what's "slap depth / overall gain" screw do?

hanx · #1 07-12-2010, 06:01 AM

i found this on the back of my bass when i took off the price tag, what's it do, was it supposed to stay covered?

it's a cort curbow

http://www.cortguitars.com/_webapp_2719701/Curbow4FL#

it's two little holes with a little plastic screw-like-thing inside labeled "slap depth" and "overall gain", it looks like they're supposed to be adjusted with a screw driver or something, but it's just yellow plastic.

what would the gain do that the nice accessible volume on the front wouldn't? and what on earth is slap depth?

hanx · #2 07-12-2010, 06:02 AM

**line6man** · #3 07-12-2010, 09:27 AM

Well have you tried adjusting them to see what they do?

Quote:

Originally Posted by hanx

what would the gain do that the nice accessible volume on the front wouldn't? and what on earth is slap depth?

The volume control is a simple passive attenuation. The gain control on the back should allow you to increase the gain of the preamp.

I don't know what the slap depth trimmer does. It's probably a mid cut EQ or something.

Try adjusting it and see what it does.

nato101010 · #4 07-12-2010, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6man

Well have you tried adjusting them to see what they do?

.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hanx

, it looks like they're supposed to be adjusted with a screw driver or something, but it's just yellow plastic.

Apparently, the are unadjustable.

**line6man** · #5 07-12-2010, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hanx

it looks like they're supposed to be adjusted with a screw driver or something, but it's just yellow plastic.

They are trimmer pots.
I can see a + shaped area in the picture.
All you need is a trimmer adjustment tool, or a properly sized flat head screwdriver.

Josh Pelican · #6 07-13-2010, 05:23 AM

If I'm not mistaken, and I might be, the slap depth is supposed to adjust the eq of the slap switch.

hanx · #7 07-13-2010, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6man

Well have you tried adjusting them to see what they do?

Try adjusting it and see what it does.

normally i would have had a poke, but it didn't look "user serviceable"

why do you think they're hidden so inaccessibly on the back?

cybersnyder · #8 07-13-2010, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hanx

normally i would have had a poke, but it didn't look "user serviceable"

why do you think they're hidden so inaccessibly on the back?

They look very accessible to me. Don't be afraid to take the cover off. Those two controls are ones that are typically set and forget. So instead of cluttering the front with more knobs they give you trimpots on the preamp and they made them accessible with holes in the cover plate.

i_got_a_mohawk · #9 07-13-2010, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hanx

normally i would have had a poke, but it didn't look "user serviceable"

why do you think they're hidden so inaccessibly on the back?

If they were inaccessible, there wouldn't be holes in the control plate and writing explaining what they are for

**line6man** · #10 07-13-2010, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

If they were inaccessible, there wouldn't be holes in the control plate and writing explaining what they are for

+1.

Those pots are very adjustable.

hanx · #11 07-13-2010, 06:44 PM

i just meant less accessible, i guess the answer is "set and forget"

ehque · #12 07-14-2010, 11:39 AM

It's not standard practice to cover those holes up with a price tag. Mine came without it.

The Cort comes with a slap switch. I would assume the slap depth adjusts the mid-cut of that slap switch (when it is turned on). I never played with it on, really.

And the overall gain is simply that, a preamp gain. Great if you plug into any effect/DI/amp that requires you to tweak your signal level. I remember setting my gain pretty high, so that i would send a strong signal to the board. Made sure i was not overdriving the input.

hanx · #13 07-14-2010, 10:14 PM

how is the gain different to the volume?

M0ses · #14 07-14-2010, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6man

The volume control is a simple passive attenuation. The gain control on the back should allow you to increase the gain of the preamp.

**cough**

hanx · #15 07-14-2010, 10:26 PM

in single dutch?

one's before pre-amp and one's after, but to me that seems redundant?
what sort of difference should i be able to hear?

i_got_a_mohawk · #16 07-15-2010, 09:23 AM

A lot of amplifiers have an input gain and a master volume. Is that redundant?

OT - what university is it you are studying at? I was close to going to Macquarie for my PhD

lumerino · #17 07-15-2010, 12:06 PM

the slap depth have to be a frequency trimmer in the mids

overall gain, is the gain for the preamp , is totally different to the volume control, if your preamp has much gain you can turn up the input signal util get it a distorsion sound , the volume control only turns up the output signal from the preamp , is exactly the same thing that the amps do,

MglMatador · #18 07-15-2010, 03:13 PM

Quote:

how is the gain different to the volume?

Gain will set the maximum level of the bass assuming all of the volume controls are maxed.

Volume will set how much of that signal goes out to whatever the bass is plugged in to: or said another way it determines how much attenuation is applied to the signal.

Both can modulate the apparent volume of the bass signal but they have very different functions.

SGD Lutherie · #19 07-15-2010, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hanx

how is the gain different to the volume?

An easy way to put it is the gain control adjust how loud the bass is when the volume knob is on 10.