New Roque Violin Bass -- Help on Setup

[coloradotrout]

Got this -- http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/...in-bass-guitar

The 'most liked' review has some tips for setup of this cheap bass. I plan to follow those, but have a few Qs.

How do I adjust the nut?

What do the 2 knobs and 3 switches do? I'm assuming the knobs control the volume of each pickup. One knob cuts out when it's turned near the maximum setting. Is that a defect? I probably need to do the tip #1 (raise height of the pickups) to fully troubleshoot this, but the knobs were pretty wimpy to begin with, and now it seems there may be a problem. It does not seem like we are getting good volume.

What do the switches do (rhythm/solo, bass on, treble on)?

How can I test the knobs/switches/electronics to make sure they are all working correctly?

Next up then -- I'd like to do the steps:

- raise pickup 1/8" below the strings when pressed down at last fret
- new flatwound strings
- file frets
- remove pick guard
- oil tuners
- adjust nut
- adjust intonation (move bridge)

Any others? We'll be using this for bluegrass/country

[coloradotrout]

So I messed around with the bass last night.

I took the nearest-to-bridge pickup out -- and messed with getting it about 1/8" away from the stings. I also took out the switches plate -- poked around -- and it seems now both pickups are working properly. Before, it seemed like only one worked. So that helped me understand what the slide switches do!

The "bass" switch turns off/on the pickup farthest from the bidge (closest to neck). The "treble" switch turns off/on the pickup nearest the bridge. The knobs adjust the volume when the pickup is turned on. Interestingly -- the location of the volume knob and pickup off/on are not besides one another. I'd think the treble off/on and treble volume would be next to each other -- they are not. The treble off/on is closest to the bass volume control. All the volume adjustments seems to come in the last quarter turn. Maybe I still need to get the pickups closer to the strings. The solo/rhythm switch seems to make the sound a bit brighter for solo. My quick read of pickups suggests that by using the treble pickup, you get that brighter sound, so I'm not exactly sure what the solo/rhythm switch is doing.