Only way to get a 'roaring bull' is something like a vintage Gibson 'mudbucker' like in my 65 Epiphone Newport neck position....you have to EQ it to dial out excessive bassiness and add a bit of treble and upper mids...no mistake though the mini P is a great sounding bass and a great value.
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The Squier Mini Precision Bass Club
- Thread starter sabre79
- Start date
~The tone knob only works when volume is on full, and it is lacking the normal punch of a P.
It sounds kind of hollow overall as well. I'm pretty sure something is up.
I may try to put in the new pickup and replace the pots myself, though that will probably make things worse.
I have a feeling of deja vu, that you [or someone here] may have posted once before about this.
[EDIT : and without checking, I may have already written a similar reply]
While I would have to see [pics of] the wiring to say for sure, I have a couple of thoughts as to a wiring error which could [mis]behave like that.
One might be that the tone control is wired AFTER the volume control, when it should be before it, in the flow of the signal path from the pickup to the jack.
The other is that the tone is wired before the volume as it should be, but the wire on the wiper [centre terminal] of the volume control is swapped with the wire on the hot terminal, vs what it should be on a single pickup bass such as a P.
There is a standard wiring diagram for a passive P bass [and which I have committed to memory] which ought to be the same for the Mini-P.
Whether or not the pickup itself has a defect might be a separate issue.
My suggestion would be to investigate the wiring first, solve issues if present, and if after that the pickup still sounds odd, only then go shopping for another.
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Made some upgrades. I'm thinking this is the final version / last boss in my Mini Precision journey: Hipshot bridge & tuners, DiMarzio Model P, Dunlop Straploks, black string tree and knobs, custom leopard trim (pickguard, mute, head), Fender leopard strap and wears GHS Precision Flats. It's a wonderful instrument, easy to lock into with superb feel and tone. Very pleased.
Definitely something is up with the wiring. Maybe reflow any solder joints that look weird, etc.The tone knob only works when volume is on full, and it is lacking the normal punch of a P. It sounds kind of hollow overall as well. I'm pretty sure something is up.
I may try to put in the new pickup and replace the pots myself, though that will probably make things worse.
The most common issue I've seen with tone pots not working at all is the "hot" lead shorting to ground, bypassing the knob all together. This is relatively easy to do when the cavity is shielded, be it copper foil, or conductive paint. However, the effects of a shorted tone pot do not match what the OP is describing.
The tone pot only working when volume pot resistance is near 0 is most likely a wiring issue, but what about a weird capacitor, say, one that requires a certain threshhold of current/signal before it can "grab hold?"
The tone pot only working when volume pot resistance is near 0 is most likely a wiring issue, but what about a weird capacitor, say, one that requires a certain threshhold of current/signal before it can "grab hold?"
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Here is the standard passive Fender Precision Bass schematic of which I was speaking :
The most important thing to notice for this discussion is that the wiper [centre terminal] of the volume pot goes to the hot side of the output jack.
Nothing else is supposed to be connected to either of those two points.
If the tone control is also connected there by mistake or poor design, as in the first example of an error in my last post, it will have less effect, the more the volume control is reduced.
This is because a changing impedance will be presented to the tone control circuit as the volume setting is changed.
Something similar happens in my 2nd example.
Normal wiring of a passive P bass [as in the pic] presents a constant impedance to the tone control as the volume control is changed, so that however you set your tone, it stays put if you change the volume afterwards.
~
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I made it. Learned a trick from here on TB that you can use adhesive paper, like drawer liner, and an Xacto knife to make all kinds of cool custom pickguards. So, I got a $7 roll of leopard adhesive paper which is vinyl and not paper so it's quite durable, put it on, cut the sides with a knife and presto. I found really thick vinyl and refreshed an 810 cabinet with it instead of Tolex and it's awesome (not road-ready durable but it's not a touring cab).
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I must have misread your post, and thought that the cab has leopard print on it too.
And it could, as that pic only shows the front.
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I have the Precision Junior and the Mini-P.
The Mini-P is a really good bass for the price. But I do have to say that it is not the same bass as the Precision Junior. The alder body, the neck, the fit, finish etc of the Precision Junior makes it feel like a better bass. It is worth the 3X the price of the Mini-P? Probably not.
Don't get me wrong. The Mini-P is an amazing bass for the price. It will be really great with a mod or two.
Agree with you 100%. Don't get me wrong either... I'd love to have a Precision Junior. They're just very hard to find and expensive when you do. The Mini P is close enough to scratch the itch for me.
I love the Squirer Mimi P - but Yes, I would buy a Fender Precision Junior if it was available from Fender.
That there is definitely not 2.2mm and 1.8mm, looks more like 22mm and 18mm.
Also this is pretty meaningless at the correct intonation will depend on the string gauge and tension of the specific strings installed in the bass, unless of course you mean the stock strings.
I know. I paid $400 for mine several years ago (used). Then I modded it with a Hipshot bridge, Relentless pickups, new control electronics.
It looks like the Junior and the mini-P have the same pickguard dimensions. I ordered a new mini-P pickguard. If it fits the Junior, I will use it for that and add a tone control. Then, I'll order another pickguard for the mini-P and start modding that.
Can't stop modding.
Was the neck heel of the Mikro a perfect fit for the neck pocket of both the Bronco bass and the SG guitar or did you have to make some modifications to make it fit their neck pocket?
The Mikro necks fit the width of the neck pockets ok but considering manufacturing tolerances and the fact that the Mikro neck is squared and the Bronco rounded, I'd be prepared do some sanding to ease the fitting.
I just left the Mikro neck squared.
BTW, with the Mikro neck on the Squier only 3 of the neck screws were useable and the bridge had to be relocated on both the Bronco and SG bodies.
Thanks
And yeah, I was aware it would mean a relocation of the bridge in any case.
What about the Mikro neck you transplanted to an SG guitar body?
How did it's neck heel fit the neck pocket of the SG?
I apologize for going totally off topic here.
Thanks
And yeah, I was aware it would mean a relocation of the bridge in any case.
What about the Mikro neck you transplanted to an SG guitar body?
How did it's neck heel fit the neck pocket of the SG?
I apologize for going totally off topic here.
I thought I included the SG in my previous post. If I didn't, sorry about that.
The Mikro neck heel was a fairly tight fit in the SG neck pocket but since the SG neck pocket is so much shorter than the neck pocket on the Bronco, all 4 neck screws could be used with the SG body.
Again, depending on the specific neck and body it may be necessary to adjust the fit.
BTW, I used an Ibanez Mikro bridge because it was convenient to do so.
