Geddy Lee Jazz low output. What's going on?

And, honestly, it sounds so low due to the "closest to Vintage pickups" set japanese Geddy Lee's usually sport

Strange if your American Std is the present CS pickup series...
Absolutely normal if you're referrin' to a 2008/2010 Std model: those were not only the most playable instruments out there, but among the best and loudest playin' passive singlecoil too!

Cheers,
Wallace

 

That's odd....I've owned several Fender Jazz Basses over the years including a Geddy Lee and it had the same if not more output than any other Jazz I've owned.

 

The 2007 MIJ Geddy I had was definitely not low output.

Besides, almost every amp out there has input gain, just turn it up. Once it sounds good, does output actually matter?

 

I never noticed a big difference in the GL basses I've played or with the GL pickups (same pickup in the 62 AVRI) I've had in multiple basses.

When you switched out the pickups do you use the original wiring too? Have you adjusted pickup height?

 

I had a Geddy for a few years and yes, mine was low output. After stressing about it and what I could do to fix it, I just decided to not throw money at it and turn up the amp.

 

I would check pup height. Then have someone check out the pots. You could have a bad one maybe.

 

I don't know what you expected -- you replaced a vintage-output pickup set with another vintage-output pickup set.

What's this obsession with high-output pickups anyway? I wouldn't have them as a gift.

You have a gain control on your amp and recording interface, and adjusting for differentials in pickup outputs is what they're for.

Sometimes I think about 75% of the "problems" on TalkBass would evaporate if people learned to use all those amp knobs for their intended purposes.

 

Pickup height maybe, pots no.

 

I have one from 1998 CIJ, and it screams. Nasty, Jazz Bass tone.

 

Bad solder joint? A bad output jack? Crap wire used for the rest of the wiring?

 

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe those had different pickups, hot no-name ceramics.

Last I heard, recent GLs are using Fender OVs (like in the AVRI), which are notional '60s vintage reissues.

 

I've got a 2007 Geddy Lee Jazz and it has a much lower output than my early/mid 90's Peavey Fury. I also just bought a MIM Fender P bass and it's much lower than it is also. The bass I just bought has SD QP so I can't compare to the original. It does bother me a little. So now that my amp rig is in order I'm gonna change out the pickups on the Geddy. I'm thinking about a set of high output DiMarzio's.

 

Pole height.

There's not that much left if they have the same pickups, strings and the pots are all opened.

 

I think it's down to pickup height or bad wiring/pots.

Do you do your own setups and is everything else the same? I.e similar action, same brand of strings with the same level of use?

 

I read about that in a musicians forum of my country, the guy solved the problem putting rubber or sponge in the pickup cavity, because the Geddy Jazz doesn't have anything to raise the pole pieces. Hope that helps