Help With Kramer Pioneer Series Bass

[sweetbeats]

Greetings all...first post.

So I took possession of a vintage (late 1982?) Kramer Pioneer Series “Double J” bass:

Pioneer Bass Information

Here’s mine:











it’s maybe a 6+ out 10 cosmetically...came with a beat up vintage SKB case. It’s got the rare interchangeable fingerboard option. Anyway, I need some help verifying what the switches should do because it’s not working right. There are two switches. One is a pickup selector (the switch closer to the neck...it’s a 3-position switch). Is it normal for the center position to be neither pickup? Like a mute function? I’m used to a 3-position pickup selector on a dual pickup instrument to be neck-both-bridge but mine is neck-mute-bridge. Then the switch closer to the bridge i believe effects the configuration of the bridge pickup. I think this is the related wiring diagram:

http://www.vintagekramer.com/Electric/wiring-dukedeluxe.jpeg

Well, I can barely get the bridge pickup to work...have to futz with the phase switch and even at that one of the positions doesn’t work at all...I checked the wiring and everything is intact. The instrument overall needs a setup badly.

Anybody have experience with these?

 

[abarson]

Quite an oddity as far as wiring goes.



Dave confirms that the front switch is indeed a pickup selector and that only the bridge pickup has the series/split/parallel switch, like the Duke. The neck pickup would be humbucking only, providing something like a P-bass sound. So to answer your question, no, the middle position of the selector switch should be both pickups together. If the bridge pickup isn't working right, it makes sense that it won't work right in the middle position. You need a meter to determine whether all coils of the pickup are in fact intact and engaged when switched in.

 

[two fingers]

Wish I could help with the switches. But cool bass.

Welcome to TalkBass!!!!

 

[sweetbeats]

Quite an oddity as far as wiring goes.



Dave confirms that the front switch is indeed a pickup selector and that only the bridge pickup has the series/split/parallel switch, like the Duke. The neck pickup would be humbucking only, providing something like a P-bass sound. So to answer your question, no, the middle position of the selector switch should be both pickups together. If the bridge pickup isn't working right, it makes sense that it won't work right in the middle position. You need a meter to determine whether all coils of the pickup are in fact intact and engaged when switched in.

Thanks for the reply. Yeah I saw that video. So I would need to desolder the wiring from the pickup in the cavity and measure resistance across each of the 4 coils and verify none of them are open, right?

Yeah it’s an interesting setup...even kind of odd. My other concern is the action is pretty high, so I started to work with that last night but I’m getting fret buzz when the action is still pretty high. Looking down the neck it *almost* looks like its flat except for a slight bow in the wrong direction down at the nut. I’m trying to remember...the neck is constructed to naturally bow toward the strings, and the truss rod flattens the neck out, correct? So I shouldn’t necessarily be concerned about a broken or slipping truss rod if the neck is too flat, right? It likely just needs a comprehensive setup, and I’ve done that a number of times in the past...it’s just been some years. And the truss rod access on this bass just sucks...I think I actually need to remove the neck to adjust the truss rod. Is that normal? I’ve always had basses you could get to the truss rod head with the neck installed.

 

[sweetbeats]

Wish I could help with the switches. But cool bass.

Welcome to TalkBass!!!!

Thank you! I appreciate the replies. There’s a lot of activity on this forum...wow!

Yeah this Kramer bass...it’s not been loved and that’s a concern to me as I get into it. The price was reasonable and the seller is willing to take it back, but the damn thing with all its scunge and corroded pole pieces and the electronics issue is still attaching itself to me. I had a vintage Ibanez Roadstar II Bass, the one with the dual switchable single coil/humbucking soap bar pickups, and I still have my first bass, a 90s Yamaha entry level RB fretless that just works...and I have a later model Ibanez soundgear bass...



I had a 5-string Peavey Grind neck thru...More and more lately I’ve been inclined toward a more vintage American made bass, and even with the crappy setup and some really old strings the Kramer sounds nice (using the neck pickup at least haha). Like I keep wanting to play it. It’s got a real full kind of bouncy tone to it, like really great for muted pick. I know it’s not a vintage Fender or the pre CBS G&L L-2000 I’ve been jonesing for for decades, but there’s something to it. So I’m having a hard time.

The other thing is the interchangeable finger boards. It’s cool, but I’m not sure if it’s good? Like, the actual surface is a phenolic material on the fretted and indexed fretless fingerboards. Then there’s the stainless board. I wonder how durable they are. And I wonder what the hell you do if you need a fret job. Maybe not a concern because I don’t play a whole lot and it looks like mostly what was used on the guitar was the phenolic fretless board. The frets on the fretted board need some shining up but they look practically un-worn. But I wonder if the magnetic surfaces effect sustain. I’m probably over thinking it. But you can actually swap the fingerboard from fretted to fretless in well under 30 seconds, and the action and intonation is consistent.

 

[ZedLepp]

Looks like the one that got away from me in San Diego about 15 or so years ago. Saw it at the store, got paid a week later and it was gone.

 

[sweetbeats]

And really...how the hell are you supposed to access the truss rod? It’s like a tease...”look but don’t touch”

 

[PeckBass]

Old thread revival!!

I love those Kramer Pioneer basses! My first bass was/is a Double J like yours but in a metallic red. I got another one in 2012, and early model with the fender and brass nut, P style body with the double J bridge pickup. Were you able to figure out the switches?
Any interest in selling that green one with removable fingerboard?