectations. That really did wonderfully improve the electronics. Had you not adjusted the gain, would it still have been dead silent?

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Jacob! Great question, the gain adjustment was minimal and I don't think it made any difference to the noise. I will be doing a follow up vid on this bass now that it's 'fixed' (before doing the preamp swaps) and I'll be sure to play with the gain knob to illustrate how it impacts the output.

[@qeadwsws]

Great tech job👍👍👍

[@lesgl]

I had the same problem with the Dimarzio PJ set matched up to the Ibanez Powercurve pr e amp used in the SR1000E retrofitted into a '87 Ibanez SR800 LE..the shop who did the job did the same with copper foil but couldn't get rid of the buzz..on investigation the Dimarzio' pick ups aren't internal grounded by design..so we put some EMG HZ PJ passives in and the buzz went completely away as on your bass..

[@thebassbuilder]

I love the overall look of this bass but really wish they would have made the lower horn a little different making it a little more pointy like a p bass and used a half inch round over on the sides like a stock p bass. This is just what I would like to see. That color and neck looks awesome!

[@LowEndLobster]

I agree. It feels like a 'special' Fender P bass that they were too afraid to sell under the Fender umbrella.

[@BullyThaKidd]

Good job bro

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks amigo!

[@tboneaja]

Great review, I know this is an older video but I’m on the fence on getting this bass, do you know if Fender has corrected the issues? Thank you Lobster!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you! I haven't played an updated one so I don't know

[@TheGAMEGod_YT]

Let’s gooooo

[@LowEndLobster]

-ooooo!

[@MarkHysteria]

Oh man excellent video...would you mind expanding on the grounding pickup poles stuff? this is the first time I hear about it

[@LowEndLobster]

Yes! Great idea. I did some reading on that, and the first bass I tried it on was my Old Smoothie after I shot the Mold Smoothie revisit video. That bass would hum when you touch the poles, which was annoying for a bass that wants you to play right over the pickup. Huge difference afterwards.

[@PushSueAside]

For $399 that could be expected, but $899 NO!!!! They should be ashamed. This isn’t a build your own bass. You can’t take a bunch of premium parts put it together and say “oh I couldn’t get it right but here you go. $899“ Lobster you are amazing and you can do the work it takes to make it right. But someone who saved up there hard earned money buys this because they think it will make them envious or just cool is going to be pretty disappointed. As cool as the bass might look to some, it shouldn’t be praised as an awesome bass. It just shows what Fender really thinks about their customers. Thank you for sharing. Cheers

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Tommy! It really does show what Fender think of their customers. It's baffling how this stuff could get through.

[@PushSueAside]

@@LowEndLobster cheers. You knows how it is. It’s sad and disappointing. All we can hope for more people like you to put it out there that there’s better options out there and don’t buy in to the hype. Thank you

[@carlmontney7916]

Thanks Lobster for being honest with your reviews as well as how to correct issues. IMO those pups are the totally wrong choice for an active bass. Ceramic magnets and no grounded poles is an epic fail with any bass that has a preamp. Then add the fact that Fender has never made a preamp that was any good and you have a recipe for failure. This is nothing new. I bought the MIJ Jaguar when it was first released and had the same issues. Noisy pickups and noisy preamp. Sure you can do what you did here and completely solve the issue BUT why should you have to? You did what Fender should've done to begin with and it turned out great. Why Fender can't get it right with their active basses is beyond me. They make the Noiseless series of pickups so why not use those? You can't take noisy ungrounded pole piece pups and stick them on a preamp and expect it to be quiet. With all the great preamp makers out there Fender could work a deal and put a decent pre in the bass. I realize these are mid level priced basses but that doesn't mean Fender has to cut corners. There's lots of cheaper basses than these that have quiet pups and preamps.

[@nellsonogmore5938]

Good job!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you Nellson!

[@patrickhunter]

Why is an $800 not properly shielded from the get go??🥴

[@LowEndLobster]

Right?! And this was my second one too (and from a different shop from the first one)! Turrible!

[@TFEnright5]

$899

[@jasondoe2596]

Another great video. The difference speaks for itself. Anything to be careful with when soldering to the copper tape? Do you need to use flux or anything, or to do anything else to ensure good contact of the wire to the tape? (I think that ideally they should be in direct contact and not through the solder, but maybe it doesn't matter here.) With all the experience and the good results you're getting, maybe you should do a soldering tutorial for us patzers. Choosing an iron etc. :D (Sorry for the chess lingo!)

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you Jason! Yes, you use a little flux but the tape does a good job of soaking up the heat vs transferring it to the body and damaging anything. Tin the wire a little before soldering it to the tape and you'll be fine :)

[@jasondoe2596]

@@LowEndLobster Thanks, that's helpful :D

[@airworthy777]

This is very impressive, I hope fender should improve their electronics 😔 their competitors is way more ahead and cheaper. I really get amazed because you’ve make a great job at making the bass sound more impressive and remove that annoying hum, can’t wait to see your next update. 😊

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you Mark! You're absolutely right! We have another example of MIM Fender quality coming soon heheh

[@jonsidell3338]

It has now earned the name Pro Mod!

[@LowEndLobster]

Hahaha indeed! Thank you Jon :)

[@handybunny]

I love mine. I didn't have the crazy buzz you did, though.

[@spikesvideos]

Nice!!! i might have my luthier do this same job!! worth it!!

[@dm4728]

Nice work Lobster, Poor job from Fender Mexico at this price point. Looks like they may have painted it before the routed the recesses for the pots... possibly. I do think you should have kept the gain level the same though for comparison.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks Dom! I think I'll play wit the gain knob during my full revisit of this bass to see what impact that has. I only turned it down a smidge, so I don't think the impact would have been significant but it will still be worth it to explore that variable.

[@dm4728]

@@LowEndLobster yes it's clear your made a far superior job of the shielding. I imagine you wouldn't hear anything with the gain maxxed out. Lol

[@Insoma]

That is so arkward! But you done it ;) maybe I translate your tutorial to my humming Rickenbacker 🤣

[@LowEndLobster]

Hahaha thank you! No hope for a humming Ric ;P, it's a feature!

[@justinkline1294]

@@LowEndLobster I was just gonna say that the hum is part of the sound that a Ric should make! I'm gonna go play mine (okay, it's a 1974 Greco RB 800) before I get my workday started. Seems like the thing to do. I'll bet that Walnut Ric has the hum . . . .

[@LowEndLobster]

Wally is rocking Joe Barden humbuckers so she's dead quiet too hehehe

[@justinkline1294]

@@LowEndLobster I actually have come to appreciate the hum from my PJ and Ric basses. Like a car that sounds ferocious when idling. But I don't record and play mostly old punk rock, so a little noise doesn't hurt. The hum from this Charvel before you fixed it was out of control though.

[@LowEndLobster]

Indeed, single coil hum is what it is. You are right though, the noise from the Charvel was well beyond what I would call acceptable

very good shielding :)

[@jugglerj0e]

Fender's "Pro Mod" bass that needs modding because the qc was crap??? How ironic?!? Lmfao. Great job fixing the issue :)

[@LowEndLobster]

Hahaha YUP! Thank you J L! We have another MIM Fender review coming this weekend. Without giving away too much, I'm definitely seeing a trend on the QC

[@PM-oq6ku]

Hey Lob! Is it worth €900? The tuners seem to be the heavy, bad Fender Mex open gear ones. The bridge is the €35 standard Gender Hi Mass bridge. You mentioned the overall built quality is superb.

[@LowEndLobster]

The build quality is really nice. The shielding and electronics on my two examples were incredibly disappointing. Mine were early examples, the electronics issues could have been addressed already. I do plan on revisiting the bass at some point in the future.

[@robertyoung7027]

Back in 2017 I purchased a fender jazz 5-string with active electronics... The very same identical problems you're having with this one I had with mine.. and again no shielding not even the paint.. I almost sent it back but it was a gift to me. I did take it in to get it fixed when I was in St Louis.. so I'll be willing to make a bet that since both products are fender, same sloppy ass workmanship.

[@gryzew]

I would've shielded the plastic cavity cover too on the inside, screws and screw pressure would provide contact. You could also skip the wire between the pot and the cavity tape, all 5 pots are touching the tape on the inside, basically 0 chance there's no good contact between at least a single pot and the tape.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks! The cover was already shielded, I should have mentioned that. Yeah the wire to the shield is redundant but as a tech guy I appreciate redundancy hahaha

[@1thess523]

I really enjoy shielding my guitars

[@LowEndLobster]

Me too! I like working on them in general, it's very Zen

[@1thess523]

@@LowEndLobster i probably have to shield my Squire Vintage Modified PJ soon because it's a tad noisy. My son and I really enjoy working on our guitars. We are probably going to start buying pedal kits. My son is a guitarist for church so he uses quite a few pedals for his guitar rig, I also dabble in guitar but it's all overdrive as I play skatepunk and pop punk but I don't like me some overdrive pedals 😁

[@funkingitup1805]

It seems like running the wire from the pots to the shield is a little excessive since the pots already bolt to the shield, but a little overkill doesn't hurt.

[@TheGAMEGod_YT]

Woooooo

[@LowEndLobster]

Wooooooo-

[@KPJohnson]

Got the mad scientist look going for this video. Interesting thought, at what price point should it be expected that an instrument has proper shielding?

[@LowEndLobster]

I have instruments that cost less than this that still used paint, but ran a wire connecting the pickup cavities to the control cavity, and had grounded shield too (Ibanez and FGN to name a couple). Even Bully's Sire M2 had full shield paint AND even had a strip of copper running along where the pots meet the body in the cavity. The Charvel's cavity is simply unacceptable at the price point. Look at the wire mess too!

[@KPJohnson]

@@LowEndLobster I did gasp when you showed the empty cavity. There are a lot of companies that are putting out a better product than Fender at better price points, so they need to be careful. I don't think the Charvel name has the cachet it had before. I just had a Sire V7 lent to me and the initial reaction was how much better it seemed than the Fender Player.

[@manlyscents]

I've seen other popular content creators say that shielding the control cavity is not necessary and often leads to hums and noise when something is touching something it shouldn't. I'm conflicted about whether I should do it or not...