Fixing up a Washburn XB400

[SteveGallo]

Hi folks,

I'm trying to fix an old XB400 for a buddy. I'm no tech - I've assembled a few parts basses and can use a soldering iron, but have always bought prewired harnesses made for the specific bass.

Anyway, the bass crackles and pops like crazy when plugged in. I pulled both the PUs and did the basic hold-the-wires-against-the-cable test and both work fine.

The problem is this bass has active electronics that were apparently not great to begin with. I don't have the skill to diagnose the issue.

What I would like to do is just keep the PUs and replace all the electronics with something simple and passive. I have no idea if I can find a prewired harness that would somehow match up, or how I would go about picking out pots, or whatever the solution may be.

Help?

 

[SteveGallo]

One thing I forgot to add - the bass is routed for double J pickups and only Bartolini makes (expensive) replacements. If I could just throw more standard pickups in it, I would do that and buy a matching prewired harness.

So that's what's throwing me off. I don't know much about these pickups so I have no idea what electronics go with them.

 

[dwizum]

Can you show us a photo of the wiring that's in there now? Ultimately, it's possible to keep the pickups and use passive controls. The only real catch is knowing if the pickups themselves are active (in which case you can still use passive controls, but you'll need to keep a battery for the pickups).

If the pickups are passive, you can essentially cut the pickup leads off of whatever is in there now, take it all out, throw it away, and start over. There may be wiring harnesses that work, but passive wiring is very simple. It looks like you have four holes on the bass - you could wire it with a tone and volume for each pickup, or any number of other configurations - my favorite passive four hole config is vol-vol-tone with a three way pickup select switch.

Since you've had those pickups out of the bass, are they potted into the covers? Or can you remove the covers? if the covers are removable, that opens up the replacement options, since you can pretty much put any guts you want in them. But before you went that far I would try the bass with those pickups and simple passive controls to see how it sounded.

 

[SteveGallo]

Can you show us a photo of the wiring that's in there now? Ultimately, it's possible to keep the pickups and use passive controls. The only real catch is knowing if the pickups themselves are active (in which case you can still use passive controls, but you'll need to keep a battery for the pickups).

If the pickups are passive, you can essentially cut the pickup leads off of whatever is in there now, take it all out, throw it away, and start over. There may be wiring harnesses that work, but passive wiring is very simple. It looks like you have four holes on the bass - you could wire it with a tone and volume for each pickup, or any number of other configurations - my favorite passive four hole config is vol-vol-tone with a three way pickup select switch.

Since you've had those pickups out of the bass, are they potted into the covers? Or can you remove the covers? if the covers are removable, that opens up the replacement options, since you can pretty much put any guts you want in them. But before you went that far I would try the bass with those pickups and simple passive controls to see how it sounded.

Thank you for the response. I'm almost positive the PU's are not active being that I tested them and they were producing volume equal to the passive pickups in my other basses.

That's what I'd like to do - gut the whole thing and throw a simple passive set up in. Your suggested setup sounds great, but I have no idea what my next steps are for either A) planning out how to wire in a passive setup manually or B) finding a prewired harness that I can socket in that will work fine with those pickups. The pickups are indeed potted.

I've attached a picture of the guts.

 

[dwizum]

When it comes to "works with these pickups" that really just boils down to selecting a pot value - although for basses, that's very typically just a 250k pot. You also need to pick a cap value for the tone pots - for basses that's usually a .047uF cap. So - in essence - it's probably a lot simpler than you think it is.

Then you just need to decide on which controls you want, and find a schematic, then copy it. Places like Guitar Electronics have libraries of wiring schematics, and you can also just google what you want - try terms like "bass wiring volume volume tone three way."

Once you have an idea of the layout, you can just buy individual components from a guitar parts supplier or an electronics vendor like Mouser. Or search places like eBay for prewired harnesses (although, 99% of the time, that's basically a huge ripoff - a $75 wiring harness on eBay might have $10 of parts in it).

Or just post here and say "I want X and I need help!" and the talkbass armies will tell you exactly what to do! Honestly, the hard part is choosing what to put in each of those four holes!

 

[SteveGallo]

I can't find a wiring diagram for this particular bass but it seems like i can just grab a generic set of electronics, a generic wiring diagram, and just go for it...?

You're right, not sure what to do with that 4th knob slot. Maybe just leave it unwired and just put a for show knob over it?

Thank you very much for all the help!

 

[CatchaCuda]

For future reference- You can find double J covers on eBay (and others) for about $7, if you can confirm they fit the Washburn.

How many wires does each pickup have available? Maybe try VVT+series/parallel switch (for the 4th hole) like a jazz bass.

 

[dwizum]

i can just grab a generic set of electronics, a generic wiring diagram, and just go for it...?

Definitely - there's really no magic that makes any specific bass need a specific configuration. Of course it's possible to build configurations that are frustrating or useless, but if you stick with mainstream wiring layouts that won't happen. There are a lot of good resources on the web to understand the basics if you want to learn:

Volume Pots & Tone Pots: How Do They Work? | Fralin Pickups

Understanding Guitar Wiring | stewmac.com

Essentially, you use pots any time you want a proportional control. Either on their own as a volume control, or with a cap as a tone control. And you use a switch any time you want a more digital (on/off) control. Then you just put your choices together like building blocks. Every guitar will always have a signal and a ground - the controls are basically there to manage what (and how much) goes to signal, and what goes to ground. Looking at a complete wiring diagram can be overwhelming when you're just starting out, but it's as simple as that. Reading the above articles will help you understand those basics. Then you can go look at a diagram and start to understand how the parts fit together.

You're right, not sure what to do with that 4th knob slot. Maybe just leave it unwired and just put a for show knob over it?

I mentioned v-v-t-3way above. I like that because you can set the volume for each pickup and still switch between them. v-v-t with a series/parallel switch is another option. or v-v-t-t (essentially a Les Paul without the switch). Or replace the v-v with a master volume and a blend in either of those. I mentioned Guitar Electronics above but forgot the link:

2 Pickup Guitar & Bass Wirirng Diagrams | GuitarElectronics.com

They have an overwhelming list of wiring diagrams, and some of them are just plain weird to the point of being useless, but scrolling through them can help you understand what options you have.

 

[Rickey Morphis]

Hi folks,

I'm trying to fix an old XB400 for a buddy. I'm no tech - I've assembled a few parts basses and can use a soldering iron, but have always bought prewired harnesses made for the specific bass.

Anyway, the bass crackles and pops like crazy when plugged in. I pulled both the PUs and did the basic hold-the-wires-against-the-cable test and both work fine.

The problem is this bass has active electronics that were apparently not great to begin with. I don't have the skill to diagnose the issue.

What I would like to do is just keep the PUs and replace all the electronics with something simple and passive. I have no idea if I can find a prewired harness that would somehow match up, or how I would go about picking out pots, or whatever the solution may be.

Help?

Hey Steve I know it’s been a few months but what did you end up doing about the xb400 I need a volume pot and thought you might sell the electronics out of it

 

[bassistrdn]

i Need the wiring diagram for the Washburn XB500 bass with 3-way Toggle switch, 9v battery, 3 pots with module,, pls help..

 

[Eduardo Inniger]

Com certeza – não existe nenhuma fórmula mágica que determine que um baixo específico precise de uma configuração específica. Claro que é possível criar configurações frustrantes ou inúteis, mas isso não acontecerá se você seguir os padrões de fiação mais comuns. Há muitos recursos excelentes na internet para entender o básico, caso você queira aprender.

Potenciômetros de Volume e Tom: Como Funcionam? | Fralin Pickups

Entendendo a fiação da guitarra | stewmac.com

Basicamente, você usa potenciômetros sempre que quiser um controle proporcional. Seja sozinhos como controle de volume, ou com um capacitor como controle de tonalidade. E você usa uma chave seletora sempre que quiser um controle mais digital (liga/desliga). Depois, basta combinar suas opções como se fossem blocos de construção. Toda guitarra sempre terá um sinal e um terra — os controles servem basicamente para gerenciar o que (e quanto) vai para o sinal e o que vai para o terra. Analisar um diagrama de fiação completo pode ser complicado para iniciantes, mas é simples assim. Ler os artigos acima ajudará você a entender esses conceitos básicos. Depois, você poderá analisar um diagrama e começar a entender como as peças se encaixam.



Mencionei o VVT-3way acima. Gosto dele porque você pode ajustar o volume de cada captador e ainda alternar entre eles. O VVT com uma chave série/paralelo é outra opção. Ou o VVT-T (essencialmente uma Les Paul sem a chave). Ou ainda, substituir o VV por um controle de volume master e um controle de blend em qualquer um desses. Mencionei a Guitar Electronics acima, mas esqueci o link:

Diagramas de fiação para guitarra e baixo com 2 captadores | GuitarElectronics.com

Eles têm uma lista enorme de diagramas de fiação, e alguns deles são simplesmente estranhos a ponto de serem inúteis, mas analisá-los pode ajudar a entender as opções disponíveis.

você deu o pulo do gato,achei um esquema para o XB400A - passivo,como eu queria num esquema de guitarra! No Guitar Eletronica.com, obrigado!