Pickup and Pot Problems on SX/Bartolini Pups

[TonyFranklinFan]

Ok..so I had my luthier install a set of Bart P/J pickups on my P/J SX and I have a couple questions since it doesn't seem right to me.P-ups are 8CBP {classic bass style} and Jazz Bridge Pup is a 94J older style.

1}Volume doesn't come on til knob is turned at least 75% up then it comes on all at once, not much sweep {passive}

2}Bridge pickup alone {9J4 Jazz Bridge} is really wonky sounding with no thickness and also doesn't come alive til about 75% turned up.

3} What can I do to get a wider or even range of volume from them? It has Alpha pots in the bass..should I upgrade them to CTS pots with Orange drop Tone caps, what do you guys recommend? Or is putting in an active/passive or straight active preamp the only way to make the pickups really work well?

[TonyFranklinFan]

...?

[Stealth]

You haven't really described the way they're wired. Vol-Vol-Tone, Vol-Blend-Tone, Vol-Tone-switch? Personally, I don't think Alphas are bad, it might have more to do with the wrong type of pot - this sounds like you've got logarithm taper pots, explained here:

http://sound.westhost.com/pots.htm#taper

The solution is simple - a linear-taper pot with the same maximum resistance as your own should alleviate your troubles.

[TonyFranklinFan]

Stealth, sorry....they are wired V-V-T...and I just realized they are "on" with the knobs turned all the way off lol...I love my luthier but sometimes I dunno about that guy, he's a guitar person and not so much bass.

[Stealth]

That's a fairly odd thing considering guitars and basses follow similar wiring patterns.

Anyway. You have a V/V/T, so, use the following diagram to wire it up:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support...c=std_p_j_bass

Also, if you get sudden roll-offs with the volume knobs again, find out what resistance your pots are and which taper, and try to get the opposite taper - if you have logarithm pots (usually denoted as 250K A or 500K A, depending on the max resistance), get linear ones (250K B or 500K B). Or if you're unsure, ask at the point of purchase.

[Bootzilla]

Bridge J pups usually sound honkey and a lot of passive volume controls have that issue which can usually be solved by using a different taper pot.

I have a bass which has these issues and it's one of my favorite basses and it doesn't worry me one bit that the taper is off or the bridge soloed sounds weak and burpy.