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Post by papajohn on Sept 15, 2010 14:27:46 GMT -5
This has been driving me nuts for way too many years. I have a rather large collection of basses. On some of them, the volume cuts out to next to nothing when I turn down to about 8.5. On others, it turns down gradually to nothing almost all the way down, like it should. I've been installing pickups for years so it's not like I don't know what I'm doing. I use audio taper pots, 500k for buckers and 250k for single coil and some I change for different tones. I use the right caps. I've read about running a resistor across the legs of the volume pot. I tried it on a six-string guitar and it made no appreciable difference. Anybody got any ideas?
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Post by Blues Dues on Sept 15, 2010 15:35:43 GMT -5
I think it depends on how you are wiring the pots.
Most commonly they are wired as a variable resister in series to the signal path, but they can also be connected to pick a percentage of the signal (voltage divider). Audio taper or linear simply refers to the amount of resistance at a point on the resistive wiper to either end. Audio taper is somewhat logarithmic in terms of position versus resistance.
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Post by tim on Nov 16, 2010 19:48:56 GMT -5
It might also have something to do with the quality or mfj. of the pot too.
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Post by papajohn on Nov 17, 2010 19:17:37 GMT -5
No, sadly, I wish it was the quality of the pots! Only seems to be a problem with my passive basses, not the active ones. I've used every brand and there's no rhyme or reason to it. I have a couple of cheapo import basses I got on ebay. Volume doesn't cut out until about four. I bought some fifteen dollar "Super Pots" Volume cut out at about 8. I've tried swapping 250k's for 500's and vice versa. Tried using some 1 megs. Get some interesting sounds but no real difference in the volume. Playing a cover band, I need to be able to go from soft almost upright stuff to in-your-face southern rock. Nice to be able to just turn down. I'll figure it out one of these days.
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Post by tim on Nov 17, 2010 19:36:42 GMT -5
hmm. That's interesting. On your single coil bass's are you using like a Fender Jazz style with neck and bridge pickup's?
The reason I ask is because I have an EL Cheapo Squier that had been hotrodded to the gills, and is quite unique. Leo Quam BA-2 bridge, Lindy Fralin pickups, and something neat inside the control plate. Instead of N-vol. B- vol. Tone, it's set up with a, Vol. ...N-B blend, Tone, and has a little series parallel switch also. This bass is fantastic, and you'd swear it's active when you flip the switch, but it isn't.
Anyhow, to make the long story short, the volume is smooth all the way from wide open to almost nothing. In it's 'standard' mode it sounds really good especially if you used an outside EQ. but flip the switch and it's got the growl and then some.
When I got the bass off Ebay for next to nothing, I wrote the guy about the plate because I'd never seen anything like it. He told me that somebody in Texas makes it and he had the paperwork on it somewhere, and if he could find it he's send it to me. He never did and I didn't ask.
I'll see if I can find it on the net, or see if I can find a schematic for it. It looks complicated, but really isn't. I don't know how it would act on any other set up but I'll see what I can do if it can help at all.
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Post by papajohn on Nov 18, 2010 11:13:39 GMT -5
I have waaaay too many basses to really answer that accurately, but,,,,
I use a cheepie ebay bass for rehearsal and the volume goes from 10 down to about 3 before it fades out. I also sometimes use an old Yamaha which does the same. can't remember the model but it's a single pickup low-end model. I have an older Fender Aerodyne with a P/J combination that I installed a set of Seymour Duncans. Sound fades away at about 8-8.5. Not a lot of play. All my active basses have no problem. It seems that the passive higher end basses do it. I read an article in Premier Guitar a while back which dealt with the problem somewhat. The article was dealing primarily with Strats and Tele but the principles seemed the same. They suggested installing resistors across the two legs of a pot. I tried that and it helped a little bit but not enough to bother doing it to the rest of my collection. Don't get me wrong, it's not a major issue. Just a pet peeve that I can't seem to get a good solution to. Back when I had all my fingers and played six-string guitar, I found it crucial to be able to work with a volume control on a guitar partly for tone and partly for dynamics. I'm just another frustrated guiitar player turned bass player and old habits are hard to break!
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brian
Full Member
Posts: 25
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Post by brian on Nov 21, 2010 15:20:30 GMT -5
Would you consider using an outboard volume pedal ??
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Post by papajohn on Nov 21, 2010 19:07:16 GMT -5
I've used volume pedals for guitar but never really considered doing it on the bass. I've just gotten used to it over the years and adjust my volume by adjusting the attack on the strings. I was just hoping someone here had a simple solution to it. I just bought an old Gibson SB-350 bass from the 70's. Basically an SG/EB bass but with mini-humbuckers. Does the same thing. Turn the volume down to 8 1/2 and gone. My Fenders do it also. One of those things that just irritates me. My solution of course is to just keep buying basses until I find one that works. I've been eyeing that Jag bass that Dick has in the store. Not sure I want to go in and try it out. Too close to Xmas.
John
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Post by Blues Dues on Nov 22, 2010 5:17:03 GMT -5
I had to operate on that Jag bass. It's both passive and active. In the active mode it was full of static. Couldn't find the cause after trying all the normal stuff (cleaning pots, etc.) Had to dust off the old electronics troubleshooting knowledge from the cobwebs in my head. The active amp is located on a small printed circuit board under the pickguard. Found one transistor that appeared open when measuring both forward and reversed biased resistance on the base to emitter connections. Turns out the transistor was fine ... it was just a bad solder joint on the emitter connection on the PC board. Nice and quiet now. I'll fool around with it today and see if it exhibits the same volume control dropoff characteristics that you've been discussing.
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Post by papajohn on Nov 22, 2010 8:23:21 GMT -5
Dick,
I don't have any problems with my active basses, just the passive ones. Try it out. When you back off the volume to about 8 1/2, it's gone.
BTW, what the heck are you doing posting at five in the morning?
John
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Post by Blues Dues on Nov 22, 2010 8:40:53 GMT -5
Dick, I don't have any problems with my active basses, just the passive ones. Try it out. When you back off the volume to about 8 1/2, it's gone. BTW, what the heck are you doing posting at five in the morning? John It's what happens when you go to bed at 8:30. |
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