P bass tonal solutions

[sitonafender]

Originally Posted by Koog

Check Warmoth, All Parts, Fender direct. EMG makes good P bass replacement pups.

Cool man. I did get some pots from allparts.com. a 250 for the volume, and a 500 for the tone. Didn't realized I needed a capacitor also. Luckily I was able to salvage the existing one. Though seeing it does bring up a question. Does the type, and wiring configuration of a capacitor affect the sound. I have seen about 3 different ways to wire it in, and about a million different capacitors.
Not to say I want to change anything else short of origional parts. Thanks to you guys this bass is sounding great, but I was just curios.

[sitonafender]

Originally Posted by walterw

like everybody is saying, if they really are 50k pots, that's your first step.

you need 250k minimum for normal P-bass tone, and 500k if you want bright and aggressive.

you say the pickup says "SPB-3" on it? does it have big fat 1/4" magnets (maybe hidden under the plastic pickup cover)?

if so, that's a duncan "quarter pounder", a loud, grindy pickup. it will definitely need higher-value pots to sound like it should.

allparts has the pots; you'll want a linear taper for volume and an audio taper for tone.

once the bass is working right, dime the knobs! set your amp to where that sounds right, maybe a little on the bright side; then you can work your tone knob to get a range of appropriate sounds.

Yeah looks like it is a quarter pounder then, and it dies sound just as you described. I was kinda confused actually. I've used Basslines PU's before with much success, but this brand new Duncan sound like crap smeared on a wall looks.

[walterw]

just follow a standard P-bass wiring diagram (the ones on the duncan site are easy to follow).

they all sound the same, unless you get a weird variation that jumps the tone pot to the volume pot's middle lug instead of to the clockwise lug with the pickup like it should.

even then, it'll sound the same on "10", just acting a little different when you start turning both knobs down.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by sitonafender

...this brand new Duncan sound like crap smeared on a wall looks.

ha!

it's a good-sounding and popular punk rock pickup, so the pots are likely the problem.

[sitonafender]

Originally Posted by walterw

ha!

it's a good-sounding and popular punk rock pickup, so the pots are likely the problem.

Pots changed. Bass sounds great!!! This bass is hella punchy. Think I'll pull out a 4x10. These 12's just are not doing it.

[bassfreakah]

Im a old guy but 12's sound best for guitar. imo that is.....

[sitonafender]

Originally Posted by bassfreakah

Im a old guy but 12's sound best for guitar. imo that is.....

Yeah I was using an old 78 model fender bassman 100 4x12 center focus sound cabinet. It's sounds great with my music man, but this bass seems to be so punchy that it begins to distort the sound when at stage volume. Im hoping the 10's will have a more compressed sound, and will be more well suited for this p bass punch. It's all experimental from here. It's crazy how powerful these passive pu's are.

[sitonafender]

Dang just hooked up a 78 fender 135 to a 2x15 acoustic 406 cab, and a 2x10 550 watt behringer cab. Jucy jucy sound folks.