Bad Pickups???

[CCtop]

I bought a set of EMG GZR p-style pickups. I followed their diagram perfectly. Everything is correct. The issue I'm having is that my bass now plays at a much lower volume. It's still loud, but nowhere near as loud as before. The pots I removed were both 500k while the new EMG ones are both 250k. I have several other basses and they all sound much louder than the one I just put the EMG pups in. However, I have no idea what k pots they have. Could dropping from two 500k pots to two 250k pots cause a loss in volume?

 

[cataract]

I bought a set of EMG GZR p-style pickups. I followed their diagram perfectly. Everything is correct. The issue I'm having is that my bass now plays at a much lower volume. It's still loud, but nowhere near as loud as before. The pots I removed were both 500k while the new EMG ones are both 250k. I have several other basses and they all sound much louder than the one I just put the EMG pups in. However, I have no idea what k pots they have. Could dropping from two 500k pots to two 250k pots cause a loss in volume?

Sounds like a bad connection somewhere. Pot values shouldn’t affect overall volume to that extreme.

 

[CCtop]

Can't really alter the wiring. They came up with this connector system.

 

[iiipopes]

Contact EMG.

 

[ctmullins]

Pickup height maybe?

 

[ex-tension]

...Everything is correct. The issue I'm having is that my bass now plays at a much lower volume. It's still loud, but nowhere near as loud as before.

It's difficult to guess without knowing what bass, what kind of control cavity, layout etc.
Output jack may be touching the cavity wall but it's just a rough guess.

 

[CCtop]

Contact EMG.

I would if they weren’t currently shut down...

 

[CCtop]

Pickup height maybe?

Tried raising them as high as possible. Same result.

 

[two fingers]

What kinds of pickups are you comparing the Geezer to?

 

[Ric5]

I bought a set of EMG GZR p-style pickups. I followed their diagram perfectly. Everything is correct. The issue I'm having is that my bass now plays at a much lower volume. It's still loud, but nowhere near as loud as before. The pots I removed were both 500k while the new EMG ones are both 250k. I have several other basses and they all sound much louder than the one I just put the EMG pups in. However, I have no idea what k pots they have. Could dropping from two 500k pots to two 250k pots cause a loss in volume?

EMG pickups are lower output and are usually paired with a preamp

 

[micguy]

EMG pickups are lower output and are usually pairs with a preamp

The GZr's are intended to be clones of Bobby Vega's P pickups - they're not lower output nor intended to be paired with a preamp.

 

[TigerInATrance]

Nevermind... Misspoke not realizing that GZRs were passive.

 

[CCtop]

It's difficult to guess without knowing what bass, what kind of control cavity, layout etc.
Output jack may be touching the cavity wall but it's just a rough guess.

WINNER!

 

[CCtop]

Problem solved! Seems like when I plugged the cable into the guitar, something was hitting the shielding paint inside the cavity and messing everything up. Turned the jack around and all is great again! Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I bought a set of EMG GZR p-style pickups. I followed their diagram perfectly. Everything is correct. The issue I'm having is that my bass now plays at a much lower volume. It's still loud, but nowhere near as loud as before. The pots I removed were both 500k while the new EMG ones are both 250k. I have several other basses and they all sound much louder than the one I just put the EMG pups in. However, I have no idea what k pots they have. Could dropping from two 500k pots to two 250k pots cause a loss in volume?

Re-solder it. Happened my first time too. Well...it was quiet, it buzzed like crazy, and my pots were backwards. Hahaha. I fixed it. Cherry.

Plus, you should throw the 500k pots back in. You'll get much more character out of it.

 

[mcnach]

EMG pickups are lower output and are usually paired with a preamp

Not these. These are normal passive P pickups.

 

[lokikallas]

I ran into a similar issue with one bass with the GZR's. I ended up putting a tiny bit of heat shrink on the connections at the jack, so they didn't hit the wood inside the bass.

 

[DrThumpenstein]

Can't really alter the wiring. They came up with this connector system.

Any chance you might have flipped one of the connectors and reversed polarity someplace?

I just installed Geezers on my Aerodyne and they sound great. However, one of the volume pots developed kind of a push-pull thing and if I don't keep the volume knob pulled out from the body, it loses volume completely (no output as opposed to low output. Still waiting on a reply from EMG from a couple of weeks ago and their website still says they are closed. It makes me wonder if maybe there was a bad batch of pots?

 

[DrThumpenstein]

Saw your response after posting. Glad you got it fixed!

How do you like the sound now?

 

[Ric5]

Not these. These are normal passive P pickups.

OK thanks


I know a lot of EMG are lower output designed to be run through a preamp. The lower output keeps them from distorting.