Ibanez GSR205 TOO LOW output problem

W

winterberryduck

Jul 31, 2024
10
10
421
#1
Hi! I have a 2009 Ibanez GSR205 (the ones with jazz style pickups) with a very low output. So low that if I crank the master in my Rumble 200 all the way up it's still at decent bedroom volume! Also, my Valeton GP200 which has a graphic volume bar barely recognizes the signal, compared to any other bass and guitar I plug in.

I've already discarded the following possibilities:

-Battery: two fresh batteries.
-Electronics: double-checked every single soldering joint with online schematics, nothing seems to be wrong.
-Preamp: I tried disoldering and bypassing it, basically turning the bass into fully passive but had the exact same volume.

I thought about swapping the pickups for a set of Fenders or Duncans, but I don't think it's worth it.
What else could be wrong?
 
#2
winterberryduck said:
Hi! I have a 2009 Ibanez GSR205 (the ones with jazz style pickups) with a very low output. So low that if I crank the master in my Rumble 200 all the way up it's still at decent bedroom volume! Also, my Valeton GP200 which has a graphic volume bar barely recognizes the signal, compared to any other bass and guitar I plug in.

I've already discarded the following possibilities:

-Battery: two fresh batteries.
-Electronics: double-checked every single soldering joint with online schematics, nothing seems to be wrong.
-Preamp: I tried disoldering and bypassing it, basically turning the bass into fully passive but had the exact same volume.

I thought about swapping the pickups for a set of Fenders or Duncans, but I don't think it's worth it.
What else could be wrong?
Click to expand...
The pickup seap us worth it, but not necessarily the problem.

Where's your gain knob at?
 
#3
Sounds odd, but I've had this happen to me before...

If you're fine with soldering (sounds like you are), try swapping out the output jack. They are generally very inexpensive, and it's just a couple of wires to solder on at the end of the signal chain. It can be a loose connection or something else with those barrel jacks, which you can't really bend the tabs in like you can on traditional output jacks.

A lot cheaper to swap out than the pickups, but I would wire them straight to the jack (like you did prior) to rule out the pickups being the problem.
 
#5
Did the problem just appear or has it been around "forever"? Did you just buy this bass? Anything else we should know about it, like whether it was loaned out, or stored in a hostile environment, and so on?
 
#9
I wasn't able to identify how much resistance the pickups are supposed to have but maybe if you google harder than I did, you can find it. - Or maybe someone reading this that happens to know can chime in...

I think the way to solve this is to go a a piece at a time until you find it. Start with the pickups, and if they are the right height and have the right resistance, then check the other parts and pieces.

FWIW, I have an Ibanez 205 and converted it to passive. I tried the stock pickups with the electronics removed and just passive pots. They really didn't sound that bad. Definitely good considering it was $250 bass. I eventually put in a pair of Delano HE/S pickups that I pulled from another bass and just had sitting in a box, you know, burning a hole in my pocket to install in something. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and no more batteries. GAS is real, even if you already own the stuff.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JeezyMcNuggles
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back