Need your help!

[Demonturtle]

Ok, since I'm very new to the whole pickup swapping idea, I hereby am asking all you gear guru's for a little help.

I recently bought some passive EMG's (J hz), and installed them in my mexican fender jazz bass. I love the way they sound, but there are a few small "issues".

First of all, they are very low output, I knew that when I bought them but still, the difference between my Epiphone EB-3, thunderbird and the jazz with passive EMG's is fairly big.
I was wondering is there is any way to increase the output, even if it's a little bit.

Secondly: the tone control does close to nothing when adjusting it. Would this improve by replacing the cap (which brand and value)?

And last but not least: one of my 3 pots is busted so I'm bound to replace them. My first choice were CTS pots, any other suggestions?

Thanks a lot!

 

[R. Laevinus]

The HZ pups shouldn't be so low output that it's a problem. They're not really hot, but neither did I find them to be quiet, so I suspect that that problem lies elsewhere.

As per the tone control - the short answer is no. Unless the cap has completely delaminated or is the wrong value (try .047 or .022 to start), it's probably not the problem. The pot may be dirty (try contact cleaner), the solder connections may be shorted or corroded, your pot may be of the wrong value or perhaps you have an audio pot wired up backwards?

If you are going to replace the cap, I'd advise an Orange Drop - value anywhere from .1 to .022.

Lastly as to the pot - CTS. Might as well. Doesn't cost much more than the others, but has a better reputation.

Were I you, I'd begin by tracing all my connections to ensure there are no shorts or corroded joints. I'd then proceed to replace all pots and caps, and see if that doesn't fix the problems. You may also wish to double-check to ensure all pots are of the correct value, taper, and orientation.

 

[xaxxat]

You could check the output of the pups by running jumpers from the pups straight to the jack and bypassing the controls. If they check out OK then it's a process of elimination by bypassing the volume then the tone pots.