For the love of god, can someone please help me? (Bass wiring)

[dwizum]

I've known many people who were faced with a problem like this and expressed that they wished they knew how to use a multimeter. I would propose a different goal: learn the basics of guitar circuits and electronic circuits in general, and then you won't have to "learn" the multimeter, because it'll just come naturally! If you know two points in the circuit are supposed to be connected, you just use the meter to see if they are. Or vice versa.

 

[ReeseyC]

I've known many people who were faced with a problem like this and expressed that they wished they knew how to use a multimeter. I would propose a different goal: learn the basics of guitar circuits and electronic circuits in general, and then you won't have to "learn" the multimeter, because it'll just come naturally! If you know two points in the circuit are supposed to be connected, you just use the meter to see if they are. Or vice versa.

That seems like a more realistic goal. And probably a more valuable one — I doubt I'd benefit much from knowing how to use a multimeter if I don't understand what I'm looking for or what the readings represent.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

UPDATE:

Last night I took everything out and started the rewire from scratch. I took the advice of some of the folks in the thread and removed the 3-way switch from the circuit, and I went back to the old jack (just in case the new one was creating a short). I also worked off of a different wiring diagram this time (just a simple VVT active bass setup) — I'm not certain if the issue was the jack, the 3-way switch, or something with the wiring connections, but whatever the original cause, I plugged it in and wouldn't you know it: my bass works again for the first time in years, and it sounds great.

A huge thank-you to everyone in this thread for their advice and guidance. I have a few other basses, but none of them give me the same tone as my fretless, and from a sentimental-value standpoint I'm glad I could get my very first bass back up and running. Thanks again, everybody!

Well done! My guess is that the 3-way switch combined with the VVT knobs was working against each other. You asked, listened, made an educated guess, and it worked. Big ups for not being "that guy" who has limited experience, asks a question, doesn't like the answer, and gets all huffy about it (I'm guilty of this, BTW).

 

[ReeseyC]

Well done! My guess is that the 3-way switch combined with the VVT knobs was working against each other.

Thanks! I think you're probably right — I don't think I really understood how much more difficult I made it on myself by adding in the 3-way switch. I'm sure it's a pretty easy job for those with more experience, but considering my limited knowledge of electronics and wiring basics, it was probably one thing too many.

Big ups for not being "that guy" who has limited experience, asks a question, doesn't like the answer, and gets all huffy about it (I'm guilty of this, BTW).

I appreciate that. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's recognizing when I'm out of my depth and having enough sense to just shut up and listen, haha

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Thanks! I think you're probably right — I don't think I really understood how much more difficult I made it on myself by adding in the 3-way switch. I'm sure it's a pretty easy job for those with more experience, but considering my limited knowledge of electronics and wiring basics, it was probably one thing too many.


I appreciate that. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's recognizing when I'm out of my depth and having enough sense to just shut up and listen, haha

Wait until you get the notion that you NEED your pickups to be in either Series or Parallel (a cautionary tale of mine). I've learned to stick to basic wiring.

 

[obieito]

I love a happy ending! ;-)

 

[Michael Moore]

I'm just about at wit's end here, and I'm hoping somebody can help me figure out what I'm doing wrong.

I've been trying to rewire my 5-string fretless for a while now — I made a thread a few years ago asking about the specs/wiring diagram for it. Brice has since discontinued this bass (I've had it for like 15 years), and when I emailed them to ask for a wiring diagram they didn't even have one.

Long and short of it is, it's a Brice V2 with a weird factory control setup (V-V-B-T); since the blend control is pointless with two volume controls, it was suggested to me that I either replace the blend pot with a 3-way switch or install a "producer's knob" that doesn't really do anything.

I tried the producer's knob, but it didn't work, so I found a wiring diagram for a standard VVT configuration with a 3-way switch. I've swapped out all the pots (A500k for the volume controls, B500k for the tone), installed the switch, replaced the output jack (the metal leads on the original jack were falling apart). After the second most-recent attempt, I thought maybe I burned out the pots while soldering, so I bought all new pots, lined the whole thing with copper tape, and started from scratch, and it's still not working.

I've attached a couple pictures of the controls — I know my soldering is not pretty, but I don't think there are any cold solder joints, and I'm confident I didn't overheat the pots or anything. I assume I must have screwed something up with the wiring, but I've double- and triple-checked the wiring diagram and all the connections seem to be in the right place. Is there something I've wired incorrectly? Do my pickups need to be replaced or something? (I also attached the wiring diagram for reference.)View attachment 4032996View attachment 4032990 View attachment 4032991 View attachment 4032993 View attachment 4032997

Any help you guys can give is greatly appreciated - I don't mind starting it all over again (I like this kind of stuff), I just don't want to spend hours doing another rewire that won't work. Thanks in advance for any help/advice you can give!

Too bad I didn't see this when you posted it. The 6 string fretless I'm playing in my thumbnail is a DOUGLAS I bought from the same company that sells the BRICE label. I have 2 of the same bass you have, BRICE V2's. One with the dark purple quilted body, the fretless, mine has lines in the neck where the frets would be. And the 6 string Tigers Eye Amber Quilted in a fretted. Stunning good quality. I bought them new from www.rondomusic.com in 2002 and 2003. I still have the mail order catalog I ordered them from!! Now, I too modded my fretless. In a way I wish I had not. I wanted more midrange mwah on demand. Technique does it best. Now I know. But,... 20 years ago I pulled the 2 TONE pots, left the 2 OEM Volumes, and installed a 9v 3 band EQ, the EMG BQC package. Stacked Mid/Sweep and stacked Treble/Bass does exactly what its supposed to do... with the 4 pots. A BEHRINGER GRAPHIC EQUALIZER stomp box would have done it infinetly cheaper, simpler,... and more efficiently. I was playing it an hour ago. Fretted lower left, Dark Purple looks black on the wall. Several more on the wall on the right outta view.