Bypassing tone/volume control on P-Bass?

[btrag]

In the interest of purity of signal, and because I never use them, I was thinking of bypassing the volume/tone control circuitry in my P-Bass? Is this advisable? How do I do this?

[Foamy]

Just a wild guess....I think you can wire the pickup directly to the output jack. But I think that you may also consider some type of capacitor (fixed, of course) that may tailor your tone to something you can live with. Well, for sure you can wire the pickup directly - that is a standard part of t-shooting wiring problems. I just don't know if that is "really" what you want.
Maybe you'd need to set your tone control where you prefer it, and measure how much is bled off to ground. That's where I'd start.
:-)

[diechris]

Originally Posted by Enchanter_Tim

Just a wild guess....I think you can wire the pickup directly to the output jack. But I think that you may also consider some type of capacitor (fixed, of course) that may tailor your tone to something you can live with. Well, for sure you can wire the pickup directly - that is a standard part of t-shooting wiring problems. I just don't know if that is "really" what you want.
Maybe you'd need to set your tone control where you prefer it, and measure how much is bled off to ground. That's where I'd start.
:-)

this sounds interesting! ive heard his before and i think i reaed and article with the old bassist for the Queens of the stone age has his pbass like this(no vol or tone knob.)

could you go in o detail about how to replace your tone control setting with a capacitor?

[theflying007]

Well if you don´t have an active bass, the only thing a tone control does, is taking away the trebble. If you don´t have a veeeery good volume control, you´ll lose treble aswell when you turn down the volume. So, anything you use, takes away part of your sound. That means that it really is a good idea not to use them at all. If you want to change your volume or your sound, use the amp (I do that). So the easiest thing would just be not to touch them. My problem is that my controls are situated at places where I sometimes touch them without wanting to do so. I have thought about taking them away and conecting my pickups directly to the output, but I don´t want any holes in my bass where the controlls have been. So in the end I just took the knobs of, put some rubber rings under them, and now you can only move them if you really use force, which I don´t. Then again, if the electronics in your bass are not incredible bad, they won´t change your sound as long as you don´t touch them. Just leave everything open and you get all the sound there is in your instrument. Or the otherway around: don´t think your sound will improve by taking the controlls out.

[seanm]

I bypass the tone control on my rock basses. I leave the volume so I can turn down between sets.

Removing the tone and volume controls will affect the tone. You will change the output impedance of the bass and how it loads the amp. You also accentuate the bump that is normal in a P bass.

Below is a *simulation* of a P bass pickup. The red is normal with the volume and tone wide open. The blue is with the tone control removed. The orange is with the tone and volume controls removed. The bump is centered at 1800Hz.

[62bass]

That looks like the sound I got when I disconnected the tone and volume control from my P bass in the 70s. I'd prefer a switch to take it in or out of the circuit. Not everyone wants that bump at 1800.

[snackbandit]

Anyone happen to have sound clips of a p-bass without the vol/tone controls? Like the above poster stated, this is how Nick Oliveri wires his basses, or so I've heard. I'm curious to see how Oliveri's tone compares with to another bass with the same setup.