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Help My Bass Boost Its Volume!!!

B

BigDaddyJ

Nov 29, 2008
19
0
#1
Hey there! I just recently purchased a new bass to replace my previous one and the only real difference between the two is that my new basshas active pickups where my previous bass had passive pickups. Now with my amp on my old bass I could get a massive sound without having to crank my amp past around 5 or so, but it seems now with my new bass when I play threww the same amp I have to have it turned to around 7-8 to get around the same sound. Now is this inherent to all active pickup basses or is there something I could do to boost the volume otherwise? (I change the batteries regularly so that shouldnt be an issue.)

Thanks for your help!

P.S. I didnt know which forum would be most appropiate to post this, sorry if I was wrong.

:bassist::bassist::bassist:
 
#2
Is this new active bass a Warwick?? I ask because mine is quite quiet compared to my other actives.

But yeah, there are loads of options for boosting your output. You could look into on board and out board pre's or gain based effect boxes.

Also, as lame as it sounds, check your battery! (EDIT: You have!!)

Other things to check are possibly the volume knob(!) and string height / pickup height or angle.
 
#5
It could also be that the inherent voicing of the old bass was less mid-scooped than the new one- a lot of times people find they have to turn up louder if they scoop the mids. And like Karate said, there are tons of options for onboard electronics or pedals you can use to boost levels. Just check any web store like MF or Pedalgeek for EQ or "boost" pedals.
 
#6
Does your amp have two separate inputs for active and passive instruments? If so, and your bass isn't particularly "hot", you might be able to plug into the passive input. That will give you more volume.

If you try that, the first time you plug it in, turn both the volume and the gain knobs on the amp down to "0". Then pluck or pick your strings about as hard as you normally play, while gradually turning up the gain knob until the "Clip" light starts to come on. Then back the gain knob down a little until the "Clip" light doesn't come on when you're plucking. Then turn up your volume knob. Good luck.
 
#8
Jeff K said:
Does your amp have two separate inputs for active and passive instruments? If so, and your bass isn't particularly "hot", you might be able to plug into the passive input. That will give you more volume.

If you try that, the first time you plug it in, turn both the volume and the gain knobs on the amp down to "0". Then pluck or pick your strings about as hard as you normally play, while gradually turning up the gain knob until the "Clip" light starts to come on. Then back the gain knob down a little until the "Clip" light doesn't come on when you're plucking. Then turn up your volume knob. Good luck.
Click to expand...

This is going to sound bad..

But what's a "clip" light?
 
#10
It's normally right next to the "Gain" control knob. If the little LED light comes on, that means that it is "clipping". You then need to back off on the Gain until it no longer clips when you play. The higher you can set your Gain without it clipping, the more volume you're going to get when you use your volume knob.
 
#11
To complicate matters, the clip light may be designed to respond to any part of the circuit, depending on the random whims of the designer. Some clip lights indicate clipping at the very input; some indicate clipping after the EQ section or any other stage of the preamp; and some heads indicate clipping of the power section, not the preamp. RTM.
 
#13
It could just be that the old bass had very hot passive pups and was sending a 'louder' signal to the amp. This is not unheard of. My G&L SB-2 was hotter than most of the active basses I have owned.

That being said, is it really a problem to turn the amp up a bit more?
 
#14
You need to get an Xotic Bass RC Booster. Check out this clip:



As great as my Ken Smith Black Tiger 5 sounds, the Bass RC Booster makes it sound even better!!!


A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste! :cool:
 
#15
Is the battery relatively new in the bass?

Is the EQ backed all the way off rather than starting out 'flat' as it should be (meaning each in it's center detent position or 12:00 position)? This could make a huge difference in the volume if you had the EQ cutting frequencies.
 

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