Thoughts on electronics and basses from a n00b, am I getting it?

[tradryan]

Hi all,
Thought I'd post some thoughts. Here's my current and past quiver (sorry no pic as of now):
1.) Peavey Millenium (the passive J-bass style)
2.) Squier VM Jazz with SD Quarter Pounders (installed already when I bought it used)
3.) ESP Ltd EC-154 Active, dual humbucker
4.) Epiphone Toby 5
5.) A Tele-style bass from Bargain Musician that I assembled for fun
6.) Epiphone Allen Woody Rumblekat, mail ordered pre-owned but was unfortunately so gooched right off the bat that it was awful and I sold it.
7.) An acoustic

So here are my thoughts: it seems like with cheap basses there're plenty out there where the quality of the instrument is awesome! in terms of wood and construction but the electronics are pretty lousy (the Peavey being a prime example).

Basically, of my entire quiver, every single guitar I can only play with the treble rolled all the way off or else there's buzzing except for the Squier with the SD pickups. It's the first bass I've owned where I can actually use the tone control for something other than cutting out the buzzing. The Peavey actually plays much more nicely in terms of set-up but the electronics don't hold a candle. Is that normal??

 

[And I]

Is your action very low, and a bit higher on the Squier? Do you play hard with the right hand?

 

[And I]

Or maybe I misunderstand what you mean by "buzzing". You're talking like electrical hum? Not like buzzing of strings against the frets when you play? If so ignore my previous questions!

 

[tradryan]

Yes sorry, electromagnetic interference as near as I can tell. I've check shielding, etc. My house is also from the fifties and has original wiring so that may also contribute but those SD pickups are night and day compared to the other electronics I'm using.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Hi all,
Thought I'd post some thoughts. Here's my current and past quiver (sorry no pic as of now):
1.) Peavey Millenium (the passive J-bass style)
2.) Squier VM Jazz with SD Quarter Pounders (installed already when I bought it used)
3.) ESP Ltd EC-154 Active, dual humbucker
4.) Epiphone Toby 5
5.) A Tele-style bass from Bargain Musician that I assembled for fun
6.) Epiphone Allen Woody Rumblekat, mail ordered pre-owned but was unfortunately so gooched right off the bat that it was awful and I sold it.
7.) An acoustic

So here are my thoughts: it seems like with cheap basses there're plenty out there where the quality of the instrument is awesome! in terms of wood and construction but the electronics are pretty lousy (the Peavey being a prime example).

Basically, of my entire quiver, every single guitar I can only play with the treble rolled all the way off or else there's buzzing except for the Squier with the SD pickups. It's the first bass I've owned where I can actually use the tone control for something other than cutting out the buzzing. The Peavey actually plays much more nicely in terms of set-up but the electronics don't hold a candle. Is that normal??

Does anything impact the noise beyond rolling off the treble? If the noise stops, it is shielding. If it gets louder, it is grounding.

Since they all do it, does the amp hum without a bass plugged in? Have you played the gear elsewhere? If so, does the issue persist? It could be some bad wiring in your home.

 

[tradryan]

Well that's the weird thing. The amp (Fender Rumble 25) is quiet with nothing plugged in, it's quiet with the Squier plugged in with the treble rolled on or off, and it's (reasonably) quiet with any of the other guitars plugged in with the treble rolled off, but, whether it's the Peavey, the ESP, the bargain musician.. etc. if I roll the treble on with the other guitars I get the hum, even in a humbucker scenario. I'm new and playing around, and I love the Squier (although the setup on the Peavey is better so I wish I could squash them together), so I'm just curious if this is typical or... I guess my other question is where is the threshold for price point when you get good electronics (i.e. would a stock Squier VM or Fender Player have quiet pickups with the treble rolled on).

For a while I thought it had to do with shielding but I did an experiment that disproved this: I took the bargain musician guitar apart, shielded the cavities with copper tape and put it back together.... and the situation was not changed at all. Also, I checked the Peavey and it's shielded with paint so there was no room for improvement there. So not shielding.

Yes, the two strand fifties wiring in my house is the pits... but then why are the SD pickups able to prevail and sound great?? I guess that's where I'm stumped.