l1000 - sounds very dull

[heho]

hello,

bought a 1982 wunkay and it sounds dull - i don't have the chance to compare to another l1000 and it's the first l1000 i've ever played in my life. so i don't know if it is normal.
yesterday i made the neck setup and put on new strings (hi beams) and for new strings there is a lot of brilliance missing.
volume, treble, bass and the switch are working. i just realized, that when i turn the bass-pot down, i'm loosing almost the complete output level.
any ideas? is it normal for a wunkay?

thanx a lot,
heho

[Ken Baker]

Sounds like there might be an open connection in the EQ circuit - particularly the treble section. I'd start by looking at the connections on the treble pot, then check everything else.

A PDF wiring diagram can be found here.

Ken...

[El Tookay]

Sounds like trouble. I'll take it off your hands for you, so you can avoid any un-necessary stress....

[Templar]

It's the crap stock pickup, they suck. You need to install a Nordstrand pickup and Audere preamp.

Do a search, there's hundreds of posts here about this very important mod. As you read them, don't worry if your eyes glaze over, just keep reading until you're convinced.

[heho]

i still believe that there won't be much trouble - it's all passive, so there can't be too much demage. sorry, but i have to keep it

i already found the wiring diagram on the g&l-page. but for me it looks like there is a mistake on the wiring of the treble-pot. mine is different in wiring and i don't have a resistor at the treble-pot. maybe the old wunkays do have a different wiring for the treble-pot.
the wiring on my bass just looks like this
Body Wood on 1980 opaque G&L?
the only difference - the capacitors are all green.

i will check all connections and heat up my soldering gun.

[Ken Baker]

Originally Posted by Templar

It's the crap stock pickup, they suck. You need to install a Nordstrand pickup and Audere preamp.

Do a search, there's hundreds of posts here about this very important mod. As you read them, don't worry if your eyes glaze over, just keep reading until you're convinced.

Trouble. You ain't nothin' but trouble.

Ken...

[Templar]

Originally Posted by Ken Baker

Trouble. You ain't nothin' but trouble.

Ken...

Yes I know. It's hard work, but I do what I can.

[sunbeast]

The resistor alone wouldn't cause what you are talking about- it is basically there so that when you turn the treble cut all the way down, you still have some resistance between the capacitor and ground- so that it won't turn to mud in the last little turn of the pot like most passive tone controls will (that last little turn that you don't use on a Fender tone control because the sound suddenly turns to mush).

I recommend experimenting with the pickup- how high it is, and where the polepieces are set. Generally, raising the pickup higher makes the sound bassier and more middy at the same time in my experience (depending on other factors, this could sound "dull")- so I'd recommend lowering it some or alot and maybe raising just the polepieces instead. Also- do the 3 different coil selections all sound noticeably different? could be that there is a problem with the coil switch or wiring thereof. It is normal for the bass control to have a large effect on the volume, but don't worry about it- the bass should have plenty of output even with the bass control set at half or less (in comparison to a standard Fender output, for example). Also try cutting the volume slightly- it'll lower the volume while also changing the tone to some degree. These basses are not super bright/modern in general, so it could be that you and the bass are just not a match! It'll do blues and classic rock like no other though!

Karl

Originally Posted by heho

i still believe that there won't be much trouble - it's all passive, so there can't be too much demage. sorry, but i have to keep it

i already found the wiring diagram on the g&l-page. but for me it looks like there is a mistake on the wiring of the treble-pot. mine is different in wiring and i don't have a resistor at the treble-pot. maybe the old wunkays do have a different wiring for the treble-pot.
the wiring on my bass just looks like this
Body Wood on 1980 opaque G&L?
the only difference - the capacitors are all green.

i will check all connections and heat up my soldering gun.

[heho]

everything is fine - not the bass was dull, my brain was dull.
things that happen when you plug your passive bass directly into a mixing console.
it' so embarrassing

[Ken Baker]

Well then.

Ken...

[cloudermilk]

I've found the L-1000 to be a fantastic recording bass...

[quickervicar]

Originally Posted by heho

it' so embarrassing

At least you're willing to admit your mistake! Hope the session turns out well.