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Bass volume is too low :(

#41
Comparing the P/J output to a pair of QP's (known HOT), and not knowing if the Jag's pickups are HOT or not is part of the issue,
in addition to a 'marginal' amp. The freq ranges put out by one bass vs another will maybe be carried better or not by a particular amp.
I think the amp is too small, but matches better with the QP's and Jag.
 
#44
That depends on how much the "I actually have to turn the bass down a good bit" exactly is...

Would love to see a picture of the electronics cavity (showing the pickup connections) and result of the magnetic orientation as mentioned in my previous post, that might help to solve his problem.
 
#45
FC Bass said:
That depends on how much the "I actually have to turn the bass down a good bit" exactly is...

Would love to see a picture of the electronics cavity (showing the pickup connections) and result of the magnetic orientation as mentioned in my previous post, that might help to solve his problem.
Click to expand...
I would as well, though I think the magnetic orientation may be unimportant. It is what it is. The only variable would be the way things are wired.
 
#47
darwin-bass said:
I would as well, though I think the magnetic orientation may be unimportant. It is what it is. The only variable would be the way things are wired.
Click to expand...
It was important on my bass, I had one "North" and one "South" pickup. Previous owner simply switched the "+" and "-" wires which solved the out of phase issue, but turned the dummy hum canceller into a hum amplifier.

I guess with "normal" electronics (passive or active) you wouldn't have that problem and switching leads may work all right.

darwin-bass said:
Oh, wait, this is a PJ? Could the P halves be wired out of phase? Would it matter to the signal? Probably doesn't matter.
Click to expand...

Yep, also a possibility.
 
#48
Wow, a few replies while I was at work!

I know 100W doesn't sound like a lot, but it is more than plenty for what we do. Drummer is my 10 year old girl, and her drum set has a 16" bass drum, 12" snare, and 8", 10" and 13" toms, so while loud, it isn't overwhelming like my full size drum set. The p-bass easily keeps up with her, and when I bring it down, it is about down to 30% or so. Louder and picture frames start shaking lol. Speaker on the amp is 15". Guess I should max out the volume on the bass but not the amp? Still, it is loud enough to overpower her. Small finished basement, too, which probably helps.

I tried to get a picture of the cavity, but couldn't see much of anything. Too many wires (and it is a narrow cavity). Will be going over them tonight to see if there is anything that is shorted out or solder joint that came loose and whatnot. I will say the one thing that confused the crap out of me was the 3rd wire on the bridge pickup. I attached that one to the body ground, since that is where I thought it went. Maybe that's part of it? Couldn't find too much info about it...

At least it seems unanimous that the pickups are out of place. So, just switch one of the leads on one of the pickups? That shouldn't be too hard. Will try that this evening :) That, and find a compass...
 
#49
It only took the second page before you were told that your gear is inadequate and that you need to buy something "better". The joke around here shouldn't be "what's the best bass for metal" it should be "what's the best bass to get TB members to like me". I'm guessing that most everyone who said 100W is too little has never played the Trace Elliot combos. There's always a contingent of people who want to recommend that you spend money on "real" gear without even knowing what your situation is.

Wall melting volume from one bass and can't hear myself play does not sound like hot vs mild pickups to me... It sounds like you're best off taking it to a tech and getting a diagnosis. Probably be cheaper and easier than trying to sift through advice here. Definitely cheaper than buying a 1000w amp and an 810 so that you can prove that you're a "serious" musician.
 
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#50
I wonder if the 3 wire setup is not quite right. Here is a snippet describing signal ground vs equipment ground.

I saw a video recently that described getting that wire wrong. I'll see if I can find it.

lumerino said:
i guess that the white wire belongs to "equipment ground", the black wire is "signal ground" and the red wire is the "hot signal
Click to expand...

Other mentions of 3 wire are for active pickups.
 
#52
valkyrievf2x said:
I know 100W doesn't sound like a lot, but it is more than plenty for what we do. Drummer is my 10 year old...isn't overwhelming like my full size drum set. The p-bass easily keeps up ... Small finished basement, too, which probably helps.
Click to expand...

AcridSaint said:
It only took the second page before you were told that your gear is inadequate and that you need to buy something "better". The joke around here shouldn't be "what's the best bass for metal" it should be "what's the best bass to get TB members to like me". I'm guessing that most everyone who said 100W is too little has never played the Trace Elliot combos.
Click to expand...

I have used my Rumble 100 combo at practice and in at least 1 performance. I stand next to the drummer. The Fender amp was quite loud and easily buried the drummer if I cranked it. SO THERE! :-) OK, full story, the drummer is behind plexi panels and tends to play relatively light since we're always saying the drums are too loud. We play at a level where acoustic grand piano is easily heard on stage with no monitor. So, yes, 100 watts is plenty in cases where stage volume is kept to something reasonable.
 
#53
rufus.K said:
Is the 3rd wire bare (shield / ground ), or insulated?

One can also wire each pickup one at a time to the jack directly, no controls, to see if a direct signal works okay, maybe a pot has gone bad.
Click to expand...

It was one red and 2 blacks. The red and one of the blacks where those multistrand wires; the 2nd black was a solid wire, like the one that comes from the bridge. I just treated it like another ground wire.

It was out of phase! I reversed the leads on the p pickup (easiest access), and it sounded....well.... normal. Cranking up the volume on both pups didn't lower the volume. Only when it is completely maxed out on both that it has a little loss, but it is fairly minor. Currently running the P at 100% and the J at 90%. The trade off is that it is now noisy lol. It hums when I don't touch the strings or bridge. If I touch the adjustment screws on the p pick up, the hum gets louder. Probably a combo of a grounding issue and having reversed the leads on the p pick up...
 
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#58
Thanks for the schematics! Haven't had much time to fiddle with her (government inspections are the worst!!!). I did see the extra noise was from the p pickup; turn it all the way down and it practically goes away. I'll be poring over those schematics tomorrow and try to get to the bottom of it :D

The voltage and resistance on the pickups does seem a little low. But it sounds so nice :)
 

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