Noob question

[Wallygator]

Ok I picked up a used washburn xb120 (passive model) I love the looks and feel of the guitar but am not impressed with the sound, seems weak and lifeless compared to my yamaha and esp.

One person suggested to replace the pots and input jack before spending the cash on different pickups.

That was followed by someone else saying changing out the pots wont help unless they are scratchy or bad tapered??

confused

the bass has 2 stock washburn humbuckers if that makes any difference

[john grey]

Humbuckers DO sound different than single coil or whatever and passive models sound different than active (or what you had previously may have a wiring mix of pick-ups that sounded entirely different). Be aware that an amp makes a damn big difference as well. Always compare apples to apples.

Pots on a bass are variable resistors. They generally work or don't. An input jack will not change the elemental sound. It can "cut out" or pop and sound scratchy but again, it works or it doesn't.

You have a different pick-up than before (?) - Compare apples to apples.......They will sound a great deal different than other designs and you may simply not like that sound.

[Wallygator]

Originally Posted by john grey

Humbuckers DO sound different than single coil or whatever and passive models sound different than active (or what you had previously may have a wiring mix of pick-ups that sounded entirely different). Be aware that an amp makes a damn big difference as well. Always compare apples to apples.

Pots on a bass are variable resistors. They generally work or don't. An input jack will not change the elemental sound. It can "cut out" or pop and sound scratchy but again, it works or it doesn't.

You have a different pick-up than before (?) - Compare apples to apples.......They will sound a great deal different than other designs and you may simply not like that sound.

So in order to change up the tone you would suggest replacing the pickups?

[bassgod0dmw]

Unless you're changing the pots from 250K to 500K or vice versa, it's not going to make much of a change in the tone. Even then, it's not going to be something crazy.

Yes, changing the pickups is going to make a much bigger difference.

[john grey]

Wallygator:
It may simply be that sound is not for you. Yes, if you changed pups you would get a seriously different sound. Modern solid body bass pickups don't function as a microphone (or the acoustic pickups on an acoustic guitar) - they depend on a magnetic field from the vibration of your strings. If that was not the case you could use phosphor bronze strings!
But in this situation we are depending upon the vibration of the steel or nickel [string] to produce an alteration in a magnetic field. Picture the pole pieces on other pups: they are generally permanent magnets & on a single coil they have a substantially different sound than a humbucker, etc. Humbuckers use two single coils wired in series. OCCASIONALLY people wonder if that series wiring could be altered. On most pups (humbuckers) they are very difficult to change because the wiring is internal to the coils at the pole-piece internally (and the coils are often covered in some sealant or varnish). The use of a longer wiring to a larger coil also affects the perceived loudness (efficiency) similar to a speaker cone.

But different is not always bad. I suggest you give it some time and see if by working with technique, you find some things that the bass does that you enjoy. You certainly can always switch them out but you obviously realize that the routing cut in the body will have to be dealt with in some way - so you have a complication there. IMO it is worth the time to simply play it, find different things that suit the bass and who knows.....? You might be glad you kept them.